Weekend Platter ! ( 03 AUGUST 2013 ) ISSUE – VIII

Chocks-on….Weekend Platter ! ( 03 AUGUST 2013 )   ISSUE – VIII

 

…Causes Celebre….!!  Well Done, Team Air India…..

Birmingham welcomes AI’s First B-787 flight AI-113/01 Aug. from ATQ ….

Mr Paul Kehoe, CEO, BHX Airport, said … We are delighted to welcome this new service into Birmingham…..

Shri  Rohit Nandan,CMD, Air India  flew in on the inaugural service and was welcomed by Sir Albert Bore, the Leader of Birmingham City Council and Mr Sri VS Ramalingam, Consul General for India in Birmingham. & a delegation of Midlands’ VIP..

9 more International destinations on the anvil . Management of AI has accomplished the first of the 10 destinations it has identified for expansion. Other 9  new stations  proposed are  Sydney, Melbourne, Rome, Milan, Moscow, Bali, Nairobi, San Francisco, Madrid…..

AI’s Financial Credit Worthiness Gets Acknowledged : Corp Bank during the year 2012-13 has given Air India ‘Five Star” rating of borrowers based on our prompt dealings and track record of repayment.

A Positive EBITDA : For the year 2013-14, AI recorded a positive EBITDA of Rs 19.45 crores

Performance…Air India’s performance for Turn Around has been better than the targeted, on all performance parameters set by Ministry. The time lines set have been successfully met.

Employee Arrears & Emoluments : The pending arrears of almost all employees have been settled. The time gap in payment of salary/emoluments has been considerably reduced.

Come Aug. 29 another milestone will be accomplished… AI will be touching down in Sydney  & Melbourne…

Credit for this goes to the CMD for resurrecting the Brand Air India, with his sharp focus and determination to restore the glory of Air India. Congratulations !

…Quicklets !! …News and Events on the home front…..

Kapil Kaul of CAPA praises Rohit Nandan, CMD, Air India…….

..… Rohit Nandan has performed exceptionally well, given the circumstances, especially the way the Ministry of Civil Aviation runs Air India without accountability,…"

( Well deserved and very much rightly so. Congratulations ! )

Air India Pilots, flying into the US, could soon be under the FAA scanner …….

.....In addition, the FAA is evaluating India's Directorate General for Civil Aviation because of recent lapses in airline safety, some involving Air India pilots….

Shri Jitender Bhargava- former Executive Director, Air India- on recent B787 problems….

……If these kind of events take place, it can create an element of fear in the travelling public, which is the last thing that should happen….

Shri Ajit Singh, MoCA – on Jet Etihad deal that finally got cleared ‘ conditionally ‘…..

… "All concerns of the MPs and others have been resolved …important step for the civil aviation sector. We need money for infrastructure projects, which will come through FDI..

COROLLARY : A similar stand has been taken by the US Govt., on opposition by US Carriers to setting up Immigration & Customs pre-clearance facility in Abu Dhabi….

…. “There are many aspects of the economic piece that are not just focused on the concerns expressed by the U.S. carriers,…. federal officials see much more at stake, starting with containing Iran, boosting U.S. exports, as well as perhaps strengthening the defence industrial base. ….says Kevin McAleenan, of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

( These are Politico / Economic decisions with far reaching consequences and deep ramifications. They need to be assessed in totality…..)

K Shanmugam, Foreign Affairs and Law Minister, Singapore-…….

… called on India to start negotiations on a full air transport agreement with ASEAN that includes passenger services…..

SpiceJet – The new Queen Bee of F.D.I……..

...Yes !! Rumours are rife of many suitors in queue to pick up a stake in Spice Jet…..starting from Qatar Airways, to Kuwait Airways, to Emirates, all F.S.C….The latest entrant is Tiger Air, an LCC….and a non-Gulf carrier….

SpiceJet….Strange and Surprising……

....understandably the Marans, promoters of SpiceJet, want to be OUT OF the airline business altogether. They are looking for a strategic partner as an investor…..

( Seems Vijay Mallya’s debacle is becoming VIRAL…..)

Air Asia India may miss the October deadline….courtesy Dr Subramaniam Swamy…..

…on Thursday, 25  July Dr Swamy  filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to withdraw clearance given by FIPB terming it as illegal. He has asked the Court to prohibit government authorities from taking any action contrary to the applicable FDI policy……

Mumbai Airport T2 – all set to raise the curtain in October- 2013… Great going indeed… !!

Mumbai Airport T2 to have most modern lounges…..

Indian food & beverage retailer TFS have been awarded the concession to operate lounges in T2…These will be common lounges spread over 54,000 sq. ft. and boasting of distinctive interiors & lounge facilities like cultural theatres, luxury spas, wi-fi  chairs and private shower facilities….  

…Tidbits… !! News and Events on the Overseas front…..

Mr Mak Swee Wah, SIA, Executive VP Commercial on FFP, Product Enhancement...

…For its KrisFlyer Members Singapore Airlines is offering a New Airfare Payment Option…For airfares booked thru its website, members can mix miles and cash to pay for airfare, fuel surcharge and taxes on SQ and Silk Air flights….!” Members can look forward to further enhancements in the year ahead.."said Wah. ( Excellent Initiative….)

Mr Toby Smith, General Manager, Cathay Pacific- on the New First Class Product…..

“…Our award-winning First Class suite has been very popular with passengers….we decided it was appropriate to give the suites a fresh new look and make a few changes that will enhance the overall experience for our premium passengers…….”

( Eastern Carriers are very savvy & professional in Aviation business. We had in the earlier issue of Chocks-on highlighted how SIA, has recently invested millions in First and Club Class upgrades. They firmly believe in Premium business segment to drive profits….Is Air India listening ???? )

Christopher Fordyce, R.C.M., British Airways, South Asia – on daily flights to HYD…..

 “It is a joyous moment for us at British Airways to further enhance our services to India…. Hyderabad is truly a key market in our South Asian network…. resulting in concerted growth in the outbound business and leisure tourism..

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, Air Asia X – on operations to Adelaide, Australia…

…Our goal since launching our first Australian service in 2007 was to operate in the five major states, and we are proud to have accomplished this within six years ... We are very excited to finally touch down in South Australia….

( LCC- Air Asia of late has made rapid expansion in Australia- touching 5 gateways- SYD, MEL, PER, Gold Coast and now ADL. Is Air India listening ? with Air Asia already in India )

Michael O’Leary, CEO, Ryanair – Novel Cost Saving Directive to Pilots…..

…after a fall in quarterly profit, Michael asks Pilots to fly slowly….flying below 600 mph adds 2 minutes to every flying hour and will yield a whopping 15% savings in fuel cost…..

( Are AI pilots listening, because something similar was requested of AI pilots recently, but it did not go down well with AI pilots….)

Singapore Airlines to add 3^rd daily B-777 flight from Delhi to Singapore……

…eff. Winter 2013, Singapore Airlines will add a 3^rd daily flight on DEL-SIN route. ( Is SQ closing in on AI’s Australia operations. Seems so. Australia is and has always been the bread & butter of SQ from the Indian Sub-continent….and losing it is a challenging mandate for SQ to contend with…..)

…& now Worlds Top 5 Airlines by Economy Class Cabins  (

Based on rankings by Skytrax 2013 World Airline Awards Best Economy Class are ) #1- Garuda Indonesia  ;  #2-Asiana Airlines ;  #3- Singapore Airlines ;  #4 – Qatar Airways ; #5 – ANA – All Nippon Airways.

….& now a little Humour & Laughter  …..

After reaching the cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number XYZ. The weather ahead is good …now sit back and relax. –

“OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed and after a few minutes, the captain came back,.. "Ladies and Gentlemen I am so sorry if I scared you earlier; but, while I was talking, the flight attendant spilled the hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!"

A passenger in Economy said, That's nothing. He should see the back of mine!"

 

Wishing you & your families a Wonderful Weekend !!!

Our Credo….”Network & Be Informed “

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