Airliners-India.com

747-237 · Posted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 6:26 pm Post subject:

http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/air-india-to-increase-fuel-hedging-114101000762_1.html

Air India to increase fuel hedging

October 10, 2014

Air India will step up fuel hedging to guard against future volatility in the crude price.

Globally crude price fell below $ 90 a barrel and is expected to be bearish for next few months but airlines in Asia are looking to increase the hedge volume against future risks.

"We plan to hedge about one lakh barrel a month of our next year requirement,'' said an Air India spokesperson.

Air India began fuel hedging in 2002 but discontinued it some years later. Last year the airline's board approved hedging of about 5 lakh barrels of jet fuel each quarter which is equal to about 20% of its total consumption. However in the last fiscal it hedged 70,000 barrels.

Air India management has been cautious about hedging but globally airlines hedge 50-60% of their fuel requirement. According to a Reuters report Australian airline Qantas hedged 94% of fuel requirement in first half of the year.

The report added that many airlines are locking in contracts as far ahead as 2015 and 2016 and added that Thai Airways has raised its hedging to 63% of fuel need in late 2015 from 53%.

"Our hedging quantity is small,'' the AI spokesperson added.

Daily Air India uplifts around 5100 kilolitres of ATF and nearly 70% is purchased in India. Rise in crude prices and rupee depreciation has led to an increase in fuel bill. Increase in capacity and addition of new long haul flights to Australia, Moscow and Rome-Milan too contributed to the rise.

"We have initiated various steps and have been able to save fuel following implementation of IATA'sFuel Efficiency Gap Analysis. Measures included carrying lighter cutlery, carrying less water and fewer magazines on board and implementing fuel efficient procedures during landing and taxi stage,'' he added.

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2014 3:21 pm Post subject:

"Six Boeing 737-200 Fs, which have been out of service for more than three years, are still being insured at $1 million each per annum or $6 million, for more than the past three years. We demand an immediate, time-bound investigation by an external agency to look into this huge financial irregularity," ICPA general secretary Shailender Singh said in a letter to Air India chairman Rohit Nandan.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Pilots-body-says-Air-India-spends-6m-to-insure-6-grounded-planes-seeks-probe/articleshow/44790754.cms
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:18 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 2:33 pm Post subject:

Air India Begins Boeing 787 Bangkok Service from late-Oct 2014

Air India from 26OCT14 begins Boeing 787 service to Thailand, which sees daily Delhi – Bangkok and Mumbai – Bangkok operation. Both routes are currently operated by Airbus A321 aircraft.

Delhi – Bangkok
AI332 DEL1325 – 1920BKK 788 D
AI333 BKK0850 – 1205DEL 788 D

Mumbai – Bangkok
AI330 BOM0135 – 0720BKK 788 D
AI331 BKK2030 – 2305BOM 788 D

Source: Airlineroute.net
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

The_Goat · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 2:51 pm Post subject:

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 3:04 pm Post subject:

With several 321s freed on these routes as the 787 comes in, would it be prudent to launch flights to those very international destinations (BKK) from other Indian points with the metal? BLR? MAA? I presume a CCU-BKK run already exists.

IC had a roundabout HYD-BLR-MAA-BKK back before the merger that has been done away with over the years. I think that may have been on the AB3 as well.

Or are the 321s headed back to domestic runs?
_________________
Yeah.

Nimish · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 4:41 pm Post subject:

Nimish · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 5:04 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

Nimish · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 6:17 pm Post subject:

From: http://www.thehindu.com/business/Industry/sc-raps-government-over-state-of-affairs-in-air-india/article6493505.ece

Jeh · Posted: Mon Oct 13, 2014 11:20 pm Post subject:

Generally good news for AI - Nandan to stay on a bit longer.

PM Modi makes an exception for Air India chairman

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday gave Air India chairman Rohit Nandan an extension till August next year, withdrawing its earlier stipulation that the process to appoint Nandan’s replacement be completed till next month.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/business-news/pm-modi-makes-an-exception-for-air-india-chairman/article1-1274969.aspx

747-237 · Posted: Tue Oct 14, 2014 2:34 pm Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:19 pm Post subject:

Air India has decided to restart Delhi-Vadodara flight from tomorrow, over a month after the service was suspended by the national carrier.

Gujarat Finance Minister Saurabh Patel informed this on Wednesday after taking up the matter with authorities in the government-run airline.

“I took up the issue with higher authorities in Air India and emphasised the need for restarting the flight which was stopped on September 8,” Patel said. “I brought to the notice of Air India officials the difficulties being faced by passengers from the city due to suspension of the service,” Patel said.

http://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/air-india-to-restart-delhi-vadodara-flight-from-tomorrow/
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:42 pm Post subject:

This tweet

https://twitter.com/winglets747/status/521238310186799105

On Air India's 787 it's "Please follow all posted placards and hand-written instructions."
(apparently AI317 Seoul-Hong Kong; Oct 12)

Made it to the newspapers in India

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Caliguy · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 8:46 pm Post subject:

Does anyone know what's going on at AI? I am sorry I can't for the life of me understand what's going on. Have flown them many times in the 80's and early 90's, they were never this bad. We always got where we were going, bags came, food good etc. Now they are a joke. Is it just that people are skimming so much money off the top they have to resort to writing on the walls rather than use printed signs? They strip new planes (in PUBLIC), they don;t maintain brand new planes (yet have tons of mechanics on staff). It just doesn't make sense. How long can this go on?

Oh a family friend that just KNOWS a pilot (not related) still gets upgraded to business class on every flight they take EWR-BOM. How is this even still possible??? Its like its 1978 when connections got you wonders on almost any airline out of india.

The_Goat · Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 10:08 pm Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Thu Oct 16, 2014 11:28 pm Post subject:

Air India ponders buying the A-320 NEO

Air India is currently evaluating whether to induct the Airbus320 New Engine Option (NEO) aircraft into its fleet after 2017.

http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/industry-and-economy/logistics/air-india-ponders-buying-the-a320-neo/article6507594.ece
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 7:29 am Post subject:

http://www.dnaindia.com/money/report-alliance-air-flying-hours-halve-as-14-pilots-leave-2026769

Alliance Air flying hours halve as 14 pilots leave

17 October 2014

Alliance Air, a subsidiary of national carrier Air India, has witnessed substantial attrition as 14 pilots and many other staffers have left the company in the last few months, affecting the utilisation of its eight aircraft.

As per the fleet utilisation chart prepared daily, average hours each aircraft flies, which should be which should be at least 10-12 hours a day as per aviation guidelines, has come down to around six hours. On October 12, the fleet utilisation of the two aircraft was just around three hours.

Alliance Air thus adds to the burden of already indebted Air India, as all the air-craft are on lease and the company has to pay a premium of $ 1.75 lakh for every aircraft.

"If people are leaving and aircraft are not making profits, then the company should look into the matter and take action. It seems that nobody is bothered about it," a senior Air India official told dna, requesting anonymity.

According to Alliance Air website, it operates services with a fleet of 4 CRJ and 4 ATR aircraft mostly to Tier 2 and 3 cities, or those which link these cities to the metro hubs.

The airline CEO Anil Mehta, speaking to dna, claimed that airline operates at least 24 flights everyday, but denied that pilots and other staff member are leaving the job. As of now, Alliance Air has just six captains and 7 co-pilots running the show, sources said.

However, as per the data available with dna, at least 14 pilots have left the job and many of them joined a private low-cost airline. Besides, several other cabin crew members have also quit.

Some of the pilots and cabin crew members who left have reasoned that they couldn't work with the executive director (operations) of Alliance Air S Mehrotra allegedly for his "unprofessional" attitude. Mehrotra is also a pilot and flies Airbus of Air India. The staffers also alleged that he flies much less than the required flying hours. "He thought all of us were his slaves. And he works as per his own comfort and prejudices," said one of the staffers who resigned recently. A senior chief ground instructor, approved by Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), has also left the job.

"Many pilots are sitting without necessary refresher, which is compulsorily conducted twice a year," said another Air India official. According to sources, another official hired to train the pilots has not been approved by the DGCA.

When contacted, Mehrotra refused to comment on any official issue, saying he was on medical leave. "I have recently undergone an operation. I am not aware of anything happening in office," he told dna over phone.

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

ameya · Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:49 am Post subject:

Air India re-introduces flights to Vadodara

With the Minister of Finance of Gujarat Government going public and requesting Air India to re-start flights to Vadodara, Air India seems to have taken note and restarted flights. Earlier the flight was operated by CRJ-700 and now this would be operated by A320
The flight would operate as below,

AI819 DEL0625 – 0800BDQ D A320
AI820 BDQ0835 – 1015DEL D A320

The flights will be operated by all economy A320
_________________
www.networkthoughts.com

ssbmat · Member Joined: 20 Dec 2006 Posts: 1710

The_Goat · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 1:01 pm Post subject:

stealthpilot · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 2325 Location: BLR, DXB

747-237 · Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 3:43 pm Post subject:

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner, flying between Delhi and Rome as Air India AIC123 flight was intercepted by two Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon interceptors from Grosseto airbase on Oct. 16.

According to the Italian Air Force, the aircraft, registration VT-ANQ, lost radio contact with the Air Traffic Control agencies and entered the Italian airspace unauthorized. For this reason the QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) cell at Grosseto airbase was scrambled to intercept, identify and escort the liner, as done last month with a Lebanese A320 following a bomb threat.

The two F-2000A jets of the 4° Stormo (Wing) reached the B787 at 24,000 feet to the southeast of Rome. The Typhoons identified the civil plane and shadowed it from distance, not to be seen by passengers and once at 30 kilometers from destination, they were cleared to return to their base.

http://theaviationist.com/2014/10/17/b787-intercepted-typhoon/
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun Oct 19, 2014 3:55 pm Post subject:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/turnaround-plan-air-india-proposes-outright-purchase-of-15-dreamliner-aircrafts/articleshow/44874252.cms

Air India proposes outright purchase of 15 Dreamliners

19 Oct, 2014

Air India is proposing to shift from sale and leaseback to outright purchase of 15 of the 27 Dreamliner aircraft it has ordered, in a bid to save about $225-300 million as part of the turnaround plan.

A proposal to this effect has been sent to the government for approval, as the national carrier feels that the shift to the outright purchase system would provide a much better internal rate of return, airline officials said here.

The sources said the redelivery cost (after the lease expires) of a widebody aircraft like the Dreamliners is very high at almost $20 million while for narrow-bodies it is about $10-12 million.

Such high redelivery costs would be avoided if the planes are owned by the company, the officials said.

Air India, which has seven aircraft on leaseback and has offered five more through that process, now plans to turn to the outright purchase mode for the remaining 15, they said.

At present, the airline has a total of 17 Dreamliners in its fleet with one more slated to be delivered in December. The last of these planes is to be delivered by September 2016.

Air India is also evaluating whether to induct the latest Airbus A-320 neo (New Engine Option) aircraft into its fleet after 2017, which the manufacturer claims to be a major fuel-saving airplane.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Jaysit · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 4346

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi

avbuff · Member Joined: 22 Dec 2006 Posts: 5031

ryder1650 · Member Joined: 17 Jul 2007 Posts: 554

747-237 · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 12:06 am Post subject:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/f6sfXkXNHOwxuptso56TFJ/Air-India-to-use-Twitter-mobile-app-to-address-customer-que.html

Air India to use Twitter, mobile app to address customer queries

Air India has created a back-end team dedicated to handling its microblogging account

Oct 20 2014

Air India Ltd will start tweeting soon in a bid to modernize the way it addresses queries from customers and try and attract younger travellers. The airline, which already has a Facebook page, will also introduce a mobile app within the coming fortnight to try and extend its reach and boost revenue.

“We will be launching our Twitter account in the next few days,” said Rohit Nandan, chairman and managing director of Air India. “I know it’s a tough task for us to be there, but we have to improve our customer services and I think this is the step in that direction.”

“This will keep us on our toes. We would try to do our best so we can solve customer queries in real time. And gradually scale up our efforts,” Nandan said.

Air India will also launch a mobile app allowing users to book flights. It will be introduced for Android phones initially, followed by iOS (used by Apple Inc.) which the airline believes will makes up for 80% of the traffic. A Blackberry app will follow thereafter.

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

justbala · Member Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 1898 Location: Bangalore

747-237 · Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2014 7:17 pm Post subject:

Saw this last night - the latest cheapoair.com TV commercial has the Air India logo displayed.

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Jeh · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 3:30 pm Post subject:

Saw an AI 747 idling at BOM yesterday and wondered what the utilisation is currently like - so I looked it up. FR24 doesn't show any movement in the last few weeks for VT-ESN and VT-EVB (Tanjore and Velha Goa). EVA is usually on the VIP runs, and ESO and ESP and trundling around on the South India-Gulf routes.

Could anyone here tell me why AI doesn't phase out these aircraft, or at least what they plan to do with them? How does AI make these little domestic (BOM/HYD, CCJ-COK etc.) and onward Gulf routes (HYD-JED, CCJ-JED etc.) work with a long-haul airliner that has 12 F seats? Or is it the case that since the 747s are owned by AI and mostly fully paid for and there are few buyers for used 747s now, that it's somehow cheaper to use them? In any case, what are AI's plans?

747-237 · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 4:07 pm Post subject:

http://profit.ndtv.com/news/corporates/article-air-india-evaluating-leasing-fuel-efficient-airplanes-report-684297

Air India Evaluating Leasing Fuel-efficient Airplanes: Report

October 26, 2014

Air India is evaluating leasing fuel- efficient airplanes like Airbus A-320 neos for itself and Boeing 737 Max for its subsidiary Air India Express over the next three to six years.

While the national carrier would be getting its 18th Boeing 787 Dreamliners in December, it has already started exploring options to lease A-320 neos (New Engine Option) aircraft into its fleet after 2017.

Airline officials said they were looking at leasing the neos by 2017 onwards.

The officials said Air India was also considering leasing Boeing 737 Max, the new generation fuel-saving aircraft, for its subsidiary Air India Express.

The airline plans to lease them by 2020, though the first of these aircraft is scheduled for delivery in 2017.

_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

The_Goat · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 4:26 pm Post subject:

Spiderguy252 · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 5:06 pm Post subject:

TKMCE · Member Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 957

The answer atleast to my inexpert eye seems to be in the bilaterals. DGCA started updating bilaterals for a brief period in their website and later probably changed their mind about disclosing "state secrets" But a google search throwing up a CAPA news item (and the DGCA information circa 2007 in their website) shows that the average seat per flight works out to around 270.

Now this is because (at least to an oridinary folk like me and I am glad to be corrected by the pundits) the India Saudi Arabia bilateral has limitations on BOTH the number of flights and the number of seats. Saudia has always been a fan of big toys from Tristars to the 747s and the 777s and Air India was forced to follow suit thanks to the way the bilaterals are . They have to basically operate the 777s and the 744s to Saudi points except DMM.And to be fair, Saudi Arabia leads in the number of Indian expats based there compared to the other ME countries by a big way.

Why then DMM alone is seeing a lot of A320s/B737s from all over India?. From what I can make out, DMM alone has "open skies" The entitlements to DMM do not count towards the other entitlements to JED/RUH/MED.

AI ofcourse needs the 747s for the VIP junkets and I guess the only place they can get operate the 747s economically nowadays is to JED and RUH so that the aircraft need not be kept idle most of the time. AFAIK the aircraft rotation is like this

Tue BOM HYD JED - Yes you heard right
Wed JED CCJ JED
Thu JED CCJ COK CCJ JED
Fri JED HYD BOM (AI loves to reinvent georgraphy)

Fri BOM HYD JED
Sat JED CCJ JED
Sun JED CCJ COK CCJ JED
Mon JED CCJ JED
Tue JED HYD BOM

Basically 2 weekly BOM HYD JED and 5 weekly BOM CCJ JED of which twice a week the flight continues to COK.

As for the domestic hops. well let us not complain that AI does not do things in style. For one of their shortest (not the shortest though) hops COK CCJ they deploy their biggest aircraft.

abhijith16 · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 7:02 pm Post subject:

jbalonso777 · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 9:58 pm Post subject:

*A logo seems to be peeling off already....
_________________
http://www.youtube.com/c/JishnuBasu777

The_Goat · Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2014 10:07 pm Post subject:

sumantra · Member Joined: 28 Oct 2007 Posts: 4685 Location: New Delhi