Monthly Archives: December 2019

Air India wants 2400 crores more, the bleeding continues

Air India Boeing 747-400 VT-ESP Ajanta. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal.

After a loss of 8,556 crores in FY19, the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Air India has indicated that the airline needs a sovereign guarantee of 2400 crores to fund ongoing operations. The airline continues to bleed cash at an alarming rate. Capacity woes continue and estimates indicate that twenty-two aircraft are grounded. On the costs side, there have …

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Air Arabia Abu Dhabi files first routes including Jaipur

Air Arabia A6-AOD Airbus A320.

Air Arabia Abu Dhabi is the upcoming low-cost joint venture between two of the UAE airlines – Sharjah based Air Arabia and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad. The joint venture is one of the two new low-cost airlines being launched in the capital of the Emirates – the other being a joint venture between Wizz Air and Abu Dhabi Developmental Holding Company …

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The changing nature of airline alliances

Representative cabin crew of the oneworld member airlines pose in front of TAM airlines A320

The airline industry is undergoing a transformation while it deals with disruptive shifts. Whether it’s the grounding of the 737MAX affecting capacity plans worldwide, the shift to low-cost travel or declining demand due to movements such as “flight shaming” in Europe – change is happening in a manner not witnessed before. This holds true even in the world of airline …

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Indigo becomes India’s first airline to reach 1500 daily departures

IndiGo ATR72-600 VT-IYA. Photo by Vedant Agarwal. Copyright. Do not re-use.

Low-cost carrier Indigo has become the first airline in India to operate 1500 daily departures. The airline operates these flights to 83 destinations and with over 250,000 passengers daily. Ronojoy Dutta, CEO, IndiGo “We are very pleased to be the first Indian airline to touch 1500 daily departures, with one flight taking off every minute. The simple philosophy of offering …

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Low Cost Long Haul: Can Indigo succeed where so many have failed?

IndiGo Airbus A320-232(SL) VT-IFK with Sharklets.

India largest and most profitable airline, IndiGo’s CEO Ronojoy Dutta has gone on record recently about the low-cost airline “actively studying” long haul flights to London on widebody aircraft. This statement coming from an airline which for the longest time stuck to a single fleet strategy, until it added ATR aircraft for regional flights, has left some perplexed. Dutta also …

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BIAL to begin limited operations on new runway from 5 December

Bangalore airport will begin limited operations on the new south parallel runway (NSPR) from 5 December 2019. The runway will begin operations with a single cross taxiway in operation, a BIAL spokesperson told BangaloreAviation. “The South Runway will start with limited operations on December 5, 2019. Operations will commence with one of the two crossfield taxiways connected. The second taxiway …

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