Kingfisher Airlines:
Vijay Mallya has appointed a law firm in US to seek regulatory clearances and get his Kingfisher Airline brand soaring in the American skies. The law firm has been given the mandate to negotiate with US authorities to enable his American venture Kingfisher International to start direct flights from US to India. Mallya had floated an airline company in US after India refused to relax norms that restricted domestic airlines from flying abroad without a five-year domestic track record. (29 November 2006)

Air Sahara:
The promoters of Air Sahara are considering a sale of the airline once again. After parting ways with Jet Airways, the Sahara group has attempted to turn around the airline. The current quarter has shown a sharply improved performance and the Sahara group promoters believe that it will be a good time to scout around for buyers. People close to the development said the promoters are convinced that the airline will have to be sold and that an in-principle decision has already been taken on the issue. The sale process has not yet begun and will commence formally only after the current quarter of profitable operations. (29 November 2006)

Singapore Airlines:
Singapore Airlines has launched its sixth weekly fight from Bangalore up from five weekly flights. With the addition of the sixth flight the airline will now offer 1816 seats per week from Bangalore. Singapore Airlines is also looking at Tier II cities like Coimbatore, Vizag, Nagpur and Tirchy. The airline is looking at developing cities in India with its subsidiary regional airline, Silk Air. SilkAir currently operates daily flights to Kochi and four flights to Thiruvananthapuram. Excluding SilkAir operations, Singapore Airlines operates 48 weekly flights to eight destinations in India. (29 November 2006)

Flying Abroad:
Kingfisher Airlines chairman and managing director Vijay Mallya has asked the government to review the policy that bars new carriers from flying abroad for five years. "If a scheduled airline can fly domestic destinations there is no case which can say the airline is unfit to fly abroad," he said. Kingfisher has not ruled out the option of starting a full scale cargo service, as "we have licence for both passenger and cargo airlines." (28 November 2006)

Aviation Support:
India will receive technical assistance in areas ranging from airspace design to satellite navigation and aircraft certification to cope with its rapid civil aviation growth under an agreement with the US Federal Aviation Administration. Support for certification of India's GAGAN space-based GPS augmentation system could be the first step under the new agreement. India has invested $100 million in GAGAN, which is similar to the US wide-area augmentation system (WAAS). The FAA is opening an office in India, and a US-Indian aviation summit is planned for late April in New Delhi. (28 November 2006)

AAI:
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has decided to enter the lucrative business of ground handling across all the airports in the country and is likely to invite Expressions of Interest for joint ventures with some private players at some of the major airports. Though the AAI had decided to take the plunge into the Rs 1,000 crore ground handling (GH) industry (with the industry growing everyday), it was waiting for the introduction of the Civil aviation policy, as one of the policy recommendations stated that to streamline GH operations, three agencies comprising airport operators, an independent agency and a joint venture company should carry out ground handling at the airports. (28 November 2006)

FDI in Aviation:
The government will consider a proposal to hike the foreign investment cap in domestic carriers from 49 percent to 74 percent. This has been necessitated following the failure of the existing regime to bring in substantial foreign direct investment in the sector. The government is of the view that a more investment-friendly system is required to help carriers raise funds for their expansion plans. Moreover, fund inflow will also help carriers tide over their financial woes. It is expected that Indian carriers will acquire close to 400 aircraft, valued at over US $15 billion over the next few years, as a part of their expansion plans. (27 November 2006)

Air India:
Air India will take delivery of the first Boeing B737-800 aircraft in Seattle on 30 November 2006, out of total 68 aircraft order placed with the US-based aircraft manufacturer. Air India, which was struggling due to shortage of aircraft, will be able to add capacity through acquisition and leasing.The $7.2 billion order was the single largest order given by the airline in its history since it commenced operations in 1953 under the Air Corporations Act. The first aircraft will be deployed for its low-cost carrier Air India Express in the Trichy-Gulf route. Air India will receive its second B737-800 on third week of December followed by three more in January 2007. (27 November 2006)

FCm Travels:
FCm Travels Solutions has launched the country’s foremost personalised 24 hours airport transfer service, the only one of its kind in India. This dedicated ‘meet and greet’ offer will be made available to all the passengers at all international airports including the international airport in New Delhi, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Mumbai. FCm Travel Solutions is focused on reducing the demands of business travel by placing greater value on service that is personalised, adaptable and in touch with the individual needs of the clients. Kolkata is the latest technology hub and through recent news it will be centre of attraction for the auto industry. FCm India had anticipated this and established the office to deliver high class international services which are unheard in the kolkata market so far. The FCm ground staffs will manage and felicitate all of these processes for the client and would save their time which in the end is money saving for any customer. FCm Travel Solutions’ services and solutions include strategic and dedicated account management, advanced management reporting and analysis, independent travel advice, finger tip travel information, frequent flyer management, a global hotel program, and total travel fulfilment. (24 November 2006)

India wants foreign players to help aviation sector:
India has called on foreign players on Thursday to help the country’s aviation sector take off as it has forecasted 25 percent airline passenger growth each year for the next decade.

International passenger traffic has grown by 50 percent this year while domestic passenger traffic has been expanding by 25 percent as increasingly affluent Indians fly rather than sweat it out in trains or cars, Aviation Minister Praful Patel said.

Patel believes that on a ten-year horizon, overall passenger traffic will grow by 25 percent annually. He told delegates to the first India-EU Aviation Summit aimed big-ticket investments were needed to achieve best practice in all areas of the civil aviation sector and raise India’s dilapidated infrastructure to world class standards to cope with the rise in air travel.

At least half a dozen carriers have taken flight in the past three years in India’s skies, once dominated by state-run companies, and more are set to start business, putting huge strain on airport infrastructure. Some airports built to handle hundreds of passengers a day now are handling thousands. Patel said the government’s ultimate aim was to create an aviation grid across the country by developing 400 airports and airstrips to ensure that no person was more than 50 kilometers (30 miles) from any airport. (24 November 2006)

Cleartrip offers travel solutions to Eastern India:
Travel gets cheaper and more satisfying this winter: Cleartrip Travel Services Ltd, the fledgling Mumbai-based online travel products and solutions company, will be rolling out an exclusive campaign for travellers in eastern India in alliance with leading regional carriers in the next few weeks. The Kolkata air travel market has been expanding rapidly enough to justify a travel product ex-Kolkata, according to Stuart Crighton, Cleartrip's founder and director for business development. He said the products would cover both metro and non-metro sectors and would be available by the time the traditional travel season started in end-December following the closure of schools and educational institutions. In 2007, the four-month-old business-to-consumer (B2C) company will expand its network to cover international travel. It would also be rolling out a travel solution based on mobile telephony systems that would go beyond the service levels available now. Cleartrip will also be leveraging Short Messaging Service (SMS) and email to proactively communicate with customers and offer all customers access to a live help desk to address all post-booking needs. The company is expected to close 2007 with around 400,000 transactions on its platform, with revenue from commission levied on transaction value. It aimed to get and retain customers through value added services like medical advice, related publishing and services like local sports, entertainment and travel ticket bookings at the travel destination. (24 November 2006)

Airbus, Superjumbo:
Airbus, the European jet manufacturer, predicted that British Airways (BA) would become a major customer for its A380 superjumbo, even though the aircraft is two years behind schedule and plagued with problems. Airbus has forecasted increase in aircraft demand over the coming 20 years. Its latest estimate is that the world's airlines will order some 22,700 new aircraft worth US $2,600 billion between now and 2025 - an increase of 5,400 or almost one-third on its global forecast last year - due to the explosive growth of air travel in developing countries such as China and India.

John Leahy, Airbus's chief commercial officer said that he had been assured by Airbus's production team that there would be no further delays to the A380 programme and said he did not expect any more airlines to follow the lead of FedEx, which cancelled its order for 10 freighter versions of the A380 a fortnight ago. The forecast predicts that passenger traffic will increase by 4.8 percent a year so that by 2025, it will be two-and-a-half times its size at present. Over the next five years, passenger growth will average 4 percent a year in the US but in China it will be 11 percent and in India, it will be 10 percent. (23 November 2006)

Perak To Spend Millions On Ipoh Airport Runway Extension:
The Perak government is prepared to spend RM40 million for extending the runway at the Sultan Azlan Shah airport (LTSAS) here if more airlines are allowed to operate from it. Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali said that it was now up to the Transport Ministry to decide on the matter as several airlines had asked to operate their services from Ipoh. He said the state government wanted to extend the airport runway to 1,981 metres to accommodate larger aircraft provided more airlines were allowed to operate from Ipoh. This would enable the airport to serve longer sectors like to Medan, Aceh, Phuket, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Southern China, Southern India and Brunei.Tajol added that Ipoh had also been included as a destination in the cooperation agenda of the Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT). He also confirmed that the state government would be asking the Transport Ministry to extend the Rawang-Ipoh double-tracking railway line to include Chemor or Sungai Siput, using the RM434 million budget allocated to the Ministry. (23 November 2006)

Kingfisher signs deal with Pratt & Whitney:
Kingfisher Airlines has signed a US $500 million deal with American aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt and Whitney to power its new fleet of Airbus aircraft. Pratt and Whitney has been selected to power Kingfisher's fleet of A 320s/A 319s, ATR 72s and A 300s "because of their ability to support our airline's vision to consistently deliver a safe, value based and enjoyable travel experience to all our guests"Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO of Kingfisher Airlines, said. The total transaction is valued at US $300 million plus an additional US $200 million if all options are exercised. Calling the agreement with Kingfisher a "great source of pride" and trust between the two countries the President of Pratt and Whitney, Stephen Finger said his company was "delighted to be in the growth path in India. He said that it means a lot to be associated with the fastest growing airline and saw a "bright future" between Kingfisher and Pratt and Whitney. (23 November 2006)

SpiceJet:
SpiceJet has announced the signing of an agreement to select and train pilots under SPICEJET CADET PILOT (SCP) program. The program is an initiative to identify young people driven by their desire to make a profession out of flying airline jets. SpiceJet has launched the program this November and has already recruited more than two batches of cadet pilots from United Aviation under this scheme. United Aviation has also entered into a strategic tie-up with Sabena Airline Training Centre (SATC) to train pilots for airlines in India. SATC is a subsidiary of Sabena Flight Academy that recently visited India with the trade delegation accompanying the Belgian Prime Minister. The agreement is valued at over $2 million a year and the first batch of student pilots will be commencing their training on 11 December 2006 at Arizona, USA. (22 November 2006)

Pathankot Airport:
The Airport Authority of India (AAI) has constructed a new terminal building and associated facilities at Pathankot to facilitate the states of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh and cater to increased flow of tourists to Dalhousie and Dharamshala. The Pathankot airport is a Civil Enclave and the new terminal building constructed by AAI is equipped with most modern passenger friendly facilities spread over in an area of 3850 sq. mtr. with peak hour passenger capacity of 300 passengers and aircraft apron for three AB-320 class of aircraft. Air Deccan has commenced operations to and from Pathankot Airport to Delhi from today onward.
(22 November 2006)

Kingfisher Airlines:
Kingfisher Airlines has signed a US $500-million deal with American aircraft manufacturer Pratt and Whitney to power its new fleet of Airbus aircraft. The deal will include 10 PW 4000-100 installed engines, one spare and an optional for an additional ten engines. Pratt and Whitney will also have a long-term fleet management programme to overhaul Kingfisher's PW 4000 engines. The total transaction is valued at US $300 million plus an additional US $200 million if all options are exercised. (21 November 2006)

India-EU:
A two-day summit of aviation professionals and policy-makers of India and the European Union would be held during 23-24 November 2006 in India. The summit comes after the two sides decided to upgrade EU-India relationship to a strategic partnership and implementation of a joint action plan. Key players from EU and India, including representatives of governments, airlines, airports, aerospace industry and service providers would be attending the summit. In recent years, Indian air traffic market has been among the fastest growing in the world recording an increase of 22 percent in domestic and 15 percent in global passenger traffic. Since 1990, the number of seats available between India and EU had increased from 2.6 million to 5.5. million in 2005. (21 November 2006)

Indian Air Cargo:
Due to a boom in the production of retail, textile, and pharmaceutical goods, air cargo is a fast growing sector in India. International freighter majors as Lufthansa Cargo, Emirates SkyCargo, Cathay Pacific, and SriLankan Cargo are expanding their Indian capacities. Indian’s domestic carriers like Kingfisher Airlines, GoAir, Jet Airways, and Air Deccan also plan to launch dedicated cargo operations while Blue Dart Aviation and First Flight Couriers already offer cargo space on domestic flights between Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai.
(21 November 2006)

Cargo Boom:
According to published reports, India will need 125 freighter aircraft in next 20 years. At present, India has only seven bigger freighters, owned by Blue Dart Express. The country would also require nearly 90 dedicated freighters to cater to international air cargo traffic requirements. The forecast of 125 freighters are in addition to passenger planes, which have huge belly space to carry cargo. Earlier, US-based aircraft manufacturer, The Boeing Company, has doubled its long-term forecast for sales in India to 856 planes worth $72 million by 2026 while Airbus has set a target of 935 planes. (20 November 2006)

Gulf Air:
Gulf Air will operate daily flights from Kochi from 15 December 2006 to 31 January 2007 when the limited open sky policy will be in force. The airline operates five flights a week from Kochi now. According to Gulf Air, India, the passenger revenue has grown by 24 percent in the first 10 months of the year by maintaining the same frequency of five. The cargo traffic too has been registering growth. The airline operates freighters from Chennai and Bangalore.
(20 November 2006)

SpiceJet:
SpiceJet plans to sell equity to raise US $60 million to upgrade technology besides improving reservation, customer support and airport facilities. The company is in talks with Indian and foreign strategic investors for a "plain-vanilla equity sale" and hopes to finalise terms and conditions with investors by end-December. The airline has already raised money twice -- via a US $80 million overseas convertible bond issue and a US $12.5 million stake sale to Dubai investment firm Istithmar -- since it began operations in May 2005. (18 November 2006)

Airline Security:
An umbrella body of all airlines in the country has suggested creation of a single force to manage airline security across the country. The CEOs and top officials of major airlines wanted the government to provide expeditious security clearance to foreign pilots who are being increasingly deployed by Indian carriers to overcome the shortage of pilots, especially commanders, in the country. Regarding foreign pilots, the problem was that due to the delay in getting clearances, these pilots were taking up jobs in other countries instead of coming to work in India. So, the officials demanded smooth clearance for foreign pilots.
(18 November 2006)

Flying Abroad:
The government is likely to review the prevailing norms to allow domestic carriers to fly abroad in the next fiscal, after the proposed merger of Air India and Indian is complete. The current guidelines are that an airline has to put in five years of domestic service and should have a fleet of at least 20 aircraft. The review would be carried out only after the completion of the proposed merger of the two state-owned airlines by the end of the current financial year. The review would also include the Gulf sector, which is now being serviced from India only by Air India and the Indian as per the Government policy of allowing them to generate revenue from the money-earning routes. (18 November 2006)

Indian, Amadeus:
Amadeus is inking an agreement with Indian to make domestic flights bookable and ticketable on Amadeus in India. This facility will enable travel agents and bookers on the Amadeus system in India directly book all IC domestic flights including pure domestic bookings. Furthermore, all bookings and transactions would be in real time on the highest level of access enabling bookers to give seamless and efficient service to their clients. (17 November 2006)

Kingfisher Airlines:
Kingfisher Airlines has launched 58 new flights across 15 new routes, connecting nine important cities across the length and breadth of India. The cities between which new services have commenced are Varanasi, Pune, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Nagpur, Jammu and Hyderabad. The launch of these new routes takes the number of daily flights operated by Kingfisher Airlines to 130 flights connecting 23 destinations. The Airbus A321 is the largest passenger liner in India in domestic aviation and Kingfisher is the only airline in the country which has three brand new Airbus A321 super liners in its fleet. The fourth A321 aircraft is set to join the fleet later this week. In the month of November, Kingfisher Airlines acquired four A321 aircraft and one ATR72-500 aircraft taking the fleet size upto 22 aircraft. (17 November 2006)

Jet Airways:
The US State Department has given security clearance to Jet Airways, paving the way for India's premier private airline to begin its flights to America. The Department Of Transportation had earlier accorded clearance to Jet Airways and now only operational details have to be worked out. The airline is now set to fly on Mumbai-Brussels-New York and Mumbai-Shanghai-San Francisco routes. (17 November 2006)

Airbus:
Airbus has approached the state government to set up a MRO facility near Nagpur. The rush to invest in Nagpur was triggered by civil aviation minister Praful Patel's plan to convert the Orange City, the geographic centre of India, into an international cargo hub. As a first step, he initiated a plan to build an airport for cargo operations. It is expected that aircrafts dedicated exclusively to cargo will go up to 550 in the near future from the current 10-15.
(16 November 2006)

Domestic Air Fare:
With cost pressures and competition squeezing margins, India's domestic airlines are preparing to push up air fares from this week in a bid to wipe some red ink off their balance sheets. The hike, industry insiders said, would be in the range of three to five percent. All the domestic airlines are expected to revise their fares by 16 November 2006.
(16 November 2006)

Kingfisher Airlines:
Kingfisher Airlines has taken the delivery of four Airbus A-321s in the past three weeks out of the 43 aircrafts that it is buying from the European plane manufacturer. The first of these single-aisle aircraft was delivered in Hamburg, Germany, late last month, making Kingfisher the first customer for A-321s in India. Kingfisher is the first airline to introduce the A-321 aircraft in India. Kingfisher already flies ten Airbus A-320s and three A-319s on domestic routes and would receive 30 more of these single-aisle planes from airbus in near future.
(16 November 2006)