Indian airlines suspended flights and adjusted routes after a volcanic ash plume from Ethiopia entered Indian airspace, prompting inspections and regulatory safety measures.
Indian aviation
India is facing a pressing shortage of pilots, with the Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu warning that approximately 30,000 new pilots will be required to man the 1,700 aircraft currently on order by domestic airlines.
Akasa Air (QP) is positioning itself for a significant expansion by tapping into the forthcoming green-field airports at Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMI) and Noida International Airport (DXN).
Goyal discussed India’s expanding aviation sector and pointed to planned direct flights between Air India (AI) and Air New Zealand by 2028.
Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM), Mumbai will halt all flight operations for six hours on Thursday, November 20, as part of its annual post-monsoon maintenance.
The DGCA has proposed new refund norms allowing passengers to cancel or modify tickets within 48 hours of booking without extra charges, alongside stricter refund timelines and accountability for airlines.
Saudi Arabian low-cost carrier flyadeal (F3) will begin flights to India in 2026, connecting Riyadh (RUH), Jeddah (JED), Dammam (DMM), and Medina (MED) with “four to five” destinations across the country.
In a landmark move for India’s civil aviation manufacturing sector, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (PJSC-UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to produce the SJ-100 civil commuter aircraft in India.
Despite being a major aircraft buyer, India still makes up only 2% of the global aerospace supply chain. However, experts expect this to rise to 10% in the near future.
The problem of large-scale recruitment of Indian pilots and engineers by foreign airlines, particularly those in the Gulf, has emerged.