BUSINESS
Is it time for a mega airplane deal from India?
To meet fleet needs beyond 2027 for IndiGo and over the next few years for the Tata group, which is preparing to take control of Air India and Air India Express, an order for a large number of planes looks imminent from India. Moneycontrol examines which plane-maker will win and what their competitive advantages are.
BUSINESS
Falling traffic and rising oil - a deadly combo is back to haunt airlines
Passenger numbers are expected to fall as India battles a third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that is not the only pain point for airlines. Fuel makes up between 37% and 40% of airlines’ total expenditure. Jet fuel now costs 1.5 times its price in January 2021, which recorded an average of 244,000 passengers a day.
BUSINESS
Public transport is an eternal thorn in the side for India’s airports infrastructure
Most global airports -- from Singapore’s Changi to London’s Heathrow -- have metro connectivity to the airports. In India, except Delhi, no other Indian airport offers metro connectivity. Metro rail networks are being planned across multiple cities, which already have an airport or in the middle of airport expansion or in some cases planning to build a new airport, yet in most cases, the metro lines and the airport do not converge.
BUSINESS
IndiGo’s codeshare with Air France-KLM could upset its partnership with Turkish
There is an overlap in the destinations that both foreign partnerships operate to India.
BUSINESS
Nine things to look for in Indian aviation in the New Year
Tata group’s integration of its airline assets following the acquisition of Air India, the launch of Akasa, backed by investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, and Jet Airways’ bid to rise from the ashes, apart from other expected trends and events, will make 2022 an interesting year for domestic aviation.
BUSINESS
A year of highs and lows: Here’s how Indian Aviation fared in 2021
Air India’s sale to the Tata group was the headline of the year, but it was just one headline in many that the aviation sector made in 2021 with its air bubbles, capacity and fare caps, SpiceJet’s legal woes, the launch of flyBig, unveiling of Akasa Air, and a possible patch-up between IndiGo’s promoters
BUSINESS
Airports are congested, but traffic isn’t at pre-Covid levels. What gives?
After reports of Omicron emerged, the regulator was quick to suspend international services till January. New guidelines have resulted in bottlenecks at immigration and customs at Delhi and Mumbai airports – the two gateways to India for international travellers
BUSINESS
The aviation minister’s 100-day plan needs an extension
The plan that had set infrastructure and policy targets for India’s aviation sector had more optics than action on the ground
BUSINESS
India’s airlines add more non-stop flights to their networks as air traffic nears pre-pandemic levels
Expansion of connectivity benefits Indian passengers. Delhi, the largest airport in the country, continues to rule the roost with non-stop flights to 76 destinations, followed by Mumbai with 67 and Bengaluru with 66. Hyderabad occupies the fourth spot with 61
BUSINESS
Air travel in India is on the cusp of normalcy; will Omicron change that?
While November will see a new peak in passenger numbers and flights deployed within India, new Covid variant Omicron may throw up some challenges and hinder plans to recommence international flights from December
BUSINESS
SpiceJet well positioned to gain from 737 MAX reinduction
The settlement with Boeing is a positive for the airline and is expected to help in its cash flow and retiring of the older models, thereby bringing in efficiency all across and in the operating costs.
BUSINESS
The new Air India will need a game plan for new competition
Qantas aircraft were arriving in India at regular intervals since the pandemic began for repatriation flights.
BUSINESS
Winter schedule kicks off with new long and short routes of Indian airlines
Airline routes in India have changed over the past three years with the absence of Jet Airways and the onset of the pandemic.
BUSINESS
Akasa set for take-off, inks deal with Boeing for 72 aircraft
Akasa said the carrier plans to offer commercial flights starting in the summer of 2022 and use its new fleet of 737s to meet the growing demand across India.
BUSINESS
Making sense of SpiceJet's Q2 results: Can the airline make a comeback?
After posting a loss in the second quarter of the financial year, and having been dislodged by Air India as the country’s second largest airline, can SpiceJet make a comeback?
BUSINESS
Super Sunday for Indian aviation
As the second wave of Covid-19 abates, travel sentiment has improved and more people are flying domestically. If there is no third wave, business travel and holiday trips towards the year end could be back.
BUSINESS
IndiGo operates its highest ever single-day domestic ASKM
The airline is just 35 flights short of its all-time daily domestic record by flight count. The capacity deployment in flights and available seat kilometres (ASK) is an indication of the demand returning back in the industry
BUSINESS
Winter schedule: IndiGo consolidates further, SpiceJet shrinks
SpiceJet sees a maximum reduction of 30 percent in operations. Among regional airlines, Star Air is further spreading its wings and will operate to 16 destinations. The real survival challenge is for the smaller players, who, with limited inventory, are spread too thin.
BUSINESS
IndiGo Q2 results | Traffic, revenue are increasing but so are the costs
Fuel accounted for 27 percent of the total costs in the September quarter. As a lot of expenses are dollar-denominated, a further slide in the rupee will hurt the airline more
BUSINESS
Why SpiceJet has lost passenger loads and faces loads of troubles
The real challenge will be on the lessors and employees fronts, with the first less lenient about payment troubles and the second less tolerant of salary cuts
BUSINESS
COVID effect: When the weakest quarter becomes the strongest for airlines
The Covid pandemic upended quarterly trends for airlines. With tourism and business travel opening up, States relaxing regulations, and international travel set to resume, how long will it take for airlines to return to profitability?
BUSINESS
Fragmented terminal model poses a challenge to airlines, may impair India’s emergence as a hub
India needs an integrated airport terminal model for both domestic and international flights in an era that has made code-share agreements between overseas and domestic airlines all too common.
BUSINESS
Market forces push IndiGo to make changes to its product offering
Speaking at a CAPA Live virtual summit, Rononjoy Dutta, CEO - Indigo said the airline is planning to take several steps to offer a better flying experience to its passengers.
BUSINESS
Why the Tata-Air India deal is trouble for Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s Akasa
The odds are stacked against a new player and when the transfer of Air India is complete, the market will be divided between two major players: IndiGo, which controls half the market, and the Tata group, which will command a quarter of the market.
