UB Group chief and Kingfisher Airlines chairman Vijay Mallya is finally back in the country after his month-long overseas visit. He landed in New Delhi a short while earlier and is now at the Formula 1 track, where the qualifiers for the Indian Grand Prix will take place. Mallya, who is an F1 promoter, has arrived a week after the DGCA suspended his cash-strapped airlne's flying licence. ...
10:58 AM, Oct 27, 2012
New Delhi: It has been 25 days of protest, a lockdown and a suspension of licence, for Kingfisher Airlines. Its employees have finally agreed to return to work. The employees who wanted four-month salaries, agreed in the end to the management's proposal of three months' salaries. Employees, who haven't been paid since March, will now get their March salaries by Thursday, April salaries within a week, May salaries before Diwali...
09:15 PM, Oct 25, 2012
New Delhi: The crisis in the Kingfisher Airlines may have been reduced a bit after its striking employees on Monday agreed to take it three months' salary offer. A final decision from the management on the resumption of flight operations, however, is awaited. The ailing airline company on Monday offered to pay one month salary to its employees in 24 hours during a closed-door meet with the representatives of its...
06:25 PM, Oct 22, 2012
New Delhi: Troubled Kingfisher airlines, whose flying licence was suspended by the DGCA, said on Saturday night it has stopped taking booking of tickets till it resumes operations. "We are now immediately suspending all forward bookings till such time we resume operations," Kingfisher spokesperson said in a statement, adding it's "our endeavour to re-start operations at the earliest and we assure you we are working towards achieving this". The airline...
10:03 PM, Oct 20, 2012
New Delhi: It could be the beginning of the end for Kingfisher Airlines. The crisis-hit company, under lockout since September end, had his licence suspended on Saturday by the aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This means an immediate halt on bookings, followed by the staff intensifying their protests for their dues. The DGCA on Saturday said that the suspension will stay till it is convinced that...
09:00 PM, Oct 20, 2012
New Delhi: Suspension of licence stares in the face of crisis-ridden Kingfisher Airline as it extended its lockout till October 23 and submitted a reply to aviation regulator DGCA's show-cause notice on the matter. Reacting to the airline's reply, official sources said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) was consulting legal experts on what action - suspension or cancellation of flying licence - could be taken against Kingfisher for...
08:46 PM, Oct 19, 2012
New Delhi: Cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines on Friday extended its partial lockout till October 23. Sources, however, say that operations may resume on November 6, "subject to the review and approval" of the airline company's "resumption plan by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)". The airline company said that it had submitted its reply to the DGCA's showcause notice and that it was now waiting for its response. If the...
04:48 PM, Oct 19, 2012
New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday asked the Airport Authority to scrap development fee. With this decision of the government, the Airport Development Fee will be abolished at the airports in New Delhi and Mumbai. The move will be effective from January 1, 2013. As of now, the fee at the airport is Rs 300 for a domestic ticket and Rs 1000 for an international ticket....
06:00 PM, Oct 16, 2012
Thiruvananthapuram: Air Kerala, the state government's airline, would be launched on April 14, 2013, to coincide with Vishu, new year's day in the Malayalam calendar, says Chief Minister Oommen Chandy. "It (Air Kerala) will be airborne on April 14. The only question is whether the first flight will be an international or domestic one," said Chandy. He added, "Next month, we will be applying to the Director General of Civil...
11:38 AM, Oct 08, 2012
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday submitted its report on the Kingfisher Airlines to the Civil Aviation Minister. The DGCA, in its report, alleged that the safety of Kingfisher Airlines operations was seriously jeopardised. The DGCA has also raised serious concerns over the non-payment of salaries to its employees, asking Kingfisher to submit concrete plan before resuming operations. The aviation regulator has reiterated that the...
08:44 PM, Oct 03, 2012
New Delhi: Several airports in Tier-II cities are likely to be designated international if a Civil Aviation Ministry proposal on the issue is approved by the Union Cabinet on Thursday. According to sources, the airports likely to be in the list are those in Lucknow, Varanasi, Tiruchirapalli, Mangalore and Coimbatore. Conversion of a domestic airport into an international one primarily entails creation of immigration facilities and deploying manpower to carry...
07:08 PM, Oct 03, 2012
New Delhi: The CEO of the cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines, Sanjay Agarwal, said on Tuesday that flight operations are expected to begin on October 4, soon after his meeting with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) ended. Speaking to reporters, Agarwal said that the company will first discuss the matter with its employees and then take a decision. The CEO further said that salaries of half the 4000 employees had...
12:41 PM, Oct 02, 2012
New Delhi: Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday reiterated that Kingfisher Airlines will not be allowed to operate flights until its engineers report back to work and they certify on the flights' safety. "Passenger safety cannot be compromised. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is talking to them today. They will send a report and a decision will be taken after that," he said. The CEO of the cash-strapped...
11:46 AM, Oct 02, 2012
New Delhi: The CEO of the cash-strapped Kingfisher Airlines is expected to meet the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday. The CEO was summoned by the DGCA after all of Kingfisher Airlines flights were cancelled on Monday after its pilots and engineers refused to report to work over non-payment of salaries since March this year. Kingfisher Airlines was forced to declare a temporary lockout of its operations till...
08:19 AM, Oct 02, 2012
New Delhi: The government plans to introduce a bill to replace aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) with a more autonomous body in the Winter Session of Parliament as part of a host of measures to meet fresh challenges in the aviation sector. Among the measures being considered by the Civil Aviation Ministry is auctioning of some prime-time flying slots to end the opaqueness in their allocation by...
07:34 PM, Sep 28, 2012
New Delhi: Flag carrier Air India, reeling under accumulated losses and loans of around Rs 67,520 crore ($12 billion), is planning to carry advertisements on its aircraft to mobilise additional revenue. "We have plans to allow advertisers to put up ads on the aircraft. Ads can be placed on the tail or the hull of the aircraft," a highly placed source in the national airline told IANS. The airline is...
04:47 PM, Aug 26, 2012
New Delhi: Air India has been ordered by a consumer forum to pay Rs 35,000 as compensation to a woman for demand of bribe from her son by its airport staffer to allow him carry extra luggage on his way to Singapore for studies. The forum ordered compensation for complainant Beena Shah saying that the demand of the bribe amounted to causing harassment to her as her son was entitled...
04:51 PM, Jul 31, 2012
New Delhi: After the sacking of 101 pilots during the recent 58-day strike, Air India on Friday said it has received representations from 34 of them expressing willingness to join duty. While nine sacked pilots on Thursday sent in representations against termination of their services and stating their willingness to resume work, 25 such representations were received today by the management of the national carrier, official sources said. The protracted...
08:38 PM, Jul 20, 2012
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday said that domestic airfares were unlikely to go down to the 2011 levels any time soon. However, it said, the fares may soften with a decline in demand. The DGCA said that higher operational cost and airport charges were responsible for the higher fares, although insisting that they were still within the prescribed band. The airfares this year have...
12:43 PM, Jul 20, 2012
Bangalore: Some wings of national carrier Air India would soon be hived off to right-size its staff strength and monetise its assets for an early turn-around, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said on Tuesday. "As part of the Rs 30,000-crore ($5.5 billion) turn-around package, Air India's engineering and ground support units will be hived off into separate entities to reduce its employee ratio per aircraft and make it more efficient...
10:15 PM, Jul 17, 2012
