With AI, Fly on the High-Density Mumbai-Delhi Route Every Hour!

With India’s peak tourist season kicking in, airlines in the country are looking to prepare themselves to cater to the huge demand of flights tickets. Air India has taken the initiative and will now be offering hourly flights on Mumbai-Delhi route, which is considered one of the busiest intra-national sectors on the globe.

The holiday season in India witnesses busy tourism and the related activities in the nation, something that is not just confined to domestic commotion but also the international one, and that too massively! And the heightened demand for tickets on flights connecting Delhi and Mumbai is a resulting affect of it.  

Air India, country’s flag carrier, will be offering flights services between the cities every hour, ensuring increased demand of tickets is met. Passengers looking to book tickets for this sector with the airline can now fly every hour between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. The announcement implies that AI will now offer 18 flights daily on the route. 

While the announcement is sure to impress domestic flyers in India, it also presents itself as a case of happy concern for foreigners booking flights tickets for a tour to India. The hourly service will offer flexibility and convenience to the travel plans of tourists and business flyers landing in India and looking for a connection between country’s two busiest air hubs. Delhi and Mumbai witness the most number of foreign tourist arrivals in the country, with each representing one corner of the expanse.

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Direct Flights between India and Australia Soon

There is good news in store for travel buffs who are fed up of taking connecting flights to fly between India and Australia.

If reports that are doing the rounds in the Australian media are to be paid heed to then Air India is set to offer direct flights to Australian cities of Melbourne and Sydney from Delhi international airport very soon.

Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Civil Aviation and board member of Air India, Prashant Sukul was quoted in multiple news reports as indicating the commencement of direct flights between the two countries. Air India’s winter schedule of the year begins at the end of September and that is when the launch of direct air services is likely to take place.

Both India and Australia remain top holiday destinations and a good chunk of tourists from one country travel to another each year. Then there is the sizable Indian student population that lives in Australia. Naturally, demand for tickets on cheap flights to India from Australia and the other way around remains high.

The new direct connection between India and Australia is also seen as a push for Delhi as a regional hub. The airline is hoping that Australians would take transitional flights to India in order to travel to European destinations.

India's national airline, Air India is likely to employ the services of 787 Dreamliner on the route. AI will take the delivery of its first of its new fleet of 787s from Boeing this month. The world’s most fuel efficient aircraft is believed to offer some impetuous to India’s somewhat struggling aviation sector.

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Air India Braces Up for Stiffer Competition

As per the announcement made by the Indian civil aviation ministry, the state-run Air India will now share its rights on bilateral traffic with other Indian private carriers.

Though the news has brought big cheers for the private carriers seeking to expand overseas routes, it has left Air India twisting in the wind!

AI is the first choice of many travellers for taking air travel ex-India or for booking flights to India. But with the launch of the new deal, the airline will face severe competition from other private carriers including IngiGo, SpiceJet and Jet Airways to name a few.

On the contrary, with the increase in the frequency of flights on international routes, the holiday makers besides enjoying a wider choice of airlines may also benefit from cheap flight tickets easily. Even the international passengers questing for flights to India will have a numerous options to choose from to travel to India.

The Indian domestic carriers who are eager to commence more flights on International routes are highly optimistic with the new agreement.

For example, Spicejet, an economical airline known for offering cheap flight tickets is trying awaiting permission to start flights to many other International destinations including Male and Dhaka. The airline currently operates flights to destinations like Colombo and Kathmandu.

The announcement made by the Indian civil aviation ministry will make Air India to pull up their socks with private carriers breathing down the neck of state-owned carrier.

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Need to shell out more for air travel to India

National flag carrier, Air India has increased fuel surcharge by INR 200 ( little more than 2 GBP) on short haul domestic routes for distances below 1,400km and by INR 300 (little more than 3 GBP) on longer flights within the country in line with the latest rise in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices. Other airlines are also expected to follow the suit.

Many Indian states impose sales tax as high as 30% on air turbine fuel which causes the total operating cost of an airline to rise manifold. Apparently airlines have been demanding Indian government to reduce taxes on ATF.

With this upward spiralling of ATF, budget tourists taking flights to India for winter holidays in peak travel months like December and January would now need to shell out more on air travel within the country.

Tourists taking cheap flights to India for holiday trips to cities like Goa, Banglore, etc, might need to spend a bomb as the average range of fares for flying from Delhi might witness a tremendous hike in the coming days.

While tourists taking cheap flights to India for winter holidays will have to shell out more for air fares to further cities, the high demand of cheap tickets in the peak travel months of January and December might also lead to a hike in basic fares.

Furthermore, tourists flying out from Delhi Airport would need to pay INR 221 (little more than 2 GBP) as the airport charges.

Tourists taking flights to India during peak travel months should make early bookings to grab cheap tickets on domestic flights and avoid airfare hikes.

Further, during the festive season most domestic airlines usually witness a virtual stampede for cheap tickets that makes it even more essential for holidaymakers contemplating Indian tours to make early bookings.

Air India to buy 27 Boeing 787 Dreamliners

Air India, the flag carrier of India is planning to buy 27 Boeing 787 aircraft which it initially intended to purchase in the year 2006.

Air India, the fourth largest shareholder in India's domestic air travel market and one of the prominent airlines for netting international tickets for flights to India has been in the red from the past sometime now.

In the conference held on Tuesday, the board members of the cash-strapped airline have decided to opt for a sale-and-leaseback arrangement rather than making the outright purchase to handle the financial burden on the airline. Moreover, the board members also proposed that by the time the airline will get the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, it will possibly lease out its excess capacity of two Boeing 747-400 planes and some Boeing 777-200 long-range planes.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the world’s most fuel-efficient plane will perhaps trim the flight fares of Air India thus providing travellers with cheap flight to India. Other than fuel efficiency and the resulting cheap flight tickets, 787 also features amazing interiors to provide more relaxed medium and long-haul flights to and from India to the holiday seekers.

To manage its bottomline, Air India is also bearing in mind the proposal of replacing the full meals with a snack for onboard flights of less than 90 minutes and terminating the facility of hot meals on flights of less than one hour. The carrier also has future plans of leasing out some of its new and old planes to fix its undue debts of Rs 43,777 crore to some extent.

Air India to get younger cabin crew

Air India flight attendants could soon get younger as the airline aims to cap the age of its cabin crew at 45.

The company hopes that the move will woo more customers onto Air India's domestic and international flights.

Currently, the firm allows cabin crew to work until they are 58.

A spokesperson for Air India told the Times of India: "About 1,000 flight attendants in the age group of 20-27 have been hired recently."

The operator is also overhauling the look of its in-flight attendants with the help of some fashion experts.

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Cheap flights to India prove to be a hit

Air India has announced that its latest cheap flights promotion has been a big success, with up to 85 per cent capacity recorded over the past week.

The promotional fares, which end today (May 19th), offer cheap flights to India from various domestic airports, including Srinagar to Delhi for as little as 2,914 rupees (£40).

As a result of this, Air India's domestic flights have been at least 80 per cent full from May 10th to 18th.

A spokesman for Air India said: "This shows the immense faith our passengers have in Air India's service."

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Air India offers cheap domestic flights

State-run airline, Air India has extended its promotional fares offer, meaning travellers can book cut-price economy class flights within the country up until May 19th.

In a statement, the airline described the fares as "competitive" and added that there are over 107 internal routes on offer in this extended sale.

Travellers looking to explore India can choose from a range of 23 different destinations from Delhi as well as 11 different flights to Mumbai.

Other cheap flights on offer in this promotion include Kolkata to Guwahati for just 2,805 rupees (£38) each way in addition to the Bangalore to Chennai route for 3,047 rupees.

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Air India adds extra flights during pilots strike

Brits worried about internal travel disruptions that may upset their plans to catch flights to India will be glad to know that Air India has added four extra flights to help ease the backlog caused by a pilot's strike.

More than 600 pilots are taking part in industrial action today (May 5th) in the ninth consecutive day of strikes, so Air India has acted to help out travellers.

Two flights per day from Mumbai to Dubai and a further two from Delhi to Dubai have been added to the Indian carrier's website, although they will be reserved for those who were previously booked onto flights that have since been cancelled.

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Air India adds extra flights during pilots strike

Brits worried about internal travel disruptions that may upset their plans to catch flights to India will be glad to know that Air India has added four extra flights to help ease the backlog caused by a pilot's strike.

More than 600 pilots are taking part in industrial action today (May 5th) in the ninth consecutive day of strikes, so Air India has acted to help out travellers.

Two flights per day from Mumbai to Dubai and a further two from Delhi to Dubai have been added to the Indian carrier's website, although they will be reserved for those who were previously booked onto flights that have since been cancelled.

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Air India introduces online check-in option

Air India has launched a new service that will allow passengers taking flights to India to check-in online.

The carrier will open check-in 48 hours before departure for domestic and international flights originating from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bangalore and Hyderabad, reported Express Buzz.

Passengers will be able to print out their own boarding pass and once at the airport will be able to go directly to security checks rather than check-in.

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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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More flights to India from Middle East planned

A key India-based airline is set to increase the number of flights to Delhi from locations across the Middle East.

Air India believes that the Gulf region is a crucial market and there is strong customer demand for such services, reports the Hindu.

In particular, the carrier could plan to offer flights from Middle East airports to a number of new destinations with all services travelling via New Delhi.

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Indian flights firm 'to be hived off'

Air India Express (AIE), a company offering cheap flights to India, will be spun off from parent organisation Air India as part of a drive to push down costs, it has been claimed.

The Economic Times reports that a new CEO is set to be brought on board within the next couple of weeks. Gustav Baldauf, chief operating officer of Air India, told the news provider: "By next summer schedule, restructuring operations of AIE will be complete and it will fly to domestic destinations too."

The move to reshape activities at the airline offering cheap flights to India comes after the company had to cancel a number of flights as a result of fewer bookings. Earlier this month, Jet Airways was rewarded for its business class travel offering, at an awards ceremony in New Delhi.

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Air India picks up award

Holidaymakers planning flights to India may find that one airline goes the extra mile when it comes to customer service. Air India has been honoured with the Reader's Digest Trusted Brand Gold Award for the fifth year in a row, on the basis of consumer votes.

The country's national carrier - Air India has been in operation since 1932 - currently travels to a total of 51 international destinations, as well as 63 domestic locations.

It was presented with the gong at an awards ceremony held on June 29th in Mumbai, beating competition from China, Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Phillipines, among others.

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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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