09 Jan 2023

India Aviation Industry Newsletter

Air India Commits over $400m to Fully Refurbish Existing Widebody Aircraft Cabin Interiors

Air India has announced plans to refurbish its entire legacy wide body fleet, comprising 27 Boeing B787-8 and 13 B777 aircraft, committing over $400m for the project. This refurbishment will see a complete overhaul of existing cabin interiors, including the addition of latest generation seats and best in-class inflight entertainment across all classes. In addition, the refurbishment will see the introduction of a Premium Economy cabin on both fleets. The First Class cabin will also be retained on the 777s. Air India MD & CEO Mr. Campbell Wilson said, "Under our Vihaan.AI transformation program, Air India has committed to attain the highest standards of product and service befitting of a world class airline. We know that, at present, the cabin product on our 40 legacy widebody aircraft falls short of this standard. Although the project commenced some months ago, we are delighted to now publicly announce this significant investment on a complete interior refit, and we are confident that, when revealed, the new interiors will delight customers and show Air India in a new light. We are working closely with partners to accelerate the refit process as fast as possible and, in the meantime, leasing in at least 11 new widebody aircraft with brand new interiors to improve our offering at the earliest opportunity.”

Akasa Air’s rapid growth continues, announces Hyderabad as the 13th destination

Akasa Air announced its entry into Telangana with the addition of Hyderabad as the 13th destination to join the airline’s fast-growing network. The airline will offer daily flights on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Hyderabad-Goa routes commencing 25th January. Akasa Air Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Praveen Iyer, said “We are pleased to launch Hyderabad as the 13th destination on our network. The city is an important centre of Information Technology, Biotechnology and Pharmaceuticals and connecting it with Goa and Bengaluru will cater to the strong demand for both, business, and leisure travel. As India’s fastest growing airline we have now established a strong presence in South India, in our effort to boost the country’s economy by strengthening its important transportation linkages.” 

Greenfield Airport at Hirasar (Rajkot) to boost industrial growth in Saurashtra Region

To cater the growing population of the Fourth largest city in the state of Gujarat and increasing flow of air traffic in this region, Airports Authority of India has undertaken the work for construction of New Greenfield Airport, Rajkot in Gujarat. With the project cost of Rs. 1405 crores, the new airport is envisioned to be a transportation hub for people traveling abroad from the state. The 3040 m long runway, the airport will be capable of handling Airbus A321/Boeing 737 MAX type of aircraft with 14 parking stands. The work for terminal building is in progress and the airport will be ready for operations by December 2023.

Vistara adds Muscat to growing network

Vistara inaugurated a new daily service between Mumbai (India) and Muscat (Oman), its fourth destination in the Gulf region on the 12th December, to meet consistent increase in demand for travel between India and the Gulf region. The carrier stated middle eastern routes have been performing remarkably well. Vistara CEO Mr. Vinod Kannan said, “The launch of operations to Muscat is in line with our goal to steadily enhance our footprint in the Middle East. The firm bilateral relationship and robust cultural and economic ties between India and states in the Gulf region have given great impetus to our growth plans, and our successful business on the other Middle Eastern routes is a testament to that. We are excited to bring India’s finest full-service carrier to Muscat with daily connectivity from Mumbai and are confident that Vistara with its award-winning product and services will be a much-preferred carrier on this route as well.”

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