11 Nov 2019

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 11 November

Air India is ‘Airline Partner’ for SATTE 2020 True to its philosophy of promoting India tourism globally, Air India, the National Carrier of India, extended its support to SATTE, South Asia’s largest travel and tourism exhibition. Air India has become the ‘Airline Partner’ for the 27^th edition of the show. As an Airline Partner, Air India will support SATTE’s Buyer Programme. Bengaluru Airport adds seven new destinations and two new airlines for winter 2019 As a part of its winter schedule, Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (KIAB) has added seven new destinations and two new airlines. The winter schedule, which commenced on October 26, 2019, will be on until March 28, 2020. The two new airlines added to KIAB’s network are Ethiopian Airlines and KLM Royal Dutch. While Ethiopian Airlines will operate four weekly non-stop services between Bengaluru and Addis Ababa, KLM Royal Dutch will fly thrice a week on Amsterdam- Bengaluru sector. Apart from Addis Ababa and Amsterdam, the other five new destinations are Jaisalmer (six weekly flights from November 16 by Spicejet), Jodhpur (Indigo, daily started from October 27), Jharsuguda (Spicejet daily from November 16), Bidar, Karnataka (True Jet, daily from December 1) and Tuticorin (Indigo daily started from October 27). India tops Asia-Pacific commercial aviation In the global aviation market, India is leading in the Asia-Pacific region’s growth story with regard to the commercial aviation market, a recent report titled “Indian Commercial Market Outlook” released by Boeing on Wednesday in New Delhi has revealed. India has over 60% of the share of private consumption in the GDP in terms of the global aviation market, while the Asia-Pacific region has about 55% of the share, according to the Boeing report. The report further states that the Indian aviation market which experienced a slump at the beginning of 2019, has already picked up pace and is forecast to grow at about 7.5% of the real GDP growth between 2020 to 2025. The Asia-Pacific region’s commercial aviation market is likely to grow at a little over 4% in terms of real GDP growth. The airlines network has also been on the rise since the last 10 years and the commercial aviation market in India has witnessed a growth of 400% in the last 10 years. While in 2008, the weekly flights in India were just 1,118, it jumped to 4,501 weekly trips in 2018, according to the report. IndiGo and Qatar Airways announce Codeshare Agreement to strengthen connectivity between India and Qatar Qatar Airways announced it has signed a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline. Sales will start from today with the first codeshare flights to operate from 18 December. This agreement will enable the airline to place its code on IndiGo flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad and is the first step in strengthening cooperation between the ‘World’s Best Airline’ and the ‘Best Low-Cost Airline in India’. Qatar Airways Group IndiGo Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Ronojoy Dutta, said: “This is a momentous occasion for us, as we sign this codeshare agreement with one of the finest airlines in the world. This strategic alliance will not only strengthen our international operations, but also boost economic growth in India, by bringing in more traffic and heralding opportunities for trade and tourism through seamless mobility. We are confident of a successful partnership as we extend our signature on-time, courteous and hassle-free service experience to the passengers of Qatar Airways. These are exciting times for the aviation industry and it is our commitment to remain focused in building one of the best air transportation systems in the world.” Qatar Airways currently operates 102 weekly flights between Doha and 13 destinations in India, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram. The airline’s cargo division, Qatar Airways Cargo, currently operates a total of 28 weekly freighters to seven destinations in India. More flights for Saudi Arabia as Centre increases seat quota by 78% India and Saudi Arabia have revised their air services agreement, enabling an increase in flights between the two countries. The weekly seat quota for the carriers of the two countries has been increased from 28,000 to 50,000 as part of the MoU signed in Riyadh on 29 October. The increase in seats will take place in a phased manner. According to the civil aviation ministry, the seat quota will rise to 36,000 in the first instance and then to 44,000 and 50,000 in the next two phases after certain conditions are met. Indian carriers will continue to get unlimited access at Dammam airport, in the capital of Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. RAK to reap rewards of SpiceJet move SpiceJet's, decision to make Ras Al Khaimah International Airport its first international hub outside of India marks a key turning point for the emirate, with experts noting that the move will bring about several long-term economic benefits across various sectors. The Indian carrier recently signed a memorandum of understanding with RAK International Airport to start direct flights between the emirate and New Delhi from December 2019. The airline will operate five flights a week, with plans to gradually increase the frequency. In addition, SpiceJet has also announced plans to launch an airline which will be based at RAK International Airport. Traffic at Kempegowda International Airport set to grow by 16% during winter With commencement of the winter schedule at Kempegowda International Airport, for which seven destinations and two airlines have been added, the growth in air traffic movement (ATM) is expected to grow at a rate of 16%, Bangalore International Airport Ltd said. In terms of air traffic movement, Indigo continues to hold maximum share of overseas operations (17.9%), followed by Air India (9.7%). Among domestic carriers, Indigo leads with 51.2%, followed by SpiceJet (15.7%). Acumen Aviation © 11 November 2019 All Rights Reserved.