Tag Archives: Air India

Sabre Corporation  announced a major milestone in air travel distribution for India, with the launch of New Distribution Capability (NDC) content for Air India, the country’s flagship airline. As part of Air India’s strategic modernization efforts, the introduction of NDC offers through Sabre will enhance the way Sabre-connected travel agents shop, book and service Air India reservations. Sabre’s NDC capabilities, a core component of its multi-source content platform, will provide agencies with rich content and real-time offers from Air India, ultimately, giving travelers greater transparency, choice, and flexibility. Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial Officer, Air India, said: “At Air India, our aim is to deliver superior customer service through innovative technologies. By continuing to enhance our partnership with Sabre, we’re able to advance our NDC journey to meet the evolving needs of travel agencies and passengers, providing an enhanced experience.” Sabre and Air India already have an agreement in place to distribute Air India’s traditional content, both in India and globally. With the launch of NDC offers through Sabre, Air India aims to further optimize its distribution strategy, providing travel agencies with a broader range of real-time offers. By using Sabre’s technology, the airline will be able to offer a more streamlined, efficient shopping experience that meets the dynamic needs of the modern traveller. “We’re energized to extend our collaboration with Air India by launching their NDC content and helping to enhance their distribution capabilities,” said Kathy Morgan, Senior Vice President of Product Management, Distribution Experience, Sabre Travel Solutions. “India is a key market for Sabre and for the travel industry overall as it fuels increased demand for travel. It’s important that the airline can distribute its NDC content easily to …

Travelport and Air India announced that they are accelerating the launch of NDC content and servicing for Travelport-connected agencies. Travelport is the leading distributor for Air India content globally, connecting the airline to its network of travel agencies around the world via the Travelport+ platform. Agencies using Travelport+ will be able to quickly and easily view and compare the airline’s NDC offers alongside traditional content in the fourth quarter of this year. “Globally, Travelport is the leading aggregator of Air India content for travel agencies,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Travel Partners at Travelport. “Our partnership is centered around our shared belief that agencies are an essential retailing channel to provide travelers with seamless, personalized experiences for every trip, even after booking. That is why Travelport’s end-to-end NDC solution will empower agencies to directly service Air India bookings, so they can manage changes across NDC and non-NDC content seamlessly.” Travelport’s latest enhancement to the Travelport+ platform, Content Curation Layer (CCL), simplifies the process of accessing retail-ready content and identifying the most relevant options from airlines like Air India. Travelport’s CCL uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to filter through aggregated multi-source content to deliver accurate search results that are standardized, making offers easier to understand and compare. This ensures that agents can then book the best options for their travelers from any source of Air India’s content, based on their unique needs and preferences. “Travelport is one of our preferred technology providers,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer at Air India. “Together, we are looking to deliver a solution that makes it easy for agents to access, sell, and service Air India’s content and offers through …

At a special interview with TravelTV MiddleEast, Kaizad Postwalla, Head – International Sales North America, Canada and GMEA, Air India, shared the two most recent initiatives taken by Air India. He commented, “We recently introduced branded fare families, aligning with the global industry standards. This was rolled out on August 13th, the key attributes and other details of which are being shared with our travel partners. Another key development is our work on the Code Share partnership with Air India Express. This will allow agencies to use Air India Document to cover both Air India and Air India Express sectors through GDS. We already have a Code Share Agreement & Special Prorate Agreement (SPA) with Vistara, enabling Air India flights to be sold on international routes paired with Vistara’s domestic sectors. These initiatives are designed to significantly expand the network available to our agents, providing them with more options to sell, not just within/to/from India, but beyond. We are particularly focused on promoting International-to-International connectivity, which we aim to highlight to and seek support from our travel partners in the Gulf.”  

Air India commenced flights on the busy Delhi-Dubai route using its brand-new Airbus A350-900 aircraft in the airline’s bold new livery on 1st May 2024. With this, Air India’s flagship aircraft marked its international debut and Air India becomes the only carrier to operate the A350 between India and Dubai. Air India celebrated the occasion with pre-departure ceremonies, with guests at both airports presented with A350 memorabilia. At Dubai airport, Mr Satish Kumar Sivan, Consul General of India, Dubai, Mr Jamal Al Hai, Deputy CEO, Dubai Airport and Mr Mohammed Abdulla Lengawi, Director General, Dubai Civil Aviation Authority lit the ceremonial lamp the inaugurate the aircraft’s first departure from Dubai. Air India’s A350-900 aircraft features a three-class cabin configuration with 316 seats: 28 private Business suites with full-flat beds, 24 Premium Economy seats with extra legroom and other amenities, and 264 spacious Economy seats. All seats on the aircraft feature the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system and HD screens that offer more than 2,200 hours of entertainment content from around the world. Air India started inducting the A350s earlier this year as part of the 470 new aircraft order that Air India placed a year ago. Air India currently operates a total of 72 flights a week to Dubai from five Indian cities, of which 32 flights are from Delhi.

Air India announced that it will deploy its brand-new A350 aircraft on the busy Delhi-Dubai route this summer, marking the aircraft’s debut on short-haul international flights. Starting 1 May 2024, Air India guests flying between Delhi and Dubai can experience the A350 in its bold new livery. Operating as AI995/996, the aircraft is scheduled to depart Delhi daily at 20:45hrs, arriving at 22:45hrs in Dubai. The return flight departs Dubai next day at 00:15hrs and arrives in Delhi at 04:55hrs. All timings local. With this, Air India becomes the only carrier to operate the A350 between India and Dubai. The A350 seats on the Delhi-Dubai route are available for reservation on Air India’s website and mobile app or via travel agents. Air India’s A350 aircraft feature 28 private suites with full-flat beds in Business, 24 seats in a dedicated Premium Economy cabin offering extra legroom and other enhancements, and 264 spacious seats in Economy. All seats on the A350 come with the latest-generation Panasonic eX3 in-flight entertainment system and HD screens that offer more than 2,200 hours of entertainment content from around the world. Air India started inducting the A350s earlier this year, which have since operated flights within India for crew familiarisation and regulatory compliance purposes. Air India currently operates a total of 72 flights a week to Dubai from five Indian cities, of which 32 flights are from Delhi. SCHEDULE OF AIR INDIA’S A350 FLIGHTS BETWEEN DELHI AND DUBAI Effective 01 May 2024 Flight No. Days of Operation Sector Departure Arrival AI995 Daily Delhi-Dubai 2045 Hrs 2245 Hrs AI996 Daily Dubai-Delhi 0015 Hrs 0455 Hrs  

Travelport and Air India announced that they have extended and expanded their multi-year distribution agreement to include New Distribution Capability (NDC) content and servicing. The agreement further expands the collaboration between Travelport and Air India, confirming the future delivery of a complete NDC solution which will provide Travelport’s global network of travel agencies the ability to easily search, shop and service Air India’s product offerings. “Our valued partnership with Travelport is an important part of our growth and technology strategy as we prepare to deliver a complete solution that makes it easy for agents to access and service Air India’s content and offers,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial and Transformation Officer at Air India. “Travelport+ will elevate our technology investment and the future roll out of NDC-sourced content, so that together, we can ensure agents and travellers have a seamless, modern retailing experience.” Travelport and Air India remain committed to providing travel agencies worldwide with more choices and a fast, easy way to search and book the best options that meet travellers’ needs. This renewed agreement between Travelport and Air India ensures that Travelport subscribers continue to have simplified access to Air India’s extensive network of destinations, which will continue to expand and evolve. “Our expanded agreement with Air India positions Travelport and our operator partner ITQ to continue driving modern travel retailing as the leading travel technology partner of choice for travel agencies in India,” said Damian Hickey, Global Head of Airline Partners at Travelport. “As part of Air India’s future technology strategy, our collaboration on NDC will be complemented by the superior retailing and merchandizing solutions available in Travelport+, which ultimately make it easier for agents to operate …

In its latest campaign, Air India announced that it flies 79 times a week between the UAE and India. Apart from that a special promotional fare of AED 1430 (T’s & C’s apply)  on business class between the UAE and India on their latest dreamliner jets is the second campaign this week. There are several options travellers can pick from earning double frequent points to enjoying special fares on the UAE – India route. With its latest strategies Air India will continue its timeless hospitality with seamless connectivity and immersive experiences to all its passengers.  

Sabre Corporation  and Air India announced a new multi-year deal that enables travel agents and corporations around the world to access Air India fares and seats through Sabre’s extensive global travel marketplace. Having recently placed the biggest aircraft order in aviation history for 470 aircraft, Air India is forging ahead with ambitious expansion plans. In addition to the distribution services, Air India is utilizing Sabre’s consultancy expertise to help determine optimal routes for its existing and new fleet. “The Indian travel market is back, and it’s coming back strong,” said Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer, Air India. “So, we’re delighted to have re-established, and enhanced, our relationship with Sabre at this transformative time for Air India, and the wider Indian travel marketplace. This long-term global distribution partnership will support our ambitious growth plans while paving the ground for our transition towards a more dynamic, merchandising-focused model, designed to unlock the value of Air India’s products and services.” “As well as coming together once more under a new GDS agreement, we’re excited to be working hand-in-hand with Sabre’s incredibly knowledgeable consultancy team on the development of a clean-sheet, long-term network plan,” added Mr Aggarwal. “We are confident this will strengthen Air India’s position in our domestic and international routes, and help us to become more competitive on the global aviation stage. We are delighted to further strengthen our relationship with Sabre, and look forward to closer collaboration in the coming years.” Now under the ownership of the Tata Group, Air India, as part of its five-year transformation plan, titled Vihaan.AI because it means ‘the dawn of a new era’ in Sanskrit, is substantially expanding its fleet and network, revamping …

Travelport confirmed that the company is now the sole global distribution system (GDS) provider of Air India’s domestic flight content in India. The contract, which was awarded to Travelport following a competitive bidding process, came into effect in November 2018 and was fully implemented as of January 1, 2020. It means, Travelport is now the only GDS provider through which travel agents in India can receive both Air India’s domestic and international flight content. The company also continues to provide all domestic and international flight content from the carrier to its wide network of travel agents across the world. As Air India is signed up to Travelport’s leading merchandising solution, Travelport rich content and branding, travel agents booking through its platform benefit from a graphically rich experience when searching for and booking the airline’s branded fares, as well as greater access to its ancillary offers. The milestone comes just one month after Meenakshi Malik, Executive Director of Commercial Operations at Air India, revealed that the carrier had already seen ‘growth of 22 per cent’ in operational profit and ‘cut down cost by around ₹300 crore’ since it began changing its distribution strategy. Malik also projected a saving of ‘₹3200 crore in five years’. Martin Herbert, Regional Managing Director for India and Sri Lanka at Travelport, said, “Wide and cost-effective distribution, coupled with impactful merchandising, are important to all airlines and we’re proud we are now the sole GDS provider of these services to Air India when it comes to both domestic and international content in India.” Sandeep Dwivedi, Chief Operating Officer at InterGlobe Technology Quotient, said, “Now that we have had a glimpse of last year’s performance, with respect to …

Amadeus and Air India have announced signing the new distribution agreement. The airline will benefit from the world’s largest and most diverse travel seller community, using the best professional sales technology underpinned by the Amadeus Travel Platform. Travel sellers in India will have access to the airline’s pure full international content only, while travel sellers in the rest of the world will have access to the full range of Air India’s content, both domestic and international. Working with Amadeus will help accelerate the airline’s growth in 2020 and beyond, an important step in the airline’s vision and renewed relationship with Amadeus. Meenakshi Mallik, Commercial Director, Air India, said, “We are pleased to renew our relationship with Amadeus to support our growth strategy globally and hope that this is the first step in our new journey together. We look forward to working closer with Amadeus to support agencies and travellers in the future.” Cyril Tetaz, Executive Vice President, Airlines, Asia Pacific, Amadeus, said, “We are glad to once again work with Air India and play a positive role in the airline’s growth strategy. Amadeus’ simple, open and agile system will allow Air India to innovate, experiment and collaborate to create new products which will add value to customers and create upsell or cross-sell opportunities.”