Miscellaneous

Mumbai based low-cost carrier GoAir, promoted by the Wadias, has received the first Airbus A320neo from its order of 72. This makes the carrier the third operator in the world to use the new fuel-efficient jetliner behind Germany’s Lufthansa and India’s IndiGo. This plane is the 20th aircraft in the GoAir fleet and officially qualifies the airline to now fly …

Johannesburg in South Africa will become the second long-haul destination for Singapore Airlines’ new generation Airbus A350-900. fleet, with effect from June 27, 2016. Starting June 27, the A350 will be initially deployed on flights serving the Singapore-Johannesburg route on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The A350 frequency will progressively increase to cover all seven weekly Johannesburg flights, including four weekly …

Seattle-based carrier Alaska Airlines and Japanese flag carrier Japan Airlines (JAL) have announced plans to begin a codeshare agreement and frequent flier partnership. Starting June 29th, pending government approval the agreement will allow for combined ticketing and one-stop baggage check-in on flights between the two airlines. Members of Alaska airlines’ mileage plan will also be able to earn and redeem miles …

India’s most successful airline Indigo continued to impress with its fourth quarter and full year earnings. A look at the numbers reveals how Indigo has managed its business. Operational performance For the year, IndiGo carried a total of 33.1 million passengers carried, a 31.5% increase as compared to the same period last year. During the year, IndiGo registered a 21.2% …

Global air traffic results announced by industry body International Air Transport Association (IATA) for January 2016 show India leading the world in air passenger demand. Domestic Passenger Markets: Compared to the previous year, India’s domestic air traffic demand shown by revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs) rose by 22.9% in January. The growth is the highest in the world by a wide …

American airframer Boeing has initiated major assembly on its 787-10 Dreamliner two weeks ahead of schedule in Nagoya, Japan. All final assembly will take place in North Charleston, South Carolina next year, followed by first delivery to United Airlines in 2018. The 787-10 that Boeing describes as a straightforward stretch of the 787-9 has 95% design similarities with its predecessor. …

American carriers including United, American, Delta and US Air have cancelled all flights to Brussels airports after the explosions yesterday morning. UA950 from Washington Dulles and DL80 from Atlanta both landed at Brussels normally yesterday. UA999 from Newark and DL42 from New York were divereted to other airports in the region. AA751 was cancelled. Delta will be accomodating passengers whose …

State-owned flag carrier Qatar Airways has launched its fourth UK gateway with direct flights between Birmingham and Doha. Chief Commercial Officer Dr. Hugh Dunleavy accompanied British ambassador to Qatar Mr Ajay Sharma on the inaugural flight on Wednesday. The Birmingham route is operated by Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner aircraft in a two-cabin configuration, comprising of 22 seats in business class and …

National carrier, Etihad Airways of Abu Dhabi has launched a new, innovative app for the iPhone. The app is aimed at making every aspect of the passengers’ journey simple and easy. Guests using the app get a 10% discount while members of the Etihad Guest loyalty program will receive 250 bonus miles for every booking made through the mobile app before …

German flag carrier Deutsche Lufthansa AG has signed a major framework contract with airline IT company Amadeus to deliver a new load control system. The airline will adopt the Amadeus Altea Departure Control Flight Management (Altea DC-FM) system across its network carriers, starting with Lufthansa, Swiss International Air Lines, Brussels Airlines and Lufthansa Cargo. The system to be adopted will …

Trio of European airlines were fined by the U.S Department of Transportation (DOT) for inadequate response to complaints lodged by passengers with disabilities. Air France and Lufthansa were each fined $200,000 and British Airways was fined $150,000 and ordered to desist a repeat of the incident. “When air travelers file complaints with airlines, they deserve prompt and complete responses that …

Priority Pass, world’s largest independent airport lounge access program has crossed 900 airport lounges. It has also shown highest growth in a year by adding 51 lounges so far. Its continued success in Asia Pacific is yet another contributor to its fast growth as the program has added 24 lounges this year alone with a total of 80 since last …

Lockheed Martin’s first LM-100J commercial freighter has reached its major production assembly phase. The LM-100J’s wing construction taking place in Marietta is a first in 24 years as a derivative of the C-130 Hercules. Meanwhile, the Clarksburg facility in West Virginia is delivering panels alongside floor structure development in Meridian, Mississippi.  The aircraft is a civil-certified version of the C-130J Super Hercules …

The Tata-SIA Airline, Vistara has announced additional frequencies to its existing routes while also adding new ones. Starting May 12th, the airline is introducing its third daily return flights for the Delhi-Bengaluru route and the second daily return flight between Delhi and Goa. An additional third flight will also fly these routes during the weekends. Vistara has also introduced a new …

XiamenAir, China’s only all-Boeing carrier finalized an order with American airframer Boeing for 10 787-800 aircraft, valued at approximately $ 960 million at current list prices. The airline currently operates a fleet of 135 aircraft that includes 17 737-700s, 108 737-800s, four 757-200s and six 787-8 Dreamliners.

Turkey’s flagship carrier Turkish Airlines announced that it will be receiving 26 new aircraft from American airframer Boeing this year. The order, predicted by Boeing’s Middle Eastern facility for the year is the largest placed by the airline. It is also the largest order placed for Turkey. The order of 26 involves six 777-300ERs and 20 Next-Generation 737-800s. The new aircraft …

China Eastern, one of the nation’s top three airlines has announced aircraft orders with American airframer Boeing and the Europe-based Airbus. Last week, the airline first finalized an order with Boeing for 15 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft valued approximately $4 billion at list prices. The very next day, it announced another big order with Airbus for 20 A350-900 aircraft. This order, valued $6.16 …