Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is eliminating its complimentary chauffeur service for its business and first class passengers at all its international destinations. A paid option “at specially negotiated rates” will replace the free service. Economy class passengers can also avail the new paid service, and Etihad Guest members will accrue frequent flier points. The cutback is part of a series …
Read More »
Jet Airways is enhancing its existing code-share agreements with Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. All three foreign carriers are anchor members of the Skyteam alliance. The Indian carrier will place code-shares of the three Skyteam airlines on its new flights between Mumbai Paris, Chennai Paris, Bangalore Amsterdam, and its third Mumbai London Heathrow flight. Air …
Read More »
European airframer Airbus unveiled a development study for an enhanced version of the A380 superjumbo, the “A380plus”. The study is a bid by the company to re-engergise sales of the world’s largest passenger aircraft that have been stagnant for over a year. It also appears to be an effort to bridge the requests of the largest A380 customer, Emirates airline, …
Read More »
European airframer Airbus has developed a new cabin concept for its best-selling narrow body A320 family of jetliners called Airspace. Just as its competitor Boeing borrowed cabin concepts from the 787 Dreamliner and incorporated it in to the 737, Airbus has borrowed concepts from the A350 and the A330neo for the Airspace interior to offer similar designs in both the …
Read More »
Purely as a coincidence, India and Australia will both remove the immigration departure cards effective July 1. India used to require its citizens to fill up the card for all international departures. Foreign citizens were exempt. In case of Australia all passengers had to fill up the card. The India requirement for foreigners, including Persons of India Origin (PIO) and …
Read More »
This was my first trip on Malaysia Airlines and my first international flight out of India on a narrow body in eight years. Why not fly Bangalore to Singapore direct instead of the roundabout Bangalore – Kuala Lumpur – Singapore? I am a oneworld frequent flier and Malaysia Airlines is a member of the alliance. The other option would have …
Read More »
The Mitsubishi Regional Jet is making it’s European debut at the 2017 Paris Air show at Le Bourget Airport. The aircraft on display is FTA-3, the third test aircraft. Mitsubishi ferried the aircraft from the MRJ Flight Test Center, Moses Lake, Washington via Winnipeg and Goose Bay, Canada and Keflavik, Iceland to Paris. FTA-3 originally bore the Mitsubishi corporate livery …
Read More »
Low cost carrier SpiceJet has signed a memorandum of understanding with Boeing for 40 737 MAX airplanes at the 2017 Paris airshow which kicked off today. The deal, valued at $4.74 billion at current list prices, includes 20 new orders for 737 MAX 10’s and converts 20 of the carriers existing MAX 8 orders to MAX 10’s. With this order …
Read More »
Middle eastern carrier Qatar Airways has stated that operations out of it’s Doha hub are largely unaffected by the gulf ban with the vast majority of flights operating as scheduled. The airline has flown approximately 1,200 flights between Doha and its network in the past week and has said that 90 per cent of those flights departed within 15 minutes …
Read More »
Spicejet reported the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2016-2017 results on June 3, 2017, a Saturday, not a working day for the financial markets. The timing of the results announcement was as interesting as the results themselves. Overall, the results were below analyst expectations and are reflective of the intensely competitive fare and capacity environment in Indian aviation. Key financial …
Read More »
One has to tip their hat to both the air traffic control at Doha as well as Qatar Airways for handling the airspace restrictions imposed by their immediate neighbours Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Egypt and Yemen in the wake of the cessation of diplomatic relations between these countries and Qatar. As their screen shots from FlightRadar24 …
Read More »
Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have severed diplomatic relations with the tiny peninsular state of Qatar claiming the latter’s support of terrorism. The four nations have cut all land, sea and air contacts too. Qatar, which boasts the highest per capita income in the world, shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia which …
Read More »
Debt burdened GVK Power and Infrastructure Ltd will sell the last of its stake in Bengaluru International Airport Ltd. (BIAL), approximately ten per cent, to Fairfax India Holdings, for Rs. 1,290 crore (about $200 million). BIAL is the operator of the Kempegowda International Airport. In an announcement to the stock exchange the company said “This is to inform you that …
Read More »
New Delhi Indira Gandhi airport is looking to maximize efficiency of their runways via a series of measures. Bangalore Aviation has learned that the airport operator Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) is working towards achieving a runway service rate of 104 movements per hour. This rate will include optimised pilot performance, optimised ATC performance and high intensity runway operations. Yet, …
Read More »
While transiting Kuala Lumpur airport between two ‘regional’ flights, I had a chance to use Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge regional. Malaysian has two lounges at KLIA, a regional lounge at the main terminal building which mainly services the airline’s Boeing 737 fleet and a bigger Golden lounge at the satellite pier which services the airline’s and airports long haul wide …
Read More »
The PTI is reporting that six additional airports will scrap the hand-baggage tags and stamping from June 1. Chennai, Jaipur, Guwahati, Lucknow, Trivandrum, and Patna, will join New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Bengalooru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Ahmedabad which had scrapped this much despised process back on April 1. Quoting Mr O.P. Singh, the Director General of the Central Industrial Security Force …
Read More »
The Tata Singapore Airlines joint venture Vistara operated the inaugural flight of their brand new Airbus A320neo from New Delhi to Bangalore yesterday morning as flight UK811. The aircraft registered VT-TNB features slight changes in the livery including the Vistara star and A320neo branding on the belly, and a banner along the upper fuselage. Like national carrier Air India, Vistara’s …
Read More »
Russian airframer Irkut completed the maiden flight of it’s new MC-21-300 aircraft yesterday. The test flight was conducted at the airfield of Irkutsk Aviation Plant and reportedly lasted 30 minutes. The MC-21 program was launched in 2007 with the first prototype being rolled out in 2016. The program is headed by Irkut which is a subsidiary of the Russian government …
Read More »
India’s largest private airline, Jet Airways has announced a third flight on the strategic Mumbai London Heathrow route, starting from the winter schedule which commences October 29th. Flight schedule 9W116 departs Mumbai at 09:05 and arrives London Heathrow 13:35. 9W115 departs London Heathrow at 15:30 and arrives Mumbai 05:55 the next morning. The flight will be operated by a three …
Read More »
Full service carrier, Vistara has taken delivery of it’s first A320neo (new engine option) at Airbus’ Toulouse plant. The aircraft is the 14th A320 in the carriers fleet and is powered by CFM’s LEAP-1A engines. The airline has equipped it’s neo with mood lighting, improved seats and a new look across all three of it’s cabins. Phee Teik Yeoh, CEO, …
Read More »
Bangalore Aviation News, Reviews, Analysis and opinions of Indian Aviation