Latest news with #AirIndiaLtd.
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Air India CEO says Pakistan airspace ban adding to flying costs
FILE PHOTO: A general view of the new livery of the Air India Airbus A350 aeroplane, displayed at Wings India 2024 aviation event at Begumpet airport, Hyderabad, India, January 18, 2024. - Reuters NEW DELHI: The continuing ban for Indian airlines in using Pakistani airspace is adding flying hours for non-stop flights and will weigh down Air India Ltd.'s path to profitability, its top executive said in an interview. "The impact is significant but we have been able to sustain non-stop operations' to most destinations in North America and Europe, Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said in a Bloomberg TV interview Monday (June 2). "It'll certainly hit our bottomline.' The airspace curbs have increased flying time for west-bound flights from India by an hour or so, according to Wilson, who declined to give details on the discussions the Tata Group-owned carrier was having with stakeholders on this front. The armed conflict between India and Pakistan that erupted May 7 was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in decades, with both sides trading drone and missile strikes besides artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by a gruesome attack on civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22. While a ceasefire was announced on May 10, Pakistan has extended the airspace ban for Indian airlines until June 24. Geopolitical strife has been complicating flying routes and business models for airlines globally in the past few years as they skirt conflict zones. Tariffs are also now a closely watched development for the sector. "We want certainty. Uncertainty is difficult when you are making investment decisions,' Wilson said, adding that this was a common theme at the ongoing aviation industry event in New Delhi. So far, Air India sees no impact of tariffs on travel flows for its geography and markets. The recent showdown between the US President Donald Trump and Harvard University has added another layer of complication for international fliers especially those looking to study in American institutions. Pointing to anecdotal stories, Wilson said that there seems to be some shift in the large student population from India that usually vies to be on US campuses. "You hear people thinking of alternatives,' he said. "Obviously, it's a relatively new development, so people are still digesting it but it does seem that people are more willing to look at alternative locations than perhaps they were before.' Wilson, who steered the massive merger of Tata-owned carriers Air India and Vistara last year, declined to comment on media stories on the airline's discussions with plane makers to buy more narrowbody jets. Air India, the unprofitable carrier which the Tata conglomerate acquired from the Indian government in 2021, will start receiving new planes it had ordered toward the end of this year, according to Wilson. The deliveries are "later than we hoped, slower than we hoped,' he said. "It is constraining our ambitions a little bit in the short term but the long term opportunity for this market is massive, so we are very, very confident.' - Bloomberg
Mint
3 days ago
- Business
- Mint
Air India CEO Campbell Wilson says Pakistan airspace ban adding to flying costs
The continuing ban for Indian airlines in using Pakistani airspace is adding flying hours for non-stop flights and will weigh down Air India Ltd.'s path to profitability, its top executive said in an interview. 'The impact is significant but we have been able to sustain non-stop operations' to most destinations in North America and Europe, Air India Chief Executive Officer Campbell Wilson said in a Bloomberg TV interview Monday. 'It'll certainly hit our bottomline.' The airspace curbs have increased flying time for west-bound flights from India by an hour or so, according to Wilson, who declined to give details on the discussions the Tata Group-owned carrier was having with stakeholders on this front. The armed conflict between India and Pakistan that erupted May 7 was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbors in decades, with both sides trading drone and missile strikes besides artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by a gruesome attack on civilians in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22. While a ceasefire was announced on May 10, Pakistan has extended the airspace ban for Indian airlines until June 24. Geopolitical strife has been complicating flying routes and business models for airlines globally in the past few years as they skirt conflict zones. Tariffs are also now a closely watched development for the sector. 'We want certainty. Uncertainty is difficult when you are making investment decisions,' Wilson said, adding that this was a common theme at the ongoing aviation industry event in New Delhi. So far, Air India sees no impact of tariffs on travel flows for its geography and markets. The recent showdown between the US President Donald Trump and Harvard University has added another layer of complication for international fliers especially those looking to study in American institutions. Pointing to anecdotal stories, Wilson said that there seems to be some shift in the large student population from India that usually vies to be on US campuses. 'You hear people thinking of alternatives,' he said. 'Obviously, it's a relatively new development, so people are still digesting it but it does seem that people are more willing to look at alternative locations than perhaps they were before.' Wilson, who steered the massive merger of Tata-owned carriers Air India and Vistara last year, declined to comment on media stories on the airline's discussions with plane makers to buy more narrowbody jets. Air India, the unprofitable carrier which the Tata conglomerate acquired from the Indian government in 2021, will start receiving new planes it had ordered toward the end of this year, according to Wilson. The deliveries are 'later than we hoped, slower than we hoped,' he said. 'It is constraining our ambitions a little bit in the short term but the long term opportunity for this market is massive, so we are very, very confident.' More stories like this are available on Disclaimer: This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Malaysian Reserve
07-05-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Airlines avoid Pakistan airspace as India shuts 16 airports
COMMERCIAL jets have streamed out of Pakistani airspace, leaving the skies effectively empty, after targeted military strikes by India sparked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the countries. At least 16 airports in India have been closed till May 9, according to people familiar with the information disseminated by the Airports Authority of India to pilots. This includes Chandigarh, Shimla, Srinagar, Leh, Amritsar, Jamnagar, Jaisalmer and Porbandar among others on the northern and western parts of the country, they said. Air India Ltd. and IndiGo announced via social media posts early on Wednesday that over a dozen local airports near the border with Pakistan will be impacted. Qatar Airways has temporarily halted flights into Pakistan, it said in a post on X. Airports Authority of India did not respond to an email seeking comments on the airports shut down. An Ethiopian Airlines plane on its way to Seoul and a Turkish Airlines jet heading to Istanbul from Karachi were among the last flights to have used the Pakistani airspace, according to flight-tracking website Flightradar24. While it's unclear whether Pakistani airspace has officially closed, the redirection of air traffic signals carriers' concerns about a further escalation of the conflict. Pakistan said it shot down five Indian jets in retaliation for the strikes, with the tit-for-tat blows coming after a militant attack last month in Kashmir that killed 26 people. Our most tracked flight right now: the lone flight traversing Pakistan. Based on NOTAMs, Pakistan has not closed its airspace, but there continue to be multiple airways unavailable to traffic. — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 7, 2025 Pakistan's airspace is already closed to Indian carriers. But a complete shutdown would be a blow for carriers flying between Europe and the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as well as for jets traveling between Africa and North Asia. Airline Detours Europe's largest airlines were already avoiding Pakistani airspace amid simmering tensions with India, adding another detour to global flight paths that have become increasingly caught up in military standoffs around the world. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM and British Airways have all stopped using the airspace and have instead reverted to flying over the Arabian sea since the end of April to enter India, data by Flightradar24 show prior to the latest military action. Emirates, the world's largest international airline, is also circumnavigating the area, the data show. The detours means that flying hours between Europe, the Middle East and Asia have become longer, in some cases by as much as 100 minutes, resulting in higher costs from extra fuel burn. Many airlines have already avoided Russian airspace since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, forcing them to take long detours between Europe and Asia. Longtime Adversaries Relations between India and Pakistan — two nuclear-armed nations and longtime adversaries – have rapidly deteriorated in the wake of devastating attack on April 22 that left 26 civilians, including tourists, dead in India-administered Kashmir. India and the US have called it an act of terrorism. Since then, Pakistan has barred Indian airlines from using Pakistan's airspace. India has also closed its airspace for Pakistani airlines and Pakistan-registered aircraft until May 23. While Air India continues to operate all its flights to Europe and the US with stopovers in Europe, IndiGo has announced it will cancel flights to Almaty and Tashkent till May 7. While IndiGo hasn't shared any estimates on the losses it will incur from the airspace closure, Air India estimates losses of $600 million if the ban continues for a year. Some airlines like LOT Polish and Etihad Airways avoided Pakistan's airspace in the few days following the Kashmir attack, before returning to their original routes flying over the country. Lufthansa said that it continues to monitor the current developments closely. British Airways, Air France-KLM, Emirates and Etihad didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. –BLOOMBERG
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Business Standard
07-05-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Airlines avoid Pakistan's airspace as tensions rise after India's strike
More than a dozen Indian airports near the border with Pakistan will be closed until at least 12 p.m. local time, according to social media posts by domestic carriers Bloomberg Commercial jets have streamed out of Pakistani airspace, leaving the skies effectively empty, after targeted military strikes by India sparked a dramatic escalation in tensions between the countries. More than a dozen Indian airports near the border with Pakistan will be closed until at least 12 p.m. local time, according to social media posts by domestic carriers including Air India Ltd. and IndiGo. Qatar Airways has temporarily halted flights into Pakistan, it said in a post on X. While it's unclear whether Pakistani airspace has officially closed, the redirection of air traffic signals carriers' concerns about a further escalation of the conflict. Pakistan said it shot down five Indian jets in retaliation for the strikes, with the tit-for-tat blows coming after a militant attack last month in Kashmir that killed 26 people. Our most tracked flight right now: the lone flight traversing Pakistan. Based on NOTAMs, Pakistan has not closed its airspace, but there continue to be multiple airways unavailable to traffic. — Flightradar24 (@flightradar24) May 7, 2025 Among the string of Indian airports closed until further notice included Dharamshala, Srinagar, Amritsar, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Hindon near New Delhi and airports in the west of India include Jamnagar, Rajkot and Bhuj, airlines have announced in posts on X. Airline Detours Pakistan's airspace is already closed to Indian carriers. But a complete shutdown would be a blow for carriers flying between Europe and the Middle East to Southeast Asia, as well as for jets traveling between Africa and North Asia. Europe's largest airlines were already avoiding Pakistani airspace amid simmering tensions with India, adding another detour to global flight paths that have become increasingly caught up in military standoffs around the world. Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Air France-KLM and British Airways have all stopped using the airspace and have instead reverted to flying over the Arabian sea since the end of April to enter India, data by Flightradar24 show prior to the latest military action. Emirates, the world's largest international airline, is also circumnavigating the area, the data show. The detours means that flying hours between Europe, the Middle East and Asia have become longer, in some cases by as much as 100 minutes, resulting in higher costs from extra fuel burn. Many airlines have already avoided Russian airspace since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, forcing them to take long detours between Europe and Asia. Relations between India and Pakistan — two nuclear-armed nations and longtime adversaries - have rapidly deteriorated in the wake of devastating attack on April 22 that left 26 civilians, including tourists, dead in India-administered Kashmir. India and the US have called it an act of terrorism. Since then, Pakistan has barred Indian airlines from using Pakistan's airspace. India has also closed its airspace for Pakistani airlines and Pakistan-registered aircraft until May 23. While Air India continues to operate all its flights to Europe and the US with stopovers in Europe, IndiGo has announced it will cancel flights to Almaty and Tashkent till May 7. Some airlines like LOT Polish and Etihad Airways avoided Pakistan's airspace in the few days following the Kashmir attack, before returning to their original routes flying over the country. Lufthansa said that it continues to monitor the current developments closely. British Airways, Air France-KLM, Emirates and Etihad didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
Bloomberg
21-04-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Air India Keen to Take Boeing Planes Refused by Chinese Airlines
Air India Ltd. is looking to take Boeing Co. planes rejected by Chinese carriers, people familiar with the matter said, joining the ranks of Asian airlines vying to benefit from the trade war between Washington and Beijing. The Tata Group -owned carrier, which urgently needs aircraft to expedite its revival, plans to approach Boeing about acquiring a number of jets the US planemaker was readying for Chinese airlines before reciprocal tariffs thwarted the handovers, according to the people, who are familiar with discussions at the Indian airline and didn't want to be identified because the information isn't public.
