INDIA: SpiceJet Luring Jet Airways Pilots And Engineers At Lower Pays

Low-cost carrier and top rival SpiceJet appears to be benefiting from the crisis at Jet Airways.

Spicejet is now hiring engineers and pilots at much lower pay than their current salaries at the financialy-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.

Not long ago, many airlines including SpiceJet were luring the same pilots and engineers with joining bonuses and better perks.

The prospect of closure is certainly one of the reasons for professionals agreeing to take salary cuts. But average salaries at Jet Airways have also been higher than the industry level, a top aviation source said.

A senior aircraft maintenance engineer who has applied to SpiceJet and Air India Express for a job said that he has got an offer in the range of 150,000 to 200,000 a month while his current cost to company (CTC) at Jet Airways is nearly 400,000 a month.

The offer is much lower. It will certainly be a forced choice. We are hoping that some investor would take over Jet and our salaries will remain protected, he said.

A SpiceJet executive said that the budget carrier was offering salaries based on their own structure and not the highly inflated one paid by Jet Airways.

Pilots with 4-5 years of experience are going to other airlines as they are feeling the pinch of salary delays.

They have loans and other financial commitments so they are looking for places where there is certainty of jobs and timely salary payment.

Not many senior level pilots have so far left Jet Airways. They are reluctant to go to either SpiceJet, IndiGo or Air India Express as they feel their seniority and salary will be impacted. They do not want to sign 3-5 year bonds, he said.

The flying veteran noted that many co-pilots who do not have much experience generally get about 2.9 lakh salary month at Jet Airways, and they are willing to join other airlines for even less than 2 lakh a month.

Among various domestic airlines, only Air India Express and SpiceJet operate Boeing fleets, apart from Jet Airways.

Those operating Airbus aircraft fear huge conversion costs for both pilots and engineers and are, thus, reluctant to hire the technical personnel from Jet.

We will have to train them for flying and maintenance of Airbus aircraft. In case of pilots, it will need six months of training, while for engineers the reskilling would take 3-4 months.

This means the salary for entire training period will be a huge cost for us, said an executive of a private airline operating Airbus planes.

But aviation experts feel that the current situation is temporary and it will normalise once Jet gets back on its feet.

This is an unusual situation because Jet Airways remains almost grounded. Normally, supply and demand have been in favour of pilots and engineers. Now, it depends on how quickly Jet restarts again.

If that happens things will stabilise. I won't be surprised if many pilots and engineers go back to Jet, said Rajan Mehra, a veteran aviation professional and Chief Executive Officer Club One Air.

Saddled with mounting debt and losses, Jet Airways is fighting for its survival.

The airline is in gradual descent and staring at closure with nearly 90 per cent of its fleet on the ground.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Parliamentary Panel Criticizes Airlines For Overcharging, Misbehavior, Long Ques, And Poor Food

India’s embattled airlines, reeling under mounting debt and piling losses, have now been called out by the country’s lawmakers for shoddy services.

A parliamentary panel on Dec. 27 criticised aviation firms for overcharging, staff misbehaviour, unsatisfactory check-in, and poor luggage collection services, among other things.

What the passenger wants is a quick check-in, without long queues, and a smooth process of security check. Despite the huge claims of airlines regarding the check-in process, the committee is compelled to observe that the check-in counters are in a mess, especially those of low-cost airlines such as IndiGo, said the parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism, and culture in a report (pdf) tabled in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of Indian parliament.

It mentioned incidents of a few private airlines deliberately creating long queues at check-in counters to ensure that passengers miss their flights, and then persuading them to buy exorbitantly priced tickets for the next available ones.

The report recommended that the number of check-in counters and people deployed at the counters must be directly proportional to the number of flights each airline operates from an airport.

However, responding to the panel’s observations, the government indicated it may not be able to do much about it.

Check-in process, check-in counters, and collection of luggage are commercial issues and the government does not interfere with the commercial activities of the airlines.

Further, there is no regulation issued by the aviation regulator, DGCA or directorate general of civil aviation in this regard, the ministry of civil aviation was quoted in the report.

The parliamentary committee had other complaints, too.

It came down heavily on low-cost airlines for providing unsatisfactory food, even when passengers are charged for it. Every airline should maintain the highest quality of food and they should also change the menu occasionally instead of keeping a cold sandwich in their menu throughout the year, the report said.

It noted that since there are no uniform standards for imposing charges for rescheduling, cancellation, and no-show, such levies by airlines are often arbitrary today. Airlines should not charge over 50% of the base fare as cancellation charges, it suggested.

The committee pulled up IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, for staff misbehaviour.

Our committee is very clear that the worst performing airline for consumers is IndiGo. They haven’t responded in spite of many complaints. IndiGo even charges for 1-2 kg overweight, this has not been taken very well and the committee is looking into the matter seriously, chairman of the committee, and member of parliament, Derek O’Brien said at a press conference after the report was tabled in parliament.

IndiGo, however, defended itself. We evaluate every complaint/feedback rigorously and develop training modules keeping the customer sentiment in mind, IndiGo responded.

The report comes at a time when most major airlines in the country are trying to cut corners and squeeze the last penny out of their various services, struggling as they are on multiple fronts.

Profitability in the industry has taken a severe beating as companies battle high fuel prices and unfavourable currency exchange rates. Airliners like IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Jet Airways have seen their finances worsen in the past two quarters.

The lawmakers’ criticism is something the industry could have dealt with before, to avoid such critisism.

However, the commitee The Committee is happy to note that the heliport at Rohini has been operationalized.
The Committee is of the view that the helicopter industry has tremendous potential to provide services in the tourism sector, disaster management etc.

The Committee desires that more such heliports may be set up throughout the country. The Committee reiterates its earlier
recommendation that Air India and Pawan Hans can work together to ensure seamless travel on hub and spokes basis- bringing passengers from smaller places to various tourist spots.

The Committee feels that the development of un-served and under-served airports would give a major boost to air connectivity to various small cities and towns.

It will further give a fillip to the economic development in these areas in terms of job creation and infrastructure development.

There should not be any unreasonable restriction on the allocation of fund to the demands of the Ministry of Civil Aviation as the money spent will spur the overall growth of the country especially in view of the Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN.

The Committee takes note of the initiatives taken under RCS. Air connectivity is the main mode of transport for majority of the population of North East to other parts of the country and these States are demanding overall economic development.

The Committee feels that better air connectivity is the only solution to opening up the economy of North Eastern States. Therefore, the Committee notes that it is very essential to give a preferential treatment to the North Eastern States as far as air connectivity is concerned.

Tourism Observer

INDIA: Man On Indigo Plane Tries To Enter Cockpit To Charge His Phone, Arrested

An Indian airline had to offload an allegedly intoxicated passenger after he tried to enter the plane's cockpit to charge his mobile phone.

Low-cost carrier IndiGo said the man was removed from the plane after the incident, which occurred Monday while IndiGo Flight 395 from Mumbai to Kolkata was still on the ground ahead of takeoff.

While an IndiGo aircraft was on the ground, an unruly passenger tried to enter the cockpit stating that his mobile needs to be charged, the airline said in a statement confirming the incident.

The unidentified man about 35, was offloaded and turned over to local police on grounds of a security violation, IndiGo said.

The man was questioned by authorities, but he ultimately did not face any charges.

He was drunk and wanted to charge his mobile phone. So he moved toward the cockpit, an unnamed officer at the airport police station said.

Police did not find any offense against him to charge a case.

It is the second such incident this week. On Monday a passenger aboard a flight from Delhi to the Bihar state capital Patna was spotted trying to open the rear door of the aircraft while it was in mid-air.

Another passenger raised the alarm, and the man was stopped by the crew. He was handed over to police in Patna.

The incidents in India come as low-cost carriers expand in India amid an emerging middle class that can increasingly afford to travel.

That's led to a rise in first-time or novice travellers who are not always aware of the standard conventions of air travel.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Airlines Offering Discount Offers On Domestic And International Flight Tickets

Airlines are offering a host of discount offers on domestic and international flight tickets.

The offers come amid high competition in the country's civil aviation market. Jet Airways is offering up to 30 per cent discount on base fare in premiere and economy class on select domestic as well as international flight tickets.

IndiGo is offering flight tickets at an all-inclusive starting price of Rs. 999. GoAir is offering flight tickets from Rs. 1,099, while AirAsia India has also announced flight tickets starting from Rs. 999 on select routes.

Jet Airways is offering up to 30 per cent discount on base fare in premiere and economy class on select domestic as well as international flight tickets.

Jet Airways' all-new Global Sale is valid for bookings done till September 7, 2018. According to the airline, the discount is available on 25 lakh seats.

However, tickets must be purchased a minimum of 8 days prior departure.

IndiGo is offering flight tickets at an all-inclusive starting price of Rs. 999. As part of its four-day special festival sale, the airline is offering 10 lakh seats.

The booking period of the offer ends on September 6, 2018. Under this scheme, IndiGo is offering domestic flight tickets starting at Rs. 999 and international flight tickets starting at Rs. 3,199.

The travel period of the offer starts on September 18, 2018 and ends on March 30, 2019.

GoAir is offering flight tickets at a starting all-inclusive price of Rs. 1,099. The booking period of the offer ends on September 5, 2018 and the travel period ends on March 31, 2019.

However, this scheme is valid across selective fare types and fare products, said the carrier.

AirAsia India has announced flight tickets starting from Rs. 999 on select routes under a limited-period offer. AirAsia India is offering flight tickets priced from an all-inclusive Rs. 999 on the Guwahati-Imphal, Bengaluru-Kochi and Bengaluru-Chennai routes, according to the airline's website - airasia.com.

Bookings under the sale offer are open till September 9, 2018.


Tourism Observer

QATAR: Qatar Airways Wants More Stake Percentage In IndiGo

Qatar Airways remains interested in establishing an airline in India, and remains open to taking a stake in IndiGo.

In a television interview with CNBC-TV18 on 4 September, group chief executive Akbar Al Baker signalled that the airline will take further steps to set up its own India-based carrier only when the foreign direct investment cap is relaxed.

At present, India allows 100% ownership of its domestic carriers by foreign parties, but foreign airlines are limited to a 49% ownership.

This is what our lawyers are telling us. Their approach has been stifled by the authorities saying that no, an airline cannot own 100%, nor anybody can own 100%. It has to be 49% and it has to be done through an investment authority, he explains.

Qatar Airways has previously indicated that the carrier would be 49% owned by the airline, with the remainder held by a Qatar Investment Authority.

While it would be run by an Indian board; the chairman will be Indian, Al Baker adds that it will not proceed if it is forced to team up with a local partner.

The proposed carrier would be a full-service carrier targetting the fast growing middle class in the country.

Despite that focus, Al Baker says that it is still interested in taking a stake in low-cost carrier IndiGo.

The airline is efficiently run, it is the largest domestic airline in India. Other than them, I’m really not interested,he adds.

In 2015, Qatar said that it was in talks with IndiGo over a potential stake sale, although the Indian carrier said that it was only in preliminary discussions on potential marketing arrangements.

Al Baker indicated that his door is open to a potential approach from IndiGo's major shareholders if they were seeking an exit option.

The majority shareholders of IndiGo may one day decide that they want to allow a foreign carrier to invest in it, and once they approach us, yes we will be interested, says Al Baker, adding that the offer would need to be for a substantial stake; I don't want to be offered 2% or 3%.

He also laments that Qatar has not been provided additional traffic rights to India, despite more Indian carriers using the capacity available under the bilateral.

Unfortunately, it seems we are not liked by the civil aviation ministry. First, we were told because there is no 80% utilisation of the Indian carriers on the Qatar India biltarerals. Now it is 84%, still we are not getting any traction.

I think it is very unfair, especially when Qatar is a very close friend of India.

This relationship should be two-way. The least we can get is additional traffic rights.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: IndiGo Now Flying To Jorhat And Dhaka

IndiGo is further enhancing its customer experience with the launch of Jorhat and Dhaka as its new destinations.

Under the UDAN scheme, Jorhat will be the 54th destination on IndiGo’s network. Furthermore, Dhaka will be the 55th destination. Both new services start on August 01, 2018.

To provide more enhanced connectivity across India, IndiGo has announced the addition of 16 new flights to its network.

Effective August 2018, the Indian airline will operate its first daily flight between Bengaluru and Raipur.

Additionally, the airline will operate a second daily flight between Kolkata-Nagpur, a third daily flight between Bengaluru and Nagpur, and fourth daily flight between Bengaluru and Jaipur, and Bengaluru and Vizag respectively.

IndiGo will also operate its fourth daily flight between Kolkata and Patna.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said:

It gives us immense pleasure to add Dhaka, Bangladesh to our ever-expanding route network, and we are equally pleased to announce Jorhat as our new UDAN destination after Tiruchirappalli and Tuticorin.

With the addition of sixteen new flights connecting various cities within India, we will now be able to extend our on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and low fares to everyone, that IndiGo is synonymous with.

IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travelers wherever they demand it.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: IndiGo Starts Flights To Lucknow,Goa And Pune

Marking a milestone of being the first airline to launch Lucknow-Goa and Lucknow-Pune sectors to its network, IndiGo has announced the introduction of its maiden flights effective July 2018.

IndiGo will operate a daily non-stop flight between Lucknow-Goa-Lucknow and Lucknow-Pune-Lucknow respectively. Continuing the low-cost carrier’s expansion in the domestic skies, IndiGo’s average daily departures will now be 25 flights out of Lucknow to 13 destinations.

The new flights are designed to cater to business and leisure travelers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar, IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer, said:

We are pleased to announce the launch of these two sectors from Lucknow, which will further provide more flexibility of choice to our customers.

Lucknow continues to hold immense potential for IndiGo and we are indeed happy to be the first airline to operate maiden flights between Lucknow-Goa-Lucknow and Lucknow-Pune-Lucknow.

We are providing affordable fares on these new routes for our travelers.

It is our constant endeavor to provide the best travel experience to our customers, as IndiGo continues to offer them on-time, courteous and hassle-free service and an affordable flying experience always.

IndiGo is further enhancing its customer experience with the launch of Jorhat and Dhaka as its new destinations.

Under the UDAN scheme, Jorhat will be the 54th destination on IndiGo’s network. Furthermore, Dhaka will be the 55th destination. Both new services start on August 01, 2018.

To provide more enhanced connectivity across India, IndiGo has announced the addition of 16 new flights to its network.

Effective August 2018, the Indian airline will operate its first daily flight between Bengaluru and Raipur.

Additionally, the airline will operate a second daily flight between Kolkata-Nagpur, a third daily flight between Bengaluru and Nagpur, and fourth daily flight between Bengaluru and Jaipur, and Bengaluru and Vizag respectively.

IndiGo will also operate its fourth daily flight between Kolkata and Patna.

Mr. Sanjay Kumar, Chief Commercial Officer, IndiGo said:

It gives us immense pleasure to add Dhaka, Bangladesh to our ever-expanding route network, and we are equally pleased to announce Jorhat as our new UDAN destination after Tiruchirappalli and Tuticorin.

With the addition of sixteen new flights connecting various cities within India, we will now be able to extend our on-time, courteous and hassle-free service, and low fares to everyone, that IndiGo is synonymous with.

IndiGo will continue to expand its network to meet the requirements of both business and leisure travelers wherever they demand it.


Tourism Observer

INDIA: Air India May Be For Sale, But Who Will Buy A Debt Ridden Airline? TATA or Indigo

Air India's net loss after tax narrowed to Rs 3,643 crore and operating profit rose to Rs 300 crore in the last financial year, the government said on Wednesday.

The airline saw its total revenue, including exceptional and extraordinary items, increase to Rs 22,146 crore in 2016 -17 period, as per provisional numbers provided by Minister of State for Civil Aviation Jayant Sinha to the Rajya Sabha.

The total revenue stood at Rs 20,524.56 crore in the year-ago period.

The financial position seems to have improved for the airline as it had posted a net loss after tax of Rs 3,836.77 crore and an operating profit of Rs 105 crore in 2015-16 fiscal.

However, the airline's expenditure went up to Rs 25,789 crore in the last financial year, as per the provisional numbers. In 2015-16, the same was lower at Rs 24,361.33 crore.

Against the backdrop of the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) last month giving its in-principle approval for Air India's strategic disinvestment, Sinha responded to various queries related to the airline by way of written replies to the Rajya Sabha.

Citing provisional figures, Sinha said Air India's total debt stood at Rs 48,876.81 crore at the end of March 2017.

Air India is facing financial pressure and earning less profit due to high debt burden as an offshoot of past accumulated losses.

The debt servicing is at around Rs 6,000 crore per annum, the minister said.

To a query on whether Air India is facing financial pressure due to laxity in operation and management of the airline, Sinha replied in the negative.

To implement the decision of the CCEA, appointment of transaction adviser, legal adviser and asset valuer shall be taken up as per terms and conditions and scope of work of advisers/ valuer in accordance with the model RFPs (Request for Proposals) suggested by the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management, Sinha said.

Noting that liquidity constraints continue to impact the airline's smooth functioning, he said the company has been making constant efforts for substituting its high cost working capital loans with long term low cost debt.

Air India has been in consultation with various banks so that the interest costs can come down substantially in the coming years to improve its profits, the minister added.

According to Sinha, the number of contractual staff of Air India increased in operational categories in the last one year.

As per the figures, the number of contractual staff rose to 2,636 as on April 1, 2017 compared to 1,740 at the same period a year ago.

The national also benefited from the ban imposed by the US, in March, on carrying of large electronic devices as hand baggage on flights from some Gulf countries.

Earlier this month, the US revoked the curbs on airlines flying from some of these airports.

The ban had limited, transient beneficial impact on Air India's passenger revenues, Sinha said.



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INDIA: Air India Plans Voluntary Retirement For 1/3 Of 40,000 Staff

State-owned Air India is drawing up a compensation plan to offer in a voluntary retirement of a third of its 40,000 employees, ahead of its privatization next year.

The carrier likewise scrapped its April decision to lease eight Boeing 787 wide-body aircraft after putting fleet expansion on hold, an unnamed company official said.

Prime minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet last month approved plans to privatize the loss-making flag carrier — either in parts or lock, stock and barrel — ending decades of state support.

The central government in 2012 injected $5.8 billion in bailout support to keep the airline flying amidst its $8.5 billion debt (SR31.88 billion) and bloated cost structure.

Founded in the 1930s, Air India has been unprofitable since its 2007 merger with then-domestic carrier Indian Airlines.

It made an operating profit of about one billion rupees in its financial year to March 16, thanks to oil prices, but still posted a net loss of 38.4 billion rupees.

Once the country’s major aviation player, Air India has lost market share to better-run private airlines such as IndiGo, whose share of the market in January stood at 39.8 percent; and Jet Airways with a share of 15.5 percent.

Nothing has been finalized but our aim is to make the strategic sale as simple as we can, said a second airline official said, and added that any fresh investments would be put on hold.



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INDIA: IndiGo Anxious To Acquire Air India

IndiGo has formally written to the Indian government, expressing interest in acquiring Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express.

This was made public in a letter to India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation disclosed on parent InterGlobe Aviation’s stock exchange page.

In it, IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh says the low-cost carrier is interested in acquiring the international airline operations of Air India and Air India Express.

Alternatively, we are equally interested in acquiring all of the airline operations of Air India and Air India Express, he adds.

We would like to point out that our confidence and ability to build for our country one of the world’s largest international carriers is driven by the significant domestic network we have built over the years.

In our view, no other carrier is better placed to realise this potential and we would not even dream of embarking on such a journey but for our domestic feed network.

He elaborates that India has over time allowed disproportionate access to airlines of some countries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, allowing these airlines to build massive hubs that have significantly benefited at the expense of India.

As a consequence of this, India’s international air transportation hubs reside outside the geography of our country.

It is time for India to take back its fair share of international traffic, and bring back this economic wealth to where it rightfully belongs, says Ghosh.

IndiGo’s disclosure comes a day after the announcement that New Delhi has given in-principle approval for the privatisation of Air India and its five subsidiaries.

A committee, chaired by finance minister Arun Jaitley, will also be formed to consider options for privatising the flag carrier.

The committee will look into the airline’s debt level, the possibility of hiving off certain assets into a shell company, unmerging and strategic divestment of three of its profitable subsidiaries, the percentage to be divested, and the selection of bidders.

IndiGo is India’s largest domestic carrier, with government data showing that it has a 41% share of the domestic market – far outweighing Air India’s 14%.

On international routes, however, Air India has the largest market share with 17%.


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THAILAND: Thai Airways To Buy 30 Planes

Thai Airways International said it plans to modernise its fleet by replacing almost 30 older aircraft over the next five years, adding to the climbing demand for planes in Asia.

The state-run airline is seeking new generation aircraft offering greater comfort and fuel efficiency, and is talking with both Airbus and Boeing, chairman Areepong Bhoocha-Oom said.

The portfolio of our airline will have new aircraft almost 100%, Areepong said. It’s the right step for Thai Airways partly because fuel costs could be volatile in future even though they are low currently, he said.

Thai Airways’ purchases would add to the hundreds of aircraft worth billions of dollars ordered by Asian airlines, such as AirAsia and IndiGo in India, amid a surge in the number of people travelling by air in the region.

Boeing forecasts a $6.05tn jetliner market in the next two decades globally.

The Bangkok-based carrier is trying to turn around performance after posting losses in three of the past four years.

The company’s shares fell 6.1% yesterday, the most in almost two months, and are down 75% from a high in 1999. The stock has eight sell recommendations, nine holds and one buy rating.

Concerns that the aircraft purchases could weigh on Thai Airways’ financial health appear to have hurt the stock yesterday, according to Siam Tiyanont, an analyst at Phillip Securities (Thailand) Co in Bangkok.

The airline’s financial status has recently improved after years of challenges, Siam said. The plan for new aircraft purchases may be too early and could result in a jump in debt.

Thai Airways presently has a 100-strong fleet and will seek Cabinet approval for the plane replacement plan by the end of July, Areepong said in the interview Thursday on the sidelines of a conference in Bangkok.

Airbus’s A380 superjumbos will remain a significant part of the company’s fleet, while older Boeing 747s will be replaced in the years ahead, he added.

An overhaul of marketing and reservation contributed to record passenger cabin factor of about 85% in the first quarter and the full-year target is 80%, Areepong said.

The airline’s goal is to exceed last year’s net income, Areepong said. Thai Airways swung to a profit of 15.1mn baht ($445,000) in 2016. It lost money in each of the three prior years.

The airline needs new airplanes to modernise its fleet and boost competitiveness, said Raenoo Bhandasukdi, an analyst at KT Zmico Securities Co in Bangkok.

Thai Airways is expected to bolster profits this year, which would be a good outcome given that some other full-service carriers have struggled against competition from low-cost rivals, Raenoo said.

The carrier signed an agreement with Airbus in March to explore joint development of a maintenance, repair and overhaul facility at U-Tapao International Airport near the tourist destination of Pattaya.

The project could involve about $1bn investment and the plans may be finalised in 2018, Areepong said at the conference in Bangkok on Thursday.

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: IndiGo Launches Daily Non-stop Flights To Sharjah From India

IndiGo, India’s largest budget-carrier, plans to introduce two daily routes to Sharjah International Airport, which will become its sixth international destination. The airline announced the launch of daily non-stop Sharjah-Kozhikode (CCJ) flights from 20 March and daily non-stop Sharjah-Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) flights from 8 April.

Headquartered in Gurgaon (Gurugram), India, IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 40.3 percent (December 2016).

IndiGo is ranked among the top ten best low-cost airlines in the world by leading consumer aviation website Skytrax and among the ten On-Time Performers in the Asia Pacific region by FlightStats, a leader in global flight information services.

The airline plans to to operate 857 daily flights connecting 43 destinations from March 2017.

Sharjah-based Air Arabia already operates flights between the emirate and 13 key Indian destinations.

Meanwhile, Air India Express added three new routes last year connecting Sharjah with Mumbai (SAHAR), Chandigarh (IXC) and Tiruchirapalli (TRZ) airports, bringing its total number of direct Sharjah services to seven.

The low-cost airline also operates direct flights to Sharjah from Kochi (COK), Kozhikode (CCJ), Thiruvananthapuram (TRV) and Varanasi (VNS).

Jet Airways now flies daily to Sharjah from Kozhikode, or Calicut (CCJ) and Kochi (COK), both in the south-west coast Indian state of Kerala.

The airline launched a daily service from Mangaluru in Karnataka state in 2016, but stopped flying the route at the end of the year due to operational reasons.

Sharjah International Airport handled 11 million passengers last year, a 10 percent increase over 2015. The airport’s growth has been driven by its strategic location, the success of Sharjah’s in-bound tourism industry and the expansion of Sharjah-headquartered Air Arabia.

INDIA: IndiGo Flying Lucknow to Ahmedabad & Guwahati, Bengaluru-Indore & Raipur-Patna

IndiGo has announced the launch of 28 new flights on its existing domestic network. The new schedule will see maiden flights on the Guwahati-Lucknow, Lucknow-Ahmedabad, Bengaluru-Indore and Raipur-Patna sectors.

With the new flights and frequencies and induction of two new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline’s frequency will increase to 890 daily. Effective November 2016, these flights will provide enhanced connectivity on the key sectors thus strengthening IndiGo’s existing network within India.

With 890 daily flights connecting 41 destinations, these new flights will enable both corporate and leisure travellers to experience IndiGo’s unmatchable on-time performance.

Speaking about the latest network expansion, Aditya Ghosh, President and Whole Time Director, IndiGo said, “We are absolutely delighted to announce 6E’s new flights connecting the metro cities with the regional destinations.

In the exciting times for Indian aviation, we are hopeful that these flights will prove to be popular among our customers.”

INDIA: Strong Demand In Domestic Air Travel, Airlines Offering Huge Discounts

From IndiGo to SpiceJet to Jet Airways, airlines are offering big discounts on advance booking of tickets. India's biggest carrier IndiGo is offering tickets from Rs. 799 (all-inclusive) on travel between December 14, 2016, and October 28, 2017. IndiGo's Rs. 799 offer on domestic routes, for example, is applicable on Kochi-Thiruvananthapuram and Coimbatore-Chennai. Tickets on Bengaluru-Hyderabad route starts from Rs. 999 and Delhi-Jaipur at Rs. 1,041, among others.

Full service carrier Jet Airways under its "Year End Sale" is offering tickets starting as low as Rs. 899 (all-inclusive) on economy class travel on select domestic routes.

Jet Airways said under the offer travel must commence on or after December 14, 2016, and tickets must be purchased a minimum of 15 days prior departure.

Another domestic carrier SpiceJet in its "Spicy Annual Sale" is offering all-inclusive fares starting at as low as Rs. 737 for travel on select domestic sectors. SpiceJet's offer is applicable on travel between January 9 and October 28, 2017.

The offers from SpiceJet, IndiGo and Jet Airways end tonight.

The promotional offers by airlines have helped spur a strong demand in domestic air travel. Passengers carried by domestic airlines during January to October 2016 surged to 813.70 lakh, a growth of over 23 per cent over the same period last year.

INDIA: IndiGo Net Profit Grows High

In what would be one of the highest payouts in India Inc, Aditya Ghosh, President and Wholetime Director, InterGlobe Aviation , bagged a whopping Rs 21-crore one-time incentive, along with 7 lakh shares, for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.

InterGlobe operates IndiGo, India's largest airline company by market share, and Ghosh's performance through the year, in which he steered the carrier to a successful IPO, was rewarded handsomely.

The Rs 21 crore incentive was given out in recognition of Ghosh's efforts "towards the growth and success of the company during the financial year ending March 31, 2016,” the company's annual report says.

In comparison, Ghosh's gross remuneration stood at Rs 3.7 crore during FY15. When it had filed its Red Herring Prospectus ahead of its IPO, InterGlobe had declared that it would pay out the incentive to Ghosh.

It’s not just Ghosh who reaped the rewards of a strong show, IndiGo rewarded its 12,000-plus strong employee force too. The airline said average increase in remuneration is about 42.8 percent during the financial year 2015-16.

After a stellar debut on the bourses in October 2015, IndiGo’s posted a 52 percent on-year rise to Rs 1,989 crore in net profit in FY16.

Its passenger revenue grew 14.4 percent in the period and now commands a 38 percent market share. “That there is going to be even higher growth and profitability in the years to come is something I am convinced of.

The Indian aviation sector is still in a nascent stage, with the new civil aviation policy promising to further strengthen the foundation for exceptional growth in the coming years,” Ghosh said in the report. He added that the airline plans to increase frequency of flights and expand into new areas going ahead.

INDIA: IndiGo Will Not Loose 11 Jets Of Tigerair, Says Indigo CEO

IndiGo owner, InterGlobe Aviation , fell 4 percent intraday on Wednesday as media reports suggested that Tigerair may take back its 11 jets subleased to IndiGo.

The Singapore-based airline company said it will grow its capacity with the returning aircraft subleased to IndiGo.

In October 2014, Tigerair had subleased 12 of its surplus aircraft to IndiGo. Each aircraft was sub leased for three and four years. “With the lease of one of the 12 aircrafts expiring in 2018, only 11 of the aircraft will be returned to the group at the end of their respective sublease periods.

Following their return, seven of the 11 aircraft are expected to re-join the operating fleet, while the remaining four may be progressively re-introduced back to the service network within two years.,” Tigerair had previously stated in a company release.

However, IndiGo CEO Aditya Ghosh told CNBC-TV18 that Tigerair can’t take the aircrafts before end of contracted lease term. He added that the news development is ‘completely false’.

INDIA: IndiGo Commences New Routes Next Month

The Delhi-based low-cost airline, IndiGo is to start its 15th direct flight between Delhi and Bengaluru and 11th direct flight between Delhi and Chennai from June 1.

In a communication to travel agents, the airline has said that the 15th direct daily service between Delhi and Bengaluru will leave at 11.30 p.m. and arrive in Bengaluru at 2.10 a.m.

The 11th direct flight between Delhi and Chennai will leave 11.30 p.m. and arrive in Chennai at 2.15 a.m.

The airline will also start another service between Chennai and Delhi from June 2. The new flight will depart Chennai at 2.45 a.m. and arrive in the national capital at 5.30 a.m.

The airline will also start two new flights connecting Delhi with Kolkata. The launch of these two flights will see IndiGo operating 13 direct daily flights between Delhi and Kolkata.

The airline will launch its first non-stop daily flight between Kochi and Muscat from June 21. It will also launch its second daily non-stop flight service connecting Kochi and Hyderabad from June 22.

With 767 daily flights connecting 40 destinations, these new flights will allow corporate and leisure travellers to experience matchless on-time performance, Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo, said.

INDIA: Airbus Signs MoU With IndiGo For 250 A320neos

Gurgaon, India-based IndiGo today signed a major Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for 250 firm Airbus A320neos, the manufacturer’s single-largest aircraft order. IndiGo is a domestic and international low-cost carrier founded by Rahul Bhatia of conglomerate InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal, the former chairman and CEO of US Airways from 1998 to 2001.

The carrier, based at Delhi Indira Gandhi International Airport, currently has 83 A320-200s. It has existing orders for 280 Airbus aircraft — 100 A320ceos and 180 A320neos. IndiGo serves 31 cities in India, along with flights to Bangkok, Dubai, Kathmandu, Muscat and Singapore for a total of 540 daily flights. The airline’s business model resembles that of Southwest Airlines — one common fleet type, a focus on keeping costs low and an obsession with on-time operations.

Since its beginnings in 2006, IndiGo has been the fastest-growing carrier in India. Among domestic airline in the second quarter, IndiGo’s market share was 31.6 percent, the best among its competitors, according to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Air India was 18.5 percent while SpiceJet was 18.3 percent.

The aircraft covered under the MoU includes what Airbus calls the “new engine option,” along with large sharklet wing-tip devices, which offer carriers 15 percent in fuel savings now and up to 20 percent by 2020. Airbus currently has orders for 49 A319neos, 2,494 A320neos and 729 A321neos from carriers including Swiss, Eurowings, JetBlue, China Eastern airlines and Air New Zealand.

INDIA: IndiGo Signs Off Airbus Record Order

Indian budget carrier IndiGo has confirmed a previous Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in October 2014 for 250 Airbus A320neo aircraft, with an estimated value of $27 billion based on list prices.

Airbus informed in an e-mailed statement today that the order, the biggest ever by number of aircraft, has catapulted its backlog to over 4,100 single-aisle Airbus family jetliners.

In 2005, the New Delhi-based airline placed an initial order for 100 A320s, which have all now been delivered. Currently, the carrier has an all-Airbus fleet, comprised by 95 aircraft.

“It fills us with pride that IndiGo, India’s largest airline and one of the early launch customers for the A320neo, is coming back for more of our benchmark aircraft. This order confirms the A320 Family as the airliner of choice in the most dynamic aviation growth markets.” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer Customers.

The announcement of the Indian carrier confirms the expansion plans, intended to keep its leading role in the local market with now almost 40 percent share. Aditya Ghosh, President of IndiGo said, “This new order reaffirms IndiGo’s commitment to the long-term development of affordable air transportation in India and overseas,” aligned with the regional trend of other budget carriers in the region, which are expanding rapidly to serve a burgeoning middle class in a fast-growing environment.

IndiGo growth in India has been challenged by the entry of Air Asia India and Vistara Airlines -a joint venture of Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines-, new players in a market in which profits are elusive. This year, Jet Airways and Spicejet have reported losses, while Kingfisher Airlines has remained in ground since 2012 with $1.4 billion in debts.