Latest news with #AirIndiaGroup
Daily Tribune
18 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
Back-to-Back Incidents in Air India: Flight to Doha Makes Mid-Air U-Turn
Two Air India Group flights faced technical issues in the span of just two days, prompting swift action but no harm to passengers or crew. On Wednesday morning, an Air India Express flight (IX375) heading from Kozhikode to Doha had to return to Calicut International Airport shortly after takeoff due to a technical issue. The Boeing 737-86N had taken off at 9:17 AM and landed back safely at 11:12 AM. An airline spokesperson confirmed that a replacement aircraft was arranged, and passengers were served refreshments while they waited. The flight has since continued its journey. Just a day earlier, another incident occurred involving an Air India flight (AI315) from Hong Kong to Delhi. After landing at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, the aircraft experienced a fire in its auxiliary power unit (APU), which is a small engine usually located in the tail of the aircraft that powers key systems when the main engines are off. The fire broke out just as passengers were beginning to disembark. Fortunately, the APU shut down automatically as designed, and there were no injuries. All passengers and crew exited safely. The aircraft remains grounded for inspection, and authorities have been informed. While both events were handled swiftly and safely, they come as a reminder of the critical role of maintenance and safety protocols in air travel.
Zawya
2 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
India's Akasa Air sees Boeing deliveries picking up in coming years
India's Akasa Air expects a pick up in plane deliveries from Boeing over the coming years and to reach its target for a fleet of 226 aircraft by 2032, up from 30 currently, chief financial officer Ankur Goel said on Tuesday. The airline expects available seat kilometers - a measure of passenger-carrying capacity - to increase by more than 30% this fiscal year, on top of 50% growth the year before. Goel did not provide a year-by-year breakdown of deliveries, but said they were expected to increase over the period, in a press briefing in India's capital city. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Akasa Air's top executives were privately criticising Boeing for delayed plane deliveries and were scrambling to assuage hundreds of anxious pilots who were idle without work. The Mumbai-based low-cost airline, which started operations about three years ago, has ordered 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Deliveries have been delayed as the 737 MAX programme faced regulatory scrutiny after a mid-air cabin panel blowout last year and suffered the effects of a seven-week workers' strike. Goel did not provide profit or revenue data for fiscal year 2024-25. The year before, Akasa's revenue quadrupled to $356 million, but its loss widened to $194 million from $86 million. Akasa had a domestic market share of 5.3% in May, compared with the combined 90%-plus commanded by leader IndiGo and Air India Group. Akasa, started with the backing of the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, dubbed India's Warren Buffett, went on a hiring spree and began international flights to Qatar and Saudi Arabia within two years of its launch. Despite challenges, Akasa in February raised an undisclosed amount of new capital from Indian billionaire Azim Premji's investment arm and Jhunjhunwala's family. (Reporting by Abhijit Ganapavaram in New Delhi and Manvi Pant in Bengaluru. Editing by Mark Potter)
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
India's Akasa Air sees Boeing deliveries picking up in coming years
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India's Akasa Air expects a pick up in plane deliveries from Boeing over the coming years and to reach its target for a fleet of 226 aircraft by 2032, up from 30 currently, chief financial officer Ankur Goel said on Tuesday. The airline expects available seat kilometers - a measure of passenger-carrying capacity - to increase by more than 30% this fiscal year, on top of 50% growth the year before. Goel did not provide a year-by-year breakdown of deliveries, but said they were expected to increase over the period, in a press briefing in India's capital city. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Akasa Air's top executives were privately criticising Boeing for delayed plane deliveries and were scrambling to assuage hundreds of anxious pilots who were idle without work. The Mumbai-based low-cost airline, which started operations about three years ago, has ordered 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Deliveries have been delayed as the 737 MAX programme faced regulatory scrutiny after a mid-air cabin panel blowout last year and suffered the effects of a seven-week workers' strike. Goel did not provide profit or revenue data for fiscal year 2024-25. The year before, Akasa's revenue quadrupled to $356 million, but its loss widened to $194 million from $86 million. Akasa had a domestic market share of 5.3% in May, compared with the combined 90%-plus commanded by leader IndiGo and Air India Group. Akasa, started with the backing of the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, dubbed India's Warren Buffett, went on a hiring spree and began international flights to Qatar and Saudi Arabia within two years of its launch. Despite challenges, Akasa in February raised an undisclosed amount of new capital from Indian billionaire Azim Premji's investment arm and Jhunjhunwala's family. Sign in to access your portfolio
Reuters
2 days ago
- Business
- Reuters
India's Akasa Air sees Boeing deliveries picking up in coming years
NEW DELHI, July 22 (Reuters) - India's Akasa Air expects a pick up in plane deliveries from Boeing (BA.N), opens new tab over the coming years and to reach its target for a fleet of 226 aircraft by 2032, up from 30 currently, chief financial officer Ankur Goel said on Tuesday. The airline expects available seat kilometers - a measure of passenger-carrying capacity - to increase by more than 30% this fiscal year, on top of 50% growth the year before. Goel did not provide a year-by-year breakdown of deliveries, but said they were expected to increase over the period, in a press briefing in India's capital city. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that Akasa Air's top executives were privately criticising Boeing for delayed plane deliveries and were scrambling to assuage hundreds of anxious pilots who were idle without work. The Mumbai-based low-cost airline, which started operations about three years ago, has ordered 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Deliveries have been delayed as the 737 MAX programme faced regulatory scrutiny after a mid-air cabin panel blowout last year and suffered the effects of a seven-week workers' strike. Goel did not provide profit or revenue data for fiscal year 2024-25. The year before, Akasa's revenue quadrupled to $356 million, but its loss widened to $194 million from $86 million. Akasa had a domestic market share of 5.3% in May, compared with the combined 90%-plus commanded by leader IndiGo ( opens new tab and Air India Group. Akasa, started with the backing of the late Rakesh Jhunjhunwala, dubbed India's Warren Buffett, went on a hiring spree and began international flights to Qatar and Saudi Arabia within two years of its launch. Despite challenges, Akasa in February raised an undisclosed amount of new capital from Indian billionaire Azim Premji's investment arm and Jhunjhunwala's family.
Al Jazeera
15-07-2025
- Automotive
- Al Jazeera
India orders airlines to inspect Boeing fuel switches after Air India crash
India has ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models following last month's deadly Air India crash. India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Monday said it asked the airlines to investigate fuel switch locks on several Boeing models, including 787s and 737s. The precautionary moves by India and several other countries came despite the plane maker and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) telling airlines and regulators in recent days that the fuel switch locks on Boeing jets were safe. The locks have come under scrutiny following the June 12 crash of an Air India jet, which killed some 260 people – the worst such disaster on Indian soil. A preliminary report on the crash by Indian authorities did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked the other why he cut off fuel, and the second pilot responded that he had not. The report noted a 2018 advisory from the FAA, which recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. In recent days, the Air India Group started checking the locking mechanism on the fuel switches of its 787 and 737 fleets and has discovered no problems yet, a source familiar with the matter told the Reuters news agency on Monday. About half the group's 787s have been inspected and nearly all its 737s, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity since the source was not authorised to speak to the media. Inspections were set to be completed in the next day or two. Precautionary checks The Air India crash preliminary report said the airline had not carried out the FAA's suggested inspections, as the FAA's 2018 advisory was not a mandate. But it also said maintenance records showed that the throttle control module, which includes the fuel switches, was replaced in 2019 and 2023 on the plane involved in the crash. In an internal memo on Monday, Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said the preliminary report found no mechanical or maintenance faults and that all required maintenance had been carried out. Some airlines around the world have been checking relevant switches since the 2018 advisory, including Australia's Qantas Airways and Japan's ANA. Others said they had been making additional or new checks since the release of the preliminary report into the Air India crash. Singapore Airlines said on Tuesday that precautionary checks on the fuel switches of its 787 fleet, including planes used by its low-cost subsidiary Scoot, confirmed all were functioning properly. Flag carrier Korean Air Lines also said on Tuesday it had proactively begun inspecting fuel control switches and would implement any additional requirements the Ministry of Transport may have. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner was headed to London from Ahmedabad in western India when it crashed, killing all but one of the people on board as well as 19 people on the ground.
