Indian Carriers’ International Services to Spiral Up By Oct 2013

Good news is in the offing for business travellers who regularly seek flights tickets for an India travel and also for those leisure vacationers who are looking forward to book tickets on flights to the country for a holiday tour around the end of the next year. Media reports have informed that by October 2013, Indian carriers will witness the number of international services rise up to 1,695 a week from 1,074, clocking a growth of well over 50 percent. 

This follows Government of India’s consent for allowing domestic operators in the country to not only fly on some new global routes but also authorising the airlines to boost their frequency of flights to international destinations. Increased flights service is surely going to benefit passengers who seek flexible alternatives when it comes to booking tickets for inbound and outbound India travel. Even cheap flights tickets may also be in store with the rise in the number of traffic rights. 

From the 2013 Summer Schedule, India’s flag carrier, Air India has been allowed to operate daily flights from Delhi to Rome-Madrid-Barcelona and Moscow, while from the Winter Schedule 2013, the airline will run services between Mumbai and Nairobi. Other airlines in India would also be able to fly to new routes as authorities in the country have given permission to operate flights to Rome, Madrid, Barcelona, Sydney, Melbourne, Nairobi, Al Najaf (Iraq), Moscow, Zurich, Macau, Tashkent and Ho Chi Minh City.

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Air India Looks At Star Alliance With Starry-Eyes!

If wishes were horses, beggars would fly, and if Air India had its wish, Star Alliance would offer a membership invite to the carrier! If may be a crude way of putting things across but reports floating in the Indian media hint at the same.

India’s Economic Times (a leading financial daily) reports that country’s state-run carrier is still hopeful of landing a spot with one of the world’s most prestigious airline groups, Star Alliance even as the group overlooked the application a year ago.

AI, a popular option among those taking outbound and inbound flights to India, is strongly pursuing a membership with the Lufthansa-led grouping.

Reports say that Jet Airways has also applied with the government for permission to join the group that has Singapore Airlines, SWISS and Air China as its members. However, this isn’t discouraging AI from keeping hopes high.

In Economic Times’ report, AI’s Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan was found advocating for the cause and emphasising that AI is “as good as any of its members,”

For travellers, it would surely be great news in case Air India manages to breakthrough. A host of services and conveniences would be available to them in case they seek flights with the Indian carrier. Seamless flights transfers and the availability of facilities at airports are other incentives waiting for travellers picking flights if and when AI becomes a member of the group.

Star Alliance network offers more than 21,200 daily flights in 193 countries, and is likely to append to AI’s passenger traffic on flights.

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Air India's New Offer Spells Big Savings on Flights to India

Air India is going all out to woo senior citizens who are travelling to India! India’s flag carrier has announced “Senior Citizen Companion Fare” that will allow two senior citizens who are travelling together to save some serious amount of money.

Travellers who are 62 years of age or older will now be able to save at least $1,300 each on published round trip Executive Class tickets on flights to India in case two senior passengers travel together. The offer is valid on AI’s non-stop flights to Delhi from John F. Kennedy International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport to Mumbai, or Chicago O'Hare International Airport to Delhi and return. Air India’s flights to India from North America are served by either Boeing 777-200LR or 777-300ER aircraft.

The state-run airline has even come up with special add-ons for connections to more than 50 other major cities in India for passengers who want to take advantage of the “Senior Citizen Companion Fare” but want to travel beyond Delhi or Mumbai.

Interested travellers must take care of certain points before booking their cheap flights to India under the scheme.

• The offer applies to transatlantic travel Monday through Thursday in both directions, with travel commencing on or before October 15, 2012.

• Travellers must book their cheap flights to India with the airline by September 30th.

• Minimum stay in India is 21 days and the maximum stay is 6 months for those travelling under this plan.

• Tickets are refundable, less a cancellation fee of $500 per passenger.

Air India to Showcase The Dreamliners Next Week

Boeing recently announced the delivery of Air India’s first seven 'Dreamliners'. These dreamliners will land at Hyderabad’s Begumpet Airport on the eve of India Aviation 2012 and will remain on static display till March 16.

However, the airline will induct the dreamliners in May after the operational and technical certifications from the US Federal Aviation Administration, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and other agencies.

Air India’s new 787s will feature its livery that includes 'red and white' colours depicting flying swan with the 'Konark Chakra'.

Air India, popular choice for tickets on flights to India, has sought a hefty compensation from Boeing for the delayed delivery.

In order to handle the anticipated financial burden after this deal, the airline has decided to sell and leaseback the first seven dreamliners. Air India has also started looking for bridge financing worth USD 230 million.

However, whether to curtail the order or leaseback all the planes or purchase some of them outright is to be decided by the Indian government. The government also seeks to sort out the compensation issues before Air India starts inducting dreamliners.

Air India plans to replace the Boeing-777 with Boeing-787s for long-haul, non-stop flights. So tourists can now expect Boeing-787 to be best choice for netting tickets on long-haul flights to India.

Dreamliners are 20 percent more fuel-efficient and could be the best bet for holiday makers looking for tickets on cheap flight tickets. With better fuel-efficiency, airlines can now delight travellers with more cheap flights to India and other destinations.

Details on the number of seats in both classes of travel are still unavailable due to commercial reasons.

Air India Express resumes flights to Mumbai

Air India Express has confirmed that it is to re-offer passengers the chance to take flights to Mumbai from Bahrain.

The carrier is to offer the service twice a week and will also enable travellers to connect with flights to Bangalore and Ahmedabad.

It is expected that the flight will leave Bahrain at 14.05 for the city of Mumbai.

Air India has a fleet of 24 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, with all offering economy class facilities and each with a capacity of around 180 seats.

As well as offering domestic flights within India, the airline flies to 14 other international destinations- Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Columbo and Dhaka.

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Air India launches flights to Australia

Air India has announced that it will now offer flights to Australia from Delhi.

The carrier revealed that it will make Melbourne its base in the country and intends to operate a daily service between the two cities. John Brumby, state premier of Victoria, explained that India has much in common with the Australian state.

"Victoria and India share common interests in cricket, international education, film and trade," he asserted. The announcement could be of interest to people boarding flights to India with the intention of travelling on to other parts of Asia and Australasia.

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