Qatar Airways has announced on the second day of the Farnborough airshow that it will acquire a 10% stake in LATAM airlines group. The airline will invest $618 million in the Latin carrier, according to Qatar chief executive His Excellency Akbar Al Bakar. He further said this investment is further proof of the airline’s commitment to oneWorld. LATAM is the …
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British carrier Virgin Atlantic has announced an order for 12 Airbus A350-1000s. The order is worth $4.4 billion at list prices, though airlines get a substantial discount. Eight of 12 ordered aircraft will be purchased and balance four will be leased. The Virgin A350’s will be powered by British made Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines. The -1000 is the longest variant …
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Bangalore Aviation’s photo editor Vedant, was given a tour of Boeing’s new 737 MAX which is designed to compete with the new A320neo from Airbus. The MAX features new LEAP engines from CFM, a digital flight deck that derives inputs from its big brother the 787 Dreamliner, split wing-tips, and a host of other new features. Indian budget carrier Spicejet …
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On day one of the Farnborough airshow, Boeing has announced orders for the 737 MAX and 787 families. Xiamen Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the purchase of up to 30 737 MAX 200 airplanes, valued at up to $3.39 billion at current list prices. The airline which already has orders for the MAX plans to use the MAX …
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Media outlets across the world are reporting that Indian low fare carrier GoAir will order another 70 A320neo narrow body airplanes. This is in addition to the existing order of 72 A320neo from which, the airline received its first delivery last month. The order will be worth $7.5 billion at list prices though one can expect GoAir to receive hefty …
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Boeing announced at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow that Norwegian has committed to GoldCare coverage for its 737 MAX fleet and expanded coverage for the airline’s entire 787 Dreamliner fleet. The new services agreements represent the largest commercial services order in Boeing history. The agreement is valued at around 3 billion USD. With the GoldCare service, Boeing delivers the operational …
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National carrier Air India has announced it will launch thrice a week flights between Bengaluru (BLR) and Hubballi (HBX) from 20th July. The flights will be operated by ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. The flights will operate on Monday, Wednesday and Friday as per the following schedule : Flight Departure Arrival AI 9509 (BLR-HBX) 15:45 17:05 AI 9510 (HBX-BLR) 17:25 18:35 …
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Following the series of disturbances in Jammu and Kashmir state capital Srinagar, airlines in India are waiving off charges and penalties on cancellation and rebooking of flights that are scheduled to operate to and from the capital city. The current situation that has made access to the airport either difficult or impossible, leaving passengers who have booked tickets for outbound …
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Budget carrier Spicejet is preparing to launch a fresh television advertising initiative focussed on their hot food and premium economy type SpiceMAX service. Arch rival IndiGo does not provide hot meals on board its flights, nor does it offer a service comparable to SpiceMAX. The TV commercials focus on the additional leg room offered, hot meals, eliminating queues, using daily …
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Airlines in India are partnering with famous food brands to leverage their ‘star power’ in an effort to woo passengers. The partnerships are with both home grown and glocal (global brands operating locally) brands. Last month, India’s largest private airline Jet Airways, announced a partnership to serve Subway sandwiches and Krispy Kreme doughnuts on board its flights. A week back, low-fare carrier …
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Dubai-based low-cost carrier FlyDubai is increasing frequency of its flights to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. From July 1, the carrier will operate daily flights up from the current four a week. The airline has an all Boeing 737-800 fleet, on which it has introduced in-flight WiFi and live TV services, on a pay per use basis. Dubai …
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The Tata-Singapore Airlines branded Vistara will serve Starbucks coffee on-board its flights from later this year. As a coffee lover, I look forward some decent coffee aboard an Indian carrier. The world famous brand though will be limited to the business and premium economy class sections. Global agreement between Tatas and Starbucks The move is part of a significant agreement …
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A Singapore Airlines Boeing 777-300ER 9V-SWB was performing flight SQ368 from Singapore Changi to Milan Malpensa, Italy. The flight departed Changi at around 2:25am local (18:25Z -1, 23:55IST -1) with 222 passengers and 19 crew. The flight was flying up the west coast of peninsular Malaysia and Thailand. About two hours in to the flight, while at FL300 (30,000ft AMSL), …
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As part of a dramatic overall liberalisation, the Indian government will allow 100% foreign direct investment in domestic airlines. At present the limit is 49%. However, the caveat is that the 49% is automatic approval while the 100% is automatic for non-resident Indians (NRIs) and with government approval for others. Foreign airlines remain limited investing 49% in Indian companies operating …
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Goes double-daily to Los Angeles Stops A380 service to Los Angeles Suspends Brazil flights Singapore Airlines will launch daily non-stop flights between Singapore and San Francisco in the winter schedule starting October 23, 2016 using the Airbus A350-900 aircraft. The 13,600km flight will be the longest non-stop at the time in the airline’s network. It is expect to take between …
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The Indian Union cabinet has approved the new civil aviation policy (NCAP). The press release from the Press Information Bureau (PIB) says it all. While the NCAP is definitely a step in the right direction, we will be sharing our analysis in the days to come after we glean the details. For now, Vistara, the joint venture of Tatas and …
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, it is said. In a virtual duplication of the IndiGo Early programme, India’s largest private airline Jet Airways, in a hat-tip to India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, has introduced JetAdvance. Under this scheme, passengers who report to the airport early, can choose to travel by an earlier flight by paying Rs 1,000 per …
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Qatar Airways is an airline that puts a lot of effort into building it’s premium class experience, from the ground to the on board service. At the old Doha airport the airline had a separate premium terminal for it’s premium (business and first class) passengers. At the airline’s new hub, the Hamad International Airport at Doha, the airline has the …
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Yashas Dassani, the nine-years old boy from Mumbai, who won the global ‘Your Announcement Contest‘ sponsored by German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa, made his first live announcement aboard a flight. Dassani performed the announcement as a Lufthansa cabin crew on-board flight LH756 from Franfurt to his home-town, Mumbai, in front of over 350 passengers. Prior to his flight, young Yashas …
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Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has opened a new premium lounge at Melbourne airport. As the airline’s largest premium lounge outside Abu Dhabi, it is over 800 square metres wide in space and can seat up to 133 guests. It is also filled with natural light flowing in through the floor-to-ceiling glass, guaranteeing an …
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Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation