SpiceJet has completed the separation of its cargo and logistics division ‘SpiceXpress’ from the airline. The low-cost carrier entered into a Business Transfer Agreement with its subsidiary namely SpiceXpress and Logistics Private Limited (SXPL) for the transfer of its cargo business undertaking as a going concern, on a slump sale basis. The hive-off which will be effective from April 1, 2023, would strengthen SpiceJet‘s balance sheet, wipe out a substantial portion of the airline’s negative net worth and unlock significant value for SpiceJet and its shareholders. ALSO READ – SpiceJet agg ..read more

The ICAO Council has approved a new amendment addressing international instructions on the carriage of active small lithium battery powered electronic devices in checked baggage.  Based on the revised requirement, devices powered by small lithium batteries in checked baggage can stay turned on during the flight, provided their lithium metal battery’s lithium content is less than 0.3 grams, or if its lithium-ion battery’s output is less than 2.7 Wh.  For devices with lithium batteries that exceed the above limits, the obligation to turn them off in checked baggage remains. The Council ..read more

Bengaluru International Airport, officially known as Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), is on track to become India’s first airport with a Multi-Modal Transport Hub (MMTH), allowing travellers to commute seamlessly and catering to the needs of passengers travelling within and outside the city. According to a representative for Bengaluru International Airport Ltd (BIAL), “this facility is in the advanced stages of building and is scheduled to be finished shortly”. The first step towards this goal is the construction of a new terminal, known as Terminal 2 (T2), which is scheduled to be oper ..read more

State-owned AAI has received a total amount of INR 3,245 crore till February this year from the private partners of Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru airports, according to the government. These airports were awarded for operations, management and development under Public Private Partnership (PPP) for a lease period of 50 years. The airports were won by the Adani group through a competitive bidding process. “Private partners of Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Guwahati, Thiruvananthapuram and Mangaluru airports have paid approximately INR 896 crore to AAI as Per ..read more

Global banking group Standard Chartered on Monday said it has closed an operating lease of five new Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft with domestic carrier Akasa Air. While the bank already provides Akasa Air with corporate banking solutions and services, this is the first aviation finance transaction with the airline, Standard Chartered said in a statement. As part of the deal, structured, financed and arranged exclusively by Standard Chartered Aviation Finance, the first four aircraft were delivered to the airline between December 2022 and March this year, it said. The fifth and final aircraft is sc ..read more

The Bhubaneswar airport will get its maiden international flight with IndiGo starting a direct service to Dubai from May 15, officials said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik launched ticket sales for the flight on the occasion of Utkal Dibasa on Saturday. IndiGo will operate the service thrice a week — Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The inaugural ticket price is INR 10,000 per sector, an official said. Now connecting Bhubaneswar with Dubai. Return fares starting at ₹20,000. Book now https://t.co/J93Pk6Yd9c. #goIndiGo #IndiaByIndiGo pic.twitter.com/pxCtLuFnY7 — IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) April 1, 2023 ..read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and SkyTeam member China Southern Airlines, Asia’s largest airline, are set to explore deeper and broader cooperation opportunities following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to provide passengers with an enhanced travel experience. This follows Etihad’s move to Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), which is also China Southern Airlines’ hub, earlier this week. The daily service will be operated by Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft. Etihad Guest members currently do not earn frequent flyer points on China ..read more

Air India, the national flag carrier of India, has had a tumultuous history marked by financial struggles and operational inefficiencies. However, under the new ownership of Tata Sons, the airline has undergone a significant transformation, with the implementation of modern technologies such as ChatGPT leading the way. One of the key changes made by Tata was to replace the manual pricing system with an automated one. Previously, Air India relied on a team of pricing analysts to manually set fares based on a range of factors such as competition, demand, and seasonality. However, this approach w ..read more

Go First may be staring at the deregistration of at least six aircraft owned by BOC Aviation and Celestial Aviation over unpaid dues. If the aircraft are deregistered, it will be left with only 30 aircraft in operation ahead of the peak summer season, according to a report by Hindu BusinessLine. Six aircraft with the registration numbers VT-WJO, VT-WJN, VT-WJW, VT-WJX, VT-WJY, and VT-WJZ are among those that are likely to be deregistered, according to the sources. “It appears that the discussions with the lessors are not progressing as expected. The airline has been unable to repay the debts d ..read more

Emirates and United have activated their codeshare partnership, allowing Emirates customers to enjoy easier access to an expanded choice of US destinations. Emirates customers will now be able to fly to Chicago, Houston or San Francisco and connect easily to an expansive network of domestic US points on flights operated by United. With the launch of the partnership, Emirates customers heading to the US, can now look forward to access to more than 150 US cities in the US carrier’s network, via the three gateways. Similarly, Emirates customers in the US planning trips to Dubai and beyond have a ..read more