by Devesh Agarwal A ticket bought for Rs. 17,270 was sold to the Rajya Sabha secretariat for Rs. 67,270, a 389% mark-up!! We regularly hear either the Minister of Civil Aviation, Mr. Ajit Singh, or the Director General of Civil Aviation, Mr. Mishra, calling for airlines to curb their fares and not indulge in price gouging. One has to wonder …

by Devesh Agarwal “You are the cat’s whiskers” is an English idiom meaning “you are perfect” or “you are someone special”. These are just some of the 29 colloquial idioms Dubai-based Emirates airline is advertising to showcase its global network and multi-lingual and multi-ethnic crew. Watch the videos below, and remember, if you want to romance an Italian Madonna, tell …

by Devesh Agarwal Aditya Ghosh, President and Executive Director of Indigo Airlines says “Airlines fail because ego comes in the way of wisdom,” (a reference to the flamboyant Dr. Vijay Mallya). “As any business matures, not just the airline industry, it tends to move away from the basics. We tend to forget what the customer really needs, versus what the …

American Airlines and US Airways officially announced their expected merger yesterday. Press release is below. American Airlines, US Airways combined route map  AMERICAN AIRLINES AND US AIRWAYS TO CREATE A PREMIER GLOBAL CARRIER —THE NEW AMERICAN AIRLINES Customers to Benefit from an Expanded Global Network and Investment in New Aircraft, Technology, Products, and Services Combined Company to Enhance oneworld® Alliance, …

Once again it is that time of the year to combine two passions, flying and wine. The annual Business Traveller ‘Cellars in the Sky’ awards were presented for the year 2012. The awards have been running since 1985, recognising the best business and first class wines served by airlines worldwide. Over 75 carriers were contacted in the summer of 2012, …

In keeping with its Business Plan strategy of ‘Winning Back Customers’, effective today, Malaysia Airlines (MAS) is offering passengers an additional 10 kilograms free check-in baggage allowance and reduced excess baggage charges for travel in all classes. The new limits of 30, 40, and 50 kgs in Economy, Business, and First class will apply to all MAS flights using the …

The special concourse dedicated for Emirates’ Airbus A380 superjumbos at Dubai airports is now fully functional. Concourse A at Terminal 3, Dubai International Airport, is the world’s first purpose-built facility for A380 the aircraft at Dubai International. It features 20 A380 capable contact gates, and 29,000 square metres of Emirates’ First and Business class lounges. The concourse has 11 floors …

“Very important for Air India to start from scratch, completely change the way you think” is the advice offered for India’s national carrier by Masaru Onishi, Chairman of Japan Airlines (JAL). Mr. Onishi who spoke to Bangalore Aviation on January 31 on the sidelines of the oneworld entry ceremony of Malaysia Airlines. Mr. Onishi knows the subject of revival; he …

Japan Airlines (JAL) wants to start a Bangalore Tokyo service, but does not have any plans to do so in the near future, Masaru Onishi, Chairman of the airline, told Bangalore Aviation on the sidelines of the Oneworld event to mark the entry of Malaysia Airlines in to the alliance. Onishi went on to say, with the growing investment of …

by Devesh Agarwal Updated Feb 8, 2013, 0100 GMT, 0630 IST At a news conference today, NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman identified the origin of the Jan. 7 battery fire that occurred on a Japan Airlines 787 parked at Boston Logan Airport, and said that a focus of the investigation will be on the design and certification requirements of the …

The ninth edition of Aero India opened late and missing a few performers, notably the Russian Knights air display team, which have still not reached the show by the end of the second day. A photo essay on some of the performers on the first day. A Dassault Rafale B takes off during the inaugural ceremony at Aero India 2013. …

Below is a detailed map of the Aero India 2013 show detailing the various entrances, show layout, venue, the different parking areas, viewing areas etc. Please click on the image for a high resolution view. Once the image window opens, you can also right-click and download the image.

Below is a listing of press releases received February 1 onwards, till date. We will be appending more press releases at the end of this article regularly as and when new releases are received. CATHAY PACIFIC INTRODUCES WORLD’S BEST BUSINESS CLASS AND NEW PREMIUM ECONOMY CABINS ON HYDERABAD-HONG KONG FLIGHTS Cathay Pacific Airways today announced that passengers can enjoy a …

As per a report in the Airline Route website, India’s largest domestic carrier is undertaking an expansion of its domestic network in the next one month. Bangalore will see increased services to Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, and Mumbai. Bangalore will also see a new service direct to Guwahati and on to Agartala. eff 06FEB13Ahmedabad – Bangalore Service increases from 1 to 2 …

by Devesh Agarwal The impact of the month old grounding of their Boeing 787 Dreamliners on Japan Airlines (JAL) appears to much smaller when compared to fellow Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA). “We operated only six Dreamliners out of a fleet of 200 aircraft, so the total impact of the Dreamliner grounding on us is very small” JAL CEO …

by Devesh Agarwal, reporting from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines officially joined the oneworld alliance of airlines, as its 12th member, at 12:01am Malaysia Time (+8 GMT), earlier today. A day earlier on January 31, the airline had a series of events to celebrate its joining the alliance. Bangalore Aviation was present at the occasion, and brings you this photo …

National carrier Malaysia Airlines joins the oneworld alliance from tomorrow. Bangalore Aviation is in Kuala Lumpur to cover the event. Below are some exclusive photos of Malaysia Airlines’ Airbus A330-300 9M-MTE in the special oneworld livery. The airline will also paint one its Boeing 737-800’s and one Airbus A380 superjumbo in the oneworld livery at a later date. Till then …

Just a day after, IndiGo took delivery of its first Airbus A320 equipped with Sharklets, Wadia Group owned GoAir, has taken delivery of its first Sharklet equipped A320, registration VT-GOL. VT-GOL is the 14th aircraft delivered from a 20 A320 classic engine option (A320ceo) order placed in 2006. Just like IndiGo, all subsequent A320 deliveries to GoAir will be equipped …

As reported by Bangalore Aviation last month, India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, has taken delivery of its first Sharklet fitted A320 aircraft, registration VT-IFH, and thus becomes the first Indian carrier, and third globally to operate this new version of the A320 aircraft. IndiGo is the first carrier globally to operate a Sharklet fitted A320 powered by the IAE V2500 …

The National Transportation Safety Board released the fourth update on its on-going investigation into the January 7th fire aboard a Japan Airlines (JAL) Boeing 787, registration JA829J, at Logan International Airport in Boston, USA. The fire occurred after the airplane had landed and no passengers or crew were on-board. The burnt APU battery unit The agency has still not found …