The Indian men精东影业 cricket team won the T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 on June 29, 2024, in Barbados but was unable to fly back to India due to Hurricane Beryl. 

Reports from Indian media outlets stated that the Indian national carrier canceled flight AI 105 and converted it into a chartered flight to pick up the team upon the request of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The Boeing 777LR bearing registration VT-AEE, was then given the call sign AIC24WC which stood for Air India Cricket World Cup (2024). 

When the flight took off from Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI) in Bridgetown, it became the most watched and anticipated flight among Indian cricket fans.

The Indian Cricket Team captain, Rohit Sharma, posted a photograph of himself with the ICC World Cup cricket on board the flight and uploaded it on his social media channels.

The flight eventually landed in Delhi at 06:05 local time on July 4, 2024. However, the victorious homecoming flight did not go unnoticed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India精东影业 civil aviation regulatory board. 

According to Indian media outlet , the board requested Air India to submit a “factual report” on the incident. As per DGCA rules issued in December 2017, a carrier can operate a non-scheduled international flight only if it is in no way affecting its scheduled flight operations.

While an official report has not been produced by Air India at the time of writing, a spokesperson for the airline told the Business Standard that all passengers of the Newark-Delhi flight were accommodated on other flights operated by the airline and its partner airlines.

Air India selects Delhi-London Heathrow for first Airbus A350 long-haul flight

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-06-27

Air India is hoping to reshape the Indian regional aviation landscape by improving connectivity between the country精东影业 metropolitan centers with smaller regions. With significant infrastructure development already underway in many rural regions across India, demand for enhanced air connections is rising at an unprecedented pace, according to reports.听

Any potential future expansion will put Air India in direct competition with India精东影业 largest carrier IndiGo Airlines which has been steadily growing its turboprop fleet to strengthen its regional presence. Currently, IndiGo has a fleet of 45 ATR72-600 turboprops each seating 78 passengers, with a further five on order.      

Additionally, in May 2024, IndiGo announced it was in talks with major manufacturers about an order for around 100 regional aircraft, and Air India is conscious of potentially losing ground on its rival should that order go ahead.   

Sources familiar with the matter have said that Air India has been holding internal discussions about this strategic move. 鈥淭he opportunity in the regional space is staring us in the face, and the intent is to provide a complete travel solution to Indian travelers,鈥� said a company official who spoke to the publication Mint on the basis of their identity remaining anonymous.听听

Industry estimates suggest that collectively, Indian airlines operated around 200,000 regional flights in 2023, with IndiGo and Spice Jet dominating the market with extensive jet and turboprop networks. India精东影业 regional aviation sector has seen significant growth, buoyed by the government精东影业 UDAN regional connectivity scheme alongside a policy to invest in regional airport infrastructure in the country精东影业 smaller towns. 

As Air India decides what its next steps might be in the regional aviation sector, its former regional subsidiary, Alliance Air, which was not included in the Air India divestment to the Tata Group, continues to operate as a state-run airline operating a fleet of 21 turboprop aircraft in its own right. This move also left Air India without much of its regional feeder traffic and network.    

As part of its potential growth strategy, Air India is rumored to be planning this process around the acquisition of a large number of ATR72 aircraft. That said, it remains unclear whether the additional operations will fall within the full-service Air India brand or that of its low-cost offshoot, Air India Express. The Tata Group, which acquired Air India in January 2022 from the Indian Government, is in the process of merging its four airlines (Vistara, Air India, Air India Express, and Air Asia India) into just two entities by the end of 2024.听听

Any move taken by Air India into the regional aviation scene would come as the travel penetration rates in the regions remain relatively low at 3% to 7%, presenting significant growth potential. This potential is greatest in smaller towns and cities across the country where income levels are rising quickly and the propensity for air travel is building beyond current air services capacity.  

According to data from ch-aviation, India精东影业 regional aircraft fleet has鈥痝rown by 12.5%鈥痵ince the end of 2023, and now totals 108 aircraft, including 24 DHC-8 Q400s operated by SpiceJet. According to analysts, this rate of expansion alone underscores the increasing importance of regional connectivity in India精东影业 aviation sector 鈥� a market in which Air India knows it must either keep up with or lose its foothold to competitor airlines.

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IndiGo talks to ATR, Embraer, and Airbus about orders for 100 regional aircraft

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-05-14

Air India announced on June 27, 2024, that the maiden long-haul flight will depart from Delhi on September 1, 2024, replacing the current Boeing 777-300ER and Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner on 14 of 17 weekly flights.听

The shift to the Airbus A350 will generate an extra 336 between Delhi and London each week, according to Air India.  

Air India精东影业 first ever A350-900 flight with was between Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport (BLR) and Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport (BOM) on January 22, 2024.  

Around three months later on May 1, 2024, Air India精东影业 first international flight took off from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) to Dubai International Airport (DXB), a relatively short hop for a plane that can fly over 9,000 miles.    

Now the airline and staff are more familiar with the aircraft and flying internationally, Air India clearly felt it was in a good position to schedule its first long-haul flight.    

鈥淭he deployment of our flagship A350s and the B777s with upgraded cabin interiors to London Heathrow marks a significant milestone for Air India. It demonstrates our commitment to elevating the travel experience of our guests to truly world-class standards and to going beyond just meeting customer expectations as we continue to renew our fleet,鈥� said Campbell Wilson, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Air India. 

The airline boss added: 鈥淲ith our industry-leading cabin products on the A350 including a new Premium Economy experience and a host of new on board enhancements rolling out, we are confident that these daily flights between India and London Heathrow will soon be the preferred choice for travelers.鈥�  

The new route between Delhi and London-Heathrow will allow Air India to introduce its premium economy class on the service for the first time. 

Air India精东影业 A350-900 aircraft have a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats: 28 private business suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and other amenities, and 264 economy seats.   

According to , Air India currently has six A350-900s in service and is awaiting delivery of 14 more as well as 20 of the larger A350-1000s.听听

Air India精东影业 first six A350-900s were originally earmarked for the Russian airline, Aeroflot. 

However, after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, sanctions subsequently put in place by Western nations meant that the completed A350s could not be delivered and became available for purchase.听 听

Sneak peek: New Air India A320neo livery spotted at Airbus facility in Toulouse

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-06

Journalist Mathures Paul was traveling on flight AI 175 from Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) in Bengaluru to San Francisco International Airport (SFO) on June 9, 2024 when the incident took place.

During the flight, Paul was horrified to discover that his meal contained what appeared to be a sharp metal blade. Paul took a photograph of the object and posted it to X (formerly Twitter).

鈥淎ir India food can cut like a knife,鈥� Paul wrote, adding that he felt the object after chewing on the dish, a roasted sweet potato and fig chaat.

In the post Paul said he had not been injured or harmed, but raised questions about what would have happened if the dish had been served to a child.

Paul tagged Air India in his post, which has now been shared more than 81 times. Air India responded to Paul, who tagged the airline his post, and said the incident does not represent the level of service it aims to provide to passengers.

After initiating a probe into the incident, the airline confirmed that the object had been identified as part of a “vegetable processing machine” used by the airline’s catering partner.

鈥淎ir India confirms that a foreign object was found in the meal of a guest aboard one of our flights. After investigation, it has been identified as coming from the vegetable processing machine used at the facilities of our catering partner,鈥� Air India Chief Customer Experience Officer Rajesh Dogra told local media. 

Dogra said the airline has worked with its catering partner to strengthen measures to prevent any recurrence, including 鈥渕ore frequent checking of the processor especially after chopping off any hard vegetable鈥�.

Air India added that it had already reached out to Paul and apologized for the experience.

Malaysia Airlines faces in-flight meal criticisms while searching for new caterer

• Airlines
• Civil Aviation

byJean Carmela Lim

2023-09-07

On May 9, 2024, Air India Express announced that its passengers would face more disruptions due to the airline being forced to cancel around 85 flights and was subsequently being supported by parent company, Air India.听听

“We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilized all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport,” Air India Express said in a statement. 

According to the , on May 8, 2023, Air India Express had to delay or cancel 87 flights following a mass exodus of staff due to sickness.听听

We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by unprecedented flight delays and cancellations. While we are working hard to minimise disruptions, please check your flight status before heading to the airport. If your flight is impacted, please reach out鈥�

— Air India Express (@AirIndiaX)

The airline said it didn鈥檛 have 鈥渢ime to react鈥� and it had been unable to reach absent cabin crew staff because their mobile phone had been switched off. 

According to , the airline informed the news agency that it was “taking appropriate steps” against some staff members who reported being sick at the last minute.听

Around 30 cabin crew have been sacked so far while others have been given an ultimatum to return to work by 16:00 today or face action, reported.听听

It is understood that employees at the airline are unhappy with new employment terms since the Tata Group took over the company in 2022.  

Sneak peek: New Air India A320neo livery spotted at Airbus facility in Toulouse

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byJean Carmela Lim

2024-05-06

Air India unveiled its new brand identity and livery design in 2023. Since Tata Group精东影业 acquisition of Air India in 2021, the airline has undergone an image rebranding that highlights a  鈥渨indow of possibilities.鈥�

Although the airline精东影业 A350 fleet is already wearing the new livery, this is the first time that the new design is seen on a narrowbody aircraft.

The freshly-painted A320neo, configured in an all-economy layout, can be seen in Air India精东影业 new branding that features a palette of deep red, aubergine, and gold highlights, as well as a chakra-inspired pattern.

The livery also sports a black eye mask that surrounds the cockpit windscreen, and 鈥淎ir India鈥� is written in a font especially created for the airline.

There are no engines attached to the A320neo aircraft yet, and delivery to Air India is expected sometime between May and June 2024.

End of an era: The last four Air India Boeing 747s leave the carrier精东影业 fleet听听听听

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byLuke Peters

2024-04-22

It has been reported that two of the 鈥楺ueens of the Sky鈥� will be converted into freighters, while the remaining two will be parted out for parts that will be sold in the 747 spares aftermarket.  

While three aircraft remain parked at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj鈥疘nternational Airport (BOM) in India, the fourth aircraft (originally registered VT-EVA and named 鈥楢gra鈥�) is currently undertaking a ferry flight to Seattle in the US using the registration N940AS. The aircraft departed Mumbai at 05:16 GMT on Monday, April 22, 2024, heading east over Bangladesh, Myanmar/Burma, and China before it crosses the Pacific Ocean. 

According to ch-aviation, this particular aircraft was delivered new to Air India in October 1996. Having served the carrier on its long-haul routes until March 2021, the aircraft was retired from service and has been in storage in Mumbai since.听听

The type became a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic as the airline deemed them to be economically unviable given the prevailing market and operating conditions. The Tata Group, the new owner of Air India, subsequently decided to retire the carrier精东影业 remaining 747s, replacing them on long-haul routes with 777-300ERs which themselves are due to be replaced in the coming years with the carrier精东影业 new fleet of Airbus A350s.听听

The last operational flight by Air India 747 occurred on the Delhi to Mumbai route in March 2021. Before being parked at Mumbai Airport, a couple of the aircraft were used for ministerial VVIP flights, including transporting the country精东影业 Prime Minister and President on official visits. Following its acquisition of the carrier, Tata Group enlisted the services of the UK-based remarketing firm Skytech-AIC to facilitate the sale of the four aircraft. 

Over five decades, Air India operated 25 examples of the Boeing 747s in total. With the airline having received its first aircraft (a Boeing 747-200B registered VT-EBE) in April 1971, several variants of the type were added to the carrier精东影业 fleet over the next two decades. This included more 747-200s (bringing the total to nine), followed by a pair of the stretched upper deck 747-300M combi variant in the 1980s. Lastly, the 747-400 entered service with the carrier in 1996, with 14 different aircraft being employed by the airline, including a single 747-400M combi (VT-AIM).听 听

听听听听

The introduction of the Boeing 747 into the Air India fleet took the carrier into what many still consider the golden age of air travel in the country. The type initially entered service on the company精东影业 flagship daily service to London-Heathrow Airport (LHR), with the planes being given a refreshed company livery (featuring frames around each passenger window resembling Rajasthani-style arches) and with the slogan 鈥淵our Palace in the Sky鈥� adorning the side of the fuselage.  

The Air India 747 upper deck areas featured an exclusive lounge and bar area for well-heeled passengers traveling in first class.听 听

Dubai selected as Air India精东影业 first international destination for new A350-900s

• Aircraft
• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-04-16

On May 1, 2024, the first of Air India精东影业 new A350-900 jets will fly to Dubai International Airport (DXB), a relatively short hop for a plane that is capable of flying over 9,000 miles.  

The first Air India A350 flight will depart from Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi at 20:45 local time and arrive at DXB at 22:45 and return a few hours later.  

According to , which first reported the news, the route is normally operated by Air India精东影业 Boeing 787-8 aircraft.听听

Once the airline and staff become more familiar with the aircraft and flying to Dubai, the A350 will gradually be scheduled for longer routes.  

The first ever Airbus A350-900 to join Air India精东影业 fleet completed its maiden commercial flight on January 22, 2024. 

The A350-900 widebody aircraft, registered VT-JRA, took off from Bengaluru Kempegowda Airport (BLR) and touched down at Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport (BOM) just over an hour later. 

The flight not only represented an aviation first for the carrier but also for India, which has never operated an Airbus A350 before.听听听听听

VT-JRA is the first of 20 A350-900s on order that were originally earmarked for the Russian airline, Aeroflot.   

After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, sanctions subsequently imposed by Western countries meant that the completed A350s could not be delivered and thus became available for purchase. 

Air India精东影业 A350-900 aircraft will have a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats: 28 private business suites with full-flat beds, 24 premium economy seats with extra legroom and other amenities, and 264 economy seats.   

According to ch-aviation.com, Air India is currently operating three of its new Airbus A350-900, a fourth having arrived on April 9, 2024. 

In pictures: 22,000 new Air India seats to be fitted on Boeing and Airbus jets

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-02-06

This initiative aims to enhance international connectivity, operational efficiency and passenger experience for passengers flying through Bangalore International Airport (BLR) via Air India, Vistara and other partner companies. 

Air India will create a new lounge for domestic traffic at the airport and has also signed an agreement with the government of the state of Karnataka, where the city of Bengaluru is located, to build a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport. Once completed the facility is expected to employ up to 1,200 qualified professionals. 

In its official press release, Air India also hints at a potential strengthening of long-haul and international services out of Bangalore International Airport, although no specific details or time frame for this have been provided. 

Known as India精东影业 tech capital, Bengaluru boasts India精东影业 third busiest airport, handling 37.2 million passengers during 2023. According to Hani Mara, CEO of Bangalore International Airport Limited, half of all international passengers outbound from the airport take long-haul flights to destinations in Europe, North America, Australia and the Far East. 

At present, most of Air India精东影业 services at Bangalore International Airport are domestic, though the airline does operate a nonstop route – one of the world精东影业 longest 鈥� to San Franscisco. 

Air India精东影业 Bengaluru project was announced amidst a backdrop of labor unrest, with the airline精东影业 technicians preparing to go on strike on April 23 in protest at what they claim are overworking conditions that are not properly compensated. 

While airlines are capitalizing on increasing demand for air travel in India, they are often faced with labor and capacity constraints resulting from their frantic rate of growth. 

Air India presents A350-900 with brand new cabin interiors, IFE and amenity kits听

• Airlines

byMiquel Ros

2 minute read

Air India reached an agreement with the German outfit RECARO which will undertake the mammoth project for both linefit and retrofit programs over the next five to six years.听听

Air India selected RECARO精东影业 CL3710 and the brand-new CL3810 for economy class, while the PL3530 will outfit the premium economy cabin.听

The first phase of this collaboration involves the retrofitting of 40 Boeing 787 and 777 aircraft with CL3710 and PL3530 seats, set to enter service in 2024.   

The same seat configuration will also be adopted for 12 Airbus A350s and 787 aircraft entering service in 2025. 

While an additional order for 34 Airbus A350 and 787 aircraft will be fitted with CL3810 in economy and PL3530 in premium economy.听

鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to get into this partnership with Recaro Aircraft Seating,鈥� said Campbell Wilson, CEO and MD, Air India, said. 鈥淭his will help us offer an enhanced experience for our passengers at this transformative time for Air India and add value to our passenger-centric focus making us more competitive on the global aviation stage.鈥� 

According to RECARO the PL3530 offers 鈥渦nparalleled comfort, functionality, ample stowage, and a generous 7鈥� recline鈥� while the economy CL3710, 鈥渇eatures a six-way adjustable headrest with neck support, enhancing sleeping comfort鈥�. 

The brand-new CL3810 comes with 鈥渟pacious seating, ample legroom, a six-way adjustable headrest, and lumbar support鈥�.听

鈥淒esigned with customization and modularity in mind, the CL3810 brings together comfort innovations and a sleek, modern aesthetic for economy class travelers,鈥� said.听听

All 22,000 seats will showcase Air India’s signature custom trim and finish and latest inflight entertainment systems will also be integrated into each one. 

Having placed a record-setting order of 470 aircraft, Air India currently has 117 operating in its fleet and will be receiving a new jet every six days throughout 2024.听 听

Southwest Airlines unveils design plans for new cabins, seats and staff uniforms

• Airlines

byIan Molyneaux

2024-02-05