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British Airways India — A Ticket to Visit Mum
by Vinay Bhaskara British Airways recently launched an powerful advertising campaign entitled "Visit your Mum." The following video shows British Airways flying Ratnesh home from New York City to surprise his mother and visit his family for the first time in more than 15 years since leaving home at the age of 17. His unwitting mother is cooking his favorite dish …
Image: First Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner features the new Boeing livery
Boeing rolled out its first 787-9 Dreamliner, and this aircraft has also become the first 787 to don the new Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA) livery. The new look began with the 747-8 and evolved with the 737 MAX. The new livery retains many of the features of the original 787-8 livery, adding a prominent number on the tail to help …
SpiceJet to commence Ahmedabad to Muscat service
Low cost carrier, SpiceJet, will commence a thrice a week service on the Muscat-Ahmedabad route from August 29, 2013. The airline will deploy its 189 seat Boeing 737-800 New Generation aircraft. Muscat, the capital of Oman, will be the ninth international destination to be served by SpiceJet. The airline is offering an introductory fare of just Rs 5,999/- one way …
Jetihad deal finally clears FIPB, but still has long way to go
by Devesh Agarwal The 24% stake sale by India's Jet Airways to Abu Dhabi's Etihad Airways has been finally cleared by India's Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), albeit with conditions, after the share holder agreement (SHA) was changed to incorporate the apprehensions of the government of India. One of the conditions imposed by the FIBP requires prior Government approval before …
Opinion: Why are tax-payer funded banks going easy on Kingfisher Airlines loans recovery?
by Devesh Agarwal The consortium of banks which lent vast sums of money to Vijay Mallya promoted Kingfisher Airlines seem to be making a mockery and charade of recovering almost Rs. 7,000 Crore worth of loans from the airline and its guarantors. The question is why? As per a Mint report, SBI, the leader of the creditors' consortium, has the …
Air India secures $500 million funding for five Boeing 787 Dreamliners
by Devesh Agarwal According to a PTI report, Air India has tied up with Deutsche Bank and Investec Bank to raise up to $500 million as bridge loans to take the delivery of five Boeing Dreamliners, according to airline sources. India's flag carrier had invited bids for this on June 26. A bridge loan is normally a short term loan …
Trivia quiz: Big planes on short flights
by Devesh Agarwal LoganAir. Photo by Dave Wheeler. Used under CC license. While many of us will be aware of the longest non-stop flights; Singapore Airline's soon to be withdrawn Newark Singapore and Los Angeles Singapore, and Qantas' Sydney Dallas-Fort Worth which become the longest; how many of us are aware of the shortest non-stop flights? The world's shortest flight …
Photos and videos: American Airlines receives first Airbus A319
by Devesh Agarwal and Vinay Bhaskara Dallas-Fort Worth headquartered American Airlines recieved its first Airbus narrow body aircraft, an A319-112(WL). MSN 5678 is registered N8001N, is the first A319 delivered, equipped with Sharklets, and the 100th A320 family aircraft delivered, fitted with the new wing-tip devices. The engines are from CFM. Our Vinay Bhaskara captured these exclusive photos at the …
Spicejet CEO Neil Mills resigns for personal reasons
India's only publicly listed low fare carrier, SpiceJet Ltd., faced turbulence in the stock market after newspapers reported the resignation of its Chief Executive Officer Neil Mills. The stock price of the Kalanithi Maran controlled airline fell as low as Rs. 26.50, its lowest price since June 27. Mills joined the airline in October 2010 from flyDubai. While there is …
Your opinion: Question of the week: Is Jet Airways too financially weak? What should existing investors do?
by Devesh Agarwal Majority of Jet's A330 fleet parked at New Delhi's IGI airport In what is not a very uncommon development, The Economic Times reports, India's financial markets' watchdog, the Securities Exchange Board of India, better known as SEBI, has written to the Foreign Investment Promotion Board (FIPB), the approver of FDI proposals, expressing concern on the agreement to …
Photos: Lufthansa Boeing 747-8i First Class
Devesh Agarwal July 19, 2013	Lufthansa 0
By Devesh Agarwal In late April, on a business trip, I flew from Bangalore to Frankfurt aboard Lufthansa's newest Boeing 747-8i D-ABYH. She is named Thüringen after the state located in central Germany with its capital at Erfurt. While the business class was packed, the First Class was strangely empty. As we were flying over Europe, a kind and cooperative …
Post 787 fire, UK air accident investigator recommends review of all Lithium powered ELTs on all aircraft
by Devesh Agarwal The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued a special bulletin (read PDF here) on the fire that broke out on Ethiopian Airline's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ET-AOP, parked at London's Heathrow airport last Friday. In the report, the AAIB said the fire occurred in the rear upper fuselage where the fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) …
Opinion: Air India pilots should not resort to scare tactics
by Devesh Agarwal The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, who fly the narrow body A320 family fleet of national carrier Air India is resorting to scare tactics accusing the airline "of arbitrarily changing the flight operating procedures for narrow-body A320 aircraft, affecting flight safety." The issue revolves around the carrier's decision to reduce the acceleration …
Bengaluru International Airport renamed as Kempe Gowda International Airport
Devesh Agarwal July 18, 2013	Bangalore-Kempegowda International 0
The renaming of Bangalore's Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) to Kempe Gowda International Airport received approval from the Union Cabinet yesterday. The lower house of the state legislature, the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, passed a unanimous resolution on December 10, last year and the upper house, the Karnataka Legislative Council, also passed a similar resolution two days later to rename the airport. …
Analysis: Emboldened by Etihad deal, Turkish Airlines seeks additional flying rights to India
by Vinay Bhaskara Late last week, The Times of India reported Turkish Airlines, one of the world's fastest growing airlines in the world, wanted to more than quintuple its Indian footprint, requesting an increase in weekly seat allocation from 4,000 to 20,000 seats per week, and gain access to Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Amritsar, and Ahmedabad. Turkish is also requesting …
Emergency services at Indian airports capable of handling Asiana San Francisco type crash
Devesh Agarwal July 16, 2013	Analysis and Features 1
The recent crash of Asiana Airlines flight OZ-214 at San Francisco International airport showcased the quick and heroic efforts of both the airport's emergency fire and rescue services and the cabin crew. Praise has flowed to both of these sets of people for their actions which resulted in minimal loss of life and injuries. Prompted by this crash, Bangalore Aviation …
Opinion: After Ethiopian Airlines incident at Heathrow Airport; 787 remains safe
by Vinay BhaskaraLast Friday, a pair of incidents occurred with the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Smoke was observed billowing from an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 parked on the ground at London Heathrow International Airport with no passengers on board, while a Thomson Airways Dreamliner operating between Manchester and Sanford, Florida (SFB) was forced to return to Manchester due to a routine …
Dubai Airports invites food and beverage, and retail service bids for Concourse D
Dubai Airports is inviting bids from food and beverage operators and selective retail-service providers for the award of concessions in Concourse D at Dubai International. Construction of Concourse D is well under-way with the facility's opening slated for 2015. The opportunity is available to food and beverage providers in the categories of popular restaurants, 24-hour casual dining, licensed bars, coffee …
BREAKING: US Airways Shareholders Approve Merger With American Airlines
by Vinay BhaskaraEarlier today, at its annual general meeting for shareholders, the shareholders of Tempe, Arizona based US Airways voted to approve the merger between US Airways and Fort Worth, Texas based American Airlines. The merger, which would create the world's largest carrier by passengers carried, was announced on February 14, 2013. Under the terms of the merger agreement, US …
Have your say: Question of the week: Will the Jet Etihad deal fructify? Will Jet survive?
by Devesh Agarwal We welcome your feedback and comments on the Jet-Etihad deal. Without a doubt the humongous increase in seat capacity offered to the Abu Dhabi government by India has some quid-pro-qua links to the Jetihad deal. There is also talk that the bilaterals seat increase was to pacify the UAE government after their telecom company allegedly lost over …