Airliners-India.com

747-237 · Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2016 7:25 am Post subject:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/hyderabad/All-the-Rituals-Couldnt-Save-AIs-Baby-from-Evil/2016/04/13/article3377834.ece1

All the Rituals Couldn't Save AI's 'Baby' from 'Evil'

13th April 2016

All that Air India wanted to do was save its 20-year-old ‘baby’ from turning into a useless scrap.

To ‘protect’ the baby from evil eyes, priests were called in who broke hundreds of coconuts, lengthy religious rituals (one and a half hours to be precise) were conducted before the ‘baby’ finally took its first step.

But despite all the efforts, the ‘baby’, Air India’s Airbus A-320 aircraft, is now reduced to scrap which will now fetch Air India about Rs 3 lakh!

Express spoke to an Air India official who, on condition of anonymity, explained in detail as to what went behind the scenes in transporting the defunct aircraft by road from the Begumpet airport to the Central Training Establishment at Ferozguda in Balanagar and how the plane flopped on the Airport Authority of India’s club house compound wall after the crane broke on Sunday.

On the D-day, priests were brought in, hours of religious rituals were conducted, hundreds of coconuts were broken to protect the aircraft from evil eyes, and finally the craft took its first step at about 9:00 pm on Saturday night. “Proper trials were conducted and permissions had been taken and everything was set in motion to move the aircraft,” the official added.

The plane, which was to be transported for a distance of 7.5 km to its destination, faced its first hurdle when the belt of the crane was broken inside the airport premises after travelling for a couple of kilometres.

“Contrary to the reports in several newspapers, the plane was supposed to cover a distance of seven and a half kilometres. During the trials, more concentration was paid on bringing the plane till the club house as we thought it would be easier to move it on a well-laid road. Inside, it was full of ups and downs and no major problem was faced expect for the breaking of the belt,” the official said.

After replacing the belt with a new one, the journey resumed and by 4 am, the aircraft was taken to the club house on the Old Bowenpally Road.

It had to wait for an hour for the electricity employee to reach the place and disconnect the power supply so that the crane could move forward.

“Once power was disconnected, the crane operator struggled for hours to balance the plane in the air. The wind was heavy and with every passing minute, it became even more difficult to get control over the plane. Had something like this happened inside the airport premises, we would have aborted the mission. It would also have been easy for us to halt the aircraft. Here, there was no chance of bringing the aircraft on ground as there was a wall on both sides.”

At around 7 am, the crane gave in and dropped the aircraft hull on the compound wall of Air Authority of India’s club house.

“Maybe we should have given the crane and the crane operator some rest after the night-long operation. Or else, we could have easily towed it on the runway and lifted it using a crane near the club house and then continued with the plan. Unfortunately, that turn near the club house made all the difference and the crane and plane succumbed to the pressure. Many officials thought that history would be made with this attempt. Even messages were sent to the Airbus company saying that the aircraft hull was being moved by road using a crane. Unfortunately, we failed and I am not sure whether someone will ever again attempt something like this,” the official added.

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

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2016 7:08 am Post subject:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nashik/Two-flights-a-day-between-Mumbai-and-Nashik-from-May-1/articleshow/51816281.cms

Two flights a day between Mumbai and Nashik from May 1

Apr 13, 2016

Passenger movement will start at Ozar airport from May 1 after a gap of six-and-a-half years with Alliance Air-Air India on Wednesday announcing two daily fights between Nashik and Mumbai.

Releasing its flight schedule, the government-owned airline on Wednesday sought confirmation of timings from GVK that manages the airport in Mumbai.

The flights between the two cities will be further connected with metro cities such as Hyderabad and Delhi. The first flight will take off from the Mumbai airport at 12.45pm and land at Ozar at 1.30pm. From Ozar, the flight will take off at 2pm and land in Mumbai at 2.45pm. The next flight will take off from Mumbai at 3pm and land in Ozar airport at 4.15pm. From Nashik, the flight will take off at 4.45pm and land in Mumbai at 5.30pm. The air service will be available on all days except Saturday. The aircraft type ATR72-600 that will be pressed into service can accommodate up to 70 passengers.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

sshank · Member Joined: 16 May 2007 Posts: 377 Location: NYC

abhijith16 · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 9:33 am Post subject:

https://mobile.twitter.com/ATRaircraft/status/722741866450567168

AI's newest ATR72-600s up for delivery soon at TLS! To be used to launch Nashik, Hubballi, increase Jabalpur, takeover the Bengaluru-based ATR42.

This just 3 out of 10 ATR72-600s that AI-R will take delivery of this year.
_________________
<a><img></a>

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 1:07 pm Post subject:

http://www.freepressjournal.in/air-india-simhastha-special-flights-from-april-22/830798

Air India Simhastha special flights from April 22

Apr 21, 2016

Air India will operate an additional flight on the Delhi-Indore-Delhi sector from April 22.

This additional capacity will be able to cater to the demand of the tourists, pilgrims and visitors who plan to participate in “Simhastha” starting from April 22 to May 21. Similarly, a new flight to Washington DC will be launched in August 2016.

The flight will be daily. AI-1635 will depart from Delhi at 11.55 am and it will arrive at Indore at 1:30 pm. The fare will be Rs 3,736 for economy class and Rs 10,637 for executive class. Similarly, AI-1636 will depart from Indore at 2.00 pm and it will arrive Delhi at 3:25 pm. And its fare will be Rs 3623 for economy class and Rs 10,524 for the executive class.

As per Area Manager (MP&CG) Vishrut Acharya, the additional flight will not benefit the domestic but also international tourists and will also provide convenient connections for domestic and International sectors from Delhi.

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

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 3:25 pm Post subject:

Air India Regional has added a new ATR 72-600 to the fleet today, as VT-AIX.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

iah87 · Member Joined: 17 Apr 2007 Posts: 2566

sabya99 · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2016 11:34 pm Post subject:

They should go to Atlanta first then DC. Flight destinations should be evenly distributed along the north american land mass.
_________________
Sabya99

Jaysit · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 4346

747-237 · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 1:16 pm Post subject:

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to submit a list of airline companies which possess a 42-seater aircraft for starting operations to Shimla.
The counsel for the civil Aviation ministry and the DGCA favoured launching of air services to Shimla.
However, lawyers representing Air India and SpiceJet expressed reservations. Air India said it had only three small aircrafts, of which one is damaged.
The other two fly to Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshwadeep. SpiceJet said it does not have 42-seater aircraft.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/india/flights-to-shimla-soon-thanks-to-supreme-court/story-K2E7tmKOo25aDirIY1ZKzK.html
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Caliguy · Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2016 7:31 pm Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:48 pm Post subject:

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/air-india-signs-declaration-to-fight-wildlife-trafficking-116042501104_1.html

Air India signs declaration to fight wildlife trafficking

April 25, 2016

Air India on Monday announced that it has signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration to fight criminal wildlife trafficking.

"Air India as a national carrier is committed to zero tolerance of illegal transportation of wild life from India on Air India flights," said Ashwani Lohani, chairman and managing director, Air India in a statement.

"All the cargo consignments/passengers' baggage, etc are checked at the entry level and the front line staff are well aware to stop such illegal transportation at the first point of contact."

According to the statement, the airline signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration at a ceremony held this month at the residence of the British High Commissioner to India.

"Three of the biggest shipping and airline companies in India signed the Buckingham Palace Declaration in the presence of His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge," the statement said.

The Buckingham Palace Declaration has been developed by the United for Wildlife International Taskforce on the Transportation of Illegal Wildlife Products.

Currently, over 40 chief executives, chairmen, and other leaders of airlines, shipping firms, port operators, custom agencies, intergovernmental organisations and conservation charities from around the world have signed the declaration.

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

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:50 pm Post subject:

http://www.financialexpress.com/article/industry/companies/air-india-set-to-phase-out-aged-airbus-a320-fleet-from-this-fiscal/243447/

Air India set to phase out aged Airbus A320 fleet from this fiscal

April 26, 2016

Air India is all set to retire in a phased manner its over two-decades-old Airbus Classic A320 planes, which have seen frequent snags, starting this fiscal.

As many as four Classic A320s of the total 15 in the carrier’s fleet are expected to go out of the fleet during this fiscal while the rest will follow course, a senior Air India official said.

Dubbed as “lethal snag-prone” by the airline’s pilots body ICPA, three of these narrow-body, double bogie wheels aircraft are currently grounded for want of landing gears.

The classic A320, unlike modern aircraft, has a set of bogey wheels. Bogey wheels are a set of four tyres making up one wheel.

“We are going to take these planes out of the service from this (fiscal) year, in a gradual manner. We are looking at retiring four such A320s by March next year,” the official said.

The airline is aiming to do away with the entire aged fleet of the A320s by 2019, he said.

“So far we were unable to replace these planes as taking them off would have resulted in reduction in capacity, particularly in the fast growing domestic market. But with as many as 19 more A320s going to join the fleet by 2019, the old planes can be retired without curtailing the schedule,” the official said.

“The phasing out of the old planes and introduction of new ones in their place will also reduce the average of the fleet substantially,” the official said.

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

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:54 pm Post subject:

http://www.businesstoday.in/sectors/aviation/air-india-dreamliners-affected-due-to-faa-directive/story/231405.html

Air India says three Dreamliners affected due to FAA directive

April 25, 2016

Air India said on Monday three of its Dreamliner planes have been affected due to the US aviation regulator FAA's airworthiness directive over an engine defect in the Boeing 787-800 aircraft but maintained that the issue will be resolved in the next two weeks without grounding of the planes.

"We all are affected by this directive. Three of our Dreamliner aircraft are affected and need immediate attention as a result of the FAA directive. However, it will not disrupt flights. We have some time to fix the issue," an Air India official said.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration's Airworthiness Directive (AD), this AD requires revising the airplane flight manual (AFM) to provide the flight crew a revised fan ice removal procedure and a new associated mandatory flight crew briefing to reduce the likelihood of engine damage due to fan ice shedding.

This AD also removes certain dispatch relief. For airplanes with certain engines, this AD also requires reworking or replacing at least one engine, it said.

FAA said the AD was prompted by a recent engine fan blade rub event that caused an in-flight non-restartable power loss.

"We are issuing this AD to prevent susceptibility to heavy fan blade rubs, which could result in engine damage and a possible in-flight non-restartable power loss of one or both engine," FAA said.

The Air India official also said that the exercise on the three aircraft will be completed in the maximum two weeks time. For the rest we are measuring the clearance to check whether it is good or bad but there is no urgency to that extent at this stage, the official said.

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

747-237 · Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2016 7:57 pm Post subject:

Air India will lift from Kolkata to Kerala over 3,000 personnel of the central para-military forces currently posted for election duty in West Bengal.

An Air India source told IANS that every day from May 1 to May 5, two Air India 777 flights that can accommodate 320 people each will fly in these paramilitary force personnel from West Bengal to here.

"In all, there will be 10 flights that will land in Thiruvananthapuram with these forces," said the source, requesting anonymity.

http://english.manoramaonline.com/in-depth/kerala-assembly-elections-2016/news/air-india-to-fly-3-000-troopers-from-kolkata-to-kerala.html
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 6:58 am Post subject:

http://www.livemint.com/Companies/r7J1MOgh4rOuhv2LPGkPlM/Air-India-Express-likely-to-become-a-Star-Alliance-connectin.html

Air India Express likely to become a Star Alliance connecting partner

Apr 29 2016

Air India Ltd wants its subsidiary airlines to be members of the exclusive Star Alliance grouping, according to two Air India officials who declined to be named.

The airline is likely to start the process by seeking membership for Air India Express. Air India Express flies to West Asia; another subsidiary, Alliance Air, flies on regional routes.

The subsidiaries, however, may not receive a full-fledged membership but a limited one under a new category called connecting partners, one of the two airline officials said.

This means they will have limited benefits of the Star membership. They may not be able to flash the Star logo, but will be able to code share and expand commercial tie-ups with three member-airlines of their choice.

Air India Express, which is expected to join as a connecting partner airline, currently has 20 flights to West Asia. This region has one of the largest expatriate population from south India.

Under a new Star Alliance mandate, member-airlines can bring in their subsidiaries into the alliance.

“Every airline has a small airline, a low-cost airline or something. It will all add up,” the second Air India official said, referring to Star carriers such as South African Airways’ Mango.

Star Alliance confirmed that it has received proposals for new membership. “We have been approached by numerous airlines, but will not release any names until we have finalized agreements,” spokesman Markus Ruediger said in an email.

The airlines will need to be IATA Operational Safety Audit certified, he said. IOSA is a global airline safety benchmark.

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

747-237 · Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2016 7:55 am Post subject:

Air India Express has added a new 737-800 to the fleet today, as VT-GHB.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sat Apr 30, 2016 7:00 am Post subject:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/AI-wont-fly-with-eco-fuel-idea-plan-on-hold/articleshow/52048893.cms

AI won’t fly with eco fuel idea, plan on hold

Apr 30, 2016

Airlines flying between Chennai and Delhi will continue to burn fuel and their aircraft will struggle to touch the high altitude needed to save fuel because Airports Authority of India (AAI) has suspended a city-to-city navigation project that officials hoped to launch on Thursday.

AAI had to postpone the project because Air India was not ready — despite having more than a year to prepare.

AAI planned the programme as as part of its air traffic control modernisation project, Required Navigation Performance 2 (RNP2), which it mooted in 2014. It was supposed to go live on Thursday morning for aircraft flying the Chennai-Delhi, Bengaluru-Delhi, Hyderabad-Delhi and Kochi-Delhi routes.

AAI issued a NOTAM (notice to airmen) stating that the plan has been postponed indefinitely, at 10.30pm on Wednesday. RNP2 allows flights to fly at a distance of 20m from one another and at higher cruise altitudes where air is lighter, which leads to significant fuel savings. It also allows aircraft to take the steepest, and shortest, ascents and descents and fly the shortest possible routes instead of sticking to traditional air routes that are based on the location of ground stations.

"The plan had to be postponed because Air India was not ready to fly using the new system," an AAI official said.

An airport official said there was a lot of confusion at the Chennai airport on Thursday because AAI issued the NOTAM late the previous night.

"The plan was changed for the national carrier," he said. "AAI should not have cancelled the plan because one airline was not ready to play along. If the project was implemented, Air India aircraft could have continued to fly at low altitudes like 28,000ft while other airlines could have followed the new procedure."

Air India's absence would not have affected the system because private carriers operate a majority of flights between Chennai and Delhi. Airlines officials, consequently, are puzzled at the sudden deferment of the project.

Airlines and air traffic controllers had prepared for a year to implement the new navigation system. Air traffic controllers and pilots received training and airlines upgraded the software and equipment on their aircraft and made their systems compatible with RNP2.

Private airlines including new-entrants and regional carriers completed all procedures and were ready to fly with the new system. A few airlines carried out the changes within 20 days.

An Air India official said the carrier had not trained its pilots though some of its aircraft were RNP2-compatible.

The project was touted as a nationwide initiative for airlines to save fuel and money.

"We are not sure when AAI will be able to revive the project," an AAI official said. "There was also a problem in a datalink connection in Hyderabad that also stooped us from implementing the project."
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 1:03 pm Post subject:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nashik/AI-flight-to-Mumbai-on-hold/articleshow/52057348.cms

AI flight to Mumbai on hold

Apr 30, 2016

Alliance Air has put on hold for now its proposed Nashik-Mumbai air service, which was scheduled to take off from May 1, because of non-availability of slots at the Mumbai airport terminal.

The Air India had urged the GVK, which operates the terminal in Mumbai, to allow slots for take-offs and landing at 12.45pm and 2.45pm, respectively. But the GVK authority expressed its inability to allot slots during the period at the terminal. The Air India said it is in talks with the GVK authority for new slots.

Nashik MP Hemant Godse said, "Alliance AIR had proposed flights between Mumbai and Nashik from May 1 and chalked out its schedules, connecting to flights from Hyderabad and Delhi towards Mumbai, to facilitate tourists to and from Shirdi. But the GVK denied giving the slots. I have taken up the issue with the Director General Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has pledged to settle the issue shortly."

Alliance Air had proposed two flights between Mumbai and Nashik from May 1. The airlines had scheduled flight to take off from Mumbai airport at 12.45pm and land at Ozar airport 1.30pm. From Nashik, the flight was scheduled to take off at 2.00 pm and landing at Mumbai airport at 2.45 pm. The second flight was scheduled to take off from Mumbai at 3.30pm and landing at Nashik at 4.15 pm. From Nashik, the flight was scheduled to take off at 4.45pm and land in Mumbai at 5.30pm.

A senior Air India official said, "We have the problem of slots at Mumbai airport terminal. We are not getting the slots we had sought from the GVK authority. We are in talks with the GVK for new slots at the airport. We hope the issue to be settled soon."
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 5:04 pm Post subject:

http://thehitavada.com/Encyc/2016/5/1/Air-India-to-have-Delhi-Raipur-Delhi-direct-flight.aspx

Air India to have Delhi-Raipur-Delhi direct flight

01 May 2016

Air India is likely to start its service between Pune and Bhopal this month. “ The ATR Aircraft between Pune and Bhopal is likely to operate from May 13 or 14 this month,” stated Air India Chairman and Managing Director Ashwani Lohani when a delegation of Travel Agent Association of India met him at the New Circuit House here on Saturday. The Air India has also decided to convert Delhi-Raipur-Nagpur-Delhi morning flight into Delhi-Raipur-Delhi direct flight.

The CMD also revealed that the city office of the Air India will resume this month or next month. The CMD also assured of soon operating a flight between Kolkata and Jaipur.

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

747-237 · Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 5:06 pm Post subject:

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/new-uniform-for-air-india-cabin-crew-in-the-offing-flight-airline-2779258/

New uniform for Air India cabin crew; khadi among suggested options

May 1, 2016

A makeover for Air India’s cabin crew is in the offing soon with an internal committee, mostly comprising the in-flight staff, suggesting various sartorial options for draping themselves.

A 10-member committee, set up from within the ranks and headed by the General Manager for Cabin Crew, has suggested various options for patterns, material, texture and colours, among other things for the cabin crew uniform in its report, a senior Air India official said.

The options in the report are now being evaluated by the management before taking a final call on the issue, he said.

“The use of indigenous fabric ‘khadi’ for draping the cabin crew is one of the several choices suggested by the committee,” the official said, not ruling out the possibility of the management looking at this option keeping in view the Prime Minister’s flagship project ‘Make in India’.

Significantly, the cabin crew operating Air India One, the official aircraft of the President, the Prime Minister and the Vice-President, during a recent official trip of Modi to Belgium and the US was all draped in khadi uniform.

“This was for the first time that such a committee was set up at the airline with all its members drawn from the cabin crew from across regional bases and also across fleets — wide-body and narrow-body. The idea was to give them a flexibility and freedom to chose the uniform they feel comfortable with,” the official said,

“Sampling of the clothing based on the committee’s suggestions is being carried out currently. Once this exercise is completed, the samples would be placed before the authorities concerned for a final view,” the official said.

The state-owned carrier had last April given a makeover to the cabin crew uniform.

At that time, while retaining the traditional saree as part of the uniform, it had introduced kurtis, churidars and trousers, besides Western style clothing to give a more contemporary look to its flight attendants.

Air India had the uniforms designed by the National Institute of Fashion Technology.

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

Jaysit · Member Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 4346

Khadi uniforms? Right after they spent a fortune to drape their cabin crew in those haldi-inspired things?

What a racket.

Besides, what could make a dowdy AI aunty or paunchy AI uncle look even more of a mess after a 10 hour flight than a crumply, itchy khadi concoction? And yes I know that Mumbai and Delhi designers make high end khadi clothing that fashion models trot out on a ramp, but that stuff can retail for tens of thousands of rupees (which AI doesn't have), and even worse needs an istri-wallah to press before using. A Delhi socialite has a retinue of servants to iron her khaadi salwaar kameez before a posh soiree, but good luck finding someone on a 24 hour layover in Frankfurt or Chicago.

This stupidity is right up there with AI's attempt 10 years ago to introduce ayurvedic maalish waalis/waalas on their 744s in First Class until someone reminded them that no one wants to be oiled up like a pakoda at 30,000 feet.

The_Goat · Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 11:06 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Tue May 03, 2016 10:15 pm Post subject:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-india-introduces-seat-selection-facility/articleshow/52094557.cms

Air India introduces seat selection facility

3 May, 2016

Passengers flying in Air India can book a seat of their choice, as the national carriers has, for the first time, introduced a seat selection facility for its passengers. Under the scheme, any passenger can book a seat on payment of a fee.

"Effective May 1, 2016, the preferred seat select scheme is available on every single route operated by Air India. These seats which can be availed by a passenger in exchange of payment provide comfort of extra leg space and that of deplaning much faster upon arrival," the airline said in an email to travel agents.

The email further said that a passenger can book a preferred seat from Air India's Call Centre as well in exchange for a payment.

"The facility of Advance seat selection will be available till 3 hours before departure of each flight (D-3Hrs)," the email added.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

Aseem · Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 2841 Location: YYZ

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

747-237 · Posted: Wed May 04, 2016 4:00 pm Post subject:

http://www.travelmole.com/news_feature.php?news_id=2021974&c=setreg&region=2

Flybe signs codeshare with Air India

May 4, 2016

Flybe has signed a codeshare agreement with Star Alliance member Air India.

It means customers using its services to Birmingham from Belfast City, Edinburgh and Glasgow can book seamless flights onward to Delhi.

Under the agreement, Air India (AI) will place its marketing code on these Flybe flights (BE).

Seats will be available for booking from May 10 for travel from June 1.

Members of Air India's Frequent Flier Programme will accrue mileage points for journeys taken on flights carrying the AI flight number.

Flybe CEO Saad Hammad said the move 'further strengthens our ability to connect our regional customers to long-haul destinations with our 'One Stop to the World' proposition'.

It is Flybe's tenth codeshare agreement.

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

747-237 · Posted: Mon May 09, 2016 7:16 pm Post subject:

Air India has added a new ATR 72-600 to the fleet today, as VT-AIY.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 1:57 pm Post subject:

http://www.hindustantimes.com/business/air-india-s-expansion-plans-for-a-larger-chunk-of-domestic-flyers/story-G8dGTQUPU3px4S24uaZdcN.html

Air India’s expansion plans for a larger chunk of domestic flyers

May 10, 2016

Air India will add 57 planes to its fleet in the next two years as it takes on private airlines for a larger pie of the domestic market, according to an internal projection done by the airline.

The biggest addition will be made to the Airbus A320 fleet, which is the backbone of the airline’s domestic operations. “The fleet will increase to 114 by 2018 from 66 at present, which means an addition of 48 aircraft. We will be seeking the board’s approval,” said an official.

“The on-going recruitment of cockpit and cabin crew is being done keeping in view the aircraft projections that we have made,” said another official. In addition to the A320s, AI will add three long-haul B777s and six B787 Dreamliners.

Separately, the airline has already announced plans to induct 15 new A320s on lease next year, most of which would used to replace the aging A320 fleet. “These 15 planes are mostly for replacement purposes. We will also be adding 10 ATRs,” he said.

To meet the additional fleet demands, AI has already hired 500 cabin crew and plans to hire another one thousand crew members.

“Our cabin crew strength is 3200 at present but around 15% of the crew is on ground at any given point of time. With more planes coming in we will need additional crew,” he said.

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

747-237 · Posted: Tue May 10, 2016 1:58 pm Post subject:

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/air-indias-subsidiary-alliance-air-adds-tier-2-cities-to-its-route/articleshow/52200382.cms

Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air adds tier-2 cities to its route

10 May, 2016

Air India's subsidiary Alliance Air will offer flights from Bhopal to Jabalpur, Raipur, Pune and Hyderabad as part of the government's plan to improve connectivity between Tier 2 cities. The airline, which operates 70-seater turbo-prop aircraft, is making Bhopal its base.

"All these flights will be part of the connect India scheme," said a senior Air India executive who did not wish to be named."Cities like Indore and Jabalpur have grown over the years and needs air connectivity. These flights will also provide traffic to Air India for its international and other network from these cities."

At present, Alliance Air offers flights from Kolkata to the northeastern region, from Bengaluru to Agathe and Cochin, and from Mumbai to cities of Gujarat and Maharashtra. The executive said Air India's chairman Ashwani Lohani has written to the different state governments requesting for a meeting to discuss the possibility of having Alliance Air flights in their states.

"The air connectivity would depend on the potential of that particular market. " said the executive.

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

Aseem · Member Joined: 15 Dec 2006 Posts: 2841 Location: YYZ

Bhopal as a base makes perfect sense. Also, wonder why we have Alliance Air and Air India Regional existing together?

VT-ASJ
_________________
[url=http://openflights.org/user/aseemsjohri]

[/url]

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

747-237 · Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 7:43 am Post subject:

Air India Express has added a new 737-800 to the fleet today, as VT-GHC.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Wed May 11, 2016 9:08 am Post subject:

747-237 · Posted: Thu May 12, 2016 7:08 am Post subject:

AI is planning to add to its nonstop US offerings. A Delhi-Washington is on the cards by the end of this year. After that, AI is looking at a tri-weekly nonstop from Bengaluru and San Francisco.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Carriers-line-up-more-India-US-direct-flights/articleshow/52230631.cms
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:38 am Post subject:

http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/air-india-introduces-self-check-in-facility-at-26-airports-1405692

Air India Introduces Self Check-In Facility At 26 Airports

May 12, 2016

Air India has made available self check-in facility to its fliers at 26 domestic airports, including in Mumbai, Chennai, Delhi and Hyderabad, which allows passengers to skip check-in queues and head to a dedicated baggage drop counter.

The introduction of the self check-in kiosks also known as 'Common Use Self Service' (CUSS) from May 1, reduces significant amount of time for a flier at the airport, Air India said in a release.

Air India is the first airline in the country to have this facility at such a large number of airports, it added.

Air India's domestic fliers can now procure boarding pass by using the facility near the check-in area at 26 airports, the release said.

According to Air India, the kiosks help in extended service availability, reduce customer wait time, eliminate queues, expand service capacity with multiple kiosks, thereby speeding up the check-in experience.

The airports where the facility has been provided, include Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Coimbatore, Cochin, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Nagpur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Mangalore, Raipur, Rajkot, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi, the airline said.

At Mumbai airport, two kiosks have been equipped for this purpose with required signage, the airline said, adding, the fliers using this service can skip the check-in queues and head to a dedicated baggage drop counter where the actual baggage weight will be updated in the system and accepted for loading in to the aircraft.

The self check-in kiosks will be in addition to the offline counters, the release said.
_________________
11000 posts (and counting) on Airliners-India.

747-237 · Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:40 am Post subject:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/AI-Group-to-add-100-planes-to-fleet-in-4-years-Chief/articleshow/52247091.cms

AI Group to add 100 planes to fleet in 4 years: Chief

May 13, 2016

Switching into expansion mode, the Air India Group has decided to add 100 planes to its current fleet of 132 in the next four years. All airlines within the group — parent AI, AI Express and Alliance Air — will get more aircraft under the plan. This time the airline will opt for leasing, unlike the 111-aircraft order of UPA-I when planes were bought.
.
"By March 31, 2020, AI group will have 232 planes. While nine aircraft (six Boeing 787s and three B-777) are from the previous order (of 111 planes), the rest will be new orders for leasing planes. We are going to grow aggressively and fight for leadership across segments," AI chairman Ashwani Lohani told TOI.
.
The parent AI currently has 41 wide-body aircraft of Boeing including 747, 777 and 787. "We will induct 14 more wide-body aircraft. By the end of this year when we get some Dreamliners, we will add Delhi-Madrid and have direct connectivity between India and Spain. This will be a first for India," Lohani said. AI is looking at launching one-stop flights to US, apart from its trademark non-stop.

AI will take on lease 40 more Airbus A-320s for the erstwhile Indian Airlines that serves domestic and nearby international routes. It currently has 66 Airbus family narrow-body planes.

AI's regional arm, Alliance Air, currently has 12 turboprops and five of them will return by the year-end, leaving it with seven planes.

"We will order 35 more turboprops," said Lohani. The airline will get 10 more ATR-72 by the end of this fiscal and is aiming for a fleet size of 43 by the end of 2018. "AI Express, which currently has 17 Boeing 737s, will get 18 more B-737s," the chairman said. He added the airline will simultaneously start working on crew recruitment and finalising other logistics for the proposed fleet expansion.

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

megatop747

An Air India Airbus A320-200, registration VT-EXB performing flight AI-35 from Delhi to Kochi (India) with 168 passengers and 7 crew, was enroute at FL370 about 20nm southwest of Bhopal (India) when the crew received a cargo smoke indication and diverted to Bhopal for a safe landing on runway 30 about 23 minutes later.

A replacement Airbus A321-200 registration VT-PPB departed Bhopal about 8.5 hours after landing and reached Kochi with a delay of 9.5 hours.

The occurrence aircraft was able to continue service after about 10 hours on the ground.

http://avherald.com/h?article=4981d033&opt=3

747-237 · Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 10:33 am Post subject:

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Non-stop-AI-flight-from-Ahmedabad-to-London-from-August-15/articleshow/52264280.cms

Non-stop AI flight from Ahmedabad to London from August 15

May 14, 2016

Air India is going to fly direct from Ahmedabad to London Heathrow and the same aircraft will fly on to Newark from August 15, said a senior official.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had during his London visit last November announced that AI will fly from Ahmedabad to London from December 15, 2015. AI did start that flight but it was not a direct one. Currently, we have an Ahmedabad-Mumbai London flight which very often involves a change of aircraft in Mumbai. This means flyers have to often get off the aircraft and then board another plane. From August 15, a Dreamliner will fly direct from Ahmedabad to London, onward to Newark and take the same route on return," said the official.

AI has fifth freedom rights in UK, which means its Ahmedabad-UK-US flight can take passengers between London and Newark. "At present, we operate from Heathrow's terminal 3.But by September AI will operate out of the Heathrow's Star Alliance terminal, T2," said the official.

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

abhijith16 · Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 11:51 am Post subject: