Kevin Done in London and Gerrit Wiesmann in Frankfurt of the Financial Times report that, Lufthansa is taking majority control of BMI British Midland, which will give it the second largest share of take-off and landing slots at London Heathrow airport, behind British Airways. The deal marks an important step in the restructuring of the European airline industry with the …

At one time, Singapore Airlines SQ was the most dominant international airline in Bangalore, operating 12 flights a week. A daily night flight and a morning flight 5 days a week. No more. The new title holder is Emirates operating as many as 3 flights a day. Citing diminishing demand, from October 26, 2008 onwards, SQ has discontinued the 5 …

Thanks to the global reduction in crude oil prices, and reductions in Customs duty (in response to desperate pleas by airlines), Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices in India, have retreated back to earlier levels of 8 months ago. Today, ATF is priced almost the same as in March 2008, but air fares show no sign of retreating. Airlines had almost …

I have been a dog-lover since childhood. I grew up with Silky, a Lhasa Apso, Snooty and Growler, two Spitzes. In the US, Keesha, a Keeshound kept me company. Today our family includes two Champions, Brandy, an Irish Setter, and Isis, the only female Giant Schnauzer in India. I flew with Isis from the USA to Bangalore HAL airport, without …

The battered India airline companies received a lifeline from the government on October 31. The 5% Customs duty on Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) has removed. In addition the government controlled oil marketing companies have announced a price reduction of Rs. 6,000 per kilolitre on ATF. These two steps, will result in an about 17% reduction in prices, but predictably, airlines …

Press Trust of India reports, low cost carrier SpiceJet today reported a net loss of Rs 198 crore (INR 1.98 billion) for the second quarter ended September 30. The airline had posted a net loss of Rs 37.7 crore in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. Total income of the carrier stood at Rs 363.3 crore in the …

The Press Trust of India reports, the third runway of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which was recently inaugurated, has been opened for round-the-clock operation from yesterday. The runway, which was inaugurated on August 21 this year by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, was opened for commercial operations from September 25, 2008 but could not be used round-the-clock due to …

According to a Press Trust of India (PTI) report, Kolkata’s Howrah region is proposed to get a second airport in a bid to ease the passenger congestion at the existing Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (NSCBIA). Speaking at a function in Howrah yesterday, Subhash Chakraborty, West Bengal Transport Minister said, “There has been a considerable increase of passengers at …

Jet Airways, today connected Bengaluru with New York (Newark and JFK) and Toronto, via its European hub in Brussels with four weekly flights – on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays respectively, till December 14, 2008. In keeping with the higher holiday season passenger traffic, Jet Airways will increase its frequency on the sector, operating daily flights between Bengaluru and Brussels …

GMR Hyderabad International Airport Limited (GHIAL) announced that it is all set for its maiden Haj operations from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport. GHIAL has provided all facilities at the new Haj Terminal for the convenience of the pilgrims this year. The facilities are meant for both the passengers and the visitors. The Saudia Airlines Airbus A300 flight to Hyderabad will …

Customers can expect ‘business as usual’ with no immediate changes in operations Delta Air Lines, Inc. (NYSE: DAL) announced, it and Northwest Airlines, Inc. merged, creating a premier global airline with service to nearly all of the world’s major travel markets. The new airline, called Delta and headquartered in Atlanta, will begin its first day as a combined company with …

CompareSasta.com is the newest entrant in the online travel search market, and has started its service by offering a comprehensive real-time price information of flights and bus travel in India. CompareSasta.com is trying to be India’s leading price comparison website by enabling consumers to search, find, and compare a complete range of products and services best suited to their requirements. …

The bad news continues to roll in for Indian aviation. Austrian Airlines announced that it will cease operating its service from Vienna to Mumbai (Bombay) from 1 March 2009 onwards. All international airlines choose Mumbai, the economic capital of India, while ignoring less competitive cities like Bangalore. As a result there is drastic overcapacity between European airports and Mumbai. The …

According to the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced global international traffic results for September, with passenger traffic declining 2.9%, compared to the same month in 2007. International load factors tumbled by 4.4% percentage points from August to 74.8% in September. Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO said, “The deterioration in traffic …

The Press Trust of India reports that the Government’s decision to shut down the old Bangalore airport could come under fresh legal scrutiny with a parliamentary panel asking civil aviation ministry to respond to charges of “irregularities” in the concession agreement it has signed with the airport developer. Quoting records of its hearings with the ministry, Airports Authority of India, …

KLM announced on October 22, 2008, that KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is suspending its Amsterdam–Hyderabad service, effective February 1, 2009. KLM launched flights to this destination in October 2005 in anticipation of a growth in traffic to India. KLM is suspending this service in response to financial results of this route and local market developments. All passengers will be booked …

In what is sure to be a shock, to both the BIAL and HIAL consortia, the Deccan Chronicale reports, the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, on Thursday October 23, recommended immediate withdrawal of user development fees (UDF) being charged by Hyderabad and Bengaluru airports. It said the private operators had invested only Rs 330 crore and Rs …

SpiceJet is sure going to win the hearts of the Rajasthani community, and major businesses like Bosch India, with its new Bangalore – Jaipur direct flight. Starting October 26, 2008, SpiceJet schedule will offer a B737 morning departure, same day evening return. SG284 depart Bangalore 08:45 arrival Jaipur 11:30.SG283 depart Jaipur 17:15 arrival Bangalore 20:00.

At a ceremony at New York’s Public Library recently, Condé Nast Traveler one of the world’s leading high end travel magazine, announced that Jet Airways has been selected as one of the top three airlines in the world in its 2008 Readers Choice Awards survey. Congratulations to the team at Jet. Jet Airways, India’s leading international airline, launched North American …

The Bill for setting up the Airport Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA) was passed by the Lok Sabha on 22-Oct-08. The prime objective of AERA will be to create a level playing field and foster healthy competition among all major airports (Government owned, Public Private Partnership based, Private) encourage investment in airport facilities regulate tariffs of aeronautical services, protection of reasonable …