India's political landscape is ablaze with activity! From the ongoing debates surrounding the new farm bills and their impact on rural India, to the upcoming state elections shaping the national narrative, the stakes couldn't be higher. Key political figures are maneuvering strategically, with alliances shifting and power dynamics constantly in flux. The opposition's challenge to the ruling party is intensifying, sparking vigorous debates on crucial policy matters including economic reforms and social justice initiatives. Parliamentary proceedings are filled with heated exchanges, reflecting the deep divisions within the nation. This evolving political climate directly impacts the lives of every Indian citizen, influencing everything from economic opportunities to social welfare programs. Stay informed about the latest developments in Indian politics, from crucial legislative decisions to grassroots movements, by exploring Abtak.com for in-depth analysis and breaking news updates. Understanding the intricacies of our political system is crucial; stay engaged, stay informed, and stay ahead.
New Delhi: MakeMyTrip has introduced a convenient part payment option for booking international flights. Travelers can now secure their tickets by paying just 10-40 per cent of the total fare upfront. The exact upfront amount depends on factors like the airline, travel route, and how far in advance the booking is made. The remaining balance must be paid at no extra charge either within 45 days of booking or before the travel date, whichever occurs first. "This industry-first feature addresses a common pain point for travellers, particularly larger families or groups, who may find it challenging to pay the entire ticket amount upfront when booking an international flight. Users opting for the part payment option can modify their confirmed bookings after completing the full payment as per fare rules," PTI quoting MakeMyTrip statement said. Saujanya Shrivastava, Chief Operating Officer -- Flights, Holidays & Gulf, MakeMyTrip, said, "This industry-first part-payment feature exemplifies our commitment, empowering more Indians to book international flights with greater convenience and flexibility." The initial response has been encouraging, with adoption observed among solo travellers, pairs, and families for both long-haul and short-haul international flights, the company said. (With PTI Inputs)
New Delhi, Jun 28 (PTI) A male passenger onboard an Air India flight from Amritsar to the national capital on Saturday behaved in an unruly manner, engaged in verbal altercation with a co-passenger and was handed over to the airport security after landing at the Delhi airport. The incident happened in flight AI454. "During cabin preparations for landing, a member of our cabin crew noticed a passenger standing in the aisle, engaged in a verbal altercation with another passenger. "The second passenger reported to the crew that the individual was being abusive," the airline said in a statement ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Axiom-4 crew members, including Shubhanshu Shukla, were welcomed with hugs and drinks as they stepped into the International Space Station on Thursday. The newly launched spacecraft -- the fifth in the Dragon series and named Grace -- successfully completed a soft docking with the International Space Station at 4.01pm while orbiting above the North Atlantic Ocean."At 6:31 am EDT (4:01 IST) on Thursday, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft docked to the International Space Station for the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4," the National Aeronautics ...Read More >
Ranchi (Jharkhand) [India], August 4 (ANI): The Jharkhand government declared a three-day state mourning, starting Monday, following the passing of the state's former Chief Minister and co-founder of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, Shibu Soren. "In honour of the late Honourable former Chief Minister-cum-Rajya Sabha MP, the State Government has decided to observe 03 (three) days of state mourning from August 4 to August 6," the message from the Jharkhand government read. Also Read | Kerala Shocker: 47-Year-Old Man Dies by Suicide After Failing to Arrange Funds for Son's Engineering College Admission. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 6 (PTI) Air India has vigorous and multi-layered safety protocols with every aircraft undergoing thorough checks take-off, its chief Campbell Wilson said on Wednesday as he emphasised that the airline is strengthening internal processes to minimise operational challenges. On June 12, a London Gatwick-bound Air India's Boeing 737-8 aircraft crashed into a building soon after take-off, killing 260 people. Since then, the Tata Group-owned carrier has carried out various checks on its Boeing 737 and 787 planes. In recent weeks, some of Air India's flights have either been cancelle ...Read More >
New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) IndiGo's Co-Founder and Managing Director Rahul Bhatia, who is currently managing the affairs of the airline, on Tuesday described himself as 'Kuchh Hee Dinon Kaa Mehmaan' as the carrier is set to welcome William Walsh as the new CEO. Less than three weeks after the sudden exit of then CEO Pieter Elbers on March 10, IndiGo on Tuesday announced that aviation industry veteran Walsh will be the replacement and is expected to take over on or before August 3 this year. In an internal message to the staff, Bhatia said that to his mind, IndiGo is privileged to be led by a le ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) SpiceJet on Sunday said a senior Army officer, who was to board a flight to Delhi, assaulted four airline ground staffers at the Srinagar airport on July 26, causing a spinal fracture to one of them. An FIR has been registered with the local police and the airline has initiated the process to place the passenger on the no-fly list in accordance with civil aviation regulations, the airline said and added that the assault happened after the passenger was told to pay for the extra cabin baggage. Video clips of the incident shared on social media showed the passenger assau ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Aviation regulator DGCA said on Tuesday it will put in place a mechanism to curb whopping surge in air ticket prices, recently witnessed during the Maha Kumbh and post-Pahalgam terror attack, as the issue coupled with concerns over air safety after the Ahmedabad plane crash dominated proceedings at a parliamentary panel meeting. Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson told the committee his airline will complete retrofitting of its fleet in two years to address frequent complaints about its seats and other facilities, and underscored its commitment to flight safety, source ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 14 (PTI) It was human error that led to the fuel switches being cut off before Air India's Boeing 787-8 plane crashed in Ahmedabad last month, and there also should have been more transparency in the AAIB's preliminary report on the accident, aviation expert Captain Mohan Ranganathan said on Monday. His comments come at a time when the pilots' associations have flagged concerns about speculations of possible pilot error for the AI 171 flight crash that killed 260 people on June 12. On Sunday, the Indian Commercial Pilots' Association (ICPA) said the crew of the flight acted in ...Read More >
At a valuation of ₹3.2 lakh crore, Deepinder Goyal of Eternal (formerly Zomato Ltd) has topped the list of self-made entrepreneur in the IDFC FIRST Private & Hurun India's Top 200 Self-made Entrepreneurs of the Millennia 2025. Eternal's valuation has gone up by 27% from last year's report. Radhakishan Damani of Avenue Supermarts (DMart), last year's No. 1, has slipped to second place with a valuation of ₹3 lakh crore, down 13% from last year. Estranged co-founders Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Ga ...Read More >
New Delhi, Mar 30 (PTI) A US airstrike at Iran's Mashhad airport on Monday damaged a Mahan Air aircraft, potentially disrupting a mission to India to collect humanitarian aid, Iranian officials claimed. The plane was reportedly scheduled to fly to New Delhi this week to pick up essential medical supplies and aid for Iranian people, they said. US officials have not yet corroborated the claim. The Iranian officials said the aircraft was damaged following the US attack on Mashhad airport. According to reports, the plane was expected to arrive in New Delhi on April 1. India sent the first con ...Read More >
Kolkata, Dec 6 (PTI) Air India Express, the budget-carrier arm of Air India, is embarking on a significant expansion by increasing its fleet size and introducing new routes, as passenger growth remains robust. The airline, however, has deferred plans to launch direct flights between Kolkata and Dhaka, citing the ongoing political crisis in Bangladesh. "You would recall we had announced our operational plan for Dhaka, which is a new and significant market for us. But because of the situation there, we have deferred those plans," Aloke Singh, Managing Director of Air India Express, said. "As ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI) The Congress on Sunday attacked the Centre and Rajasthan governments over the reported plan to redraw the boundaries of the Sariska Tiger Reserve for the reactivation of over 50 mining operations, saying the move would be "ecologically devastating". The opposition party also said that with the Rajasthan and Union environment ministers both being from Alwar, this "double engine" cannot be supporting such a move. Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X a media report which claimed that a plan to redraw the boundaries of Rajasthan's ...Read More >
New Delhi: The death sentence of Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya, who was sentenced to death in Yemen, has been postponed for the time being. She was to be executed by shooting today, July 16. According to media reports, activist groups and influential religious leaders intervened in the matter, after which the death sentence of Nimisha Priya was postponed. Earlier, many efforts were also made at the diplomatic level to save Nimisha from the death penalty. There is also news that the victim's family has not yet agreed to clemency or blood money. As a last-ditch effort to save her, Kanthapuram A. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 17 (PTI) Tata Group-owned Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) on Thursday reported a 26.56 per cent rise in its consolidated net profit to Rs 329.32 crore in the first quarter of FY26. The country's biggest hospitality player posted a net profit of Rs 260.19 crore in the corresponding period of the previous financial year. Its total income from operations stood at Rs 2,102.17 crore during the April-June quarter, against Rs 1,596.27 crore in the year-ago period. The company's total expenses also increased to Rs 1,662.35 crore, from Rs 1,267.78 crore a year ago, a regulatory f ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 25 (PTI) An Air India plane en route to the national capital suffered a bird hit shortly after take off on Friday and returned to Nagpur. The aircraft landed safely, the airline said in a statement on Saturday. Details about the number of passengers and the type of aircraft could not be immediately ascertained. "Flight AI466, operating from Nagpur to Delhi, on 24 October, experienced a bird-hit shortly after take-off. The crew decided to return to Nagpur as a precautionary measure, as per standard operating procedure, for inspection of the aircraft," Air India said. The airl ...Read More >
Lucknow, Mar 31 (PTI) A Kathmandu-bound Fly Dubai flight from Dubai landed at the Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport here on Tuesday after it was diverted due to adverse weather conditions in the Nepalese capital, sources said. The flight number FZ1595 halted in Lucknow for nearly one hour, and then left for its destination, airport sources said. Earlier, a Delhi-bound Air India Express flight from West Bengal's Bagdogra made an emergency landing at the airport here after a smoke alarm, sources said on Tuesday. The flight (IX1523), operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, was diverted ...Read More >
Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) An Air India flight from Delhi to Washington, which took off on July 2, could not complete its journey after it developed a technical glitch during a scheduled refuelling stopover in Vienna, the Tata Group-owned airline said on Thursday. Consequently, its return flight from Washington to Delhi, scheduled on July 2, was also cancelled. Also Read | India Weather Forecast: Monsoon in Active Phase, Heavy Rainfall to Continue in Most Parts of India for Almost Entire Week, Says IMD Scientist. Of late, frequent delays and cancellations of long-haul flights by Air India have bee ...Read More >
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], August 3 (ANI): In a major crackdown on narcotics smuggling, officers of the Airport Commissionerate, Mumbai Customs Zone-III, have seized 14.738 kgs of suspected NDPS hydroponic weed (marijuana) valued at approximately Rs 14.73 crore during operations on Sunday. The seizures were made across Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMI), resulting in the arrest of one passenger, as stated in the press release. The passenger was arrested under the provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Based on specific intel, ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Amid worsening weather conditions and continuous rainfall in parts of Uttar Pradesh, all government and private schools from Classes 1 to 12 in Lucknow will remain closed on Monday, according to district magistrate Visakh G Iyer.Several parts of Varanasi were inundated on Monday following relentless downpours and a steady rise in the water level of the River Ganga. The river has been rising continuously since Saturday, triggering concerns of urban flooding.In response, authorities have suspended all boat operations on the Ganga as a precautionary measure. Several residents were seen ...Read More >
A Qatar Airways flight en route to Hong Kong was diverted to Ahmedabad due to mid-air technical issues. The flight, QR816, departed Doha and landed safely in Ahmedabad as a precautionary measure. A decision on resuming the journey to Hong Kong will be made after a thorough aircraft inspection. A Hong Kong-bound Qatar Airways flight, which took off from Doha on Tuesday morning, was diverted to Ahmedabad as a precautionary measure after it developed some technical issues mid-air, an official said. ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 31 (PTI) Singapore Airlines on Friday said that as a significant minority shareholder it will provide its expertise and support where necessary to Air India. The comments came against the backdrop of reports saying that Air India is seeking more than Rs 10,000 crore from Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines. The loss-making Air India, which is jointly owned by Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, has been facing certain headwinds in recent times. In one of the worst air accidents, Air India's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner enroute to London Gatwick crashed soon after take-off from Ahmedabad ...Read More >
Srinagar, Jul 3 (PTI) The annual Amarnath Yatra began on Thursday with the first batches of pilgrims setting off from the twin base camps in Baltal and Nunwan towards the 3880-metre-high cave shrine in the south Kashmir Himalayas, which houses a naturally formed ice-lingam, officials said. The yatra started early morning from the twin tracks -- the traditional 48-km Nunwan-Pahalgam route and the 14-km Baltal route. The batches of pilgrims, including men, women and sadhus, left from the Nunwan base camp in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir's Anantnag, and Baltal base camp in Sonamarg area of central ...Read More >
Baramulla, Jul 5: Hundreds of mourners from Delina and its neighbouring villages Saturday participated in the Muharram procession, the 9th day of the month of Muharram-Ul-Haram at Delina area of north Kashmir's Baramulla district. The procession was one of the series of processions being held in the month of Muharram, the first month of Islamic calendar. Dressed in black and carrying flags bearing religious inscriptions, participants from the villages of Hygam, Bulgam, Bohripora, Syedpora, Uri, Boniyar and other villages marched from new Imambargah through the National Highway NH-1 to the ma ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 16 (PTI) A PIL has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking to direct the Centre and Indigo airline to pay four times the compensation of the full ticket price to all passengers whose tickets were cancelled during November and December after the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rollout. The public interest litigation, which will come up for hearing on Wednesday before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, also sought an enquiry by a retired judge or Lokpal to identify the negligence and lapses of the Directorate of Civil Aviati ...Read More >
New Delhi, Dec 3 (PTI) Mahindra & Mahindra on Tuesday said it is in discussions with InterGlobe Aviation, which owns IndiGo airlines, to find an amicable solution regarding a trademark issue over the use of "6e" in its all-new electric model. The automaker, which introduced two electric brands -- BE 6e and XEV 9e -- earlier this month, said its trademark 'BE 6e' differs from IndiGo's '6E', eliminating any risk of confusion. IndiGo uses 6E as the airline designator code. "We have taken on board the concerns that InterGlobe Aviation Ltd have to infringement of their goodwill, which was not ou ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jan 8 (PTI) The government is planning to make it mandatory for domestic airlines to share weather data captured by aircraft during takeoffs and landings with the weather office, which could lead to significantly better forecasts. Currently, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) launches weather balloons from 50-60 stations to collect critical data on temperature, humidity and wind speed at various altitudes, which form crucial inputs for weather forecasting models. These inputs could increase exponentially as the country records more than 6,000 takeoffs and landings by domest ...Read More >
The aircraft, operating as Flight AI357, landed safely and is currently undergoing technical inspection. An Air India flight en route from Haneda (Tokyo) to Delhi was diverted to Kolkata on Sunday as a precautionary measure after passengers experienced persistently high cabin temperatures. The aircraft, operating as Flight AI357, landed safely and is currently undergoing technical inspection. "Air India flight AI357 operating from Haneda to Delhi on 29 June 2025 made a precautionary diversion ...Read More >
Kolkata, Jul 5 (PTI) A Thai Lion Air flight to Bangkok from Kolkata's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport was cancelled early Saturday due to a "technical snag", officials said. The flight with 130 passengers and seven crew on board returned to the parking bay after it was pushed back for taxing to the runway due to a "technical snag", officials said. Later, the flight was cancelled for the day. According to Airports Authority of India (AAI) officials at the airport the aircraft landed at Kolkata around 1.23 am on Saturday and was supposed to take off at 2.35 am for travelling t ...Read More >
New Delhi, Aug 1 (PTI) Air India's flight from London to the national capital on Friday was delayed by more than 11 hours and will now depart on Saturday morning. "Flight AI2018 from London Heathrow to Delhi on 1 August is delayed due to the late arrival of incoming aircraft and is now scheduled to depart at 0800 hrs local time on 2 August. The delayed arrival resulted in the crew coming under the mandatory flight duty time limitation norms as well as night curfew restricting operations at London airport," Air India said in a statement. Passengers have been offered the option of full refunds ...Read More >
Srinagar, Aug 3 (PTI) The political parties in Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday condemned the assault on employees of a private airline by an Army officer at Srinagar International Airport last week, saying the officer must be held accountable. "This is gundagardi!! This incident took place at Srinagar Airport, where an Army officer was seen brutally assaulting SpiceJet staff member(s), leaving him with serious injuries. It is highly condemnable & shameful. The officer must be held accountable," National Conference spokesperson Sarah Hayat Shah said in a post on X. PDP leader Iltija Mufti also de ...Read More >