There is never a dull moment in the travel and aviation industry – the main travel updates this month are: IndiGo to widen its global footprint with 6 new destinations and 174 weekly flights and in addition, now offers new codeshare connections with Turkish Airlines to the USA via Istanbul. Vietnam Airlines introduces daily direct flights from Mumbai to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Akasa Air announces a new flight between Pune and Goa and Ahmedabad. Indigo announces new direct flights between Pune and Jodhpur and introduces additional frequencies to Delhi, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore. These and many more updates in the June edition of Travel Updates.

Indian Airlines carried a record 13.2 million passengers in May, the highest-ever monthly domestic traffic in the history of Indian aviation. Passenger numbers rose by 36% compared to the same month last year. As per data released by DGCA, Indigo’s market share crossed 60% for the first time and now stands at 61.4%, Tata owned airlines (Air India, Vistara & Air Asia) control 26.3%, Spicejet has 5.4% and Akasa Air has a 4.8% market share.

Indigo has made history by placing the largest order by any airline in terms of number of planes - 500 Airbus A320 single aisle aircraft with Airbus at the Paris Air Show on Monday 19th June. Indigo had placed its first order of 100 Airbus A320s in June 2005 at the same venue and commenced operations in August 2006. Indigo has around 310 planes in operation (with a 61.4% domestic market share) and still has 480 planes pending from previous orders which will be delivered by the end of the decade. This new order of 500 aircraft will ensure a steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035.

Indian carriers now have the second-largest order book, with over six per cent share of the industry backlog, behind only the United States, according to a June 1 report by Barclays. IndiGo aims to double its capacity by the end of the decade and expand its network, especially in international markets. The airline has a codeshare partnership with seven carriers including Turkish Airlines, American Airlines and KLM.

From being a state-owned airline that saw no fleet or personnel augmentation for many years, Air India-now back with founder Tata Group - has been put on the fast track to rapid expansion. The airline will induct 19 wide-body and 50 narrow-body aircraft by next March. Inducting new planes will help the airline spread its international network with North America and Europe being the priority areas and also help resolve one of the biggest grouse of customers which is dilapidated cabins of the old fleet. As part of the plan, all Air India's twin-aisles will have a completely new cabin product by mid-2025.

Finnair is temporarily discontinuing its Helsinki - Mumbai flights from 1st of August 2023 until 30th of March 2024 and will resume in the 2024 summer season. The airline will continue to operate daily flights to Delhi.

The Indian government has refused permission to United Airlines to codeshare with Emirates on routes from India as these are not covered by a traffic rights agreement between India and Dubai. The government clarified that the bilateral agreement between India and Dubai does not allow a third airline to use the seats.

The two airlines announced a codeshare deal in September 2022, under which the US carrier could sell seats on Emirates flights. The codeshare covers 27 destinations on the Emirates' network - a large portion of which are to India. The government's stand will hurt United as the airline was forced to cut its direct flights from Delhi due to closure of Russian airspace for US carriers.

Singapore Airlines will offer free unlimited wifi access to passengers in all cabin classes on its flights, including those connecting Indian cities. The enhanced Wifi offering will be available virtually across the entire aircraft fleet and almost the entire global SIA route network, it said in a release. India is a key market for Singapore Airlines, which flies 96 times a week from eight Indian cities.

AIX Connect announces new daily night flight between Pune and Bangalore from 6th June with the following schedule:

Furthermore, the Pune - Lucknow flight is now operational with the following schedule:

Akasa Air has announced a new flight between Pune and Goa (Mopa) effective 2nd July 2023 with the following schedule.

Furthermore, Akasa has announced a new daily flight between Pune and Ahmedabad from 8th June with the following schedule:

Indigo has announced a new direct flight between Pune and Jodhpur effective 16 June 2023 with the below schedule.

Furthermore, Indigo also introduces additional frequencies to Delhi, Nagpur, Ahmedabad and Bangalore from Pune.

Vietnam Airlines has introduced new direct flights from Mumbai to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City from 20th May 2023 with the following schedule.

Scheduled to launch on March 31, 2024, the new service between London and Bengaluru will be the airline's fourth daily service to India. Virgin Atlantic has increased capacity to India by 250 per cent, making it the airlines’ largest area of growth outside the US.

Bengaluru will complement Virgin Atlantic's long-established double daily service between London Heathrow and Delhi, daily flights to Mumbai as well its growing code share with Indigo, covering 34 destinations in India.

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines has launched the Premium Comfort Class in India, catering to the growing demand for elevated travel experiences. Passengers can enjoy wider and more comfortable seats, distinctive catering, sustainable amenities, and other benefits onboard the Boeing 787 and Boeing 777 aircraft servicing key routes. Acknowledging the significance of the Indian market, KLM has chosen to introduce its Premium Comfort Class on flights between Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai to Amsterdam.

Emirates will be introducing its popular premium economy cabin class on its A380 flights to Mumbai and Bengaluru from October 29. Apart from the new premium economy seats, travellers can look forward to refreshed interiors that provide an elevated experience in all other cabin classes.

Premium Economy already features on flights to nine destinations globally, including US points New York JFK, San Francisco and Houston, in addition to London Heathrow, Sydney, Auckland, Christchurch, Melbourne and Singapore. As the roll out of the retrofitted and enhanced Emirates A380s featuring a four-class configuration picks up pace, Premium Economy will be deployed on flights to more global destinations including India.

IndiGo will add 174 weekly flights in the summer schedule with the launch of six new overseas destinations and resumption of service to Hong Kong. New destinations announced by IndiGo on Friday include Almaty (Kazakhstan), Baku (Azerbaijan), Jakarta (Indonesia), Nairobi (Kenya), Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Tbilisi (Georgia). There are no non-stop flights from India to Georgia and Indonesia at present, while other destinations are served by direct or via options.

Indigo will be connecting Nairobi from Mumbai at the end of July for which the airline has already received DGCA approvals and to Jakarta, also from Mumbai sometime in August. Delhi will get connected to Tblisi (Georgia) and Baku (Azerbaijan) in August and Tashkent (Uzbekistan) and Almaty (Kazakhstan) in September.

Nearly two-thirds of India's international passenger traffic is carried by foreign airlines. The share of Indian carriers however is rising and they carried over 43 per cent international traffic in the January-March 2023 period.

Indigo has bolstered its international network with the launch of new codeshare connections via Istanbul to the United States of America. This strategic expansion opens up a world of possibilities for Indian travellers, allowing seamless access to New York, Boston, Chicago, and Washington through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines which is effective June 15, 2023.

What's more, both the Mumbai - Istanbul and Delhi - Istanbul flights are operated by wide bodied Boeing 777 aircrafts.

The Embassy of Georgia to India has announced the opening of the e-Visa facility, allowing Indian nationals to apply for their visa quickly and conveniently. This streamlined process is designed to enhance bilateral ties and make Georgia more accessible to Indian travellers. The e-Visa facility allows applicants to fill out an online form and upload the necessary documents, which will then be securely verified by the Embassy of Georgia. All applications will be processed within five business days of submission.

Saudi Arabia has introduced an instant e-visa facility for US, UK and Schengen visa holders provided that the visa was used at least once to enter the issuing country. In addition, the e-visa is also available for permanent residents from any European Union country.

EU member states have reached an agreement to transform the current Schengen visa system into a primarily digital process, eliminating the need for a physical sticker in passports. Once formally adopted, the new law will enable most visa applicants to apply online making the process easier, cheaper and faster. The incoming EU system will allow applicants to upload required documents and pay visa processing fees online but in some cases, like first time visitors or passengers with changed biometric data may still require an in-person appointment at a consulate or visa office.