INDIA: SpiceJet Overshoots Runway At Shirdi Airport, Taking Two And A Half Hours To Rescue Passengers.

Budget airline SpiceJet operating on the Delhi-Shirdi route, overshot the runway while landing at the Shirdi airport on Monday on April 29.

According to the airline, no harm was caused to either the passengers or the crew.

On 29 April 2019, SpiceJet B737-800 aircraft operated SG 946 from Delhi to Shirdi. While landing at Shirdi, the aircraft overshot the runway. Passengers and crew are safe and are being deplaned normally, the airline said in a statement.

After a few Indian runway incidents late last year, yet another near miss has occurred. A SpiceJet Boeing 737-800 overran the runway while landing at Shirdi airport. The incident occurred earlier today as the flight was arriving from Delhi.

There have been several close calls involving Indian aircraft during takeoff and landing during the past year.

One of these saw an aircraft land on an unfinished runway, while another resulted in a wall being struck during takeoff. Thankfully, none of these incidents have had serious consequences

The incident involved a Boeing 737 registered to SpiceJet as VT-SGJ. The aircraft was originally delivered to Air Berlin in 2005. It spent eight months serving for Blue Air in 2010, before joining the SpiceJet fleet in December 2010. As such, the aircraft is 14 years old.

The aircraft was operating flight SG-946 from Delhi to Shirdi in the South of India. Initial reports suggest that 164 people were on board the aircraft at the time.

The pilots overran the 2,500m runway by around 100 feet, resting the aircraft on soft ground.

While there were no injuries reported, both pilots have been grounded as is customary in these circumstances.

While the incident took place at 1630 local time, the aircraft’s occupants weren’t rescued until two and a half hours later.

It reportedly took two and a half hours to rescue those onboard.

Dhiren Bhosale is the airport’s director said a SpiceJet aircraft shot off the runway by about 50 meters and skidded off. There is no injury to any passenger and the crew, though. Our first priority is to evacuate passengers without compromising their safety.

This single incident is a worrying part of a much bigger problem. SpiceJet is not the only Indian airline which has been affected by takeoff or landing troubles of late.

In September of 2018, an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 landed on an unfinished runway being built at Male in the Maldives. The aircraft got caught in plastic debris on the runway.

A month earlier in August, a Jet Airways Boeing 737 attempted to take off from a taxiway in Mumbai. The aircraft came off the taxiway and got stuck.

Another incident saw an Air India Boeing 737 strike a wall during takeoff.

Interestingly, the pilots didn’t realise the extensive damage until they were warned on the ground. Other incidents have also taken place.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Hundreds Of Air India Passengers Stranded After Soft Ware Crash

Air India flights across the network since 3am (IST) on Saturday have been affected due to SITA’s passenger and baggage handling system being down.

The system resumed at 9am and along with a string of delayed flights. As a result, over 150 AI flights are likely to face delays of about two hours till 8.30pm.

Incidentally, SITA, a leading air transport IT specialist, says the snag happened during maintenance of the system and affected only Air India.

Thousands of passengers are stuck at big airports like Delhi and Mumbai as the affected system controls passenger and baggage check-in. AI is rescheduling flights to clear the backlog and flight delays of about two hours are expected.

After supervising the situation at Delhi Airport, AI chairman Ashwani Lohani said that SITA system has resumed at 8.45am. Due to this, till 10am, 85 of our flights have been delayed.

The ripple effect of the delays will be felt mainly on domestic flights till tonight. As of now, we have rescheduled 18 flights for today and cancelled some.

International flights will not face much impact barring a few like the Shanghai departure being delayed by 1.5 hours. The afternoon departures for Europe will leave with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes. It was a very major software disruption that we experienced.

AI and AI Group including AI Express and Alliance Air has 470 and 674 daily flights, respectively. AI officials rushed to airports to handle the situation as large number of passengers were stranded at high hubs.

Globally airlines experience such outages. We regret the inconvenience caused to passengers by the snag in SITA system. Some of our transit passengers like those coming from Kathmandu, Bangkok, Singapore to Delhi may miss their connections.

We have made hotel accommodations for such passengers. The change and reschedule charges have been waived for passengers affected by this major SITA outage, Lohani said.

Air India server crashed since 3.30 am. All flights cancelled. Thousands of passengers stranded at the airport. Nobody knows what is happening. Don’t go to the airport without confirming.

Air India server crashed since 3.30AM. All flights cancelled. Thousands of passengers stranded at the airport.

The snag affected functions like check-in, both at airport counters and web check-in, that delayed flights.

SITA spokesman Julius Baumann said SITA experienced a complex system issue during server maintenance early this morning, which resulted in operational disruption to Air India flights. We have now fully restored services at all airports where Air India were affected.

Our priority remains, as always, to ensure a stable system where customers can conduct business efficiently and effectively, and we are undertaking a full investigation to understand the root cause and prevent a recurrence.

We deeply regret the inconvenience this has caused to the airline and their customers owing to this disruption.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: SpiceJet To Commence New Direct Flights From Mumbai to Colombo, Dhaka, Riyadh, Hong Kong and Kathmandu

SpiceJet on Monday announced the launch of non-stop flights from Mumbai to Colombo, Dhaka, Riyadh, Hong Kong and Kathmandu.

The no-frills airline would start the services from the end of May.

In a release, the carrier said it would be the first Indian budget carrier to launch daily direct flights on the Mumbai-Colombo, Mumbai-Dhaka, Mumbai-Riyadh, Mumbai-Hong Kong and Mumbai-Kathmandu sectors.

Boeing 737 NG aircraft would be deployed in the new routes.

We are delighted to connect a large number of popular international destinations from Mumbai, a city that has always been a key and integral part of our network, SpiceJet Chairman and Managing Director Ajay Singh said.

Riyadh and Kathmandu are two upcoming international destinations for the airline.

The airline already operates flights to Colombo from Chennai and Madurai, Dhaka from Kolkata, Dubai from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Kochi, Kozhikode, Mangalore, Amritsar, Jaipur and Madurai, Hong Kong from Delhi and Jeddah from Hyderabad; besides an upcoming flight from Kozhikode, the release said.

SpiceJet is a low-cost airline headquartered in Gurgaon, India. It is the fourth largest airline in the country by number of domestic passengers carried, with a market share of 13.3% as of October 2017.

The airline operates 312 daily flights to 55 destinations, including 47 Indian and 7 international destinations from its hubs at Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Established as air taxi provider ModiLuft in 1994, the company was acquired by Indian entrepreneur Ajay Singh in 2004 and re-christened as SpiceJet.

The airline operated its first flight in May 2005. Indian media baron Kalanidhi Maran acquired a controlling stake in SpiceJet in June 2010 through Sun Group which was sold back to Ajay Singh in January 2015. The airline operates a fleet of Boeing 737 and Bombardier Dash aircraft.

The origins of SpiceJet can be tracked back to March 1984 when the company was established by Indian industrialist S. K. Modi to provide private air taxi services.

On 17 February 1993, the company was named as MG Express and entered into technical partnership with the German flag carrier Lufthansa. The airline provided passenger and cargo services under the name of Modiluft before ceasing operations in 1996.

SpiceJet is headquartered in Gurgaon, India. Ajay Singh serves as the Managing Director of the airline since January 2015.

The airline's logo consists of 15 dots arranged in three rows of five each in the order of their reducing sizes on a red background.

In June 2015, the airline unveiled its current logo with a new tagline Red. Hot. Spicy. SpiceJet names all its aircraft with the name of an Indian spice.

SpiceJet is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange

As of April 2019, SpiceJet operates 306 flights daily to 35 Indian and 6 international destinations. It operates hubs at Delhi and Hyderabad, which is the primary base for its fleet of Bombardier Q400 aircraft.

After completing five years of flying, SpiceJet was allowed to commence international flights by Directorate General of Civil Aviation on 7 September 2010.

SpiceJet launched flights from Delhi to Kathmandu and Chennai to Colombo and the first international flight took off on 7 October 2010 from Delhi.

SpiceJet operates the following aircraft:

28 - Boeing 737-800

03 - Boeing 737-700

04 - Boeing 737-900ER

13 - Boeing 737 MAX 8

22 - Bombardier Dash 8 Q400

05 - Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 NG

01 - Boeing 737-700BCF/BDSF

76 Total Operating Aircrafts

SpiceJet has pending orders for the following aircraft:

193 - Boeing 737 MAX 8

045 - Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 NG

019 - Boeing 737-700BCF/BDSF (Cargo Plane)

257 - Total Pending Orders

SpiceJet placed its first firm order for 20 Next-Generation Boeing 737-800s in March 2005, with deliveries scheduled up to 2010.

In November 2010, the airline ordered 30 Boeing 737-800s. On 9 December 2010, Bombardier Aerospace announced that SpiceJet had placed a firm order for fifteen Q400 NextGen turboprop airliners with options for another fifteen. SpiceJet used its fleet of Q400s for short-haul operations.

In March 2014, the airline signed a US$4.4 billion deal with Boeing for the procurement of 42 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

In 2015, SpiceJet was in talks with both Boeing and Airbus for a possible order of more than 100 single aisle aircraft, either Airbus A320neo or the Boeing 737 MAX with the same being confirmed by Managing Director, Ajay Singh, in a conference in Dubai.

In January 2017, the airline placed a firm order for 100 737 MAX 8 aircraft, and revealed itself as the airline behind the 13 MAX 8 aircraft previously attributed to an unidentified customer, taking its total order to 155 MAX 8 aircraft with purchase rights for 50 additional MAX 8 and wide-body aircraft.

The budget carrier plans to grow its operational fleet to 200 airplanes by the end of the decade and expand regionally with the new 737 MAX family of airplanes.

In June 2017, the airline signed a letter of intent with Bombardier at the 2017 Paris Air Show, to purchase up to 50 Q400 aircraft, catering to growth in passenger traffic arising from its participation in the Indian government's UDAN regional connectivity scheme.

It is announced to induct 16 737-800 NG in response to fulfil demands in local and international expansion. It was ordered due to the fleet of 737 max being currently banned and the downfall of Jet Airways.

SpiceJet has moved away from the typical low-cost carrier service model of economy class-only seating.

The airline offers premium services under the name SpiceMax, whereby passengers can obtain additional benefits including pre-assigned seats with extra legroom; meals on board; priority check-in and boarding; and priority baggage handling; at a higher fare.

Otherwise SpiceJet does not provide complimentary meals in any of its flights. It does sell full in-flight meals on some flights. SpiceJet does not operate any frequent-flyer programme and does not provide any in-flight entertainment options.

SpiceJet has partnered with Tripfactory for selling holiday packages on its platform.

SpiceXpress is the air cargo division of SpiceJet. The cargo airline was launched in September 2018 and commenced services on the Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi route with a Boeing 737-700.

SpiceXpress began services between Guwahati and Hong Kong on 19 January 2019 becoming the first airline to operate freight services between Northeast India and Southeast Asia.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: What Is Happening At Jet Airways

Jet Airways' pilots appealed to the State Bank of India to release funds to the tune of Rs. 1,500 crore for the airline, trade union National Aviator's Guild said on Monday.

The trade union, which has more than 1,100 pilots of the airline as its members, also asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help in saving 20,000 jobs at stake.

The SBI-led group of lenders had last month taken control of the airline and agreed to provide an immediate funding support of Rs. 1,500 crore.

Cash-strapped Jet Airways' management is meeting its group of lenders, led by the State Bank of India, on Monday. The lenders are meeting to decide whether to release crucial funds to keep the debt ridden airline flying as it teeters on the brink of collapse.

Jet Airways' employees staged a protest in Mumbai demanding that the debt-laden airline be saved from shutting down.

Meanwhile, a report suggested that SpiceJet is hiring engineers and pilots at much lower pay than their current salaries at the financially-troubled Jet.

Pilots from Jet Airways are being asked to take salary cuts of 25-30 per cent while engineers have been advised to settle at 50 per cent of their current pay package.

The SBI-led consortium is trying to find a buyer for Jet, which was until recently the country's second-biggest airline by market share.

The meeting also assumes significance as it comes amid thousands of passengers being stranded after the cancellation of international flights in the last few days.

Hundreds of staff protested in Delhi and Mumbai over the weekend demanding to be paid and calling for the company to be rescued.

The airline has only seven jets left after dozens of others were seized by creditors in recent weeks. Pilots, engineers, and ground staff who have not been paid for three months and have said they will call for a strike if the banks do not inject emergency funds.

A deadline passed on Friday for prospective bidders to express an interest in acquiring a 75 per cent stake in the carrier.
The Prime Minister's Office had last Friday convened a crisis meeting on Friday evening.

Jet Airways shares rose as much as 1.48 per cent on Monday. At 11:42 am, the Jet Airways stock traded 0.46 per cent higher at Rs. 262.05 apiece on the NSE, outperforming the broader markets which were up 0.24 per cent.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Jet Airways And Its Woes

The past six months have been difficult for Jet Airways.

In additoin to financial problems, Jet Airways has as well had ups and downs over safety and tax issues.

Jet Airways has been in the red for two consecutive quarters and is also under market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India’s (SEBI) lens.

Jet Airways issues are not particular to the airline but symptomatic of a larger malaise. The Indian aviation sector is facing economic headwinds in the form of rising global oil prices and a depreciating rupee.

Jet, for instance, had debt of Rs7,364 crore ($1.01 billion) on its books as of June.

Given its precarious financial position, the airline was reported to have even considered slashing salaries. On Sep. 19, it announced that there would not be free meals on economy class bookings done from Sept. 25.

Things have gone wrong with India’s second-largest carrier by market share in the last six months.

March 2018, Jet Airways reported a loss of Rs1,036 crore in the Jan-March quarter as revenue declines and costs increase significantly. The company defers the March salaries of some employees citing circumstances beyond its control.

April 2018,Gave up bidding for Air India citing the complex process.

May 2018, Government refused to approve Jet’s merger with its subsidiary JetLite, nearly three years after the proposal was made.

June 2018, Jet announced new check-in baggage norms. The 15kg of free check-in luggage for economy class will have to be in one bag. Business class passengers can carry 30kg in two bags.

August 2018, Considers a 25% pay cut for employees.

August 2018, Indefinitely defers announcement of financial results for the April-June quarter of financial year 2019.

August 2018, On Aug. 12, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation announces an audit to assess Jet’s financial health. State Bank of India asks the firm to provide enough collateral for emergency funding.

August 2018, On Aug. 27, the company announces losses of Rs1,323 crore for the April-June 2018 period.

September 2018, On Sep.19, the income-tax department conducts surveys in the company’s Mumbai and Delhi offices over allegations of financial misappropriation.

September 2018, On Sep. 20 about 30 passengers on a Jet Airways flight from Mumbai to Jaipur suffer nose and ear bleeding after the cabin crew forgets to activate the internal pressure control. India’s civil aviation minister Suresh Prabhu orders a safety audit of all airlines and airports.


Tourism Observer

IRAN: Air India Cockpit Window Cracks As It Lands In Iran

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has now been grounded and a relief plane, a Boeing 747, has been sent from Mumbai to ferry the passengers to Delhi.

A crack in the main cockpit window forced an Air India plane from Frankfurt to Delhi to land mid-way in Tehran this morning.

AI 120 Frankfurt-Delhi plane landed at Tehran at 6.20 AM as a precautionary measure, according to the airline spokesperson Dhananjay Kumar.

There were 249 passengers onboard the aircraft.

The main window in front of the pilot developed cracks.This happened because of malfunctioning of the internal heating system, said an airline official on the condition of anonymity.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner has now been grounded and a relief plane, a Boeing 747, has been sent from Mumbai to ferry the passengers to Delhi, Kumar said.

The plane will also carry a team of technical and engineering staff to make the repairs to the grounded aircraft.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Acquiring A Schengen Visa With An Indian Passport

A lot of Bollywood movies have created a soft spot for countries like Switzerland and France in the hearts of Indians everywhere.

It’s no wonder that you’re interested in traveling to the Schengen nations. Europe, the land of wonders, is one of the most visited continents in the world.

If you wish to visit Europe, you need to hold a Schengen visa. Learn more about how to apply for a Schengen Visa from India, Schengen Visa Application Requirements, Fees and Guidelines for Indian Passport Holders and Indian Citizens.

Of all the Schengen countries, Switzerland is the most visited by Indians, followed by France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Today, India is the fourth highest applicant for Schengen visas with 920,699 applicants in 2017. Out of these, 837,109 applicants were granted the Schengen visa, 57% of which were multiple entries visas.

The Schengen visa is a visa that is provided by the Schengen Area member countries to travelers who wish to visit any of the member states. An Indian national who holds the Schengen visa can visit any of the Schengen countries freely, without having to take additional visas.

If you wish to apply for a Schengen visa in India, you can visit one of the VFS centers in the national capital Delhi or state capitals like Bengaluru.

Before you apply for the Schengen visa from India, you must check which type of visa you need to apply for.

There are three primary visas you can apply for:

Uniform Schengen Visas – They allow the holder to visit any Schengen state for up to 90 days within 6 months of issue. The visa can be a single entry, double entry or multiple entries.

Limited Territorial Validity Visas – They allow the holder to visit particular countries only and bar the holders from entering any other Schengen country during the visit.

National Visas – They are provided to students and working professionals who have to reside in the Schengen country for study or work. This can be either single or multiple entry visas.

The first thing applicants must do to start the visa application process is to schedule an appointment with the embassy.

The appointment for the embassy can be taken online on the VFS websites or by visiting the VFS centres in person.

The visa fees will be waived for:

- Holders of diplomatic passports

- Participants of international education, sporting and research competitions who are under the age of 25

- Children below the age of 6

Indian applicants are allowed to apply for their visas at one of two embassies:

- The embassy of the country which is the point of entry, that is, the first Schengen country you will be entering and starting your tour in

- The embassy of the country where you will spend the maximum duration of your trip in

The Schengen visa process takes up to 2 weeks to complete and the embassy may take a further 10 days to contact you.

It is advisable that you apply for the visa at least 1 month before your planned trip.

Schengen Consulates In India

- Austria

- Finland

- Latvia

- Romania

- Belgium

- France

- Lithuania

- Slovakia

- Bulgaria

- Germany

- Luxembourg

- Slovenia

- Cyprus

- Greece

- Malta

- Spain

- Czech Republic

- Hungary

- Netherlands

- Sweden

- Denmark

- Ireland

- Poland

- Estonia

- Italy

- Portugal

Fill in the application form and submit the required documents

Once you’ve scheduled the appointment, you need to visit the embassy’s website or office to collect the application form.

Submit the following documents during the application process:

- Two passport size photographs of 32-36 mm height in a plain background. 70-80% of the photograph must show the full frontal image of the applicant’s head. Photos must not contain red-eyes, reflections, and shadows.

- Passport with at least 2 blank pages and copies of old visas

- Travel insurance of a minimum coverage value of €30,000

- Cover letter/sponsorship letter stating the reason for visit, the intention of stay and duration of travel

- Comprehensive flight itinerary with details about dates of travel, copies of tickets for accommodation, travel and tourist spots

- Marriage certificate, birth certificate and national identity documents like Voters ID as proof of civil status

- If employed at an organization- the employment contract, the income statement for the past 6 months, leave request and travel consent form from the employer, a copy of previous IT returns

- If self-employed- a copy of the business license and registration certificate, P&L statement for the past 6 months, a copy of IT returns and other proof of financial sufficiency

- If a student no objection certificate from school/college, proof of enrolment

- If retired, a copy of pension documents for the past 6 months

- All documents must be personally handed over to the concerned person at the embassy.

Once the embassy verifies the authenticity and validity of your documents, a face-to-face interview will be scheduled.

During the interview, the embassy official will ask you questions regarding your reason for visit, the duration of visit, places on the itinerary and so on.

He/she will also check the financing you have for the travel and will check all of your documents to see if the answers tally with the information you’ve provided during the interview.

This interview is crucial to your visa application acceptance.

You need to convince the embassy official that you intend to abide by all the laws of the host country, that you intend to return to your life in India and that you have made arrangements for everything you need at the countries you plan to visit.

Once the visa interview is over, the embassy official will take your biometrics. This biometrics will be tagged to your documentation and they act as records of identification during your travel.

About 10-15 days after the visa application process, the embassy will send your visa by post if your application has been accepted.

However, if the visa application has been rejected, the letter will contain information about the reason for rejection.

Reasons why your Schengen Visa application may be rejected

- Insufficient or wrong information on the application form

- Providing incorrect personal or professional information or withholding information in the application form may result in your visa application being rejected.

- History of criminal activity

- If you have had any criminal activity recorded against your name in public records, you may be disqualified from applying for the Schengen visa. This criminal activity can represent anything from non-payment of parking fines to large-scale financial fraud.

- False or incorrect travel documentation

- If you do not furnish the flight tickets or travel insurance to the visa office in time, it may result in rejection of the visa application.

- Lack of sponsorship letter

- A sponsorship letter is essential for anyone whose travel to a Schengen country is being sponsored by a resident or citizen of that Schengen country. The absence of the sponsorship letter may disqualify you in the eyes of the embassy.

- Non-availability of travel itinerary

- Not furnishing the detailed travel itinerary for the entire trip or providing only a half-planned itinerary can result in your application being disqualified.

- Short validity period or expiry of passport

- As per the Consular, Passport & Visa Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, a passport that is due to expire within 3 years must be renewed or the passport holder may be subject to the risk of visa application rejection.

- Lack of travel financing

All passport holders must furnish proof of steady income to the embassy when applying for the Schengen application. Failure to do so may result in your visa application being denied.

Additionally, any income that the embassy feels may not support the expenses of the Schengen country may be subject to visa application rejection.

- Forged or wrong professional and personal documentation

- Non-submission of education certificates, marriage certificates, employment certificates and proof of national identity or submission of forged documents may make the applicant vulnerable to visa application rejection.

- Inappropriate travel insurance or lack of coverage

Schengen visa applicants are required to get travel insurance of a minimum of $50,000 or €30,000 per head for their visit.

Travel insurance of lesser value or one which does not satisfy the terms and conditions of the Schengen countries the applicant is visiting may be subject to visa denial.

- No evidence of accommodation and activities

Whether it’s an Airbnb home or a hotel or a sponsored accommodation, applicants need to specify where they intend to stay during their visit and the dates of arrival and exit.

Additionally, a copy of the tickets to tourist spots must also be attached. If a sponsor is taking care of accommodation and entertainment, he/she must send across the relevant documentation and details to the embassy.

- Damage to passport

If the passport has a missing page or a tear on one of the pages or contains a mark that is not allowed to be on the passport by the Indian visa consular and the embassy, the visa application is denied on the grounds of tampering with the passport.

Tampering with the passport is a punishable offense and many countries blacklist visitors whose passports have been tampered with in any way.

Willful or involuntary non-compliance with the visa procedure requirements

Any applicant who has either by mistake or incomplete consciousness of his/her actions, disobeyed with any of the requirements of the visa application procedure will be denied the Schengen visa.

How to ensure your application for Schengen visa is accepted?

- Make sure you provide complete information about yourself, your education, your place of employment

- Make your intention to visit the Schengen country clear in the application

- Provide all the necessary documents either in original or copy, as requested

- Do not forge signatures or provide wrongful information

- Get the right travel insurance well-in-advance

- Make sure your passport is in good quality and is valid during the time of application

- Provide the sponsorship letter, when necessary

- Follow all the visa application procedures to-the-tee


Tourism Observer

NEPAL: Hi Fly To Provide Nepal Airlines Two Airbus A330-200s

Nepal Airlines Corp. (NAC) will take delivery of the first of two Airbus A330-200s in June, in order to expand its international network following the acquisition of the two wide-body planes.

Portuguese wet-lease specialist, Hi Fly, will provide both airplanes, which are currently in final assembly stage in Toulouse, France.

The two A330-200s, powered by Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, will feature a two-class cabin configuration that will seat a total of 274 passengers, respectively 18 in Business class and 256 Economy class.

Likewise, the 2-aisle cabin will have each seat equipped with RAVE Centric, the latest In-seat AVOD In-Flight Entertainment System.

According to NAC, it has signed a 12-year contract of total-care-package for the aircraft’s Rolls-Royce engines, including spare engines, if needed.

Nepal Airlines flies to eight international destinations from its main hub in Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM), including Kathmandu to Doha (Qatar), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Hong Kong, Bangkok (Thailand) and Dubai as well to Delhi, Bangalore and Mumbai (India).

Also, it operates domestic flights from its regional hubs at Biratnagar, Nepalgunj, and Pokhara.

As of January 2017, the oldest airline from Nepal manages a fleet of 12 aircraft, consisting of two Airbus A320-200s, one Boeing 757-200M, two Xian MA-60 used for regional flights, three de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, and four Harbin Y-12 only two used due to lack of pilot.


Tourism Observer

ETHIOPIA: Ethiopian Airlines Expanding Routes, Now Flying To Argentina

Ethiopian Airlines launched its inaugural trip from Addis Ababa to Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Wednesday with an all-female crew.

The flag carrier will fly five times a week between the two capitals.

The Buenos Aires route increases the airline’s destinations in the Americas to six.

Ethiopian flies to Washington, New York, and Los Angeles in the United States, Toronto in Canada, and São Paulo, Brazil.

Ethiopian flight to Buenos Aires will provide efficient connections to our network in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, including Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, Mumbai, Delhi, Dubai, Beirut, Nairobi, and Cairo, said Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

He said the airline’s expansion in terms of destinations and fleet in recent years would be instrumental in supporting Ethiopia’s rapid economic growth which is largely supported by industrialisation and tourism.

As the national carrier, we are fast expanding our global footprint, currently covering over 100 international destinations across five continents, to support the country’s growth by facilitating its access to investors and tourists,said Mr Tewolde.

Ethiopian Airlines, Africa's most profitable, has set up hubs in the continent with the latest agreement signed in January to acquire a 45 per cent stake in Zambia Airways that is set to be re-launched after more than two decades.

Ethiopian also operates Togo's Asky Airlines where it holds a 40 per cent stake, and Malawian Airlines, formerly Air Malawi, where it has a 49 per cent shareholding.

Ethiopian Airlines is seeking to set up hubs in southern Africa, Central Africa and the Horn that connect neighbouring countries leading to faster trade, investment and tourism within the continent.

We are working with Malawi and Zambia as southern Africa hubs. Another hub would be in central Africa, covering the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo Brazzaville and Chad. We are also in talks with neighbouring Djibouti, said Tewelde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

We have a successful hub in Togo, Asky Airline in which we hold a 40 per cent share, Mr Tewelde said.

Before we established Asky, the only way to travel to travel from Cote d’Ivoire to Benin was first to go to Paris and then from Paris to Benin, he added.

He made the remark in Addis Ababa on Wednesday at the launch of an Ethiopian Airlines app that enables customers to make transactions including downloading their boarding pass.

Explaining the significance of having multiple hubs in Africa, Mr Tewelde said: We are not entering a joint venture with these African countries just for the sake of making money. Addis Ababa is a very successful hub.

Out of the around 11 million passengers we transport every year, 70 per cent are not entering Addis. They are transit passengers to other African countries and the rest of the world.

We are connecting Europe with Africa, the Middle East with Africa and Asia with Africa. We want to expand this and be close to the customers.

With a very large landmass and around one billion population, Africa has a high growth opportunity. By expanding the hubs, we will be contributing significantly to intra-Africa connectivity, he said.

Although Africa is reasonably connected with the rest of the world, the continent is not well connected to itself. Internal transport within Africa has been a major challenge especially because there are no open skies.

Due to financial and managerial complications Ethiopian Airlines recently ceased negotiations with Nigerian government to take over the previously private owned Arik Airlines of Nigeria.

A few months ago Mr Tewelde announced that Ethiopian Airlines was working on getting registered as a local Airline in Mozambique.

In 2017, Ethiopian Airlines added 12 new destinations. We will be launching flights to 10 new destinations between now and June 2018, Mr Tewelde said.

Ethiopian Airlines has acquired a 45 per cent stake in Zambia Airways that is set to be re-launched after more than two decades.

Africa's most profitable airline said Tuesday it has finalised a shareholders agreement with Zambia in line with its vision of setting up multiple hubs in southern and central Africa and the Horn.

Under the pact, the Zambian government will be the majority shareholder with a 55 per cent stake.

The re-launching of Zambia Airways will enable the travelling public in Zambia and the southern African region to enjoy greater connectivity options.

Thereby facilitating the flow of investment, trade and tourism, and contributing to the socio-economic growth of the country and the region, said Mr Tewolde Gebremariam, the CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group.

In the statement, Mr Tewolde said Zambia Airways will serve national and regional destinations before embarking on international flights.

In December, Zambia's Cabinet approved the revival of the national airline at an estimated cost of $30 million.

The airline was liquidated in 1994 after running broke largely due to patronage and abuse by the political establishment.

Ethiopia Airlines runs Togo's Asky Airlines where it holds a 40 per cent stake and Malawian Airlines, formerly Air Malawi, where it has a 49 per cent shareholding.

Ethiopian Airlines almost doubled its profit for 2016, buoyed by an 18 per cent jump in passenger numbers.

The Ethiopian carrier summed up a great year for the continent’s largest and only profitable airline, with revenues of $261.9 million in 2016, from $150.9 million the previous year.

This despite the challenging operating environment caused by slower global economic growth and weaker performance of Africa’s major economies.

Its revenues increased by 8.6 per cent to $2.3 billion, a development attributed to an increase in flight frequency and opening up of new routes.

But the airline group chief executive officer Tewolde Gebremariam says that it was exposed to high currency fluctuations, leaving more than $220 million of its funds stuck in several African countries that had forex challenges.

Ethiopian booked a currency loss of $18.1 million as a result of continuous currency devaluation in many African countries and the associated problems of repatriation.

Mr Tewolde said the airline had difficulties repatriating funds in some oil-producing African countries.

Repatriating funds held up in Nigeria, Egypt, Angola and Sudan as a result of the oil price declines was a problem.

We have more than $220 million stuck in these countries. This has hit our liquidity, Mr Gebremariam said.

The airline was forced to resort to a natural hedge; making payments in the currency of sales and maintaining a higher cash reserve in the stable currencies such as US dollar, the euro and the British pound.

Due to the fluctuation of most currencies against the US dollar, as well as critical shortages of forex in some of the major markers in Africa.

We are closely working with International Air Transport Association (IATA) for possible ways of hedging of selected currency risks in major financial markets with selected banks, Mr Gebremariam said.

Data from the IATA shows that last year, 20 African governments owed African and foreign airlines $1.4 billion in stuck funds.

Nigeria, which devalued its currency twice, held the highest amount, $339 million, followed by Egypt with $310 million, then Angola with $190 million, Sudan $250 million and Algeria $125 million.

In 2016, Ethiopian Airlines saw its operating expenses increase by 6 per cent, which was lower than the rate of revenue growth.

It spent $631.9 million on fuel equivalent to 32 per cent of its total costs during the period down from $739.4 million the previous year.

Its overflying and navigation, foreign overhaul and landing charges also increased by $54.7 million to $147.4 million because of the increased operations, and exchange rate impact.

The airline saved $81.73 million through the implementation of various structural and strategic cost-saving initiatives.

Facing stiff competition from Gulf carriers, Ethiopia Airlines transported 270,000 tonnes of cargo and 7.6 million passengers in 2016, 75 per cent of whom were in transit.

Its finance costs jumped to $1.97 billion, $1.8 billion being loans from foreign lending institutions, secured on aircraft, bearing interest at rates of up to 4.84 per cent annually, and repayable in quarterly instalments.

It also owes $121.3 million in secured and unsecured loans from local and foreign lenders and development agencies, bearing interest at rates of up to 6.9 per cent annually.

The airline spent $61.6 million on landing and parking, up from $48.23 million, as a result of the new routes.



Tourism Observer

GERMANY: Lufthansa Introduces A350-900 To Africa

Lufthansa has announced that it will be introducing the A350-900 to its Munich to Cape Town route, starting in December 2018.

The aircraft is the world’s most modern and eco-friendly long haul aircraft. It uses 25 percent less kerosene, has 25 percent lower emissions and is significantly quieter during take-off than comparable aircraft models.

Dr. Andre Schulz, general manager for Lufthansa Group Southern Africa, said Cape Town has risen significantly in global rankings as a preferred destination for both leisure and business travellers.

European passengers travel increasingly to South Africa, both for leisure and business; and at the same time we see an increasing demand from locals to travel to Europe.

We are excited about introducing this world-class aircraft to our Cape Town – Munich route, in order to ensure we continue to meet our customers expectations and build on our African service offering, he said.

The A350-900 is the Lufthansa fleet’s state-of-the-art newcomer. Economy Class is particularly roomy and comfortable and features the most recent technology.

On average, the new plane consumes only 2.9 litres of kerosene per passenger per hundred kilometres, roughly one quarter of that consumed by comparable aircraft.

Rolls-Royce Trent XWB turbofan engines and optimised aerodynamics reduce its noise footprint by 30 percent, far below the regulation threshold.

Further, because the passenger cabin can be assembled at the same time as the fuselage, wings and tail plane, the A350 takes one third less time to build than other Airbus models.

Last year, Lufthansa placed orders for a total of 25 ultra-modern jet aircraft of this type. The first ten are to be based in Munich, flying to destinations like Delhi, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong, Mumbai and Boston.

Currently, seven of the ten aircraft are already operating out of Munich. Along with Cape Town, the latest routes to be added to the A350-900’s schedule include Seoul, New York, Chicago, Denver and Singapore.

The aircraft can seat 293 passengers: 48 guests in Business Class, 21 in Premium Economy, and 224 in Economy Class.

Adding the A350-900 to our fleet has been a milestone for Lufthansa, and one that makes us exceptionally proud.

We are looking forward to welcoming this aircraft to Africa, and are sure that our passengers will share in our excitement, said Dr Schulz.



Tourism Observer

UAE: Etihad Refutes Plans To Sell Jet Airways Shares

Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has rejected claims that it will sell its 24 percent stake in Jet Airways by Q3 2019, calling the Indian airline a valuable partner.

The Etihad statement comes in response to a recent report from aviation consultancy CAPA, which on Thursday also tweeted that CAPA research indicates Etihad may divest its 24 percent stake in Jet Airways, possibly by Q3 of FY2019.

This could lead to a rationalisation of capacity between India and the Gulf, particularly Abu Dhabi, CAPA added. In response, Etihad said the CAPA report was false and said the airline has no plans to divest.

Additionally, Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal said in India that the airline has no plans to sell its stake to another investor, following a September 2017 statement squashing similar rumours.

Etihad’s investment with Jet dates back to April 2013, when the Abu Dhabi-based carrier made a $379 million investment in the company.

Etihad also invested $150 million and acquired a 50 percent stake in Jet’s frequent flying programme, Jet Privilege.

Jet Airways is a major Indian international airline based in Mumbai. In October 2017, it was the second-largest airline in India after IndiGo with an 17.8% passenger market share.

It operates over 300 flights daily to 68 destinations worldwide from its main hub at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport and secondary hubs at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Chennai International Airport, Indira Gandhi International Airport, Kempegowda International Airport and Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Incorporated in April 1992 as a limited liability company, the airline began operations as an air taxi operator in 1993. It began full-fledged operations in 1995 with international flights added in 2004.

The airline went public in 2005 and in 2007, it acquired Air Sahara. It became the largest carrier by passenger market share in the country by 2010, a position it held until 2012.

Jet Airways was incorporated as a limited liability company on 1 April 1992.It started operations as an air taxi operator on 5 May 1993 with a fleet of four leased Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

The airline was granted a scheduled airline status on 14 January 1995. On 12 May 1994, all the shares were transferred to Tailwinds International, whose equity capital was held by Naresh Goyal (60%), Gulf Air (20%) and Kuwait Airways (20%).

In October 1997, as per the directive of Ministry of Civil Aviation forbidding foreign investment in passenger airlines, Goyal took control of the entire company.

The airline launched its first international flight in March 2004 from Chennai to Colombo. The company was listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and became public company on 28 December 2004, with Goyal retaining 51% ownership of the stock.


In January 2006,Jet Airways announced its intention to acquire Air Sahara for US$500 million in an all-cash deal; however, the deal fell through in June 2006.

On 12 April 2007, the deal was back on track with Jet Airways agreeing to pay 14.5 billion (US$220 million). On 16 April 2007, Air Sahara was renamed as JetLite and was marketed between a low-cost carrier and a full service airline.

JetLite became a wholly owned subsidiary of Jet Airways. In August 2008, Jet Airways announced its plans to integrate JetLite into Jet Airways.

In October 2008, Jet Airways laid off 1,900 of its employees, who were later re-instated due to intervention from the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

In October 2008, Jet Airways entered into an alliance with rival Kingfisher Airlines for code-sharing on domestic and international flights, collaboration on frequent-flyer program and sharing crew and ground handling equipment.

On 8 May 2009, Jet Airways launched another low-cost brand, Jet Konnect. It operated a fleet of Boeing 737 Next Generation and ATR 72 aircraft and operated on profitable short-haul routes with higher passenger load factors.

In the third quarter of 2010, Jet Airways became the largest airline in India with a passenger market share of 22.6%. In July 2012, the airline officially sought government approval to join Star Alliance.

Jet Airways wass not a member of Star Alliance as of 2017. In June 2011, it became the first domestic airline in India to ban meat products and liquids in check-in baggage.

Jet Airways merged the JetLite brand into Jet Konnect on 25 March 2012 and started offering business-class seats after the demise of Kingfisher Airlines.

In 2013, Etihad Airways planned to buy a stake in the airline following the government's announcement in September 2012 that foreign airlines could take a stake of up to 49% in Indian carriers.

On 24 April 2013, Jet announced that it was ready to sell a 24% stake in the airline to Etihad for US$379 million. The deal which was expected to be signed in January 2013 was postponed and was completed on 12 November 2013.

In 2013, the airline lowered prices and entered into fare war with low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet due to falling passenger demand.

In February 2013, the airline's market value dropped by 4.84 billion (US$74 million) owing to falling share prices. Jet Airways made profits in the third quarter of the financial year 2013–14, after posting losses over the previous year.

Jet Airways announced on 11 August 2014 that it would phase out Jet Konnect by the end of the year as part of plans to re-position itself as a uniform full-service operator.

On 1 December 2014, Jet Konnect was fully merged with Jet Airways, making it the third full-service airline in India besides Air India and Vistara.

In December 2015, Jet Airways announced the closure of its scissor hub at Brussels Airport by March 2016 and the opening of new hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport effective 27 March 2016.

As of February 2016, it was the second largest airline in India after IndiGo with a 21.2% passenger market share.

The airline's head office is located at Siroya Center in Andheri, Mumbai. The head office was previously located at S. M. Center, a rented six-storey building in Andheri and was moved following criticism regarding the working conditions.

Jet Airways' original livery was designed by Lowe or Lintas then. It was navy blue with light grey and chrome yellow. The top and bottom of the aircraft were painted in light grey with the flying sun logo in the navy blue background.

In 2007, a new livery was created by Landor Associates which added yellow and gold ribbons; the design retained the dark blue and gold-accented colour scheme along with the airline's flying sun logo.

A new yellow uniform was simultaneously introduced, created by Italian designer Roberto Capucci. Jet Airways introduced its new identity in conjunction with a global brand re-launch which included new aircraft and seating.

The company is listed in the Bombay Stock Exchange. 51% of the stock is owned by Naresh Goyal through his company Tailwinds International and the remaining 49% by other investors.

Jet Airways serves 65 destinations including 45 domestic and 20 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe and North America.

The airline has its primary hub at Mumbai and secondary bases at Bangalore and Delhi. In March 2004, the airline introduced its first international destination Colombo with flights connecting to Chennai.

London was the airline's first long-haul destination and was launched in 2005.

Since 2007, Jet Airways has had a scissors hub at Brussels Airport for onward transatlantic connections to North America, which was replaced by Amsterdam Schiphol Airport from 27 March 2016.

In 2008, the airline was forced to discontinue international routes because these attracted losses due to global economic downturn; it terminated services to San Francisco and Shanghai.

The airline planned to restore the Mumbai–Shanghai route by the end of 2011 but never did so. In 2012, the airline withdrew flights to New York and closed the Delhi–Milan route in 2013.

On 1 March 2016, the airline announced the integration of domestic and international operations in Mumbai airport and moved its entire operations to the newly constructed Terminal 2.

Jet Airways codeshares with the following airlines:

- Aeromexico

- Air Canada

- Air France

- Air Seychelles

- Alitalia

- All Nippon Airways

- Bangkok Airways

- China Eastern Airlines

- Delta Air Lines

- Etihad Airways

- Fiji Airways

- Garuda Indonesia

- Hong Kong Airlines

- JetStar Asia

- Kenya Airways

- KLM

- Korean Air

- Malaysia Airlines

- Qantas

- South African Airways

- United Airlines

- Vietnam Airlines

- Virgin Atlantic

According to Business Traveller, SkyTeam CEO Perry Cantarucci admits that Jet Airways is the next target to join SkyTeam, although currently Skyteam is not out recruiting new members.

Perry added that We would love to talk to Jet about becoming a Skyteam member. And they know it.

Jet Airways has ceased its Frequent Flyer Partnership arrangements with Emirates and Gulf Air starting 31st March, 2018.

This comes as another surprising termination after Jet Airways also cut ties with four Star Alliance airlines — Austrian, Lufthansa, Swiss, and Turkish in 2017.

Jet Airways Operates a mixed fleet of ATR-72, Boeing 737NG, Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 aircraft.

Jet Airways placed its first order for four Boeing 737-400 and 30 Boeing 737-800 aircraft on 11 December 1996; and the first aircraft was delivered on 12 November 1997.

It placed its second order for six Boeing 737-700 and two Boeing 737-900 aircraft on 14 June 1999 with deliveries starting in May 2001. On 5 January 2012, it inducted five ATR 72–600 series aircraft to operate on domestic regional routes.

Long-haul routes are served using its fleet of Airbus A330-200, Airbus A330-300 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The airline placed an order for 10 Boeing 777-300ER aircraft on 29 September 2005 which was delivered in 2007.Jet Airways ordered 10 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft on 29 December 2006 to operate on long-haul routes.

It placed a further order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft on 23 April 2013 as part of modernisation of its fleet of 737s.

Jet Airways has three classes of service: First, Premiere (Business) and Economy.

First class is available only in Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. The first class offers private suites; it features seats convertible to a fully flat bed, personal LCD TVs and in-seat power supply.

Premiere class available on long-haul international flights operated by Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300ER aircraft features recliner seats, fully flat beds with personal LCD TVs and in-seat power.

Premiere class in domestic flights offers recliner seats with larger leg room in 2-2 configuration.

Economy class on long-haul aircraft has a 32 inches (810 mm) seat pitch with a footrest and the cabin is configured in 2-4-2 on the Airbus A330-200 and 3-4-3 on the Boeing 777-300ER.

Economy seats on the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 have a personal 10.6 inches (270 mm) touchscreen LCD TV. Domestic flights operated by Boeing 737 aircraft have Premiere and Economy classes and the ATR 72–500 have an all-economy class configuration.

Economy class on Boeing 737 have a 30 inches (760 mm) seat pitch with personal LCD behind each seat. Being a Full Service Airline, meals are served on all classes of travel.

Jet Airways has a Panasonic eFX flight entertainment system on board the Boeing 737 aircraft and Panasonic eX2 entertainment system on board the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 aircraft.

The system, known as JetScreen, offers on-demand programming and operates via an individual touchscreen monitor on each seat.

In 2012, the airline introduced a feature called eXport on their Airbus A330s, which allows passengers to plug-in their personal Apple devices.

In February 2016, Jet Airways announced the introduction of an in-flight entertainment service for streaming of entertainment content directly to Wi-Fi enabled personal devices of the passengers.

JetPrivilege is the airline's Frequent-flyer program. A member can earn JPMiles during travel which can be redeemed during future bookings.

JetPrivilege offers five classes namely: Blue, Blue plus, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Gold and Platinum members get access to Jet Airways' lounges and can avail additional benefits such as priority check-in, extra baggage allowance and priority baggage handling.

Jet Airways offers lounge service to First and Premiere class passengers, along with JetPrivilege Platinum and Gold members.

Premier lounges are available at Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata and Mumbai in India and all international destinations.

Awards and recognition

- Best Airline - India' in the TripAdvisor's first annual Travellers' Choice awards for airlines, April 2017.

- Best Cargo Airline 2016, Air Cargo awards.

- Program of the Year 2008, Freddie Award.

- Best Domestic Full Service Airline 2008, Galileo Express TravelWorld Award.

- Best Airline Award 2007, Genius of the Web Award.

- Best Overall In-flight Entertainment 2007, AVION World Airline Entertainment Award.

- Best Domestic Airline 2005, TTG Travel Asia Award.

- Most Respected Company 2004, Business World Award.

- World Market Development Award 2001, Air Transport World Market Development Award.

Accidents and incidents

1 July 2007: Jet Airways Flight 3307, an ATR 72-212A (registered VT-JCE), flying on the Bhopal-Indore route was involved in an accident caused by bad weather.

There were no fatalities amongst the 45 passengers and four crew but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair and written off.

3 March 2016: Jet Airways Flight 354, a Boeing 737-900 (registered VT- JGD) flying on the New Delhi-Mumbai route, had a main landing gear collapse while landing at Mumbai.

This lead to a shut down of the main runway and traffic being shifted to secondary runway. Out of 127 passengers, no injuries were reported.

27 December 2016: Jet Airways flight 2374, a Boeing 737-85R (registered VT-JBG) on route to Mumbai from Goa skidded off the runway while preparing for takeoff.

15 of the 161 passengers and crew on board suffered injuries during evacuation.

22 January 2017: 168 people on board a Jet Airways flight operated by a Boeing 737–838 (registered VT-JTD) from Mumbai had a narrow escape after the tail of the aircraft hit the runway on landing at the Dhaka International airport, prompting the airline to remove the pilots from duty.

Jet Airways was expected to begin service to Newark via Brussels in June 2005. In March 2005, the airline submitted an application to the United States Department of Transportation.

The application was opposed by Nancy Heckerman, CEO of a US registered company Jet Airways Inc., based in Bethesda, Maryland, alleging trademark infringement and connections to terrorist outfit Al Qaeda. Jet Airways rebuffed the claims.

Asmin Tariq, a contractor working for the airline as a security agent at Heathrow airport was implicated in the foiled terror plot on 10 August 2006 to blow up several transatlantic airliners belonging to three different US airlines.

Subsequently, the Governments of UK and Singapore inquired security-related information from the Ministry of External Affairs on Jet Airways; clearance was further delayed to fly to the US.

The US State Department gave the go-ahead for the airline to fly to the US on 15 November 2006.

In August 2014, two pilots of Jet Airways were suspended after a plane carrying 280 passengers dropped 5,000 feet (1,500 m) mid-air en route from Mumbai to Brussels.

On 2 December 2016, Jet Airways flight 9W7083 from Bhopal to Mumbai was held up by a large group of passengers headed for a marriage in Mumbai.

There were allegations from other passengers that the wedding party was politically connected and attempted to coerce the cabin crew to disembark passengers, so that additional members of their party could be accommodated.

The airline claimed it was a technical glitch in their booking system which led to overbooking.

One Supreme Court lawyer alleged that his elderly mother was harassed by members of staff and she collapsed and suffered a laceration on her chin.

Among others, a member of staff in-charge at the airport was reported to have told him to go do whatever he could.

In 2016, the airline was implicated in the Gupta family controversy in South Africa when it was alleged by former African National Congress MP Vytjie Mentor that members of the business family had offered her the position of Minister of Public Enterprises.

This was allegedly on behalf of former President Jacob Zuma, if she agreed to arrange for South African Airways to drop their India route so that Jet Airways could acquire it instead.



Tourism Observer

INDIA: Gujarat Targets Young Travellers

Gujarat is eyeing over six crore tourist footfalls in the state by 2020 on the back of promotions and is mainly targeting the youth looking at short vacations.

The western state is looking at a whole range of tourist activities to achieve the ambitious target.

Last year, we received 4.2 crore tourists in Gujarat.

We have set a target of six crore footfalls by 2020 for which we are promoting our festivals and developing new destinations.

Our main focus segment is the young people with spending power who go for short vacations, Jenu Devan, MD of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat said.

He said for the youth Gujarat offers a host of attractions, including adventure, eco, beach, festivals, heritage and border tourism.

Foreign tourists comprises only 2 per cent of the overall visitor footfalls in Gujarat, he said.

Gujarat is getting marketed on the international platform, including Italy, east Europe, Japan and South Korea among others.

An increase in the inbound tourist footfalls to 5 per cent by end of 2020,the state will continue to strengthen its top source markets, the US and the UK.

Gujarat has attracted over Rs 9,000-crore investments for 220 tourism-related projects, the official said.

Gujarat received investment commitments of over Rs 9,000 crore for developing and creating infrastructure for 220 projects for the period 2015-2020.

The government spends Rs 200 core every year for promotion and branding of Gujarat tourism at various domestic and global platforms, Devan said.

Devan said Gujarat tourism is targeting metro cities like Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad besides tier II places like Pune and Indore, where there is a high level of young working population with good spending power.

Devan said they are looking at a mix of tier I and II cities, which have a good young population with spending power.

Devan also said Gujarat is developing two new circuits heritage and Buddhist to add to the existing offers for holiday-makers.

To attract travellers to visit Gujarat again and again,they keep developing new tourism products. Thy are developing two new circuits - heritage and Buddhist circuits.

Besides they are also mulling over creating several other circuits like Jain, Sufi and tribal, Devan added.

The state is also bullish on medical tourism and Bollywood, for which the tourism department will facilitate support in terms of incentives, including single clearance window and transport, among others, Devan said.​



Tourism Observer

UAE: Jet Airways Linesup A330 For Qatar And Delhi Flights

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will expand its connectivity between Qatar and India by introducing its wide-body A330-200 between Doha and Delhi to cater to the growing demand on this important sector. A330 operations to Mumbai are on since November, 2016.

The wide-body jetliner with a two-cabin configuration of 18 seats in Premiere and 236 in Economy began flying between Doha and Delhi yesterday. Aside from increasing capacity on the popular route, the spacious cabin will allow guests to travel in greater comfort.

Onboard the A330, guests will get a taste of Jet Airways’ award winning in-flight experience, enhanced cabin comfort, and, for Premiere guests, a chance to stretch out in comfort in the famed ‘Bed in the Clouds’.

Set in a unique herringbone layout, each of the 18 seats in the Premiere cabin electronically open out to a 180-degree flat bed with lumbar support and massage systems. Every Première seat is an aisle seat which offers guests privacy and comfort to work and rest.

The Jet Airways Economy cabin on board the Airbus A330 is fitted with ergonomically-designed seating for a comfortable and relaxing journey in a spacious cabin.

The fine-dining experience on board Jet Airways’ international services includes delectable Indian and international meal options along with a carefully selected list of fine wines and spirits.

Every seat on the A330 offers a wide choice of on-demand video and audio entertainment options including Bollywood and Hollywood films, television shows and a selection of music channels featuring a wide range of Indian and world music genres.

Shakir Kantawala, VP Gulf, Middle East & Africa, Jet Airways, said, “It is our constant endeavour to create a consistent, unmatched travel experience for our guests.

Deploying the A330 gives us an opportunity to combine on-board luxury with our signature Indian hospitality to create an exceptional value proposition for our guests.

Jet Airways is a preferred brand in the highly competitive Indo-Gulf market and offers unparalleled service and quality to guests. We are confident that introducing the A330 will help us establish ourselves as the airline of choice on the route.”

Deploying a wide bodied A330 will facilitate a higher number of guests from Doha to connect seamlessly onto Jet Airways’ extensive domestic network and beyond to international destinations from the airline’s hubs in Delhi and Mumbai.

The A330 service will depart Doha as flight 9W 553, at 23:00 hrs (local time) and arrive at Delhi at 05:15 hrs (IST). On the return leg, the flight 9W 554 will depart Delhi at 20:05 hrs (IST) and arrive at Doha at 21:30 hrs (LT).

Jet Airways currently operates daily flights from Doha to Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram.

INDIA: KLM And Jet Airways To Partner In Flight And Cargo Business

KLM- a part of one of the largest airlines in Europe, is looking to increase its presence in India as it plans to launch a new flight to Mumbai and enhance cargo co-operation within the country.

At present, the airlines, which is a part of the Air France-KLM group, however, operated in a limited capacity and faces intense competition from airlines based in Europe and the Gulf.

We hear KLM plans to resume Amsterdam-Mumbai service after nearly twenty years. Can you share details?

We are seriously considering launching a flight to Mumbai but it is not confirmed yet. There has been an enormous growth of business and relations between India and Netherlands. We have moved from having no connection between Amsterdam-Mumbai to a daily service by Jet Airways.

Moreover, the Airbus A330 aircraft, which had a capacity to accommodate 254-293 passengers, was upgraded to a Boeing 777 aircraft with 346 seats in six months' time.


How are your relations with Jet Airways shaping up? Does the partnership with Jet Airways allow you to bridge the gap with Lufthansa, which is largest European airline group in India?

Our strategy is to have a strong local partner in a country where we operate. Until now, the Air France-KLM group had three destinations in India including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. With Jet Airways launching flights between Paris and Chennai in winter, we will have a fourth destination and Bengaluru will be connected to both Paris and Amsterdam.

Together with Jet Airways, we will have 61 flights to Amsterdam and Paris during the winter season, thereby stepping up our presence in the market. That also makes us the second largest airline group after Lufthansa, which has 67 weekly flights, and we are catching up to become the first.

Our strategy is to connect the networks and passengers from tier II towns in India can travel to tier II towns in the US via Amsterdam. This is a win-win situation for the Air France-KLM group as well as the Jet Airways.

Is Air France-KLM expanding co-operation with Jet Airways to other areas such as cargo and aircraft maintenance?

We are exploring a partnership with Jet in cargo. We think we have a good opportunity with increasing trade between India and Europe. A Boeing 777 aircraft has 15-17 tonnes of cargo capacity and we are exploring an opportunities involving, cross selling, sharing of aircraft belly space and cargo handling with Jet.

We do have some co-operation on engineering but it is relatively on a small scale and there could be an opportunity to further it.

Last year Jet Airways signed an MOU to enter into a commercial joint venture pact with Air France-KLM. What is the status of the proposed JV.

We have put a lot of efforts to ensure daily operations work well. It is important for our customers to have a seamless connection and a smooth transfer at hubs. The way we conduct financial settlements among airlines is not relevant for customers. For customers, it is relevant that they have good products and a seamless service.

A JV is always a point on the horizon and at some point, it could happen. But if we look at the most successful and enhanced partnership like the one we have with Delta Airlines, it took us years for us to come to that point. Personally, I prefer to make sure everything is good for customers first and then take steps on financial settlements and JVs.

How is your relation with Etihad and other Gulf airlines? Do you see them as partners or adversaries?

We do have co-operation with Etihad. We do have code shares between our hub and Abu Dhabi. We have partnership with Etihad and we are competing with Qatar Airways and Emirates.

Airlines are now looking for partners outside their alliances. Is that going to be a new trend?

If you look at our code-sharing agreements, we have such pacts with Delta, China Southern, China Eastern, Kenya Airways (all Sky Team members). Our partnerships are with the core members of the Sky Team. There are a few exceptions and every airline has a few exceptions. I would not put it as a new trend.

INDIA: Jet Airways Strengthens Connectivity With 42 New Weekly Flights

Jet Airways, India’s full-service premier international airline, will add 42 weekly flights connecting three new city pairs as part of strengthening its domestic network to meet growing demand between metros and emerging cities. Introduction of additional frequencies and wide-body deployments between key metros will also boost capacity on existing sectors this summer as the airline bolsters its already extensive network to meet an expected surge in demand during the holiday season.

The carrier will commence operations between Nagpur and New Delhi, Lucknow and Kolkata, and Kozhikode and Bengaluru as part of its broader strategy of connecting India’s emerging / Tier II cities with India’s metros via direct flights.

It will also introduce additional frequencies on the highly traveled Delhi – Amritsar and Mumbai – Kolkata sectors and boost capacity on the New Delhi – Bengaluru and New Delhi – Bhopal routes with the introduction of the wide-body Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 services, respectively.

The changes are a part of Jet Airways’ summer schedule which will see the airline operate upto 650 flights per day connecting 65 destinations in India and abroad.

Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, "Our summer schedule has been meticulously planned to meet the expected surge in demand over the holidays. New flights, additional frequencies, greater capacity including the introduction of wide-body services across more sectors are meant to offer our discerning guests greater choice, convenience, connectivity and added comfort. We invite our guests to experience the Joy Of Flying Jet Airways this summer and wish them happy holidays."
New Flights:

As a network carrier, Jet Airways is the first in India to introduce direct services that link upcoming cities in India and key metro links that further connect travellers with its key gateways in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru. In line with that strategy, the airline will introduce a direct flight connecting Nagpur, the ‘Orange City’ and emerging metropolis of Maharashtra, to the capital, New Delhi. Similarly, the airline will also connect Lucknow, the ‘City of Nawabs’ with Kolkata, the third largest metropolis of India, and Kozhikode with Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India. The new services will commence operations effective May 01, 2017.

Jet Airways flight 9W 7065 will depart New Delhi at 0745 hrs, arriving in Nagpur at 0930 hrs. On the return leg, Jet Airways flight 9W 7062 will depart Nagpur at 1020 hrs and arrive in Delhi at 1205 hrs.

Similarly, Jet Airways’ flight 9W 772 will depart Lucknow at 0705 hrs and arrive in Kolkata at 0835 hrs. The return leg, Jet Airways 9W 771, will depart Kolkata at 1450 hrs. and land at Lucknow at 1630 hrs. On the Bengaluru - Kozhikode sector, 9W 2371 from Bengaluru will depart at 1315 hrs. to reach Kozhikode at 1430 hrs. On its return, flight 9W 2372 will leave Kozhikode at 1455 hrs. to reach Bengaluru at 1605 hrs.
Frequency Addition:

Jet Airways has also introduced additional flights on existing sectors as part of its approach of the airline’s strategy of offering its guests additional choice and flexibility via a range of convenient options.

The airline introduces a fourth daily frequency between Amritsar and New Delhi in response to growing demand from guests. Jet Airways flight 9W 2793 will depart New Delhi at 1940 hrs. and arrive in Amritsar at 2110 hrs. On the return leg, Jet Airways 9W 2794 will depart Amritsar at 2135 hrs. and arrive in New Delhi at 2305 hrs. The delayed departure from Amritsar will be especially helpful for tourists and leisure travellers who wish to connect onwards to other destinations including international ones, from New Delhi.

Additionally, Jet Airways introduces an eighth frequency between Mumbai and Kolkata, bolstering East-West connectivity and providing guests with seamless connections to Western India via its Mumbai gateway. Jet Airways 9W 621 will depart from Mumbai at 2035 hrs. and arrive into Kolkata at 2320 hrs. On the return journey, Jet Airways 9W 622 will depart Kolkata at 0145 hrs. and arrive in Mumbai at 0435 hrs. allowing guests from Kolkata an early start to their day by enabling them to connect onwards via the airline’s early morning connections to Goa, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Mangalore and Kerala.

The summer season will also see Jet Airways becoming the only Indian airline to connect Aizawl to Mumbai via Kolkata allowing the capital of Mizoram to be easily connected with the country’s financial capital.

This is in addition to Aizawl’s current connectivity to Delhi via Guwahati.

Capacity Expansion:

Jet Airways’ continues to expand the rollout of its wide-body services on domestic routes connecting key metros.

The A330 service, which doubles the airline’s carrying capacity on a route also comes with added comfort allowing guests to enjoy its spacious cabin, lie-flat beds in Premiere and ergonomically designed seats in Economy, offering guests a more meaningful, relaxed and comfortable flying experience.

Jet Airways will deploy an Airbus A330 on the New Delhi – Bengaluru sector via flight 9W 807 leaving New Delhi at 0705 Hrs. and arriving into Bengaluru at 0950 hrs. On its return 9W 820 will depart from Bengaluru at 1105 Hrs., reaching New Delhi at 1340 Hrs.

With this new service, the airline now connects four major metros with domestic wide body services. The new flight will complement Jet Airways’ current wide body daily services between Delhi – Mumbai, Delhi – Chennai, Mumbai – Bengaluru and Mumbai – Chennai, which have received overwhelming response from the guests.

Additionally, the airline is also upgrading its new evening service between Bhopal and New Delhi to a Boeing 737, complementing the morning service that exists between the two cities.

Jet Airways is India’s premier international airline which operates flights to 65 destinations, including India and overseas. Jet Airways’ robust domestic India network spans the length and breadth of the country covering metro cities, state capitals and emerging destinations.

Beyond India, Jet Airways operates flights to key international destinations in South East Asia, South Asia, Middle East, Europe and North America. The Jet Airways Group currently operates a fleet of 112 aircraft, comprising Boeing 777-300 ERs, Airbus A330-200/300, Next Generation Boeing 737s and ATR 72-500/600s.

Jet Airways, together with airberlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, Alitalia, Etihad Airways, Etihad Regional operated by Darwin Airline, and NIKI, participates in Etihad Airways Partners. Etihad Airways is part of the Etihad Aviation Group, which also holds minority investments in each of these airlines.

CANADA: Canada Expects More Tourists From India

Canada's tourism board is expecting double-digit growth in tourist arrivals from India in 2017 with the introduction of a new non-stop flight between Mumbai and Toronto.

The number of Indians visiting Canada for leisure and business has doubled in the last six years. Canada received 215,664 Indian visitors in 2016, a rise of 13.2 per cent over the previous year.

“We are anticipating double-digit growth this year with the launch of the Air Canada service to Mumbai from July,” said Sanjeet, India representative of Destination Canada. Apart from new flights, tourism is also being driven by meetings and incentive tour segments and self-drive holidays.

The Canadian government has stepped up efforts to attract more visitors in 2017, the 150th anniversary of its foundation.

Canada's minister for small business and tourism, Bardish Chagger, met travel agents in Delhi and Mumbai over Wednesday and Thursday seeking more visitors and to get feedback from Indian trade partners. “Come visit us, we have a lot to offer,” she said.

Chagger is among four ministers of Indian origin in Canada's federal government and the seventh minister from the country to visit India in the last eight months. This was her maiden visit to India after assuming office in 2015.

Chagger was apprised of visa delays that could result in slowing down tourist movement from India. Sources said Canadian visa processing was taking 30-45 days now. Sanjeet said the visa issue was being addressed by the Canadian government.

“The High Commission in Delhi is handling around 1,000 applications daily and has introduced electronic visa applications. This is expected to reduce processing time,” he said.

Canada welcomes immigrants and refugees

At a time when the US government is planning to reduce the number of foreigners, the Canadian government says it will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees. Bardish Chagger, the Canadian minister for small business and tourism who is of Indian origin, tells Sahil Makkar in an interview that there are a lot of opportunities for Indian businesses in Canada.

Excerpts:

What brings you to India?

As a minister of for small business and tourism, I would like to ensure the Indian community knows Canada as a travel destination and our businesses grow together. Both countries have vision, we need our small businesses to grow to innovation and trade. We need to open up export markets. We are looking at high-impact, high-growth firms. We know that small businesses are job creators in Canada. Around 9 per cent are small businesses and it is very similar here in India.

Another area where we focusing is under-represented groups such as women entrepreneurship. It is interesting that in India 14 per cent businesses are majority owned by women and the number for Canada is 15.75 per cent.

How many small scale companies want to set up businesses in India?

There are now over 1,000 Canadian companies doing business in or with India, and some 690 Canadian companies and educational institutions have a physical presence here. On the other hand, nearly 100 Indian companies are invested in Canada. Our trade continues to grow in the double digits. This year is the 150th birthday of Canada, so the Canadian High Commissioner in India is taking 150 Indian companies to Canada.

How are you promoting tourism in India?

Over 280,000 Canadians visited India in 2015. Last year, Canada welcomed over 215,000 travellers from India. This represented an increase of 13 per cent over 2015 arrivals. We also want to target the business community and people who are coming in for conferences and conventions so that they not only come for business but also for leisure. On Canada Day (July 1) there will be a new direct flight offered by Air Canada between Toronto and Mumbai. This will be the third direct flight.

How is Canada addressing the concerns of the Indian government of the “radicalized Sikh” diaspora living in Canada?

We work closely with the Indian government. We take action when we receive information about Canadian citizens breaking Canadian laws. We discuss this with the Indian government frequently. There have been a number of high-profile visits to Canada on this issue.

We often hear of racist attacks against Indians in other countries. What is the situation in Canada?

It does not matter what country we live in, the reality is there are those kinds of challenges everywhere. I had a great conversation with people working here in the High Commission. Each of us has a role to play to ensure that we are not part of the problem but are a part of the solution. We have to provide more information so that people concerns are addressed. There have been no recent reports of attacks on Canadians of Indian origin in Canada. We have laws in place to ensure all Canadians are protected against discrimination and violence.

The US government is planning to reduce the number of H1-B visas. Do you see in this an opportunity to open doors for Indian IT firms?

Canada is a country of immigrants. There are ample opportunities. Therefore, we welcome people to visit, study and work in Canada. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has made it clear that we will continue to welcome immigrants and refugees because diversity is our strength.

Is there a rise in the number of Indian students travelling to Canada?

The number is rising every year. It is encouraging. Canadian schools are not only world-class institutions, but we also offer incentives to make them a more attractive place of study. We have a population of 1.2 million Canadians of Indian origin and this makes it more attractive for Indian students.

The visit of the Canadian prime minister has been on cards, when can we expect him here?

We are working on dates. The PM is taking a whole government approach. There is no one minister who is working on his own. All ministers work together. We all share suggestions and comments. The PM has empowered all ministers to take a leadership role.

INDIA: Air India, IndiGo Cancel Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad's Ticket

Moments after Shiv Sena MP from Osmanabad Ravindra Gaikwad refused to apologise for thrashing an Air India staff, the airline cancelled his return ticket from Delhi to Pune.

Shiv Sena Member of Parliament, Ravindra Gaikwad, in the news for slapping an Air India employee with his slippers, may be permanently barred from flying on the country's national carrier.

The Osmanabad MP has refused to apologise for his behaviour. According to latest reports, Air India has cancelled Gaikwad's return ticket from Delhi to Pune.

Following this, IndiGo too canceled Gaikwad's ticket.

The MP was booked on a 5pm flight, but the airline, which along with other private carriers has barred Gaikwad from flying with them, had cancelled the ticket.

The Federation of Indian Airlines, an industry body representing India's scheduled airline carriers, has blacklisted Gaikwad.

The FIA counts Jet Airways, IndiGo, Go Air, SpiceJet and JetLite as its members.

"Air India and FIA member airlines have decided to ban this Member of Parliament from flying on all our flights with immediate effect," FIA Director Ujjwal Dey, said in a statement.

Air India, meanwhile, has been mulling establishing a no-fly list of passengers with a history of bad behaviour while flying on the airline.

Once implemented, Gaikwad, who has remained defiant about the incident while admitting to assaulting the AI employee, would be on the list.

IndiGo and SpiceJet, meanwhile, have lent support to the idea of forming a nationwide no-fly list. "SpiceJet supports a no-fly list to bar unruly flyers who are a safety hazard for not just the crew but even the traveling public.

The government needs to act on this soon," SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh said.

"In the interest of the safety and security of our colleagues and other customers we also propose the promulgation of a "no fly" list which shall include the names of all unruly passengers," Dey said in the FIA statement.

Gaikwad, in an interview remained unapologetic about the incident, saying he is not in the wrong. "I do not regret (beating up the employee) and I will not apologise," Gaikwad said.

He went on to dare Air India to blacklist from flying on the airline, adding that if AI employees misbehaved with him again in the future, he will repeat his actions.

The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, has asked Gaikwad to explain his actions.

The incident took place Thursday at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International airport on Air India flight AI 852 after it reached the national capital from Pune.

Gaikwad got into an argument with the flight's staff over not being given a business class seat, despite having a ticket for the same.

The MP refused to leave the aircraft, which was on the tarmac and which had to leave for Goa, until senior airline officials met him.

Finally, after intervention from the ground staff, Gaikwad agreed to deboard the plane. He, however, got into an argument 61-year-old Surendra Kundu, an Air India customer services officer, at the arrival gate.

On being told by Kundu that Gaikwad, being an elected representative, should not behave in this manner, the MP got agitated and started slapping Kundu with his slippers.

Later in the day, when questioned by the media, the unrepentant Gaikwad boasted about how he knows how to 'fix' people's ego and said that he had hit Kundu not once, but "25 times".

Meanwhile, a new video has surfaced showing Gaikwad scolding DSP of Osmnabad, the MP's constituency, over a case involving missing Shiv Sena workers.

The MP can be heard shouting at the DSP, Chandrakant Khandvi, in Marathi, asking him to explain why the case is unsolved and questioning the need for a written complaint.

The video depicts events from March 21, just two days before Gaikwad got into the scuffle with the AI

INDIA: MP Hits Air India Flight Attendant 25 Times On Pune To Delhi Flight

Shiv Sena MP admitted to beating an Air India flight attendant with a slipper following an argument over being moved to economy from business class.

"He was arrogant," Ravindra Gaikwad later said, expressing no regret. "I hit him 25 times with my sandal."

The incident took place on Thursday morning after the Air India flight from Pune landed in Delhi at around 10.30am.

Gaikwad refused to get off the plane as he was forced to travel economy despite carrying a business class ticket and did not accept the airline's explanation that there were only economy seats on the flight.

Gaikwad claimed an airline employee tried to make him exit the plane and told him not to give him "BP" (blood pressure).

"I said I am an MP, don't raise your voice. He said 'what MP? I will talk to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi', so I hit him. I am not here to take abuse,I am not from the BJP," the MP said.

The Air India steward has alleged that he was "humiliated in front of the entire crew and his spectacles were broken".

The Shiv Sena has sought an explanation from the MP on the issue. "The Sena does not condone violence of any kind," Harshal Pradhan, media adviser to Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

His high-handedness drew flak online including from a leader of ally BJP.

"Elected representatives need to respect people who are doing their job, irrespective of whether the Air India man was rude," said Shaina NC, BJP leader Shaina NC.

Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Thursday said that no political party will encourage such an act.

"It is a question of human behaviour. Any citizen hitting an airline staffer doesn't make any sense. If there is anything, it can always be taken up. No citizen will behave like this," Raju told said.

A Shiv Sena parliamentarian has been named in two FIRs or police complaints by Air India after he thrashed a 60-year-old airline employee with his slipper during an argument over a business class seat this morning. An unrepentant Ravindra Gaikwad bragged, "I hit him 25 times with my sandal."

The national carrier has decided to prepare a "no-fly" list of unruly passengers, say sources.

When Mr Gaikwad's flight from Pune landed in Delhi around 10.30 am, he refused to get off the plane for nearly an hour.

The lawmaker was reportedly upset about travelling economy when he has an open business class ticket that he is entitled to as a member of Parliament.

The morning flight he took was all-economy, but that failed to mollify him.

As he refused to budge or let the staff prepare the plane for its next flight, Customer Relations Manager Shiv kumar was called in. "I told him you are a senior person and asked him to sit down and BP mat badao (control your blood pressure). I said I am an MP, don't raise your voice. He said 'what MP? I will talk to (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi', so I hit him. I am not here to take abuse...I am not from the BJP," the lawmaker shrugged.

Mr Shivkumar has alleged that he was "humiliated in front of the entire crew, his shirt was torn and spectacle broken" by the MP.

The airline has filed complaints accusing Mr Gaikwad of assaulting its staff as well as delaying the next flight.

Mr Gaikwad, 57, is a first-time lawmaker from Maharashtra and no stranger to controversy. In 2014, he was among a group of Sena members who tried to force-feed a Muslim employee of Maharashtra Sadan during Ramzan, complaining about bad food.

The MP has been skewered on social media and by various parties including ally BJP.

"Elected representatives need to respect people who are doing their job, irrespective of whether the Air India man was rude," said BJP leader Shaina NC.