Singapore Airlines A380 diverts to New Delhi on medical emergency

by Devesh Agarwal

Just as there are talks of permitting A380 operations in India, a Singapore Airlines Airbus A380-800 registration 9V-SKT operating flight SQ321 from London Heathrow, United Kingdom to Singapore Changi airport, with 388 passengers onboard (number of crew unknown at this time) was forced to divert to New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), India, due to a medical emergency.

Singapore Airlines A380-800. Image copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission. May not be copied or re-distributed.

The flight landed at 12:29 local (06:59Z). The ill passenger was taken to the airport hospital for check-up and treatment. The flight departed for Singapore at 14:30 (09:00Z).

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British Airways to commence 787 service to Hyderbad in March 2014

by Devesh Agarwal

Image courtesy British Airways

Flag carrier British Airways will bring its latest aircraft, the 787-8 Dreamliner to India in the summer 2014 schedule which starts on March 30th. The aircraft has 214 seats in a three-class cabin layout with 35 business class seats, 25 economy plus, and 154 economy class seats. The aircraft features the latest cabin product of British Airways, though the economy class is the bone crunching nine-abreast seating.

Hyderabad will be the first destination in India, as the airline currently flies a daily 767-300 to the city with 189 seats in a three-class cabin layout with 24 business, 24 economy plus and 141 economy class seats.

The most rational explanation for the airline to operate the 787 to Hyderabad appears to be the similarity in size.

British Airways is also expanding routes using its new aircraft. Their A380 will begin flying between London Heathrow and Washington Dulles from September 1, 2014. The aircraft is already flying between London Heathrow and Los Angeles and Hong Kong direct, and will start services between London and Johannesburg in February 2014.

The airline's Boeing 787s will fly nonstop between London and Austin, Texas from March 3, 2014, Philadelphia, USA, from June 5 and Calgary, Canada from July 5, 2014. In addition to Hyderabad, the 787 will commence Chengdu, China as another Asian destination from May 5, 2014.

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Air India to launch 787 on Mumbai - London Heathrow

by BA Staff

National carrier Air India is bringing the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner to its services between its secondary hub at Mumbai and London Heathrow International Airport from 30th March, 2014. Schedules for the flight are as follow

AI131 ~ BOM - LHR ~ D: 0630 A: 1130 ~ 788 ~ Daily

AI130 ~ LHR - BOM ~ D: 1315 A: 0305+1 ~ 788 ~ Daily

Additionally, Bangalore Aviation's sources tell us that new nonstop services between Air India's largest international hub at Delhi and Moscow will soon be loaded into the global distribution system (GDS). Air India already has won approval to launch Delhi-Moscow from the Indian government. 

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British Airways celebrates launching its A380 service to Hong Kong

By BA Staff

The exclusive event, billed as a ‘Gig on a Wing’ showcased the very best of British Airways, to an audience that included Keith Williams, British Airways’ Chief Executive and special guests from Hong Kong’s aviation, travel, business, entertainment and hospitality industry.

Keith Williams, British Airways’ chief executive, said:

“Today marks another milestone in our long and proud tradition of connecting Hong Kong and London – two truly global hubs. For over three quarters of a century, this city has been an important part of British Airways’ worldwide network, so we are extremely delighted to be operating the state-of-the-art A380 onthe route, and to also be the first to fly it non-stop between Hong Kong and Europe.”

British Airways’ ‘Gig on a Wing’ event launched with a fashion show by British designer Alice Temperley MBE. Models descended the steps of the A380 aircraft onto British Airways’ specially created “runway” catwalk. Alice Temperley who has designed dresses for stars including Keira Knightly, Rihanna, Beyonce and The Duchess of Cambridge said:

“I was thrilled to be asked by British Airways to showcase my new Spring/Summer 2014 collection in Hong Kong and at such a unique and glamorous event. The people here really appreciate cutting edge design, fine tailoring and effortless style, very similar to that of British Airways new A380”.

This was followed by a live performance from multi-platinum selling artist and former X-Factor winner Leona Lewis. Lewis performed tracks on a specially created stage, flush with the A380’s 261-foot twin-engine wing. Leona’s set included a cover of Lenny Kravitz’s “Fly Away”, her number 1 selling track “Bleeding Love” and "Come Alive".

Supermodel Georgia May Jagger, daughter of Rolling Stones legend Mick Jagger took to the stage with Keith Williams to close the evening with a prize draw, which consisted of two British Airways Club World tickets to London on the new A380 and a stay at The Langham London.

Georgia May Jagger said:

“I'm so happy British Airways invited me to Hong Kong on their first A380 flight. The service, food and flat beds on the long haul flights are second to none and I always arrive feeling well rested. I love Hong Kong too and look forward to returning and spending more time in this great city”.

British Airways operates two daily non-stop flights between Hong Kong and London Heathrow. The A380 will serve flight BA25 from London to Hong Kong, and BA26 from Hong Kong to London.

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British Airways increases London Chennai frequency to six flights a week

by Devesh Agarwal

British Airways Boeing 777-200ER. Photo © Devesh Agarwal.

From October 27, flag carrier British Airways will add an additional weekly flight on the London Heathrow Chennai route, taking its weekly frequency to six.

With this flight the airline will increase its weekly flights to 48 to five cities in India, Bangalore, Chennai, Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad.

The carrier will continue to use a three class Boeing 777-200ER aircraft with Club World business class, World Traveller Plus premium economy, and World Traveller economy class cabins.

The flight schedule remains the same.

BA35 departs London Heathrow at 09:30 arrives Chennai 01:00 the next morning
BA36 departs Chennai at 04:00 arrives London Heathrow 09:35.

BA Lockheed L-1011. Photo by Michel Gilliand. Under GNU Lic.

British Airways first commenced service from London Heathrow to Chennai on November 3, 1988 with twice weekly flights via Kuwait City using a Lockheed TriStar L1011-385-1 aircraft. At that time, Terminal 4 at Heathrow airport was used. Today it is the ultra-large Terminal 5 or T5 as it is better known.

In October 1993, the flights were increased to four a week via Mumbai or Dubai using Boeing 767 and 747 aircraft. In November 1995 British Airways celebrated its 1000th flight to Chennai which at that time was a thrice weekly service via Mumbai using Boeing 747s. In the summer 1997 time-table the airline suspended its flights to the city. In October 1998 British Airways re-started twice weekly services to Chennai using the Boeing 747-400. This service was upgraded to five a week in 2008.

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Royal Brunei Airlines receives its first Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner

Boeing (NYSE: BA) delivered to Royal Brunei Airlines, the flag carrier of the Sultanate of Brunei, the airline's and South-East Asia's first 787 Dreamliner. The carrier has ordered a total of five aircraft.

The 787 is scheduled to begin flying regionally to Singapore on October 18, with long-haul service to London, via Dubai, set to begin on December 1. Royal Brunei anticipates delivering on its promise of all Dreamliner long-haul service in the second quarter of 2014 when it will introduce the 787 on flights to Melbourne, Australia.

The airplane flew 6,540 nautical miles (12,112 km) non-stop from Paine Field, Everett, Washington state, home to Bandar Seri Begawan international airport in Brunei.

Dermot Mannion, chairman of Royal Brunei Airlines said

"This exciting addition keeps passenger comfort and high quality service at the heart of our airline and is yet another effort to ensure our fleet remains modern and offers peaceful and tranquil travel," "As a small airline we offer truly personal service, delighting our passengers with an authentic Bruneian grace to enrich their journeys."

Dinesh Keskar, senior vice president of Asia Pacific and India Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes, said

"We are delighted that Royal Brunei Airlines has chosen to expand its fleet with five 787s," "The choice is a testament to the airline's commitment to offer the best possible service to its passengers and to operate the most efficient airplane flying today."

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British Airways long haul network changes: Summer 2014

by BA Staff

London based full service carrier British Airways has already begun to announce changes to its long haul network for the Summer 2014 season. Bangalore Aviation has prepared a summary of those changes below.

London Heathrow

• Accra - 10x weekly service introduced for Winter 2013/14 continues and sees capacity increase from daily Boeing 777 + thrice weekly Boeing 767 to daily 747-400 plus thrice weekly 767.
• Austin - NEW nonstop route to be served 5x weekly with Boeing 787 Dreamliner beginning 3rd March 2014, and up-gauged to daily from 4th May. 
• Entebbe - Service increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Jeddah - Upgraded from 3-class 767 to 4-class 777
• Johannesburg - Frequency decreased from 17x weekly in Summer 2013 to 14x weekly in Summer 2014: 8x weekly 747-400, 6x Airbus A380
• Los Angeles - Capacity decreased from 3x daily 747-400 to 2x daily A380
• Seattle - Frequency increased from 10x weekly introduced for Winter 2013/14 to 12x weekly: now daily 777 plus 5x weekly 747-400
• Tel Aviv- One of 3x daily flights up-gauged from 3-class Airbus A321 to 4-class 777

London Gatwick

• Antigua - Punta Cana - Increases from 2x weekly to 3x weekly 777
• Kingston - Increases from 3x weekly to 4x weekly
• Orlando - Increases from 10x weekly to 13x weekly
• St. Lucia - Increases from 6x weekly to 7x weekly

All changes are Summer 2014 vs. Summer 2013 unless otherwise noted

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Routes: easyJet to begin services between Jersey and London Gatwick

British low cost carrier (LCC) easyJet has announced new thrice daily service between Jersey and its hub at London Gatwick commencing 30th March 2014 utilizing 156 seat Airbus A319 aircraft. Find out more details below.

28th August 2013

easyJet, the UK’s largest airline has today announced it is increasing its Jersey network with the introduction of a year-round service to London Gatwick.

From 30 March 2014 easyJet will operate three flights per day between Jersey and London Gatwick offering the choice of a morning, afternoon and evening departure in each direction. The new service will go on sale in September 2013 and means easyJet now connect Jersey with five UK airports – London Gatwick, Southend, Liverpool, Newcastle and Glasgow.

The announcement follows a deal secured by easyJet earlier this year to purchase 25 additional slots at Gatwick Airport from Flybe. Since this time, the airline has worked closely with the route development team at Jersey Airport to expand its operation in the Island and enhance connections to London Gatwick. The new flight will be operated by an Airbus A319 aircraft with the capacity of 156 seats.

Group CEO for Ports of Jersey, Doug Bannister, is delighted by the announcement and says the confirmation will offer an excellent and affordable choice for both leisure and business passengers.

UK Commercial Manager for easyJet, Ali Gayward, says: “easyJet is pleased to confirm it will introduce new flights between Jersey and London Gatwick from spring 2014, which underlines our continued commitment to serving Jersey.

“The new early flight will allow business travellers to reach London in time for meetings while the evening departure enables them to travel home on the same day. The introduction of low cost seats will also help to boost tourism to Jersey.

“In developing our plans for London Gatwick we have listened to all the points made by Economic Development and Jersey Airport. Their enthusiasm to work with easyJet has been clear from the start and we hope this support will continue to make the route a success”.

Minister for Economic Development, Senator Alan Maclean, says: “Today’s announcement once again demonstrates easyJet’s continuing confidence in Jersey, which has continued to flourish since it first established services from the Island in 2008. The airline has the capability of delivering in excess of a quarter of a million passengers per year on the Gatwick route alone, which will be of great benefit to the vitally important tourism and business economy”.

Provisional schedule for summer 2014 – timings to be confirmed in September.

London Gatwick – Jersey             Jersey – London Gatwick
Depart Arrive                     Depart       Arrive
07:00 08:00                      08:30       09:30
14:30 15:30                      16:00       17:00
17:30 18:30                      19:00       20:00

The introduction of a London Gatwick service brings the total number of routes the airline serves from Jersey to five. In addition to its exiting year-round services to Liverpool, Glasgow and London Southend, the airline also introduced a summer service to Newcastle earlier this year.

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Malaysia Airlines posts operating profit in Q2 2013

by Vinay Bhaskara

Newly minted oneworld alliance member Malaysia Airlines saw progress in Q2 2013 in its corporate turnaround plan as the carrier swung to a RM (Malaysian Ringgit) 8 million (US $2.4 million) operating profit from an operating loss of RM 102 million (US $31.0 million) during the same period a year prior.

The performance was buoyed by 14% revenue growth on a 19% increase in capacity. Traffic grew 29% pushing seat load factors to a 10 year high of 80%. Q2 marked the fourth consecutive quarter of positive cash-flow from operations and Group cash balance improved to RM 5.4 billion (US $1.64 billion).

Net losses for Q2 were reduced 50% to RM 176 million ($53.5 million) as the carrier increased productivity and controlled costs; especially fuel expense, which fell 7.5% year-over-year. For the first half of 2013, operating loss was RM 157 million (US $47.7 million) and net loss was RM 455 million (US $138.3 million - down from RM 409 million [US $124.4 million] and RM 521 million [US $158.3 million] respectively).

Said Malaysia Airlines Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya:

With the encouraging performance at the revenue generation level, we can now focus on implementing more structural improvements, including enhancing our administration and support services. We will continue to improve operational effectiveness such as continued improvement in our On Time Performance, turn times on our aircraft, better engineering service turnaround, reducing service disruptions, precise material and inventory management, and much more which will further contribute to the bottom-line in the future.

Quarters three and four are traditionally the strongest for Malaysia Airlines, and the carrier has made its first Q2 operating profit in several years. The carrier still hopes to reach net profitability by the end of 2014 and claims that it is on track to meet that metric. Having taken delivery of 6 A380s, 7 A330s, and 8 Boeing 737-800s over the past 12 months, passengers carried grew to 4.2 million passengers.

Premium cabin demand received a boost on the introduction of the 494-seat Airbus A380, with premium cabin (First and Business) demand up 36% year-over-year on a 17% increase in capacity. The A380 has already been deployed to London, Paris, and Hong Kong from Malaysia Airlines' hub at Kuala Lampur.

Malaysia Airlines is one the largest overseas carriers in India, and is slated to launch services to Kochi in September

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787 Dreamliners alone cannot save an inefficient Air India

by Devesh Agarwal

Recent media reports blare the headline

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner, the latest acquisition of Air India, is likely to shore up the fortune of India's national carrier.

This is backed by the many advertisements portraying some of the top Indian CEOs, giving big thumbs up after travelling in the next generation flying machine of India’s national carrier.

Various media reports quote the Indian civil aviation minister Ajit Singh, on the planned expansion of Air India's network using the 787 Dreamliners. In a press release by the Indian Government, the minister spells out progress on the Dreamliner battery modification

The Minister for Civil Aviation , Shri Ajit Singh has said that out of six Dreamliners, two Dreamliners have already been modified for commercial operations and all 6 planes will be ready for operation by the end of this month.

Singh goes on to reveal a few financial performance parameters of the airline. In typical government fashion, the information reveals a small part of the story while concealing the essential. Reported is the increase in yield (revenue per passenger-kilometre) but hidden is crucial information like cost per passenger-kilometre, since revenue minus cost reveals the true performance of the airline, which the government will never report to the tax-payer whose money is being used to fund the airline.

Statistics aside, the main question here is: Why is the Indian minister for civil aviation making operational announcements about the airline? Globally it is the top management of the airline performing this task. Is Singh also assuming the duties of the Chairman and Managing Director of the Air India? Why is Ajit Singh also doing Rohit Nandan’s job? Should Singh not be concerned more about the abysmal performance of the DGCA in the sphere of safety regulation and the impending audit by ICAO?

Singh should let Nandan do his job, while he focusses on building a strong policy and robust regulatory structure for the benefit of the entire Indian aviation sector, and not just individual airlines.

These actions exemplify the daily and deep interference by the political and administrative class in the operations of ‘India’s National Carrier’, and how the airline's leadership, which is beholden to the political and bureaucratic establishment for their jobs, are side-lined.

As a result the airline leadership is rendered powerless, and relieved from any ownership of performance, and by extension absolved of responsibility for results.

In my humble opinion, this is akin to a criminal abandonment of one's duties and responsibilities.

Air India is losing thousands of crores each year and has racked up debts exceeding a mind blowing 53,400 crores ($8.9 billion) till date; and, and no one is held accountable!!!

Recently Air India was given a mammoth Rs. 30,000 crore bailout or Rs. one crore for each of its 30,000 employees in an over-bloated workforce. In comparison India's health department budget for last year was Rs. 28,000 crore. Surely India does not need a 'national airline' more than the health of its citizens.

The politicians appear to be the driving force of this "feel happy" message on the 787 to deflect from some horrid truths. The Indian public is being kept blissfully unaware, much of the airline's modern Boeing 777 fleet remains grounded due to a lack of spare parts; shocking considering most of the bailout money has already been spent. Read related story.

In another example of political interference killing the airline, in 2006, Air India was forced to buy the special purpose ultra-long range Boeing 777-200LR, to fulfil the pipe-dreams of non-stop Indian USA flights, of then civil aviation administration led by Praful Patel. Even as the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) questioned the purchase of the 777LR's itself, the configuration of aircraft shows the wasteful nature of "planning" at the airline.

Air India's 777-200LRs are configured with a pathetic 238 seats in 8/35/195 first, business, and economy class. In comparison, global airlines offer many more economy class seats, the type of passengers Air India most commonly flies. Emirates offers 10.7% more seats, Air Canada 17% more, even Qatar Airways, rated one of the most luxurious economy class in the world, offers 10.6% more economy class seats.

The airline has been trying to sell these LRs since 2009, but this is a special use aircraft with very few airlines as takers; and within this limited market, no airline in its right mind will buy such an uneconomically configured aircraft with so few seats. The advice of many an aviation expert for Air India to re-configure its LRs and increase seats, have fallen of deaf ears.

The airline is forced to fly this uneconomic configuration, and the political spin machine generates stories that the 777 is not a commercially viable aircraft. The sales performance of the 777 speaks for itself. The 777 is one of the most successful aircraft in history with over 1,400 orders and 1,105 deliveries till date. The new Boeing 777X project is expected to replace the venerable 747 Jumbo Jet in the next decade. The two largest 777 operators in the world are Emirates and Singapore Airlines, essentially India's neighbours.

If blowing up precious tax-payer rupees and not repairing, improving and deploying, the existing fleet is a criminal waste, what would you call the misinformation and misdirection?

Another quote by the minister that needs to be placed in perspective

"The Boeing 787 has the optimal size and range to allow Air India to not only operate its current routes more profitably, but also to open up new markets giving Air India a true first mover advantage,"

Where were these grand plans in July 2012 Mr. Minister?

Qatar Airways had made a lot of publicity in London that they would be the first carrier to operate the Dreamliner in to the prestigious city. Their deliveries were additionally delayed. Air India, which constantly complains of competition from the gulf carriers, received its Dreamliners months ahead of Qatar Airways, and could have destroyed the million dollar campaign of Qatar by operating the 787 to London, its largest international destination. The lack of a logical answer as to why Air India chose not to, is so compelling, one is forced to ask, is this a result of "lobbying" or some quid-pro-quo?

Instead of obtaining first mover advantage at one of the world's most premium destinations, Air India operated the Dreamliner, on routes like Dubai, which is filled with low yielding low cost labour traffic. Instead of London, its largest international destination, Air India operated 787s to Frankfurt, where it constantly loses to global network behemoths like Lufthansa. When I asked why, there was no logical answer, but sources in the airline told me, the airline was just ordered to fly the Frankfurt route, at the behest of "someone in power".

Air India continues to remain a wife with 1,000 husbands - interfered with, used and abused, by all of its stakeholders, with the exception of the tax-payer whose money is being burnt like the fuel in jet engines.

The 787 Dreamliner is a good and fuel efficient aircraft that will benefit Air India, if used properly; but any person with a modicum of common sense will realise just even this next generation fuel efficient aircraft alone cannot save an inefficiently and negligently run airline.

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Routes Analysis: British Airways grows Hyderabad - London

by Vinay Bhaskara

British Airways wide-bodies on the ramp at their global hub at London Heathrow

From October 27th, London based full service carrier British Airways will be up-gauging its services between Hyderabad and its global hub at London Heathrow to daily flights utilizing Boeing 777-200ER aircraft configured in a 275 seat 3-class configuration (48J/24Y+/203Y), including flat beds in Club World. The flights are currently served with 3-class Boeing 767-300ER aircraft configured with 189 seats (24J/24Y+/141Y) 6 times per week, and an up-gauge was already planned to 6 weekly flights on the 777-200ER for IATA Winter 2013-14.

Said Christopher Fordyce, British Airways Regional Commercial Manager India:

For British Airways, Hyderabad is truly a key market in our South Asian network. We have witnessed tremendous growth in the market since 2008, resulting in concerted growth in the outbound business and leisure tourism.... Our customers from Hyderabad will now be able to enjoy daily service to the UK whilst enjoying British Airways' unmatched inflight services and flying experience,

British Airways is the only European carrier remaining with service to Hyderabad, where yields for long haul connections to Europe and North America are coming under increasing pressure from the MEB3 carriers Emirates, Etihad Airways, and Qatar Airways (plus potentially an entrance from Turkish Airlines). Since the Global Financial Crisis in 2008-9, business traffic to and from Hyderabad has largely plateaued while leisure and VFR traffic has continued to grow. But such traffic is by and large, too low-yielding to sustain the European carriers with their ever increasing cost bases. KLM ended its short-lived Hyderabad services in 2008 after launching in 2005, while Lufthansa ended its Frankfurt - Hyderabad flights in 2011.

Hyderabad is still a massive demand center for services to North America. In 2011, Hyderabad had 481,748 passengers worth of origin and destination demand (O&D) demand to and from the United States. With 21 North American destinations served through its London Heathrow hub (plus Raleigh Durham through the joint venture partnership with American Airlines) - British Airways appears to be doing good business connecting passengers between Hyderabad and the US, and it has an advantage over the MEB3 who only serve 7-8 passenger destinations in North America. 

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Post 787 fire, UK air accident investigator recommends review of all Lithium powered ELTs on all aircraft

by Devesh Agarwal

The United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has issued a special bulletin (read PDF here) on the fire that broke out on Ethiopian Airline's Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner ET-AOP, parked at London's Heathrow airport last Friday.

In the report, the AAIB said the fire occurred in the rear upper fuselage where the fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) is located. The ELT model RESCU406AFN is made by US aviation major, Honeywell International.

The report says

Detailed examination of the ELT has shown some indications of disruption to the battery cells. It is not clear however, whether the combustion in the area of the ELT was initiated by a release of energy within the batteries or by an external mechanism such as an electrical short. In the case of an electrical short, the same batteries could provide the energy for an ignition and suffer damage in the subsequent fire.

There are no other aircraft system in this area of the plane which, with the aircraft unpowered, contained stored energy capable of causing such a fire,

However, the report also gives some benefit of doubt to Honeywell, saying

The ELT manufacturer has produced some 6,000 units of this design which are fitted to a wide range of aircraft and, to date, the incident on 12 July 2013 has been the only significant thermal event

The AAIB has made two safety recommendations in its report:

Safety Recommendation 2013-016
It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration initiate action for making inert the Honeywell International RESCU406AFN fixed Emergency Locator Transmitter system in Boeing 787 aircraft until appropriate airworthiness actions can be completed.

Safety Recommendation 2013-017
It is recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration, in association with other regulatory authorities, conduct a safety review of installations of Lithium-powered Emergency Locator Transmitter systems in other aircraft types and, where appropriate, initiate airworthiness action.

Aircraft manufacturer Boeing released a statement saying

As a party to the investigation, Boeing supports the two recommendations from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), which we think are reasonable precautionary measures to take as the investigation proceeds. We are working proactively to support the regulatory authorities in taking appropriate action in response to these recommendations, in coordination with our customers, suppliers, and other commercial airplane manufacturers.

We are confident the 787 is safe and we stand behind its overall integrity.

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Images: Singapore Airlines unveils new cabin product for its Airbus A350XWB and Panasonic eX3 IFE for 777

Small portion of existing Boeing 777-300ER (77W) fleet also to be refitted.

by Devesh Agarwal

National carrier Singapore Airlines unveiled its next generation of cabin products, which will be deployed on its Airbus A350 XWB aircraft which recently celebrated its first flight on June 14th, and is due to enter service in late 2014.

The airline will also initially introduce the new cabin products, progressively, on eight Boeing 777-300ER (B77W) aircraft, at a cost of US$ 150 million. The airline has 19 B77W in its fleet and another eight on order. It is not clear if the airline will retrofit existing 77Ws or introduce the new cabin on the new aircraft. The airline's total fleet is 102 aircraft comprising of A380s, Boeing 777-200ERs, 777-300s, 777-300ERs, A340-500s, and A330-300s.

The first passengers to experience the new cabin will be on the 777-300ER service between Singapore and London Heathrow starting from September.

The airline has worked for more than two years with world-renowned design firms to develop the new products. BMW Group DesignworksUSA assisted with the development of the new First Class, James Park Associates assisted with Business Class and Massive Interactive with the in-flight entertainment system interface.

The new in-flight entertainment (IFE) audio-video on demand (AVOD) system

The new Krisworld IFE system is uses the new Panasonic eX3 system which the airline will be the launch customer of on the A350 XWB and is the first to offer on the 77Ws.

The new KrisWorld features larger LCD screens and video touch-screen handsets across all classes. LCD screens will increase from 23 to 24 inches in First Class, 15.4 to 18 inches in Business Class and 10.6 to 11.1 inches in Economy Class. Economy Class customers will also be able to browse through the more than 1,000 on-demand entertainment options by swiping or scrolling through the touch-screen monitor, while first and business will have touch-screen handsets.

Passengers will be able to multi-task among the varied entertainment options available. For example, they may watch a movie, while at the same time use the handset to keep up to date with the latest news headlines or track the aircraft’s flight path. Alternatively, customers may use the handset as a touchscreen trackpad to navigate KrisWorld. New features such as “Quick Search”, where a flick of the handset pulls up a playlist of entertainment choices, are also being introduced.

The new 'Notification Centre' on the KrisWorld dashboard contains information relevant to the flight, reducing the number of on-board announcements, allowing uninterrupted viewing of video programs. Passengers will also experience greater personalisation, with KrisWorld providing content recommendations based on passengers’ preferences. They may also rate movies and see how others have rated these.

First Class

Singapore Airlines' new First Class seat features a new fixed-back shell design with curved side panels to provide a clear demarcation of personal space, for added privacy. At 35 inches in width and with an increased bed length from 80 to 82 inches, it is one of the most spacious First Class products in the sky. An ergonomically sculpted cushion and improved adjustable headrest have been introduced for greater seating comfort, while new features such as a padded headboard for extra support and an additional mattress layer ensure passengers enjoy a comfortable rest.

Little but important features have been added. For example, the seat now boasts a stylish passenger control unit that includes a new switch to provide passengers easier access to turn off their in-flight entertainment monitor, and for cabin crew to do so without disturbing passengers when they are resting. New lighting was developed after extensive scientific research. In addition to reading lights, the seat features ambient lighting, which not only accentuates the seat design but also serves as a night light in a dimmed cabin. The seat features an all-in-one panel including in-seat power supply, USB port, eXport and HDMI ports allowing passengers to view content from personal media devices.

Business Class

Singapore Airlines retains its leadership in this class with its 1-2-1 configuration which rivals the first class of most airlines. The new Business Class seat offers greater recline at 132 degrees and features an improved ergonomic seat cushion. When converted, it becomes the industry's widest full-flat bed, at 78 inches in length. In addition, the new seat offers two new seating positions - 'Lazy Z' and 'Sundeck' based on in-depth research and feedback from passengers. The seat offers increased stowage space, with an amenity stowage area on the side console and a laptop stowage area. The lighting, LCD monitor on/off switch, and all-in-one panel from the first class cabin is added.

Economy Class

From photographs, it appears Singapore Airlines has retained its 3-3-3 configuration which offers the widest economy class seat in the world. The new seats are of a 'slimline' type which provides a feeling of increased personal space and legroom. Each seat comes with new backrest seat cushions with side bolsters for better back support and an ergonomically sculpted headrest cushion offering better neck support.

The IFE is on a 11.1-inch touch screen accompanied by a video touch-screen handset.

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Air India to commence Australia service with 787 Dreamliner in late August

by Devesh Agarwal

After many a false start, it appears national carrier Air India is scheduled to commence its Australia service at the end of August. The airline will use its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners to operate the route.

A schedule for a triangular service between Delhi, Sydney and Melbourne has been loaded in to global distribution systems, but inexplicably, the airline has not loaded the schedule in to its own website reservation system.

It also appears the airline will not offer a London to Sydney "Kangaroo Route" service. While there is a connection from the London to Delhi 777-300ER flight which arrives around 10:40 in the morning, on the return the last flight from Delhi to London departs at 14:05 about four hours before the Australia flights arrive. The next flight to London is only at 05:00 the next morning.

The flight duration to Sydney will be about 12h15m while Melbourne will be about 12 hours. The return flights would be about 30 minutes longer.

Effective 29 August 2013

• AI312 departs Delhi 13:45 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday Saturday, arrives Sydney 06:30 next morning.
• AI311 departs Sydney 08:00 on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, arrives Melbourne 09:35. Departs Melbourne 10:50 arrives Delhi 18:35

• AI312 departs Delhi 13:00 on Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, arrives Melbourne 05:30 next morning.
• AI311 departs Melbourne 07:00 on Monday, Thursday, Saturday, arrives Sydney 08:30. Departs Sydney 10:00 arrives Delhi 18:10

These schedules are subject to government approvals.

As per website Airlineroute.net

Air India last operated service to Sydney in January 1991 with 1 weekly Delhi – Singapore – Sydney on board Boeing 747; Melbourne last served in April 1981. Perth was served until June 1997.

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Analysis: Delta-Virgin Atlantic tie up does little to enhance Indian connectivity for either carrier

by Vinay Bhaskara

Image by, and copyright Devesh Agarwal. Used with permission.

Earlier this week, Atltanta-based full service carrier Delta Air Lines and London based Virgin Atlantic Airways announced that their application for a code share and joint venture partnership on trans-Atlantic flights had been approved by antitrust authorities in both the United States and European Union.

The deal, in which SkyTeam member Delta will purchase a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic previously owned by Singapore Airlines, covers 108 routes, 91 by Delta, and 17 by Virgin Atlantic. According to the press release put out by Virgin Atlantic, the deal offers the following benefits for customers.

The agreement includes the following customer benefits:

• Virgin Atlantic customers will now enjoy a vast network of connecting North American destinations while Delta customers will gain an additional six daily frequencies between London to New York

• SkyMiles and Flying Club loyalty programs that will offer up to 125% tier bonus miles* to frequent fliers on all Delta and Virgin Atlantic flights - not just those within the codeshare agreement

• Reciprocal Delta Sky Club and Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse access at applicable airports for Upper Class and BusinessElite passengers and Flying Club Gold members and SkyMiles Platinum and Diamond members

• Priority check-in, boarding, baggage handling and additional baggage allowance on all Virgin Atlantic and Delta operated flights worldwide - not just those within the codeshare agreement - for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and Flying Club Gold members as well as Delta BusinessElite and SkyMiles Gold, Platinum and Diamond members

This is all pretty standard fare for these types of joint venture agreements, though the reciprocal frequent flyer benefits are better than those for most of Delta's partners in the SkyTeam alliance. The benefits will kick in on July 3rd, and will hopefully mark better times for Virgin Atlantic after two straight years of massive losses and increased pressure from rival British Airways at their core hub at London Heathrow.

However, looking at the deal from an Indian consumer's perspective, it adds very little to the existing offerings for both carriers in the India-USA market. Delta Air Lines currently operates a daily flight between Amsterdam and Mumbai, which is fed by its myriad services between the US and Amsterdam. The deal with Virgin Atlantic does nothing to affect the existing Delta service one way or the other.

However, the deal does open up the potential for Delta to add London as an European connecting point for flights to India along with the existing Amsterdam and Paris Charles de Gaulle points, as well as for Virgin Atlantic to enhance its US-India connectivity on existing flights to and from India. However, the schedules just don't bear this out. First of all, the Delhi flights are poorly timed to connect with the additional Delta flights in either direction. The 5:55 pm arrival into Heathrow means that there are no connections possible onto Delta flights; the last Delta departure from Heathrow is 5:10 pm. In the other direction, every Delta arrival into Heathrow is before 12:15 pm, yet the Delhi flight does not depart till 10:00 pm. That 10 hour (minimum) layover simply is not competitive with the quick connections offered by the Middle East Big 3 competition.

In terms of Mumbai, the arrival into Heathrow at 7:55 am allows for relatively effective connections to New York JFK, Minneapolis, and Atlanta, but not Boston or Detroit (the switch from Terminal 4 to Terminal 3 requires passengers to clear security again at Heathrow, adding time to connections). The departure from Heathrow to Mumbai at 10:35 am allows for connections from Boston, New York JFK, and Atlanta, but not from Detroit or Minneapolis. Furthermore, these destinations already have easy access to Mumbai services via Amsterdam.

So in the short term, the Delta-Virgin Atlantic tie up has limited effect on the Indian market. However, it could push Virgin Atlantic to re-time its Delhi and Mumbai operations (creating a red-eye at Delhi?), which would only make Virgin Atlantic's Indian presence more competitive.

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British Airways' first 787 Dreamliner arrives in London

by Devesh Agarwal

US Airframer Boeing delivered to flag carrier, British Airways, its first two Boeing 787 Dreamliners from an existing order of 24.

See video below the fold

The first of the aircraft G-ZBJB flew as flight BA787 from Paine Field in the city of Everett near Seattle, and arrived at London's Heathrow Airport about two hours ago at 12:10 local time (11:10Z). The airplane was welcomed by Mr. Willie Walsh, chief executive officer of International Airlines Group (IAG), the company that owns British Airways.

British Airways has announced that the airline will operate the 787 on flights from Heathrow to Toronto starting September 1 and to Newark from October 1.

The British Airways 787 Dreamliner carries 214 passengers and is configured with 35 seats in Club World, 25 in World Traveller Plus (economy plus) and 154 seats in the World Traveller (economy) cabin. Unfortunately the airline has chosen the dense nine-abreast 3-3-3 bone-crunching configuration in its economy class.

British Airways operates more than 140 Boeing airplanes within its fleet including 52 777s, as well as the world's largest fleet of 747s with 52.

IAG recently announced that it will convert 18 787 options to firm orders for British Airways, subject to shareholder agreement. Twelve of these will be 787-10s, meaning British Airways will operate the entire 787 family – the 787-8, 787-9 and 787-10.

See a picture of the Dreamliner arriving at Heathrow here.

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Trip report: Air Canada Executive First Boeing 777 Frankfurt Toronto, 767 Ottawa London Heathrow

On a recent trip from Bangalore to Dallas-Fort Worth I flew Air Canada international for the first time in my life.

The first trip was from Frankfurt to Toronto Pearson on their Boeing 777-300ER and thanks to mother nature, and two very efficient and caring customer service executives at United and Air Canada in Boston, from Ottawa to London Heathrow in the Boeing 767-300ER.

Air Canada Executive First Suites on their two class Boeing 777-300ERs

Both trips were in the Executive First Suites cabin product which the crew call "The Pods". On the 777s the mini-suite seats are found in the airline's two-class 777-300ER and all 777-200LR aircraft, in a four abreast 1-2-1 configuration, while on the 767 and A330 they are in a 1-1-1 three abreast configuration. 

Frankfurt to Toronto. AC873. Depart 10:00 Arrive 12:15. All times local.
Boeing 777-300ER. C-FITW. Seat 1K. 29-Apr-2013.

Air Canada Executive First Seat 1K on the two class Boeing 777-300ER

The seats open out to 191cm (6’3") long in lie-flat mode, and is 53cm (21") wide. Each pod is equipped with a 30 cm (12") touch-screen TV married to an Audio-Video On Demand (AVOD) in-flight entertainment (IFE) system, and fitted with noise-cancelling Sennheiser headphones. The seats also offer a single-pin audio jack for your own headset. Pillows and a duvet are standard.

Seat 1K on the 77W lacks a window. Comfort of the seat is good. Lots of nooks for storing small items. Can get confusing for the first timer. Did not notice the plugged in Sennheiser noise cancelling headsets in the nook to the right of the seat. Fresh foam covers for the speakers are provided. Also did not notice the bottle of water tucked in left nook (see the second seat in the picture above). The amenity kit is minimal and nothing to write home about.

The seat has nice padding not too firm, and not too soft. I had a comfortable sleep, though, thanks to my excessive international travels back in the 1990s and early 2000s, my sleep patterns are permanently damaged and I cannot sleep for long periods of time.

The "pods" offer a sense of privacy, but are completely individual traveller focussed. There were some couples travelling on the flight and they had to keep getting up to talk to each other. Also the mini-suites do not offer too much of a window view, so any claustrophobia gets magnified.

Was offered the obligatory hot towel, and it was better than what I have experienced on US carriers, but thinner and colder than those on Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines. A choice of water, orange juice or Champagne is offered before the flight.

Unlike the forward facing seats of most business class which allow you to quietly switch on the flight path display and watch while the plane taxies and takes-off, the Air Canada screens are mounted on the side wall and must be opened 90 degrees for viewing. The crew comes around and shuts all the screens once the safety video completes.

Post take-off, the drinks trolley is wheeled out and warm almonds accompany. I was overwhelmed by the extreme generosity of the Canadians when it came to serving alcoholic drinks. Wine, including the fortified Port which is around 20% alcohol, were poured like water, and one could quickly find themselves floating well above the aircraft's cruising altitude if not careful. Since I sampled all the wines, I had to keep raising my hand to stop the crew from over-pouring the wines. I found the whites being served at almost room temperature 

Once the cabin is darkened, the funky blue LED lighting under the screen and around the seat give some very exotic effects.

The meal service is a five course offering. A good selection of hot breads are offered, and the appetizer plate is switched out for the main course, and finally the dessert.

I was very surprised, almost shocked, at the wine list. Air Canada, the national carrier of Canada, does not feature even one wine from Canada, in its wine list, which is made up of rather mediocre but quaffable $6~$10 wines from Southern France, South America, and California. Given the wine culture in Canada, this should be something the carrier must look to improve.

The quantity of food is ever so slightly on the lesser side, but you can make it up with some additional bread.

Staff service is by and large good. I found the Air Canada cabin crew far more responsive and hospitable compared to their US counterparts, and I certainly appreciated the crew's effort to serve my tenderloin as close to medium-rare as possible, something most Asian, and many European carriers just do not do.

Arrival at Toronto was decent. For a connection to the Toronto - Dallas Fort Worth leg, there was a long walk, and then a long wait to enter the US immigration pre-screening, since your name comes up on the screen only after your bags are put on the baggage belt and their photograph is available to the CBP officer.

The US Immigration is followed by a stringent security but regular metal detectors. Immediately after security there is a very nice Air Canada lounge, equipped with the best business centre I have seen till date. Free computers, printers and photo-copiers. Even mobile phone printing, and internet printing.

After almost 20 hours travelling, the first thing I did was take a nice, long, hot, shower. Finally refreshed and not smelling like some over-ripe fruit, I headed across to the food and drink section. Given that it was around 2:30pm by then, there was no food. Just some dry tid-bits. The food was finally refilled around 5pm with salad, soup, and some hot food. Almost the whole lounge, including me, descended on the food like it was going out of fashion. So after went down to catch my YYZ-DFW flight. Was very tired by then. Got on board. Ate something, and passed out.

Ratings*: Flight 7/10. Transit 5/10. Lounge 8/10

Ottawa to London Heathrow. AC888. Depart 22:30 Arrive 10:15. All times local.
Boeing 767-300ER. C-FXCA. Seat 8K. 09-May-2013.

The counter agent staffing the United GlobalFirst counter at Boston Logan saw me coming, and decided to walk away from her counter, leaving me to wait for the BusinessFirst counter to open. I must thank that snooty woman for abandoning her counter, because Joanne at the BusinessFirst counter turned out to be very courteous and super efficient. Thanks to bad weather at Boston, my Boston to Washington Dulles flight was delayed and this would cause me to miss my United Dulles to London Heathrow connection. While she was thinking of options, I informed her that I remembered there was a Boston-Halifax-London connection on Air Canada. Joanne promptly contacted her counterpart at Air Canada Boston, and in little over five minutes I had a new re-routed ticket Boston-Ottawa-London Heathrow. Thanks once again Joanne.

The Boston Ottawa trip was a all-economy CRJ200. I found the transit connection sort of odd. I had to go through Canadian immigration, pick up my bags, go through Canadian Customs, detour through a side door, check-in my bags in, again, for the Ottawa London flight, undergo security, and then board the aircraft. Ours was one of the last flights to board. By this time, all the duty free shops were closed. Sorry Canada, you missed earning some duty free dollars.

This time, I got the last seat, 8K in the cabin, and in the photo below, you will get a better appreciation of the slightly claustrophobic feeling one gets in the "pods".

The crew on this flight were not as hospitable or responsive when compared to their AC873 colleagues. I almost got the feeling they wanted to just complete the service and get some sleep, but still the service was decent. Professional, but lacking warmth.

A generous helping of Gin between the water and tomato juice

The main course selections for the dinner were good, and this time I got my steak medium-rare and bloody. Just as a good cut of beef should be served.

Morning arrival faced the usual delay in the skies over London. Our flight did the obligatory race-track loops before getting clearance to land. After landing, we had to wait on the taxiway, as our gate was occupied by another aircraft that had technicaled. After about a 20 minute wait we finally embarked.

The usual long walk-run to Heathrow's chronically under-staffed immigration counters. Business class passengers have a separate set of queues, but this turned out to be a curse, as one of the two counters was busy processing the rejection of an arriving passenger, and the other counter had its share of complex cases which took much longer to process. After an almost 45 minute wait, an additional counter was opened up, and at the other counter, the rejection too was processed, so the queue moved along and I passed through immigration quickly. By the time I reached baggage claim, the bags were just arriving. Collected and was soon on my way.

Air Canada offers an arrivals lounge service at London Heathrow, but I did not use it.

Ratings*: Flight 6.5/10. Arrival 4/10.

*After almost ten years being pampered by Singapore Airlines, I am spoilt when it comes to service level expectations. So my reviews tend to be a little on the stiff side.

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Travelling with new lower check-in and carry-on hand baggage allowances

by Devesh Agarwal

Last month, I flew more than 50,000 miles across many nations, and airlines, and in the process experienced the carry on hand baggage and check-in baggage rules of different airlines, countries, and airports and to a chance try out new lightweight luggage. [Disclaimer: I have not received any benefit, in any form, from any of the airlines or luggage companies I have referred to in this article.]

Hopefully the tips below will help dealing with the reduction of checked-in baggage allowances in India to 15 kgs and the hand carry on baggage limits of Europe and Asia of 22"size and 7 kgs weight.

1. Check with your airline

Checked baggage weight allowances vary from country to country and airline to airline. In India, some airlines like Jet and Air India have reduced it to 15 kgs, while SpiceJet and GoAir still offer the traditional 20 kgs. Across the world, legacy carriers still offer the standard 20 kgs. To, from and within the US, the piece concept applies and the weight limit is 50 lbs or 23 kgs per bag.

However. you may have a domestic connecting leg on a local carrier in Europe or the US which may have lower baggage allowances than your international carrier. So you can carry one or two pieces free of charge to the US, just to have American, Delta, or United charge you checked bag fees for that leg from New York to Boston. Check with your airline or travel agent about the baggage allowances right till the very end of your trip. Try to get the information in writing. 

2. Carry less

We Indians love to carry stuff. Do you really need to carry so many things? One pair of pants and may be a pair of jeans will last for a whole week. Most hotels in the US and Europe have washing machines, and irons and ironing boards. Carry fewer clothes and use the facilities. Innocuous items like books, paper, food are actually quite heavy. Do you really need to carry the whole business file of the customer?

The airlines have reduced allowance by 25% (from 20kg to 15kg). Reduce what you are packing by the same 25%. Use intelligent packing solutions like Pack-It™ folders which compact your clothes and keep them crease-free.

3. Lightweight luggage

Time to trade in the old war horse but heavy suitcase for the new crop of lightweight bags. Till last month I was using my long trusted TravelPro Platinum series bags which have lasted me at least 500,000 miles. But each bag weighed about 9 kgs when empty. The new lightweight bags weigh as little at 4kgs for a 29 inch four wheel spinner. In India I recommend Samsonite which offers light series like BLight, Lift, and Optimum. American Tourister does not have light enough luggage.

In the US, after trying many a bag, I opted for the TravelPro MaxLite 2 29" spinners. Ultra-light. Strong. Competitively priced. I bought mine from eBags and WayFair. Unfortunately TravelPro is not sold in India.

In the UK, and soon to be launched in India, there is a brand called IT Luggage which deserves a look. The company offers a series of luggage called "world's lightest". I bought a 22" upright which weighs a lean 3.5 lbs (1.58 kgs). Even full, the bag still passed the 7kg test.

And if you are buying a new bag, get away from the traditional black and red. Try getting, blue or charcoal or some other colour that will differentiate your bag.

4. Smaller carry on hand baggage

While some US airlines permit 24" (60 cm) bags, the global standard is now 22" (55 cm) and in the case of no-frill carriers like RyanAir and EasyJet the size is being pushed down to 20" (50 cm).

In India many airlines are opting for small turbo-props like the Q400 or the ATR72, while in Europe and the US, may routes are on RJs (Regional Jets). These aircraft have very small overhead bins and the carry-on bag which fits in an A320 or 737 jet, has no chance in these smaller aircraft.

On long distance flights, carry-on luggage space is getting used for other frills. Like your in-seat video and fancy on-demand in-flight entertainment system? The control box now sits underneath your seat, where your bag used to go.

My camera bag with its big telephoto lenses frequently weighs more than the 7kg limit. I normally do not face a problem as most airlines recognise the fragile nature of the equipment, with the exception of London Heathrow airport.

From extensive personal experience, I advise travellers to avoid London Heathrow airport, which forces all airlines to stringently implement the 7kg hand baggage weight limit, even in business class. I have not experienced any other airport in Europe or North America imposing this.

Based on reports from family members, friends, and personal observation, Emirates airline actively enforces the 7kg hand baggage weight limit on economy class, by weighing hand bags at almost all stations. The airline is especially vigilant on flights to and from the Indian sub-continent. If you are a premium passenger, don't worry, you are forgiven all sins.

5. Expandable carry on hand bags

Fast becoming a no-no. Expansion sections require additional zips and material, and that adds weight. Also, when we expand the bag, it becomes bigger and can no longer be carried on board. You will need to check it in, and wait for it after landing losing the advantage of carry-on "get-up and go" speed.

6. Use the overhead bins properly

One of the things that makes my blood boil is the casual manner in which most Indians, just toss their bag in to the overhead compartment. All to often we find an oversize bag or a small valise in the bin put sideways, eating up the space for two bags. I also loathe those bin hoarders who will put their bag in the overhead bin above your seat and then go and sit few rows back.

Its time to give such inconsiderate cabin mates dirty looks, if needed a talking to, and for you to stand-up for your rights. But then, we must practice what we preach.

7. Get Status

Become an elite customer of the airline. Either by flying with them, or getting a co-branded airline platinum credit card. Elite customers are given additional baggage allowances and priority boarding which allows you to get to that precious overhead bin space ahead of the others.

Photo courtesy of Jaktogo

8. Wear your luggage

If you are flying the ultra-cheapo RyanAir or Spirit Air who charge for carry on baggage, consider the new fad of ‘wearable luggage’ or ‘luggage jackets’. These allow you to pack almost the equivalent of a carry on bag worth of stuff. In fact in some cases, the jacket turns in to a bag and vice-versa. Check in wearing the jacket, board and convert it to a bag and put it in the overhead bin.

Yes who may look odd wearing this huge jacket, but who cares. With the money you save on baggage fees, go have a party, or buy a new outfit. Relish the fact that you, the customer, had the last laugh, not the airline.

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Opinion: Jetihad deal means India's international market belongs to the MEB3

by Vinay Bhaskara 

When Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airlines announced in late April that it had acquired a 24% stake in Mumbai

Will the MEB3 hold sway?

based full service carrier Jet Airways for $379 million, it marked a paradigm shift in the state of the Indian air travel market. The newly formed “Jetihad” partnership would hold a nearly 18% share of international passenger traffic to and from India, versus 13% for Emirates, and 12% for Air India based on statistics from 2011-2012. However, the recently re-written India-UAE bilateral more than trebles the weekly seating rights to Abu Dhabi, which means that Jetihad will likely hold close to 20% of India’s international passenger traffic by 2017.

When combined with Etihad’s gulf rivals Emirates and Qatar Airways (the so-called Middle Eastern Big 3 carriers), Middle Eastern airlines are will effectively control 40% of India’s international passenger flows, and closer to 70% of westbound international traffic.

In practical terms, this is a net positive for Indian air travelers. Middle Eastern carriers are able to offer lower fares than Western and Indian airlines, thanks to favorable labor conditions and the economies of scale offered by their massive super-hubs (larger operations have lower cost per enplanement because fixed costs like terminal rent and ground services are spread over more flights and passengers). The MEB3 carriers offer the most competitively priced westbound international tickets in the Indian market, and the expanded access thanks to the Jetihad deal will only increase the supply of such tickets.

However when one considers the strategic implications for India’s airline industry, the deal has a profound impact. Jet Airways was India’s premier full service carrier due to the demise of Kingfisher and the poor international reputation of Air India. And India’s government has at least verbally expressed its desire for India to develop both a world-class full service airline and a world class hub airport in Delhi, Mumbai, or one of the other metros.

And in pursuit of that goal, India’s dreams have suffered a major setback.  By default, Jet Airways was the one Indian airline that, had it pursued a sensible strategy and taken full advantage of the upcoming integrated terminal at its largest hub in Mumbai, could have conceivably fulfilled such aspirations (unless Air India is privatized – which the present government is unwilling to do). But with the Jetihad deal; Jet Airways’ position in the global airline market has shifted.

One need only consider the shift in strategy by Etihad’s previous equity investments to predict Jet Airways’ international network moving forwards. AirBerlin once had a worldwide long haul network with several destinations in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Following Etihad’s investment however, they cancelled the majority of their eastbound long haul destinations (which can be served via connections through Abu Dhabi). A few core routes (Tel Aviv, Phuket, et. al, are still served on airberlin’s mainline platform, but the long haul network has shifted to focus on services to the America and Abu Dhabi. For Jet Airways, thus the path forward is clear. As far as standalone westbound long haul destinations are concerned, only London has enough demand to survive as a nonstop destination. A core network to the Gulf will likely stay in place because of the short distances, but services to the Americas and to the rest of Europe are likely to flow over Abu Dhabi. Meanwhile, expect expansion of services to Asia and other international markets which cannot be easily served on Etihad code shares.

What this means for the strategic vision of an Indian hub is that Jet Airways’ operation in Mumbai will never turn into a massive connecting powerhouse in the vein of Singapore for Singapore Airlines or Frankfurt for Lufthansa. India will not, in the near future, have its own version of Thai Airways International, or even Vietnam Airlines for that matter. Westbound international travel will flow in volume over Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha with business traffic also being captured by the various alliances as well. Absent a significant change in Air India’s status, India’s international air travel market is now firmly in the hands of the MEB3.

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British Airways commences Colombo route and enhances Hyderabad

British Airways has commenced a new route to Colombo and enhanced its existing Hyderabad service to six a week.

The airline yesterday announced the start of a three days a week service from London Gatwick to Colombo, Sri Lanka, via Male, Maldives.

To Hyderabad, British Airways appears to be trying to fill the vacancy created by Lufthansa's withdrawal of service. In case of Colombo, Srilankan Airlines is an applicant member to the oneworld alliance of which British Airways is a founding member. The airline will be looking to strengthen alliances in this part of the world.

The Hyderabad service will be operated by a three class Boeing 767-300ER, while the Male/Colombo service will be operated by a three class Boeing 777-200ER.

To Hyderabad

Courtesy British Airways

BA 277 departs London Heathrow at 14:30 except Sundays, and arrives Hyderabad at 4:55 the next morning.
BA 276 departs Hyderabdad at 6:50 except Mondays and arrives London Heathrow at 12:50.
On Wednesdays, flight 276 leaves and arrives 10 minutes later.

To Colombo

BA2043 departs London Gatwick at 19:30 on Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday, arrives Colombo at 12:35 the next afternoon.
BA2042 departs Colombo Monday, Thursday, Saturday 14:05 and arrives London Gatwick at 22:50 the same night.

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