Earlier this month a push back tractor appears to have hit an Airbus A320 of the national airline Air India. The incident involving VT-EPJ occurred at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji airport in the middle of a rain storm, earlier this month. There are some reports that the aircraft rolled forward before the towbar which is connected to the nose wheel was …
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Boeing completes firm configuration of the 777X
American airframer Boeing announced today the completion of the firm configuration for the 777-9, the first of the 777X family to be developed. The Boeing 777X team reached this significant design milestone after working closely with airline customers and key suppliers to optimize the configuration of the new airplane. The firm configuration marks the completion of configuration trade studies required …
Read More »Boeing delivers Korean Air’s first 747-8i
Korean Air has taken delivery of the airline’s first 747-8 Intercontinental. The aircraft is the first of 10 747-8i’s the carrier has on order. Korean Air has configured the aircraft with 368 seats. The First class feature the brand new Kosmo Suite 2.0, which includes a sliding door and higher partitions to provide added privacy for passengers. The suites are …
Read More »Vistara refutes media reports on possible winter fog grounding
The Tata-Singapore Airlines joint venture airline, Vistara has refuted media reports that quotes Indian regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, officials, that its pilots and aircraft are not likely to be Cat IIIB certified by this winter. In a response to a detailed questionnaire seeking the airline’s responses, a Vistara spokesperson replied“Vistara has been working closely with DGCA for …
Read More »Independent analysis of Jet Airways Q1 fiscal 2015-2016 performance
The below analysis has been performed by an aviation consultant and industry professional completely independently of Bangalore Aviation. The views expressed are not ours. – Editor Jet Airways reported a profit of INR 2,217 million or USD 35 million for the 1st quarter of FY16. The results are fairly interesting when one looks at RASK and CASK comparisons that show …
Read More »Air France offers 5th edition of Manish Arora fashion contest
For the fifth season, Air France is offering aspiring designers the opportunity to engage with noted designer Manish Arora and learn from him, first-hand. This season which started yesterday will run till September 3, 2015, will also involve the noted Verve Magazine as an official media partner. This year’s theme is ‘Life is Beautiful’. Fashion designers can participate in the …
Read More »The incestuous relationship between Air India and the government
Air India is an enigma. It was the first airline in the world with an all jet fleet, ahead of the Americans and Europeans. From being the epitome of luxury, grace and hospitality, the palace in the skies, the airline is, today, a bottomless pit swallowing crores of tax-payer rupees. This despite having one of the most modern wide-body fleets …
Read More »ANA unveils two new Star Wars jets
Japanese carrier, ANA announced that two more of its planes will be decorated with Star Wars characters. BB-8, a brand new character from Star Wars: The Force Awakens will be displayed on the livery of the BB-8™ ANA Jet, a Boeing 777-300ER and the Star Wars™ ANA Jet, which will showcase both BB-8 and R2-D2 on the outside of a …
Read More »Tigerair to operate Lucknow service
Singapore based low cost carrier, Tigerair will begin a non-stop service between Singapore and Lucknow from 3rd December 2015. The airline will be the first to offer a non-stop flight between Changi International Airport and Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport. The flights to Lucknow will be available three days a week operating on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. Lucknow marks the …
Read More »Air China to begin a direct Mumbai-Beijing service
Chinese national carrier, Air China will launch a direct service from Mumbai, India to Beijing, China from 25 October 2015. The service will be operated by an Airbus A330-300 in a 301 passenger configuration with 30 seats in Business class, 16 seats in Premium Economy and 255 seats in Economy Class. The airline will be discontinuing it’s existing Mumbai – …
Read More »IndiGo confirms 250 A320neo order with Airbus
India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, has placed a confirmed order for 250 Airbus A320neo (new engine option) with the European airframer. Signed on India’s 69th Independence Day, August 15 2015, the order is a confirmation of the agreement entered into in October last year, by the two companies. This order is the single largest order by numbers ever placed on …
Read More »SpiceJet adds 137 new connections to it’s flight schedule
Low cost carrier SpiceJet announced the addition of three new flights and 137 new connections to its current network. All of these new flights and connections are between cities currently served by the airline. The new flights being added effective 29 August 2015 are Delhi: 1. Guwahati – Agartala vv (daily) 2. Bengaluru – Kolkata – Guwahati vv (daily) 3. …
Read More »Embraer’s Legacy 450 recieves Brazilian certification
Brazilian airframer Embraer has recieved type certification for it’s Legacy 450 mid-light executive jet from the Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – ANAC) yesterday at a ceremony at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE) in São Paulo, Brazil. The flight test program was carried out with two prototype aircraft, the first with flight …
Read More »First independent airport lounge opens at London Heathrow Terminal 5
The first independent shared-use airport lounge has opened at London Heathrow’s Terminal 5 (T5). Located at the north end of the terminal, near gate A18, ‘Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5‘ is jointly owned and operated by Collinson Group, the owners of Priority Pass, and Swissport, the world’s largest aviation services provider. The lounge is open from 05:00 …
Read More »Emirates airline offers low cost interior connectivity with America’s Pass
Dubai based behemoth Emirates airline has solved a key weakness faced by its passengers to the Americas, interior travel. The airline flies to 10 gateway cities in the Americas and many of its passengers would like to visit cities beyond these 10. By introducing its America’s Pass the airline’s passengers can now connect to over 90 cities in the USA, …
Read More »British Airways reduces cabin hand baggage size, still remains generous
British Airways has always had one of the most generous hand-baggage (carry-on baggage) allowances in the world. Like its American counterparts, even in economy class, it permits two carry-on bags per passenger; one main carry-on bag, and one personal hand-bag / laptop bag. Compare this to the one piece allowed on almost every other airline. However, unlike the normal 7kg …
Read More »Star Alliance announces round-the-world (RTW) fares in premium economy class
With 11 of its member airlines offering a dedicated premium economy class cabin, Star Alliance, the world largest airline grouping is now offering a Round-the-World (RTW) fare in the Premium Economy Class. The 11 Star Alliance airlines which offer a dedicated premium economy class cabin include Air Canada, Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, EVA Air, Lufthansa, LOT Polish Airlines, …
Read More »Qatar Airways in talks with IndiGo, denies interest in SpiceJet
National carrier Qatar Airways has issued a statement denying any interest in picking up a stake in Gurgaon based SpiceJet. The middle-eastern carrier says This release is to confirm that Qatar Airways is not in talks to pursue a commercial stake in SpiceJet. There is no interest from the airline to engage in a partnership with the Gurgaon-based airline. Qatar …
Read More »SpiceJet makes remarkable comeback. Reports highest ever Q1 profit of 71.8 cr
Gurgaon based low fare carrier SpiceJet has made a remarkable comeback from its financial troubles just a little over seven months back. The airline has reported a net profit of Rs 71.8 crore (Rs 718 million) for the first quarter of fiscal year 2015-2016. This is the highest profit for the first quarter ever reported by the airline and the …
Read More »Air Pegasus to start service to Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorin and Pondicherry
Regional carrier Air Pegasus completed 100 days of operations yesterday. The airline currently operates to from its hub in Bangalore to Hubli, Trivandrum, Madurai and Kadapa and is planning to begin services to Chennai, Hyderabad, Tuticorin and Pondicherry shortly. Shyson Thomas, Air Pegasus “To serve the increasing number of sectors, we intend to lease in three more aircrafts in the …
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