The Indian government has approved a debt restructuring plan to save Air India, the country’s national airline.
Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said 30bn rupees ($5.9bn; £3.7bn) would be injected into the airline by 2020.
But there will be many checks and targets that the company will need to achieve, the minister said.
source: BBC.co.uk
While embattled private carrier, and rival, Kingfisher Airlines has decided to dump low cost services in a bid to increase revenue yields, financially beleaguered state-owned carrier, Air India, has opted for the reverse route and is considering adding more economy seats on its domestic flights to increase yields.
Air India management has constituted a committee to look at ways to increase per flight yields in accordance with occupancy ratios, and one of the options under consideration is cabin restructuring by adding more economy seats.
source: domain-b.com
Indian government auditors have criticised the aviation ministry over its decision to buy 111 planes for the national airline, Air India.
In a report submitted to parliament on Thursday, the auditors said the 2005 decision was “‘a recipe for disaster'”.
Air India has been losing millions of dollars in recent years.
The ailing state-run airline wants government money to help turn its fortunes around.
The report also questioned the bilateral agreements the ministry entered into with foreign countries which, it said, favoured international airlines.
source: BBC.co.uk
Cash-strapped Air India is mulling several options, including closing operations on routes where the losses were high in a bid to reduce mounting expenditure.
Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi yesterday said the loss-making routes of the state-owned carrier, however, have not been identified yet but the process is underway.
“‘Our focus is on reducing expenditure. We are discussing several options, including closing operations on loss-making routes,'” Ravi told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.
source: tribuneindia.com
Fifty-six pilots working for Indian airlines have failed alcohol tests in the last two years, according to a list issued by the civil aviation ministry.
Ten pilots were fired after they failed tests, including one who was found over the limit on two occasions, according to the list released by Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi in parliament on Thursday.
The fifty-six pilots worked for the state-owned national carrier Air India, as well as private airlines Jet Airways, Indigo, SpiceJet, GoAir, and Kingfisher.
source: smh.com.au
