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AIR-INDIA TO BUY LONG-HAUL AIRCRAFTS: The civil aviation ministry has advised the airline’s board to consider inducting ultra-long range aircraft in its fleet. This could either be the airbus 340-500 or the Boeing 777. The new plan will push up the estimated cost of Air-India’s fleet expansion by Rs 1,500-2,000 crore (budget is of Rs 10000 crore). The proposal to buy 18 short-range aircraft remains as it is.
A-I LAUNCHES TWICE-WEEKLY FLIGHT ON AHMEDABAD-DUBAI SECTOR: Air-India (A-I) has launched a twice-weekly flight on the Ahmedabad-Dubai sector. The new operation is routed from Mumbai to Ahmedabad and on to Dubai two times a week. Air-India has 105 flights a week from India to Gulf. Air-India to START CHEAPER no-frill SERVICE: Air-India Express, the Maharaja’s new budget airline will be launched by April 2005 at 25% cheaper fares. This is being done to compete with other budget carriers. Using leased aircraft; Air-India will begin operations with flights from Delhi, Bombay and Kerala to UAE, Singapore and Jakarta. With the addition of more aircraft operations will extend to Doha, Bahrain, Kuwait and Bangkok.
AIR DECCAN FLIES HIGH: Air Deccan flies high as a low cost no-frills airline. Now three Airbus 320 planes have been leased to complement its fleet of seven French made ATR 48-seater aircraft. It has already broken even and expects to make a decent profit by the year end. The fares of this airline are 50% lower than the other ones. Please visit www.airdeccan.net for more information.
DOMESTIC AIR FARE GO UP BY 10%: For Indians, to travel within India gets 10% more expensive as the fuel prices go up, with effect from 21 June. However, there is no increase on the US Dollar fares for the foreign nationals.
YAMUNA AIRWAYS SET TO TAKE OFF BY END – SETPTEMBER: Yet another no frills domestic airline is set to launch flights on 4 different sectors which will link Goa by end September. To operate with ATRs or Embraer, it will connect Goa with Hospet, Hyderabad, Pune & Bangalore.
AIR NEW ZEALAND OPERATION FOR INDIA: Air NZ is to buy six Boeing Co aircraft and lease four more, seeking to cut fuel costs and add routes to India and China. The airline will buy four Boeing 777-200 ER planes and lease a further four, replacing some existing Boeing 767 planes over the next two years.
Air Arabia ready to start flights to Kerala: Air Arabia, the first low-cost airline in the Gulf region, is fully prepared to start operating flights to India, especially Kerala destinations, and is negotiations are on with Indian authorities. Air Arabia’s first priority is to operate flights from Sharjah to Kerala to meet the great demand from non-resident Indians. Source: The Financial Express, 6.6.2004
BRITISH AIRWAYS offers special low fares from Chennai, Kolkata: The special fares, lower by 10 per cent, are floated for travel in the economy class. The offer is valid till July 15, and will only be available if the passenger books a return ticket. The airline is to allow one stop in London on the special low fares from the two Indian cities.
SRILANKAN AIRLINES TO COMMENCE FLIGHTS TO CALICUT, INDIA: Sri Lankan Airlines is to commence flights to Calicut, the fabled city in southwestern India, from 1 July 2004, becoming the first non-Indian airline to operate regular services to Calicut's International Airport. Calicut is SriLankan's 10th destination in India and will be serviced by four flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
WI-FI FLIGHT OF LUFTHANSA: Lufthansa Launched its In-Flight High-Speed Internet Access. The passengers logged onto the Internet during a flight from Munich to Los Angeles, as the airline rolled out the first real-time, high-speed Internet access available on a commercial flight. Service is available for a fee of $29.95 per flight or $9.95 per 30 minutes, with plans calling for installation on all long-haul planes by 2006. Internet access is available in all cabin classes and on flights in the Northern Hemisphere.
AIR FRANCE AND KLM MERGE: The first cross border merger of two European airlines has created the world’s largest airlines by revenues. The amalgamated airline will rank 3rd behind American Airlines and United Airlines in terms of passenger traffic. The 2 airlines have agreed to form a joint holding company, which will own 100% of both airlines and under which the Air France and KLM brands will coexist for 3 years. KLM will remain Dutch with 51 % of its voting rights, which will help it retain its foreign landing rights.
LOCAL AIR TRAFFIC UP 11% IN FINANCIAL YEAR 2003-04: India’s domestic air travel market expanded by 10.9% in the financial year ended in March, as a revival in tourist traffic and robust economic growth boosted demand. Figures from the state-owned Airports Authority of India, which manages India’s 126 airports, showed 32m passengers flied through its terminals in ‘03-04 (April-March), compared with 28.9m in the previous year. The total number of international passengers – embarking, disembarking and in transit – rose 12.3% in 2003-04 to 16.7m. India’s is the world’s 11th largest economy. The Economic Times, Mumbai, April 27, 2004 BACK