Jet-Etihad deal: Air India the loser
After months in the pipeline, a deal has finally been announced between India’s Jet Airways and Etihad.
The UAE’s national carrier will pay Rs754.74 per share for a 24 per cent stake in Jet, valuing the deal at Rs20.6bn ($380m). It’s good news for both parties in the deal. But it’s very bad news for Jet’s main competitor – the state-owned Air India. Continue reading »
AirAsia in India: all dressed up with no place to fly
Talk about trying to run before you can walk – or in this case, fly.
AirAsia is on the hunt for some tall, outgoing – and in the case of female applicants, fully made-up – air stewards to be “walking advertisements” for the brand in India. The company is beginning recruitment on April 13. Any snag? The airline is yet to get an aviation licence in the country. Continue reading »
India’s airports: surprisingly good
Having stood in maddeningly wonky queues in both Delhi and Mumbai airports, surrounded by large families with as many crying children as oversized bags, it is difficult to believe.
Three of India’s international airports have been ranked amongst the world’s best terminals compared with others of a similar size. It’s an improbable result for a country usually berated for poor infrastructure. Continue reading »
AirAsia/India: a done deal
Though AirAsia’s flamboyant chief executive, Tony Fernandes, seemed to have taken it for granted, it’s a groundbreaking decision for the industry.
The joint venture between AirAsia, the Malaysia-based budget airline, and Indian conglomerate, Tata Sons, has been approved by India’s Foreign Investment Promotion Board.
India: AirAsia’s lukewarm welcome
When New Delhi decided last September to permit foreign airlines to own up to 49 per cent of domestic Indian carriers, the aim was to encourage an infusion of foreign capital to help its heavily-indebted incumbent airlines strengthen their weak balance sheets – and expand their services.
But instead of a foreign lifeline, India’s air carriers are now confronting the prospect of intensified competition, after AirAsia, the Malaysian low-cost carrier, announced plans to set up a brand-new, start-up Indian carrier, with financial backing from India’s Tata Group. Continue reading »
End of the line for Kingfisher Airlines?
Luxurious homes around the world, highly collectable cars, a stud farm, some very classy yachts famous for their “king sized parties”… Anyone would be happy to get their hands on Vijay Mallya’s assets.
Now that his creditors have run out of patience and are calling in loans to Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines, some of them bearing the billionaire tycoon’s personal guarantee, you’d think a few of these playthings might be about to change hands. Well, maybe just a few… Continue reading »
Indian aviation: choose your partners
“Malaysian beauty in search of an Indian partner to start a family with.”
“Impoverished Indian gentleman with a battered reputation in search of a companion to set him back on track. Fair complexion, good family.”
India’s aviation industry is awash with lonely hearts in search of a partner. Tony Fernandes, chief executive of Malaysia-based AirAsia, and Vijay Mallya, chairman of India’s Kingfisher Airlines, may be a good match in terms of their flamboyant personalities – but that’s where the likeness ends. Continue reading »
Jet-Etihad deal: too good to be true?
Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways appears to have developed a taste for Indian airlines. Just last month, there were rumours that the state-owned airline was considering investing in Vijay Mallya’s grounded airline, Kingfisher.
Then on Thursday, Jet Airways announced on the Bombay Stock Exchange that it is in discussions with Etihad regarding a possible investment in the Indian carrier. Continue reading »
Indian airlines: low cost carriers expanding
It turns out cheap is, indeed, cheerful where Indian airlines are concerned.
According to a new global ranking, low-cost carriers IndiGo and SpiceJet expanded capacity by 34.6 per cent and 16 per cent respectively in 2012, while standard carriers Air India and Jet Airways trimmed back operations. The contrast is stark – and that’s even before the dormant Kingfisher enters the picture. Continue reading »
Jet Airways circles Gulf deal
Jet Airways shares soared 7 per cent in Mumbai on Monday on a report that the airline was getting close to finalising a proposed tie-up with Etihad Airways, the Gulf carrier.
Mint newspaper said Jet would soon seek regulatory approval to alter its ownership structure to permit a stake sale to Etihad. If it goes ahead, the deal would be India’s first big foreign investment to come from prime minister Manmohan Singh’s recent economic reforms, which include a move allowing foreign carriers to buy 49 per cent of an Indian airline. Continue reading »
Jet Airways: flying high
Shares in Jet Airways, the Indian airline, soared by up to 15 per cent on Friday amid speculation that the company is about to announce a tie-up with a foreign carrier.
Although Jet denied that it had any such plan, its comment had little impact on the Mumbai stock market where investors seem convinced that foreign carriers are about to capitalise on recent government moves to liberalise foreign investment in air travel. Continue reading »
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