Latest news with #nationalcarrier
Times of Oman
17-07-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Oman Air celebrates 30 years of service to Mumbai
Muscat: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, proudly marks 30 years of operations between Muscat and Mumbai. The second Indian destination to be introduced after Thiruvananthapuram in 1993, Mumbai has since grown into a cornerstone of the airline's network with 12 flights per week. Over the last three decades Oman Air has significantly expanded its footprint across India, strengthening air links that support business, tourism, and community ties between the two countries. Currently, the airline operates 168 flights per week between Muscat and 10 cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Lucknow, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Calicut and Goa. Speaking on the occasion, Sunil V.A., Regional Vice President for the Indian Subcontinent at Oman Air, said: 'This anniversary is more than a celebration of flights, it's a celebration of friendship and trust. India has been one of our most important markets, and Mumbai holds a special place in our network. As we continue to evolve as a premium global carrier and a proud oneworld member, we remain committed to elevating our relationship with India and offering exceptional, world-class travel experiences to our guests.' The milestone comes at an exciting time for Oman Air with its recent entry into the oneworld® alliance. With access to a network of over 900 destinations worldwide, the airline is now better positioned than ever to offer its Indian guests' greater global connectivity, streamlined travel benefits, and enhanced service. Meanwhile, Oman Air, which recently won Best Food & Beverage and Best Cabin Service in the Middle East at the Apex 2025 Awards, continues to deliver a guest-centric journey that blends authentic Omani hospitality with world-class service standards.
LBCI
02-07-2025
- Business
- LBCI
MP Farid Boustany calls on MEA to cap ticket prices during peak travel season
Lebanese MP Farid Boustany praised Middle East Airlines (MEA) for its continued service during the 2024 war, saying the national carrier kept the cedar tree flying high through some of the country's most challenging times. In a post on X, he commended the airline's management and staff for their dedication to serving Lebanese citizens. However, Boustany urged MEA to set a price cap on tickets during the high travel season, proposing a limit of $900 for a round-trip economy ticket from Paris to Beirut and back and $650 for a round-trip economy ticket from Dubai to Beirut and back. While acknowledging that such measures run counter to typical market dynamics, he described the move as a national duty to allow expatriates and their families to visit Lebanon. He added that the pricing cap should remain in place until a local low-cost airline is established, offering travelers more options.
Skift
19-06-2025
- Business
- Skift
Trujet to Return to Indian Skies: Eyes November Launch
India's aviation space is bustling with increasing number of regional airlines, aided by government's support. But in a change of pace, a defunct regional airline is now returning as a full-fledged national carrier to meet the growing demand. The Indian government has approved the revival of regional airline TruJet, formerly known as Turbo Megha Airways. The airline is set to operate as a national-level scheduled carrier. The airline is looking to resume service using an Airbus A320 plane with Visakhapatnam as its primary hub. The airline earlier had its hub in Hyderabad. It plans to launch its first flight by November this year connecting Visakhapatnam to one of the following cities — Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, or Hyderabad. The decision follows extensive discussions between officials from the ministry of civil aviation and the airline's leadership. TruJet began operations in 2015 as a regional carrier but ceased services in 2022 due to pandemic-induced financial challenges. At the time of its shutdown, the airline primarily served smaller towns in South India and had plans to expand to 18 additional Tier-2 cities in the region. In February, Indian aviation company WinAir had announced it is acquiring a 79% stake in TruJet for INR 2 billion ($23 million). With the acquisition of the majority stake, WinAir had said it will take over the management control and operations of the company. TruJet's Plans: TruJet has now secured the approval to operate as a national carrier, a significant upgrade from its earlier regional carrier status. TruJet would need to get its Air Operators Permit renewed from Indian aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) before it can resume operations. Need For Indian Carriers: Among the top 10 airlines in India in June this year, five are carriers operated by other nations, including Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways, according to aviation analytics company OAG. IndiGo held the largest share in the Indian aviation market, with over 12 million seats this month, up 12.4% as compared to June 2024. Among the top 5 airlines, 3 were low-cost carriers, including Air India Express, Akasa Air, and SpiceJet. Last August, IndiGo Promoter Rahul Bhatia said that India deserved more than just two major airlines - IndiGo and Air India. While international carriers seek more bilateral rights to operate in India, Indian airlines are increasing capacity to gain more share in the country's aviation market. Air India CEO Campbell Wilson last year said that granting more bilateral rights would feed the economies of those countries instead of India's as they would take traffic from India and transfer about 80-90% of it to other parts of the world. OAG noted that in June this year, the domestic and international capacity in the country increased by over 7% year-on-year. However, the share of mainline carriers in the Indian aviation industry declined in June 2025 as compared to the same month last year. In June 2024, mainlines accounted for nearly 35% of the total seats in the country at nearly 8 million. This figure has now come down to 30.85%. MakeMyTrip to Cut China's Group Stake Indian online travel agency MakeMyTrip said it is raising over $2.6 billion to buy back shares from its long-time investor China's Group, Skift has reported. 'The interests of and its affiliates may be different from or conflict with the interests of our other shareholders,' MakeMyTrip said in a stock exchange filing on Monday. "Their influence may result in the delay or prevention of a change of management or control of our company or other significant actions affecting our company, even if such transactions or actions may be beneficial to our other shareholders," it added. For this, MakeMyTrip has announced two big fundraising efforts: it's issuing 14 million new shares, with an option to add 2.1 million more, and it's also raising up to $1.25 billion through convertible bonds. This will reduce Group's stake in MakeMyTrip to under 20%, down from over 45% today. This decision also comes at a time when Indian authorities are scrutinizing Chinese investments in companies more closely, especially in sectors like tech, travel, and finance. Calls to reduce Chinese influence have grown louder since the border clashes between India and China in Ladakh in 2020. During that period India banned TikTok in June 2020 along with 58 other Chinese apps, citing national security concerns. The recent India-Pakistan military standoff has also added to the pressure, with China and Turkey seen by some as aligned with Pakistan. DCGA Says 'No Major Safety Concerns' in Air India Fleet The surveillance of Air India's Boeing 787 fleet has not revealed "any major safety concerns" so far, Indian civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said Tuesday night. DGCA added that "the aircraft and associated maintenance systems were found to be compliant with existing safety standards." Air India flight AI 171 from Ahmedabad to London Gatwick crashed shortly after take-off last week killing 241 of the 242 passengers and crew onboard. Post this India had ordered safety checks on the 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft last week. The airline has 26 Boeing 787-8 planes in its fleet. It also has seven Boeing 787-9s that were added through its merger with Vistara. DGCA had asked Air India to conduct a one-time inspection of these planes before any departure from India, including checks on the aircraft's engines, cabin air compressors, take-off parameters, and more. The safety checks are not yet complete. DGCA said that as of Tuesday afternoon, the required check was completed on 24 planes. It added that four aircraft were undergoing 'major checks' at various maintenance-repair-operations (MRO) facilities. DGCA also held a high-level meeting with Air India and its low-cost arm Air India Express to review the 'operational robustness' of the airlines. It discussed the delays in operations due to maintenance procedures and the disruptions caused by recent airspace closures over Iran. Dehradun Leads India's Hotel Boom Amid the boom in branded hotel rooms India, Uttarakhand's capital Dehradun led this growth between fiscal years 2023 and 2024. According to data from consulting platform Hotelivate, the number of rooms in the city increased by 67.5% year-on-year during the period. It noted that cities like Navi Mumbai, Agra, Jaipur, and Udaipur recorded double-digit growth. Further, while the average occupancy rates in Tier-1 cities remain the strongest at over 73%, Tier-2 and 3 cities are also recording strong occupancy numbers with 66% and 57.4% occupancy respectively. Skift reported earlier this year that India's hospitality boom was reaching untapped markets. Hotelivate said that as India's branded room inventory is expected to reach 250,000 by 2028-29 financial year, emerging markets such as Amritsar, Lucknow, and Noida are expected to contribute significantly to this growth. Tier-3 cities are projected to account for nearly half this growth. AbhiBus Renews Partnership With Actor Mahesh Babu Online travel company Ixigo's bus business AbhiBus is extending its long-standing partnership with Indian film star Mahesh Babu as its brand ambassador. The company said that for nearly a decade, the company and the actor have worked together to drive campaigns. Rohit Sharma, COO of AbhiBus, said, 'From 2016 to 2025, his presence has helped us build deeper connections with audiences across the South and beyond.' The company added in the statement that an all-new campaign is set to be launched this summer. In a recent Skift feature, Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia noted that Bollywood is a strong driver for travel among Indian travelers. Travel services aggregator Skyscanner also said in its 2024-25 horizons report that 52% of Indian travelers said they are largely influenced by television and films. Bottega Debuts Branded Residences in India Italian brand Bottega has announced its first international hospitality collaboration. The company has partnered with Atmosphere Living, the branded residences arm of hospitality company Atmosphere Core to launch luxury branded suites in India. While further details are awaited, Bottega said that the branded suites will provide residents with a neo-lifestyle experience designed around experimental wine culture. 'India is a thriving market with boundless potential and the partnership will bring the golden Italian sparkling life to India, redefining the hospitality landscape here,' said Giulia Pellegrino, global key accounts manager at Atmosphere Living. 'Our collaboration with Bottega is set on defining a new lifestyle movement.'
Bloomberg
16-06-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Thai Airways Exits Debt Restructuring Plan With Court Approval
Thai Airways International Pcl won court approval to exit a debt restructuring program, paving the way for resumption of trading in its stocks after a four-year gap. The Central Bankruptcy Court in Bangkok on Monday granted the national carrier's plea to emerge from the court-supervised debt rehabilitation. The airline successfully completed the restructuring as it managed to increase capital as specified under the plan, restructure business its without any delay, and generate profit before tax, the court said in a statement.
Zawya
13-05-2025
- Business
- Zawya
Tunisia: Reconstruction of public transport under focus as President of Republic meets Transport Minister
Tunis: President Kais Saied met on Monday Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, at the Carthage Palace. During the meeting, the Head of State discussed the reconstruction of the public transport sector, particularly the imminent arrival of new buses to alleviate citizens' commuting hardships while awaiting the full restoration of this system, which has been nearly dismantled nationwide, according to a statement from the Presidency. Rhe Head of State ordered remove all obstacles to ensure these buses arrive in Tunisia as soon as possible. The meeting also addressed the ongoing issues at Tunisair, including recent disruptions to flight schedules. President Kais Saied emphasised the need for structural reforms to restore the prestige of this historic national carrier, asserting that its privatisation is non-negotiable, despite some openly advocating for it. He similarly ruled out relocating Tunis-Carthage International Airport, as it had been canvassed some time ago. The Head of State concluded by affirming that Tunisia's public companies and establishments are not for sale, declaring that Tunisair will remain a source of national pride, excelling in air and ground services. He stressed that Tunisia is waging a war of national liberation, where the country's supreme interest must override all other considerations. © Tap 2022 Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
