Tag: Airlines

Meet the guy who scored $250,000 of tickets for $17,000 after airline error

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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One quick-witted opportunist bagged $250,000-worth of airline tickets for just $17,000 after fares on an All Nippon Airways website were listed ultra cheaply due to a currency conversion error.

Herman Yip, 32, snapped up 25 tickets for a small fraction of their usual cost, including a round-trip in first class all the way from Jakarta to Aruba, via Tokyo and New York, for only $890. Some business-class flights cost as little as $300, he told Bloomberg News.

ANA Holdings Ltd. said Wednesday that airfares were listed incorrectly on its Vietnam website due to an erroneous currency conversion. The Japanese carrier hasn’t confirmed if the cut-price tickets will remain valid, saying it would make a decision by the end of April on how to address the issue.

Also Read: Jet’s return to skies unclear, Jalan-Kalrock has less than a month to pay creditors

Yip said the low prices remained on the ANA website for at least 12 hours.

“I guess ANA hasn’t made clear if they’re going to honor the tickets or not, because the impact from the incident seems so huge as the bug lasted for so long,” said Yip, who runs a travel website from Hong Kong. “I know 20 people who knew about the incident, and that of course just multiplies the impact.”

Even though he didn’t have time to consult family and friends, Yip went ahead and bought tickets for them anyway.

“I didn’t even bother to ask them whether they were able to make it or not, as I needed to book really quickly,” he said.

Upon discovering that he could also change his flight for free after the order was confirmed, Yip rebooked his Jakarta-Aruba odyssey to instead begin in Bangkok, which is closer than the Indonesian capital to his home in Hong Kong.

Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. had a similar mishap to ANA in 2019, selling seats in premium cabins for hundreds of dollars instead of thousands. The Hong Kong carrier honored the tickets.

Also Read: Air India pilots’ unions warn of unrest if forced to sign revised salary terms

Yip’s Tips on Cheap Fares

To take advantage of these rare moments, Yip recommends reacting quickly and being flexible because there may not be a wide choice of dates or destinations. Lots of other people are also likely to be pouncing on the opportunity, limiting options. Essentially, book first and assess later.

“If you see something that’s probably a 10th of the original price, just book,” he said. “It’s very likely you’ll able to change or cancel, because the airline will always want you to cancel.”

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Russian carrier Aeroflot increases flight frequency on Delhi-Moscow route

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has increased the frequency of its flight services on the Delhi-Moscow route to seven times a week against four weekly services earlier, from March 26, a statement said on Monday.

In addition, the airline has also started operating a Boeing 777 jet along with Airbus A330 to cater to passenger traffic between the two capital cities, Delmos Aviation, which handles cargo operations for Aeroflot in India, said in the statement.

India and Russia “in principle” agreed to revise their bilateral air services agreement earlier this month, allowing Russian carriers to operate up to 64 flights per week from 52 to India.

Also Read: Nepal’s Civil Aviation Authority orders probe into near mid-air collision

Russian carriers are allowed to operate these flights to six Indian cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Amritsar and Ahmedabad.

Aeroflot has commenced daily flight services on the Delhi-Moscow route from March 26. The airline will operate both Boeing 777 and Airbus A330 with a total seating capacity of 410 and 293, respectively, in three class configurations – business, premium economy and economy, as per the statement.

In the just-concluded winter season, the airline operated only four weekly flights on the route, it noted.

According to the statement, regular flight services are crucial not only in terms of passenger movement but also from the cargo service point of view.  “This increase in frequency was long overdue as the number of passengers has increased in good measure,” said Naveen Rao, Director of Delmos Aviation.

“These daily flights will give a boost to tourism as well as the cargo supply chain. Due to increasing trade between the two countries, the Moscow-Delhi route is one of the long-established and high-demand routes…In addition, the cargo supply chain will be more effective,” said Oleg Korolev, head of cargo at Aeroflot.

There is a high demand for the shipments of pharmaceuticals, DG (dangerous goods) and machine tools, among others.

“With a cargo capacity of approximately 25 tonnes per flight, we are open to accepting all special commodities, including DG shipments,” according to Anish Khatri, GM for Delmos Aviation – GSSA Cargo Aeroflot Airlines.

Also Read: Air India CEO says refurbishment of existing aircraft and restoration of grounded planes is slower than expected

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Technical issues at Lufthansa cause delays in Frankfurt

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Lufthansa’s operations were disrupted on Sunday at Frankfurt airport due to technical problems. According to German news agency DPA, the check-in systems were affected at the airport.

A spokeswoman of Lufthansa told DPA that check-in systems on the airline’s website and at the counter, as well as boarding, were affected at Germany’s biggest airport.  Some flights were delayed or would have to be canceled because of the problems.

Check-in was still possible using cellphone browsers on smartphones or tablets, and the Lufthansa app.

Also Read: Etihad to start direct flights between Kolkata and Abu Dhabi from Sunday

The technical problems were caused by external IT service providers, DPA reported. Lufthansa asked travelers to check the status of their flights and said it was working with “high-pressure” to resolve the issues.

Last month, cable damage during construction work in Frankfurt caused Lufthansa computer systems to fail, resulting in flight cancellations and delays worldwide.

Sunday’s problems came a day before a national strike in Germany is set to bring the country’s traffic to a standstill with airport, train and public transportation employees all protesting for higher salaries in a one-day walkout on Monday.

Air traffic was already canceled on Sunday at Germany’s second-biggest airport in Munich because of the upcoming strike.

Also Read: Pilot shortage most likely causing long delays in Air India’s overseas flights

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Akasa Air to hire nearly 1,000 people by March 2024, says CEO Vinay Dube

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Akasa Air plans to hire nearly 1,000 people and take the total staff strength to more than 3,000 by the end of March 2024 as the airline continues to expand its fleet as well as routes, according to its chief Vinay Dube.

The airline, which took to the skies a little over seven months ago, also plans to start international operations by the end of this year, and the possible overseas destinations are still in the process of being finalised.

In an interview with PTI, Dube, the founder and CEO of Akasa Air, said the airline will place a “three-digit aircraft order” by the end of this year.

It has placed an order for 72 Boeing 737 Max aircraft, and 19 of them are already in its fleet. The 20th aircraft will be inducted in April, following which it will also be eligible to fly overseas.

Also Read: Akasa Air to start Kolkata operations from May; will be its 17th destination in India

In the next financial year, the carrier aims to add another 9 planes to its fleet, taking the total size to 28. Currently, it operates 110 flights every day.

“We have more than 2,000 employees today, and by the end of the next fiscal, we will be probably around 3,000 plus employees… (out of them, there are) around 1,100 pilots and flight attendants,” Dube said in the interview earlier this week in the national capital.

According to him, hiring is always done in advance.

“We may not have the aircraft today, but we will have to hire for the aircraft that will be there three months down the road. People have to come, and they have to be trained. So, you always hire in advance for the number of aircraft you have deliveries for,” he noted.

On whether hiring people is a challenge post the coronavirus pandemic, Dube said the airline is fortunate to be able to attract good talent. “We just need to continue to be employee-focused. I think we will continue to be able to attract good talent.” The delivery of all 72 Boeing aircraft on order is expected to be completed by early 2027.

Without elaborating on the expected “three-digit aircraft order”, Dube said, “we have to wait and see”.

“We are already flying 110 flights a day and we will be 150 flights per day by the end of the summer season. It will be continued growth but not growth for the sake of growth.

“We have no market share targets, not chasing any position in aviation, and we have got a target to make customers happy, target to make our employees happy. That is what we are doing and we can do that, that is sustainable if we have got a very strong cost structure. So, those are the three pillars we are focusing on,” he said.

About planned international operations, Dube said there is nothing to share for now as the airline is yet to decide on the possible destinations.

“We are working with the ministry on the routes and traffic rights that are available… we may want to fly to X cities, and there may be traffic rights available for that country, but in that particular airport, you may not have slots. All these permutations and combinations are being worked on right now.

”Therefore, I can’t even tell you whether it is going to be east or west, and I can’t even narrow it down because we are looking at both,” he said.

Akasa Air, which describes itself as the country’s newest and most dependable airline, started operations on August 7, 2022.

“I am extremely happy,” Dube said about the achievement of the airline, which currently operates 110 daily flights to 17 domestic destinations.

In February, Akasa Air flew 3.61 lakh passengers, and its domestic market share stood at 3 per cent, while On-Time Performance (OTP) was 87 percent, as per the latest official data.

Also Read: Akasa Air plans to hire over 300 pilots, will be ready to fly internationally by year-end: CEO

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Air India to temporarily reduce flights on some US routes

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Air India will reduce the frequency of flights on certain US routes due to crew shortage issues for a temporary period, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Monday.

Six weekly flights to the US, three each to Newark and San Francisco will be trimmed.

Wilson also said the airline will have 100 pilots for Boeing 777 planes in three months as they are being “activated” and around 1,400 cabin crew are in training.

In recent months, there have been instances of some long haul flights getting impacted due to crew shortage issues. Wilson, who is the CEO and MD, said frequencies will be reduced on some US routes due to crew shortage issues. The six weekly flights — three each to Newark and San Francisco — will be reduced due to shortage of crew. This will be in place for the coming two to three months, Wilson said.

Also Read: Air India CEO says refurbishment of existing aircraft and restoration of grounded planes is slower than expected

The airline has a staff strength of around 11,000 people, including flying and non-flying employees.

“There is a lot happening,” he said, adding that the airline is shrinking and growing now.

He was speaking at the CAPA India Summit in the national capital. Tata Group took control of loss-making Air India along with Air India Express and 50 per cent stake in AIATSL in January 2022.

Air India has put in place a road map under Vihaan.AI for transformation over a five-year period and has taken various measures, including committing USD 400 million to refurbish the interiors of its entire wide-body fleet.

Last month, the airline announced placing orders for 470 aircraft from Airbus and Boeing, including 70 wide-body planes. Out of the total, 250 will be from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. There is also an option to purchase additional 370 aircraft from the two plane makers.

Besides, the merger of AirAsia India, rebranded as AIX Connect, with Air India Express as well as the merger of Vistara with Air India have been initiated.

Also Read: Air India offers voluntary retirement to non-flying staff, nearly 2,100 employees eligible to avail VRS

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Ensure airlines do not resort to predatory pricing: Parliamentary panel to Centre

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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On looking at the fluctuating airfares and also in order to cap the upper and lower levels of the same, a Parliamentary panel has asked the civil aviation ministry to ensure that predatory pricing mechanism is not adopted by the airlines under the cloak of free market economy.

The observations have been made by the department-related Parliamentary standing committee on transport, tourism and culture, which tabled its report in Parliament on Monday on the ministry’s demand for grants for 2023-24.

The committee has also expressed concerns about the high fares charged by the private airlines in the domestic sector and also pointed out the wrong information published by the private airlines on their websites, regarding the number of seats left in the flight and the prices of the tickets.

“The level of misinformation can be gauged from the fact that even after the last tickets have been sold, the same number of seats show on the website, as indicated before the tickets sale. This indicates that airline operators are misguiding the public and forcing passengers to pay more. In view of the above, the committee recommends that the ministry should formulate appropriate guidelines regarding rationalisation of fares and publishing the correct information on the website of the airlines,” the report said.

Making further observations, the committee went on to recommend that there should be a mechanism with the ministry such as capping of upper and lower prices to stop the practice of ‘predatory pricing’ or the sudden surge in prices.

“The committee is of the firm opinion that a perfect balance has to be maintained between the commercial interest of the private airlines and the interest of the passengers so as to enable the private airlines to grow and at the same time the interest of passengers should also be kept in mind, so that they are not fleeced in the garb of commercialization. The committee feels that even though price buckets are being created as per international aviation norms, a close watch has to be maintained by the DGCA & the ministry and a mechanism should be devised to monitor the websites of various airlines to prevent them from misguiding passengers. And, in case the private airlines do not publish the correct information regarding fares, they should be penalized for it,” the report stated.

The committee also observed that at present, the surge in airfares does not reflect any sort of mechanism on part of the ministry to control the fares, based on existing Aircraft Rules, 1937, as during surge in air fares the prices go beyond the acceptable or justifiable limits of ‘reasonable profit and generally prevailing tariff’.

The committee has recommended that the ministry should formulate a pricing mechanism for air fares to ensure that passengers are not charged exorbitant prices. The committee also recommended that the DGCA may be empowered to regulate tariffs based on the data generated by their monitoring department or otherwise. Further, the passengers may also be given an option to approach the said department with their grievances.

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Flyers to get up to 75% ticket cost refund if seats are downgraded | DGCA

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

India’s Airline Landscape: What the year 2023 holds for the sector

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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As 2023 begins, India’s airline landscape has 7 large commercial airlines, 692 aircraft and combined revenues that are touching USD 11.5 billion.  Forecast to fly more than 180 million passengers in 2023, and the market has witnessed several changes too.

Most significantly, the market structure here is now a duopoly with two large airlines battling it out. The rest are left to compete on the sidelines, and for those looking at diversity of opportunities, the market is second to none as it continues to shock and awe.

Beginning the year,  the Indian aviation market has one well-capitalised startup in Akasa; an ongoing consolidation between Air India, Vistara and AirAsia India (now rebranded as AIX connect); continued expansion for Indigo and Air India; forced consolidation or contraction for SpiceJet and GoFirst; and a revival of Jet Airways in its new avatar Jet 2.0. Macro-headwinds notwithstanding a potential bankruptcy or shutdown cannot also be ruled out. 2023 promises to be another interesting year for Indian aviation.  

Demand Forecast

Air travel demand forecast to continue growth tempered only by a 3rd wave. 2022 highlighted resilient air travel demand patterns. While India’s airlines faced many challenges through the year, there was not denying the fact that demand continued to be strong. Each month showed a higher number of travellers flying and by the end of the year nearly 170 million passengers would have taken to the skies on Indian registered aircraft. With an average growth of 7% on a monthly basis, interestingly, this pattern continued in spite of fairly high yields. Thus the potential for additional demand via discounting remains. Other proxies such as hotel occupancy, travel booking volumes, airport retail spends and luggage sales confirmed the strength of the demand. Indeed airports were bustling with activity including meltdowns that forced government intervention. Pari passu this demand profile promises to continue into 2023. But at the same time a 3rd wave as evidenced in China may act as a spoiler. Already, protocols have been revised for travellers and it remains to be seen how the virus and the sentiment spreads this time around.  

Profitability Elusive

The path to profitability remains foggy in 2023. With all the excitement in the market, profitability remains elusive. Input costs, most significantly fuel and FX remain elevated and have all but eaten through margins. Rising interest rates are translating to higher financing costs. Suppliers are rushing towards airlines with stronger credit and the flight to quality means that airlines with strong credit backing by virtue of their parent company or balance sheet are able to negotiate better terms. Those with weaker credit are left to fend for themselves. As of this writing two airlines (SpiceJet and GoFirst) have applied for and have been granted Emergency Credit Loan Guarantee Funds under the revised ECLGS scheme. These guarantees only add additional debt to over-burdened and fragile balance sheets. And the debt has to be repaid thus will need to be provisioned for in the coming quarters. 

Also read: Jet Airways revival plan takes an interesting turn even as uncertainty over relaunch continues 

By the numbers, India’s airlines are sitting on debt levels of USD 5.2 billion and losses that are in excess of USD 2.7 billion. Even airlines like Air India and Indigo continue to encounter turbulence are bracing for headwinds ahead. Cargo which was carrying some of the burden of profitability has seen a drastic decline in yields. Other income sources, most notably sale-and-leasebacks are also seeing margin pressures. There is no clear path to profitability and the market is counting on growth to help lift the airlines out of their current profitability predicament. On the ticket revenue front, competitive intensity in 2023 will only get stronger and if discounting wars begin the path to profitability will get even foggier. A sudden decline in fuel costs will almost certainly help airlines but this decline in the context of geo-political factors remains in question. 

Additional Consolidation On The Anvil

The market in 2023 will be a battle between Indigo and Air India (including subsidiaries). Together these two behemoths will control 80 percent of the market. The other airlines are left competing at the fringes and it would seem that additional consolidation may be the way to go. However, debt levels, control provisions and expectations may not make for such a smooth ride. In which case, the weak will get weaker while the strong get stronger. Lease terms are already reflecting the same. The market structure will have two full-service airlines – Air India and Vistara – both under the same parent company and five low-cost airlines — Indigo, SpiceJet, GoFirst, AirAsia India and Akasa. On the low-cost carrier front, with Indigo clearly leading the charge and defending its position other airlines are guaranteed to continue to make efforts to capture or re-capture a portion of the market. This could very well mean capacity wars, fare wars and deep discounting. Into this arena will also enter Jet 2.0 where the strategy remains to be seen and the sale of Alliance Air (the regional arm of erstwhile Air India). Both these will be closely watched and the existing market structure makes for interesting consolidation opportunities.

Finally there is the fact that global airlines need access to India’s large and resilient travel base. In this scenario, an equity investment into any of the existing airlines may very well be considered. But yet again, debt levels, control provisions and expectations may not make for such a smooth ride. 

Overall 2023 promises to be yet another exciting year for Indian aviation. For financial investors the sector may be found wanting but for strategic investors with a view towards the long term 2023 may very well be the starting point. 

—The author, Satyendra Pandey, is the Managing Partner for the aviation advisory firm AT-TV. The views expressed are personal.

Read his previous articles here 

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Air travel guidelines amid COVID surge: Health ministry to test 2 percent of all international travellers

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Union Health Ministry on Friday released a fresh set of guidelines for international arrivals via flights to India, given the scare of the new BF. 7 variant of the coronavirus.

The guidelines will be enforced starting Saturday, December 24, 2022.

Going forward, the Health Ministry will know randomly test 2 percent of total passengers in a flight, post arrival. Such travellers, preferably from different countries, will be identified by the airlines.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Friday said that airlines’ crew members will have to bring such identified passengers to the testing facility at the airport.

“The airport operators would create necessary infrastructure to facilitate random testing of international arriving passengers at their respective airports,” the communication said.

Travellers will submit their samples and be allowed to leave the airport thereafter. If a traveller tests positive, their sample will be sent for further genomic sequencing and they will be isolated/treated as per protocol.

The communication has been sent to the aviation regulator DGCA and copies have been marked to all scheduled commercial airlines, airport operators as well as to states and Union Territories (UTs), among others.

“The cost of testing shall be reimbursed by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare on submission of duly certified bills to APHOs,” the release said.

Unchanged from the previous guidelines enforced in November, the ministry suggests that all travellers should preferably be fully vaccinated as per the approved primary schedule of vaccination in their country.

Passengers with COVID-19 symptoms during travel will be isolated as per protocol. They must be masked, isolated and segregated from other passengers and moved to an isolation facility.

Upon arrival, the MoHFW recommends thermal screening of all passengers by health officials. Those found to be symptomatic should be isolated. Travellers are advised to self-monitor their health post arrival and report any symptoms to their nearest health facility.

Addressing the Lok Sabha during its 2022 Winter Session, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday said that India was reporting 153 cases of COVID-19 daily.

Government sources told CNBC-TV18 that direct flights between China and India remain suspended and there are no instructions, as of now, to suspend any other flights.

“We don’t have any direct flights from China to India or from India to China but as of now, there is no such order issued to stop connecting flights to India which is coming via China,” the source said. They also added that while the Ministry of Civil Aviation is an executing ministry, the final decision will come from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Random sample testing for coronavirus will be conducted at airports for passengers arriving from China and other countries because of the recent surge in cases in some parts of the world, official sources had said on Wednesday.

“The health ministry is examining reintroduction of mandatory ‘air suvidha’ forms for international arrivals with details of RT-PCR test conducted 72 hours prior to travel or complete vaccination proof for passengers coming from China and other countries reporting high number of Covid cases,” an official source told PTI.

The source said that “a decision in this regard will only be taken after monitoring the Covid situation in the country for a few weeks and if warranted, as a matter of abundant precaution in view of increasing trajectory of cases globally”.

The Indian Medical Association on Thursday issued an advisory on the impending COVID outbreak, recommending the use of face masks in public spaces and to avoid international travel.

Mandaviya assured Lok Sabha members in the Parliamentary session today that the Health Ministry is keeping an eye on the COVID-19 situation and taking necessary steps.

“Covid is not over yet. I have directed all concerned to be alert and strengthen surveillance. We are prepared to manage any situation,” Mandaviya had said on Wednesday.

The surveillance system for whole genome sequencing of positive case samples to track variants through the Indian SARS-CoV-2 Genomics Consortium (INSACOG) network should be strengthened, he had said.

States and union territories have been requested to send samples of all Covid positive cases to INSACOG Genome Sequencing Laboratories (IGSLs) on a daily basis for sequencing and track new variants, if any. Besides, implementation of thermal screening is also being explored.

India has been witnessing a steady decline in cases with the average daily cases falling to 158 in the week ending December 19, the minister had been briefed in a presentation.

However, a consistent rise in global daily average cases has been reported for the last six weeks, with 5.9 lakh daily average cases reported in the week ending December 19, he had been informed.

India logged 185 new coronavirus infections, while the active cases declined to 3,402, according to health ministry data updated on Thursday.

(With agency inputs.)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

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Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow

Domestic air passenger traffic rises 11% to 116 lakh in November, DGCA says

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) released the air traffic data, submitted by various domestic airlines from January to November 2022.

According to the report, passengers carried by domestic airlines during January-November 2022 were over 1105.10 lakhs as against 726.11 lakhs during the corresponding period of the previous year, thereby registering an annual growth of 52.19 percent and monthly growth of 11.06 percent.

In November 2021, the air passenger traffic stood at 105.16 lakh.

The data showed that domestic carriers carried 116.79 lakh passengers in November, higher than 114.07 lakh recorded in October.

Also Read: Nearly 1.15 crore Indians experienced air travel through UDAN scheme since 2016: Scindia

After being severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the country’s civil aviation sector is on the recovery path and in recent days, daily domestic air traffic on average is more than four lakh.

In November, no-frills carrier IndiGo carried more than half (55.7 percent) of the total domestic traffic at 65.01 lakh passengers, followed by Vistara at 9.3 percent. The latter carried 10.87 lakh passengers.

Air India’s market share in November touched 9.1 percent, followed by AirAsia India (7.6 percent), Go First and SpiceJet (both at 7.5 percent).

Also Read: Air India pilots write to Tata Sons Chairman alleging unfair pay and ‘victimisation’

Air India along with Vistara and AirAsia, which are now part of the same group, flew a total of 30.35 lakh passengers in November with a combined market share of 26 percent, as per the data.

Budget carrier SpiceJet recorded the highest load factor at 92 percent in November while IndiGo regained back the top position in on-time performance with an average 92 percent of its flights departing or arriving on time from four key airports — Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, according to data.

In a statement, IndiGo President and Chief Operating Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said that despite numerous challenges, the team has devised and successfully executed its plan to ensure the passenger experience, consistency and operational efficiency that IndiGo is renowned for.

Also Read: IndiGo launches 21 additional flights for winter schedule

(With PTI inputs)

Elon Musk forms several ‘X Holdings’ companies to fund potential Twitter buyout

3 Mins Read

Thursday’s filing dispelled some doubts, though Musk still has work to do. He and his advisers will spend the coming days vetting potential investors for the equity portion of his offer, according to people familiar with the matter

KV Prasad Journo follow politics, process in Parliament and US Congress. Former Congressional APSA-Fulbright Fellow