29 May 2023
India Aviation Industry Newsletter
Air India Group to operate special Haj flights
The Air India Group announced Air India, and Air India Express will fly close to 19,000 pilgrims to Jeddah and Medina from four Indian cities (Chennai, Japiur, Kannur and Kozhikode) using Airbus A321neo, Boeing 737-800 and Boeing 787-8 aircraft between 21 May and 22 June. Air India CEO & MD Campbell Wilson said, “Air India is happy to resume the annual special flights for the sacred Haj pilgrimage from the cities of Chennai and Jaipur while Air India Express will operate from Kozhikode and Kannur. Our collective effort with Air India Express is to provide unparalleled comfort and convenience to the passengers on this pilgrimage. We look forward to serving the pilgrims through our dedicated flights. We have taken special efforts to boost our on-ground teams at the relevant airports to ensure special care for all our valued guests on these flights.”
Akasa Air adds Kolkata as 17th Destinations
Akasa Air commenced operations from Kolkata, its 17th destination, marking operations across all metro cities in the country, launching two new routes Bengaluru and Guwahati with a through service. Kolkata is the carrier's second destination in the state of West Bengal after Bagdogra and will boost inter-state connectivity. Akasa Air Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Praveen Iyer said, “We are delighted to launch operations from Kolkata, our second destination in the state of West Bengal. As a prominent commercial and cultural hub, the city attracts travellers from all walks of life and is also a gateway to several leisure destinations in the region. The launch of flights from the city to Bengaluru and Guwahati will further ease travel to the Eastern belt of the country, strengthening the nation’s overall air connectivity."
Gevo Celebrates Success of India’s First Commercial Flight Using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF)
Gevo, Inc celebrated the success of India's first commercial passenger flight that used a blend of locally generated Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), marking a significant step toward the decarbonization of the aviation industry. The flight between Pune and New Delhi was successfully completed by the AirAsia India flight, which was propelled by a blend of indigenous SAF supplied by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) in collaboration with Praj Industries Ltd. (Praj). The SAF that Praj Industries sourced for this endeavor was made possible via a collaboration with Gevo that used Gevo's Alcohol-to-Jet (ATJ) technology to generate SAF from bio-based feedstock. SAF samples were created by Praj Industries at its cutting-edge R&D facility, Praj Matrix, which underwent rigorous testing at IOCL laboratories before being blended for the special flight.
IndiGo enhances North Goa connectivity
IndiGo has announced five new routes from North Goa to Patna, Bhopal, Vadodara, and Dehradun, and from North Goa to Ranchi via Patna, as demand increases to India most popular tourist destination, increasing to 22 weekly flights. IndiGo Head of Global Sales Vinay Malhotra, said “As part of our mission to enhance accessibility, we are introducing further new flights from North Goa. With the onset of the summer vacations, the number of holiday goers are rapidly rising especially to tourist destinations like Goa. A large percentage of this demand for travel is coming from within the country, and with these new domestic connections, we will provide more affordable options to our customers to travel to their favourite destinations that too from multiple online points in India."
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