Air India to lease six A320neo from CDB

Sixteen entities eye SriLankan Airlines stake - report

Sixteen potential bidders have expressed interest in participating in the partial privatisation of SriLankan Airlines (UL, Colombo International), according to a report in the local weekly The Sunday Times.

Phase one of the Sri Lankan government's bid to divest a majority stake in the national carrier required potential bidders to submit a request for qualification (RFQ) closes shortly. The Colombo-based newspaper reported, citing government sources, that Etihad Airways, Emirates, and India's Adani Group had all submitted RFQs, while Tata Sons, widely rumoured to be interested in a stake, did not. The CEO of Tata Sons-owned Air India had previously stated that he had no interest in the airline.

ch-aviation had previously reported that Emirates and Adani were eyeing a shareholding in the Sri Lankan carrier. Emirates previously owned a 43.63% stake in SriLankan Airlines and managed the carrier's day-to-day operations but divested under acrimonious circumstances in 2010.

The Sri Lankan government's advisor on the partial privatisation, World Bank Group member the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is reportedly assisting in...

India's IndiGo mulls business class on some A321neo - report

IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) may venture away from its low-cost carrier roots and start installing business-class cabins in some of its A321neo aircraft. The Economic Times has reported that the airline plans to put 16 such seats into each of 35 aircraft by the end of 2024.

“Four rows of extra-legroom seating will be installed in those aircraft, providing 36 inches of legroom for guests to stretch out or work comfortably," a source told the outlet.

If correct, the move would be a departure from IndiGo's successful operating model, which has seen it become India's biggest airline. However, the newspaper also suggested that the move could be a response to the overhaul of Air India and a broader trend towards more premium travel in India.

“The airline believes that there is a section of high-end leisure travellers and small business owners looking for a business-class product at fares lower than those charged by legacy airlines," the source claimed.

IndiGo did not respond to ch-aviation's request for comment.

According to ch-aviation...

Air India CEO backs stalling foreign carrier access to India

The CEO of Air India (AI, Mumbai International) has called on the Indian government to continue carefully managing any additional capacity rights it allocates to foreign carriers, arguing that local airlines need the chance to grow first and become more effective competitors.

“I think the strategy is to contain traffic rights expansion so that local airlines have the opportunity to spin up and attain scale and become competitive," Campbell Wilson told the Hindustan Times, adding that traffic liberalisation can and should happen after this occurs.

"A balance that has to be struck, allowing the market to grow but also incubate your local market because that's fundamentally the most beneficial thing you can do for the economy," he said. "The idea is to support Indian aviation. I think it's the right thing to do for the development of Indian aviation, and also Indian business and international connectivity."

Multiple foreign operators are seeking new or additional traffic rights in and out of India. However, the Indian government has declined to grant them, being keen to shore up...

Wizz Air Malta designated for Italy-India flights