India's economic engine is revving up, but navigating the global headwinds requires sharp strategy. The rupee's recent volatility against the dollar underscores the complexities facing Indian businesses, impacting everything from import-export trade to domestic inflation. This week alone, we've seen significant shifts in the IT sector, with major players announcing restructuring and a renewed focus on AI-driven solutions. Meanwhile, the burgeoning startup ecosystem continues to attract substantial funding, despite a cautious global investor sentiment. The government's recent policy announcements on infrastructure development and digitalization are poised to further shape the business landscape, creating both opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs and established corporations alike. Understanding these market dynamics is crucial for success in today's rapidly evolving Indian economy. Stay informed with Abtak.com for the latest insights and analysis on key sectors including finance, manufacturing, and technology – empowering your business decisions in a dynamic market. Explore the complete business news section now to stay ahead of the curve.
Mumbai, Jan 10 (PTI) Domestic carrier SpiceJet on Friday announced plans to bring back into operations 10 of its grounded aircraft, including four Boeing B737 Max, by mid-April. The airline said it has added 10 planes to its fleet since October 2024 -- three grounded aircraft that were brought back into service and seven inducted on lease. The move comes close on the heels of SpiceJet signing a pact with US-based engine MRO StandardAero Inc last month for the restoration of its grounded MAX fleet. SpiceJet has 28 aircraft, of the total 62 in the fleet, in operations, comprising 20 B737, six De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 and two Airbus A320, as on January 10 as per flight tracking website planespotter.com. The remaining 34 aircraft -- 16 B737s and 18 De Havilland Canada DHC-8 Dash 8 -- are on the ground due to various reasons, as per the website. The return of 10 grounded aircraft back into operations will help the airline significantly increase its current fleet of 28 aircraft, even as some of these planes are redelivered to lessors during the same period, SpiceJet said. Over the past three months, SpiceJet said its network expansion strategy has resulted in the addition of more than 60 new flights, further enhancing connectivity and service options for its passengers. This pact with StandardAero Inc followed successful partnerships with CFM International, Inc, the OEM for LEAP-1B engines, and a key lessor, paving the way for the un-grounding and return to service of three Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, SpiceJet said.
Mumbai: Air India has issued a statement explaining the reason behind the delay in the take off of the Bangkok-bound Air India Flight AI 2354, on June 25. The flight was delayed for more than 5 hours after hay was discovered lodged beneath the left wing of the aircraft, the airline confirmed in a statement. Reportedly, Flight AI 2354, operated by an Airbus A320Neo, was scheduled to depart Mumbai at 7:45 AM but took off only around 1:00 PM. The airline's immediate action in the matter resulted in the quick removal of the hay, stated the airline. The aircraft was subsequently deemed fit for ope ...Read More >
BENGALURU - The fuel control switch went off within three seconds of take-off, leading both engines to shut down moments before the Air India Boeing 787 London-bound flight crashed in Ahmedabad, said a preliminary report by the Indian government. The 15-page report was released by India's Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) late on July 11, detailing findings from its probe into the plane crash on June 12 that killed 260 people - 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 individuals on the ground. Only one passenger miraculously survived. The crux of the preliminary report is its ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, July 14 (Reuters) - The probe into last month's Air India Dreamliner crash in Ahmedabad city is "far from over," CEO Campbell Wilson said in an internal memo on Monday, adding that the airline is open to further inquiries and warned against "premature conclusions." The memo, seen by Reuters, comes after a preliminary report on Saturday showed confusion in the cockpit shortly before the Air India jetliner crashed and killed 260 people last month, after the plane's engine fuel cutoff sw ...Read More >
Delhi, July 15: A SpiceJet flight SG 9282 from Delhi to Mumbai was significantly delayed on Monday, July 15, after two passengers, one of them identified as Yachana Nair, allegedly attempted to forcefully approach the cockpit while the aircraft was taxiing. The incident occurred as the passengers complained of an air conditioning issue, which further led to their offloading and subsequent handover to security personnel. The flight, SG 9282, was preparing for departure from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport when the disruption occurred. According to the airline, the two passengers ig ...Read More >
Hyderabad: In a significant boost for 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbharta' in the aerospace and defence sector, and Hyderabad's growing stature as a global aerospace hub, the complete fuselage of the Rafale fighter jet will now be made in India at Hyderabad. This move marks the first time that these Rafale components will be manufactured outside France for the Indian as well as global markets.French aerospace major Dassault Aviation has signed four production transfer agreements with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL) for manufacturing key sections of the Rafale fighter jet, including the lateral ...Read More >
NEW DELHI, June 3 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi's high-profile attendance at a global airlines conference this week underscores how much India is banking on a boom in aviation to support wider development goals, but headwinds to its ambitions are gathering force. Undeterred by the uncertainty gripping the aviation sector globally due to trade tensions and shaky consumer confidence, India's biggest airlines are ploughing ahead with orders for new planes, following record deals two year ...Read More >
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) informed a parliamentary panel that the initial investigation report on the Air India Flight AI-171 incident in Ahmedabad is still pending, contrary to media reports. The AAIB clarified that the preliminary report will be released within 30 days of the June 12 crash, setting a timeline for the public disclosure of findings. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has clarified to a parliamentary panel that it has not yet submitted the i ...Read More >
Mumbai: Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday asked airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes, a move that comes days after the preliminary probe report into the Air India's Boeing 787 crash found that the switches were cut off before the accident last month. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), back in 2018, had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s. It was mentioned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) but there was no airwort ...Read More >
The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has submitted its initial findings to the Ministry of Civil Aviation regarding the catastrophic crash of Air India Flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad. The tragic accident, which occurred on June 12, involved a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner en route to London and resulted in the loss of 241 lives, including former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. The AAIB's preliminary report -- compiled with assistance from global and domestic aviation experts -- marks the first formal insight into one of India's worst aviation disasters. The aircraft crashed shortly a ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 8 (ANI): Members of Parliament's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Tuesday raised serious concerns over aviation safety following the Air India Flight AI-171 crash in Ahmedabad and the sudden surge in flight fares from Srinagar to other cities after the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, according to sources. The Parliamentary panel today met with top officials from the Civil Aviation Ministry and representatives from major airlines. As per sources, several committe members have expressed strong dissatisfaction over the way various airlines drastically increased their ...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 >
Bhopal: Nabha, the eight-year-old Namibian cheetah in the Kuno national park (KNP) in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday succumbed to injuries that she had sustained while hunting. She had been under treatment for a week for her injuries, KNP field director Uttam Kumar Sharma told this newspaper. "Nabha got badly injured a week back probably during a hunting attempt inside her soft release boma (large enclosure). She had fractures in both ulna (bone in the foreleg) and fibula (smaller of the two outer bones between knee and ankle) on the left side along with other injuries. Further details will be kn ...Read More >
The DGCA is expected to advise airlines using Boeing 787s to inspect the locking mechanism of fuel control switches, in the wake of the Air India crash preliminary report. Amid the ongoing probe with the Air India plane crash, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is likely to instruct airlines to check the locking mechanism of fuel switches, according to CNBC-TV18. The report quoted sources as saying that the DGCA directive would be issued to airlines using Boeing 787 aircraft, and ...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 >
Mumbai: Aviation regulator DGCA on Monday asked airlines to inspect the fuel switch locking system in their Boeing 787 and 737 planes, a move that comes days after the preliminary probe report into the Air India's Boeing 787 crash found that the switches were cut off before the accident last month. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), back in 2018, had flagged the potential disengagement of the fuel control switch locking feature on certain models of Boeing aircraft, including 787s and 737s. It was mentioned in a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) but there was no airwort ...Read More >
NEW DEHLI, India (AFP) -- India and Singapore ordered their airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models, with South Korea set to do the same after the devices came under scrutiny following last month's crash of an Air India jet killed 260 people. Singapore said it detected no problems with switches on its airlines' Boeing aeroplane in the wake of a preliminary Indian-issued report found the devices flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report did not offer any conclusions or apportion blame for the June 12 disaster, but indicated that one pilot asked t ...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 >
Mumbai: A window frame of SpiceJet's aircraft SG-1080 operating its flight to Pune from Goa was found dislodged mid-air but there was no impact on passengers' safety, the airline said on Wednesday. There was no cabin depressurisation as the outer layers of the windowpane remained intact and passenger safety was not compromised, the airline said in a statement. The frame was fixed once the aircraft landed at the Pune airport, in accordance with standard maintenance procedures, the airline said. Mandar Sawant, a passenger on the flight, said, "I was travelling back from Goa to Pune after attend ...Read More >
Hyderabad: AkasaAir has signed a three-year agreement with GMR Aero Technic for base maintenance and support for its Boeing 737 MAX fleet.Currently, the airline has 30 Boeing 737 MAX planes. GMR Aero Tech is aIndia's leading airframe maintenance company. "under the agreement, GMR Aero Technic will undertake scheduled base maintenance checks for Akasa Air's fleet at its state-of-the-art MRO facility, located within the GMR Aerospace & Industrial Park here," said GMR in a release on Monday. "Under the agreement, GMR Aero Technic will undertake scheduled base maintenance checks for Akasa Air'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: Aviation watchdog DGCA will soon come out with streamlined regulations for wet-leasing of planes by Indian airlines that will also entail enhanced oversight of the aircraft, amid airlines looking to operate more planes to meet rising travel demand. With persisting supply chain woes, there is a delay in aircraft deliveries and to meet the near-term needs, carriers are opting for planes on dry and wet leases. A senior official in the know told PTI that the efforts are on to streamline the regulations for wet-leasing of planes to assist in the growth of the aviation. "Realities of the ...Read More >
New Delhi: Weeks after the deadly crash of Air India flight AI-171, families of victims are now accusing the airline of pressuring and misleading them during the early stages of the compensation process. The fatal crash, which resulted in the deaths of 241 of the 242 passengers onboard, occurred moments after the plane took-off from Ahmedabad, en route to London. According to a UK-based law firm representing over 40 families, Air India has allegedly threatened the victims' families with "no compensation" unless they fill out a detailed questionnaire, even as they remain in grief. 'Forced to ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 12 (PTI) Seconds before Air India flight 171 crashed while ascending from Ahmedabad, the fuel control switches of both its engines were cut off, a preliminary investigation report said on Saturday, suggesting a catastrophic pilot error in the cockpit of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The Airlines Pilots Association of India raised the issue with the report, saying the investigation is "shrouded in secrecy," appears to be biased against the pilot and has come to a conclusion hastily. A 15-page preliminary investigation report into the disaster revealed fuel-control switches of the ...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 >
New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): A SpiceJet flight from Delhi to Mumbai on Monday handed over two passengers to CISF for their unruly behaviour for attempting to approach the cockpit while the aircraft was taxiing forcefully. According to a statement from a SpiceJet spokesperson, the incident occurred on flight SG 9282 prior to takeoff. Despite repeated warnings from the cabin crew, fellow passengers, and the Captain, the individuals refused to return to their seats, creating a disruption onboard. 'In the interest of the safety of all passengers and crew, the Captain decided to return the a ...Read More >
Mumbai: In a bizzare incident, an Air India flight scheduled to Bangkok from Mumbai's Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) faced delay by 5+ hours as hay from bird's nest gets stuck in the left wing of Aircaft. Video of the crew trying to clear the wing is taking rounds on social media platforms. The flight tracking website flightradar24.com shows that AI 2354, an Airbus A320Neo plane, was scheduled to depart from Mumbai airport at 7:45 am. The flight departed around 1 am. A video has been surfacing where the airport crew can be seen removing the nest from the aircraft's w ...Read More >
BENGALURU: BBMP marshals deployed at lake security and supervision wing, ward monitoring and Indira Canteens are working without salaries since March. The situation has arisen after Bangalore Solid Waste Management Limited was carved out of BBMP for garbage management. Their salaries are usually given through the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society and each marshal is paid Rs 17,500 monthly. "Supervisors say the delay is due to a set of procedures. Earlier, the amount was given to the Ex-Servicemen Welfare Society towards payments from BBMP. Now the files have to be cleared from BWSML to ward mars ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 2 (ANI): A minor incident occurred on board SpiceJet flight SG 1080 from Goa to Pune on Tuesday, when a cosmetic window frame became loose during the flight. The airline confirmed that the component in question was a non-structural trim piece, used primarily for shading, and did not affect the aircraft's integrity or safety. A spokesperson for SpiceJet said the incident involved a superficial frame on one of the windows of the Q400 aircraft, which became dislodged during the flight. 'A cosmetic window frame on one of SpiceJet's Q400 aircraft became loose during fligh ...Read More >
Pune: Passengers on board a Goa to Pune SpiceJet flight (SG-1080) had a scare on Tuesday evening when a window panel was found dislodged while the plane was mid-air.The airline played down the incident, saying the window part that had come off was "a non-structural trim component, fitted onto the window for the purpose of shade".But a person on board the plane -- a Bombardier Q400 -- told TOI the incident triggered anxiety among the passengers. "Two to three layers of the window panel just came off," said Aatish Mishra, the passenger."There was no depressurization, but this shouldn't have happ ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], July 4 (ANI): SpiceJet on Thursday acknowledged that some passengers are currently facing difficulties in reaching the airline's customer care helpline due to intermittent technical issues. The airline said efforts are underway to restore normal functioning as soon as possible. In an official message on X, SpiceJet stated, 'We are currently experiencing intermittent issues with our SpiceJet Customer Care helpline numbers. We assure you that our relevant teams are working to resolve this as soon as possible. In the meantime, please connect with us through our official social ...Read More >