Air India likely to order up to 150 Boeing B737 Max jets

Radhika Bansal

10 Dec 2022

Air India is close to signing an order with Boeing Co to acquire up to 150 B737 Max jets, the Economic Times reported on Saturday, December 10 citing sources.

The Tata Group-owned Indian carrier will likely place a firm order for 50 737 Max planes with an option to pick up as many as 150, the ET report said.

Industry sources had said in July that Air India was moving closer to a decision on a mega order worth USD 50 billion at list prices to be split between Airbus and Boeing, which included up to 300 narrowbody and 70 widebody jets.

ALSO READ - Boeing offers 737 MAX aircraft to Air India

Air India likely to order up to 150 Boeing B737 Max jets

Air India favoured the American plane maker for the order as it promised to deliver 50 aircraft by March 2023. The planes were initially meant to be delivered to China Southern, which had placed an order and was supposed to take immediate delivery of 103 aircraft, the report added. The Air India-Boeing deal will likely be finalised in the next few days.

ALSO READ - Boeing looking for new buyers for Chinese rejected B737 MAXs

The report added that Airbus may still get to fulfil orders from Air India as the Tata Group airline is likely to buy more planes amid aggressive expansion plans. Boeing had the edge over Airbus as the American manufacturer promised to deliver 50 B737 Max planes as soon as early next year, while the French company could not promise deliveries of A320 Neo until 2025.

The report further added that Boeing wasn’t able to complete the Chinese order as the country’s air safety and aviation regulator hasn’t re-certified the plane after grounding it in 2019 following two crashes.

The planes were initially meant to be delivered to China Southern, which had placed an order and was supposed to take immediate delivery of 103 aircraft

The reported order would be a win for Boeing, which said it was looking to boost its capacity in India to keep pace with rising demand in the world's fastest-growing primary aviation market.

ALSO READ - Rakesh Jhunjhunwala’s Akasa Air signs deal for 72 Boeing 737 Max planes

Boeing's last mega order in India came in 2021 when low-cost airline Akasa Air struck a deal to buy 72 737 MAX jets, valued at nearly USD 9 billion at list prices.

Indian skies are dominated by low-cost carriers including IndiGo, SpiceJet and AirAsia India, with the majority operating Airbus narrowbody planes. SpiceJet, Boeing's biggest customer in India, has 155 MAX planes on order.

Boeing declined to comment, saying it would "defer to Air India" for a response. Air India did not respond to a request for comment.

Under new management helmed by CEO Cambell Wilson, Air India has unveiled major expansion plans, which involve winning a 30% market share both on domestic and international routes in the next five years.

Air India has unveiled major expansion plans, which involve winning a 30% market share both on domestic and international routes in the next five years.

ALSO READ - Air India to undergo a brand makeover, hires London-based consultancy firm

The airline recently roped in British brand and design consultancy firm Futurebrands to rework the Tata Group airline’s branding strategy. The airline may also be considering a new mascot as the 76-year-old ‘Maharajah’ is regarded by some within the company as ‘outdated’, according to reports.

ALSO READ - Air India to refurbish its wide-body aircraft interiors by investing USD 400 million

The airline also hired former MakeMyTrip executive Sunil Suresh as its chief marketing officer, and Colin Neubronner, who conceptualised the branding of Singapore Airlines and Jet Airways, to its new brand-building team.

The rebranding exercise makes sense as Tatas looks to merge its four airlines into two companies. Tata Sons plan to merge Vistara with Air India to create a full-service airline by 2024, and is in the middle of merging AirAsia India and Air India Express to create a low-cost airline.

(With Inputs from The Economic Times)

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Business Aviation in India: Unable to Cross the Chasm

Radhika Bansal

18 Dec 2022

The number of Business Jets in India grew 500% between 2006-2012. With more than 100 aeroplanes delivered to India within a short period, most Business aircraft manufacturers were bullish on the Indian market and opened offices in India at that time. Most reports predicted growth between 10-12% for the next 20 years.

20% of the Private Aviation in Asia Pacific includes destinations in India, which is more than China, Japan and Hong Kong put together. The Global Pvt Air Charter Business valued at $28B is expected to grow at about 5% CAGR with the maximum growth coming from the APAC region estimated at over 7%. The APAC market is likely to cross $7B by 2023. 

By that assessment, India should have more than 330 business aeroplanes in India. Contrary to the expectations today there are less than 190 Business jets in India with an average Aeroplane age of more than 15 years. 

As an estimate, nearly 18% of existing on-demand charter requests remain unfulfilled and another 15% are a compromise in terms ofclass of aircraft or service.

This essentially implies that either the demand was hugely overestimated while making the projections or Business Aviation has not been able to organise itself into a growth-oriented and competitive industry as part of the global ecosystem. 

Demand

The growth of UHNWI (Ultra high-net-worth individuals) in India is growing steadily above 12%. As a region, Asia is looking at a 33% increase in UHNWI between 2021-2026. As an estimate, nearly 18% of existing on-demand charter requests remain unfulfilled and another 15% are a compromise in terms ofclass of aircraft or service.

Amongst Asians, Indians in particular are spending more on experiences than ever before but private air travel has not been able to find a place in their lifestyle bucket list yet. Putting a number to the untapped domestic market would only be hypothetical but a comparison of markets with equivalent income as compared to the USA and Europe suggests that India has an untapped demand of around 15000-20000 people who can afford private aviation at least partially.

The Number of Business Jets in India grew 500% between 2006-2012.

At a very conservative figure of 25 hours per year of flying and only 50% penetration in the potential market, this is nearly 2,25,000 hours of flying in a year. This is purely the business aviation market excluding Medical Evacuation. But this market is different from the traditional private air travel market in India. For this segment, it's not only about status but about real convenience of time, experience and price.

Supply

With the present fleet in India and its utilisation rate, the best that can be produced is less than 50% of the potential market demand. What is actually on offer is even less. The present average fleet age of business jets offered for Private Charters in India is above 15 years.

Compare this with an average age of under 6 years for globally established players such as NetJets and Vista jet and others in Europe. This is also one of the reasons for poor utilisation rate in that the maintenance requirements and downtime rise exponentially with age above 12-13 years.

Particularly, in the light and mid-jet segment obsolescence management is another challenge. While in the bigger jets depreciation is high, in the smaller ones it is the obsolescence that has to be managed. A high fleet age suggests that business has not been lucrative enough for the businesses to invest in newer aeroplanes and operators have been too occupied managing the plane and cash flow rather than managing the lifecycle cost of the machine. This is also partly due to an inadequate understanding of Life Cycle management.

The demand-supply gap is nearly 30% in the existing market and over 100% in the potential market with supply being way short of what it should be. The current ownership pattern in India is also not conducive for operators to make commitments in advance. This further kills steady supply. Since long-term order books are not certain, operators tend to focus on cash flow rather than any long-term strategy. Ultimately, the whole system revolves around uncertain supply thereby not allowing a growth-oriented business plan. 

Distribution

While the supply has its challenges, the distribution of the service has remained one of the most unregulated and inaccessible aspects of private air travel in India. While the operators are heavily regulated, the air charter brokers have no requirements at all. In India to be a train ticket booking agent requires more regulatory approvals than an air charter broker.

Globally air charter brokers fulfil an important role in the distribution chain which involves legal, contractual and experience fulfilment. There are commercial rating agencies that make sure that the industry runs as per laid down standards. In India, the distribution chain of private air travel is completely inaccessible to the potential market.

Globally air charter brokers fulfil an important role in the distribution chain which involves legal, contractual and experience fulfilment.

In the country that boasts as the largest supplier of IT services globally, private air travel bookings are done on Whatsapp in over 140 Whatsapp groups. Multiple levels of the brokerage with little transparency coupled with supply gaps drive the prices exponentially. With this kind of distribution ecosystem, it is not possible to tap the potential private air travel market which is price sensitive and demands a high quality of service and transparency. Unless this changes nothing else can work.

What can be done?

Step 1 - “Make it Accessible and Affordable”

Every problem requires some short-term and some long-term measures. Even in the existing market, there is a supply deficit of over 20%. Fulfilling this deficit should be the first step in the short term. The average flying per aeroplane of Global heavyweights is over 1000 hrs. Flying over 1000 hours covers the depreciation partially and allows timely addition and replacement of the machine to keep the business growing.

In India, the average flying is under 600 hrs in the Jet Category. An increase of 20-25% over the existing flying hours can partially fulfil the existing demand-supply gap. This is achievable by small measures such as a more organised and transparent distribution mechanism and collaboration betweenoperators with the same fleet. A tech-enabled distribution can easily increase aeroplane utilisation.

An increase of 20-25% over the existing flying hours can partially fulfil the existing demand-supply gap.

Due to the aeroplane ownership structure in India, owner requirements would always limit the utilisation rate of most planes but a 20-25% increase is always achievable with the same serviceability levels but with collaboration between operators of the same type and tech enablement of distribution. An organised distribution which allows the sale of Empty Legs or minimises/avoids two-way pricing not only makes the service more accessible but also affordable in the on-demand market.

Step 2 - “Increase Capacity and Market Penetration”

In the long term, drastically improving the average age and addition of aeroplanes would allow penetration into the untapped market. In this context, a fractional ownership model that offers a very low fraction with assured flying would increase the market size substantially. The residual hours can then be sold as jet cards or on demand. The fractional ownership model is heavily dependent on scale and sale of residual hours via Jet Cards or in the on-demand market.

Although prior attempts for fractional ownership in different forms have been made, they didn’t get much success and the planes acquired then are still in service after 15 years. A small size of the minimum fraction with a small commitment period would allow a larger portion of the market to adopt private travel due to low-risk exposure. The low fraction would allow a substantial supply to be released to the on-demand market thereby facilitating long-term sales. 

Essentially, the future of Business Aviation Growth in India is critically dependent on a single factor - 'The ability of the Industry to Organise itself’. 

For a Fleet of 5-6 Light jets per aircraft flying 1000 hrs a year the effective travel price for a Regular Fractional Owner with 200 hrs of commitment every year can be as low as just 4 times the Business Class travel (with at least 30% seat occupancy - not on seat sharing) which at present is more than 16 times. That is almost a 75% reduction in price point.

When an Indian Business Model can execute this - India would have arrived on the scene. Achieving this is not easy. Flying more than 1000 hrs per plane per year requires an organised business and an organised ecosystem that is transparent and competitive. Essentially, the future of Business Aviation Growth in India is critically dependent on a single factor - 'The ability of the Industry to Organise itself’. 

About Insta Charter

Insta Charter is a tech platform created by Captain Abhishek Sinha for air charter operators and brokers to find relevant air charter businesses. Operators post the availability of their planes and air charter brokers post their trip requirements. Upon finding a relevant match on the platform engine they can have direct conversations with one another to finalize the deal.

'Captain’ as he is called popularly, Captain Abhishek Sinha is a commercial pilot in charter operations. He has had a deep association with technology since his Experimental Test Pilot days in the Air Force. He has flown over 22 different types of aircraft and has the coding abilities to turn that knowledge into reliable software with minimal assistance.

Captain Abhishek Sinha

Captain Sinha saw the adverse implications of the unorganized and inefficient business aviation industry and thus he created a platform that can make air charter deals easier. On the platform air charter operators can enhance the utilization of their aircraft's flying hours. On the other hand, air charter brokers can find the best air charter deals for their end clients at a great price.

A revolution is long-awaited to give a quick spin to the air charter industry in India and making it a growth-oriented business is the need of the hour.

Insta Charter conducted a Round Table Event on November 24 2022 in New Delhi to discuss the Global Trends of Business Aviation in the Post-pandemic Era.

Captain Sinha with the speakers of the event

Insta Charter is an app-based Business Aviation Marketplace that helps to connect Operators and Brokers at the global level in the Business Charter, Medical Evacuation and Air Cargo Industry directly and in real-time. 

The first-of-its-kind B2B application from India is based on a proprietary search & match engine that connects the seller & buyer based on relevance. It also assists both sides in arriving at a deal price based on their behaviour. 

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IndiGo to operate 168 weekly flights from New Goa International Airport

Radhika Bansal

09 Dec 2022

No-frills carrier IndiGo said on Thursday, December 8 that it would operate 168 weekly flights to eight domestic destinations from the New Goa International Airport.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the second international airport in the state on December 11. The airport will commence commercial operations on January 5 next year.

ALSO READ - Mopa International airport to be inaugurated by the PM in December

The present airport at Dabolim in South Goa will remain active, and IndiGo will continue its existing operations there. Located about 35 km from Goa's capital Panjim, the newly built is situated in Mopa village in North Goa, at a well-connected location for travellers to commute. Tourists can reach the airport by taxi services, railway and bus services.

https://twitter.com/IndiGo6E/status/1600868792514613253

Twelve daily and a total of 168 weekly, new flights to and from the New Goa International Airport at Mopa in North Goa from January 5 will be IndiGo's largest ever-new station launch and will immediately connect the new facility to eight cities across India.

The budget carrier will operate 168 weekly flights and will connect major cities like Mumbai, Pune, Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Chennai and Jaipur. Besides improving direct connectivity to the state, the launch of the new flight services is also aimed at catering to the increasing demand.

IndiGo to operate 168 weekly flights from New Goa International Airport

This will be IndiGo’s largest-ever new station launch and will immediately connect New Goa International Airport to 8 cities across India. These new flights are being introduced to cater to the increasing demand and will improve direct connectivity to North Goa.

Residents of Goa will also be able to utilise these new services to fly directly to many large cities across India and further connect to over 100 destinations on the carrier's network.

"We are very excited to announce our largest ever new station launch with new direct connections from the New Goa International Airport in Mopa, North Goa. It’s momentous for us at IndiGo to have such a massive opening, and it speaks of our ambition and ability to provide connectivity to our customers and the nation in the best possible way."

Pieter Elbers, Chief Executive Officer, IndiGo

The foundation stone for Goa’s latest airport was laid in 2016, and it has been constructed for INR 30 billion. India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, conducted the first test flight in September when an IndiGo A320 landed from Mumbai.

ALSO READ - First test flight conducted at Goa’s new Mopa International Airport

The airport was conceived in the 1990s but took all these years to become a reality. At present, the Dabolim airport handles all domestic and international flights to and from Goa and is operated by the Airports Authority of India as a civil enclave in an Indian Navy naval airbase.

ALSO READ - NIIF and GMR Airports collaborate to invest INR 631 billion in 3 greenfield airports

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Airbus abandons its 2022 commercial aircraft delivery goal

Radhika Bansal

09 Dec 2022

Airbus on Tuesday, December 6 abandoned a numerical forecast for jet deliveries and a date for its key production goal but maintained financial targets as it limped towards the end of a year haunted by disruption in factories and supply chains.

The world's largest planemaker said its previous target of "around 700" deliveries in 2022 was now out of reach but that it did not expect to fall "materially short" of the estimate. Reuters reported that the target was under review after November deliveries had fallen short of expectations.

Airbus also confirmed that it had delivered a net total of 563 aircraft between January and November after adjusting for the earlier cancellation of two jets caught up in Western sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine war. That included 68 in November, compared with what suppliers had described as an industrial planning target of 80.

Airbus abandons its 2022 commercial aircraft delivery goal

The announcement, originally due on December 8, was brought forward by two days. Jefferies analyst Chloe Lemarie said in a note to investors that she interpreted the new comments as pointing to around 680 potential deliveries in 2022.

The delivery crunch immediately set the stage for an uncertain production outlook next year. Once closely tied, production and deliveries have become disconnected since the pandemic hit demand and rippled through supply chains.

Airbus reaffirmed an interim production goal of 65 A320neo-family jets a month but withdrew its implementation date, saying instead it would adjust the speed of the ramp-up during 2023 and 2024. It said it still planned to reach an ultimate target of 75 such single-aisle jets a month but adjusted the deadline to the "middle of the decade" from 2025.

Airbus reaffirmed an interim production goal of 65 A320neo-family jets a month but withdrew its implementation date

Airbus had previously planned to reach 65 a month by early 2024, having pushed this back from mid-2023 earlier this year, when it also lowered its original forecast of "around 720" deliveries to the now discarded target of "around 700".

ALSO READ - Airbus reports growth in Q3, eyes to deliver 700 aircraft

The downgrades partly follow a stand-off between Airbus and engine markers over supplies. Engine makers are juggling the demand for new jets with the maintenance of existing fleets. That led to what one person involved described as tough negotiations, though executives also highlight wider shortages.

The downgrades are also a disappointment for Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, who has emphasized transparency in production goals, especially the later target of 75 a month, in a bid to shore up supplier support for investments in higher output.

Airbus is however expected to argue that it faces exceptional uncertainty this year, and Faury said last week that the environment "remains very complex".

Airbus had previously planned to reach 65 a month by early 2024, having pushed this back from mid-2023 earlier this year

The rate of production of the A320neo and its rival, the Boeing 737, set the tempo for global supply chains and drive a large proportion of aerospace industry profits. Boeing is producing more slowly as it recovers from successive safety and pandemic demand crises.

Airbus has said it aims to end the current year at a production rate of 50 A320neo-family aircraft a month, compared with 60 before COVID-19. The speed of the production increase will depend in part on how many 2022 jet deliveries get pushed into 2023.

It is also linked to demand, with global airlines issuing upbeat comments on industry profitability next year.

Airbus is pushing buyers to take delivery of jets scheduled for this month, even though it has also started delaying further deliveries planned for 2023, some of which may spill into 2024.

Boeing is producing more slowly as it recovers from successive safety and pandemic demand crises.

Not all buyers are willing to cooperate. Sources have said some lessors are objecting to taking already-delayed jets in the last week of the year, fearing an immediate drop in their resale value when the valuation calendar trips over to 2023 in January.

Airbus meanwhile said it had booked 29 new orders and 14 cancellations in November. So far this year it has taken orders for 1,062 planes or a net total of 825 after adjusting for cancellations.

Boeing, which has been lagging on orders and deliveries so far this year, will issue new data next week.

Boeing’s production and certification struggles have been well-documented in recent months. However, the manufacturer recently announced an increase in production, and with an order backlog of almost 4,000 aircraft, this cannot come quickly enough. The vast majority of the delivery backlog is made up of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, in addition to Boeing 787s and Boeing 777s.

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Air India to refurbish its wide-body aircraft interiors by investing USD 400 million

Radhika Bansal

09 Dec 2022

Air India will refurbish its entire legacy wide-body fleet, comprising 27 Boeing B787-8 and 13 B777 aircraft, committing over USD 400 million for the project. This refurbishment will see a complete overhaul of existing cabin interiors, including the addition of the latest-generation seats and best-in-class inflight entertainment across all classes.

Air India, following its privatisation and under new owner, Tata Sons, has stepped up measures to get into a new avatar to take on rivals in the world's third-largest domestic aviation market. As the latest step in its makeover, the carrier plans to spend over USD 400 million to refurbish the cabin interiors.

ALSO READ - Air India starts discussing aircraft orders; to introduce a premium economy class in long-haul flights

In addition, the refurbishment will see the introduction of a Premium Economy cabin on both fleets. The First Class cabin will also be retained on the 777s.

The First Class cabin will also be retained on the 777s.

Air India has engaged London-based product design companies, JPA Design and Trendworks, which have produced designs for major brands including Taj Hotels, The Orient Express and Herman Miller International to assist with the cabin interior design elements of this refurbishment programme.

ALSO READ - DGCA asks Air India to repair its aircraft’s shabby interiors

The airline said it expected the first refurbished aircraft to enter service in mid-2024 due to regulatory and engineering preparation as well as the time required to manufacture seats.

"We are working closely with partners to accelerate the refit process as fast as possible and, in the meantime, leasing in at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand new interiors to improve our offering at the earliest opportunity. Under our Vihaan.AI transformation program, Air India has committed to attain the highest standards of product and service befitting of a world class airline. We know that, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard. We are delighted to now publicly announce this significant investment on a complete interior refit, and we are confident that, when revealed, the new interiors will delight customers and show Air India in a new light."

Campbell Wilson, Managing Director and CEO, Air India

The Tata conglomerate had earlier indicated getting rid of the 'chalta hai' culture in its newly-acquired and once government-owned flag carrier Air India. It has roped in London-based brand and design consultancy firm Futurebrands to redraw Air India’s branding strategy, as the airline targets to become an airline of choice across the world, according to sources.

ALSO READ - Air India to undergo a brand makeover, hires London-based consultancy firm

Reportedly, among multiple strategies being considered is creating a new mascot for the airline as there is a thought that the current one of Maharajah has become outdated.

ALSO READ - Air India issues new grooming guidelines for Cabin Crew

Last month, Air India issued a circular of over 40 pages, instructing grooming requirements for all its crew members, including asking men to put on hair gel and mandating women to apply foundation and concealers matching their skin tone. After taking over Air India in January, Tata group advised the airline's cabin crew to wear minimum jewellery to avoid flight delays.

ALSO READ - Air India issues several guidelines to cabin crew to enhance on-time performance

Tata Group, which paid USD 2.2 billion to buy Air India back from the government, has a five-year transformation plan called Vihaan.AI -- Sanskrit for a new dawn.

ALSO READ - Air India unveils Vihaan.AI – a comprehensive 5-year transformation plan

Vihaan.AI is Air India's transformational roadmap to focus on dramatically growing both its network and fleet for five years developing a completely revamped customer proposition and improving reliability and on-time performance. As per the airliner, "Vihaan.AI is aimed at putting Air India on a path to sustained growth, profitability, and market leadership."

Air India is up against younger operators, with the likes of Akasa entering the market and Jet Airways aiming to return.

The Tatas-controlled airline has hired Sunil Suresh, a former MakeMyTrip executive, as a chief marketing officer and Colin Neubronner, who had earlier worked on the branding of Singapore Airlines and Jet Airways, as part of a new brand-building team.

While Tatas want to shake off the old look of Air India, which according to most had lost out on glamour to private airlines, the conglomerate is also merging Air India and Vistara to create India's second-biggest carrier.

ALSO READ - Air India becomes the most punctual airline in October in 8 years

Air India is up against younger operators, with the likes of Akasa Air entering the market and Jet Airways aiming to return. IndiGo, controlled by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., dominates with its low-cost services, taking more than half of the domestic market. Air India aims to have a 30% share of India’s local and international passenger traffic in five years, versus about 9% now.

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Jyotiraditya Scindia convene meeting with aviation stakeholders regarding congestion at major airports

Radhika Bansal

08 Dec 2022

Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Wednesday, December 7 convened an important meeting with aviation stakeholders regarding passenger congestion at major airports in the country. During the meeting, Minister Scindia issued directions to the stakeholders to reduce congestion at airports during peak hours.

"Jyotiraditya Scindia held a meeting with the management of all major airports in connection with passengers congestion issues, in Delhi. Recently Mumbai and Delhi airports reported passenger in-convenience during peak hours," an official from MoCA told ANI. Senior officials from Central Industries Security Force (CISF), Immigration and airports attended the meeting.

"Held a detailed discussion with heads of all major Indian airports, CISF and Immigration officials on capacities deployed and those required at every point to process domestic and international passengers smoothly through the peak travel season.

Plans for peak-hour capacity based on passenger processing capacity at each major airport. Landing cards are to be distributed on board and filled up prior to arrival, so as to minimise queues at immigration counters. X-ray capacity for baggage to be assessed."

Jyotiraditya Scindia, Unon Minister fo Civil Aviation

Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia showed unhappiness during the meeting as the ministry receives several complaints through social media and calls regarding huge rush at airports during peak hours. In the meeting, Scindia issued instructions and plans to aviation stakeholders for smooth travel.

However, Scindia asked the security agency CISF and the airport management to provide adequate manpower to avoid overcrowding during peak hours.

Minister also directed airport operators to ensure adequate availability of wheelchairs for senior citizens and differently-abled. He also asked airport operators to ensure that every volunteer is on the ground for the ease of passengers and to ensure that there is enough staff on the ground.

https://twitter.com/JM_Scindia/status/1600452476695552000

"Capacity augmentation of security manpower and hand baggage screening. Longer-term technology-related upgrades for security and baggage drop-off processing," the minister said. According to sources, CISF raised the issue of a shortage of staff during the meeting here today.

Recently heavy congestion during peak hours has been reported in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and unhappy passengers at Delhi airport tagged Aviation Minister on social media.

ALSO READ - Operations at Mumbai Airport hit by fibre cable damage

Due to glitches in the internet server at the Mumbai International Airport also faced a tough time for passengers last week in completing the check-in process for their flights and forcing airlines to issue boarding passes manually.

Recently heavy congestion during peak hours has been reported in Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore and unhappy passengers at Delhi airport tagged Aviation Minister on social media.

Airlines are now “recommending” domestic passengers flying out of some places like Delhi to report for check-in three hours before flight departure time “due to heavy congestion at airport security.” Such is the rush that Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) is asking airlines operating from T3 to shift some of their peak-hour flights to T1 and T2. And also reschedule some T3 departures to ease terminal woes.

Immigration, a sovereign function like security, has become a major pain point in Delhi and Mumbai, especially for foreigners who are now required to give biometrics on arrival. While the aviation ministry and airport operators did not comment on the immigration bottleneck, sources said “software upgrade that was to happen has so far not happened, leading to delays.” Manning of counters is also an issue at times.

Mr. Scindia also mentioned in Lok Sabha on Thursday, December 8 that civil aviation was one of the most affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic when all the planes were grounded.

Mr. Scindia also mentioned that civil aviation was one of the most affected sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic when all the planes were grounded.

Pre-Covid, he said, the highest number of passengers in India's history was 4.07 lakh on a single day in 2019 and the number was breached three days ago when 4.13 lakh passengers travelled by air on a single day.

"This speaks a lot about this government's, and the Prime Minister's priority -- the democratisation of civil aviation, increasing the breadth as well as depth in civil aviation," he said. This, he said, also brings up the issue of crowding at the airport.

"We have to understand the seasonability of civil aviation. The festive season is from October to February which is the peak season. Then comes the normal season which is from March to May and then the lean season of monsoon which is from June to September," he said. Replying to another question, Scindia said he would look into the issue of senior citizens facing inconvenience while transiting through Indian airports en route to their onward journey abroad.

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