Air Arabia Increases Goa Flights

Air Arabia, the leading discounted carrier in the Middle East and North Africa, is to increase flights between Sharjah and Goa in India from June 1 to October 30, bringing the total to 5 a week.

The extra flights will be on Mondays and Fridays depart Sharjah at 10.25pm and arrive in Goa at 3.05am the following day. The return flights will depart Goa on Tuesday and Saturday at 3.45am and reach Sharjah at 5.25am the same day.

At the moment Air Arabia offers flights to Goa on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and its planned that the added flights will be handy for passengers visiting one of India’s most popular tourist destinations. Air Arabia is presently the only low-cost carrier in the area to provide direct flights to Goa.

25-05-2010

AirAsia Launches Flight to Mumbai

AirAsia X has already commenced flights into Western India with flights to Mumbai flying directly to/from Kuala Lumpur 4x a week. Seen as a key tourism and economic triumph for both countries the historic occasion was celebrated with a traditional Indian welcoming dance for the Malaysian group, amongst them Dato’ Sri Dr. Tony Fernandes, Group CEO of AirAsia and Founder of AirAsia X, Azran Osman Rani, CEO of AirAsia X.

Mumbai is the 6th destination city in India, after Trivandrum, Kolkata, Chennai, Kochi and Tiruchirappali offered by AirAsia and it’s intended to introduce flights from Bangkok to Mumbai later this year.

The new service is intended to expand AA’s growth in India, increase traffic into both countries and strengthen bilateral relations. More people can now enjoy a greater access to Asean and other destinations due to AirAsia’s unique low fares.

25-05-2010

Mangalore Airport

Although it is located in Karnataka, Mangalore airport caters more to the northern parts of Kerala, in particular Kasargod and Kannur, which has a lot of people travelling to the Gulf for work.

For these clients it’s easier to fly from Mangalore than going to Kozhikode, as Mangalore is only 80 km from Kasargod.

The number of people arriving at the airport to visit Kasturba Medical College Hospital has also resulted in an increase in demand from passengers which have fuelled the growth of Mangalore airport.

AAI have carried out a series of infrastructure developments as well as building a new 8,000-feet runway located on top of a hill, making it a 'table top' airport surrounded on either side by deep gorges.

25-05-2010

More on Air India!

Air India has advertised all its domestic flights at the economy class fare of Rs.99, this excludes Rs.3,024 as fuel surcharge. Another offer to keep an eye out for is travellers who book tickets 21 days in advance can also get tickets at the bargain price of Rs.99.

If travelling in business class, take your other half along and pay only the fuel surcharge and airport user development charge. Fares have been low since Dec, when the state-owned airline slashed base fares up to 82 percent on several sectors.

18-05-2010

Air India Increase

The National carrier Air India saw a nearly 20% increase in passenger traffic last month and this month is looking good too in comparison to the same period last year. This was regardless of a turbulent period in the previous few weeks when air traffic operations worldwide were affected due to the Iceland volcano cloud.

Since April, the average daily passenger carriage has shown an increase in Air India Express international network and the domestic sectors operated by the IC-coded flights.

Air India is also pleased with itself as it has the lowest passenger complaints making them a passenger-friendly airline. This may be due to the fact they had fewer flight cancellations compared to the industry average.

18-05-2010

Mother & Daughter fly the Indian skies

Bavicca Bharathi of Marol became India’s youngest pilot in 2007 after getting her Commercial Pilot’s Licence (CPL) when she was only 18. In 2010 she turned 21 and has since got her Advanced Training Pilot’s License (ATPL) and is well on her way to becoming India’s youngest airlines commander.

Currently working as a co-pilot with Kingfisher Airlines, she works alongside her mother Judith (43) who also has a Commercial Pilot’s License (CPL).

18-05-2010

5 Year International Approval

The civil aviation ministry in New Delhi, has stated that a minimum of 5 years service has to be completed before domestic carriers can apply to fly overseas.

The move means that overseas services will be limited to carriers with five years of domestic experience, they also have to have at least 20 aircraft.

SpiceJet Ltd and Kingfisher already have international flying approval as they have completed five years, and InterGlobe Aviation Pvt. Ltd-run IndiGo have recently requested approval to fly abroad next year when its 5 years are up.

13-05-2010

Delhi to Kolkata

Air India is to add an additional flight between Kolkata and New Delhi from May 15 particularly for those travelling from the northeast and the Andamans.

The flight will leave Kolkata at 1.25 p.m. and reach Delhi at 3.40 p.m providing a direct connection for passengers for onward connections from Delhi.

Currently, Air India operate 4 flights from Kolkata to Delhi a day.

13-05-2010

FlyDubai Expands

FlyDubai is to start operating 3 flights a week to Lucknow in India from June 2, opening up one of the most profitable markets to the emerging low-cost carrier.

Services to Lucknow, Coimbatore and Chandigarh were put on hold since last year as the Indian government were apprehensive about encouraging foreign carriers while national carriers faced economic troubles.

The deal will be very lucrative for FlyDubai as Indian destinations due to the large amount of Indian expatriates living in the UAE and growing trade between the countries.

Lucknow is the 20th destination served by FlyDubai since opening in June last year. They already operate to Beirut, Amman, Doha, Djibouti and Alexandria.

13-05-2010

Air India Express seeks Pilots

Air India Express, the budget wing of the national carrier, have found themselves desperately seeking pilots since nearly a quarter of their commanders and senior pilots put their papers in recently.

Most of those who have left are expatriate pilots in command position who have have had to leave since the Directorate General of Civil Aviation set a deadline of July 31 for Indian carriers to phase out expat pilots. They have now extended the deadline by a year to try and fill the vacancies.

10-05-2010

India & Britain make Pact

India and Britain are set to modify a bilateral pact which will permit airlines from the 2 countries to operate from other cities. It means that Air India and Kingfisher Airlines Ltd will work alongside British Midland Airways and British Airways in producing connecting flights and allows passengers to have access to interior points on the same ticket.

10-05-2010

The Mosque of Calcutta

The Airports Authority of India has requested the state government to move the location of a mosque as at the moment its position directly on the flight path of Calcutta airport’s runway is said to be a safety and security threat.

The mosque is 25m high and preventing approx. 400m of the runway from being used. Flights using the runway run the risk of overshooting the runway as the full capacity can’t be used with the mosque where it is.

Ongoing since 1986 it is a sensitive issue that has had the authorities increasing the length of the secondary runway twice, moving the touchdown point of the runway whilst the mosque remains.

After the modernisation of the Calcutta airport is finished in 2011, bigger aircraft would land here, heightening the safety issue.

The mosque’s authorities have stated they will not consider moving the mosque as it was ‘built years before the airport came into existence.’

06-05-2010

Ash Cloud Strikes Again

Airports have faced closure once again, this time in Ireland and England due to more falling ash from the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajokull after wind conditions worsened. Flights from India to Europe or the UK have not so far been affected although the situation is being monitored closely.

Northerly winds forecast for the next few days could produce further clouds of ash from the Icelandic eruption and disruption for passengers during the week. It could also be a recurring problem throughout the summer, according to IAA CEO Eamonn Brennan.

06-05-2010

Flights - Delhi & Ludhiana

Commercial flights are due to start operating between Ludhiana and Delhi on May 13th. A one way fare is expected to cost Rs 2,430 and would be daily.

06-05-2010

Ski in India

If you are holidaying in India and want to see the snow then head to Himachal, which has been receiving a large number of travellers following a recent spell of snowfall. If you’re arriving on a flight to Mumbai then you can get a connection to this area. The surge in arrivals is down to the decrease in temperatures in the area, which had been experiencing extraordinarily hot weather.

28-04-2010

Kingfisher Airlines Launches New Flights

Kingfisher Airlines, India’s foremost private air carrier, has just announced its launch of 2 new international flights connecting the UAE to New Delhi and Mumbai. The new routes, Dubai to New Delhi, and Dubai to Mumbai, mean Kingfisher currently now operate 21 weekly flights between the UAE and India.

They are also due to launch daily flights from Kathmandu to New Delhi for the first time ever. The airline has the largest network in India and flies to many cities that are served exclusively by them. Guests flying in from Kathmandu to New Delhi can arrange convenient connections to Mumbai, Bangalore, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

28-04-2010

Airport Frustration

In New Delhi passengers are fighting to get the first seats as airports slowly start to return to normal across Europe. Travellers waiting at the airport to return home are frustrated at promised seats, only to be told they will have to wait.

It’s estimated that around 40,000 passengers are stranded in New Delhi and Mumbai since the eruption.

22-04-2010

Jet Airways & Kingfisher Resume Flights

The two Indian airlines, Jet Airways and Kingfisher have announced they are to start up services again now that Heathrow airport has re-opened.

Jet Airways flights between Delhi and Mumbai and the UK will return to normal since being cancelled due to the ash cloud spreading over Europe after Iceland’s volcanic eruption.

Flights between the US and Canada via Brussels are also to recommence. The airlines have been flexible with their passengers and allowed them to cancel and change their plans with no costs incurred. This will be in effect until the 27th April.

Kingfisher Airlines start flying from London Heathrow/Delhi/Mumbai routes as of today and also set no penalties for rescheduling and reissued tickets, allowing passengers to rebook their flights up to 30 days from their original flight date.

22-04-2010

Calls for Air India and Indian Airlines to demerge

The unions have called for Air India and Indian Airlines to dissolve their partnership due to reports that differences between the two cannot be rectified. A Parliamentary Committee has asked the Civil Aviation Ministry to demerge the two airlines.

The government has also been asked to scrap all the losses of the National Aviation Company of India Limited. The two Indian carriers are presently trying to recuperate losses by reducing employee wages by 20 percent, however, it has surfaced that it plans to give its newly hired COO a huge salary which is allegedly 10 times the salary of the Chairman of Air India.

15-04-2010

India about to experience inbound growth

India is on the edge of experiencing a huge inbound growth this year according to reports from tour operators at the Great Indian Travel Bazaar (GITB) 2010.

The country has seen a 12.8 per cent jump in foreign arrivals, according to Indian Minister of Tourism, Kumari Selja. The strong showing of the first three months of the year is putting tour operators on a steady footing towards reaching their 2010 goals.

Trail Blazer Tours India is looking to double volumes this year, while Indian Horizons managing director Raman Taneja estimated growth this year at 20 per cent over 2009, partly to the Commonwealth Games in the last quarter and the Incredible India campaign.

15-04-2010

AirAsia announces more Indian flights

AirAsia has introduced further flights to India. AirAsia X CEO Azran Osman-Rani stated, “New India services from Kuala Lumpur to Mumbai (May 2010) and New Delhi (August 2010) opens up low-cost connections to these cities.” AirAsia flights are popular with travellers and consistently strong year-round loads have given them the confidence to extend their network in India.

12-04-2010

Starwood Hotels and Resorts to expand in India

Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide are to expand its portfolio in India in the near future as the country’s potential starts to attract the attention of international hotels. The first Sheraton opened in 1973 in Mumbai and has since seen another 26 hotels open under its other brands. Ready to establish another 15 locations, 3 of which are expected to open this year, India is a rapidly expanding market with a promising future.

12-04-2010

Indian flight market forecast

As the Indian flight market continues to increase, it’s estimated that the Indian aviation sector will be carrying more than 260 million domestic and international passengers to various destinations in just 5 years time. This means that a huge investment in its current technology is required, as well as acquiring new aircraft, and updating current airports to meet the expected high demand.

12-04-2010

AirAsia has launched flights between Kochi in India and Kuala Lumpur

AirAsia has launched flights between Kochi in India and Kuala Lumpur the capital of Malaysia. Kochi is one of the airline’s latest Indian destinations which includes Kolkata and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). AirAsia is the only airline from Kuala Lumpur which is servicing Kochi with direct daily flights.

With the commencement of this direct service to Kuala Lumpur, the people of Kerala and India can now use Kochi as a gateway to our extensive route network to ASEAN and further. They are also looking into expanding route network in India and opening-up the market. Amongst the destinations are Chennai, Hyderabad, Banglore and Mumbai.

17-12-2009