www.myairlinecareer.com: November 2011

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

NEWS | Jet Airways eyes up to $300 million from plane sale, lease back

Jet Airways Ltd, India's largest airline, plans to sell and lease back aircraft it owns to raise up to $300 million over the next six months and cut its debt, a top official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The airline, which has a near-quarter local market share, intends to sell and lease back part of the 40 planes that it owns, M Shivkumar, senior vice-president - finance, told Reuters on Tuesday.

NEWS | AACO 2011: EgyptAir resumes flights to Tripoli

Ahead of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation Annual General Meeting in Abu Dhabi Egypt Air has confirmed it will re-launch services to Tripoli.

Lenders to Air India have approved the financial restructuring plan, paving way for the government to bail out the stricken national carrier.

NEWS | AACO 2011: Air Arabia launches Moscow service

Air Arabia and Sharjah Commerce & Tourism Development Authority have inaugurated a service to Moscow, Russia.

NEWS | Arab Air Carriers Organisation AGM launches at Emirates Place, Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi has witnessed the opening of the Annual General Meeting of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation at Emirates Palace – the leading hotel in the region.

NEWS | AACO 2011: Oman Air inks order with Rolls Royce

Oman Air has ordered Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to power the six Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft it has on order.
The airline is the first in the Middle East to select the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine, which last month powered the first 787 Dreamliner into service.

Abu Dhabi will host the 44th Annual General Meeting of the Arab Air Carriers Organisation (AACO) from today until November 30th.

Seeking to turnaround the cash-strapped Air India, the government is considering a nearly Rs 30,000 crore package for the national carrier over a period of 10 years, official sources said on Monday night.

With the suspension of Kingfisher Airlines' services between Bangalore and Mysore earlier this month, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) is banking on two other private carriers Jet Airways and SpiceJet to start commercial flight operations from the City of Palaces.

The cash-strapped national carrier Air India is likely to discuss a fresh voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) on Tuesday. The company has approximately 36,000-40,000 employees, the highest in the industry in both absolute and per aircraft terms.

NEWS | Qantas introduces premium boarding

Qantas has introduced a new premium boarding lane for premium customers across its major domestic ports.

The premium boarding lane has been implemented in response to feedback from premium and top tier frequent fliers.

Wizz Air, the largest low fare – low cost airline in Ukraine and in Central and Eastern Europe announced today that it would restart operations in Western Ukraine following the successful completion of runway reconstruction works at Lviv International Airport.

Reaffirming its long-term commitment to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air unveiled a series of commercial initiatives specially tailored to travellers from the Eastern Province (EP) of the Kingdom.
Addressing the media at a press conference held in Dammam today, Gulf Air Chief Executive Officer Mr. Samer Majali said, “The Eastern Province of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a special place for Gulf Air as it was here in Dhahran we first landed in 1950 beginning our relationship with the Kingdom 61 years ago.”

Air India has cancelled four flights to and from London scheduled for Wednesday when a majority of public sector employees in the UK are going on a strike.

NEWS | PM promises help to embattled private airlines, remains silent on direct investments by foreign carriers

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh promised to help the bosses of India's embattled private airlines but stopped short of commenting on a key demand of at least three of them - permission for investments by foreign airlines. The PM said the matter was under consideration, said an official who attended the meeting on Saturday.

NEWS | DIPP raises alarm over desi airlines’ survival

The department of industrial policy and promotion (DIPP) has said that unless foreign airlines are allowed to invest in desi ones, many cash-strapped domestic carriers may shut down. This serious push comes despite reservation against the proposal from airlines like Jet and IndiGo.

NEWS | Navi Mumbai International Airport to throw up challenges for bidders

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) would be one of the last big PPP airport opportunities in India in the medium term and, hence, likely to see intense competition. Cidco projects that the airport will handle 10 million passengers in its first year of operations.

NEWS | ASEAN-India air agreement pushed

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) plans to conclude an air services agreement with India by the end of next year to boost regional movement of both passengers and cargo, a senior ASEAN official said.

India’s Aviation Ministry is scrutinizing Kingfisher Airlines Ltd.’s finances after the company grounded some aircraft, a government official said.

NEWS | Government hopes all will be OK with Air India post loan rejig

With the Reserve Band of India approving a financial restructuring plan for cash-strapped Air India, Government today hoped that things will move in a positive direction for the national carrier.

National carrier Air India transported four baby anacondas on board its flight from Colombo to Mumbai via Chennai as cargo on Thursday evening.

NEWS | 200cr okayed for Chakan airport

The Chakan International Airport in Pune district has taken that baby step towards take-off. The Union ministry of civil aviation has sanctioned Rs200 crore for the airport, which will now come up on a 700-hectare site adjacent to the one earlier proposed.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has called the heads of all Indian airlines for a meeting on Saturday to discuss ways to help the cash-strapped carriers and to resolve other industry issues. It will be the Prime Minister’s first meeting with airline chiefs in recent years. “The meeting has been called to resolve the airlines’ financial health and discuss the issues in general,” said an official who will be at the meeting.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved the loan restructuring plan for debt-ridden national carrier, Air India. The central bank has also said the government has to infuse Rs 6,500 crore of equity into the airline, as requested by the national carrier. Moreover, around Rs 7,000 crore worth of loans are to be converted into cumulative redeemable preferential shares, an Air India official said. The loan repayment obligation has been set at 10 years for the conversion of working capital loans to long term loans. Air India is expected to get a benefit of a two per cent lower interest rate.

Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines is gradually shuttering sales offices across cities, following a 30 per cent cut in its domestic flights. The move is expected to save the airline around Rs 150 crore.

NEWS | More flights on Mumbai-Delhi route soon

Air passengers flying from Mumbai to Delhi may soon have a wider variety of flights to choose from. The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is set to open a new flight path in the country’s busiest air corridor from December. This move will not only increase the capacity for passengers by several thousand, it may also result in a drop in fares.

The AAI recently issued a notice of airmen (NOTAM) to inform pilots of the new flight path, demarcated at a distance of 29,000 feet and above from the existing route. Planes on this route could travel at a higher speed, since air traffic controllers would reduce the distance between two flights from 80 nautical miles to 50 nautical miles on the flight path, according to a report by Soubhik Mitra in Hindustan Times.

NEWS | Etihad Airways teams up with Malaysia Airlines

Etihad Airways considered the World’s Leading Airline by the prestigious World Travel Awards, has announced a reciprocal Frequent Flyer agreement with codeshare partner Malaysia Airlines. Etihad Guest programme members can now earn Etihad Guest Miles when flying on Malaysia Airlines.
Members of Enrich, Malaysia Airlines’ loyalty and frequent flyer programme, can also earn Enrich Miles on Etihad Airways flights.
In both cases, the number of miles earned will depend upon the class of travel.
Moreover, Etihad Guest Miles can be redeemed for Malaysia Airlines flights, and vice-versa.
Peter Baumgartner, Etihad Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to take our successful partnership with Malaysia Airlines to the next level by extending it with a close frequent flyer cooperation. This offers both airlines’ loyal customers the opportunity to earn and burn miles on each other’s network.”

source: http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/news/article/etihad-airways-teams-up-with-malaysia-airlines/

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NEWS | AI schedule change fails to take off

The changed schedule of Air India flight from Ludhiana to Delhi could not be implemented on the first day as the flight had to be cancelled due to low visibility on Wednesday. The departure had been advanced to afternoon from evening to avoid frequent cancellations.
The 10 passengers who were to board the flight for Delhi had to face troubles due to cancellation. The visibility at Sahnewal airport, which is required to be 5kms before landing and take off, was 1.5kms on Wednesday.
The officials initially tried to delay the flight but couldn't avoid cancellation as the haziness persisted.
Frequent flight cancellations have resulted in a fall in number of passengers. The average has come down to 10-15 passengers per flight from 30-35 passengers.
The new schedule was implemented to avoid cancellations but bad weather forced us to cancel the flight for the day.
Source: http://avindia.blogspot.com/
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NEWS | Qatar Airways bats for 26% FDI in Indian carriers

If the UPA government allows 26 per cent stake by foreign airlines in Indian carriers, it would go a long way in drawing the latter out of the financial mess they are in, thereby taking domestic aviation industry to the next level, said Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways.
Al Baker’s comment came in the wake of the Union Commerce Ministry’s recently proposed 26 per cent foreign direct investment (FDI) by foreign airlines in domestic carriers.
At present, foreign companies, other than foreign airlines, are allowed to invest up to 49 per cent in the domestic passenger airlines. Non-resident Indians can invest upto 100 per cent.
Al Baker, who was here in connection for launch of Qatar Airways’ flights from Doha to Kolkata, said that carefully planned mergers and acquisitions and FDI inflows are the way forward for cash-starved India carriers. “It is a very good move by the government. Although the ideal cap for FDI would have been 49 per cent as it would have enabled the foreign players have a greater say in policy matters. The airline industry is very capital intensive and I don’t think the private Indian carriers have the funds to achieve the growth they desire,” he said.

source: http://www.mydigitalfc.com/news/qatar-airways-bats-26-fdi-indian-carriers-795
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NEWS | Air India pilots warn of another strike

Air India pilots today warned of another agitation, including a strike, if talks on their demand for pay parity and other issues they had raised during their strike in May, were not started before this month end.
Maintaining that the civil aviation ministry had not responded to their letters in the past two months seeking an appointment with minister Vayalar Ravi, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said the pilots were considering another round of agitation, including a strike, "if our problems are not discussed before November 30".
While productivity-linked incentive (PLI) has not been paid for the past four months, issues relating to pay parity, fixed flying allowance and layover subsistence allowance, have also not been settled as yet, ICPA sources said, adding such a situation was leading to a large number of pilots quitting Air India, which was detrimental to the airline.

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Air-India-pilots-warn-of-another-strike/articleshow/10843808.cms
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NEWS | Lessors Set to Grab Kingfisher Planes

Airplane-leasing companies are preparing to repossess planes from India's Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. if the troubled carrier's finances deteriorate further, said an executive at one of the companies.

NEWS | Fuel import decision to be for all, not just Vijay Mallya's Kingfisher

A decision to allow Kingfisher to import fuel directly will be a part of the overall package for the airline industry and not just for the troubled airlines, the government has said.
The struggling airlines has sought permission from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade to import fuel directly to avoid the steep sales tax levied by states. "When I examine the (Kingfisher's ) proposal I will naturally ask myself why I should do it only for it and not the others," Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said.
"A policy decision on the issue will be taken that would apply on all airlines," he added. Khullar confirmed that the DGFT received a letter from Kingfisher seeking permission to import aviation turbine fuel, or ATF, on their own instead of getting it through IOC. "The DGFT is looking at it at the moment," he said.
The levy from the states ranges from 4% to 30%. The DGFT has written to Kingfisher seeking more cost-related information, another official said. The Foreign Trade Policy 2009-13 includes ATF in the list of restricted products that cannot be imported by individuals and can be sourced only through canalising agencies, in this case Indian Oil Corporation.

source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/fuel-import-decision-to-be-for-all-not-just-vijay-mallyas-kingfisher/articleshow/10850436.cms
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

NEWS | Gulf Air expands codeshare partnership with American Airlines

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, has further expanded its codeshare partnership with American Airlines adding 22 more cities in the US to its network.

NEWS | Ryanair to offer reserved seating

Ryanair passengers on all routes will be able to purchase reserved seating from January 10 following a successful six-month trial.

NEWS | e-petition launched against APD rise

An e-petition has been launched by Multicom calling on the government to rethink an expected rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD) next year due to the impact it will have on struggling EU destinations.

Etihad Airways - considered the World’s Leading Airline by the prestigious World Travel Awards - now connects Bahrain to the Maldives with a daily service and flies four times a week to the Seychelles.
The new Etihad two class daily return service from Bahrain International Airport to Malé International Airport offers1, 904 seats each week. The flights to the Seychelles International Airport in Mahé from Bahrain will offer 1,800 seats each week, also on an A320.

Emirates considered the Middle East’s Leading Airline Economy Class, Middle East’s Leading Airline Lounge, Middle East’s Leading Airline Rewards Program and Middle East’s Leading Airline Website by the prestigious World Travel Awards, has increased its commitment to Sudan with the introduction of one additional flight per week, providing a daily, non-stop service between Dubai and Khartoum Civil Airport from 5th December 2011.

NEWS | Security concerns may ground foreign investment in aviation

Security concerns could again derail the Government's plans of allowing foreign airlines to pick up a minority stake in Indian carriers.

In an interesting turn of events, the government has decided to ask the Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) to consider picking up 10 per cent stake in the troubled Kingfisher Airlines.

NEWS | Thousands of passengers disrupted by fog in London

As fog lingers over London, thousands of passengers at airports in the capital have seen flights cancelled this morning.

Qatar Airways has unveiled plans to launch new domestic services in Iran.
Following a requested to operate routes in the country earlier this year, chief executive Akbar Al Baker confirmed the routes would be launched “within weeks.”

Kingfisher has slipped into third place in terms of market share in the burgeoning Indian aviation market.
Troubled Kingfisher slipped down from second in September, ceding ground to budget airline IndiGo.

NEWS | Kingfisher Airlines slips to 3rd spot, IndiGo gains

India's struggling Kingfisher Airlines slipped in market share to the third position in October, from second in September, ceding ground to budget airline IndiGo, government data showed.
Kingfisher is unlikely to recover lost ground in coming months because the loss-making carrier has cancelled scores of flights in November, catching both customers and government authorities by surprise and spooking investors.

Presenting a different side of the airline industry, for the second time in a year, all the domestic airlines have carried over 54 lakh passengers in October. Low-cost airline SpiceJet has emerged as the biggest gainer in terms of the market share, while Kingfisher lost maximum in comparison to September.

Alarm bells are ringing in aviation ministry with Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher indicating to government that it is looking at curtailing 200 flights from its daily winter schedule of 418 domestic flights. Realising that such a drastic reduction in capacity in the peak season would spell trouble for passengers, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned Kingfisher CEO Sanjay Aggarwal on Saturday to spell out the airline's plan.

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Location:Dubai/ UAE

NEWS | Alaska Airlines renewed on IOSA Registry

Alaska Airlines today announced it again successfully completed the International Air Transport Association Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) and has been renewed on the IOSA Registry. The airline has been on the registry since 2006.
The IOSA Registry is a key element of IATA's efforts to promote global airline operational safety. To achieve IOSA registration, Alaska Airlines satisfied more than 900 standards in eight operational areas, including flight operations, operational control, flight dispatch, aircraft engineering and maintenance, cabin operations, aircraft ground handling, cargo operations and operational security.

NEWS | Finnair becomes the first airline to implement ‘Amadeus Dynamic Website Manager’

Amadeus, a leading travel technology partner and transaction processor for the global travel and tourism industry, today announces that Finnair, the national flag carrier and largest airline in Finland, has chosen Amadeus Dynamic Website Manager to seamlessly tailor its customers’ online experience, whilst driving conversion rates for the airline at the same time.

NEWS | Spirit Airlines signs memo of understanding for 75 Airbus aircraft

Spirit Airlines and Airbus announced today that they have entered into a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a significant addition to Spirit’s existing aircraft purchase order with Airbus. The MOU contemplates an order of 75 A320 family aircraft consisting of 30 of the existing aircraft model and 45 of the A320neo (New Engine Option) aircraft.

Aeromexico, (Mexico City), now accepts all UATP corporate cards effective immediately at all points of sale including online at www.aeromexico.com.

NEWS | Tickets for the 2012 Cathay Pacific

Tickets for the 2012 Cathay Pacific / HSBC Hong Kong Sevens will go on sale in January 2012.

After an initial pre-sale period to local Rugby Clubs, Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) Stakeholders and official Overseas Ticketing Agents the HKRFU will stage a public sale in mid-January.

The price of a three-day adult event ticket for 2012 will be HK$1,500. Children’s tickets prices have been reduced by 50% to HK$150 for youth aged 12 and under.

Global airline club Oneworld is looking forward to welcoming "on board" Kingfisher Airlines in early 2012 despite the Indian carrier's recent troubles, according to an Economics Times report by Binoy Prabhakar.

A spokesman for Oneworld, which includes British Airways, Iberia, Cathay Pacific and American Airlines, said Kingfisher is "making excellent progress in its Oneworld implementation programme". He said Oneworld would soon confirm a precise date when Kingfisher would join the club.

Kingfisher has cancelled nearly 50 flights a day since November 8, 2011 - the cancellation will extend to December 15, 2011 - to overcome a severe cash crunch. The carrier is saddled with debt running to more than Rs 7,500 crore and its losses more than doubled to Rs 468.88 crore in the September quarter from a year ago. “The airline industry the world over, not just in India is facing severe challenges at present, with high oil prices, a fragile economy and many other difficult issues to confront,” said the spokesman.

The implementation programme, according to Oneworld, is a complex project, covering virtually every facet of airline activity and takes 18 to 24 months to complete. It involves integrating all the recruit's IT systems to member airlines, bringing its customer service, frequent flyer and distribution processes in line with Oneworld "standards" and "culminating in what will be the biggest training and communications programmes in the airline's history".

A Kingfisher spokesman said the airline has been executing the implementation programme since last year. Kingfisher, he said, will join Oneworld in the first quarter of 2012. "Everything is on track." Kingfisher signed an MoU with Oneworld in February 2010. In June 2010, the Ministry of Civil Aviation approved the alliance, a key condition for the alliance to consummate. For passengers, the lure of boarding an airline that is part of a global alliance is frequent-flyer points and comfortable lounges. But access to cheaper fares - the reason regulators encourage such alliances - remains iffy.

Oneworld said members of Kingfisher Airlines' King Club will be able to earn and redeem rewards across the alliance's network 800 destinations in some 150 countries. Kingfisher flies to eight foreign destinations. In August this year, Air India was denied entry into Star Alliance, which said the national carrier failed to meet its conditions. Air India has refuted this.

On Kingfisher's entry, the Oneworld logo will be added alongside that of the airline everywhere it appears - from its aircraft fuselages, to airport signage, stationery and name tags.
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NEWS | Aviation ministry seeks legal view on SWISS, Austrian issue

The civil aviation ministry has asked for the views of the law ministry on the replies of Swiss International Airlines (SWISS) and Austrian Airlines, owned by German carrier Lufthansa, on their ownership issue.
India had raised objections to the operations of these airlines on the ground that they had violated the substantial ownership and effective control (SOEC) clause mandated under the bilateral air services agreement between the countries. India had threatened to stop all their services stating the ownership of the airlines were not from their respective countries.

NEWS | Aviation fuel price 50% higher in India

Domestic airlines are paying 50 per cent more for aviation turbine fuel here than the price in West Asian and the European markets. Even flights on foreign routes pay more when they refill in India.

NEWS | Air India Express pilot flirts with danger 4 times, grounded

It was a quartet of mistakes that could have had disastrous consequences. In the course of landing an aircraft in a strong crosswind, an Air India Express commander took four erroneous decisions, one after another, endangering a Boeing 737 aircraft and its 87 passengers. Luckily, it all ended with damage done only to the aircraft and the commander's flying record.

NEWS | India now eyes 110-seater, 3200 km design range civil aircraft

Promoters of India's proposed maiden regional civil aircraft are looking at enhancing its design range to 3200 km and also its seating capacity to 110, a key official behind the project said today.

The high powered committee on National Civil Aircraft Development (NCAD) has till now said it is looking to design and develop a 70-90 seater aircraft with a design range of 2,500 km.

NEWS | Soon, fly anywhere in India on planes made in India

Despite the current turbulence in the domestic civil aviation sector, the high powered committee of the National Civil Aircraft Development (NCAD) is optimistic that the indigenous civil aircraft programme would still be a viable mode of transport to interlink the tier-2 and tier-3 cities with other metros in the country.

NEWS | Passengers flying out of Delhi to be charged DF

Passengers flying out of Delhi airport from December one would have to pay Rs 200 each for domestic travel and Rs 1,300 to go abroad as development fee.

JetLite, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways India, is to implement the Amadeus Ticket Changer solution, allowing travel agencies in India to change and modify flight bookings in just seconds.

Belgium has conferred the 'Commandeur of the Order of Leopold II', one of its highest civilian distinctions, on Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal for "meritorious service and efforts to foster business and cultural ties" with that country.

The civil aviation ministry has passed the request by ailing Kingfisher Airlines for a three-month credit for supply of jet fuel by oil marketing firms to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The development signals that all decisions regarding the dues of Kingfisher will now be taken at the highest level in the government.
The civil aviation ministry forwarded Kingfisher’s request as part of its status report on the sector, which the PMO had sought post mass cancellation of flights by the airline.

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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Friday, November 25, 2011

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Monday, November 21, 2011

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Thursday, November 17, 2011

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