Air India tips

India is now the third-largest domestic aviation market, after the U.S. and China, according to data by aviation analytics firm OAG. In April 2024, India’s domestic airline capacity was about 15.6 million, up from 8 million in April 2014. 

If you thought the IPL season in India was big, just wait until you hear about the IPO season. Following TBO Tek’s debut on the Indian stock exchange last month, online travel company Ixigo listed on the Indian bourses this week. Join Skift’s Peden Doma Bhutia and Bulbul Dhawan as they discuss the market sentiment towards travel IPOs. Also, discover why Air India’s CEO stated that the airline’s investment in new aircraft will depend on the government’s policies on bilateral agreements and seat capacity grants, and why Accor’s CEO finds opening a hotel in India to be a tedious process. Catch all this and more in the latest edition of the Skift India Travel Podcast

India’s National Stock Exchange has launched the Nifty India Tourism Index to capture the performance of travel and tourism companies within the Nifty 500 Index. The index is used by investors to manage their investment portfolios and serve as a benchmark for different purposes, including tracking expected returns of certain segments. 

Budget airline IndiGo continued to hold the top position in the domestic aviation market with a 61.6% market share in May, up from 60.6% in April. Air India was a distant second at 13.7%, and Vistara followed with a 9.2% share, Directorate General of Civil Aviation data showed.

Low-cost carrier Akasa Air is on its path to profitability and will be expanding its international network, Indian news agency PTI said quoting Aditya Ghosh, the airline’s co-founder.

Indian full-service carrier Air India has said its plans to invest in new aircraft will depend on the government’s policy on bilateral agreements and the seat capacity being granted, CEO Campbell Wilson said this week at an aviation event in India. 

Budget airline Air India Express has announced that it will be commencing operations from the Hindon airport in the national capital region (NCR), in addition to its ongoing operations from the Delhi airport. With this, it has become the first airline to operate from two airports in the NCR. 

Microsoft has invested billions of dollars into OpenAI, making it part owner and giving it early access to the generative AI technology. 

India is becoming a fast-growing source of outbound tourism, according to a report by consulting firm McKinsey and Company.

From TBO Tek’s IPO launch and Akasa Air’s international network to the future of Vistara’s loyalty program post its merger with Air India, join Skift Asia Editor Peden Doma Bhutia and India Reporter Bulbul Dhawan as they discuss some of the biggest headlines from India.

As the merger of Air India and Vistara airlines picks up steam, the process of merging their loyalty programs has also begun.

The merging of Air India and Vistara seems ahead of schedule, according to reports in Indian media that cite Air India CEO Campbell Wilson’s comments at a town hall meeting with the employees.

Air India’s low-cost subsidiary Air India Express canceled 85 flights on Thursday amid mass sick leave by cabin crew. The cancellations affected almost one-quarter of its entire flying program. In a statement, the airline said that it would operate 283 flights on Thursday. 

Indian airlines will account for half of the country’s international passenger traffic by the 2027-28 financial year, according to a report by credit rating agency CRISIL Ratings. That’s up from 43% this fiscal year, with India’s international passenger traffic at around 70 million.

India is actively promoting itself as the next big wedding destination. At the first “Wed in India” Expo ongoing in Jaipur till Wednesday, tourism ministry official Manisha Saxena said that the rapid infrastructure development across India is aiding destination weddings. 

Emirates is famed for its extravagant service onboard its current fleet of Boeing 777s and Airbus A380s. It’s therefore little surprise that expectations are high for its incoming A350s – an aircraft that has been years in the making.

Air India’s new flagship has made its debut on the international stage. On Wednesday night, Flight AI995 departed Delhi for Dubai, operated by an Airbus A350-900 for the first time. 

India’s largest bank State Bank of India (SBI) has launched its first-ever travel focused credit card. ‘SBI Card MILES’ has been launched in three variants to cater to different types of travelers, from beginners to frequent flyers. 

IndiGo, which operates on the no-frills philosophy, has perfected its model of keeping costs low since 2006. The airline is one of the biggest customers of the A320/320neo family, with 1,340 of these ordered and over 350 in operation. 

More than 81% of the Indian GenZs – aged between 18 and 25 years – start planning their first international trips as soon as they secure a job or receive their first paycheck, online travel agency Skyscanner has revealed in a new report. Indians are historically known to start saving as soon as they are employed and have been conservative with their travel spends. These findings highlight how the youth, especially the growing middle class, is changing the tourism landscape in the country.

India is becoming a convenient hub for travel between Southeast Asia and the Middle East, IndiGo Chairman V Sumantran said during his address at a college in Chennai. He also cited the example of several airlines carrying passengers from places such as Bangkok to Jeddah or Dubai by connecting through Indian cities.