Aerospace Diary

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Established Indian carriers like SpiceJet and Air India will now face tougher competition on both domestic and international routes. [Photo: Neelam Mathews] May 13, 2014, 3:00 PM Indian airlines are facing stiffer competition and downward pressure on air fares with 40 new aircraft due to join the country’s fleet, taking the total capacity to around 400 jets by year-end. Existing carriers are now facing new competition in the shape of AirAsia India , which has just received its air operator permit ( AOP ) for domestic services. The new joint venture between Indian group Tata and Singapore Airlines ( SIA ) is hoping to get its  AOP  ready to start service to nine Indian cities with 87 flights from the capital Delhi in September as a prelude to planned international routes. Further competition is coming from the new A380 service into India by both  SIA  and Emirates Airlines. The increa...

By Lisa Curtis and Derek Scissors, Ph.D. (Heritage Foundation) Posted by- Neelam Mathews Jan 20, 2012 China ’s concerns over Pakistan’s future stability will likely limit the extent to which it will help Pakistan out of its economic difficulties. While China has an interest in maintaining strong security ties with Pakistan, the economic relationship is not very extensive and the notion that Chinese ties could serve as a replacement for U.S. ties is far-fetched. Instead of wringing hands over Chinese influence on Pakistan, the U.S. should seek cooperation from Beijing in encouraging a more stable and prosperous Pakistan—which will benefit all parties involved.   In the wake of the U.S. raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound last May and deteriorating relations between Islamabad and Washington, Pakistani leaders have sought to play up their country’s relations with China, touting Beijing as an alternative partner to Washington. However, China’s concerns about the future stabilit...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Aug 5, 2011 With Air India now almost surely not joining Star Alliance, and SkyTeam is said to be arriving next week for talks, could OneWorld be looking for a second partner? Domestic links to regional cities will help alliances develop connectivity across global markets.  There are currently over 1.58 million seats  in the domestic market every week with IndiGo now the largest carrier in this market, according to Routes. INDIA’S LARGEST DOMESTIC AIRLINES (weekly non-stop flights) RANK AIRLINE WEEKLY FLIGHTS WEEKLY SEATS % CAPACITY 1 IndoGo Airlines 1,795 323,100 20.4 % 2 Air India 2,124 304,889 19.2 % 3 Kingfisher Airlines 2,568 279,857 17.7 % 4 Jet Airways 2,488 263,095 16.6 % 5 SpiceJet 1,383 163,194 10.3 % (others) 1,601 251,093 15.8 TOTAL 11,959 1,585,228 - International connectivity is vital with access to main markets from the country and  offers over 72,000 seats per ...