Air India the national carrier of India wholly owned by the Tata group announced it has sealed a massive deal to purchase 250 planes with Airbus in a bold move to revamp the airline's fleet thereby underscoring the industry’s recovery from the devastating covid-19 pandemic and the airline’s ambition to become a global force after years of challenges. The carrier had signed a letter of intent to purchase 210 A320neo family jets with an additional 40 A350s. These fuel efficient aircrafts will help the airline reinvent itself thereby placing the airline in a strong footing to compete effectively with domestic low cost rivals and also the dominant middle eastern carriers who have over years dominated the Indian international market. The airline also looks forward to expanding it's international routes network specifically to countries in Africa, North America and Europe with a direct fight which will extensively put the airline at an advantage by providing direct flights to the...

  The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has announced a new transit visa for passengers booked on Saudi Arabian airlines - Saudia Airlines or Flynas- with a stopover in the country. The visa has a validity of three months and will be issued free of cost. This means that you can apply for the visa up to 90 days before you travel. It will allow you to stay in Saudi Arabia for 96 hours (four days) to perform Umrah or for tourism purpose. In an official statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that the service was now effective and passengers can apply for the transit visa through the electronic platforms of Saudia Airlines or flynas. The applications would then “be automatically passed to the unified national visa platform at MOFA to process and issue the digital visa immediately and send it to the beneficiary via e-mail.” “In partnership with our national air carriers, Saudia and Flynas, we are using digital platforms to provide an instant Stopover Visa, which only enhances Saudi’s...

  On the sideline of the ICAO general assembly in Montreal Canada, Nigeria's Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika was quoted as saying Nigeria would consider buying China's newly-certified C919 passenger jet as it grows the country's carrier Nigeria Air to 30 planes by around 2025. "We haven't looked at that C919. But if it's as good as the others then why not". The new airline would have a mixture of Airbus and Boeing planes when fully operational. He also added the carrier is also willing to look at the Chinese narrow body jet, which Chinese regulators certified on Friday.  The first C919 aircraft, designed to compete with popular single-aisle models made by Airbus and Boeing, will be delivered by the end of the year, state Xinhua News Agency said.It remains unclear when the plane might be certified by the United States or Europe, opening the way to sales in most foreign markets, but industry analysts say it will be up to a decade before China can seriously ...

  Philippine Airlines has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States to pursue a lender-backed restructuring plan that aims to help the loss-making company get back on its feet following a pandemic-induced crash. The flag carrier's proposed restructuring, which is subject to approval by a court in the southern district of New York, includes an agreement with majority of aircraft lessors and lenders to reduce debt payments by over $2 billion and slash its fleet size by 25%, the company said in a statement on Saturday. The Chapter 11 filing, which allows a company to continue operations while it restructures its finances, was a product of discussions with key shareholders, PAL said in a statement adding the plan will not affect passengers and employees. The company will also complete a parallel filing for recognition in the Philippines under the Financial Insolvency and Rehabilitation (FRIA) Act of 2010.    “We welcome this major breakthrough, an overall agreement...

  Gulfstream Aerospace first production G700 set the ultra-long-range model inaugural city-pair speed records when it flew from its home base in Savannah Georgia, to Doha Qatar, and then on to Paris Le Bourget.  The aircraft performed “flawlessly” on both legs, in a statement by Gulfstream senior VP of worldwide sales Scott Neal. The fully outfitted G700 production test aircraft with registration number N706GD flew from Savannah Georgia to Doha, covering a distance of 6,711 nm at an average speed of Mach 0.88 in 13 hours and 16 minutes.  The aircraft then set another city-pair record from Doha to Paris, flying 2,953 nm in six hours and 15 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90. In keeping with the manufacturer's sustainability commitment, the G700 burned a blend of sustainable aviation fuel on the Savannah to Doha flight, while Gulfstream also purchased carbon offsets for both flights. The aircraft is being used to test the G700’s new luxurious cabin. Gulfstream decided...

  Embraer have finalized plans to roll out Electric air taxis which could take flight in Manila Philippines in as early as five years time following a partnership between Embraer and Singapore based start-up Ascent Flights Global Ltd. In a statement, Eve said it would provide Ascent with up to 100,000 hours of flight time per year on its electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, also known in the market as EVA or electrical vertical aircraft, beginning in 2026.Eve plans to deploy up to 100 aircraft to be marketed by Ascent on its current and future routes. Ascent, which acts as an independent on-demand platform, will pay for flight time utilized on Eve’s aircraft while operating in combination with partners in Asia Pacific and other markets.The new agreement is part of Eve´s comprehensive urban air mobility strategy to position the company as a leader in the industry. The deployment of Eve aircraft across the Ascent network is subject to the parties entering into de...

  RwandAir has become the first - and only - Sub-Saharan African airline to launch a loyalty partnership with Qatar Airways. The two carriers have joined forces to offer RwandAir Dream Miles and Qatar Airways Privilege Club loyalty members access to each other’s destinations with the opportunity to ‘earn and burn’ points across their reciprocal route networks.Under the new deal, RwandAir Dream Miles members will be able to fly to more than 140 Qatar Airways destinations using miles earned by flights bought through RwandAir. Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will have the ability to earn miles on RwandAir’s flights, both within Africa and on long-haul routes, to destinations such as New York and London. In a statement, Yvonne Manzi Makolo, CEO of RwandAir, said: “RwandAir is incredibly proud to be the first Sub-Saharan African airline to enter into partnership with Qatar Airways Privilege Club.“Customer loyalty is of huge importance to both RwandAir and Qatar Airways. We both str...