IA will soon be issuing notice for the lease of upto 5 A320s (part of the 11 plane lease to "douse Praful Bhaiyya;s fury!!!)

The details are: that the planes must have CFM56-5B engines. The deliveries of aircraft should be available during January 2007 - April 2007 for a period of three years/three years extendable to five years. Should be certified for MTOW 75.5T and should be certified for operation to high altitude airfields  (above 10000 ft).

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=145440

Airbus to hold talks with IA on aircraft financing prospects 
 
ATREYEE DEV ROY
Posted online: Saturday, November 04, 2006 at 0015 hours IST 
 
NEW DELHI, NOV 3:  A delegation from European aircraft manufacturer Airbus will hold consultations with the state-owned domestic carrier Indian Airlines (IA) on Monday regarding the financing prospects of all the 43 aircraft recently ordered by the company, sources said.
IA bought the A-320 family of aircraft at a list price of $2 billion.

IA has already finalised the financing programme for the first 10 aircraft, the delivery of which will be completed by mid-2008. German national bank, KFN, will provide $540 million to the airline company. The financing plans for the remaining planes will be finalised upon the completion of the delivery of the 10 aircraft by early 2008. The carrier has already received its first aircraft in October this year. The government has granted a sovereign guarantee on 36% of the entire amount loan amount to be taken by IA.

Earlier, Indian had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with ICICI Bank for part funding of the pre-delivery advance payments. The funding arrangement was a syndicated external commercial borrowing (ECB) of $152 million, with ICICI Bank acting as the sole arranger and underwriter.

The agreement is spread over a period of four years from June 2006 to January 2010.

The airline will receive delivery of six aircraft in 2007, 12 the year next, 18 aircraft in 2009 and the remaining 6 aircraft in 2010.

Airbus is an EADS company with $26.4 billion turnover in 2005. Globally, around 4,225 Airbus aircraft are in operations. In 2005, Airbus bagged 1111 aircraft orders valued at $96 billion, while the total deliveries stood at 378 aircraft.
 

karatecatman wrote:

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Really weird!! Air India has been specifically asked to go slow on its interior designs and new uniforms for crew. AI management has also been told that IA HAS to be consulted hereafter about any new change/design/strategy that AI has in mind for anything.  

IA is also towards the final stages of debating the "new" fleet for Alliance --- Bombardier and or ATR.

---

Not weird when u think about it: its about relative competence. AI mgmt is clearly incompetent and their incompetence is glaringly obvious to everyone who choses to see it. Thankfully even the govt seems to be waking up to the obvious facts and not being guided by emotions. In the end India needs one state owned carrier, and the Govt has obviously made its choice about which one it wants to retain. And I must say I agree with this choice!!

Its best to let AI die out. Whats the earthly use of floggin a dead horse.

Cox & Kings (C & K) has tied up with Indian (formerly Indian Airlines) for a direct online interface wherein the tour operator major's portal will have real time access to the airline's inventory.

Additionally, Karan Anand, director contracting, C&K told ETW that C&K was to open offices in Taiwan and Singapore in light of the growing business on the inbound and outbound front. C&K's direct online interface with Indian will give C&K clientele direct real time access to latest, updated IC fares as opposed to the time lag it usually takes on the GDS.

C&K is also talking to other domestic carriers about a similar, direct interface. "The direct interface will also help cut down manpower costs and make e-ticketing more commonplace, thereby making travel more efficient and sophisticated," Nair said.

Indian accounts for 35 per cent of C&K's domestic airline business. While this is initially a business travel initiative, it will soon be focused on the leisure market as well. C&K will eventually position this strategy as an online distribution vehicle for India's growing number of low cost carriers.

None of the online portals so far have direct access to the IC booking engine. The interface will be operational across all of C&K's 13 offices in India and it will also enable customers to generate an e-ticket. It will kick off within a month.

Anand revealed that C&K is opening offices in Taiwan and Singapore in order to service existing inbound and outbound business and also to develop Singapore as a hub in South East Asia.

"The strategy is to liason with our suppliers with regard to outbound from India. Our business into South East Asia is growing at a compounded rate of 30 per cent per annum and it is imperative that we have a set up in Singapore to liason with our suppliers across the region. The benefits of this is that we will be very close to our suppliers and this forges a more personal bond and makes inventory available to us at a faster rate," Anand said.

editor@expressindia.com

http://www.moneycontrol.com/india/news/pressnews/amadeustraveltechnology/indianairlinescomesboardamadeus/market/stocks/article/250773
 
 2006-11-13 16:42   Source : Moneycontrol.com
IA considers signing up more GDS platforms
(14 November 2006)

Indian Airlines (IA) is considering signing up three more global distribution system (GDS) platforms to take on rising competition from low-cost carriers in the domestic market, reports Economic Times.

The carrier, which currently uses the Abacus GDS along with its own terminals, would soon sign up with Amadeus, Worldspan and Galileo.

This would help Indian Airlines to shore up its distribution reach domestically by three-four times, adding anywhere around 15,000-18,000 booking terminals which can be used by agents to book tickets.

Other domestic service carriers such as Jet Airways, Air Sahara and Kingfisher are already on various GDS platforms, whereas, most low-cost carriers such as Air Deccan have been extensively using the internet as a channel to sell tickets, giving them cost advantages.

Even though the incremental cost of distribution and acquisition of new customers goes up for IA, GDS players note that this will get offset by the increase in domestic reach, and put Indian on the radar of frequentl flyers.

Earlier most travel agents had to log on to a different system to book IA. From now on they will be able to compare fares of all the full-service carriers in one go, and offer customers the best deal, sources said.

 
 *******************************************
 Indian Airlines comes on board Amadeus  
 
  Amadeus, the global leader in travel technology today announced the inking of a special agreement with the national carrier ‘Indian.’ Effective today, Indian’s pure domestic flights will now be bookable and ticketable on Amadeus in India.

With this unique facility travel agents and bookers on the Amadeus system in India can directly book all IC domestic flights including pure domestic bookings. Furthermore, all bookings and transactions would be in real time on the highest level of access enabling bookers to give seamless and efficient service to their clients. The decision by Indian to select Amadeus is a strategic step as it provides them with a wider distribution network and enables the airline to be more competitive in terms of expanding customer reach and enhancing sales efficiencies and services.

Elaborating on its agreement with Indian, Ankur Bhatia, Managing Director, Amadeus Indian subcontinent, said,  “As travel technology experts, India is a significant market for Amadeus, given the tremendous potential and dynamic growth of its travel sector. Driven by technological innovation at every step,  we are commited to providing the widest travel content to travel professionals through our distribution system, and the implementation of this prestigious project is a key move towards this objective”. We are delighted to work and support Indian in their journey towards achieving growth, expansion and customer satisfaction in this market.”

Commenting on this partnership, Dr. Vishwapati Trivedi, Chairman & Managing Director, Indian said, "Delivering first-rate customer experience right from the travel planning phase till one makes it to the desired destination, without compromising on quality has been the mantra for Indian. It is a known fact that  Amadeus India is the largest and the leading GDS in the Indian subcontinent and our tie-up with them in the region is another step towards this commitment. With Amadeus our reach will further extend to the vast network of travel agencies across the globe and will enable us to provide our end customers superior service, new value added services as well as increases our sales".

                                                             ******

http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=146308
IA spreading wings to retain second slot 
 
ATREYEE DEV ROY
Posted online: Monday, November 13, 2006 at 0040 hours IST 
 
NEW DELHI, NOV 12:  To retain its position as the second largest domestic airline, state-owned Indian Airlines is going for aggressive expansion of both its fleet as well as distribution network.
After deciding to take on lease five A320s and six regional jets, the company is likely to go live on all the major global distribution systems (GDS) in the country by next week including Galileo and Amadeus, industry sources said.

On the international network, the airline already has a wide distribution system via seven GDSs comprising Amadeus, Galileo, Fabre, Abacus, Axess, Infini and Worldspan.
 

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http://www.business-standard.com/lifeleisure/storypage.php?leftnm=5&subLeft=5&chklogin=N&autono=264911&tab=r

Flying high

Indian Airlines announced it has established an internal panel to review the rationalisation of international routes as it takes delivery of widebody aircraft (Hindu Business Line, 15-Nov-06). The carrier is considering suspending London service and launching services to Birmingham, South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indian_gets_tech-savvy_to_beat_rivals/articleshow/461254.cms
Indian gets tech-savvy to beat rivals
[ 17 Nov, 2006 0059hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
 
 
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NEW DELHI: The 52-year-old Indian Airlines is turning tech-savvy in an effort to take on the growing competition from private sector rivals in the domestic skies. As part of efforts to improve its passenger interface and services, Indian has inked a deal with two travel technology firms — Amadeus and Galileo for upgrading its ticket booking and transaction services.

That's not all. The airline is also in dialogues with companies for introducing Live TV feed on all its flights, starting next year. "We are on a technology high now," said Indian Airlines chairman Vishwapati Trivedi.

"The decision to go on the Amadeus GDS system will itself see our load factors improve by 5-10%. Besides, we are trying to improve our internet booking systems. Technology will drive our growth in the future," he said.

With the Amadeus tie-up, travel agents and bookers on the Amadeus system in India can directly book all Indian domestic flights. "Besides, all bookings and transactions would be in real time on the highest level of access, enabling bookers to give seamless and efficient service to their clients," added Amadeus India managing director Ankur Bhatia.

The move, said Trivedi, will provide Indian with a wider distribution network and enable the airline to be more competitive in terms of expanding customer reach and enhancing sales efficiencies and services. "In addition, we are also in talks to introduce Live TV feed on all our aircraft. Negotiations are underway with the service providers to fit the system on our new aircraft that will start arriving next year. With this system in place, travellers can watch live television on our flights," Trivedi added.

The airline has already initiated talks with Doordarshan for a direct-to-home (DTH) facility inside its aircraft. "Our idea is to show passengers Live TV rather than pre-recorded programmes. So, if a passenger was watching cricket before reaching the airport, he can continue watching the game inside the aircraft," Trivedi said.

Alongside, the airline is also looking at spreading its wings in the overseas markets by adding international destinations like South Africa, Australia and Hong Kong to its route network. "We are examining the possibilities of starting these new international flights. A team has already conducted the feasibility studies of all these routes, and the report would be presented soon. A decision on launching these new operations would be taken by the board soon," trivedi said.

Thee new international routes are expected to be added to its network only by the winter of 2007 as it is scheduled to take delivery of the first A330 in June next year, followed by the second aircraft in October. For the initial few months, the first A330 is expected to be deployed on some of Indian's existing domestic and international routes like Mumbai-Chennai-Singapore, and Mumbai-Calicut-Middle East.