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Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Air passengers in Delhi’s national capital region can expect cheaper fares if they fly out of Noida’s Jewar airport, as airlines are seeking discounts on various charges for shifting to the new airport that is likely to begin operations in the second half of 2025. Airports impose several charges on carriers for using their amenities, including landing fees and parking fees (based on weight of the aircraft), charges for air traffic control services, ground handling fees (like baggage handling), and terminal charges for using passenger facilities.

White House took a lighthearted turn when President Trump became distracted by JD Vance.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Saudi Arabia's upcoming second national airline, Riyadh Air, is expected to start operations in India in 2026. According to Tony Douglas, chief executive officer (CEO) of Riyadh Air, the airline is open to partnering with Indian airlines like Air India and IndiGo and Indian information technology (IT) companies for its digital infrastructure.

Southwest Airlines recently announced that it will start charging customers a fee for checked bags and has ended its decades-old free policy, which its executive earlier described as a major differentiator from the budget carrier's rivals. According to Reuters, Tuesday's decision by the airline comes as its lackluster earnings fueled pressure to revamp the business model. Marking a departure from his passenger-friendly policies, this comes after it announced plans to end open seating last year.

Air India and IndiGo, to capitalize on the growing demand in the Indian market, according to a top executive. In an interview with PTI, Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas noted the importance of the Indian subcontinent to the airline's expansion plans. «It's not secret for us the importance of India and therefore we'll look to explore see whether its of interest of both parties...we're interested in the opinions that Air India and IndiGo have got. Hopefully, very excited announcements,» he said.

Air India has expanded its Premium Economy Class offering, by doubling of premium seat sales over the past three years. Now, the airline has introduced Premium Economy fares starting at just Rs 599 more than Standard Economy fares on domestic flights for a limited time, offering an affordable upgrade with pricing that varies by route and demand.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. In the last year, I noticed a pattern in the stories that people were telling about their stock picks—and in bull markets, everyone has a story. Most stories were about companies supplying either goods or services to a government or a quasi-government entity, maybe for highways, railways, power, defence or something of that kind.

Southwest Airlines said Tuesday that it will begin charging customers a fee to check bags, abandoning a decades-long practice that executives had described last fall as key to differentiating the budget carrier from its rivals. Southwest, which built years of advertising campaigns around its policy of letting passengers check up to two bags for free, said people who haven't either reached the upper tiers of its Rapid Rewards loyalty program, bought a business class ticket or hold the airline's credit card will have to pay for checked bags. The airline did not outline the fee schedule but said the new policy would start with May 28 bookings.

pilots in the next 15-20 years as domestic airlines have more than 1,700 planes on order as they expand their network, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said on Tuesday. Asserting that the ministry is working with a collective approach for the aviation industry, he also said that officials are verifying various aspects of 38 Flying Training Organisations (FTOs) and these organisations will be rated. The minister was speaking at a function to mark the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for an order for 200 trainer aircraft. Indian airlines have placed orders for more than 1,700 aircraft and currently, there are over 800 planes, Naidu said.

Holi sales, offering discounts on domestic and international flights. Akasa Air, IndiGo, and Star Air have all introduced limited-time fare reductions, making air travel more affordable for passengers planning trips around the festive season. Akasa Air has announced discounted fares across its network, with all-inclusive one-way domestic tickets starting from ₹1,499. Customers can also avail up to 15% off on Saver and Flexi base fares for both domestic and international routes by using the promo code HOLI15. Additionally, the airline is offering a flat 15% discount on seat selection for all flights. The sale is applicable for bookings made between March 10 and March 13, 2025, for travel starting March 17, 2025. It covers non-stop and connecting flights across Akasa Air’s network, with a requirement of at least seven days’ advance booking.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Coforge Ltd’s recent announcement of its largest-ever contract with Sabre Corp brought cheers to shareholders, but at least three analysts have raised concerns about the Texas-based travel technology company's ability to see through the deal and make timely payments due to its weak financial health. The country’s seventh-largest software services provider announced a 13-year contract with Sabre late last Tuesday, valued at $1.56 billion.

«The aircraft is grounded and will be back in operations post necessary repairs and clearance,» the statement said. «At IndiGo, the safety of our customers, crew, and aircraft is our top priority. We operate with the highest standards of safety. We regret any inconvenience caused to our customers due to subsequent cancellations due to this grounding,» the statement added.

Air India Express will begin flight services to Bhubaneswar from the Hindon civil terminal on March 30, making it the eighth new route to be introduced from the airport this month. The airline has already announced flights to Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata, Chennai, Jammu, and two Bengaluru services. Hindon’s civil terminal, launched in October 2019 under the Centre’s UDAN scheme, has been gradually expanding its domestic network. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi confirmed the upcoming Bhubaneswar connection on social media. «Aviation Bonanza for #Bhubaneswar! Sincere gratitude to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi as new flights to Ghaziabad (Hindon) and Port Blair take off shortly under the #NewDestinationPolicy—boosting tourism, trade, and seamless connectivity,» he wrote on X. Officials at Hindon are awaiting formal confirmation. «The official confirmation on Bhubaneswar from Hindon will be made in a day or two. But from March 30, the operation on the said route is most likely to start. We are working on the schedule, the announcement for which will be made shortly,» an AI Express representative said.

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Ahead of the summer season, India's two leading airlines are ramping up their international presence. IndiGo, the market leader in the Indian international segment, has announced four new destinations—Mauritius, Langkawi, Penang and Medinah.

Indira Gandhi International Airport. The elderly passenger, the widow of a decorated Lieutenant General, had pre-booked a wheelchair with Air India for her Delhi-to-Bengaluru flight on 4th March. But when she arrived at Terminal 3, no wheelchair was provided despite repeated requests. Her granddaughter, Paraul Kanwar, recounted the ordeal in a viral post on X (formerly Twitter). “We tried for almost an hour, requesting airline staff, the airport help desk, even alternate airline staff from IndiGo (who had a free wheelchair but refused to share).” With no help in sight, the frail woman attempted to walk across three parking lanes with the support of a family member. But exhaustion took its toll. Near the Air India premium economy counter, her legs gave way. She collapsed.

Avelo Airlines has expanded its air travel operations further with the inauguration of its latest base at the Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in North Carolina's Charlotte region. The base was inaugurated on Thursday (March 6). Highlighting the advantages the new base would offer, a section on Avelo's website says the Concord-Padgett airport offers convenient access to the greater Charlotte area, which is a major financial hub.

Thermal runaway occurs when batteries experience harm or receive substandard management. This leads to dangerous levels of heat, combined with smoke and potential for fires. The aviation industry faces serious safety concerns because of this risk, which led to airline policies undergoing modifications.

Sun Country Airlines. The airline said that Flight SY593, which was headed for the Mazatlan International Airport in Mexico from MSP, was diverted «out of an abundance of caution in response to a security concern», according to CBS News.

Greg Foran will step down in October 2025 after five years leading the airline through a turbulent period marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, global supply chain disruptions, and ongoing engine maintenance challenges. The airline has started the search for his replacement. Foran, a former Walmart executive, joined Air New Zealand just before the COVID-19 pandemic began. He steered the company through border closures, component shortages, and the grounding of aircraft. He also oversaw a retrofit programme for the airline’s Dreamliner fleet, which is expected to be completed by end 2025. Foran’s departure comes as the airline grapples with a complex operating environment, including intense competition from Australian rivals Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia, and the impact of New Zealand's relatively small domestic market. The airline's recent financial performance reflects these challenges, with an 18% drop in first-half profit reported in February 2025.

A power outage at Baltimore-Washington International Airport is causing significant flight delays and other interruptions to air travel

DIAL has launched the UTAM system that will help reduce delays, improve turnaround time and also track the speed of all airside vehicles to check for any violations, among other elements. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Internet of Things (IoT), and radar systems, the Unified Total Airside Management (UTAM) will collect data, help identify issues or delays and trigger alerts to prevent problems before they happen, according to a release. The Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL) has established a centralised control room to monitor and manage all activities, and the UTAM will track all airside vehicles such as baggage carts, fuel trucks and maintenance vehicles, in real-time. Generally, airside operations refer to those activities related to an aircraft, including take-off, landing, parking and refuelling. Multiple stakeholders, including ground handling service providers are involved.