Recent News

Mumbai, 30 November 2023: Vistara has announced the addition of Doha (Qatar) as its 50th destination, to its growing network. The airline will be operating direct, 4x weekly flights between Mumbai and Doha, starting from 15 December 2023 using its A321neo aircraft. Vinod Kannan,Chief Executive Officer, Vistara said,”We are thrilled to introduce direct flights between Mumbai and Doha – the capital of Qatar and a burgeoning financial hub in the Middle East. Given the city’s growing economic significance, this move not only further solidifies our presence in the Gulf region but also enhances our network offering from our Mumbai hub. We hope that our customers will appreciate having the option of flying with India’s best airline on this route.”

Tel Aviv, Israel, 1st December 2023: Airwayz, a leading Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) provider, announced the receipt of the U-Space Service Provider (USSP) License and Certification from the Israeli Civil Aviation Authority (CAAI). This significant milestone empowers Airwayz to monitor and automate the low-airspace management for drone services across Israeli U-Space, redefining the landscape of aerial operations with the highest level of safety and reliability. With the primary focus on bolstering the safety and security of the Israeli Authorities, the CAAI has selected Airwayz as the first recipient of the USSP certification, which will now serve as the official license for aviation regulators to allow drone operations. Effective November 29, 2023, all approved commercial drone operators in Israel are required to broadcast their live location and establish connections with a USSP via a UTM provider. As a prominent player in the industry, Airwayz will consolidate and monitor data to create a live aerial picture of drone activity for the authorities’ use with their dynamic UTM technology, which was recently presented to the Israeli parliament by Eyal Zor, Airwayz CEO and Co-founder. This landmark certification sets a precedent for global drone operations, with Israel being the first country to grant a USSP certification to a UTM provider. Airwayz becomes the first UTM provider in the world to obtain this prestigious accreditation. “It is an honour to be selected by the CAAI to provide UTM services across Israel,” comments Eyal Zor. “This license marks an important achievement, as it not only certifies us to offer U-Space services across the entirety of Israel officially, but it also gives us hands-on experience in managing real-time aerial pictures of drones, monitoring their traffic, scaling operations and achieving high commercialization in a real-life scenario. Having established ourselves as a trusted partner of the Israel National Drone Initiative (INDI) project, and Airwayz is positioned to deliver outstanding UTM services across Israeli U-Space.” Zor adds, “Being able to adapt our UTM services quickly and safely, Airwayz was selected by the CAAI to support various projects across Israel based on our proven track record of success in monitoring the lower U-Space. Meanwhile, our commitment to transforming drone operations internationally remains unwavering as we continue to support our country.” The USSP certification process involved rigorous testing to meet strict aviation safety standards, including automatic system tests, thorough QA reports, algorithms monitoring, development processes, and cyber security measures. The certification proves Airwayz’ capabilities to provide mandatory network identification, flight authorization, geo-awareness, and traffic information services, all in compliance. Additionally, the non-mandatory monitoring and weather services are also offered by Airwayz, demonstrating the company’s fastidious commitment to providing comprehensive services to drone operators. As a leading UTM provider and collaborator across European drone projects, Airwayz UTM services are being used globally. This prestigious certification highlights Airwayz’ position as a trusted provider of drone services and its dedication to promoting safe and efficient drone operations and Airwayz will pursue European USSP certifications.

Gurugram, 24th November 2023: Air India is set to connect Delhi with Phuket, Thailand’s popular island destination, with a non-stop service from 15thDecember 2023. The service will meet the demand for convenient air link between the two cities for tourism and trade, while further bolstering the airline’s expansion plans in the Far East and South East Asia. Operated with an A320neo aircraft offering 162 seats (150 in Economy and 12 in Business Class), AI 378 will depart from Delhi at 0110 hrs to arrive in Phuket the same day at 0710 hrs. The return flight AI 379 will take off from Phuket at 0810 hrs and land in Delhi at 1050 hrs (All Local Time). Commencing with a four-flights-a-week schedule (Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays), the service will be enhanced to a daily operation from January 2024. “Phuket is a popular global destination and holds a significant base for business and tourism. We are delighted to welcome Phuket into our network and will continue to expand our connectivity and enhance frequency on domestic and international sectors providing more flexibility of choice to our customers and contributing to the growth in the aviation sector,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer, Air India. Air India currently operates a total of 26 flights to Bangkok per week with daily non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai and six flights in a week from Kolkata. Besides, Air India passengers can avail convenient connections via Bangkok to and from 10 popular destinations in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia on the network of Bangkok Airways, with whom Air India enjoys an interline partnership.

New Delhi, 22nd Nov 2024 : Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh held a bilateral meeting with Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in New Delhi . Both the ministers reaffirmed their commitment towards further strengthening the bilateral defence relations. They expressed satisfaction at the increasing military-to-military cooperation between the two countries, including joint exercises, exchanges and institutional dialogue. The Raksha Mantri congratulated Minister Marles on the maiden and successful conduct of multilateral exercise ‘Malabar’ by Australia in August this year. Both ministers underscored the importance to further enhance cooperation in information exchange and maritime domain awareness between the two countries. The two sides are also in an advanced stage of discussion to conclude implementing arrangements on Hydrography Cooperation and cooperation for air-to-air refueling. Rajnath Singh emphasised that the forces of the two countries should also look at cooperating in niche training areas like Artificial Intelligence, anti-submarine and anti-drone warfare and cyber domain. The two ministers agreed that deepening cooperation in defence industry and research would give a fillip to the already strong relationship. The Raksha Mantri suggested that shipbuilding, ship repair and maintenance and aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) could be the potential areas of collaboration. The two ministers also discussed cooperation for joint research in underwater technologies. Collaboration between the defence start-ups of both the countries, including that for solving challenges jointly, was discussed by the ministers. They concurred that a strong India-Australia defence partnership will augur well not just for the mutual benefit of the two countries but also for the overall security of the Indo-Pacific.

Mumbai, 20 November, 2023: In the month of October 2023 CSMIA observed 107% recovery in passenger traffic as compared to Oct’19 (pre-pandemic). It recorded passenger traffic of over 4.25 million, with a growth of 18% as compared to October 2022 (3.6 Mn). International passengers at CSMIA alone witnessed a strong 20% growth with more than 1.14 Mn passengers travelling, in comparison to 0.94 Mn same period last year. CSMIA witnessed a total of 28,459 ATMs including 21,349 domestic and 7,110 international ATMs in October 2023, witnessing a growth of 2% compared to September 2023 (27,928), Delhi, Bangalore, and Chennai emerged as the top domestic destination for CSMIA in October 2023, while Dubai, London, and Abu Dhabi remained the most preferred international destinations. Additionally, CSMIA recorded passenger traffic of over 0.55 MN on Mumbai – Delhi route alone, witnessing remarkable growth of 22% compared to Oct’ 22(0.45MN). IndiGo, Air India, and Vistara emerged as the top airlines with the highest market share in the domestic sector, while in the international sector, IndiGo, Air India, and Emirates maintained their leading positions in terms of market share. CSMIA significantly expanded its international connectivity with the introduction of new routes. Notably, Uganda Airlines initiated services on the Mumbai-Entebbe route starting from 7th October. Furthermore, Azerbaijan Airlines reinstated operations on Mumbai-Baku route and Air Canada resumed services on Mumbai-London-Toronto route effective 30th October, enhancing global connectivity. Adding to the roster, SpiceJet re-instated operations on the Bangkok route starting from 21st October, contributing to the diverse and convenient travel network available from CSMIA.

DUBAI,November 10, 2023: Dubai Airports, operator of the world’s biggest international hub, is establishing the first-ever Dubai Airports Youth Council (DAYC) Chalet at the upcoming Dubai Airshow 2023. The pioneering initiative is driven by its vision to guide and nurture young talent to become the next generation of aviation leaders.Aligning with the UAE government’s bold vision for youth empowerment, the DAYC Chalet embodies Dubai Airports’ commitment to developing young minds and fostering innovation, providing a space for aviation enthusiasts to gather, connect and be inspired. Entirely managed by youth employees, from ideation and design to planning and execution, it is just one example of how the organisation is acknowledging its responsibility to support young talent in realising their true potential as the torchbearers of the future. Commenting on the initiative, Meshari Al Bannai, EVP of Human Resources Development of Dubai Airports, said: “Dubai Airports proudly champions youth within our organisation and this is just one shining example of what can be achieved when we believe and invest in their potential. Young talent brings vital knowledge and fresh perspective, and we believe everyone can learn valuable insights from them. This is why youth empowerment plays such an important role in our overall success. “Our Dubai Airports Youth Council members continue to inspire us every day and we are immensely proud to be launching the first-of-its-kind DAYC Chalet at the Dubai Airshow, imagined for youth, by youth. We look forward to supporting talented individuals across the industry and empowering the next generation to reach for the skies and lead the next chapter, connecting the world through Dubai.” In addition to the chalet, another example of how Dubai Airports Youth Council is supporting young talent is the ‘Empowering Leaders of Tomorrow’ initiative. President of Dubai Airports Youth Council, Marwa Al Saffar commented: “Launched this August, the initiative is equipping young minds with the essential skills, knowledge and self-assurance to assume leadership roles within the organisation and the broader professional landscape. In addition, DAYC represented Dubai Airports at the International Civil Aviation Organisation Meeting in Montreal earlier this year, demonstrating its dedication to leadership development.”

Trivandrum, 10 November 2023: After successfully launching a direct service from Kuala Lumpur to Amritsar on 8 November 2023, Malaysia Airlines further enhanced connectivity between Malaysia and India by inaugurating another direct flight between Trivandrum and Kuala Lumpur yesterday. The inaugural flight from Kuala Lumpur, bearing the flight number MH0116, received a warm welcome with a water salute upon its arrival at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport (TRV) at 11:00am local time. Subsequently, the flight departed TRV at 12:01am on 10 November 2023 en route to Kuala Lumpur. With this development, the airline becomes the first full-service premium carrier to offer flights to South Asia and the Pacific from Amritsar and Trivandrum. This expansion has strengthened the airline’s Indian network to eight (8) key hubs, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Amritsar. Announcing the commencement of direct flights from Trivandrum, Dersenish Aresandiran, Chief Commercial Officer of Airlines from Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), said, “We are delighted to commence operations from Trivandrum, providing travellers with enhanced options for seamless travel to and from Malaysia. The launch of three new routes within a span of one month is a testament to our steadfast commitment towards India, our leading international market. Further, we have also expanded the scope of our hyper-personalised offerings and would encourage our Indian customers to take advantage of the same.” The airline is scheduled to commence operations to another Indian route, Ahmedabad, starting from 1 December 2023. With these additions, the airline will be operating 65 weekly flights to India, raising the count of its services in the country to nine (9) key hubs.