Brid Group - 2

Bird Air keen to make regional foray

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Flight plans

Examining feasibility of starting with Delhi as base.

To serve tier 2 & 3 cities in the region.

Plans to start operations in next 12-18 months.

Lots of unused infrastructure that regional airlines can use, says Aviation Minister.

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Ashwini Phadnis

New Delhi, Aug. 11 Within 72 hours of the Government announcing the new concept of regional airlines, at least one Group — Bird Air Services Pvt Ltd — has shown interest in venturing into it.

“We are examining the feasibility of starting a regional airline based out of Delhi which would primarily serve the two and three tier cities in the region. We already have a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for launching fixed wing non-schedule aircraft operation and could convert that permit into a regional airline permit,” the Group Executive Director, Mr Ankur Bhatia, told Business Line.

The company plans to launch services from Delhi connecting various State capitals apart from commercially important cities like Jammu and Amritsar.

“The idea would be to operate multiple frequency flights in the region. We expect most of the flights to be for less than 45 minutes. So at the moment there would be no food service on the proposed airline,” Mr Bhatia added.

Launch plan

The airline plans to take to the skies in the next 12-18 months by when the infrastructure bottlenecks currently being witnessed at Delhi airport would have eased, he said.

The proposal of the Bird group and the possible chance for several other entrepreneurs that have been given No Objection certificates by the Government to set up airlines, could be just one reason that the Government announced the regional airline concept on Thursday.

“The idea is to facilitate demand. There is so much unused infrastructure within the country that can be utilised by regional airlines. The biggest benefit of the new proposal is that it does away with the route dispersal guidelines that other national airlines have to adhere to,” the Minister for Civil Aviation, Mr Paul Patel, said.

Flying non-metros

But if the concept is of regional airlines why have they been allowed to fly between non-metro cities? The Secretary Civil Aviation, Mr Ashok Chula, pointed out that the decision was taken consciously so as not to hamper the growth of such airlines.

“If an airline wants to fly between Delhi and Chandigarh and also between Delhi and Ranchi then they could face a problem if we stuck to the concept of allowing an airline to fly only in one region. It was therefore decided that they would be allowed to fly throughout the country as long as they don’t touch one metro city in their region. The only exception is in South India where there are three metro cities,” Mr Chula said.

Getting slots

Those planning to make use of regional airline concept to operate several daily flights from metros to non-metro cities could run up against the problem of getting slots.

“If a regional or any other airline can get a slot at a capacity-constrained airport, the Government has no problem about them operating flights.

“The key issue is whether there would be slots in major metros for regional airlines after the national airlines have exhausted their daily quota of flights. This is not a problem in smaller airports to which regional airlines would operate,” argued an official.

Bird Group - 1

Regional airlines look for a slice of the sky
14 Aug, 2007, 0311 hrs IST,Cuckoo Paul & Sudipto Dey, TNN

THE ECONOTMIC TIMES

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: The rush for ‘regionals’ or commuter airlines has begun. A string of new carriers is awaiting specific details on fiscal benefits, before they begin providing small and medium-haul air services connecting smaller communities with larger cities and hub airports. The Bird group, a Delhi-based travel and IT firm which markets travel booking software Amadeus in India, could be among the first to take off in North India, after the new policy was announced by the minister for civil aviation Praful Patel last Thursday. Four unnamed South Indian airlines are also waiting in the wings for takeoff. In all, at least half a dozen start-ups including Premier Airways’ airline brand Easy Air and Air Dravida in the south, Mega Airlines from the North-East and North Star in the west are planning to seek licence under the new category. Most are awaiting details on the fiscal benefits for regional airlines, say industry experts. “The new policy is very encouraging and we are convinced about the huge scope there could be in connecting traffic from buzzing non-metro cities like Ludhiana and Chandigarh to the capital,” says Bird group executive director Ankur Bhatia. Bird group is planning to create its hub in Delhi. The group is currently evaluating aircraft for the operations. But the actual airline launch will eventually depend on when the second runway comes up at the Delhi airport, so that the existing congestion over Delhi airport does not upset the economics of operations, he added. Incidentally, the company already has a permit to operate a non-scheduled airline. The Union civil aviation minister last week announced the policy that creates a new category of airlines which will operate primarily between airports of any of the four regions classified as North, South, West and East/North-East. The policy, announced with much fanfare, does not offer any sops to the carriers for the moment. Incentives like exemption from navigation and airport charges and a lower 4% sales tax on ATF are available to both regional as well as pan-India carriers, as long as the weight of the aircraft is below 40,000 kg. After a few years of operation as a regional airline, the carrier can apply for a second permit for pan-India operations. The ministry has stopped clearing applications for airline operators because of the over-capacity situation in the Indian skies.

Qatar Airways Scoops Three Skytrax Awards

Airline Honoured With Best First Class In The World

Named Best Middle East Airline For Second Year

Wins Best Cabin Crew In Middle East Award For Fifth Consecutive Year

Tuesday 31 July 2007

Qatar Airways First Class Lounge At The Premium Terminal

Doha, QATAR - Qatar Airways has once again been honoured in the annual Skytrax World Airline Awards with three accolades in this year's survey, including being named as having the Best First Class in the world.

The Doha-based carrier secured the Best Airline in the Middle East award for the second year running, while cabin crew once again won top honours as Best in the Middle East for the fifth consecutive year.

Qatar Airways also saw its global ranking rise to be named among the top five airlines in the world in the annual survey of almost 15 million international travellers spread across 90 nationalities. The airline's global ranking rose to a commendable 4th position. The elite top five group features airlines from the service-oriented Far East.

Earlier this year, Qatar Airways held onto Skytrax's coveted Five Star award for excellence and service quality.

Qatar Airways Cabin Crew

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said he was honoured to see such prestigious awards bestowed on the airline.

"We have come a long way since we launched our airline just 10 years ago and these awards clearly demonstrate that Qatar Airways is firmly in the top league of international airlines.

"I would like to thank the staff at Qatar Airways around the world for their tremendous dedication and commitment to the job they do so well. Our cabin crew have once again proved that they have what it takes to deliver the best levels of service in the skies.

"Passengers have voted with their feet and I would like to also thank them for taking the time to take part in the survey. Qatar Airways strives to be the best and it is only a matter of time before we walk away with the top award - Best Airline in the World."

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker

Qatar Airways' First Class product includes a 180 degree flat bed onboard its long-range Airbus A330s and A340s, while the latter aircraft also features a unique First Class lounge for passengers to relax and unwind at 35,000 feet. In November 2006, Qatar Airways opened the world's first passenger building dedicated to its First and Business Class passengers at Doha International Airport. The US$90 million Premium Terminal features exclusive check-in, duty-free shopping, fine dining, spa treatments, games room, business centre and medical room.

The award for cabin crew was based on a number of criteria, including professionalism of staff in handling passengers, efficiency, problem-solving, enthusiasm, friendliness and appearance.

Skytrax Chief Executive Edward Plaisted said the 2007 survey was the longest and biggest ever featuring the most number of respondents in interviews conducted between August 2006 and June 2007.

Qatar Airways First Class A340-600

The awards are recognised around the world and are renowned for being the only truly global, independent passenger survey.

"All round excellence is the most accurate description of a good First Class service, and with customers paying very high fares for this privilege, airlines know that to retain loyalty they have to exceed every level of expectation of creating the feel-good factor and making the customer feel special," said Plaisted.

"This year we have seen a jump into the top spot by Qatar Airways and this is clear recognition of their new Premium Terminal facilities at the home base airport in Doha, geared totally towards premium customers."

Qatar Airways today operates a modern fleet of 58 all-Airbus aircraft to 78 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent, Far East and America from its Doha hub.