TRV-DEL!! That must be longest domestic non-stop in India!!

Hope the flight is operated by an 737NG and not a -400 and hope they have arranged for some IFE!!

AKLDELNonstop wrote:

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How long will the TRV DEL flt take?

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The flight takes 3h 15 min. Departing TRV at 12:55 and arriving DEL at 16:10.

Regards,

Mayank

Air Sahara back with a bang, to support Indus Air

NEW DELHI: Air Sahara, virtually written off following the failed merger with Jet Airways, is staging a comeback.

Having improved market share as well as revenues through better utilisation of the aircraft, the Sahara Group airline is also providing strategic support to Indus Air, a new regional carrier which is being promoted, among others, by Kapil Mohan of Mohan Meakins.

Air Sahara has brought its market share close to double digits, recovering from the slide it suffered after the Rs 2,300-crore takeover by Jet Airways failed. The airline is now raising debt for funding its expansion plans, sources said.

This follows significant improvement in vital parameters like aircraft utilisation, number of flights operated, capacity deployed and revenue generation.

Air Sahara is looking at the launch of flights to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur. The airline, which has announced a flight to Male, is planning to focus on short-haul routes for the time being. The only long-haul route tested by the company, the London flight, is unlikely to be revived now.

In fact, Air Sahara is in the process of returning the leased Boeing B767 which was earlier deployed on the London route. Having recovered from the Jet shock, Air Sahara has now grown in confidence to prop up Indus Air.

It is understood that the two airlines are in talks to utilise the pilots, engineers and maintenance facilities of Air Sahara for the Indus Air fleet. Both companies were tight-lipped on the strategic alliance but sources confirmed talks were in advanced stages.

The Sahara Group airline used CRJ aircraft of Bombardier which Indus Air also plans to deploy. It is understood that Indus Air has leased one CRJ and is in the process of getting one more soon. The new airline plans to launch flights out of Chandigarh, connecting to key destinations like Mumbai and Delhi.

Support facilities to the airline would earn additional revenue for Air Sahara which already has pilots and engineers for CRJ aircraft. Air Sahara is also in the process of improving the utilisation of its CRJs, manufactured by Canada-based Bombardier. The two companies are engaged in talks to cut the cost of operation and turn CRJ operations profitable.

“We are in talks with Air Sahara to obtain their co-operation in terms of pilots, engineering staff and other support. Air Sahara has large number of CRJ pilots, and it makes sense for us to form an alliance rather than poaching staff of the full-service carrier. Such a strategic arrangement will benefit both the airlines,” said an official of Indus Air.

Apart from Air Sahara, the feeder airline is also in discussion with Air Canada for getting aircraft spares. Indus Air claims that the new CRJ plane will be operational in the next two weeks.

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/548742.cms

Air Sahara for sale, yet again
CUCKOO PAUL

 MUMBAI: Bolstered by a revival in its fortunes last quarter, the promoters of Air Sahara are believed to be considering a sale of the airline once again. After parting ways with Jet Airways, the Sahara group has attempted to turn around the airline. The current quarter has shown a sharply improved performance and the Sahara group promoters believe that it will be a good time to scout around for buyers.

People close to the development said the promoters are convinced that the airline will have to be sold and that an in-principle decision has already been taken on the issue. The sale process has not yet begun and will commence formally only after the current quarter of profitable operations, they added.

A senior Sahara group official refused to comment on the issue. But sources close to the issue said the transaction is likely to be structured in a way that all the risk and liability arising from the litigation with Jet Airways belongs to the seller, Sahara group.

Buyers likely to be interested in the Lucknow-based airline could be the same corporate groups that had shown interest a year ago. Several private equity groups and the UB group’s Kingfisher Airlines were in negotiations with Sahara before the airline was sold to Jet Airways. For the airlines, the value was in the slots, parking bays and operations of the airline, while for the
financial investors it was the exposure to the Indian aviation market.

However, the appetite for airline stocks has reduced significantly in the past one year as airlines have run up huge losses. The Indian airline industry is expected to lose about $300m by the end of this financial year. Also Air Sahara, which enjoyed a 12% market share in the domestic market before the tie-up with Jet Airways, is now trying to win back some of the market. The airline is planning to expand its international network to Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur.
Salaries of staff were hiked to stop the attrition. This has also led to improved fleet utilisation. Air Sahara aircraft which are used for nine-and-a-half hours at present will be put into service for twelve-and-a-half hours by March.
Meanwhile, Air Sahara has also filed a Rs 2,000-crore claim against Jet Airways for non-completion of the agreement entered into by the two. The claim was filed in London last week, with the three-member arbitration panel.
The panel, headed by British judge Lord Stein, will come out with an order binding on both parties by March ’07. The claim is based on the cash loss it incurred and the depreciation in its value because of the $200-m buyout deal falling through. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/629897.cms

-- Edited by Aseem at 23:59, 2006-11-30

this thread is now closed.  Feel free to open up another on S2.

rgds

VT-ASJ