12 Nov 2018

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 12 November

CDB Aviation and SpiceJet Sign Lease Agreement for Three 737 MAX Aircraft CDB Aviation announced 6 November that the company signed an agreement with India’s low-cost carrier SpiceJet for the long-term lease of three Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. “We are pleased to forge this new agreement with SpiceJet for an additional three 737 MAX aircraft, which will help the airline expand and standardize its fleet,” said CDB Aviation Chief Commercial Officer Patrick Hannigan. “This efficient jet will support the carrier’s ongoing efforts to achieve a significant reduction in maintenance costs and enhance its domestic and international connectivity.” India-Cambodia direct flight expected ‘soon’ India media reports hopes of a direct flight between Cambodia and India with the Indian Ambassador announcing that the flight is expected “soon”. In a meeting last week in Phnom Penh, Ambassador Manika Jain told Mao Havannal, Secretary of State for Civil Aviation, that India “has plans to operate a direct flight to Cambodia” and that “it will happen soon”. IndiGo opts for 125 more Airbus A321Neos According to media reports IndiGo earlier had 25 Airbus A321Neos on order and Airbus’s latest order update shows that number increasing to 150 with conversion of 125 options from the Airbus A320NEO to the A321NEO with the first aircraft expected to be delivered this month. Indian Government clears proposals to privatise six more airports The Government of India has approved a proposal to manage and develop Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru airports under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Indian law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said that the proposal had been approved ‘in principle’ to hand over the airports to PPP operators that are currently managed by the Airports Authority of India (AAI). Jet Airways’ commences India’s first non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester Jet Airways commenced its new non-stop service between Mumbai and Manchester, further expanding the airline’s connectivity in the United Kingdom (UK). This new service is the first non-stop service connecting India, via its economic capital with Manchester, the 3rd largest city in the UK. With the launch of its 5th non-stop service to/from the UK, Jet Airways is now the largest carrier between Mumbai and the UK and Manchester, the 21st international destination on the carrier’s network. Mr. Raj Sivakumar, Senior Vice-President – Worldwide Sales & Distribution, Jet Airways, said, "The launch of maiden flight between Mumbai and Manchester is a proud moment for us. Guests travelling to the United Kingdom will now have multiple options to travel to destinations of their choice. Our new 5 days-a-week non-stop service brings Manchester into our global network, expanding our footprint as well as the choice of connectivity to and from the United Kingdom for our guests. The new service will enable Jet Airways to offer over 8,500 seats every week, making it increasingly convenient for business guests, leisure travelers as well as students, to travel between India and the UK, strengthening commerce as well as tourism ties between the two countries." 37% of India’s outbound market will travel to GCC by 2022 The number of Indian visitors travelling to the GCC over the coming five years will need to book an extra 10.8 million hotel room nights, according to data published ahead of the Arabian Travel Market. The latest research, published by Colliers International, predicts some nine million Indians will travel to the GCC by 2022 – 37 percent of India’s total outbound market – with business, place of work and leisure underpinning this demand. Indian outbound tourists will account for 22.5 million worldwide tourists in 2018, with reports from the UNWTO estimating this figure will increase by 122 percent, to reach over 50 million by 2022. Acumen Aviation © 12 November 2018 All Rights Reserved.