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Tag: air india

  • Missing aircraft found after 13 years in India

    (NewsNation) — A Boeing 737 believed to be missing has turned up in the most unremarkable of places.

    Air India admitted to finding an aircraft that disappeared from its online records in the airport parking bay at Kolkata Airport, 13 years after it was decommissioned.

    According to The Independent, Air India was disputing the fines it was receiving because it did not have a record of the plane.

    Only when Kolkata airport issued a formal request for the aircraft to be removed was it discovered that the plane was on site.

    Melodee Buzzard died of gunshot wounds; mother arrested

    Air India CEO Campbell Wilson issued a statement following the news.

    “Though disposal of an old aircraft is not unusual, this one is, for it’s an aircraft that we didn’t even know we owned until recently!” Wilson said.

    “Over time, it was lost from memory and only came to light when our friends at Kolkata airport informed us of its presence in a (very) remote parking bay and asked us to remove it! After verifying that it was indeed ours, we’ve now done so — and in so doing removed another old cobweb from our closet.”

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  • Bay Area woman indicted for allegedly assaulting Air India flight crew, SFO personnel


    A woman from Contra Costa County has been indicted on federal charges after she allegedly attacked members of a flight crew, a federal agent and a San Francisco International Airport employee on a trip from India to the Bay Area, prosecutors said.

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of California, 40-year-old Reshma Kamath of Bethel Island is accused of two counts of interfering with a flight crew, one count of assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer, and one count of interfering with security screening personnel. Kamath made her initial court appearance on Thursday.

    Prosecutors said the charges stemmed from an incident in which Kamath was a passenger on board Air India Flight 173 from Delhi, India to San Francisco on June 28 and 29 of this year. During the nonstop 15-hour flight, Kamath allegedly assaulted and intimidated two members of the crew by verbally abusing, threatening and striking them.

    Once the flight arrived in San Francisco, she allegedly attacked an airport employee with security duties. Prosecutors said Kamath also struck a U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer and resisted arrest.

    If convicted, Kamath faces a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for each count of interfering with a flight crew, eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine for assaulting, resisting or impeding a federal officer and 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for interfering with security screening personnel.

    Prosecutors said Kamath’s next court appearance is scheduled for Jan. 7, 2026.

    Tim Fang

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  • IndiGo Tops Market Share And Punctuality, FlyBig Sees Most Cancellations

    New Delhi:

    IndiGo airlines has the largest market share in the country’s civil aviation sector at 64.2 per cent, followed by Air India at 27.3 per cent, a report by the regulator DGCA said.

    However, IndiGo’s domestic market share fell in August compared to July, from  65.2 per cent to 64.2 per cent. Air India group, comprising Air India and Air India Express, saw its market share rise to 27.3 per cent from 26.2 per cent during the same period.

    The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) latest data shows the Air India group reported the highest number of cases of boarding being denied to 382 passengers in August, while SpiceJet during the same period reported it did not allow 258 passengers to board.

    IndiGo, despite its scale, reported 34 cases of boarding being denied.

    Flight delays were most often due to reactionary reasons (57 per cent), followed by air-traffic controller issues (11 per cent) and technical problems (8 per cent).

    Market Share

    Akasa Air maintained 5.4 per cent market share while SpiceJet’s share shrunk to just 2 per cent. Small carriers like FlyBig, Fly91, and Star Air remained below 1 per cent.

    FlyBig performed the worst with nearly 60 per cent flight cancellations, and the highest number of complaints from passengers, highlighting the widening gap in reliability among Indian carriers.

    Passenger Growth And Traffic Trends

    Between January and August 2025, domestic airlines carried 1,107.26 lakh passengers, marking a 4.99 per cent increase since last year. On a month-to-month basis, however, air travel in August fell slightly by 1.4 per cent compared to July.

    Passenger Complaints

    A total of 1,407 passenger complaints were filed in August, averaging 1.09 complaints per 10,000 flyers.

    IndiGo reported the lowest at 0.2 complaints per 10,000 passengers, Akasa Air 0.6, and Air India group 1.6.

    FlyBig reported the highest number of complaints at 90.9 per 10,000 passengers, followed by Alliance Air at 67.5. The main reasons were flight problems (45 per cent), refunds (19 per cent), and baggage issues (15 per cent).

    Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

    Cancellation Rate

    The overall flight cancellation rate for scheduled airlines in August stood at 1.09 per cent. IndiGo (0.51 per cent) and Akasa Air reported the lowest cancellations. FlyBig, however, cancelled a staggering 59.7 per cent of its flights, followed by IndiaOne Air (10.9 per cent). Technical issues, weather and operational reasons accounted for most cancellations.

    Premium Pricing

    Data from 20 key routes shows Air India group earned the most revenue from selling seats in the highest fare buckets (up to 8.6 per cent of seats), reflecting its premium positioning. Low-cost carriers like IndiGo reported negligible sales in this category, consistent with their business model.

    Latest and Breaking News on NDTV

    Load Factor

    Passenger load factor, which measures seat occupancy, showed sharp contrasts. Akasa Air recorded the highest load factor at 91 per cent, followed by SpiceJet at 87 per cent, and IndiGo at 84.6 per cent.

    At the other end, FlyBig (26.8 per cent) and IndiaOne Air (69.4 per cent) struggled to fill seats, pointing to demand and network challenges for regional players.

    On-Time Performance

    Bengaluru airport reported the best punctuality among metros at 93 per cent, while Mumbai trailed at 80.7 per cent. Punctuality at six major metro airports showed IndiGo leading with 90.6 per cent on-time flights, followed by Akasa Air at 87 per cent and Air India Group at 84.5 per cent.

    Alliance Air was the worst performer with just 55.2 per cent on-time performance, while SpiceJet also fared poorly at 68.2 per cent.


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  • India seeks details from Boeing after emergency system glitch on Air India jet, source says

    By Abhijith Ganapavaram

    NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India’s air safety regulator has sought more information from Boeing Co after an emergency power system was activated on an Air India 787 Dreamliner on Saturday, a government source with direct knowledge of the matter said.

    Boeing and Air India spokespersons did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

    The crew of the aircraft – which was flying from the northern Indian city of Amritsar to Birmingham, UK – detected deployment of the power system, known as the Ram Air Turbine, during the final approach, Air India said on Sunday.

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    In July, Indian investigators said the RAT had been deployed during the initial climb before the Air India Boeing 787 crash which killed 260 people the previous month.

    A preliminary report by Indian investigators showed the plane's fuel engine switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run to cutoff just after takeoff.

    (Reporting by Abhijith Ganapavaram; Editing by Aditya Kalra, Kirsten Donovan)

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  • Biden to announce a Boeing and Air India deal worth at least $34 billion | CNN Business

    Biden to announce a Boeing and Air India deal worth at least $34 billion | CNN Business



    CNN
     — 

    Air India will purchase more than 200 planes from Boeing, a White House official says President Joe Biden will announce Tuesday. It’s the third biggest sale of all time for the aircraft manufacturer.

    The agreement will include 190 Boeing 737 MAXs, 20 Boeing 787s, and 10 Boeing 777Xs – a total of 220 firm orders valued at a list price of $34 billion, the official says. The purchase will also include customer options for an additional 50 Boeing 737 MAXs and 20 Boeing 787s, totaling 290 airplanes for a total of $45.9 billion at list price.

    In a statement, Biden said the sale would “support over one million American jobs across 44 states, and many will not require a four-year college degree.”

    “This announcement also reflects the strength of the U.S.-India economic partnership,” the president wrote. “Together with Prime Minister Modi, I look forward to deepening our partnership even further as we continue to confront shared global challenges — creating a more secure and prosperous future for all of our citizens.”

    Production will support three separate U.S.-based manufacturing lines, will result in $70 billion in total economic impact across the United States and support an estimated 1.47 million direct and indirect jobs, a White House official said Tuesday.

    India has been gaining some manufacturing business as Western tensions flare with China, including major companies that traditionally rely heavily on Chinese production. Apple is one such company, with Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal saying the tech giant was already making between 5% and 7% of its products in India.

    India is set to overtake China this year to become the world’s most populous country. The country’s massive and cheap labor force, which includes workers with key technical skills, is a big draw for manufacturers. Asia’s third-largest economy also offers a growing domestic market. In 2023, as global recession fears persist, India is expected to remain the fastest growing major economy in the world.

    If it can sustain that momentum, India could become only the third country with GDP worth $10 trillion by 2035, according to the Centre for Economics and Business Research.

    Boeing’s

    (BA)     737 Max has been plagued with problems, but production and orders for the troubled aircraft has picked up, boosted by a massive order from United late last year. In June, Ethiopian Airlines took delivery of a 737 Max from Boeing for the first time since the March 2019 crash that killed all 157 people on board, and led to a 20-month grounding of the jet.

    The company has plenty of other troubles in China, the world’s largest aviation market. It has been on the verge of being virtually shut out of the region as trade tensions between the United States and China have basically halted Boeing sales in the country for the last four years. The company has not announced any sales to a Chinese passenger airline since November 2017, and the country banned the Boeing 737 Max for much longer than most countries. A Boeing 737 Max finally took off in China in January for the first time since 2019.

    Boeing has faced myriad problems in recent years, beyond the drop in demand for passenger planes that occurred during the pandemic. Delivery of the 787 Dreamliner widebody jets resumed last year after they were halted due to quality control issues.

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  • Air India, Vistara merger: Singapore Airlines explains how it’s a win-win deal

    Air India, Vistara merger: Singapore Airlines explains how it’s a win-win deal

    Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Tata Sons on Tuesday announced the merger of Air India and Vistara, which is expected to be completed by March 2024. Vistara is a joint venture between Tata Sons and SIA. The airline was established in 2013 and is India’s leading full-service carrier with international operations in the Middle East, Asia, and Europe.

    SIA holds a 49 per cent stake in Vistara, while the rest 51 per cent is with Tata. Tata wholly owns Air India, which includes the low-cost carriers Air India Express and AirAsia India.

    Tata Group acquired Air India from the government in January this year. Ever since the acquisition, there had been talks of a merger between Air India and Vistara. Today, SIA and Tata Group announced that Air India and Vistara would be merged by March 2024.

    Also read: Air India, Vistara to merge; Singapore Airlines, Tata Sons hash out the mega deal

    In a detailed note, the SIA explained what both airlines offer each other and how the merger will help the group establish India’s largest international carrier. It said that the combination of Air India and Vistara will bring significant synergies as the former has valuable slots and air traffic rights while the latter has operational capabilities and a customer base.

    “Air India has valuable slots and air traffic rights at domestic and international airports that are not available to Vistara. With Vistara widely recognised as India’s leading full-service carrier, Air India will benefit from its operational capabilities, customer base, and a strong focus on customer service and product excellence,” SIA said.

    SIA said that Air India (including Air India Express and AirAsia India) and Vistara have a total of 218 wide-bodies and narrowbody aircraft, serving 38 international and 52 domestic destinations.

    With the integration, it said, Air India will be the only Indian airline group to operate both full-service and low-cost passenger services. “It can optimise its route network and resource utilisation, be flexible and agile in capturing demand across market segments, and tap on a larger consumer base to strengthen its loyalty programme,” the SIA said.

    As part of the merger, the SIA will invest Rs 2,059 crore in Air India. Post the consolidation, it will hold 25.1 per cent shareholding in Air India.

    Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran said the merger of Vistara and Air India was an important milestone in our journey to make Air India a truly world-class airline. He said his group is transforming Air India, with the aim of providing a great customer experience, every time, for every customer.

    As part of the transformation, Air India is focusing on growing both its network and fleet, revamping its customer proposition, and enhancing safety, reliability, and on-time performance, Chandrasekaran added.

    “We are excited with the opportunity of creating a strong Air India which would offer both full-service and low-cost services across domestic and international routes. We would like to thank Singapore Airlines for their continued partnership,” he added.

    Currently, Vistara has a fleet of 53 aircraft, including 41 Airbus A320, five Airbus A321neo, five Boeing 737-800NG and two Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. The airline has flown more than 35 million customers since starting operations.

     

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  • ‘Soared joyfully from Karachi’: How JRD Tata described his first ‘Air India’ flight on this day in 1932

    ‘Soared joyfully from Karachi’: How JRD Tata described his first ‘Air India’ flight on this day in 1932

    The 15th of October is a historic day for Air India and Tata group as its former chairman JRD Tata flew India’s first commercial flight from Karachi to Mumbai on this day in 1932. An ardent aviator, JRD Tata was the longest-serving chairman of the Tata group and is regarded as the father of civil aviation in India. He piloted the inaugural flight of the then Tata Air Services from Karachi to Bombay via Ahmedabad on 15th October 1932 in a single-engine de Havilland Puss Moth, paving the path for civil aviation in India. 

    Remembering the historic day, Tata Sons’ Brand Custodian Harish Bhat on Saturday wished Air India a happy 90th birthday and shared how the former chairman described his maiden flight from Karachi. In a LinkedIn post, Bhat said: “Today is a historic day. Exactly 90 years ago, on this day (15th October 1932), India’s first commercial airmail flight took off from Karachi and landed in Mumbai. The inaugural flight was piloted by JRD Tata, and this was the start of Air India.”

    The official then shared what JRD Tata, who launched civil aviation in the country, said after landing in Mumbai.  “On an exciting October dawn in 1932, a Puss Moth and I soared joyfully from Karachi with our first precious load of (air) mail, on an inaugural flight to Bombay. We hummed to our destination at a ‘dazzling’ 100 miles an hour. I breathed a silent prayer for the success of our venture and for the safety of those who would work for it,” the former chairman said as he touched down in Mumbai. 
     
    “We shared successes and failures, the joys and heartaches, as together we built up the enterprise which was later to blossom into Air India and Air India International,” he further said as per Bhat. 

    Founded in 1932 by JRD Tata, Air India was nationalised by the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru in 1953. However, after being under the government’s control for decades during which it accumulated debt of over Rs 50,000 crore, the airline was put on sale and was sold to Tata group in January this year after the group emerged as the highest bidder. 

    After Tata won the bid for Air India, former Tata Sons chairman emeritus Ratan Tata in an emotional tweet said: “Welcome back, Air India.” “The Tata group welcomes Air India’s new customers and is excited to work together to make Air India the airline of choice in terms of passenger comfort and service,” he said.  
     

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