Indian Aviation Thread - August 2019

CaliguyNYC · Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:24 am

edealinfo wrote:
TEMPO wrote:
KLM is upgauging its Bangalore flights next summer from 787-9 (~290 seats) to a 787-10 (~330 seats) going from about 900 seats a week in October to about 1000 seats a week at the end of March 2020. Compare that to about 2000 seats a week when Jet was flying to Amsterdam.

From 30th October 2019 to 28th March 2020
KL879 AMS1105 – 0050+1BLR 789 135
KL880 BLR0245 – 0825AMS 789 246

From 29th March 2020, the timing is almost exactly that of the Air France CDG flight.
KL879 AMS1025 – 2320BLR 781 146
KL880 BLR0120 – 0745AMS 781 257

While this is great news, wouldn’t 4x weekly 787-900 have been a better choice than 3X weekly 787-1000?

I think KLM still has a shortage of planes. So getting the added lift to BLR helps them in the short run. I bet their plan is to go to 5-7 flights a week. At least KL is trying to send their new planes to india

edealinfo · Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:41 am

CaliguyNYC wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
CaliguyNYC wrote:

I would expect air connectivity to improve rapidly now. I feel Ike there will be a lot of investment in hotels and tourist facilities now that property can be owned by all Indians
but why would anyone travel to a region when one fears for their security? Heck, how many Indians or foreigners travel to J and K or Afghanistan for a holiday?

I was focusing on Leh in Ladhak which is safe and I have several American, non Indian, friends who went there and loved it. There used to be limited flights to Leh because of the airport being mil;Italy run (I think). Also I know quite a few people who have gone from BOM to SIN for trips to see the snow. Sure when things flare up people might back off, but tourists have been back to J&K for quite some time and Leh I don’t think ever had problems. I would also expect more migrants morning into both J&K and Ladhak with the land ownership change.

Who is selling the land? Is it Government owned land?

I am looking at a redrawn map - see the link below. It looks like Ladhak does not border Pakistan but this is confusing because Kargil is in Ladhak and was't Kargil ground zero in the battle between in India and Pak? Also, any reason why there was only bifurcation and not trifurication. I mean there could have been a) Jammu, b) Kashmir, and c) Ladhak. I am not to familiar with the region so you might have to bear with my rudimentary questions. Also, is the map assuming that Pak-occupied Kash (PoK) is part of India (and is therfore also shaded) or is PoK not in the shaded area in the link?

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/arti ... now/463891

edealinfo · Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:44 am

Vistara signs codeshare pact with Singapore Airlines, SilkAir for international flights

Finally the SQ code is being put on Vistara's flights to Singapore. Strangely, Vistara's code has not been put on SQ's flight to the rest of Asia.....say Manila, Jakarta, Bali, Australia. Why???

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/in ... 536234.cms

edealinfo · Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:51 am

"These works, upon completion, would not only increase the passenger handling capacity of Delhi airport to 100 million passengers per annum (MPPA) in the next three years, but also enhance the airside capacity to handle 140 MPPA,

Can someone explain the the apparent contradiction in the above statement wherein capacity of both 100 million and 140 million is specified in the same sentence?

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/in ... 536548.cms?

FligtReporter · Tue Aug 06, 2019 3:38 am

edealinfo wrote:
FligtReporter wrote:
Im back after a long travels and hectic schedule and guess what I flew UK this time after a long time and was surprisingly impressed at how much they have improved the instance I was blown away with was the announcement made by the crew with full details of the Vegetarian and Non Vegetarian option for the Economy pax as PE and B pax already have dedicated menus...remind you for a 2:30 hour flight even a 45 Min flight.

and if that was not enough I was flabbergasted being adressed by my name in ECO ..I know most of you might think Im exaggerating but its true and probably because the crew had a paper with the list of names who were flying on LITE fare but I paid the standard fare and because I was busy making my report and all of a sudden I hear my name like *Excuse me Mr.Flight reporter,what would you like to have mr.reporter* Im sure they must be Ex Kingfisher Crew.

Im done.Vistara is one of the Best airline in the world.

Welcome back and it is nice to hear that at least 1 Indian carrier is striving to stand out. It is experiences like the one you had that helps build a loyal base of customers.

thanks bro...Yes Im a Vistara Fanboy forever

VTORD · Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:13 am

edealinfo wrote:

I am looking at a redrawn map - see the link below. It looks like Ladhak does not border Pakistan but this is confusing because Kargil is in Ladhak and was't Kargil ground zero in the battle between in India and Pak? Also, any reason why there was only bifurcation and not trifurication. I mean there could have been a) Jammu, b) Kashmir, and c) Ladhak. I am not to familiar with the region so you might have to bear with my rudimentary questions. Also, is the map assuming that Pak-occupied Kash (PoK) is part of India (and is therfore also shaded) or is PoK not in the shaded area in the link?

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/arti ... now/463891

Kargil borders PoK on the Indian side. That is why it was ground zero in 1999. It is about 120 something miles from Leh. The map in the link shared by you assumes both PoK and Aksai Chin on the Tibetan side as well as some portion of PoK ceded by Pak to China as Indian.

Coming back to aviation, while Leh has been a popular tourism destination for some time, J&K always tends to be iffy now and then given the politics. My guess is it will be awhile before we can expect any "normalcy" in J&K. Politically it might even get a bit more dangerous initially so flights and tourism are likely to stay impacted negatively. Aviation after all doesn't operate in a vacuum.

zionite · Tue Aug 06, 2019 4:35 am

edealinfo wrote:
CaliguyNYC wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
but why would anyone travel to a region when one fears for their security? Heck, how many Indians or foreigners travel to J and K or Afghanistan for a holiday?

I was focusing on Leh in Ladhak which is safe and I have several American, non Indian, friends who went there and loved it. There used to be limited flights to Leh because of the airport being mil;Italy run (I think). Also I know quite a few people who have gone from BOM to SIN for trips to see the snow. Sure when things flare up people might back off, but tourists have been back to J&K for quite some time and Leh I don’t think ever had problems. I would also expect more migrants morning into both J&K and Ladhak with the land ownership change.

Who is selling the land? Is it Government owned land?

I am looking at a redrawn map - see the link below. It looks like Ladhak does not border Pakistan but this is confusing because Kargil is in Ladhak and was't Kargil ground zero in the battle between in India and Pak? Also, any reason why there was only bifurcation and not trifurication. I mean there could have been a) Jammu, b) Kashmir, and c) Ladhak. I am not to familiar with the region so you might have to bear with my rudimentary questions. Also, is the map assuming that Pak-occupied Kash (PoK) is part of India (and is therfore also shaded) or is PoK not in the shaded area in the link?

https://www.timesnownews.com/india/arti ... now/463891

https://www.thequint.com/news/hot-news/ ... e-to-exist

The map on this article will give a better understanding of PoK (left side bordering Pakistan, Afghanistan and China) and Aksai Chin (on right side bordering China & Tibet)

AirIndia · Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:18 am

edealinfo wrote:
How is the progress on DEL’s 4th runway? When is that expected to be ready?

The 4th Runway already exists as Taxiway Y.

FligtReporter · Tue Aug 06, 2019 8:28 am

Vistara just announced Its flights to Bangkok from Delhi from 27th August...Kathmandu coming soon

edealinfo · Tue Aug 06, 2019 12:55 pm

AirIndia wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
How is the progress on DEL’s 4th runway? When is that expected to be ready?

The 4th Runway already exists as Taxiway Y.

I don’t follow the logic. Why isn’t taxiway Y, the 4th runway? or, are they building a 5th runway which will officially be designated as the 4th runway?

avier · Tue Aug 06, 2019 1:42 pm

edealinfo wrote:
I don’t follow the logic. Why isn’t taxiway Y, the 4th runway?

Taxiways are for planes to taxii on and not used as a runway.
In place of taxiiway Y, a fourth runway is being built in that place. Means there won't be taxiway Y when runway comes up.

binayak · Tue Aug 06, 2019 5:13 pm

LH seems to have confirmed MUC- BLR .
Got the news from twitter

TEMPO · Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:29 pm

binayak wrote:
LH seems to have confirmed MUC- BLR .
Got the news from twitter

Nothing yet on the Lufthansa News twitter channel or on related threads on this website.

unrave · Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:37 pm

AirIndia wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
How is the progress on DEL’s 4th runway? When is that expected to be ready?

The 4th Runway already exists as Taxiway Y.

SO they are just converting a taxiway into a runway? Won't that affect aircraft movement?

VTCIE · Tue Aug 06, 2019 6:37 pm

VT-TGD has taken off operating UK115 from DEL to SIN. This is the first international flight of Vistara, though definitely not for the plane, as it has visited SIN several times as VT-JBW.

Congratulations to Vistara for taking the first step in filling India’s international full-service gap!

Note that, unlike SIN which is a 737 route, the BKK route will be operated by the A320.

TEMPO · Tue Aug 06, 2019 7:01 pm

TEMPO wrote:
binayak wrote:
LH seems to have confirmed MUC- BLR .
Got the news from twitter

Nothing yet on the Lufthansa News twitter channel or on related threads on this website.

Curiously enough, on the BLR airport Wiki page, the Lufthansa destinations line shows: Munich (begins soon).

There isn’t a corresponding entry in the Lufthansa section of the Munich airport Wiki page.

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:44 am

Turbulence at Indigo: Rakesh Gangwal for 7-member board, chairman Damodaran rejects demand
https://www.financialexpress.com/indust ... s/1668468/

JOYA380B747 · Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:54 am

edealinfo wrote:
While this is great news, wouldn’t 4x weekly 787-900 have been a better choice than 3X weekly 787-1000?

Just note, they are 787-9 and 787-10 respectively, and not -900 and -1000. Just like the 74H is a 747-8 and not -800
Cheers :thumbsup:

unrave wrote:
AirIndia wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
How is the progress on DEL’s 4th runway? When is that expected to be ready?

The 4th Runway already exists as Taxiway Y.

SO they are just converting a taxiway into a runway? Won't that affect aircraft movement?

DIAL's first priority shall be to finish the new taxiway between Rwy 29/11 and 28/10 that shall go over the main approach road to T2,T3. Once that completes and when the three runways near saturation, they shall start on the fourth runway. Construction shall begin in phases from one end to another, so as to not hamper aircraft movement to/from 29/11. What is not known to me is wether the 4th runway shall also have a long paved threshold like that of Rwy 29/11 which has nearly 1500ft of it, the longest in the world for a civil airport last time i checked, because of the tall statue of Shiva outside the East perimeter across the National Highway.

Also the 4th Runway will NOT be over the Taxiway Y as it is too close to T3, rather in the ample space between Taxiways Y and Z, with the possible omission of either Twy Y or Z. Have a look at the VIDP charts.

FligtReporter · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:35 am

And My Favourite airline is looking gorgeous parked next to its Daddy at Singapore Changi...today Its gona connect B'bay to SIN...loving the expansion and cant wait to fly their intl legs.

Go Vistara conquer the World who is truly all yours to reign.

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:45 am

FligtReporter wrote:
And My Favourite airline is looking gorgeous parked next to its Daddy at Singapore Changi...today Its gona connect B'bay to SIN...loving the expansion and cant wait to fly their intl legs.

Go Vistara conquer the World who is truly all yours to reign.

Unfortunately, Vistara will have a hard time on domestic flights, where price rules almost entirely (domestic flights are short). I suspect that international flights will be its bread and butter in terms of profits - for these distances, passengers will be willing to pay a little more for comfort.

Given the shoddy reliability of Air India, another full service carrier is needed. Hopefully, Vistara can be the one. From now onwards, for the next 12 months, they should be getting one brand new Airbus A320 neo every month. The 787-9 should arrive in Jan of 2020.

I wish them the best.

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:47 am

I understand that Air India decided not to use its Pune to Singapore slot. Avier or others, do you know if the Government intends to re-allot ex-Jet slots that have not been utilized withing a specified time frame. Or, does Air India (being the babus favorite airline) get a blanket exemption to sit on its quota of unused slots?

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:52 am

Does anyone have a latest count that indicates as of today, or as of Aug 31, or Sept 30, the underutilized flights/seats, if any, between India and the countries/emirates in the list below?. I am trying to ascertain the countries for which India has maxed out, or will soon max out, its share of the bilateral.

1) singapore
2) thailand
3) dubai
4) sharjah
5) qatar
6) oman
7) kuwait
8) bahrain

AirIndia · Wed Aug 07, 2019 4:22 am

JOYA380B747 wrote:
DIAL's first priority shall be to finish the new taxiway between Rwy 29/11 and 28/10 that shall go over the main approach road to T2,T3. Once that completes and when the three runways near saturation, they shall start on the fourth runway. Construction shall begin in phases from one end to another, so as to not hamper aircraft movement to/from 29/11. What is not known to me is wether the 4th runway shall also have a long paved threshold like that of Rwy 29/11 which has nearly 1500ft of it, the longest in the world for a civil airport last time i checked, because of the tall statue of Shiva outside the East perimeter across the National Highway.

Also the 4th Runway will NOT be over the Taxiway Y as it is too close to T3, rather in the ample space between Taxiways Y and Z, with the possible omission of either Twy Y or Z. Have a look at the VIDP charts.

There is ample space as you rightly say between Y and Z and very likely that a new runway over there would also avoid the long threshold as there are no 'statues' on the approach there - yet!
However, Twy Y already has runway LCN and suitable length. Cost considerations may come in play.
Only time will tell!

unrave · Wed Aug 07, 2019 4:57 am

AirIndia wrote:
JOYA380B747 wrote:
DIAL's first priority shall be to finish the new taxiway between Rwy 29/11 and 28/10 that shall go over the main approach road to T2,T3. Once that completes and when the three runways near saturation, they shall start on the fourth runway. Construction shall begin in phases from one end to another, so as to not hamper aircraft movement to/from 29/11. What is not known to me is wether the 4th runway shall also have a long paved threshold like that of Rwy 29/11 which has nearly 1500ft of it, the longest in the world for a civil airport last time i checked, because of the tall statue of Shiva outside the East perimeter across the National Highway.

Also the 4th Runway will NOT be over the Taxiway Y as it is too close to T3, rather in the ample space between Taxiways Y and Z, with the possible omission of either Twy Y or Z. Have a look at the VIDP charts.

There is ample space as you rightly say between Y and Z and very likely that a new runway over there would also avoid the long threshold as there are no 'statues' on the approach there - yet!
However, Twy Y already has runway LCN and suitable length. Cost considerations may come in play.
Only time will tell!

Here is a video of the planned expansion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pb-aa4c8mkQ
Go to 3:27. Isn't that a new runway.

TEMPO · Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:31 am

From the Lufthansa news twitter:

What do Anchorage, Bangalore, Detroit, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix and Seattle have in common? They are all the Lufthansa Group's new destinations in the 2020 summer timetable!
@Airport_FRA
@MUC_Airport
More info: (link: http://ti.lh.com/X4tP) ti.lh.com/X4tP

The new destinations from Munich in detail:

As of 1 June 2020, there will be flights to Seattle daily except Thursdays. The flight will depart from Munich at 3:30 p.m. and arrive at its destination at 4:55 p.m. local time. The return flight will take off in Seattle at 6:45 p.m. and land in Munich at 1:50p.m. the next day.

Another U.S. destination from Munich is Detroit. Beginning on 4 May 2020, Lufthansa will fly to the city in Michigan five times a week – on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. The flight will depart at 12:40 p.m. and land at 3:45 p.m. local time. The return flight to Germany will take off at 5:35 p.m. local time, arriving in Munich at 7:45 a.m. the next morning.

As of 31 March 2020, Lufthansa will fly to the Indian metropolis of Bangalore five times a week – on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. The flight will take off in Munich at 11:55 a.m. and land at 0:05 a.m. local time the following day. The return flight to Germany departs at 1:45 a.m. local time, arriving in Munich at 7:30 a.m.

All of these cities will be served from Munich for the first time with the state-of-the-art and efficient Airbus A350-900.

trinidadeG · Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:16 pm

AirIndia wrote:
JOYA380B747 wrote:
DIAL's first priority shall be to finish the new taxiway between Rwy 29/11 and 28/10 that shall go over the main approach road to T2,T3. Once that completes and when the three runways near saturation, they shall start on the fourth runway. Construction shall begin in phases from one end to another, so as to not hamper aircraft movement to/from 29/11. What is not known to me is wether the 4th runway shall also have a long paved threshold like that of Rwy 29/11 which has nearly 1500ft of it, the longest in the world for a civil airport last time i checked, because of the tall statue of Shiva outside the East perimeter across the National Highway.

Also the 4th Runway will NOT be over the Taxiway Y as it is too close to T3, rather in the ample space between Taxiways Y and Z, with the possible omission of either Twy Y or Z. Have a look at the VIDP charts.

There is ample space as you rightly say between Y and Z and very likely that a new runway over there would also avoid the long threshold as there are no 'statues' on the approach there - yet!
However, Twy Y already has runway LCN and suitable length. Cost considerations may come in play.
Only time will tell!

Another reason why Taxiway 'Y' cannot be converted into a runway is because 'Y', along with Taxiway 'T', forms the dual parallel taxiway system for the southern side of the T3 apron (and the future T5 apron).

VTCIE · Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:19 pm

Since the collapse of 9W, the following international airlines have announced noteworthy service to BLR, beating MAA and the cursed(?) HYD to the punch, though MAA did get NH from NRT.
* KL from AMS
* ET from ADD
* BA (A350-1000) from LHR
* LH from MUC

Not to mention JAL from NRT, which was announced in January. Which airline/destination OTHER THAN SFO is likely to be next? Methinks the likes of DPS, SGN, etc.

swapcv · Wed Aug 07, 2019 12:27 pm

https://twitter.com/Lufthansa_India/sta ... 4641898501

Lufthansa has confirmed that from 1st April 2020, it will commence Munich-Bengaluru on the A350-900.

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:30 pm

VTCIE wrote:
Since the collapse of 9W, the following international airlines have announced noteworthy service to BLR, beating MAA and the cursed(?) HYD to the punch, though MAA did get NH from NRT.
* KL from AMS
* ET from ADD
* BA (A350-1000) from LHR
* LH from MUC

Not to mention JAL from NRT, which was announced in January. Which airline/destination OTHER THAN SFO is likely to be next? Methinks the likes of DPS, SGN, etc.

the next Western European carrier that flies to BLR will the one that flies 7X weekly to both DEL and BOM. can you name them?

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:31 pm

VTCIE wrote:
Since the collapse of 9W, the following international airlines have announced noteworthy service to BLR, beating MAA and the cursed(?) HYD to the punch, though MAA did get NH from NRT.
* KL from AMS
* ET from ADD
* BA (A350-1000) from LHR
* LH from MUC

Not to mention JAL from NRT, which was announced in January. Which airline/destination OTHER THAN SFO is likely to be next? Methinks the likes of DPS, SGN, etc.

the next Western European carrier that flies to BLR will the one that flies 7X weekly to both DEL and BOM. can you name them?

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 1:39 pm

Here is a superb article on Vistara with a lot of key information

1. Vistara has a current fleet of 30 aircraft which will increase to 41 by the end of 2019. This means 11 more aircraft between now and Dec 31, 2019. Of the 11, 2 737-800 will arrive this month. The 737s in the fleet were taken on leases of between 1 to 4 years.

2. They have hired 600 ex Jet staff of which 100 are pilots.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemi ... 71120.html

FligtReporter · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:21 pm

edealinfo wrote:
Here is a superb article on Vistara with a lot of key information

1. Vistara has a current fleet of 30 aircraft which will increase to 41 by the end of 2019. This means 11 more aircraft between now and Dec 31, 2019. Of the 11, 2 737-800 will arrive this month. The 737s in the fleet were taken on leases of between 1 to 4 years.

2. They have hired 600 ex Jet staff of which 100 are pilots.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.livemi ... 71120.html

Great Article Dada !

VTCIE · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:43 pm

edealinfo wrote:
VTCIE wrote:
Since the collapse of 9W, the following international airlines have announced noteworthy service to BLR, beating MAA and the cursed(?) HYD to the punch, though MAA did get NH from NRT.
* KL from AMS
* ET from ADD
* BA (A350-1000) from LHR
* LH from MUC

Not to mention JAL from NRT, which was announced in January. Which airline/destination OTHER THAN SFO is likely to be next? Methinks the likes of DPS, SGN, etc.
the next Western European carrier that flies to BLR will the one that flies 7X weekly to both DEL and BOM. can you name them?

Since you say Western European, TK is excluded. OS and SN are ruled out; SN scrapped the BOM route. Both the big SkyTeam members in Western Europe (will) fly to BLR. (Neither is going to start MAA, though.) As for Oneworld, AY is too big a stretch. It does not even serve BOM.

Perhaps LX? They fly ZRH-DEL (LX146/147) and ZRH-BOM (LX154/155) daily. However, given that MUC-BLR has been announced, the LH group may not want to start BLR from a third hub.

Outside the alliances, VS is not known for having a huge roster of destinations, so needless to say it is not the answer.

adi00654 · Wed Aug 07, 2019 2:51 pm

edealinfo wrote:
VTCIE wrote:
Since the collapse of 9W, the following international airlines have announced noteworthy service to BLR, beating MAA and the cursed(?) HYD to the punch, though MAA did get NH from NRT.
* KL from AMS
* ET from ADD
* BA (A350-1000) from LHR
* LH from MUC

Not to mention JAL from NRT, which was announced in January. Which airline/destination OTHER THAN SFO is likely to be next? Methinks the likes of DPS, SGN, etc.
the next Western European carrier that flies to BLR will the one that flies 7X weekly to both DEL and BOM. can you name them?

LEAVING EUROPE THE NEW ONES MAY BE
1. TK(huge chance).
2.ANA or JAL.
3.UA(tough one but may be 2020)
4.Air China.
5.Korean Air.

These may be the ones in the future.
DPS ,SGN may be an Indian carrier first.

SATexan · Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:20 pm

In the June 2019 thread I had pointed out that BLR was underserved substantially based on O&D, YoY increase and fare data. My post was met with rather strange rebuttals from certain posters here. Barely 2 months later we've had some announcements coming in! So, YAYYY!

Bottomline: The number's don't lie

unnayan · Wed Aug 07, 2019 5:51 pm

Breaking..

Pakistan has closed 3/9 routes of its airspace again for India flights

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 6:16 pm

unnayan wrote:
Breaking..

Pakistan has closed 3/9 routes of its airspace again for India flights

Oh boy! I wonder what’s cooking now.
This also means that DEL will increasingly be a dicey hub for long haul given that the Indian and Pak tensions will be never ending.

Separately, responding to other posts on new service to BLR:

1. Turkish absolutely wants to start service to BLR that’s their number 1 priority. However, they are blocked by bilaterals and the Govt May be unwilling to relent because of tensions with Pak and the fact that Turkey is inherently aligned with Pak on Kash.

2. LX was the best bet for BLR until LH announced MUC to BLR which means the LX route is now dead.

3. Why would Korean want to serve BLR? Is there adequate O & D?

CaliguyNYC · Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:01 pm

unnayan wrote:
Breaking..

Pakistan has closed 3/9 routes of its airspace again for India flights

Seriously Pakistan needs to stop this. So playing with fire. India will escalate etc etc etc

subramak1 · Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:18 pm

edealinfo wrote:
CaliguyNYC wrote:
VTCIE wrote:
About the J&K and Ladakh news. Today Ladakh has only one airport: Leh Kushok Bakula Airport (IXL). While it is well-connected to Delhi, J&K and Punjab, IndiGo does not fly to IXL. Hopefully Ladakh will get a second airport and 6E will start service to IXL.

I would expect air connectivity to improve rapidly now. I feel Ike there will be a lot of investment in hotels and tourist facilities now that property can be owned by all Indians
but why would anyone travel to a region when one fears for their security? Heck, how many Indians or foreigners travel to J and K or Afghanistan for a holiday?

In Summer season, Kashmir has received over half million domestic and 50000 foreign tourists. Kashmir has been relatively safe for tourists.. Not sure how the latest news would impact it

Subu

Vimanav · Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:18 pm

edealinfo wrote:
CaliguyNYC wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
Its seat capacity to India has been frozen since 2016 with no end in sight.

Since 26FEB14 to be precise

brgds//Vimanav

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 7:54 pm

Vimanav wrote:
edealinfo wrote:
CaliguyNYC wrote:

Since 26FEB14 to be precise

brgds//Vimanav

Yikes! This may also be the reason why Etihad has shown any interest in Jet Airways - to use India’ s share of the bilateral to enhance capacity between AUH and India. When Etihad first bought into Jet, I read that they wanted flights from 21 cities in India to AUH. I don’t recall how many cities Jet eventually connected to AUH (half the target?) .

Anyway, I contend that the ONLY reason that Etihad has for Jet is to get the AUH to India capacity given that India has and likely will not increase the bilateral capacity to UAE as generously as it did in the past.

I mean what other option does Etihad have? The only alternative I can think of is for them to partner with GOAir the way SpiceJet has partnered with Emirates

edealinfo · Wed Aug 07, 2019 8:07 pm

CaliguyNYC wrote:
unnayan wrote:
Breaking..

Pakistan has closed 3/9 routes of its airspace again for India flights

Seriously Pakistan needs to stop this. So playing with fire. India will escalate etc etc etc

How can India escalate if all Pak does is to close airspace? Pak probably figures that it would cost India far more that it ever would for Pak and that they are willing to bear whatever burden it is to them.

Or, and this is a really long shot, they want the US carriers to once again complain to Trump about the closed airspace. pak can then say, sure we will open the airspace provided you, Mr. Trump, become a mediator on Kashmir because you are fair, intelligent (add all forms of flattery which tends to go straight to Mr. T’s head as he loves calling the shots.)

fortunerunnner · Wed Aug 07, 2019 10:47 pm

unnayan wrote:
Breaking..

Pakistan has closed 3/9 routes of its airspace again for India flights

Are you sure that this has happened? I can see the flights transiting via PAK airspace on their way To and From India. In fact as I type, there is Indigo flight from IST on its way to DEL somewhere near Lahore and AI flight from SFO not too far behind.

Link - https://www.flightradar24.com/IGO012/219ad400

edealinfo · Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:46 am

1A. Vistara's CEO has let the cat out of the bag as it relates to which routes Vistara would start with the 787-9

"points to the airline's current partnerships as indications of possible 787-9 routes. Vistara has codeshare agreements with Singapore Airlines, Japan Airlines, British Airways and United Airlines."

1B. Vistara is to take on 9 ex-Jet 737-800 aircraft not 10.

2. Separately, in the second article below, Vistara said it is willing to pay for LHR slots (where would they get the money from??? As an example of pricing, Etihad wants $35 milllion for LHR slots. Would Vistara instead lease it as that is the more affordable option(more likely)? "Vistara was prepared to invest in purchasing slots in London."

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... 20-460141/

https://www.livemint.com/companies/news ... 71120.html

edealinfo · Thu Aug 08, 2019 3:37 am

Vistara aims to have 50% flights on overseas routes in 5 years

“We want to start flights to Europe as soon as possible,” Leslie Thing told reporters Wednesday. He said the airline would look at London’s constrained Heathrow airport and at a later stage or “phase two” of its growth plans, direct flights to Australia and the US.

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/in ... 568850.cms

unrave · Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:11 am

This round of Pak airspace closure seems to be much less impactful than the previous one. It is only from 2AM to about 11.45AM on 6 days a week. Air India says its long haul routes will get longer by just 12 minutes.

Pakistan is just playing to the gallery showing that it is indeed doing something.

maint123 · Thu Aug 08, 2019 4:19 am

This is the notam by pakistan -
"(A0789/19 NOTAMR A0738/19
Q)OPKR/QFAAH/IV/NBO/A/000/999/
A)OPRK
B)1908070810 C)1910302359 EST
E)LAND AD OPS HOURS ARE AS FOLLOWS:

MON BTN 0200-0440 AND 0700-0940
WED BTN 0200-0440 AND 0700-0940
FRI BTN 0200-0440 AND 1200-1455
SAT BTN 0200-0440 AND 0720-1000
SUN BTN 0200-0440

24 HR PN FOR FLT OPR OUTSIDE AD OPS HR.)"

Interpretation?

edealinfo · Thu Aug 08, 2019 12:56 pm

There are many articles in newspapers in the past 48 hours regarding Vistara. Only one seems to have been written well so as to be succinct yet capturing all the key points.

Bottom line: this is called a very well written article.

https://www.ttgasia.com/2019/08/08/vist ... expansion/

SEPARATELY, I think Modi should make Amit Shah responsible for selling Air India. If there is anyone who has the power and organizational ability to pull it off, it is him!

CaliguyNYC · Thu Aug 08, 2019 1:25 pm

[photoid][/photoid]

unrave wrote:
This round of Pak airspace closure seems to be much less impactful than the previous one. It is only from 2AM to about 11.45AM on 6 days a week. Air India says its long haul routes will get longer by just 12 minutes.

Pakistan is just playing to the gallery showing that it is indeed doing something.

Agreed. Also it look like it is only one area that is closed near Karachi (meaning the area boarding Sind/Gujarat) - is this correct? So Delhi is not really affected much. Will the closure affect say KLM's BOM-AMS flight because it leaves at 2:30am? Or would the affect be the 12 min that AI reported.

blrsea · Thu Aug 08, 2019 2:54 pm

Looks like they have actually not closed any routes as clarified by Pakistani CAA. I don't think they are in a position to reject any revenue coming in.

Pakistan airspace remains open for Indian flights

LAHORE: Pakistan on Thursday clarified that it has neither closed its airspace for India nor re-routed any route for the Indian flights.

"There has been no change to the notice to airmen (NOTAM) and all flights are being operated as per schedule issued earlier," Civil Aviation Authority Pakistan spokesperson Mujtaba Baig told PTI.

"Pakistan has neither closed its airspace for India nor re-routed or closed down any route for the Indian flights," he said.

Responding to a question about re-routing of a few routes as reported by the media, he said: "Not a single route has been re-routed after the latest tension between the two countries."

Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal also said that Pakistan had not banned its airspace for India. "We have not banned our airspace for India. It is open for Indian flights," he told reporters in Islamabad.

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