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Economic Times
16 hours ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Global airlines pile on India capacity as US-Europe traffic drops
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The skies above India are about to get a lot busier as international carriers add more routes to the world's most-populated nation to make up for tepid transatlantic demand that's come under pressure from global economic airlines and the biggest Indian operators announced a range of plans at the International Air Transport Association annual general meeting in New Delhi this week to start or increase services to and from the South Asian nation. Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to begin non-stop services from its hub in Atlanta to New Delhi, and the airline also announced a code-sharing pact with low-cost specialist IndiGo , alongside partners Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic Airways under private ownership, Air India Ltd. as well as market leader IndiGo are planning their own major international pushes. Air India has placed orders for 570 planes from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. since 2023 and IndiGo has an order book for more than 900 Airbus planes, including a recently expanded purchase of 60 A350 widebody is already the world's third-largest domestic aviation market and the country's rising middle class makes the nation of more than 1.4 billion people a crucial driver of future growth. The upbeat outlook contrasts with caution about global travel demand as US President Donald Trump's tariff uncertainties prompt households to rein in their spending.'It's hard to find a more exciting market right now than India,' Shai Weiss, the chief executive officer of Virgin Atlantic, said in an interview in New Delhi. 'It's going to be a tough market in the beginning, it's going to be well competed, but we're betting on the next 30 years.'With the focus on the Indian market intensifying, some in the industry have expressed concerns about a possible race to the bottom as airlines undercut each other to fill seats. That risks resulting in excess capacity and ever thinner margins for those fears may be overblown as any market asymmetry typically works itself out, according to British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. In addition to the large Indian diaspora in the UK, the airline is looking to tap the huge number of travelers from India to the US, he said.'Sometimes you may get an imbalance, where capacity comes ahead of growth,' said Doyle, whose airline operates 56 flights a week to India. 'But then demand catches up because you'll never get an even correlation. There's a lot of opportunities for direct services.'IndiGo has emerged as a major winner of the push by foreign firms into the market, inking partnerships with some of the global industry's biggest an event in New Delhi on Sunday, Delta Air, along with its partners Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM, announced plans to increase code shares with India's biggest airline. IndiGo, which hosted this year's IATA AGM, also has codeshares with Qantas Airways Ltd., British Airways and Japan Airlines asked about whether IndiGo will more do work exclusively with Delta, Virgin and Air France, CEO Pieter Elbers said 'we've passed the stage of dating, but we're not at the stage of marriage.'Still, India's tightly regulated aviation sector presents a major hurdle for foreign airlines wanting to expand. Flight rights to the country are based on so-called bilateral agreements that determine the number of seats carriers can operate on a reciprocal policies risk hindering India's aspirations to become a global player and should be revised, according to Emirates, which is restricted from adding to capacity into India.'Hopefully that'll change when they perhaps realize that the significance, the criticality, of their transport as a wealth multiplier for their own economy,' said President Tim Clark. 'It's quite clear that not to do that will only shoot yourself in the foot in the end. But it's up to the Indian government to decide what they want to do on that.'
Business Times
19 hours ago
- Business
- Business Times
Global carriers pile on India capacity as US-Europe traffic drops
[LONDON] The skies above India are about to get a lot busier as international carriers add more routes to the world's most-populated nation to make up for tepid transatlantic demand that's come under pressure from global economic uncertainties. Foreign airlines and the biggest Indian operators announced a range of plans at the International Air Transport Association (Iata) annual general meeting in New Delhi this week to start or increase services to and from the South Asian nation. Delta Air Lines plans to begin non-stop services from its hub in Atlanta to New Delhi, and the airline also announced a code-sharing pact with low-cost specialist IndiGo, alongside partners Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic Airways. Now under private ownership, Air India as well as market leader IndiGo are planning their own major international pushes. Air India has placed orders for 570 planes from Airbus and Boeing since 2023 and IndiGo has an order book for more than 900 Airbus planes, including a recently expanded purchase of 60 A350 widebody aircraft. India is already the world's third-largest domestic aviation market and the country's rising middle class makes the nation of more than 1.4 billion people a crucial driver of future growth. The upbeat outlook contrasts with caution about global travel demand as US President Donald Trump's tariff uncertainties prompt households to rein in their spending. 'It's hard to find a more exciting market right now than India,' Shai Weiss, the chief executive officer of Virgin Atlantic, said in an interview in New Delhi. 'It's going to be a tough market in the beginning, it's going to be well competed, but we are betting on the next 30 years.' With the focus on the Indian market intensifying, some in the industry have expressed concerns about a possible race to the bottom as airlines undercut each other to fill seats. That risks resulting in excess capacity and ever thinner margins for carriers. BT in your inbox Start and end each day with the latest news stories and analyses delivered straight to your inbox. Sign Up Sign Up Still, those fears may be overblown as any market asymmetry typically works itself out, according to British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. In addition to the large Indian diaspora in the UK, the airline is looking to tap the huge number of travellers from India to the US, he said. 'Sometimes you may get an imbalance, where capacity comes ahead of growth,' said Doyle, whose airline operates 56 flights a week to India. 'But then demand catches up because you'll never get an even correlation. There's a lot of opportunities for direct services.' IndiGo has emerged as a major winner of the push by foreign firms into the market, inking partnerships with some of the global industry's biggest names. At an event in New Delhi on Sunday (Jun 1), Delta Air, along with its partners Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM, announced plans to increase code shares with India's biggest airline. IndiGo, which hosted this year's Iata AGM, also has codeshares with Qantas Airways, British Airways and Japan Airlines. When asked about whether IndiGo will do more work exclusively with Delta, Virgin and Air France, CEO Pieter Elbers said: 'We have passed the stage of dating, but we are not at the stage of marriage.' Still, India's tightly regulated aviation sector presents a major hurdle for foreign airlines wanting to expand. Flight rights to the country are based on so-called bilateral agreements that determine the number of seats carriers can operate on a reciprocal basis. The policies risk hindering India's aspirations to become a global player and should be revised, according to Emirates, which is restricted from adding to capacity into India. 'Hopefully that will change when they perhaps realise that the significance, the criticality, of their transport as a wealth multiplier for their own economy,' said President Tim Clark. 'It's quite clear that not to do that will only shoot yourself in the foot in the end. But it's up to the Indian government to decide what they want to do on that.' BLOOMBERG
Time of India
19 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Global airlines pile on India capacity as US-Europe traffic drops
The skies above India are about to get a lot busier as international carriers add more routes to the world's most-populated nation to make up for tepid transatlantic demand that's come under pressure from global economic uncertainties. Foreign airlines and the biggest Indian operators announced a range of plans at the International Air Transport Association annual general meeting in New Delhi this week to start or increase services to and from the South Asian nation. Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to begin non-stop services from its hub in Atlanta to New Delhi, and the airline also announced a code-sharing pact with low-cost specialist IndiGo , alongside partners Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd. Now under private ownership, Air India Ltd. as well as market leader IndiGo are planning their own major international pushes. Air India has placed orders for 570 planes from Airbus SE and Boeing Co. since 2023 and IndiGo has an order book for more than 900 Airbus planes, including a recently expanded purchase of 60 A350 widebody aircraft. India is already the world's third-largest domestic aviation market and the country's rising middle class makes the nation of more than 1.4 billion people a crucial driver of future growth. The upbeat outlook contrasts with caution about global travel demand as US President Donald Trump's tariff uncertainties prompt households to rein in their spending. 'It's hard to find a more exciting market right now than India,' Shai Weiss, the chief executive officer of Virgin Atlantic, said in an interview in New Delhi. 'It's going to be a tough market in the beginning, it's going to be well competed, but we're betting on the next 30 years.' Live Events With the focus on the Indian market intensifying, some in the industry have expressed concerns about a possible race to the bottom as airlines undercut each other to fill seats. That risks resulting in excess capacity and ever thinner margins for carriers. Still, those fears may be overblown as any market asymmetry typically works itself out, according to British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. In addition to the large Indian diaspora in the UK, the airline is looking to tap the huge number of travelers from India to the US, he said. 'Sometimes you may get an imbalance, where capacity comes ahead of growth,' said Doyle, whose airline operates 56 flights a week to India. 'But then demand catches up because you'll never get an even correlation. There's a lot of opportunities for direct services.' IndiGo has emerged as a major winner of the push by foreign firms into the market, inking partnerships with some of the global industry's biggest names. At an event in New Delhi on Sunday, Delta Air, along with its partners Virgin Atlantic and Air France-KLM, announced plans to increase code shares with India's biggest airline. IndiGo, which hosted this year's IATA AGM, also has codeshares with Qantas Airways Ltd., British Airways and Japan Airlines Co. When asked about whether IndiGo will more do work exclusively with Delta, Virgin and Air France, CEO Pieter Elbers said 'we've passed the stage of dating, but we're not at the stage of marriage.' Still, India's tightly regulated aviation sector presents a major hurdle for foreign airlines wanting to expand. Flight rights to the country are based on so-called bilateral agreements that determine the number of seats carriers can operate on a reciprocal basis. The policies risk hindering India's aspirations to become a global player and should be revised, according to Emirates, which is restricted from adding to capacity into India. 'Hopefully that'll change when they perhaps realize that the significance, the criticality, of their transport as a wealth multiplier for their own economy,' said President Tim Clark. 'It's quite clear that not to do that will only shoot yourself in the foot in the end. But it's up to the Indian government to decide what they want to do on that.'
The Print
a day ago
- Business
- The Print
India has moved dramatically from just outsourcing to being tech, innovation hub: Virgin Atlantic CEO
'It starts from the top, understanding what you want to buy, how you want to buy it, how we present ourselves, optimising the price for you, ensuring that we can put you at the right seat, anticipating what you want to eat, and then, of course, throughout the customer service and the operations…how we process payments. And so it's across everything,' Weiss said on AI's transformational capabilities. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will augment and enhance aviation sector taking personalisation to the next level for the industry, Weiss told PTI in an interview. New Delhi, Jun 3 (PTI) India's IT sector has moved dramatically from outsourcing model to now being a technology and innovation hub, Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Officer Shai Weiss has said as the British carrier announced a seven-year deal with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to modernise airline operations with AI-led solutions. He added: 'We're very lucky to operate and cooperate with some of the leading AI and technology companies in the world. And together with TCS, I think we have a pretty good opportunity here to take Virgin Atlantic to the next level.' The technology sector in India has moved dramatically from just outsourcing to now being a technological and innovation hub, he said. Weiss also highlighted the Virgin Atlantic's deep connection with India, emphasising airline's commitment to cultural inclusivity and personalised service, exemplified by local cabin crew on board, all the way to offering 'samosas' and local flavours onboard. 'Every single flight that Virgin Atlantic flies into and from India, have four local cabin crew, we have beautiful 'samosas' on board. So that's the point of seeing the world differently. That's the point of adaptation. That's the point of respect to the local culture that we do so differently,' he said. TCS has expanded its two-decade-long strategic partnership with Virgin Atlantic to accelerate its digital transformation journey. Weiss said he views this as 'renewing our vows'. 'If the previous 20 years were about technology and outsourcing and transformation, this is about innovation. This is about personalisation. This is, of course, about Generative AI…but this is about the future of making sure that Virgin Atlantic continues to be a premium brand that is loved with a mission to be the most loved travel company. The bar is set very high, underpinned by digital technology, personalisation,' he said. As part of this long-term engagement, TCS will modernise Virgin Atlantic's core technology operations by implementing a cloud-first, AI-powered digital core that enhances business agility, improves resilience of systems, and allows for higher scale of operations. TCS will implement a modern, AI-powered technology estate that will unify the airline's technology assets and deploy an advanced technology command centre. This will serve as the nerve centre for transforming Virgin Atlantic's technology operations. Virgin Atlantic's Technology Command Centre, co-developed with TCS, will provide real-time operational insights to enhance decision-making, streamline technology operations and empower frontline staff with up to date, contextual data. This will, in turn, support the elevation of both customer and crew experiences, enabling efficient, smarter and more sustainable journeys, and superior hyper-personalised customer experience across every touchpoint of airline travel. 'Many a times when there's a technology revolution, services come out of favour. I can assure you that aviation and travel are here to stay, and we're only going to get better if we use technology,' he said. By utilising extensive customer data, the airline can personalise services — from anticipating meal and beverage preferences to optimising flight schedules and ensuring timely operations. This data-driven approach allows for proactive problem-solving, such as addressing potential issues promptly, in the process, elevating the overall travel experience, according to him. 'We have a lot of data about our customers, which they want us to have, and if we are able to take that and customise and personalise the service, the experience that we provide you from the small things to the very large, you know from anticipating what it is you'd like to drink and eat, we already asked you to tell us what you'd like to eat on the plane, rather than asking you when you're there, ensuring that our planes fly on time, that we save fuel, that we can anticipate things that go wrong, that we can fix them as soon as we land, the sky is the limit, no pun intended here, and this is where technology comes into play,' he said. With the emergence of technology, that allows the power of intelligent decision making, Virgin Atlantic is betting on digital-first approach to set it apart as a premium brand. 'The measure of success is, can we become the most loved travel company? And if anyone can achieve that, we are the number one candidate. The bar is very high…We want to be the most loved travel company, and we want to be sustainably profitable,' Weiss said. PTI MBI RAM HVA This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Business
- Business Standard
TCS and Virgin Airlines sign 7-year agreement for AI, cloud upgrade
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has signed a new seven-year agreement with British airline Virgin Atlantic, building on a partnership that has lasted over 20 years. The renewed collaboration aims to support Virgin Atlantic's digital transformation, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud-based technologies, the tech giant said in an exchange filing on Tuesday. As part of the agreement, TCS will help modernise the airline's core technology systems, using AI and cloud platforms to improve agility, resilience, and scalability. A key feature of this effort is the creation of a new Technology Command Centre, designed jointly by the two companies. This centre will act as a central hub for real-time operational data, helping staff make quicker, more informed decisions, something expected to improve the experience for both passengers and crew. Focus on pricing, seat allocation, meal preference Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss described the partnership as a shift 'from outsourcing to innovation", with a strong emphasis on personalisation and the use of generative AI. According to Weiss, the technology will support areas like pricing, seat allocation, and maintenance, as well as anticipate customer preferences and meal choices. "Every single flight that Virgin Atlantic flies into and from India have four local cabin crew, we have beautiful 'samosas' on board. So that's the point of seeing the world differently. That's the point of adaptation. That's the point of respect to the local culture that we do so differently," he told news agency PTI. India's role in global tech innovation Weiss highlighted India's growing role in global tech innovation, noting that firms like TCS are no longer just service providers but key players in digital strategy. TCS is using its proprietary platforms, including TCS Cognix and AI WisdomNext, to support both the airline's customer experience goals and its sustainability targets, he said. Virgin Atlantic flew more than five million passengers in 2024 and is now looking to use these digital upgrades to streamline operations and improve travel experiences. TCS will also provide onsite teams to support the rollout.
