Air India's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner to fly on domestic routes from September 19

Air India's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner will start flying on domestic routes from September 19, with the airline hoping that the fuel-efficient aircraft will bring back its good old 'Maharaja' days by saving costs.

With Air India implementing its turnaround and financial restructuring plans for several months now, the beleaguered national carrier has reported a cash surplus of Rs 48 crore between April and July against a cash deficit of Rs 586 crore during the same period last year.

"Dreamliner is an exciting plane. We hope that it will take Air India back to its good old 'Maharaja days'," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.

US manufacturer Boeing claims the Dreamliner consumes 15 -20 per cent less fuel than an aircraft of the same size, thus substantially reducing fuel costs which comprises 40 per cent of an airline's total operational costs.

"Dreamliner will start flying on domestic routes from September 19. The first flight will be on Delhi-Chennai route. Later on, six more destinations will be added. It will fly on international routes in winter," Air India CMD Rohit Nandan said.

Singh, along with former Civil Aviation ministers Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Congress MP Naveen Jindal, cut the ribbon to formally launch Air India's first Dreamliner at a function at the IGI airport.

With the government already committing to provide Rs 30,000 crore to the cash-strapped carrier, he said no more funds would be given to the airline which would now on have carry out aggressive cost-cutting measures to become competitive.

Air India would take deliveries of five more B787s by the end of this year, seven in 2013, five in 2014, six in 2015 and three in 2016, he said, adding the airline would need to add more planes to expand its share in the domestic as well as international market.

"After the pilots strike, we have started to fly all destinations except Toronto, but we are not content with our market share. We need more aircraft but it is a long term plan and will be done after the approval of the Cabinet," Singh said, adding Air India has set up a committee to look into its future aircraft requirement.

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Air India's new Boeing 787 Dreamliner to fly on domestic routes from September ... Economic Times Singh, along with former Civil Aviation ministers Shahnawaz Hussain and Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Congress MP Naveen Jindal, cut the ribbon to formally launch Air India's first Dreamliner at a function at the IGI airport. With the government already ... See all stories on this topic »

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American Airlines Pilots ponder possible Job action

The pilots union for American Airlines ratcheted up the rhetoric on Wednesday afternoon.

The Board of Directors for the Allied Pilots Association told national officers to get ready for a strike vote.

"Well, this is really a shot across the bow," said Tom Hoban, Allied Pilots Association. "It's the first step the leadership takes in order to prepare the union for the possibility of a strike."

Pilots are the only labor group that have not reached a new contract with American Airlines during its bankruptcy saga.

Pilots overwhelmingly rejected American's final offer this month.

So the airline said it would return to court and ask a judge to cancel their contract.

Pilots said if their contract is canceled, the union will then ask its 8,000 pilots whether they want to strike.

"We've got 8,000 pilots who've simply had enough and they're not going to take it anymore," Hoban added. "When management takes the contract, which is the underpinning of our profession, and says 'We're going to put it to the torch,' it's going to provoke a visceral reaction to this pilot's group."

In a statement from American Airlines, the carrier said that any form of job action by pilots would be unlawful — either before or after a decision by the court on the company's motion.

The pilots would need permission from the National Mediation Board before they could legally strike.

Pilots said this is the first time they made this move since 1997.

Down the hall from where the APA was talking to reporters, senior leaders of the union were in a face-to-face meeting with USAirways CEO Doug Parker and two other executives.

Both sides continue talking about ways to merge with American.

IBM to help Jet Airways Go Green

Jet Airways has can now accurately calculate, track and report aircraft emissions, thanks to IBM. The airlines can now map each carrier's carbon emissions, optimise its fuel usage by a detailed analysis of each flight. Significantly, this project is being done under the strategic 10-year business transformation agreement with the IT major to streamline and consolidate its IT operations.

A part of IBMs Integrated Emission Management System, it provides Jet Airways a process to analyse and calculate individual aircraft emissions, which is a complex process involving comparison of flight records and fuel usage data contained in multiple systems ranging from internal aircraft systems to regional navigation data and flight records. The solution ensures that all flight emissions are properly calculated, and reporting is accurate and timely.

With more than 50 years experience in aviation, IBM uses its software, hardware and services expertise to help top airlines and airports across the globe deliver more highly differentiated customer experiences and improve their operational efficiency.

"In the financial year 2011-12, domestic air traffic grew at a rate of 12.9%, creating a huge demand for fuel which accounts for a major expense for any airline. Creating an energy efficient airline is a top priority and we are committed to the environment and a greener world. With IBM's solution, Jet Airways will be able to evaluate carbon foot print not only at the fleet level but also at the aircraft level. It will help us optimise the fuel usage and thereby create a positive impact on the environment" said Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, Jet Airways.

"In order to take advantage of the strong growth potential in the Indian aviation market, it is critical for airlines to continuously transform through business and technology innovations. With its deep technology expertise, we have has brought flexibility and scalability to the carrier's operations and also helped the airlines gain competitive advantage and strengthen its leadership position," said Ramesh Narasimhan, director - client servicing, strategic outsourcing, global technology services, IBM, India/South Asia.

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RPT-Jury could decide sticky issues of Sept. 11 airlines lawsuit Reuters WTC developer says United, American airlines negligent. * Court to decide if developer was already compensated. * Judge says a jury may need to resolve the dispute. By Grant McCool. NEW YORK, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Most of the lawsuits arising from the ... See all stories on this topic »

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IBM to help Jet Airways go green Times of India The airlines can now map each carrier's carbon emissions, optimise its fuel usage by a detailed analysis of each flight. Significantly, this project is being done under the strategic 10-year business transformation agreement with the IT major to ... See all stories on this topic »

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Dell to deliver Ramco's ERP-as-a-service on cloud

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