Aerospace Diary

Neelam Mathews Mar 5 2015 Though Lufthansa has served India for over 50 years it continues to be viewed as a strict, no-nonsense German operator in the region. But the carrier is spending a lot of money to change the way it is perceived. And it is reaping results. Last year Lufthansa launched its first ever country-specific customized commercial, “More Indian than you think”, which went viral on social media. On last count, the video had received more than 1.7 million views on YouTube alone. And it continues to be telecast in primetime on popular news channels in India, giving it continuous exposure. The commercial follows the journey of a grandpa and his grandson changing their preformed opinion about the airline through their inflight passenger experience ( #PaxEx ). In the two months following its release, some 898 tickets were booked on Lufthansa, and an internal survey pointed to a “definite correlatio...

Neelam Mathews Dec 19 2014 Read full story on- http://www.runwaygirlnetwork.com/2014/12/19/star-alliance-sees-unity-in-diversity-of-culture-and-product/ NEW DELHI: In an era of globalization, increasingly there is a tendency to standardize culture. In this rush to be part of an international cluster, one could easily lose track of the city one is visiting given the disappearance of the national dress and to an extent, local cuisine. It comes as a breath of fresh air when airlines take that extra step to retain a whiff of the best of their national identity. This is apparent in Star Alliance, a membership club of 28 airlines that propagates unity in diversity. Easier said than done? “Not so,” said Star spokesman Christian Klick this week during the alliance’s CEO board meeting in New Delhi. Klick firmly believes that each member airline projects its attitude in service, food, cabin interiors, and crew uniforms, and each makes a big effort to project its ...

Neelam Mathews Aug 12, 2014 India is buzzing. Lufthansa expects to start flying A380s to Mumbai and Delhi from around Nov 1, this year, with the start of the winter schedule, South Asia Director Wolfgang Will told AeroSpaceDiary here. The A380s will replace the 747-800 to Delhi and 747-400s flying into Mumbai. The carrier is “in the final steps of getting approval.” The carrier has ordered 15 A380s, of which the 11 th and 12 th aircraft are in delivery mode. The last aircraft will be delivered by 2016. The entry of the world’s largest commercial jet will bring in 180 additional seats per flight and that’s no mean job to fill. Interestingly, the first ever region-specific commercial presently on major channels, “More Indian than you think,” to be followed by billboards and “much more,” is “a prelude to the A380 coming into India,” Will added. “We realize there are challenges, but we see huge opportunities. We will reach out to new customer segments like the leisure...

Posted by- Neelam Mathews Jan 4, 2014 Lufthansa today announced the appointment of Wolfgang Will as its new Director India, effective Feb1. Based in Gurgaon, Will shall be responsible for overseeing the airline’s commercial activities in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Will moves to India from Mexico City where he was  Director Mexico and Central America.  He succeeds Axel Hilgers, who served as Lufthansa’s Director, India since 2008, overseeing the launch of new aircraft like the B747-8 and several new products in the market. Hilgers moves to Paris as Head of Lufthansa’s ground operations in France.

AINONLINE by    NEELAM MATHEWS Emirates Airline, the largest A380 operator in the world, cannot fly its superjumbos to India in the absence of a new bilateral air services agreement. (Photo: Airbus) January 27, 2014, 12:00 PM India has lifted restrictions on the Airbus A380 airliner to land at four Code F compliant airports, the country’s Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) announced Monday. But while the industry has applauded the move, the government has not made it an effortless exercise, as major carriers wanting to fly their A380s to India run short on service entitlements. “Bilateral air service agreements ( ASA s) that prohibit operation of A380s to India will need to be amended before permission is granted,” the MoCA said in a statement. “Rationalization of traffic rights from services per week to seats per week shall be done through mutual negotiations through memoranda of understanding.” Airports will require Directora...

Jan 23, 2013 By- Yash Patel ( Mumbai-based Yash Patel is an analyst with a focus on airline finance, strategy and restructuring) The views published are of the writer alone and not of AerospaceDiary. Credit:20twentytwo ANALYSIS Jet Airways Jet Airways already has an existing codeshare agreement and extensive frequent flyer program/collaboration with Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways. Jet Airways and Emirates recently announced renewal of their respective codeshare agreements. Jet Airways and Etihad Airways recently announced extension of their codeshare agreement on Abu Dhabi-Paris route. Brussels Airlines (Lufthansa has a stake of 45% with approval to further invest in the carrier) is Jet Airways’ existing European Codeshare partner at its scissor hub in Brussels. Both airlines are members of Star Alliance. Jet Airways has been granted additional flying rights to Europe, especially on the India-Frankfurt/Munich routes. E...

Neelam Mathews Nov 28, 2012 While IndiGo stole the halo from Jet Airways as the most  preferred domestic airline, “passengers consider Kingfisher and Air India as unsafe bet in the air, “ says a survey by TripAdvisor. “However travellers have voted Jet Airways as the best on most in-flight comfort & service parameters as well as website experience and safety,” said  Nikhil Ganju, Country Manager, TripAdvisor India. Call it the devil’s luck, the survey shows respondents consider  Kingfisher resilient and are positive about its comeback. National carrier Air India continues its legacy as Least Favourite Domestic Airline for third year in a row. Jet Airways emerged as the best airline for  Ground handling,  In- flight maintenance,  Seat comfort/Leg room,  In-flight food/beverage and website experience.  IndiGo was voted on its On time performance (hardly a surprise!),  Value for money and  Landing / Take Off quality...

ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS MAY / JUNE 2012 With air transport operations ballooning throughout Asia, it is little wonder that OEMs and third-party  providers are expanding MRO facilities across the region. In fact Asia’s MRO market is projected to reach  parity with that of the Americas and Europe by 2021. But which are the real growth zones? Neelam Matthews reports Things are moving in Asia. Rolls-Royce opened its first ever purpose-built field services hub at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to support the company’s growing civil aerospace customer base in South East Asia including Malaysia Airlines and AirAsia X. It’s just part of a global MRO trend to be close to growing Asian customers. “The facility (at KLIA) will be the focal point of all our civil large-engine support in Malaysia,” Mark McGuinness, Chief Service Representative, Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, said. "And it will play an increasing important role in the surro...

Brief News- no views! April 8, 2011 Neelam Mathews Brief News- no views! April 8, 2011 Neelam Mathews American Airlines daily nonstop flight from Chicago to Delhi will now land at a convenient time of 5.45pm; three hours earlier than previously scheduled. This opens up same day connection opportunities for those connecting to domestic flights. Over 20 onward connection destinations are now available following the change, including multiple flights to cities of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bangalore. South African Airways will start its Airbus A330 service to India from mid-May 2011. Air India ’s low cost arm, Air India Express will now fly from Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram to Saudi Arabia’s Dammam using Boeing 737-800s of Air India Express under its ‘IX’ code, although Air India’s own ‘AI’ code will also appear as part of a codeshare arrangement. Kozhikode – Dammam, previously flown twice weekly, will now be served four times weekly. Saudi...

April 3, 2011 Bangkok Airways has launched its inaugural service to Dhaka. The airline plans to begin service to Chennai and Bangalore by the end of this year. It is also looking at   starting flights from Samui to Kuala Lumpur in 2012 and service from Bangkok to Singapore and Hong Kong in 2013.  Ethiopian Airlines to launch Chennai service from May 2011 Ukrainian Aerosvit Airlines will start twice weekly flights between Kiev and Colombo from Oct 22 using a Boeing 767-300ER from Royal Brunei Airlines. Around 5,000 passengers travelled on the sector in the past year, mainly connecting in either Abu Dhabi or Dubai for onward connections from Etihad Airways and SriLankan Airlines. Iranian carrier Mahan Air has launched twice weekly service flights from Shiraz to Kuala Lumpur operated by an Airbus A310.  Approximately 147,000 passengers travelled between Iran and Malaysia in the year ending January 2011. Meanwhile, Mahan Air is also launching a twice weekl...

Air Transport Aviation Week & Space Technology Jan 11 , 2010 , p. 37 Neelam Mathews New Delhi Gulf carriers woo Indian passengers as a strategic market linked to the West Printed headline: Targeted Entry With lower fares, newer aircraft, inexpensive hotel packages and what some regard as better service, Middle East carriers are gobbling up market share in India at the expense of local and European competitors. The Middle East carriers are using their hubs in Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, and Doha in Qatar as waypoints to seat Indian passengers bound for Western Europe and the U.S. An introduction by Emirates of Airbus A380s on its Dubai-Paris route would increase pressure on Air India. Credit: EMIRATES Without the Middle East push, Indian passengers would more likely have booked on Air India, Jet Airways or Kingfisher from their own country, or on one of the big European carriers with a major presence in India, such as Lufthansa. International traffic into India ...

News Lufthansa To Optimize Network, May Be First A380 Operator To India Aviation Daily Dec 23 , 2009 , p. 14 Neelam Mathews Lufthansa, which is due to receive three Airbus A380s in May 2010 of 15 on order, expects to start flying the plane in the summer schedule configured for 526 passengers and first- and business-class seats on the upper deck. Tokyo, Shanghai and New York are likely to be the initial destinations, Axel Hilgers, the carrier’s South Asia director, told The DAILY. There are two scenarios being discussed, at the moment, said Hilgers. The Aviation Authority of Germany last week formally sought a clearance from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in India to fly the A380 to Delhi. This will make Lufthansa the first carrier to fly the A380 to India. Asked whether he thought there would be some objections to the clearance, Hilgers said, “I don’t think [there’s] any reason why [India] will not give permission. Maybe we shall wait till Terminal 3 is ready to handle to the A380. We ...

News LH Sees Alliance With Air India A Restraint To Gulf Carriers Aviation Daily Dec 21 , 2009 , p. 18 Neelam Mathews Lufthansa views its partnership with Air India as a line of attack against the hasty growth of Gulf carriers that are fast eating up market share of Indian and European carriers by offering cut-throat fares and using the Dubai hub successfully to divert onward traffic to the East Coast of the U.S. and Europe. “We will not be able to push them [Gulf carriers] out of the market. We’re maintaining our market share [for the moment]. Also, there are limits to growth of the Gulf carriers. However, we not underestimate their power,” Karl Ulrich Garnadt, member of the Lufthansa Board told The DAILY. Garnadt was responsible for Network Management at Lufthansa for five years up to 2004. He was also group representative and head of hub management in Munich and instrumental in signing an agreement with Air India in 2004 that resulted in code sharing and Lufthansa’s agreeing to prov...