18 Nov 2019

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 18 November

Airbus expects UDAN operators to go for A220s

Airbus expects its new A220 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 100-150, to find takers among newer airlines seeking to operate under India’s UDAN regional connectivity scheme, which is opening up markets with subsidised fares. “There is a demand not only to replace regional aircraft and either supplement or complement the Airbus 320 family, but there is also a demand for new aircraft today,” said Connor Buott, single-aisle product marketing senior analyst, customer affairs, at Airbus. Airbus expects existing airlines to look at this aircraft in the future as the country’s aviation market expands.

Air India to launch international non-stop flights from Mumbai to Nairobi

Air India announced that it will be launching flights to Nairobi. Air India will operate flights from Mumbai to Nairobi from 27 November. The flights will operate on the route four times a week on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

IndiGo focus on expanding China ops, third destination soon

IndiGo is now focusing singularly on expanding operations to China and beyond. As the airline currently has limited its own flight operations to the edges of Asia, spanning from Istanbul in the west, Hong Kong to the east and Ho Chi Minh City on the Southeast Asia side. Utilizing a codeshare pact with Turkish Airways to connect passengers to over 10 European destinations from the western limit of its operations. Furthermore, the airline is expected to utilise its new codeshare pact with Qatar Airways in a similar fashion. It recently entered into a one-way codeshare pact with the Doha-based passenger carrier. The deal between the two carriers will enable Qatar Airways to place its code on IndiGo flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad.

Sourcing from India to grow beyond $1 billion, says Boeing India Chief

Boeing expects annual sourcing of key components from India to grow beyond the current level of $1 billion. Presently more than 160 suppliers provide the company with advanced components and subassemblies for commercial and defence aircraft as part of Boeing's integrated global supply chain. Boeing India President Salil Gupte said "Opportunity is a 'buzzword' with us and we are constantly looking at doing more here, with partners... Our annual sourcing from India stands at $1 billion from over 160 suppliers, but this number will continue to grow”. Vistara Named Regional Airline of the Year at Capa Aviation Awards for Excellence Vistara has been named the ‘Regional Airline of the Year’ at CAPA’s 16th annual Asia Pacific Aviation Awards for Excellence held yesterday at the ongoing CAPA Asia Aviation Summit in Singapore. CAPA awards this title to an airline that has been the biggest standout strategically has established itself as a leader and demonstrated innovation in the regional aviation sector. Vistara was selected for its substantial achievement and consistent growth in a highly competitive domestic market largely dominated by LCCs. Vistara's traffic grew by 30% in 2018 to more than five million passengers and its seat count is up by 40% in 2019. In the current financial year, Vistara has already grown its fleet and network by nearly 50% each and flown 4.5 million passengers in the last seven months. Acumen Aviation © 18 November 2019 All Rights Reserved.