Category Archives: Aviation

FCM India sees surge in air & hotel bookings for ICC World Cup

With the upcoming ICC World Cup and uptick in bleisure, FCM India has seen a surge in corporate hotel bookings and air tickets. “Given the immense popularity of cricket in the Indian subcontinent, it is no surprise that FCM India has seen an average of 31 per cent price surge in corporate hotel bookings during the ICC World Cup 2023 versus the same period in 2022 as Bleisure is here to stay. This is also a 19 per cent price increase as compared to 2019,” said Gaurav Luthra, Managing Director, FCM India.

FCM India compared 10 cities in India hosting the cricket World Cup matches and saw the most significant price increase was of 472 per cent in Lucknow, followed by 82 per cent increase in Pune, 77 per cent increase in Hyderabad, 47 per cent increase in Mumbai, and 20 per cent increase in Ahmedabad.

Despite the increase in price, FCM India has seen an increase of 58 per cent in the number of nights booked within 10 cities* versus 2022.
(*Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi/NCR, Dharamsala, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, and Pune).

38% Increase in Domestic Air Tickets Booked
The average number of domestic air tickets booked has increased by 38 per cent compared to the same period in 2022. Kolkata saw the highest uptick of 104 per cent, Lucknow 97 per cent, Delhi 49 per cent and Bangalore 46 per cent.

“Lately, due to the increase in air seat capacity, domestic airfares in India have started to dip in prices. The average increase in prices is just 7 per cent as compared to 2022. With airlines planning to expand their capacity to meet the heightened demand during cricket matches, there is optimism that airfares may not see a spike as drastic as hotels.”
“Host cities such as Ahmedabad hosting the most sought-after India versus Pakistan match experienced just a surge of 17 per cent when it comes to corporate travel bookings which are generally made less than 7 days in advance.”

“For September, India’s domestic seat capacity is at 105 per cent and is almost as strong as its international seat capacity at 103 per cent. October shows both domestic and international capacity at 102 per cent. Cricket enthusiasts welcome this additional seat capacity, and we expect that flights will be filled up quickly,” concluded Luthra.

 

India one of world’s most competitive aviation markets: IndiGo CEO

India is one of the most competitive aviation markets in the world and there is also a lot of competition in the market, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said on Tuesday.

IndiGo is the country’s largest carrier with a domestic market share of more than 63 per cent and is also expanding its international operations.

The airline connects 32 international and 81 domestic destinations.

According to Elbers, India is an incredible and one of the most competitive aviation markets in the world.
IndiGo is going through a “maturing phase”, he said and stressed on the need for having aviation hubs in India, which is under served.

Elbers was speaking at the conference of the All India Management Association (AIMA) in the national capital. (Source: PTI)

 

SIA to complete merger of Vistara-AI at the earliest

Singapore Airlines has said it aims to complete the merger of Vistara with Air India “as soon as possible” subject to remaining approvals from relevant authorities.

Once the proposed merger, which was approved by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) on September 1, is complete, Singapore Airlines will have a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India.

Vistara is a joint venture in which Singapore Airlines has a 49 per cent stake, while the rest is with the Tatas.
Singapore Airlines and Air India have given certain commitments to the CCI to address the competition concerns arising out of the merger.

In a statement on Tuesday, Singapore Airlines welcomed the CCI’s approval of the merger and said the airline as well as Scoot will follow the commitments.

Scoot is a part of the Singapore Airlines group.

“Singapore Airlines continues to work with our partner Tata Sons and aims to complete the merger as soon as possible, subject to the remaining approvals from the relevant authorities,” an airline spokesperson said in an e-mailed statement.

Air India and Singapore Airlines have committed to maintain minimum capacity/ supply level in relation to certain overlapping O&D (Origin & Destination) pairs between India and Singapore — Delhi-Singapore, Mumbai-Singapore, Tiruchirappalli-Singapore and Chennai-Singapore, as per the CCI order. (Source: PTI)

Air India enters into codeshare agreement with AIX Connect

Air India has entered into a codeshare agreement with AIX Connect (formerly known as Air Asia India).
Air India will add its ‘AI’ designator code to over 100 flights a day operated by AIX Connect on 21 routes. More routes under the codeshare agreement will be added progressively. Bookings for the codeshare flights are being opened across points of sale, for travel starting 27 September 2023.

The codeshare implementation enables Air India guests to connect seamlessly on AIX Connect’s route network to and from over 80 points across Air India’s extensive domestic and international network.

The scope of the agreement between the two airlines enables guests to receive their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors on a single ticket, and have their baggage checked-in through to their final destinations. Guests connecting from international to domestic flights will, however, need to clear customs at the first point of entry in India, in line with government regulations.

AIX Connect will honour the free baggage allowance mentioned on tickets issued by Air India. Air India guests connecting on to flights operated by AIX Connect will also be able to enjoy complimentary meals on board.

With the implementation of the codeshare agreement, Air India has expanded its domestic route network to 4 new destinations in India, namely Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, and Surat, in addition to the common destinations between the two airlines’ route networks. Customers from these originating cities will be able to connect to Air India’s wide international network over hubs at Delhi and Mumbai.

The codeshare agreement also enables AIX Connect to leverage Air India’s global distribution network, via the airline’s direct channels as well as its global travel agency network.

Vietjet Aviation Academy becomes part of the IATA international training network

Vietjet, Vietnam’s leading new-age airline, and The International Air Transport Association (IATA) signed a training agreement appointing Vietjet Aviation Academy as IATA’s latest Regional Training Partner (RTP) in Vietnam.

As an IATA RTP, Vietjet Aviation Academy will offer IATA Training courses designed by industry experts. These are internationally recognized training programs and are updated frequently to keep pace with the latest regulatory procedures, new standards, and the fast-changing demands of the aviation industry.

Philip Goh, Regional Vice President for Asia – Pacific of IATA, said, “We are delighted to partner with Vietjet Aviation Academy to provide training in Vietnam. Having enough trained personnel is key as the aviation industry recovers from COVID-19. Our cooperation with Vietjet Aviation Academy will further support the development of aviation talent in Vietnam and in the region.”

Vietjet Vice President cum Chairman of Vietjet Aviation Academy Luong The Phuc shared at the ceremony, “Human Resources are always the focus of Vietjet’s all development plans as well as the aviation industry in general. At Vietjet Aviation Academy, we are providing our trainees with the best learning environment, where everyone can attend IATA courses, receive IATA international certificates and access the most modern training equipment in the aviation industry.”

Vietjet Aviation Academy is the leading modern training and research institute in the region and over the world, currently owning three cockpit simulators (SIM) for pilot training, aircraft and passenger cabin mockups, engines, technical parts and functional training rooms, an olympic standard wave pool, a stadium, and engineer training center, etc. which meet international standard training programs for pilots, cabin crews, rosters, engineers, and aviation staffs. Vietjet Aviation Academy not only meets the training and human resource development needs of Vietjet Air but also the aviation industry in the region and the world. To date, Vietjet Aviation Academy has provided training for nearly 395,000 trainee pilots, cabin crews, engineers, staff.

With the vision of a pioneering academy in the aviation training, a strategic location in the region and the world, and aligned with IATA Training internationally recognized programs, Vietjet Aviation Academy will be a gathering place for international students to practice, study, create and conquer their dreams of flying and conquering the sky.

The cooperation event between Vietjet Aviation Academy and IATA is part of the sustainable development roadmap, research and application of aviation science and technology, training professional and creative aviation human resources to succeed and shine.

Mumbai Airport to temporarily shut down runways on Oct 17 for maintenance

The Mumbai International Airport, also known as the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA), has announced that both their runaways will be shut down for post-monsoon maintenance work on October 17. Issuing a statement, the airport authorities said that the maintenance activities will take place from 11 am to 5 pm.

“As a part of CSMIA’s comprehensive post-monsoon runaway maintenance plan, both runways – RWY 09/27, and RWY 14/32 will be temporarily non-operational on October 17. This scheduled temporary closure is a part of CSMIA’s annual post-monsoon preventive maintenance plan. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has also been duly issued in this regard six months in advance,” CSMIA spokesperson said in a statement.

According to the authorities, the primary objective of the scheduled temporary closure is to undertake repair and maintenance activities which are essential to uphold the airport’s infrastructure to the highest standards.
“This yearly practice of runway maintenance post monsoons is a part of the series of activities undertaken with precision and meticulous efforts ensuring operational continuity and passenger safety, thus bringing to life to vision of imbibing passenger first approach at the core of our operations,” it said.