National carrier Air India sees a threat in Middle Eastern carriers flying Indian air passengers to destinations in the US and Europe using Dubai or Abu Dhabi as a base. Air India has traditionally been the carrier flyers from India mostly used for travelling to foreign destinations.
“Air India has not been been aggressive. But now with Middle East-based airlines posing a threat, we need to be more aggressive,” said Prof Ravindra Dholakia, member (board of directors), Air India, during an event held in Bandra to celebrate the 110th birth anniversary of JRD Tata.
In the last couple of years, Gulf-based airlines including Emirates, Etihad and the like have been aggressively trying to capture the large Indian market. These airlines use their bases in places like Dubai and Abu Dhabi as a hub from where passengers are flown to destinations in Europe or the US.
According to Dholakia, being a national national carrier Air India is bound by certain social obligations unlike its competitors. “However, apart from the social obligations, we are working on rationalising the unprofitable routes and sorting out labour issues, mostly prompted by certain elements among our employees, which have been cropping up since the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India,” he said.
Dholakia also criticised the frequent problems cropping in Dreamliner aircraft, but said he expected Dreamliner operations to start giving better returns once the issues with Dreamliner aircraft get sorted out.
The national carrier got a fresh lease of life with the government pepping it up with a Rs 30,000cr aid, and is expecte4d to make a turn around by 2020-21.
Operations to be shifted to Terminal 2
Most of the domestic airlines currently operating from the domestic terminal in Vile Parle are expected to shift base to Terminal 2 after the ongoing work there is completed by next July, said Charudatta Deshmukh, director-urban planning with Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL). Deshmukh also clarified it would be those airlines that mostly conduct both domestic and international operations which would be shifted to Terminal 2. Those conducting only domestic operations will continue to fly from the present terminal.
Airbus MBA in aviation and aerospace
Aircraft manufacturing giant Airbus, in collaboration with certain Indian education institutions, is planning to offer MBA course in aviation and aerospace, said Dr Srinivasan Dwarakanath, MD, Airbus India. The course is expected to start from next year and would initially have two batches of about 70 odd students. “The aviation industry has been growing at a rapid pace since the past few years, and it requires well trained and skilled professionals. So, starting an MBA course in aviation is our contribution in that direction,” Dr Dwarakanath added.
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