July 15, 2004 |
NEW DELHI: The government which came to power on the promise of helping state-owned companies flourish, has just drawn blood from PSU airlines. And the same 'aam-aadmi' government has grounded the common man's dream of flying by virtually ensuring that low-cost airlines don't take off. The instrument for doing this has been a seemingly innocuous tax proposal in budget, a withholding tax on leased aircraft. The tax works out to a staggering 42%. Put simply, if an airline takes a 180-seater Airbus A320s on lease from September this year, it will have to shell out an additional $12,000-15,000 per month per aircraft.
July 18, 2012 |
MUMBAI: A shift in focus from high cost countries to low cost countries would augur well for Crompton Greaves, believe industry analysts. Crompton Greaves, which has over the years transformed from being largely an India focused company to one with international presence, has approximately 75% of its manufacturing footprint in high cost countries like Belgium, which comprises nearly 36% of its overseas manufacturing footprint. During fiscal year 2012, revenues in Belgium were stagnant, while profit before tax declined from Rs 1.5 billion in fiscal year 2011 to loss of Rs 420 million.
March 8, 2013 |
PUNE: The city-based Serum Institute of India's cost-effective injectible polio vaccine is likely to be included in the country's national immunisation programme. Currently, oral drops are administered to children below five years of age. Cyrus S Poonawalla, chairman and managing director of Serum Institute of India (SII) , gave this information an exclusive interview with TOI in the backdrop of World Vaccine Summit that concluded in the city on Thursday. "The injectible polio vaccine, which is an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV)
January 11, 2008 |
Ratan Tata during the launch of the Nano at the Auto Expo in New Delhi (TOI Photo) One could be pardoned for thinking that the hype surrounding the world's most cost-focussed mass produced car was all a media creation. Given not the column inches but literally double and triple page spreads in most national publications of relevance the Tata Nano was burdened with a great deal of expectation, both from within the company and outside.
April 4, 2008 |
NEW DELHI: For Indian doctors, western shores could be greener. But for an increasing number of foreign patients, Indian hospitals are fast becoming their first choice. Over 1.5 lakh medical tourists travelled to India in 2002 alone, bringing in earnings of $300 million. Since then, the number of such travellers has been increasing by at least 25% every year. A CII-McKinsey report projects that earnings through medical tourism would go up to $2 billion by 2012.
June 9, 2008 |
BANGALORE: What will be the fate of India's first low-cost carrier Deccan (erstwhile Air Deccan)? UB's think tanks are now strongly considering operating under one brand, Kingfisher Airlines and doing away with the low-cost Deccan model altogether. This idea was mooted by one of the agencies that have been hired to look at the integration of the two brands. "There is a strong attempt to bring Deccan under the Kingfisher brand name. That way, international operations ?
August 3, 2012 |
SURAT: The low cost nine-yard wonder manufactured in Surat may soon get costlier for the women from the lower and lower middle class families in the country. Textile traders dealing in polyester saris are set to increase the wholesale prices by around 25 per cent to match the increase in the manufacturing cost of the polyester fabric resulting from the steep rise in the prices of yarn, natural gas, chemicals, coal, etc. This means that saris presently costing Rs 150 per piece in the wholesale market in the city will now be sold at Rs 190. And the same sari on reaching the retail shops across the country would be sold at the prices ranging between Rs 300 and Rs 350. The textile sector in Surat is the biggest manufacturer of cheap polyester saris ranging from Rs 80 to Rs 150 for which there is a huge demand from the lower and lower middle class families from different states, mainly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar , Jharkhand and Orissa.
February 21, 2013 |
CHENNAI: Flying to tier II and III cities will soon be more attractive as AirAsia, a leading low-cost airline in Malaysia, is gearing up to make Chennai a hub for its new airline proposed to be launched in association with the Tatas. AirAsia's officials visited the Chennai airport on Wednesday and held talks with officials to spell out their requirements to start operations. The airline's founder and group CEO Tony Fernandes said in a conference call from Malaysia that "we are comfortable operating from Tamil Nadu," while explaining the reason for selecting Chennai to start operations.
September 11, 2006 |
NEW DELHI: In a few years, you may be boarding your low-cost flight from a no-frills terminal. Air Deccan MD Captain Gopinath recently made this proposal to the GMR group, which bagged the project of modernising IGI airport and gave the blueprint for a budget terminal. This concept is already in vogue abroad. For instance, London has the Stanstead terminal exclusively for low cost carriers. "We have asked GMR to create an exclusive space for low-cost airlines.
July 24, 2012 |
KOCHI: Thailand, with its combination of exotic locales including beaches, islands , tranquil villages and a variety of entertainment and leisure activities, is attracting increasing number of Malayalis. Lower airfare and hotel rates have also ensured that Thailand is now turning out to be the most preferred destination by Malayalis going on a holiday. The other popular destinations are Singapore, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Dubai . Travelling abroad has become a cheaper option.