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Boeing celebrates delivery of Air India's first 787 Dreamliner

Boeing and Air India celebrated the delivery of the airline’s first 787 Dreamliner.

“Today is a great day for Air India as the most technologically advanced and fuel efficient airplane in the world joins our fleet,” said Rohit Nandan, Air India Chairman & Managing Director. “The 787 will allow Air India to open new routes in a dynamic marketplace and provide the best in-flight experience for our passengers.”

Air India is only the fifth airline in the world to take delivery of a 787 Dreamliner. This delivery is the first of 27 Dreamliners for Air India. The airplane is equipped with 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats. The 787 has the range and capability to allow Air India to deploy the Dreamliner on many routes including the Middle East, Europe, Asia and Australia.

“We are pleased to celebrate another historic moment in our nearly seven-decade long relationship,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “I am sure Air India and their customers will be thrilled to experience the revolutionary features on the 787, an airplane that will be the key focus of the airline’s turnaround plan.”

Air India’s first 787 Dreamliner was assembled in Everett, Wash. and delivered today from Boeing’s South Carolina delivery center. The airplane is scheduled to fly to Delhi on Friday. The 787 Dreamliner is an all-new airplane featuring a host of technologies that provide exceptional value to airlines and unparalleled levels of comfort to passengers. It is the first mid-size airplane capable of flying long-range routes, enabling airlines to open new, non-stop routes preferred by the traveling public.

Banks to decide on Kingfisher asset sale after Sept

The consortium of lenders to debt-ridden Kingfisher Airlines met to discuss the airline operations, according to reports. The meeting was being attended by senior officials of the airline, including UB Group chief financial officer Ravi Nedungadi, says report.

Various lender banks, including State Bank of India have asked Vijay Mallya, Chairman of debt-ridden carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, to make a presentation by end of this month on the airline’s plan to repay debt, reports said. Post the presentation, bankers will take a decision on selling some assets of Kingfisher Airlines.

The assets valuation of Kingfisher Airlines is still on, reports said citing SBI Deputy Managing Director R. Venkatachalam. Mallya gave guarantees worth Rs. 59bn to his airline’s lenders during the fiscal year ended Mar 31, the carrier’s annual report showed recently.

However, the Chairman did not get any commission for the same because of lenders’ opposition.
 
In Focus Stories

Boeing pegs Indian aircraft market at US$175bn

Boeing projects India’s commercial aviation fleet will grow more than 4.5 times in size over the next 20 years, according to the Boeing 2012 India Current Market Outlook released today. Over the next 20 years, Airlines in India will need 1,450 new airplanes worth $175 billion.

“India is projected to have the highest passenger traffic growth in the world ,” said Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Sales, Asia Pacific and India, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, as he shared the forecast today. “Over 60 million passengers will fly within India this year.  Over the next twenty years, the forecast passenger growth is expected to be driven by an underlying economy with long-term growth projections of twice the world average and supported by the continued economic prosperity amongst a growing segment of the large Indian population, higher discretionary incomes, business progress and easier access to airports.”

The biggest demand for airlines in India continues to be for single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and new 737 MAX. Boeing currently leads India’s wide body long-haul international fleet with the 777s and 747s.  The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will be joining the fleets of Air India and Jet Airways, furthering that leadership.  Boeing continues to believe passengers will continue to prefer more flight choices, lower fares, and direct access to a wider range of destinations and the air carriers in India will continue to offer more flights using more efficient airplanes, rather than on using significantly larger airplanes.

“The Boeing 787 Dreamliner will enter and join Air India’s fleet with a very attractive interior and a number of technological features that will significantly enhance the passenger flying experience.  The Dreamliner will help airlines such as Air India augment and expand their network as opportunities present themselves,” said Keskar.

“The 787 has the range and capability to allow Air India to deploy the Dreamliner on many routes including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and Australia. And all this will be at significantly lower operating costs.”As of today 19 Boeing 787 Dreamliners have entered service with four 4 carriers.  More airlines will be taking deliveries in the forthcoming months.  Since October 2011, the 787 has flown more than 6,000 flights and has carried over 1.5 million passengers worldwide. A recent passenger survey by a leading airline in Asia found that nine out of ten of their 787 passengers expressed very high degree of satisfaction and their overall flying experience met or exceeded expectations.

Domestic News

Kingfisher Airlines loss much higher: auditor

The auditors of Kingfisher Airlines reportedly said that the airline's actual losses for the year ended March 2012 were more than the reported Rs. 23.28bn.

BK Ramadhyani & Co, the audit firm for the company, said that loss for the year ended March should have been Rs. 34.44bn which is an increase of Rs. 1,116 crore from the reported numbers.

There are reports that the consortium of lenders to Kingfisher Airlines (KFA) will meet today in Mumbai to discuss the airline’s operations.

Consortium of lenders will also try to figure out valuations of two mortgaged properties belonging to the Vijay Mallya-promoted carrier, report says.

Air travel becomes costlier as OMCs hike ATF prices

Air travel has become costlier as Indian carriers has hiked fuel surcharge on tickets, ranging from Rs. 150 to Rs. 250 for domestic travel and $15 (Rs. 825) for a one-way international ticket, following an almost eight per cent increase in jet fuel prices, according to reports.

Reports stated that Air India introduced the increased fuel surcharge today itself, while Jet Airways and its subsidiary JetKonnect would raise from tomorrow.

Under the new regime, an increase of Rs. 150 in the surcharge would be applicable on all sectors less than 1,000 km and Rs. 250 for those beyond that distance, report says

There are reports that the domestic fuel surcharge for a distance of over 1000 km so far was Rs. 3250, which would now go up to Rs. 3500.

IndiGo launches 4 new flights connecting Mumbai

India’s largest and fastest growing airline IndiGo is further enhancing its customer experience with the launch of four new additional flights from Mumbai. Effective September 10, India’s favorite on time performer will operate its third daily and direct flight between Mumbai &  Ahmedabad and Mumbai &  Goa.
 
Additionally, 6E will also connect Ahmedabad to Chandigarh and Goa to Chandigarh via Mumbai. These new services will further consolidate IndiGo’s position as the fastest growing airline in India, with its 373 flights connecting 33 destinations across the nation.

Both corporate and leisure customers travelling from Mumbai will now have the opportunity to experience the courteous, hassle-free, on-time performance that IndiGo is synonymous with.

FAA satisfied with DGCA’s regulatory functioning

Kingfisher Air rises after report shows Mallya gave lenders guarantees

Get your Thai Visas in 24 hours in Mumbai

Expedia plans to set up R&D team in India: reports

International News

IATA calls on industry and government leaders in Central West Africa

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reinforced its commitment to African aviation and called on industry and government leaders in Central West Africa to work together to make aviation an even more integral part of African economic development and integration. Safety, regional cooperation and global standards for infrastructure funding were highlighted as key issues which must be addressed.

“African aviation supports 6.7 million high quality jobs and business activity totaling some $67.8 billion. Aviation could play an even bigger role in facilitating Africa’s growth and development. To achieve this, however, we need a team effort of government and industry focused on improving safety, adopting a coordinated policy approach and implementing global standards,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO in a keynote address to open IATA’s Aviation Days in Dakar, Senegal.

Safety
“The most pressing problem for African aviation today is safety,” said Tyler. In 2011, the continent experienced an average of one accident for every 305,000 flights using Western-built jet aircraft. This was an improvement over 2010, when the average was one accident for every 135,000 flights. But it was still nine times worse than the global average. “It should be as safe to travel by air in Africa as it is in any other part of the world,” said Tyler.

In May 2012, IATA, with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and a host of other organizations committed to an Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan aimed at addressing safety deficiencies and strengthening regulatory oversight in the region by 2015. “The goal of the Africa Strategic Improvement Action Plan is to achieve world-class safety levels across Africa by 2015,” said Tyler. The Plan was endorsed as part of the ‘Abuja Declaration’ by the Ministerial meeting on Aviation Safety and Security of the African Union in July. The next step is ratification at the Assembly of the African Union in January 2013.

Qantas and British Airways to terminate joint business

International Airlines Group’s wholly owned subsidiary British Airways and Qantas have agreed to terminate their joint business from 31 March 2013. This follows Qantas’ announcement that it is entering a new global partnership with Emirates.

The joint business was established in 1995 to enable close commercial cooperation on Qantas and British Airways services between the Australia and the UK. The airlines will continue to work together as part of the oneworld™ alliance and through bilateral codeshares.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said: “Over the past 17 years the joint business with British Airways has been central to the Qantas network.

“However, global operating conditions have changed and partnership with Emirates is the right strategy for Qantas.“I’d like to thank IAG CEO Willie Walsh and British Airways CEO Keith Williams for their support of the joint business and I look forward to a continued strong relationship in future.”

Qantas, Emirates announce global aviation partnership

Boeing signs 5-year contract with Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes, the 3D Experience Company, world leader in 3D design software, 3D Digital Mock Up and Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solutions, announced today that The Boeing Company has signed a five year contract to extend the use of Dassault Systèmes’ industry-leading applications at both Boeing Commercial Airplanes and Boeing Defense, Space & Security. 

Dassault Systèmes and Boeing’s “Working Together” partnership began over 25 years ago and has resulted in numerous breakthroughs in the development and early deployment of powerful technologies that make game-changing innovations possible.

US Airways reports August Traffic Results

US Airways Group, Inc announced August and year-to-date 2012 traffic results. The Mainline revenue passenger miles (RPMs) for the month were 5.9 bn, up 5.3 percent versus August 2011. Mainline capacity was 6.8 billion available seat miles (ASMs), up 5.3 percent versus August 2011. Mainline passenger load factor was 87.3 percent for the month of August, flat versus August 2011.

Singapore Airlines launches US$50mn In-Flight connectivity programme

Singapore Airlines is  launching In-Flight Connectivity as part of a US$50 million programme to bring Internet and mobile data services to customers, even when flying at 35,000ft.Following a recent soft launch on a limited number of aircraft, In-Flight Connectivity is today available on 14 aircrafts in the fleet, including all five Airbus A340-500s which are deployed on the world’s longest non-stop flights, between Singapore and both Newark and Los Angeles. Services have also been extended to more markets such as Australia, for which regulatory approvals had not previously been obtained.
 
Travellers can surf the Internet, send and receive emails on smartphones and other electronic devices, and send and receive SMS text messages  with GSM-compatible mobile phones.
 
Through a partnership with leading connectivity provider OnAir, the technology will be progressively rolled out across all of SIA’s long-haul Airbus A380-800, A340-500 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft over the next two years.

Etihad Airways increases stake in Virgin Australia

Singapore Airlines appoints two new independent directors

Assembly line in China completes 100th A320 Family aircraft

Demand spurs need for over 28,000 aircraft in next 20 years: Airbus

International Travel curtailed...rising costs strain Holiday Budget: TripAdvisor

Qatar Airways launches latest global sale at Midnight

Lufthansa cabin crew to strike in Frankfurt, Berlin: reports