New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): IndiGo Airlines operations were crippled last week as hundreds of flights faced massive delays in many cities of the country due to the non-availability of cabin crew and staff, who according to industry sources had gone for job interviews.

Mumbai Apr 21 PTI The countrys airport sector is expected to see investments worth Rs 165 lakh crore including from private players in the coming years and the government also aims to have 200 airports Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Thursday The civil aviation sector which was significantly hit by the coronavirus pandemic is on the recovery path and domestic passenger traffic is slowly touching the pre-pandemic levels On April 17 the domestic air passenger traffic crossed the 4 lakh mark for the first time in two years About capital expenditure plans Scindia said we have a plan of close to Rs 98000 crore over the next four years to be deployed in the area of airports alone Out of the total amount Rs 25000 crore would be from the Airports Authority of India AAI and Rs 22000 crore would be for the expansion of airports and the building of new terminals The private sector is looking at close to about Rs 67000 crore in terms of new investments in airports Scindia said while speaking at the Times Networks India Economic Conclave Emphasising that rapid expansion is going to take place the minister said the plan is to have close to 200 airports in the country We had 74 airports prior to 2014 in 70 years of Indias independence and in the last 8 years we have built 67 airports it is my intention by the way to take it close to 200 airports in India and therefore you want to see a rapid expansion of airport infrastructure networks he noted Further Scindia mentioned about a new policy for smaller aircraft to encourage regional transport aircraft and helicopters and sea planes So I want to connect the last mile theres enough of connectivity coming in from international metros to metros domestically but I want to connect tier 2 to 3 cities to metros and to each other So I am looking at a very very aggressive plan over the next three to four years he said Amid the high growth potential in the countrys aviation space a new airline Akasa is expected to take to the skies in the coming months and the now-shuttered Jet Airways is also anticipated to restart operations Akasa and Jet Airways are expected to start operations before the end of this financial year the minister said In March around 106 crore domestic passengers travelled by air as per official data PTI AA MR

New Delhi Mar 23 PTI As many as 382 lakh passengers undertook air travel daily in the last seven days giving hopes of revival of the sector scarred by Covid-19 Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Wednesday as he set a target of nearly tripling total passenger traffic by 2023-24 to 40 crore Scindia further said that at a time when the airline industry world over is facing turbulence two new airlines Jet and Akasa will soon launch their services Replying to the Demands for Grants 2022-23 for the Ministry of Civil Aviation he said that the government has brought about a paradigm shift a structural change in the sector in the last two years and it will focus on inclusion access and affordablity to increase demand among common man The total number of passenger travelled increased from 670 crore in 2013-14 to 1450 crore in 2018-19 The number of planes too increased from 400 from 2013-14 to 710 by 2018-19 As per DGCA data 838 crore people travelled on domestic flights in 2021 as compared to 63 crore in 2020 - the year which saw the outbreak of Covid-19 Scindia said the aviation sector started to look up post the second Covid wave and the number of air travellers in the country increased to 390 lakh per day in November 2021 compared to 415 lakh per day in pre-Covid times But due to Omicron it came down 160 lakh per day I am happy to report that in last seven days we are again back to 382 lakh per day There is a hope of revival and based on that we expect that by 2023-24 we will take the number of 40 crore he said Scindia said the aviation sectors competitiveness can be compared to AC-1 and AC-2 services of Indian Railways Last year 185 crore people travelled AC-1 and 2 Till 2014 there were 74 airports in the country and in the last seven years 66 new airports were added So the total number of airports in the country now stands at 140 Our resolve is to take this number up to 220 by 2025 Scindia said PTI JD SKU DSP MR MR

Mumbai Nov 17 PTIAce investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air on Wednesday announced signing an agreement to purchase CFM LEAP-1B engines to power its Boeing 737 MAX airplanes and the overall deal is estimated to be worth USD 45 billion The announcement comes a day after the upcoming ultra low cost carrier said it would buy 72 Boeing 737 MAX planes from Boeing Co With this purchase and services agreement Akasa Air will have from day one of its operations an innovative and comprehensive maintenance programme delivered by CFM the airline said in a statement The pact was signed with CFM at the ongoing Dubai Airshow The deal which includes spare engines and long-term service agreement is estimated to be worth USD 45 billion at list price At current exchange rate the amount translates to more than Rs 33000 crore We are pleased to partner with CFM International as we embark on an exciting journey to launch the greenest most affordable and most dependable airline in India Our partnership with CFM will ensure that we adhere to the worlds highest standards of maintenance and deliver the industrys best technical dispatch reliability Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube said According to him the high-performance LEAP-1B engine will support Akasas tech-driven culture by enabling real-time engine monitoring and predictive maintenance planning With this agreement we now have the foundation to ensure the most competitive and reliable operations in our fast growing market Dube added Akasa Air owned by SNV Aviation is expecting to start flying next year It has already received a no-objection certificate from the civil aviation ministry We are proud to develop a strong relationship with Akasa and play a key role in the launch of their operations by providing them with the industry-leading asset utilisation fuel efficiency and overall cost of ownership Philippe Couteaux Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CFM International said CFM delivered the first CFM56 engines in the early 90s Since then the company has been developing a trustful relationship with major Indian airlines and playing a key role in Indian domestic market continuous growth according to the release To date nearly 600 engines are operated by airlines from the Indian subcontinent and more than 1700 LEAP engines are on order PTI IAS RAM