06 Apr 2021

India Aviation Industry Newsletter 6 April

Dubai-Delhi is third busiest air travel route worldwide in March According to OAG the Dubai to Delhi route was the third busiest sector for the global airline industry during March, and just behind the Orlando-San Juan services and Hong Kong-Taipei. Data shows 146,000 seats were utilised in Delhi-Dubai flights, next to Orlando-San Juan’s 171,010 seats and Hong Kong-Taipei with 146,536 seats. IndiGo introduces door-to-door baggage transfer service IndiGo announced that it has partnered with on-demand platform CarterPorter to provide door-to-door baggage delivery service. The airline has commenced the service from 1st April, in New Delhi and Hyderabad and will subsequently launch it in Mumbai and Bengaluru for delivery to and from home and airport. IndiGo Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer Sanjay Kuma said “Our partnership with CarterPorter will ensure that our customers have a seamless experience as their baggage gets transferred door-to-door while they fly onboard our lean, clean flying machine". Indigo Airlines, StaTwig, Apollo LogiSolutions team up to launch India’s first vaccine platform In enhance the current Covid-19 vaccine distribution model in India, Apollo LogiSolutions (ALS) has onboarded UNICEF-backed blockchain technology firm StaTwig for technology capabilities; Coldman, Kool Solutions and other major companies for effective cold chain warehousing of 70,000+ pallet capacity at 10 locations in India and GMR Hyderabad airport and Indigo Airlines for air transportation.  By collaborating with IndiGo, Apollo LogiSolutions plans to bolster its initiative of contributing towards world's largest vaccination drive. India Now Has 347 Operational Air Routes Under RCS-UDAN Scheme in 4 Years Since Launch India has operationalised 347 air routes under the regional connectivity scheme ‘Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik’ or RCS-UDAN. The scheme was launched in 2016. The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that 22 new routes have been operationalised in the last three days under the scheme. “The operationalisation of these routes aligns with the objectives of UDAN scheme to strengthen the aerial network of the country, create affordable, yet economically viable and profitable air travel on regional routes. Till date, 57 unserved and underserved airports with 347 routes have been operationalised under UDAN across the length and breadth of India.” Lufthansa Technik to maintain Vistara Dreamliners in Frankfurt Lufthansa Technik (LT)  has signed a contract with Vistara for maintenance support of their Boeing 787-9 in Frankfurt for two years. Vistara started flying to Frankfurt under the India-Germany air bubble from this February. Vistara senior VP Engineering Sisira Kanta Dash said “LT has been working with us for the past four years and we trust their technical expertise, capabilities and quick response time. Vistara is committed to the highest standards of operational efficiency and our trusted partners have supported us in maintaining a continued focus on maximising customer satisfaction.” SpiceJet signs deal for acquiring up to 50 more aircraft SpiceJet has signed a MoU with New York-based Avenue Capital Group for the financing, acquisition and sale-and-lease-back (SLB) of 50 new planes to be ordered by the airline. SpiceJet says Avenue will assist it in placing new aircraft portfolio including SLB and also assuming ownership of up to 50 aircraft. SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh stated “We are delighted to enter into this strategic alliance with Avenue Capital Group and we look forward to closely working with them. This alliance will ensure a seamless induction of the planes in our fleet and help us plan better for the long term.” Trujet Garners 49% FDI to Expand its Operations Trujet, garnered 49% Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to expand its operations. New York-based INTERUPS Inc. came forward to take a 49 per cent stake in Turbo Megha Airways Pvt Ltd, which owns and operates under the name Trujet. TruJet, successfully operates flights to 21 stations, including tier-2 cities with 7 ATR aircraft. Mr K.V. Pradeep, Group Director, MEIL and Mr. Palepu Lakshmi Prasad, Chairman of INTERUPS Inc., jointly stated, "The funds raised through 49per cent FDI in the company, will be utilised to expand its operations pan India and explore the newer opportunities in the civil aviation sector. We will finalise the exact final amount at a later stage." Acumen Aviation © 6 April 2021 All Rights Reserved.