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Air India cuts non-stop US fares by 33%
2007-07-28 06:08:00
To compete with private airlines, state-owned carrier Air-India has reduced fares by an average 33 per cent for its non-stop Mumbai-New York flight from August 1 on its fully furnished new Boeing B777-200-LR aircraft. Air-India took delivery of these B777-200 aircraft in Seattle yesterday. Air-India has positioned its fares on a par with airlines offering one-stop services to US, as part of testing the market. The national carrier has reduced its economy fares by 37.17 per cent to Rs 50,700 (return fares excluding taxes) from Rs 80,700. The executive (business) class fares were lowered by 40.11 per cent to Rs 159,700 against the original price of Rs 2,66,700. The first class fares of this brand new carrier has reduced by 22.01 per cent to Rs 3,57,700 against Rs 4,58,700. The duration of the flight is approximately sixteen hours, resulting in saving of over 4 hours.A senior Air-India executive said: "This is the part of strategy of testing the market. This will be a kind of introduct...
More About: Stop , Cuts , Fare , Ares

International grading to decide fate of airports
2007-07-28 06:05:00
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will award licences for airport operations on the basis of the grades awarded by the Airports Council Intern ational (ACI), the largest airport body in the world. The grading system would apply to all airports, including under private developers and the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Civil Aviation Secretary Ashok Chawla said at a seminar today. The licence of any airport failing to get the required grades will be cancelled, according to a DGCA source. On a scale of 0 to 5, an airport has to score a minimum of 3.75 points. The grading will be done on the basis of 34 criteria, including terminal facilities, check-in counters, Customs arrangements and baggage handling. Facilities like toilets will also be assessed. The consultants have already begun the grading process for Delhi and Mumbai airports. Chawla said the ministry was in talks with the state governments on developing unused airstrips around the country. The issue was discus...
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Jet Airways acquires 3 additional B777 & 13 ATR aircraft
2007-07-28 06:03:00
Jet Airway s India Ltd has announced that pursuant to The Purchase Agreement signed in June 2005 with The Boeing Company, USA, for ten (10) Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, the Company has now exercised an "Option" to acquire three (3) additional B777-300ER Aircraft scheduled to be delivered in May, October and November 2009. The Company will be taking on Operating Lease, six (6) ATR72-500 aircraft from Aircraft International Renting (A.I.R.) Ltd, Ireland (AIR), for deliveries scheduled between November 2007 and November 2008 and the Company has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Avions de Transport Regional (ATR) for seven additional ATR72-500's for deliveries between December-2008 and July-2010. These additional aircraft are being acquired in order to maintain and expand the Company's domestic and international operations.
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Deccan Aviation to buy stake in airport consortium
2007-07-28 05:58:00
Deccan Aviation , which runs low cost airline Air Deccan, is likely to pick up a stake in a consortium that will help identify and build low-cost airports in India. Executive Chairman Captain G R Gopinath said that they were in the "final stages" of forming the four-member consortium, of which Deccan Aviation is also included. "The three others are corporate entities with interests in infrastructure. Our mission is to achieve equitable development across Karnataka and the rest of the country," he said. In the recent past, Captain Gopinath has been an active spokesperson for the low-cost airport concept as a means to connect small towns and cities to the rest of the country. "Development has to extend to the fringes of a country as well and not just the capital cities. Connectivity plays a crucial role in this," he said. Several states including Maharashtra, Kerala, Assam, Tamilnadu, Orissa and Bihar are believed to have started identifying greenfield or unutilised airport projects fo...
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Ryan Air promoter planning to invest in SpiceJet
2007-07-26 14:09:00
The ongoing consolidation process in the Indian aviation industry has caught the attention of foreign bigwigs too. Europe?s biggest low-cost carrier Ryan Air is learnt to be doing a due diligence of SpiceJet. SpiceJet is trying to raise $ 40 million to fund its expansion plans as its current fleet strength of 11 will rise to 18 by next year and it is also nurturing with the idea of flying abroad. According to current rules, foreign airlines can?t invest directly in an Indian carrier but its promoters can buy shares in their individual capacity, subject to a condition that 51% stake held by Indians. Declan Ryan of the Ryan family, who started the airline in 1985, held talks with SpiceJet management. On its part SpiceJet denied that it was looking at Ryan for investment. "Declan Ryan and another board member of his airline were going from London to Australia to attend Tiger Airline?s board meeting. We requested them for stopover here and look at our model, if there are ways we can fur...
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IAF Sukhoi's to escort Air India?s new Boeing 777
2007-07-26 13:59:00
Indian carriers are now pulling out of all stops to showcase state-of-the-art planes they are inducting in their fleets. Months after Kingfisher got the A-380 on its second birthday bash, Air India will bring the Boeing 777-200 LR to India in VVIP style. The plane will be escorted by three fighter planes to Delhi that will tail it just after it enters Indian airspace from Seattle. And Indian Air Force is learnt to have offered its most advanced fighter, Sukhoi, to do the honour for AI?s plane. Sources said DGCA has given a very strict permission for this special escort flight. "All planes must remain in visual contact of each other. If owing to bad weather this can?t happen, the Boeing 777 will have to fly alone to Delhi," said sources. The date of this event is yet to be finalised. The plane will reach Delhi on Thursday. But PM Manmohan Singh is going to unveil the National Aviation Company of India (being formed by merging AI and IA) on Saturday at Palam technical area.
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Incredible India's e-commerce platform online
2007-07-26 06:18:00
Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni Wednesday launched an e-commerce platform of the tourism ministry's 'Incredible India' campaign to allow tourists to access information about any travel destination in India with suitable accommodation and book the facilities online. Soni said that the latest initiative of the ministry would be the most effective method of accessing information by the tourists, while admitting that she was quite illiterate when it came to accessing information from the Internet. "This will strengthen our visibility on the Internet and is a big boon for our bed and breakfast scheme. It will put those who want to give out their accommodation for rent and those who want to occupy it in direct contact," said Soni. The e-commerce platform was developed jointly by the tourism ministry and Eviivo, a Britain based business solution company. Christy Fernandez, secretary of the tourism ministry, said this initiative would help remove the general perception that Indi...
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Indian Railways makes e-tickets marginally cheaper
2007-07-26 06:15:00
In a bid to encourage the usage of e-tickets among passengers, Indian Railways has decided to reduce e-ticket service charges effective July 1. The existing service charge of Rs.15 on each e-ticket issued for sleeper class has been reduced to Rs.10. For air-conditioned classes, the service charge of Rs.25 per ticket has been brought down to Rs.20, the railway ministry announced Wednesday. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corp (IRCTC), the nodal body for the purpose, has been authorised to expand e-ticketing facility to outside agencies like Rail Travellers Service Agents (RTSA), Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) and Indian Association of Tour Agents (IATA) members, petrol pumps, ATMs and electronic points of sale (e-pos). These reduced charges are now effective at the e-seva counters of all these outlets. There are more than 8,000 agents for booking e-tickets, including RTSAs, RTAs, GSAs, members of IATA and TAAI, petrol pumps of Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd (BPCL), dist...
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Air Deccan starts flight to Jaipur and Jodhpur
2007-07-26 06:13:00
Air Deccan will operate a new flight from Hyderabad connecting Jaipur and Jodhpur via Ahmedabad. The 180-seater Airbus to Jaipur will start at 5.50am in Hyderabad and arrive in Jaipur at 9am on every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. It will start at 9.30am in Jaipur and reach Hyderabad at 12.40pm The fare starts at Rs. 2,174 plus taxes. The Jodhpur flight will also start at 5.50 am and reach there at 9am on every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. In the return direction, it will start at 9.30am and reach Hyderabad at 12.40pm. The fare starts at Rs. 1,174 plus taxes.
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Indian aircraft stranded at Sharjah
2007-07-26 06:09:00
The runway at Sharjah International Airport was briefly closed on Monday night after an Indian airline aircraft coming from Mumbai was stranded on the runway due to leakage of hydraulic oil, a source at the airport said. The 20-minute closure, however, did not affect the inbound and outbound flights. The incident, according to sources, occurred at around 10.15pm when the pilot of the IC-595 flight was forced to stop the aircraft on the runway soon after it landed. ?The flight was towed to the bay and the passengers were offloaded,? the source added. Meanwhile, Indian officials said that technical snag had caused the delay in the operation of Sharjah-Mumbai flight which was scheduled to leave Sharjah Airport at 12.20am yesterday morning (Tuesday), but finally could leave only in the evening at 7pm. ?A technical snag was detected in the aircraft soon after it landed at the Sharjah airport on Monday. Technicians and materials were brought in from India and the snag was rectified by yes...
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Kingfisher-Air Deccan take measures to meet saving targets
2007-07-26 06:01:00
The Kingfisher -Deccan alliance proves that size matters. The two airlines that are targeting savings of Rs 300 crore in the first year of operation are now renegotiating deals with vendors that are at least 25% cheaper. It's a sweet deal getting sweeter. The Kingfisher-Deccan combine seems to be negotiating with vendors to reduce costs. It's talking with aircraft makers about deals on engines for its 75 aircrafts and it's already managed to cut insurance costs. Capt Gopinath, Chairman, Air Deccan said, ?We have managed to bring down insurance costs by 40%.? But the big savings will come from shared infrastructure. Kingfisher and Deccan will share hangars in Bangalore and Hyderabad, saving a few crore rupees. The combine might consider combining office space in some cities where both have small offices. And substantial savings will come from rationalising human resources.?We'll save about 30% in cost by sharing engineers and about 50% from sharing security personnel,? Capt Gopina...
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Jupiter Aviation plans joint venture with Kingfisher Airlines
2007-07-26 05:59:00
Rajeev Chandrasekhar?s Jupiter Aviation is set to float a joint venture with Kingfisher-Air Deccan combine for an over $100 million maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) project in Bangalore. The JV will be positioned as a global aviation outsourcing hub that will also cater to training and design needs of global carriers. Jupiter is an exclusive partner of Airbus parent European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) for MRO and life-cycle support of commercial aircraft in India. The project size will be significantly bigger if the cost for land is also accounted for. It will be a joint venture with Kingfisher Airline s and Air Deccan holding around 50% and Jupiter owning the remaining stake. The project, likely to be spearheaded by Deccan chairman GR Gopinath, is significant to Airbus as Kingfisher-Deccan combine is now its biggest global client with around 150 aircraft, including firm orders in the pipeline. "In three months time we are firming up plans for an independent MRO facili...
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Pune airport awaits IAF note on saturation
2007-07-26 05:57:00
Pune airport director Deepak Shastri has said he is yet to officially hear from the Indian Air Force (IAF) about putting a cap on the number of civilian aircraft operating in and out of Lohegaon airport. Air Marshal K D Singh, air officer commanding-in-chief of the South western Air Command (SWAC), had on Monday said that the IAF has decided to restrict the number of daily civilian flights at 70 from the Pune airport. "There has been no official communication so far. I only read it in the newspapers," Shastri said. Singh, had also said that a greenfield airport is the only option for further addition to air traffic from Pune. Singh was corroborating vice-chief of IAF Air Marshal Bhushan Nilkanth Gokhale's statement early this month that the IAF-managed Lohegaon airfield will not be in a position to accommodate further civilian flights in the future. "In the absence of any official communication, we can only assume that the reported statements are their personal opinion," the airpor...
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Indian Airlines-Air India merger in trouble
2007-07-26 05:39:00
The merger between India n Airline s (IA) and Air-India (A-I), due in August, has hit a roadblock with the major IA unions opposing it on grounds that the government has been unable to resolve key issues ? lack of parity in career progression and salary with A-I employees and arrears of over Rs 800 crore from 1997. The unions have threatened a strike if these issues are not settled before the merger deadline. Leading associations of IA ? the Indian Airlines Commercial Pilots? Association (ICPA), All India Aircraft Engineers? Association (AIAEA), Indian Aircraft Technicians? Association (IATA), Indian Airlines Officers? Association (IAOA) and Air Corporation Employees? Union (ACEU) ? met A-I Chairman and Managing Director V Thulasidas and the IA management led by Managing Director Vishwapati Trivedi on Monday. The IA unions say an A-I engineer is promoted far faster (two years, against six years in IA in comparable grades). They also point out that the engineer-to-aircraft ratio of 9:1...
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Air India Express to fly limited domestic routes
2007-07-25 06:01:00
Air India Express , the low-cost international subsidiary of Air India (the new carrier being formed by merging Air-India with Indian Airlines), has finalised plans to fly limited domestic routes in the southern and eastern sectors. Starting this October, Air India Express will fly Cochin-Chennai, Cochin-Hyderabad, Cochin-Bangalore, Bangalore-Chennai, Chennai-Kolkata, Hyderabad-Kolkata and Kolkata-Agartala. ?These services will be point-to-point domestic services and not seamless operations to international destinations. We have plans to start daily services on the Cochin-Bangalore-Chennai route later,? said an official spokesperson. The airline already has 11 weekly domestic flights from Calicut (3), Cochin (3), Chennai (3) and Delhi (2) to Mumbai. These are operated to fill empty seats enroute to an international destination or after a routine maintenance stop. The new southern and eastern sectors will increase the number of domestic flights to 50.?We have carefully chosen routes o...
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Jet Lite shelves plans to fly to Malaysia
2007-07-25 05:58:00
India's Jet Lite , formerly Air Sahara, is suspending plans to fly to Malay sia following its merger with private Indian carrier Jet Airways, a company official said. Air Sahara has been renamed Jet Lite and is undergoing a restructuring to become a low-cost carrier, focusing on the domestic segment, said Kevin Marthinus, country manager for Jet Airways in Malaysia. The merger, which was announced in April, is expected to create an airline controlling nearly half of India's domestic aviation market, with a fleet of 89 jets. "There is a new management in India to helm the transformation of the airline. Right now, we are looking at how Jet Lite can compliment Jet Airways in the fast-growing domestic hub," Marthinus said. Air Sahara's previous plans to fly to Malaysia and other international destinations have been shelved until it completes its revamp, he said. Its New Delhi-Singapore flight, the airline's only international route was terminated earlier this month as part of the over...
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Air Asia X planning flights to India
2007-07-25 05:54:00
New long-distance budget airline Air Asia X says it will announce its first Australian destination within days, and its promotional fares to London will be as low as $11.30. The carrier - an offshoot of Asia's biggest low cost airline Air Asia - hopes to fly to Australia for its inaugural flight from its Kuala Lumpur base in September. It expects to offer Australians standard fares 30 to 50 per cent cheaper than its competitors, to the Malaysian capital, and then a host of far flung places, including the UK, Middle East, India and China. Air Asia X's new chief executive Azran Osman-Rani is in Australia this week holding final talks with airports around the country. "This week is going to be key in terms of making some decisions and we may be in a position to announce our first destination in the next few days," Osman-Rani said. Air Asia X is eyeing Avalon, in Victoria, Adelaide, the Gold Coast and Newcastle for its first Australian destination, he said, adding the airline could ex...
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Air India, Indian looking at the bigger aircraft
2007-07-25 05:51:00
The merger of Air India and Indian may take a bit more time. But the merged entity already has a task cut out, that it would not enough aircraft, even after taking delivery of the last of the 111-plus aircraft they?ve ordered. The combined major would consider buying the big birds - A 380 super jumbo or 747-8. ?We have initiated an exercise to take a look at our future requirements and decide whether we would need to induct more aircraft,? confirmed Air India chairman and managing director V Thulasidas. The last of the 68 aircraft that Air India has ordered with Boeing worth $11 billion will be delivered by 2010-11. Indian has gone for 43 aircraft with Airbus Industrie. The merged entity would still need more, despite the fact that deliveries have just begun. ?Today, we indeed would be short of aircraft,? admitted Thulasidas. ?We (Air India) did this (need for aircraft) calculation in 2004 and Indian Airlines did its calculation in 2002. Since then, I think the world has changed ? t...
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Qatar Airways to fly to Nagpur and Ahmedabad
2007-07-25 05:48:00
Qatar Airway s will fly to Nagpur and Ahmedabad in India by the end of 2007, its chief executive confirmed, which will cap off an extraordinary year when fast-growing Gulf airlines made major inroads into India. The new daily service to Nagpur, at the geographical centre of India, and Ahmedabad, in the northeastern state of Gujarat, will mark the seventh and eighth Indian destinations for Qatar Airways , according to Akbar Al Baker, Qatar Airways chief executive. With the two flights, Qatar will have launched an impressive 11 new routes in 2007 alone. Beginning with Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in January, Qatar Airways followed up with new service to Lagos, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Chennai, Geneva, New York, Washington, D.C. and in November, Stockholm. Its current network now totals 78 destinations worldwide. Qatar is just one of several airlines which have deepened their network into the red hot aviation market on the subcontinent, which Indian authorities have gradually opened up in re...
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JetLite absorbs 2,300 Air Sahara staff
2007-07-25 05:47:00
Jet Airways has absorbed 2,300 Air Sahara employees in its subsidiary JetLite as a 90-day deadline set in the share purchase agreement between Jet and Sahara as part of their Jet-led merger came to an end on July 18. Air Sahara had a total employee strength of 4,100 and the remaining 1,800 employees of the airline and mostly working as ground staff and other support services have moved back to the Sahara India Pariwar, as the parent group is called. Following an acrimonious legal battle Jet Airways in April 2007 finally agreed to take over the Subroto Roy-controlled airline for a discounted price of Rs 1,450 crore and a 90 days deadline was fixed in the share purchase agreement to decide on the fate of employees and to discontinue the use of the Air Sahara brand name by Jet. The closure of the share purchase agreement was effective April 20, though a week ago both the airlines had agreed to bury the hatchet.A Sahara India spokesman said the group had given an option in April to come...
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Jet Airways signs lease agreement with BOC Aviation
2007-07-25 05:44:00
India's Jet Airway s and BOC Aviation have signed an agreement for the lease of two new Boeing 737-800s. The aircraft will be delivered from the Boeing final assembly line in the first quarter of 2008 and will be leased to the airline for a period of eight years each. Jet Airways, which becomes a new customer for the Singapore-based leasing company, will use the aircraft to increase capacity on its extensive domestic route network.
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SilkAir to start flights to Coimbatore
2007-07-24 06:25:00
SilkAir, an arm of Singapore Airlines, today announced its plans to add a thrice-weekly flight service between Singapore and Coimbatore from October. Subject to government approval, the flights will mark the first ever-direct air service between both cities. Popularly known as the ?Manchester? of South India, Coimbatore makes for the regional airline?s third destination in South India, after Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. SilkAir also plans to launch its flights to Kathmandu, Nepal later this year. "We?re very excited about the new routes," said Chin Yau Seng Chief Executive of SilkAir in a release. "Both cities are well-aligned with SilkAir?s network," he said. The new routes will take SilkAir?s network to 29 exotic destinations across 11 countries. SilkAir operates a fleet of 14 Airbus A-320 family aircraft, with 11 more on firm order and options for a further nine, the release added.
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Trains to tourist hot spots in south India
2007-07-24 06:23:00
In a bid to popularise tourism in south India , the state governments have come together to form South Indian Tourism Confederation (SITCON). APTDC Deputy Director Balasubramanium Reddy said, the Confederation had decided to launch 'Southern Splendour' in which a specially fabricated train on the lines of 'Palace on Wheels', but meant for general tourists, would be launched next year. The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) had taken a special initiative in this regard. The Centre had accorded sanction to the project and a 22-bogie train was being built for the purpose. "The train will have bogies allotted to different states like Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and the Union Territory of Puducherry." It will have a seven-day and 10-day trips around the four states and Puducherry. Tourist s can avail the 'hop-on hop-off' facility to embark or alight the trains at their preferred destinations. The Centre, which had sanctioned the project two weeks...
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Mihin Lanka starts flights to India
2007-07-23 12:29:00
Mihin Lanka , the fully Government owned budget airline, has carried over 17,000 passengers in the last two and a half months. The airline, which operates two Airbus aircraft, offers flights to a number of regional destinations. Bangkok is the latest destination. More destinations are being added on an almost a weekly basis. ?Current load factors are very good and bookings ahead are solid.? The spokesman said Singapore?s airport authorities were willing to grant certain concessions to the airline, having noticed its potential for increasing tourist and business traffic between the two countries. Several other countries and airport operators have invited Mihin to commence flights. He said the start-up airline has proved a boon for pilgrims going to India and migrant workers as Mihin airfares were much more affordable. Moreover, they were granting passengers a much bigger passenger allowance. Mihin Lanka follows strict safety and security regulations to ensure a smooth flight for their...
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UB Group likely to sell 20% Kingfisher stake
2007-07-23 12:25:00
United Breweries (Holdings) is planning to sell about 20% stake in its consolidated aviation business?comprising Kingfisher Airlines and Air Deccan?to private equity investors. It hopes to raise around $250 million through the equity dilution. Four private equity giants, including Cerberus Capital, TPG and Blackstone, have initiated talks. Cerberus is believed to be the front-runner. The stake, sources said, is being sold in a subsidiary of UB (Holdings), which owns 83% of Kingfisher Airlines and 100% of Kingfisher Radio. Kingfisher Radio, in turn, holds 26% in Deccan Aviation, the parent of the low-cost airline. The proposed open offer, if successful, will take Kingfisher Radio?s stake in Deccan Aviation to 46%. The UB Group denied any immediate plan to induct a financial investor. The group insisted that ?it was not in a tearing hurry? to bring in a financial investor, adding that de-leveraging could be done in 18-24-months. Edelweiss, currently managing the open offer on behalf o...
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Jet Airways rules out fare war on US flights
2007-07-23 12:21:00
Private Indian carrier Jet Airway s, which begins its US operations next month, has ruled out entering into a price war with other airlines and expects to attract passengers by offering top-class services. "We are not here to get into fare wars. We are here to give you the best product, which hopefully no other airline gives you," chairman Jet Airways Naresh Goyal said. Goyal said American passenger-airlines "dump people" from one point to another. But "With us, you get a hot meal within a half-hour of takeoff. It's a three-course meal in every section of the airplane - even in coach," he said. Asked how would be airline offer best quality service without raising fares, he said the carrier would increase productivity. "It's (productivity) higher and better than other carriers. Our cost ratio in aircraft is one of the lowest in the world," he said. Jet makes its maiden US flight to Newark airport from Mumbai next month. This will be followed by Toronto on September 5 as part of effo...
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Indian aircraft develops technical snag at Indore
2007-07-23 12:19:00
An Indian flight was today grounded at the airport here due to a technical problem, causing hardship to passengers. The Mumbai-Indore-Bhopal-Delhi flight was grounded due to a problem in its engine, senior Indian official Qamar Ali said. The plane developed the problem after landing at Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport, following which it was decided to ground the aircraft, he said. While the airline arranged taxis for Bhopal-bound passengers, it requisitioned another plane for sending other stranded passengers to their respective destinations, Ali said. The airline's technical staff attended to the grounded aircraft.
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AI planning to create European hub
2007-07-23 05:52:00
State-run carrier Air India, which is being merged with another national airline Indian, is looking to create a hub in Europe and rationalise its route structure by providing more direct services. Following the footsteps of its private competitor Jet Airways, which has established an operational hub at Brussels, Air India is holding discussions with aviation authorities in some major cities of Europe. "Discussions are going on. Let us come to some final conclusion and then we will let you know," Air India Chairman and Managing Director V Thulasidas said. The carrier, which already flies to several European cities like Frankfurt, London, Paris and Birmingham, "is now looking at other cities which can become our hub," he said, indicating the new hub could be finalised by early next year. Asked to elaborate, he said at least five to six daily flights would arrive at the European hub from different parts of India and the passengers transferred to other Air India planes bound for destina...
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Mussoorie, Queen of Hill stations, fast losing its charm
2007-07-21 05:42:00
Mussoorie, the popular resort in the foothills of the Himalayan ranges, is fast losing its reputation as the queen of hill stations. A favourite with honeymooners from across the country because of its easy access, Mussoorie is facing difficulties because of water shortage and traffic snarls. Tourists blame the local administration for not doing enough to solve the problems. Viresh Kumar, a tourist from Delhi, says, 'We could not find a parking place for one-and a-half-hours after reaching the city. We managed to check in at a hotel, but found that the water was not fit to drink. We had to depend on bottled water available in the market' Nirmal Jain a visitor from Kolkata, complained, 'Water here smells like alcohol. It is frustrating to buy mineral water every hour. Traffic menace is also a big problem here. I don't think I will come here ever again with family.' Officials admit that Mussoorie is facing water problems and vehicles are crowding the roads. They confess that they...
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IndiGo to start services from Kochi
2007-07-20 14:55:00
IndiGo, the low-fare domestic airline will start daily services connecting Koch i to Delhi and Hyderabad from July 27. The airline will serve these routes by using its eleventh Airbus A 320, which will be delivered on July 24, said Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer on Tuesday. The Kochi-Delhi service would depart from Kochi at 4.30 p.m. and arrive via Hyderabad at Delhi at 8.30 p.m. The introductory fare is Rs.1,999/. The fare to Hyderabad from Kochi is Rs.399. From Delhi to Kochi, the flights would operate from 12 noon and reach Kochi at 4 p.m. on all days except Tuesday. On Tuesday, it is a direct flight from Delhi at 12.30 p.m., reaching Kochi at 3.45 p.m. With its 11 aircraft, the airline will operate 78 daily flights to 15 destinations, including Kochi, Agartala, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Imphal, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Nagpur, Pune and Vadodara. IndiGo will take delivery of four new A 320 aircraft this year, taking the fleet size to 15 by the en...
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