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Monday, May 20th 02:35 PM IST
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Air India GALLERY.
Indian Minister for Civil Aviation, Ajit Singh gestures as he addresses a press conference in New Delhi on May 14, 2013. Singh confirmed that the first commercial flight of an Air India Boeing 787 Dreamliner after the installation of new batteries will be on the New Delhi to Kolkata route on May 15. Singh said that all six of Air India's Dreamliner planes will be ready for operation by the end of this month with the airline seeking to puchase more aircraft by the end of 2013 in line with plans to expand route networks. Indian Minister for Civil Aviation,
Animal rights activists setup for a protest outside India's Embassy May 2, 2013 in Washington, DC. The group, organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), was protesting the alleged role of Air India in shipping animals for experimentation. Animal rights activists setup for a
An Air India aircraft is parked at Allama Iqbal International airport, arriving from India to transport back the body of Sarabjit Singh, convicted of spying for India and sentenced to death in Pakistan, in Lahore May 2, 2013. India reacted furiously to Thursday's death in a Pakistani jail of the Indian farmer convicted of spying who was badly beaten last week by fellow inmates, the latest incident to strain relations between the neighbours. Singh was arrested in Pakistan in 1991 and sentenced to death for spying and carrying out four bomb blasts that killed 14 people. His family says he was an innocent farmer who was arrested after drunkenly wandering over the border. An Air India aircraft is parked at
strongNew Delhi:/strong State-run Air India has withdrawn its 10 direct flights to international destinations in the last three years due to poor passenger load. The airline, which operates flights from 59 domestic destinations, started flights to six new international destinations during the same period, the Lok Sabha was informed today.[caption id=attachment_669033 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong State-run A
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists, dressed as prison inmates, hold placards during a protest outside the office of airline operator Air India, in Bangalore on March 20, 2013. The demonstration was organised in protest against Air India's alleged transportation of animals to pharmacuetical laboratories, where they are caged, cut, poisoned and killed. People for the Ethical Treatment of
PETA activists wearing prisoner suits and animal masks sit inside cages during a protest outside the office of India's state-run airline Air India, in Bangalore, Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The demonstration was organized in protest against Air India's decision to reverse its ban on transporting animals to laboratories, where they are caged, cut into, poisoned and killed, a PETA release said. PETA activists wearing prisoner sui
strongNew Delhi/Mumbai:/strong As private airlines intensified low fare war, Air India today launched a 60-day advance purchase fare scheme to woo vacation travellers on its domestic network offering prices close to air-conditioned train fares. The advance purchase fare (Apex) tickets are available for sale on various routes operated by Air India from today for travel commencing 60 days and beyond.[caption id=attachment_659498 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi/Mumbai:/strong As p
Cashing in on the summer travel season, Air India has launched a 60-day advance purchase fare programme, with prices close to those of airconditioned train travel. The new advance purchase fare tickets are available for sale on various routes operated by Air India from today for travel commencing 60 days and beyond. For example, a one-way ticket between Delhi-Mumbai on Air India will cost Rs 3,981 while travel between Delhi-Lucknow will cost Rs 2,566. [caption id=attachment_658404 align=alignleft width=380 Cashing in on the summer travel sea
strongNew Delhi:/strong Ninteen pilots of Air India and its low cost subsidiary Air India Express have either resigned or taken voluntary retirement since January last year. Four Air India pilots have resigned and five have taken voluntary retirement while 10 pilots of Air India Express have left their job, seven last year and three this year, since January 2012, Minister of State for Civil Aviation KC Venugopal said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.[caption id=attachment_652094 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Ninteen pil
strongOn Board Air India One:/strong President Pranab Mukherjee felt like a 'new bridegroom' once again at the grand reception he received on Tuesday in his first-ever visit to his emsasur bari/em (in-laws' place) in Narail district of Bangladesh. Smiling and blushing a trifle, the president, who in the morning visited his in-laws' home in Bhadrabila village along with his wife Suvra, said the reception made me feel as a new bridegroom. [caption id=attachment_649567 align=alignleft width=380 strongOn Board Air India One:/stron
strongOnboard Air India One: /strongPresident Pranab Mukherjee Tuesday refused to be drawn into a controversy over Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi's comments that he would have been a better choice for prime minister than Manmohan Singh, saying they could make their own assessment. [caption id=attachment_649530 align=alignleft width=380 strongOnboard Air India One: /stron
strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India is expected to log in operating profits this fiscal and its performance in the first six months has been in line with the target set in the turnaround plan approved by the government in April, 2012. According to the Economic Survey 2012-13, the national carrier has registered all-round enhanced performance such as on-time performance at 85 per cent, passenger load factor at 70.9 percent and yield at Rs 4.31 per revenue passenger kilometre during the April-October period. [caption id=attachment_642089 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India i
strongNew Delhi:/strong India's aviation czar Naresh Goyal could soon take his place in history books. After the recent eclipse of Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher, it may be the turn of Goyal. For years, Goyal kept on opposing any move by the government to get foreign airlines to invest in Indian carriers. But the moment FDI was opened up, he sidled up to long-time friends in Etihad Airways to get money for his troubled airline. However, now even his friends have second thoughts. Etihad is apparently a href=http://www.firstpost.com/business/why-etihad-is-playing-hardball-with-naresh-goyal-of-jet-630790.htmldriving a hard bargain /aand Goyal seems unwilling to give up more than 26 percent equity in his beloved Jet Airways. The arrival of AirAsia with 49 percent foreign equity, and with the Tatas as junior financial partners, has sent a powerful message to the likes of Etihad. There is no reason why an Etihad should choose to play second fiddle to Goyal in Jet, when it is putting up all the cash. The two potential partners seem to be stuck on two issues: who gets management control and how much equity does Etihad get eventually. Goyal is now caught between a rock and a hard place because if the Etihad deal slips through his fingers, he is staring at a bleak future for Jet Airways, which has lost passengers rapidly last year and is now third (standalone) in terms of domestic market share behind IndiGo and Air India. [caption id=attachment_641222 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong India's avi
strongNew Delhi/strong: Hockey India (HI) Saturday derecognised Air India as its associate member with immediate effect. This decision was unanimously taken in the Executive Board meeting of HI which was held Saturday at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here. [caption id=attachment_637197 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi/strong: Hockey Indi
Malaysian no-frills carrier Air Asia's announcement of its Indian joint venture comes at a time when airline companies in India are engaged in a fierce fare war. Is this just coincidental? There is no evidence to prove otherwise. Jet Airways, SpiceJet, IndiGo and Air India are fighting a declining passenger traffic and in their bid to keep their head above water, as explained in this emFirstpost/em a href=http://www.firstpost.com/business/hidden-message-behind-jet-airways-fare-cut-kingfisher-rip-632270.html target=_blankanalysis/a, are engaged in a new round of bloodletting. This is just one of the bad news from Indian aviation. The government has not made much headway in making its aviation policy friendly for the companies. [caption id=attachment_634079 align=alignleft width=380 Malaysian no-frills carrier Air Asi
Air India has also succumbed to competitive pressures and announced one million seats on low fares, which are actually slightly less than even Jet Airways' fare offer announced yesterday. So the airline will offer one million seats at lowest fares beginning at Rs 2,150 for a one way ticket compared to Jet Airways' lowest fare of Rs 2,250.[caption id=attachment_633418 align=alignleft width=380 Air India has also succumbed to com
strongNew Delhi:/strong There is some good news from Air India: the airline may become EBIDTA positive this fiscal, which would be for the first time since the erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines merged in 2007 to create the present airline. Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan said today that despite grounding of the Boeing 787 Dreamliners since January and a two-month strike by AI pilots earlier in the year, he expects the airline to report a positive EBIBTDA. But AI is till far away from declaring a net profit, which he said should happen before 2018-the date mandated in the Turnaround Plan for the airline. [caption id=attachment_633000 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong There is so
In this photograph taken on May 25, 2010, an Air India Boeing 747-400 aircraft stands on the tarmac as another lands at the international airport in Mumbai. A pilot employed by Indian state-run carrier Air India faces the ire of his bosses February 2013 after appearing in a YouTube video rapping about bad pay, ageing airhostesses and cancelled flights at the airline. Air India is the country's fourth-largest airline by market share but it has been hit hard by rising fuel prices and fierce competition which have added to its legacy of labour problems, crushing debts and a costly merger in 2007. In this photograph taken on May 25,
The chairman of India's state carrier Air India said on Wednesday that Boeing is hopeful of getting their Dreamliner aircraft back in service by early April. They said that these planes should start flying again from early April. They can't be sure but they are hopeful, Rohit Nandan said. [caption id=attachment_632410 align=alignleft width=380 The chairman of India's state carri
Dinesh Keskar, Boeing's vice-president for sales in Asia Pacific and India, poses with a model of 787 Dreamliner during Dinesh Keskar, Boeing's vice-presid
strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India has cleared a large chunk of its dues to GMR-led operators of Delhi and Hyderabad airports, with the latest installment of Rs 415 crore being paid a few days ago. It is heartening for us to note that Air India has made large payments over the last two months to clear the outstanding dues to the GMR Group. We are hopeful that Air India will clear the remaining dues in an expeditious manner to reach a regular payment status, a GMR spokesperson said.[caption id=attachment_616285 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India h
In this photograph taken on September 8, 2012, a security serviceman looks on as Air India's first Boeing 787 Dreamliner taxis on arrival at the Indira Gandhi International airport in New Delhi. India's national carrier Air India flew two Dreamliner aircraft without passengers even after US regulators grounded the global fleet last month due to technical problems, an official said February 4, 2013. In this photograph taken on Septemb
Air India flew some of its Boeing Co Dreamliner aircraft even after US regulators grounded the global fleet last month due to undiagnosed battery problems. Dreamliners operated by the national carrier were flown to Mumbai for maintenance reasons, Arun Mishra, the DGCA head said on Monday. A spokesman for state-run Air India declined to comment. [caption id=attachment_612879 align=alignleft width=380 Air India flew some of its Boeing C
strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India has put all its newly-acquired Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner planes for sale and leaseback and invited bids from prospective lessors by February first week, even as all of these aircraft remained grounded across the world. Air India and other Dreamliner operators across the world have grounded their entire fleet of 50 B-787s delivered so far following a directive from the US Federal Aviation Authority after a fire risk reportedly caused by a battery problem. [caption id=attachment_604945 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India h
strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India's six Boeing 787 Dreamliners would remain grounded till 17 February, with further delays expected in the tests being carried out by US and Japanese authorities on the faulty lithium ion batteries used in the aircraft. In effect this means that the newest aircraft in the airline fleet will remain grounded for a month as it was on 17 January that Air India had grounded its Boeing 787 fleet, after the DGCA issued a directive following an advisory by the US regulator Federal Aviation Administration. Initially, Air India was expecting that the B-787 aircraft would be grounded for about a week only, airline sources said, adding that the six aircraft would remain grounded till 17 February as further delay in the test results were expected. [caption id=attachment_603140 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India's
strongMumbai:/strong National carrier Air India today termed as questionable a report released by a German aviation think-tank ranking it as the third worst airline among 60 global carriers in terms of safety. The ratings arrived at by the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre (JACDEC) is questionable considering that airlines like American Airlines, Aeroflot, US Airways etc which have a worse track record of hull-losses as well as fatalities, are rated safer than Air India, the state-run airline said in a statement.[caption id=attachment_602623 align=alignleft width=380 strongMumbai:/strong National carri
strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India's woes over the Boeing 787 Dreamliners could well turn out to be a delight for rivals, who are watching the situation keenly. As of now, the grounding of all six Dreamliners is costing the airline an added fuel bill anywhere between Rs 30-40 lakh daily besides major schedule changes. By itself, the Rs 30-40 lakh a day incremental cost does not amount to a significant hole in the airline's budget but if the grounding of the airplanes goes on for much longer, this could become a cross around the bleeding neck of Air India. [caption id=attachment_599012 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong Air India's
State-owned carrier Air India has closed bookings on Boeing Co Dreamliner-operated flights for the time being until safety concerns are addressed. However, the grounding of all six Boeing 787 Dreamliners has not gone down well with flyers who preferred a Boeing 787 flight for its sate-of the-art in-flight entertainment system, flat-bed recline, reading lamps, large LCD screens and enhanced gaseous filtration system ( the cabin in the aircraft is pressurised to a match a maximum of 6,000 feet as compared to 8,000 feet in other aircraft) that lessens dizziness and headache inside the aircraft. a href=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Grounding-of-Dreamliner-upsets-Chennais-frequent-flyers/articleshow/18068728.cmsA/aca href=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/Grounding-of-Dreamliner-upsets-Chennais-frequent-flyers/articleshow/18068728.cmscording to a report in the Times of India/a, passengers in Chennai who were earlier scheduled to fly on a 787 were disappointed when they were briefed about the grounding since it meant no wide windows, no better leg room or in-flight entertainment. a href=http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/life/whats-so-special-about-Boeing-dreamliner-766616A emCNN/em report suggests/a a Boeing 787 flight is 60 percent less noisy that other aircraft, and at 18 inches, the windows too are larger and give you a clearer view outside. What's even better is thestowage bin, which is 30 percent larger than its other aircraft, and allows each passengers to store at least one large bag in an overhead compartment. Little wonder that it scored brownie points with Indian fliers. [caption id=attachment_592972 align=alignleft width=380 State-owned carrier Air India has c
strongNew York/strong: India has grounded all six Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft operated by national carrier Air India after the same decision was made by the US. Federal Aviation Administration, the Indian aviation regulator said on Thursday. Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said, Boeing has to come up with a plan. When they come up with a plan, then we will see. Singh also said that India won't fly Dreamliners until the DGCA gives a clearance and theFederal Aviation Administration approves that the Boeing dreamliners are safe to fly. The US Federal Aviation Administration took action on Wednesday night after Japanese airlines responded to an emergency landing at Takamatsu airport. American regulators grounded Boeing's newest and most technologically advanced jetliner on Wednesday night, declaring that US airlines cannot fly the 787 Dreamliner again until the risk of battery fires is addressed. It said it would require Boeing to demonstrate its first-ever use of lithium-ion batteries on its passenger jets is safe before allowing flights. It has notified regulators in other countries, including India, of its action. Experts say lithium-ion batteries have been known to catch fire, in laptops and electric cars. The FAA action came on the same day that Japan's two biggest airlines which fly almost half of the world's 50 Dremliners grounded them pending full safety checks. According to reports, the latest trouble arose when pilots for Japan's All Nippon Airways smelled something burning and received a cockpit warning of battery problems on a flight from Yamaguchi Ube airport in Japan to Tokyo. They made an emergency landing on Wednesday at Takamatsu airport in western Japan, and passengers evacuated using inflatable slides. Worryingly, flammable liquid had leaked from the main lithium-ion battery. This problem with the battery follows a January 7 battery fire on a parked Japan Airlines plane at Boston Logan that took firefighters 40 minutes to extinguish. Last week, the FAA announced a full review of the Dremliner's design and manufacture after five incidents in five days on different planes in Japan and the US. These included a battery fire, fuel leakages from engines, and cracks developing in the cockpit windscreen. Air India on Wednesday said that it is waiting for advice from either Boeing or aviation authorities in India or the US about its fleet. However, this morning Director General of Civil Aviation Arun Mishra has reportedly grounded all of Air India's Boeing Dreamliners. The FAA has issued an advisory to ground the Dreamliners. We took a decision after that,DGCA Arun Mishra is quoted as saying by emReuters./em [caption id=attachment_591433 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew York/strong: India has gr
strongNew Delhi:/strong India's aviation regulator DGCA was categoric until late yesterday evening in his assertion that there was no need to ground the Boeing 787 Dreamliners despite several airlines around the world giving up on the faulty planes. Just yesterday, All Nippon Airways (ANA) grounded all Dreamliners in its fleet after an emergency landing due to problems with the aircraft's battery system. Only when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the US issued an airworthiness directive late last night did the DGCA order all six Air India Dreamliners to be grounded. [caption id=attachment_591543 align=alignleft width=380 strongNew Delhi:/strong India's avi