27 Nov 2017

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 27 November

Air Deccan to fly Udan flights in the northeast from 15 December Air Deccan is all set to start flight operations under the regional connectivity scheme, also known as Udan (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik), from 15 December this year. Air Deccan will use Shillong as a hub and Udan flights from there will connect to other destinations in the northeast such as Agartala, Aizawl and Imphal, according to a top official of the Shillong airport. The airline will also operate flights between Kolkata and Agartala. Under the government’s Udan regional connectivity scheme, air fares are capped at Rs2,500 per person for an hour’s flight to Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities in which the government will provide subsidy for flying with such low fares. Air India to fly non-stop from Birmingham to Amritsar Air India plans to introduce two non-stop flights per week between Birmingham and Amritsar in the new year to meet the increasing consumer demand from the Midlands region to Punjab, Birmingham Airport said in a statement. William Pearson, aviation director at Birmingham airport, said: “It is great news that we will have non-stop connections to two Indian cities. With over 200,000 British-Indian people who travel to India to visit friends and relatives, and for tourism and business interests, this additional destination shows the large demand within the region for non-stop Amritsar services from the Midlands”. Indian passengers using technology to skip queues at airports: SITA survey As India’s passenger growth is choking key airports in the country, air passengers are resorting to technology to skip queues and minimize their travel time, shows a 2017 SITA Passenger IT Trends Survey, a global survey released by IT provider SITA and co-sponsored by Air Transport World. “While the use of technology among Indian airline passengers remains high at check-in (87%) and booking (52%), 2017 saw tremendous growth in other usage points in the journey. India, Russia ink deal to grant visa-free entry to airline pilots, crew India and Russia have agreed to implement the general declaration for visa-free entry of the crew of chartered and scheduled flights between the two countries. A pact on the issue was signed recently by officials of the two countries. The agreement will facilitate visa-free entry, stay and exit of crew of aircraft of the designated airlines as well as other aircraft companies operating chartered and special flights in the respective territories on reciprocal basis. Indian transit passengers are very crucial for Air Astana: Air Astana CEO Kazakhstan’s national airline Air Astana is preparing for an IPO in FY19. Peter Foster, CEO, Air Astana, tells Arindam Majumder in an interview that the airline is counting on transit passengers from India to improve its business. See interview here. Mumbai airport’s flight record shows surge in India air travel Rising incomes and cheaper fares offered by budget carriers are fuelling air travel in India, an aviation market set to be the third biggest behind China and the US. In signs traffic is surging, Mumbai on Friday handled 969 flights in a 24-hour period, a world record for an airport that operates only one runway at any given point of time, the Times of India reported Sunday, citing an official at the Mumbai International Airport Ltd. The aim is to reach 1,000 aircraft movements. Acumen Aviation © 27 November All Rights Reserved.