BUSINESS
Indian aviation records a bumper first quarter with 128.93 lakh domestic fliers
The quarter is just short of the best ever (Q4CY19), when 381 lakh passengers caught domestic flights. This comes in the wake of multiple challenges faced by airlines, including the grounding of planes.
INDIA
Delhi is already an aviation hub; how does one make it stronger?
At the end of 2022, Delhi, India’s busiest airport, was connected to 79 domestic destinations and 62 international ones, cementing its claim to the status of an aviation hub. Yet, more needs to be done to reinforce the status.
BUSINESS
Clouds on the boil: The top 10 air routes set for some intense competition
Post merger, the combined might of the Tata group airlines will trump IndiGo’s market share by a mile. But the current market leader isn’t going to take things lying down.
BUSINESS
Alliance Air disruption: Small airlines can cause big problems when they’re down
The state-owned airline is the monopoly operator on many routes. The disruption has meant that many airports in the country are without flights. That means people can be stranded, on an island like Agatti for instance, with no other options.
INDIA
With Delhi among 10 busiest airports, dream of Indian aviation hub gets a boost
Once Delhi airport’s expansion is complete, capacity will increase to 100 million passengers annually. Yet, peak-time challenges will remain.
BUSINESS
Indian states with maximum number of airports and monopoly routes
Among the top seven airlines in India, 901 city pairs are served; a staggering 618 of these are monopoly routes while 145 are duopoly routes. An eye-popping 538 sectors are a monopoly of IndiGo.
INDIA
SpiceJet’s turbulent journey takes interesting turn
The hive-off of SpiceXpress, the logistics arm of SpiceJet, is being seen as a move in the right direction. A JV or FDI in the cargo biz could turn out to be the game-changer for the much-battered airline.
BUSINESS
Flying out of the blues: The longest and shortest airline routes this summer
Tata group airlines fly both the longest and shortest routes in the country.
BUSINESS
Air India ‘Premium Economy’ cabins: All that you must know as booking begins
The launch of premium economy seats will help the airline market this class more aggressively than before and take on the likes of Air France, Lufthansa, British Airways and others who offer similar service.
BUSINESS
First-year comparison shows Akasa Air clearly besting IndiGo
Akasa Air will close its first financial year with more planes and higher market share than IndiGo in its first year. But it will have a tough time emulating IndiGo’s subsequent growth blitz.
COMPANIES-2
Air India’s Mumbai-Pune flights India will mark a unique achievement for Indian aviation
For the first time ever, all the top 10 cities in India by domestic air traffic will be connected to each other by direct flights. The last time Mumbai–Pune flights were operational, there were a few other cities within the top 10 that weren’t connected to each other.
BUSINESS
Modest but realistic airline summer schedule on the cards
Oil prices are still high and the rupee has slid close to 10 percent over the last year. How will this all play out with profitability? Air fares may remain high as airlines try to make ends meet.
BUSINESS
IndiGo’s capacity will be more than 500 passengers per flight to Istanbul
The Indian carrier’s 531-seater aircraft will probably set a record for the highest number of seats by an airline from India on a scheduled commercial service.
BUSINESS
Top 20 airports contribute 80% of domestic footfalls, a challenge for airlines
The market starts thinning beyond the metros, an indicator of how skewed it is.
INDIA
To get planes in 2029, IndiGo needs to place orders now
With IndiGo having made clear that its current order takes care of the next five to seven years, it has to think beyond that period now or risk losing out on production slots and lucrative deals.
BUSINESS
IndiGo targets US market via codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines
IndiGo and Turkish Airlines have jointly filed an application with US Department of Transportation, the nodal agency for such filing and approvals.
BUSINESS
Vistara's sunset is a sunrise moment for efficiency of Indian aviation industry
While it’s too early to tell when Vistara’s last flight would be, there’s reason to believe that it could happen on the last day of the 2023 winter schedule — March 30, 2024.
BUSINESS
Airline sectors that could face pressure from the expressway network
A share of the traffic could shift to alternative modes, leading to reduced frequency of flights. At the same time, this will free up slots to expand to newer markets, which may not have been possible earlier due to slot constraints.
BUSINESS
Aviation sector: Let’s tame this beast called slot hoarding
When slots are allotted to airlines and not used, they are blocked and hampers allocation to other carriers. The aviation ministry wants to change the guidelines to ensure that the ‘Use It or Lose It’ policy for slots is better implemented and measured sequentially.
BUSINESS
Airbus maintains narrowbody lead and is back in the widebody game with Air India order
The A350 widebody will become Air India’s flagship in terms of product as well as routes and this definitely is music to the ears of Airbus.
INDIA
Star Air set to take delivery of E175 plane as regional carrier scales up
The airline has consistently grown over the years, even during the pandemic, although its market share has remained flat.
INDIA
Air India’s record aircraft order: 13 key questions answered
Air India's Airbus order is for 250 aircraft, while the Boeing order is for 220 firm deliveries with an option for 70 additional planes.
BUSINESS
Boeing makes further inroads in India with Air India order, but loses widebody monopoly
The order gives a further boost to fleet renewal efforts in India where 68 percent of the narrowbody fleet is either MAX or NEO, the new-generation planes from Being and Airbus, respectively.
BUSINESS
Why Air India placed orders with both Airbus and Boeing
With strained supply chains limiting how many planes can be produced, one manufacturer would not have the capacity to fulfil Air India’s dual LCC and FSC requirements.
