Aviation watchdog DGCA on Saturday imposed a Rs 22.20-crore penalty on IndiGo for last month's massive flight disruptions and issued stern warnings to airline chief Pieter Elbers as well as two other senior executives.
Besides, the regulator directed the airline to furnish Rs 50 crore bank guarantee to ensure compliance with its directives and long-term systemic correction.
IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights early in December, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across the country, as the airline was not adequately prepared to implement the new flight duty norms for pilots.
Following the large-scale disruptions in IndiGo operations, aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) set up a four-member committee headed by Joint Director General Sanjay K Brahmane to carry out a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to such disruptions.
The panel submitted its report to the DGCA on December 27 last year.
"We are not taking this situati

Indigo

Besides, the regulator directed the airline to furnish ₹50 crore bank guarantee to ensure compliance with its directives and long-term systemic correction

Press Trust of India

Air India on Friday said it has signed a commercial cooperation framework agreement with Singapore Airlines as part of which the carriers will, among other things, explore ways to improve connectivity between Singapore and India.
Singapore Airlines holds a 25.1 per cent stake in the Tata Group-backed airline.
This strengthened collaboration allows the airlines to explore ways to improve connectivity between Singapore and India, delivering greater choice and benefits for customers, a statement said.
The agreement was signed here between Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, and SIA Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong on Friday, it said.
Subject to regulatory approvals and the signing of definitive joint business agreements, the airlines aim to expand and enhance the product and service offerings, enabling seamless connections and more route options, and allowing customers to book flights across both airlines under a single unified journey, Air

Air India

The agreement was signed here between Air India Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director Campbell Wilson, and SIA Chief Executive Officer Goh Choon Phong on Friday, it said

DGCA said IndiGo has processed all refunds for December flight cancellations and will offer statutory compensation plus ₹10,000 travel vouchers to affected passengers

Business Standard

Data regarding routes exclusively operated by Indigo between September and December 2025 is also being shared by the DGCA with the Commission

civil aviation

An Air India A350 suffered major engine damage at Delhi airport after a cargo container fell onto the taxiway and was ingested during taxiing, prompting a DGCA probe into ground-handling safety

After facing multiple setbacks, the ailing carrier is far from its goal of achieving operational break-even by the end of March next year and has sought ₹10,000 cr from Tata Sons, Singapore Airlines

Air India Express currently has a one-way codeshare partnership with its parent airline. This allows Air India to sell seats on Air India Express flights through its own booking channels

Air India Express MD Aloke Singh said that the airline aims to double its fleet in the next 4-5 years

Aviation watchdog DGCA plans to put in place a competency-based training and assessment framework for cabin crew to help in further improve the training imparted to them, according to a senior official.
The Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) framework was introduced for pilots in 2022.
Shweta Singh, Chief Flight Operations Inspector at the DGCA, told PTI that the regulator is expected to come out with draft norms for the CBTA for the cabin crew in a month.
It will be on a voluntary basis for the airlines.
She said the efforts are to improve the competencies of the cabin crew.
"For example, if there is a fire in the cabin... how will they deal with it? How will they communicate? All those kind of performance indicators (will be) embedded in it (CBTA framework) which will help them to train better," Singh said.
She spoke on the sidelines of a conference in the national capital on Thursday.
Participating in a session at the conference, IndiGo's Senior Vice President fo

DGCA

The Competency Based Training and Assessment (CBTA) framework was introduced for pilots in 2022

Air India CEO Campbell Wilson says the AAIB's preliminary report on the June crash found no fault with aircraft, engines, or airline practices, while support for victims' families continues

Campbell Wilson, managing director and chief executive officer, Air India

Currently, Terminal 3 has four piers - two each for domestic and international operations

Delhi Airport | File Image

Global technology firm Thales has inked an 11-year avionics maintenance support contract with IndiGo for the airline's A320 family of aircraft, including for the over 800 planes that are to be delivered in the coming years.
Besides, its contract with IndiGo for fleet-wide Electronic Flight Bag rollout has been extended by another five years.
Listed in Paris, Thales is a leading player in advanced technologies for the defence, aerospace, and cyber and digital sectors.
"The new 11-year maintenance support contract for IndiGo's current Airbus A320 fleet and future order of A32X aircraft includes Thales' avionics 'By The Hour' and 'Repair By The Hour' programmes," Thales said in a release on Wednesday.
The contract will cover over 1,200 planes.
The repairs will be managed at Thales' MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facility in Gurugram, Haryana.
IndiGo has also extended by five years the contract with AvioBook, a Thales company, for AvioBook Flight, an Electronic Flight Bag sol

indigo airlines, indigo

Besides, its contract with IndiGo for fleet-wide Electronic Flight Bag rollout has been extended by another five years

An Abu Dhabi-bound IndiGo flight returned to Kochi early on Saturday due to a technical snag after being airborne for over two hours, according to sources.
There were more than 180 passengers and six crew members onboard the aircraft, they said.
There was no immediate comment from IndiGo.
The flight 6E-1403 (COK-AUH) departed from Kochi at 11.10 pm on Friday and returned to the city at around 1.44 am on Saturday due to a technical snag, the sources told PTI.
They also said that the passengers were flown to Abu Dhabi in another aircraft which took off at around 3.30 am and a new set of crew operated the flight as the earlier crew had to be replaced due to flight duty time restrictions.
As per information available on flight tracking website Flightradar24.com, flight 6E1403 which had returned mid-way, was operated with an A320 neo aircraft.

IndiGo, Bird Strike

The flight 6E-1403 (COK-AUH) departed from Kochi at 11.10 pm on Friday and returned to the city at around 1.44 am on Saturday due to a technical snag

India has mooted the idea of developing a standardised creditworthiness evaluation system for airlines that will also entail tiered risk-based terms for payments to be made to airports.
A working paper for having a standardised Airline Health Score (AHS) framework to assess the financial, operational and safety performance of airlines was recently submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) ahead of its 42nd General Assembly scheduled to begin from September 23.
Pitching for AHS, India said a significant proportion of revenue at most airports, particularly in developing countries, comes from aeronautical charges that are often collected on a post-service (credit) basis.
While larger airlines may enjoy stable financials and timely payments, smaller or financially distressed carriers often accumulate dues, exposing airport operators to substantial financial risks. The absence of a globally accepted mechanism to assess the financial reliability of airline customer

Airports, Airline, air passenger, flights

India said a significant proportion of revenue at most airports, particularly in developing countries, comes from aeronautical charges that are often collected on a post-service basis

Aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices were cut by 1.4 per cent on Monday, while commercial LPG cylinders became cheaper by Rs 51.50, reflecting a drop in global benchmark rates.
Jet fuel (ATF) price was reduced by Rs 1,308.41 per kilolitre, or 1.4 per cent, to Rs 90,713.52 per kl in the national capital -- home to one of the busiest airports in the country, according to state-owned fuel retailers.
The reduction comes after two back-to-back monthly increases in prices since July 1. In all, prices were hiked by Rs 8,949.38 per kl in line with the spurt in international oil rates that followed geopolitical tensions and trade wars.
This price cut will reduce the burden on commercial airlines, for whom fuel makes up for almost 40 per cent of the operating cost.
No immediate comments could be obtained from the airlines on the impact of the price change.
The ATF price in Mumbai was cut to Rs 84,832.83 per kl from Rs 86,077.14, while those in Chennai and Kolkata were increased to Rs 94,151.9

This price cut will reduce the burden on commercial airlines, for whom fuel makes up for almost 40 per cent of the operating cost

Korean Air has announced a USD 50 billion deal to buy more than 100 Boeing aircraft and several spare engines and obtain engine maintenance for 20 years.
The deal was formalised at a signing ceremony Monday in Washington as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with President Donald Trump.
The deal includes USD 36.2 billion for 103 next-generation Boeing aircraft; USD 690 million for 19 spare engines from GE Aerospace and CFM International; and USD 13 billion for the 20-year engine maintenance service contract with GE Aerospace, Korean Air said in a statement.
This deal is a strategic choice to strengthen Korean Air's partnership with the US aviation industry, the Korean Air statement said.
This strategic investment in the US market will further strengthen the airline's operational capabilities and global competitiveness, and foster robust commercial ties that will drive sustained growth.
It said the aircraft purchase order includes 20 Boeing 777-9s, 25 Boeing 787-10s, 50 Boein

Boeing

The deal was formalised at a signing ceremony Monday in Washington as South Korean President Lee Jae Myung met with President Donald Trump

Union minister Rammohan Naidu said the Jewar airport, set to be Asia's largest, will be inaugurated on October 30 with flights likely within 45 days

Noida Airport inauguration: Union Minister Rammohan Naidu said the Jewar airport, set to be Asia’s largest, will be inaugurated on October 30 with flights likely within 45 days.

Noida Airport

Delhi Airport's refurbished T2 will resume operations on October 26 with 120 daily flights of Air India and IndiGo, featuring self-baggage drop and India's first autonomous aerobridges

Delhi airport, Airport

Debojo Maharshi, Chief Business Officer, SpiceJet, said the induction will help the airline increase frequency on key routes ahead of the festival season

SpiceJet

Aera draft regulation makes airport operators responsible for overall service quality, including third-party providers, linking tariffs to performance benchmarks

SKG Rahate

Aviation safety watchdog DGCA has come out with draft guidelines for a fatigue risk management system for airlines, with the proposed framework set to complement the existing flight duty time limitation norms.
Amid concerns in various quarters about fatigue among airline crew, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already put in place revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots, which are being implemented in a phased manner.
In the draft advisory on 'Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS) Implementation for Flight Crew Members in Scheduled Air Transport Operations', the regulator said the circular provides detailed guidance on FRMS approval processes, implementation requirements, and oversight mechanisms to enhance flight safety through scientific, data-driven fatigue management approaches that complement existing prescriptive FDTL regulations.
FRMS should have maximum flight time, flight duty period, and duty period limits based on scientific ...

Amid concerns in various quarters about fatigue among airline crew, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already put in place revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilot

Air India Express aircraft (Photo: Reuters/Almaas Masood)

Air India Express

Flight IX-1226 was delayed over 18 hours due to technical issues, with passengers alleging poor accommodation; Air India Express denied the claims and arranged a new aircraft

F-35 Fighter jets

Airport authorities declared an emergency to ensure a smooth and safe landing

The US planemaker is slightly less bullish than a year ago as, when it estimated that 43,975 planes would enter the global fleet, reflecting a tempering of forecasts for global economic growth

Air India, Indian airlines

Air India warns of possible delays on long-haul flights as DGCA orders safety checks on Boeing 787s. Government mandates inspections after Ahmedabad crash; refunds or reschedules offered to passengers

Air India, plane crash

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner appeared to lack sufficient thrust as it used nearly the full length of an 11,000-foot runway, which should have been enough for takeoff, said aviation expert Bob Mann

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