IndiGo launches 32 new connecting flights between India and Europe

IndiGo has announced 32 new connecting flights to Europe through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines. Effective December 07, the new routes include several major destinations including Milan, Manchester, Birmingham, Rome, and Venice.

Codesharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless travel to destinations where it has no presence.

The airline said that the new flights are designed to cater to travellers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options to access destinations which help in building businesses and are known for their tourist attractions. The introduction of these flights will further bolster international connectivity.

IndiGo launches 32 new connecting flights between India and Europe

ALSO READ - IndiGo adds 19 new connecting flights to Portugal and Switzerland, via Turkey

Last month, IndiGo launched flight services to Portugal and Switzerland via Istanbul under its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines.

The new flights are designed to cater to travellers who are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable flying options to access destinations that help in building businesses and are known for their tourist attractions.

“We are extremely pleased to add more capacity between India and Europe during this holiday season, given the high demand for international travel. These flights will cater to travellers exploring Italy and UK, with one-stop connections to Milan, Manchester, Birmingham, Rome, and Venice via Istanbul. These new routes will not only strengthen international connectivity but also enhance affordability for travel to Europe. We will continue to strive to stay true to our promise of affordable fares, on-time performance, and courteous and hassle-free service.”

Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo

ALSO READ - IndiGo and Virgin Atlantic sign codeshare agreement

In August this year, IndiGo inked a codeshare agreement with British carrier Virgin Atlantic. IndiGo has a fleet of 280+ aircraft and operates over 1,600 daily flights, connecting 75 domestic destinations and 26 international destinations. 

Air India on Monday, December 5 said it will lease 12 more aircraft comprising both Airbus A320 Neo and Boeing B777, which are expected to be inducted in its existing fleet in the first half of 2023. The new planes will be deployed on the airline's short, medium and long-haul international routes.

ALSO READ - Air India leases 6 Airbus A320 NEOs from CDB Aviation

Air India said it has leased 42 aircraft since its privatisation in January this year. Of the 12 new leased planes, six are wide-body Boeing B777-300ER, while the remaining six are narrow-body Airbus A320 neo, as per the statement.

ALSO READ - Air India to revamp its fleet by leasing 30 aircraft in the upcoming months

Air India set to lease 12 more A320 Neo and B777 aircraft by the first half of 2023

The airline had in September this year announced that it will be adding 30 leased aircraft -- 21 A320, 4 A321 and 5 B777-200LR in its fleet over 15 months, amid its plan to have a 30% share in both domestic and international markets.

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

The A320 neo will be operated on the airline's domestic as well as short-to-medium haul international routes. The airline said the B777-300 ER will have a four-class configuration -- first, business, premium economy and economy -- to connect metro cities with more international destinations.

ALSO READ - Air India graduates the first batch of cabin crew trainees & pilots; ready to take off on A320 fleet

This means an addition of 36 aircraft — 11 B777s and 25 A320 family — by early next year with vastly improved cabin interiors, as opposed to the poor passenger experience on Air India’s existing fleet that has suffered due to lack of investment in upkeep or maintenance during its past penurious few years as a government-owned airline.

The new planes will be deployed on the airline's short, medium and long-haul international routes.

In addition to leasing aircraft, Air India has also brought back into operation 19 aircraft, which were grounded for a long time while nine more such planes are expected to join the fleet, it stated. As part of the expansion, Air India is enhancing the frequency of flights between key cities on domestic routes, besides announcing the expansion of international flight services.

"Growing our network is an essential part of Air India's Vihaan.AI transformational journey and we remain committed to increasing connectivity and frequency of flights both domestically and internationally. The additional aircraft leases will support the airline's near-term growth even as it finalises plans to refresh and significantly grow the company's long-term fleet."

Campbell Wilson, Managing Director and CEO, Air India

Air India has raised the frequency of flights in the domestic sector and has also announced direct flights between Indian cities to destinations like Doha, San Francisco, Vancouver, and Birmingham.

Air India has been focusing on its international expansion during the last few months. In December, the carrier is scheduled to operate 809 international flights per week, which is about 22% more than what it operated in June, according to aviation analytics company Cirium's data.

Last week the airline resumed its non-stop service between Bengaluru and San Francisco with a Boeing B777-200LR. Last month, Air India said it will commence direct flights from Delhi to Milan, Vienna and Copenhagen starting February 1, 2023.

Air India has been focusing on its international expansion during the last few months

ALSO READ - Air India to broaden its network in the US

The airline said it will also start daily services between Mumbai and New York from February 14, 2023, using a Boeing B777-200LR, besides flights to Paris and Frankfurt from India’s financial capital starting February 18 using the Boeing B787-8 Dreamliner.

ALSO READ - Air India to start direct flights between Mumbai-San Francisco

With the resumption of these flights, Air India will serve seven cities in Europe with 79 weekly non-stop flights — 48 to the United Kingdom and 31 to continental Europe.

As US and European airlines avoid Russian airspace making their transit time to India longer and in some cases making many flights unviable, Air India has stepped up to take advantage of the situation. The airline has increased the frequency to the UK from 34 flights every week to 48. Flights from India to the US will increase from 34 to 40 per week.

With the latest announcement, the fleet size of Air India will increase to 149 from 113 currently.

Air India has a fleet size of 113 aircraft of which 87 planes were operational as of September. These included 54 narrow-body airplanes and 33 wide-body aircraft. The inoperative 16 narrow-body aircraft and 10 wide-body aircraft are expected to return to service by early 2023.

With the latest announcement, the fleet size of Air India will increase to 149 from 113 currently. IndiGo is the largest airline in India with a fleet size of over 280 airplanes.

ALSO READ - Air India to integrate AirAsia India with Air India Express by the end of 2023

The Tata group and Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced last week that Vistara will be merged into Air India to create a single full-service airline, with SIA holding a 25.1% share in the new entity. AirAsia India is already in the process of merging with Air India Express to create a single low-cost subsidiary of Air India.

Halo Airways, a jet charter firm based in Kochi, plans to expand its operations from Kochi, as CIAL prepares to open its business jet terminal.

The terminal will be inaugurated on December 10 by Pinarayi Vijayan, the Chief Minister of Kerala. The terminal, which is believed to be the nation's first charter gateway, is expected to be built in Kochi, and key businesses in the sector anticipate tremendous growth opportunities.

CIAL (Cochin International Airport Limited) wants to turn it into a hub for business jet service, travel, and conferences. A Kochi-based aviation firm that specialises in jet chartering is one of many organisations that share CIAL's delight for its most recent infrastructure upgrade.

CIAL hopes to transform the airport into a centre for conferences, business jet service, and travel

Senior representatives of Halo Airways, which operates a jet service out of Bengaluru, said CIAL's decision to open a business jet terminal is in line with the growing demand for jet chartering as a significant portion of frequent flyers, primarily business people, celebrities, and politicians, view it as a dependable and comfortable method of travel.

Also read: A sneak peek inside the world of aircraft dealers and brokers

There are currently two terminals run by CIAL: T-1 handles domestic traffic, and T-3 manages international traffic.

CIAL will join the select group of four airports in the nation that have a dedicated private jet terminal with the commissioning of the business jet terminal, housed at the former domestic terminal (T2).

The business jet terminal at CIAL can accommodate both domestic and international private jets. For the convenience of the discerning guests, the facilities include covered parking, drive-in porches, a magnificent lobby, five sumptuous lounges, a business centre, check-in, immigration, customs, health, and security screening zones, along with duty-free shop and foreign currency counter. For visitors who fall under the security privileged category, the terminal facility also features a safe house.

The lobby of CIAL’s new Business Jet Terminal

"Kerala, being a tourism destination, is likely to benefit in a big way with the upcoming jet terminal at CIAL as it would attract a huge number of customers who prefer the comfort of a chartered jet flight."

–Shoby T Paul, CEO, Halo Airways

Paul cited the advantages of his company's jet services, including time savings, convenience, economic viability, and personalization. 

A recent client of Halo Airways: Kamal Hassan

Recent clients of Halo include the Chief Minister of Kerala, his counterpart in Karnataka, Basavaraj Bommai, the leaders of the Karnataka Congress, Siddharamaiah and DK Shivakumar, and the renowned actor Kamal Hassan.

Paul claimed that if they register a good amount of bookings from Kerala with the CIAL infra development, they are even prepared to transfer their jet to Kochi.  Once the CIAL terminal is operational, he anticipates 100% growth.

According to CIAL Managing Director S Suhas IAS, the new dedicated terminal emphasises the idea of reasonably priced chartered flights. According to a statement from CIAL, the special terminal for handling business and charter jets, where passengers are given opulent personal facilities in a tastefully decorated private room, was constructed for Rs 30 crore.

The operationalization of the business jet terminal is something that CIAL views as being in line with its aim to find and launch new revenue verticals.

(With inputs from Onmanorama)

The reinstatement of electronic visas (e-visas) for UK visitors was announced by the Indian High Commission in London, on Monday, December 5.

India is prepared to restart offering e-visas to UK citizens; this is a positive development given the recent surge in demand for visas to India. Earlier this year, this service was reinstated for practically all nations with the exception of a few, notably the UK and Canada.

According to Vikram Doraiswami, the Indian High Commissioner to the UK, the service will be made available "forthwith". High Commission representatives in London also confirmed that travellers can begin applying for e-visas to India this week. It stated that an upgrade to the system is in progress and that the website for Indian visas would soon be ready to accept e-visa applications.

https://twitter.com/HCI_London/status/1599779657347276803?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1599779657347276803%7Ctwgr%5E74394d82ebd112f39aeecb5b798ce430283fe673%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.news18.com%2Fnews%2Fworld%2Findia-to-allow-e-visas-to-uk-travellers-again-service-likely-to-start-this-week-6546205.html

“The resumption of e-visas will unlock great potential for inbound tourism for India as these are huge markets for the same.”

–Anil Kalsi, Joint Secretary, Travel Agents Federation of India

During pre-Covid 2019, there were 1.7 crore foreign visitors in India, of whom 1.1 crores were tourists from other countries and the remainder of NRIs were returning home to see friends and family.

Also read: Foreign tourist arrivals in 2022 till August reach close to 50% of the pre-pandemic year

According to government data for 2018, Bangladesh (21.4%), the US (13.8%), the United Kingdom (9.7%), Sri Lanka (3.35%), and Canada (3.32%) were the top five source nations for international travellers arriving in India. The tourism industry has been requesting that e-visas be reinstated as they are now prohibited in some of these major source markets.

For instance, to increase inbound tourism, the Travel Agents Association of India, a federation of over 2,500 travel agencies, asked the government to reinstate e-visas for all nations this summer.

E-visas were among the topics that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his British counterpart, Rishi Sunak, discussed when they met last month on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Indonesia. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with his United Kingdom counterpart Rishi Sunak on the first day of the 17th G20 Summit, in Indonesia

The long-awaited move comes after a number of initiatives to improve Indian visa processing facilities, including a new Indian visa centre in London and the Visa at Your Doorstep (VAYD) service, to meet the strong demand for travel from the UK to India following the pandemic.

VFS Global, the outsourcing and technology services provider for governments and diplomatic missions, runs the new India Visa Application Centre (IVAC) at Marylebone. This has facilitated a more streamlined procedure for group tourism or those travelling in a group, typically via a travel agency to the same destination using the same flights.

“We are always looking at finding practical solutions to address customer experience challenges. As a responsible service provider that manages non-judgmental and administrative tasks related to visa applications for the governments we work with, we have taken measures along with the High Commissioner of India in London to help visa applicants with a seamless visa application experience.”

–Aditya Arora, COO, VFS Global

The visa company claimed that since applications began coming in on Saturdays and weekday afternoons in London and Birmingham, it has been able to provide more slots.

Since March of this year, VFS Global has also collaborated to put up weekend consular camps across the UK, working with the Indian High Commission in London and its Consulates.

(Source: HCI London)

India is developing plans to construct a new aircraft carrier, a deck-based fighter jet, and purchase advanced drones from the US to bolster its navy.

According to Indian Navy chief Admiral R Hari Kumar, who said on Saturday, December 3, India is working on plans to construct a new aircraft carrier, create an indigenous deck-based fighter jet, and purchase high-tech drones from the US to bolster its navy. At the same time, the navy is keeping an eye on Chinese activity in the Indian Ocean region and is prepared to defend the nation's interests in remote seas.

Indian Navy has decided to boost its fleet with new Aircraft Carriers, Fighter Jets and Advanced Drones

“Maintaining credible deterrence while remaining ready to go into harm’s way to protect, preserve and promote national interests will remain our principal priority. Our vision of being a combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-proof force underpins this aspect.”

–Admiral R Hari Kumar, Navy chief, India (said at his annual press briefing on the eve of Navy Day)

According to him, the navy is dedicated to becoming totally self-sufficient by 2047, when India will commemorate 100 years of independence, and believes that cooperation between the three services is the only viable option.

Aircraft Carriers 

India now possesses two aircraft carriers: INS Vikrant, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi commissioned on September 2 in Kochi, and INS Vikramaditya, which India acquired secondhand from Russia for $2.33 billion. 

Also read: “Vikrant”- India’s indigenous aircraft carrier to be commissioned on the country’s independence day – Here’s what we know

After INS Vikrant (formerly known as IAC-1) was commissioned in September, the Navy is considering building a second indigenous aircraft carrier to project India's naval supremacy on the high seas, the IAC-2.

INS Vikrant

“We are still working on some aspects of IAC-2 like what size it should be and what are capabilities desired. But right now, we have put a hold on it (IAC-2) because we have just commissioned the Vikrant and are quite happy with the ship. We are examining whether we should look at a repeat order for IAC-1 instead of going for IAC-2 to capitalise on the expertise gained during the former’s construction. We are in the discussion stage right now.”

–Admiral R Hari Kumar, Navy chief, India

INS Vikramaditya

Costing 20,000 crores, the 45,000-tonne Vikrant was constructed at Cochin Shipyard. IAC-2 is anticipated to be more expensive and larger (65,000 tonnes) than Vikrant.

The navy has been making the case that it needs three aircraft carriers to improve its sea control and power projection capabilities as well as assist it to fulfil its expanding obligations in the Indo-Pacific.

Fighter Jets

India aims to operate its indigenous twin-engine, deck-based fighter (TEDBF) from its aircraft carriers, and the navy is now drafting a cabinet note for its design and development.

Some of the Russian-made MiG-29K fighter jets that are operated by INS Vikramaditya are currently being transferred to INS Vikrant in preparation for imminently taking part in crucial flight tests.

MiG-29K

India intends to purchase 26 new fighters for Vikrant through a government-to-government agreement to satisfy the needs of the navy, with French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation's Rafale-M and US company Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet vying for the order. 

Dassault Aviation's Rafale-M

Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet

Also read: Titans of the skies – three best aircraft carrier jets compared

“Trials have been conducted on both fighters and the evaluation process is underway. We will take a call on what’s in our best interest.”

–Admiral R Hari Kumar, Navy chief, India

Drones

According to the Navy Chief, conversations are ongoing to determine the precise number of Predator drones India will need to purchase from the US for the three services. The original proposal called for spending $3 billion to purchase 30 of these drones, 10 for the army, 10 for the air force, and 10 for the navy.

US Predator Drone

Also read: India close to procuring the $3 Billion “Predator” Drones Deal With US | Here’s what we know

To improve its intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities, the navy leased a pair of MQ-9B SeaGuardian drones from the US in 2020. The MQ-9Bs have assisted the navy in keeping a close eye on the Indian Ocean at a time when it has increased surveillance in the area to curtail China's ambitions.

MQ-9B SeaGuardian Drone

(With inputs from Hindustan Times)

Airbus, European aerospace giant seeks to get Green Hydrogen from regions including Latin America, Australia, and India as part of its decarbonization efforts.

Airbus is working on a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine for their ambitious ZEROe aircraft that will go into service by 2035

Airbus is working on a hydrogen-powered fuel cell engine for their ambitious zero-emission aircraft that will go into service by 2035. India and Latin America, among other places, are appealing as potential supply centres due to the low cost of producing renewable energy.

The term "green hydrogen" describes hydrogen produced using low-carbon or renewable energy sources such as wind or solar. In comparison to "grey hydrogen," which is made from fossil fuels like natural gas, it emits much fewer carbon emissions. The majority of the hydrogen market at the moment is made up of grey hydrogen.

Green hydrogen is hydrogen that has been produced with low-carbon or renewable energy sources, like solar or wind

It has been hailed as the key to decarbonizing sectors that depend on coal, gas, and oil; nevertheless, the prices of production have historically been significantly higher than those of other kinds of hydrogen, and there are also doubts about the demand globally.

“One of the key activities that are underway at Airbus is to make sure that when we have a hydrogen aircraft available, we also have green hydrogen at airports. So, we are doing a lot of work with different airports and energy providers all across the world to make sure that green hydrogen is available at the right price when we need it.”

–Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft, Airbus

A partnership agreement between Airbus and HyPort has been signed in order to build a low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution facility at the France airport of Toulouse-Blagnac. The airport is expected to go into operation in early 2023.  It will be able to create approximately 400 kg of hydrogen each day, which would be sufficient to power 50 ground transportation vehicles.

Llewellyn mentioned that although there are currently no hydrogen-powered aircraft flying, hydrogen may be used to reduce airport carbon emissions, which enables the availability of hydrogen to be increased and helps us get ready for the day when planes will require it.

A partnership agreement has been reached between Airbus and HyPort in order to develop a low-carbon hydrogen production and distribution facility at the Toulouse-Blagnac airport in France

“We are looking at... how we can get hydrogen from places like India, Australia and Latin America, where we think the cost of hydrogen production is really interesting, and what the value chain will be to get that hydrogen to other regions of the world where maybe it’s more costly to produce locally.”

–Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft, Airbus

India is a key market for Airbus in the production of Green Hydrogen. The National Hydrogen Mission was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 15, 2021, with the goal of making India a significant leader in the sector. By 2030, the nation aims to produce 5 MT of green hydrogen as part of this project.

Also read: The road to Airbus ZEROe- Hydrogen Tanks

India has previously stated that it wants to increase its renewable energy capacity to 500 GW by 2030 and get 50% of its electricity from renewable sources.

Airbus' Zero-Emission Aircraft VP said that India is an amazing location with huge potential for the production of (green) hydrogen at a very exciting cost

“India is an amazing location with huge potential for the production of (green) hydrogen at a very exciting cost. I would hope that one day we can have zero emission aircraft operating out of airports like Delhi and others at attractive price points based on homegrown renewable energy ecosystem.”

–Glenn Llewellyn, VP Zero-Emission Aircraft, Airbus

Airbus is collaborating with airports, energy providers, and infrastructure suppliers to create the ecosystem required to operate a hydrogen aircraft, which it intends to launch in 2035.

(With inputs from The Economic Times)