Finnair to restart Mumbai-Helsinki flight from October

Nordic carrier Finnair is restarting its operations from Mumbai to Europe from Oct 18, with a brand new fleet of Airbus aircraft, sensing a revival in passenger demand after some trying times over the past year. The carrier has also fixed an inaugural tariff of Rs.29,900 for an all-inclusive return ticket to Helsinki and 11 European destinations with the flexibilities for rescheduling normally available on a full-fare business ticket, a senior airline official said. "This is our Diwali gift to Mumbai," Kari Stolbow, director for the Indian subcontinent, said. "The fare includes all levies and taxes and holds not just for Helsinki, but also to 11 European destinations including London, Brussels, Oslo and Amsterdam." He said Finnair was deploying new A-330 aircraft for the operation, beginning with three flights a week, with a configuration of 42 business class seats and 229 seats in the economy section. "The business class fare is also priced competitively at Rs.78,000."

Air India awards call centre contract to InterGlobe Technologies

Despite the objections raised by aviation companies, the National Aviation Company of India the merged entity of erstwhile Air India and Indian Airlines will go ahead with InterGlobe Technologies, which will implement the passenger ticketing call centre project. A formal announcement in this regard is likely to be made in the next few days. IGT was named as the lowest bidder for call centre contract valued at Rs 74 crore in February. "Some parties had filed petitions against the award of contract to IGT. The project was kept on hold because the central vigilance commission (CVC) had sought clarifications," an industry insider, close to the development, said.

Kingfisher Airlines plans to launch Delhi-London flight

After receiving a less than expected response for its Bangalore-London-Bangalore service, the Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines has decided to pull out from this route September 15 onwards and has given a fresh proposal to the civil aviation ministry, seeking permission to fly on the Delhi-London route. The airline, which has been in the red and owes substantial amounts to airport operators and oil marketing companies alike, has projected that it will be able to generate revenue to the tune of Rs 23 crore per month if allowed to tap this route; its operating cost is likely to be around Rs.16-18 crore per month, said sources close to the development. It has proposed daily flights on the London-Delhi route.

Jet Airways to launch Gaya-Varanasi-Bangkok flight

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will connect the Thai capital of Bangkok with Gaya and Varanasi, two important Indian cities on the famed Buddhist circuit, with twice weekly flights, effective October 6, 2009. The airline will operate with twice weekly services on the sector, on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively. These flights will allow people from the South Asian region to visit the famed Buddhist pilgrimage sights. Effective October 6, 2009 to October 24, 2009, 9W 69 will depart Bangkok at 0845 hrs, arriving in Gaya at 1015 hrs. Flight 9W 69 will then depart Gaya at 1145 hrs, arriving in Varanasi at 1230 hrs.

Flight 9W 70 will then depart Varanasi at 1400 hrs, returning to Bangkok at 1845 hrs. However, effective October 25, 2009 to March 27, 2010, 9W 69 will depart Bangkok at 0830 hrs, arriving in Gaya at 1015 hrs. Flight 9W 69 will then depart Gaya at 1145 hrs, arriving in Varanasi at 1230 hrs. Flight 9W 70 will then depart Varanasi at 1400 hrs, arriving in Bangkok at 1835 hrs. While Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, Gaya is home to the famed Mahabodhi temple, a UNESCO heritage site, and the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment, according to Buddhist traditions.

Sama Airlines considering Mumbai-Dammam sector during Hajj

Saudi Arabia-based Low Cost Carrier (LCC) Sama Airlines is considering restarting Indian operations during the Hajj season (October – January) this year. The airline started its Indian operations during early November last year on the Dammam – Mumbai route by operating three flights a week. The airline had also planned to operate flights twice a day on Dammam – Mumbai route by January this year. Due to shortage of aircraft, the airline discontinued its Indian operations by early March this year. The airline moved the aircraft from Indian routes and deployed it on Saudi Arabia – Egypt route. Currently Sama Airlines has six Boeing 737-300 aircraft.

A source close to the development informed that due to high demand and low connectivity between India and Saudi Arabia route during Hajj season, the airline is considering restarting Indian operations specifically for the Hajj season this year. The airline recorded close to 70 – 80 per cent load factor on Mumbai – Dammam route from November 2008 - March 2009 and is expecting similar load factors, if it restarts its operations for Hajj season this year. If it starts operations, the airline will operate only on Mumbai – Dammam route. It might, however, expand operations to other cities if required.

Flydubai refunds passengers due to deferred launch

FlyDubai, the low-cost airline floated by the Al-Maktoum royal family of Dubai recently, has started re-funding passengers after being forced to defer its India plans with government clearances not coming through. The cold shoulder from civil aviation authorities comes amid concerns that FlyDubai’s cut-throat fares could hit the Middle East operations of Air India Express, the budget airline of the bleeding national carrier. The airline had sought permission for flights to Chandigarh, Coimbatore and Lucknow from mid-July onwards. FlyDubai was offering fares as low as Rs 4,700, including taxes, on the Dubai-Lucknow sector. Other destinations, including Goa, were likely to be added subsequently.

A senior government official said none of the initial destinations sought by FlyDubai figured in the existing ‘points of call’ in the MoU signed between India and UAE last year. He, however, said the three cities were part of the ‘note verbale’ exchanged by the two countries. "The three cities Chandigarh, Coimbatore and Lucknow were part of 'note verbale' exchange and had to be agreed later as additional points of call. Also, these new points of call agreed were to have seat entitlements within the overall existing entitlements," he said. Simply put, FlyDubai’s connections to these proposed points of call have to be a part of the existing seat entitlements for UAE carriers, and not additional capacities created. UAE carriers like Emirates, Etihad and Air Arabia have 54,200 seat entitlements weekly to 10 Indian destinations currently.

Bomb threat on Indigo Airlines flight at Delhi

An anonymous phone call threatening that a bomb has been placed in a Kolkata-bound Indigo Airlines fllight with 130 people, including six crew, on board on Wednesday sent security agencies into a tizzy at the Delhi airport. The call was made to Indigo's call centre at around 4 pm that a bomb has been placed in the Delhi-Kolkata flight 6E 203, which was to take off at around 4:30 pm, an airport official said. The flight was actually to take off at 3:30 pm but was rescheduled because the airport was closed for about two hours as part of a security drill ahead of Independence Day celebrations. Security personnel have cordoned off the plane and checks are on. There were 124 passengers and six crew on board.