Devesh Agarwal

A electronics and automotive product management, marketing and branding expert, he was awarded a silver medal at the Lockheed Martin innovation competition 2010. He is ranked 6th on Mashable's list of aviation pros on Twitter and in addition to Bangalore Aviation, he has contributed to leading publications like Aviation Week, Conde Nast Traveller India, The Economic Times, and The Mint (a Wall Street Journal content partner). He remains a frequent flier and shares the good, the bad, and the ugly about the Indian aviation industry without fear or favour.

Gary Toomey quits as Jet CEO

Barely four months after he joined the company, Jet Airways (India) Limited today announced the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer, Mr Gary Toomey. The former Chief Executive Officer of Air New Zealand and Chief Financial Officer of Qantas, Toomey joined Jet Airways on September 25, 2013. Jet’s Chief Financial Officer, Ravishankar Gopalakrishnan, will serve as the acting CEO until …

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IndiGo claims government permission to flout paid seating regulations

In June last year, India’s civil aviation regulator the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) allowed for unbundling of value added services by airlines, which allowed, amongst other things, airlines to charge for advance booking of preferred seating. [bsu_pullquote]“Seat offered on opt-in charge basis shall not exceed 25% of the total seat configuration of the aircraft” – DGCA, Air Traffic …

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Opinion: SpiceJet will order Boeing 737 MAX only in next fiscal, after funds infusion

Last the week the newswires were abuzz with stories about Indian budget carrier SpiceJet ordering up to 40 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. While the ordering of the new fuel efficient MAXs is a foregone conclusion, given the airline’s need to continue its growth, the timing is not certain. What is certain is the airline’s precarious financial position. For the second …

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Airbus A350 XWB in Bolivia for high altitude flight testing

The A350 XWB development aircraft, MSN3, is in Bolivia for a series of flight tests at the high altitude airfields of Cochabamba and the capital La Paz. Cochabamba is approximately 8,300 feet above sea level, and at 13,300 La Paz is one of the highest airports in the world. Operations at such high altitude airfields are particularly demanding on aircraft …

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Air India now accepts American Express credit cards for online bookings

A tail parade of each of Air India's Boeing aircraft as in 2011. The 747-400, 777-300ER, 777-200LR and 737-800.

Air India has started accepting American Express credit cards for payment of on-line bookings made on its website, for journeys originating from USA, UK, Europe, Japan and Singapore. The airline till now was accepting only Visa and MasterCard. American Express is a popular credit card, especially in the United States and offers card-holders significant privileges compared to most other credit …

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Images: Mumbai CSI airport’s new integrated Terminal 2

Mumbai CSIA Terminal 2 Facade

At long last, Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) is getting its new integrated terminal, T2. In a few hours from now, the India Prime Minister ManMohan Singh will inaugurate the new luxurious terminal. Enjoy the pictures in the slider above or in the toggle box below. If you are planning to use the terminal right away, don’t get your …

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Air India’s abysmal performance, 256 seat 787 flying with just 50 passengers

Air India Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner line number 35 test registered N1015 (later became VT-ANH) at the India Aviation show, Hyderabad March 2012. Photo copyright Devesh Agarwal.

While the establishment in both the civil aviation ministry and national carrier Air India continue to blow sunshine in our faces, and was eloquent about the “great recovery” by the airline, a story in The Hindustan Times newspaper shows how abysmal is the airline’s actual performance. The story headlines “Crew shortage holds up AI flight at Frankfurt” but the actual …

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Emirates to withdraw free chauffeur transfer service in Hong Kong

Emirates Boeing 777-200ER. Copyright Vedant Agarwal.

[bsu_pullquote align=”right”] “Chauffeur-drive service will be offered to passengers for flights until 28th February 2014.” – Emirates website[/bsu_pullquote] In a quiet update to its website, Dubai-based Emirates is withdrawing its free chauffeur transfer service for all first and business class passengers in Hong Kong after February 28, 2014. The carrier has been slowly curtailing chauffeur services at other cities as …

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Air France launches 2014 edition of Manish Arora Facebook contest for fashion designers

Buoyed by its previous success Air France is launching its Facebook contest along with world famous Indian fashion designer Manish Arora, for aspiring fashion designers to showcase their talent. To participate in this month long contest, contestants will have to upload pictures of their fashion creations along with a short write up on Air France Facebook page. The contestants can …

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Top Ten articles of 2013

2013 was a good year at Bangalore Aviation. We had an eclectic mix of stories, and it was a mixed bag of stories that made the “Top 10” list for 2013. The most popular story of the year was the trip report on Air Canada’s Executive First class which features the mini-suites aboard the Boeing 777s and 767s. Read the …

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Boeing 787-9 visits Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand

US airframer Boeing flew the latest variant of the Dreamliner, the 787-9, to Auckland, home of launch customer Air New Zealand, marking the 787-9’s international debut and its longest flight since flight testing on this new variant began. Aircraft number ZB002 registered N787FT, the second of three 787-9s dedicated to the flight-test program, flew 13 hours and 49 minutes non-stop, …

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Photos: Airbus rolls out new A350 XWB in ‘Carbon’ livery

European airframer Airbus S.A.S. rolled out its third its third A350 XWB flight-test aircraft, MSN2 (manufacturer serial number 2), from the paint shop in Toulouse, France, featuring a special “carbon” livery which symbolises the extensive use of of carbon-fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) in the aircraft. 53 per cent of the A350 XWB’s airframe is made-up of composites including the airframer’s …

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Delhi airport duty free launches Dewar’s Legacy Collection 1893 whisky

Dewar's Legacy Collection 1893 whisky

India’s largest duty free, Delhi Duty Free Services, located at Terminal 3, IGI Airport, New Delhi, has launched the limited-edition blended Scotch whisky – Dewar’s Legacy Collection 1893. The retailer, a joint venture company between DIAL (Delhi International Airport Limited) and Yalorvin Limited a subsidiary of Aer Rianta International cpt., will be the first duty free in India to sell …

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Video: Cessna makes emergency landing on national highway near Bhopal

In a bizarre incident earlier this morning around 09:30, a private Cessna 172 plane VT-EUC was forced to make an emergency landing on National Highway 69 (NH-69) near Betul in Madhya Pradesh, due to strong winds. [bsu_gmap height=”500″ address=”Sam Verma Betul Airport, Betul, Madhya Pradesh, India”] Industrialist Sam Verma of Michigan Tyres Ltd., was unable to land at his factory’s …

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Video: Etihad to fly to Dallas-Fort Worth

Abu Dhabhi based Etihad Airways PJSC has announced it will fly to Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), thrice a week, from December 3, 2014, making it the second middle-eastern carrier after Dubai-based Emirates to do so. DFW, will be the fifth destination in the United States for Etihad, following Chicago O’Hare, New York JFK, Washington Dulles, and Los Angeles. Like Emirates, the …

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Vote for Rotary in United Airline’s charity miles give away

As a Rotarian, I seek your help. It will take only about two minutes of your time. As an annual charity event, United Airlines donates 10 million airline miles to various non-profit charities. Each participating nonprofit partner is guaranteed to receive a minimum of 25,000 miles. The remaining portion of the 10 million total miles will be distributed to all …

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Emirates commences flights to Kabul

Dubai based Emirates airline commenced flights to Kabul, Afghanistan, its 138th destination and 78th country. The route is operated by an Airbus A340-500 configured in a three class cabin configuration, offering 12 first, 42 business and 204 economy class seats. EK 640 will depart Dubai daily at 09:55 and arrive in Kabul at 13:15. EK 641 will leave Kabul at …

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Cathay Pacific unveils third “Spirit of Hong” special livery Boeing 777-300ER

Cathay Pacific Airways unveiled the third edition of the airline’s “Spirit of Hong Kong” livery painted on one its Boeing 777-300ER B-KPB. Time lapse video at the end of the article. The livery design carries the silhouettes of the 110 “The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign winners. “The Spirit of Hong Kong” campaign called for entries that best represented the …

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