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NEW DELHI/PARIS, June 20 (Reuters) - Record plane orders by India's top two carriers show the country's untapped potential for air travel and its rise as an aviation superpower, but recent airline failures and rows over regulations suggest progress may not be smooth. A day later, rival Air India firmed up an order for 470 Airbus and Boeing (BA.N) aircraft that, until Monday, had been the industry leading plane deal. LEASING CONCERNSBut while the opportunity in India is big, so are the risks, says Ameya Joshi, an independent aviation analyst. Leasing companies warn that restrictions on repossessing their assets in case of defaults will drive up costs for all Indian airlines - even for IndiGo and Air India. It will eventually help Indian airlines by lowering risk and moderating lease rental costs," said Joshi.

Persons: India's, Jyotiraditya Scindia, planemakers, Ameya Joshi, Joshi, Aditi Shah, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Mark Potter Organizations: NEW, Paris, Airbus, Air India, Boeing, Air, CAPA India, planemakers, IndiGo, lessors, Thomson Locations: NEW DELHI, PARIS, Air India, India, New Delhi, outdoing U.S, Paris

That deal, sketched out in February, was at the time the largest ever announced by number of planes. But it was surpassed on day one of the Paris show by Indian rival IndiGo's (INGL.NS) order for 500 Airbus narrowbody jets. Reuters GraphicsAir India's provisional deal included 250 planes from Airbus and 220 from Boeing. The Airbus part comprised 210 A320neo narrowbodies and 40 A350 widebodies, while the Boeing deal was for 190 737 MAX, 20 787 Dreamliners and 10 mini-jumbo 777X. Together with another 25 Airbus jets to be leased, the overall acquisition reaches 495 jets, an Airbus executive said at the time.

Persons: Royce, narrowbodies, Lars Wagner, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Allison Lampert, Valerie Insinna, Aditi Shah, Mark Potter Organizations: Air India, Ethiopian Airlines, Paris, Airbus, Boeing, Reuters Graphics Air, Royce, Aero Engines, Tata, Emirates, Air, IndiGo, . Leasing, Avolon, Philippine Airlines, Qantas, Thomson Locations: PARIS, India, Paris, Air India

The world's largest air show, which alternates with Farnborough in Britain, is at Le Bourget for the first time in four years after the 2021 edition fell victim to the pandemic. On the civilian side, planemakers arrived with growing demand expectations as airlines rush for capacity to meet demand and help reach industry goals of net zero emissions by 2050. REUTERS/Benoit TessierIndiGo's deal highlights the growing importance of India, the world's fastest-growing aviation market, serving the largest population, to planemakers. In another key market, Airbus said Saudi budget airline flynas had firmed up an order for 30 of its A320neo-family narrowbody aircraft, confirming a Bloomberg report. France's Thales (TCFP.PA) also announced a contract from Indonesia for 13 long-range air surveillance radars.

Persons: Le Bourget, Emmanuel Macron, planemakers, Sash Tusa, Benoit Tessier IndiGo's, there's, Pieter Elbers, flynas, Avolon, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Allison Lampert, Valerie Insinna, Aditi Shah, Julia Payne, Nandan Mandayam, Mark Potter, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Airbus, Defence, Indian, Paris, Reuters, Air India's, Boeing, Farnborough, French Rafale, Industry, Partners, Air, REUTERS, Saudi, Bloomberg, Kyiv, Rafale, Eurofighter, Thales, Mexico's Viva, Thomson Locations: Paris, PARIS, Britain, UKRAINE, European, France, Germany, Spain, Le Bourget, India, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belgium, Franco, Spanish, Indonesia, Air India

Ali's comments came after sources said the airline was close to a deal to buy 10 Airbus A350 widebody planes, marking its first order with the French planemaker. It was not clear whether the deal would be finalised in time for the Paris Airshow, which opens on Monday. "Every country has both Airbus and Boeing in their fleet. We didn't have an Airbus in our fleet," Ali said, as the airline looks to break its reliance on the U.S. planemaker that typically dominates widebody orders. The 51-year-old airline has a fleet of more than 20 mostly Boeing planes, over half of which are widebodies, and some Dash-8 turboprops.

Persons: Mahbub Ali, Ali's, Biman, Ali, Ruma Paul, Tim Hepher, Aditi Shah, Christopher Cushing, Jamie Freed Organizations: Bangladesh Airlines, Airbus, Boeing, country's, Reuters, Paris Airshow, Thomson Locations: DHAKA, PARIS, Britain, Malaysia, Thailand, Canada, Dhaka, Paris

The multibillion-dollar deal is the largest ever by number of aircraft, eclipsing Air India's provisional purchase of 470 jets earlier this year as India's two largest carriers plan for a sharp expansion in regional travel demand. With the growth of India (and) the growth of the Indian aviation market ... this is the right time for us to place this order," IndiGo Chief Executive Pieter Elbers told a news conference. Indian carriers now have the second-largest order book, with an over 6% share of the industry backlog, behind only the United States, according to a June 1 report by Barclays. After signing the IndiGo deal, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said it was premature to start thinking about narrowbody jet production rates higher than the planned 75 per month. It continues to hold separate talks with Airbus and rival Boeing (BA.N) for 25 widebody planes, which could either be Airbus A330neos or Boeing 787 jets, sources have said.

Persons: there's, Pieter Elbers, Guillaume Faury, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Aditi Shah, Mark Potter Organizations: Airbus, Paris, Air, Reuters, Barclays, Boeing, Thomson Locations: India, United States

[1/2] Customers look at a Hero MotoCorp Karizma motorbike at a Hero MotoCorp showroom in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad April 26, 2013. REUTERS/Amit Dave/File PhotoCompanies Hero MotoCorp Ltd FollowNEW DELHI, June 15 (Reuters) - India's Ministry of Corporate Affairs has ordered an investigation to assess Hero MotoCorp's (HROM.NS) relationship with a third-party vendor in a case related to alleged diversion of funds, two government sources told Reuters on Thursday. The investigation has been ordered in the "public interest" to probe the ownership structure of Hero MotoCorp and whether it controlled the third-party vendor, said the two sources, who are privy to the internal government directive. Hero MotoCorp, India's largest manufacturer of motorcycles, said in a statement to Reuters that it had not received any communication from the government and could not comment. Separately, Hero MotoCorp was under the scrutiny of India's income tax authorities last year.

Persons: Amit Dave, MotoCorp, Hero MotoCorp, Pawan Munjal, Nikunj Ohri, Aditya Kalra, Aditi Shah, Jason Neely Organizations: REUTERS, NEW, India's Ministry, Corporate Affairs, Reuters, India's, Companies, Thomson Locations: Indian, Ahmedabad, NEW DELHI, New Delhi

Air India, which is revamping itself under new owner Tata Group, has been rapidly growing its international presence with new non-stop flights to Europe and the United States. Being able to use Russian airspace has come as a boon as it looks to capture a bigger share of the market. IATA Director General Willie Walsh called for an opening up of Russian airspace. "What we would like to see is everybody using Russian airspace. But airlines that can are unlikely to stop using Russian airspace after this diversion, said James Halstead, managing partner at Aviation Strategy.

Persons: Stringer, Campbell Wilson, Wilson, Scott Kirby, Kirby, Willie Walsh, Walsh, James Halstead, Vinod Kannan, India's, it's, Air India's Wilson, I'm, Aditi Shah, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, United Airlines, Air, Air India, International Air Transport, Tata Group, Reuters, Airlines, Aviation, Singapore Airlines, Thomson Locations: Sheremetyevo, Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Stringer ISTANBUL, U.S, India, Europe, Asia, Brussels, Air India, Istanbul, Air, United States, Russia's Far

ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - Global airlines called on Tuesday for broad co-operation to reach "very tough" emission targets and pledged to release interim climate targets next year as the industry aims for a goal of net-zero by 2050. Airlines are relying for 62% of their emissions reduction target on the fuel, which is currently between two to four times more expensive than kerosene. Walsh said airlines were not afraid to confront the fact that their share of total emissions will rise as other industries with fewer technological hurdles decarbonise. "Different parts of the world are moving at different paces and for us, representing global airlines, we've got to factor all of that into account." One thing airlines agreed on was frustration at aircraft delays, which have disrupted their schedules, with CEOs asking IATA to lobby planemakers.

Persons: Willie Walsh, Walsh, Jo Dardenne, Tim Clark, Clark, we've, Joanna Plucinska, Tim Hepher, Andrew Heavens, Sriraj Kalluvila, Alexander Smith Organizations: Aviation, International Air Transport Association, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, SAF, Transport, Environment, Dubai's Emirates, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, planemakers, United States, Dubai

ISTANBUL, June 6 (Reuters) - An Air India plane flying from Delhi to San Francisco was forced to divert and land at an airport in Russia's Far East after it developed a technical issue with one of its engines, the airline said on Tuesday. The 216 passengers and 16 crew onboard were being offered support on the ground and accommodated in local hotels for the night, Air India said. Air India said it could not share any passenger details. GE Aerospace said it was aware of the diversion and working with Air India to resolve the issue. However, Air India and some Gulf-based, Chinese and African carriers continue to fly over Russia, making flying times shorter and American rivals uncompetitive.

Persons: Rosaviatsia, Campbell Wilson, Biden, Aditi Shah, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, David Shepardson, Valerie Insinna, Alexnader Marrow, Gleb Stolyarov, Josephine Mason, Emelia Sithole, David Evans, Mark Potter Organizations: An, Boeing, United Airlines, Air, General Electric, Union, Norwegian Air Boeing, Washington, GE, U.S . Treasury, U.S . Department of Commerce, GE Aerospace, International Air Transport Association, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, An Air India, Delhi, San Francisco, Russia's Far, Russia, Air India, Magadan, Okhotsk, Iran, Shiraz, India, Washington, United States, Moscow, Ukraine, American, U.S

ISTANBUL, June 5 (Reuters) - The United States is in a "business recession" but the consumer is "strong", Scott Kirby, chief executive of United Airlines (UAL.O), the world's largest carrier, told reporters at an aviation conference in Istanbul on Monday. Business demand hasn't fully recovered yet ... that's taking more time," he said. I think actually, in the U.S., we're in a business recession, and the consumer is just fine, the consumer is strong." The chief of the world's biggest airline also raised concerns over competing carriers flying over Russia. However, newly approved flights for Chinese airlines are avoiding flying over Russian airspace to and from the United States, Reuters reported on June 1.

Persons: Scott Kirby, Kirby, We're, Aditi Shah, Jason Neely Organizations: United Airlines, International Air Transport Association, world's, U.S, Air, Reuters, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, United States, Istanbul, U.S, Russia, Washington, Moscow, Ukraine, India, Air India

ISTANBUL, June 5 (Reuters) - Global airlines more than doubled their 2023 industry profit forecast to $9.8 billion from $4.7 billion on Monday cheered by strong travel demand as the sector recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. "The pandemic years are behind us and borders are open as normal," Director General Willie Walsh told the annual meeting of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Global airlines have in recent months reported strong results as they prepare for a busy summer season, with travel demand showing no sign of flagging despite peaking inflation. Revenue levels for 2023 are also inching closer to pre-pandemic levels, climbing to an expected $803 billion versus $838 billion in 2019. And they will continue to do so through this year," Walsh told Reuters in an interview separately.

Persons: Willie Walsh, Walsh, " Walsh, Joanna Plucinska, Aditi Shah, Tim Hepher, Jason Neely Organizations: Global, International Air Transport Association, . Global, Reuters, Airlines, Schiphol Airport, Schiphol, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Netherlands, South Africa

[1/2] An Air France aircraft, operated with sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) produced by TotalEnergies, is refueled before its first flight from Nice to Paris at Nice airport, France, October 1, 2021. REUTERS/Eric Gaillard/File PhotoISTANBUL, June 5 (Reuters) - Airlines took aim at Europe over green fuel mandates and its failures to stem France's air traffic control strikes as they weigh on carrier capacities at a global airlines meeting in Istanbul on Monday. In 2021, the body released its strategy to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, including a progressive increase in sustainable aviation fuel use. A global approach to book and claim for SAF credits will help facilitate economies of scale in SAF production," he said. FRAGMENTATIONHowever, IATA said the EU's approach could cause more fragmentation by forcing airlines to buy SAF in Europe, ultimately hampering a harmonized global approach and sowing confusion.

Persons: Eric Gaillard, Willie Walsh, Walsh, Marie Owen Thomsen, Joanna Plucinska, David Evans Organizations: Air France, REUTERS, Airlines, EU, SAF, Air Transport Association, Officials, Chicago Convention, Activists, Thomson Locations: Nice, France, ISTANBUL, Europe, Istanbul, United States, COVID

☆ ANA CEO looks to boost fleet with Boeing 787, launch low-cost airline
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-05 | by ( Aditi Shah | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Air travel is slowly recovering in Japan post pandemic with inbound passenger traffic coming back stronger while outbound leisure demand is "still weak", he added. While the fear of getting infected is still putting off some passengers from travelling overseas, a weaker yen versus the dollar is making it costlier for Japanese travellers and hurting outbound demand, Inoue said. While limited flights between the U.S. and China are resulting in some additional inbound demand for ANA as passengers travel through Tokyo, inflationary trends in the U.S. are expected to further crimp outbound travel, he said. ANA said last year it plans to launch a new international low-cost carrier in late 2023 or early 2024, focused on the Southeast Asian market as tourism revives post pandemic. ANA expects to launch Air Japan by spring 2024, Inoue said.

Persons: Shinichi Inoue, Inoue, Aditi Shah, Jason Neely, David Evans Organizations: All Nippon Airways, ANA, Boeing, Monday, International Air Transport Association, U.S, Japan, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Japan, China, Tokyo, U.S

☆ Airlines say ready to avoid repeat of summer travel chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Airline leaders attending IATA's annual meeting in Istanbul this week remain concerned about air traffic control disruption in Europe and the United States, however. "But as far as they are concerned, they have fulfilled their obligation to get their resources in place for this summer. Rising numbers of disputes between travellers and airlines globally have led to calls for passenger compensation. Some passenger groups have accused airlines of skirting compensation by invoking an exemption for exceptional circumstances. Airlines have reported strong bookings for this summer as air traffic returns towards pre-COVID levels.

Persons: Willie Walsh, they've, Walsh, Eurocontrol, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Aditi Shah, David Holmes Organizations: Airlines, International Air Transport Association, Sunday, Airline, Reuters, European, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Europe, United States, North America, Canada, U.S, European Union, Ukraine

☆ Airbus heads towards 500-jet order from IndiGo
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

ISTANBUL, June 4 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) is closing in on a potentially record deal to sell 500 narrowbody A320-family jets to India's largest carrier, Indigo (INGL.NS), industry sources said on Sunday. The European planemaker has emerged as front-runner for an order eclipsing Air India's historic provisional purchase of 470 jets in February, the sources said on the sidelines of an airline industry meeting in Istanbul. Airbus and Boeing are also competing in talks to sell 25 wide-body jets to the same airline, they said. IndiGo, which is already a major Airbus customer with a large number of planes on order, and the France-based planemaker both declined comment. Reporting by Tim Hepher, Aditi Shah and Joanna Plucinska; Editing by Hugh LawsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Tim Hepher, Aditi Shah, Joanna Plucinska, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Airbus, Boeing, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, France

☆ Airlines body urges jetmakers to fix aircraft delivery delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Airlines "are not concerned about the macroeconomic environment, they're concerned about the access to spare parts for their existing aircraft and the delivery of new aircraft. "It's frustrating because airlines can see strong demand, but they're not able to match supply with demand in many markets. Airbus (AIR.PA) and Boeing (BA.N) have blamed supply chains for delivery delays, while bottlenecks in a network of engine repair shops have also forced airlines to ground dozens of jets. The gathering comes two weeks before the Paris Airshow, where supply pressures are likely to overshadow new orders. Reporting by Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska and Aditi Shah; Editing by David HolmesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Adolfo Suarez, Isabel Infantes, Willie Walsh, it's, they're, Tim Hepher, Joanna Plucinska, Aditi Shah, David Holmes Organizations: Ryanair Boeing, Airbus, Adolfo Suarez Madrid, Barajas Airport, REUTERS, International Air Transport Association, Reuters, Boeing, Thomson Locations: Madrid, Spain, Isabel Infantes ISTANBUL, Istanbul, Airlines, Paris

ISTANBUL, June 4 (Reuters) - Airbus (AIR.PA) is closing towards a potentially record deal to sell 500 narrow-body A320-family jets to India's largest carrier IndiGo (INGL.NS), industry sources said on Sunday. Airbus and Boeing (BA.N) are also still competing in separate talks to sell 25 A330neo or Boeing 787 wide-body jets to the same airline, the industry sources said. IndiGo is already one of Airbus's largest customers and has so far ordered a total of 830 Airbus A320-family jets of which nearly 500 are still to be delivered. 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.

Persons: Pieter Elbers, Carsten Spohr, Elbers, Tim Hepher, Aditi Shah, Joanna Plucinska, Hugh Lawson, David Holmes, Susan Fenton Organizations: Airbus, Boeing, IndiGo, International Air Transport Association, Reuters, Turkish Airlines, Barclays, Lufthansa Group, American Airlines, KLM, Thomson Locations: ISTANBUL, Istanbul, United States, Europe

NEW DELHI, May 30 (Reuters) - India's aviation watchdog has put on hold requests from lessors to repossess planes from Go First, as the airline's bankruptcy process imposes a freeze on assets which supersedes such requests, the regulator said in a court filing seen by Reuters. Lessors of Go First have locked horns with Go First and India's Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to reclaim its planes for missed payments, filing as many as 40 requests with the watchdog to allow repossession. Go First's lessors include Standard Chartered's Pembroke Aircraft Leasing, SMBC, CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing and BOC Aviation. India has ratified the treaty but the DGCA argued there was no local legislation enforcing it, rendering it ineffective. The DGCA filing said local laws "prevail over provisions of any international treaty that India is a signatory to".

"They are very seriously looking at India as a production and innovation base," Rajeev Chandrasekhar said in the first public comment by an Indian government official on the talks. Tesla proposed setting up a factory in India to build electric vehicles (EVs) and is also looking at manufacturing EV batteries, Reuters reported. Asked if talks with Tesla included more than just making vehicles, Chandrasekhar said "you don't talk about cars alone" when such discussions take place. "You talk about cars, you talk about energy, you talk about manufacturing technology. Outside the United States, Tesla has a plant in Shanghai - its largest factory worldwide - and one in Brandenburg, Germany.

[1/2] Visitors check a Tesla Model 3 car at a showroom of the U.S. electric vehicle (EV) maker in Beijing, China February 4, 2023. REUTERS/Florence LoCompanies Tesla Inc FollowNEW DELHI, May 18 (Reuters) - Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) asked how it could take part in domestic incentives in India related to car and battery manufacturing when it held discussions with government officials this week, a source with direct knowledge of the talks told Reuters. The electric car maker proposed setting up a factory in India to build electric vehicles (EV) and also discussed plans to locally manufacture EV batteries, the person said. The proposal comes after talks between Tesla and India were deadlocked last year over the car maker's request to lower the import tax on cars, which can reach as much as 100%. India wanted the car maker to build vehicles locally but Tesla wanted to test the market first with imports.

The proposal comes after India refused to agree to Tesla's request last year to lower the import tax on cars, which can reach as much as 100%. India wanted the carmaker to build vehicles locally but Tesla wanted to test the market first with imports and the talks ended in deadlock. While Tesla did not discuss lower import taxes with Indian officials, it proposed setting up a new factory, albeit without specifying a location or investment, said the source, who declined to be named as the talks were private. Senior Tesla executives are in India this week to meet the government to discuss local sourcing of parts and other issues, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Tesla met officials from Modi's office and other ministries on Wednesday, said the person and another source familiar with the matter.

The proposal comes after India refused to agree to Tesla's request last year to lower the import tax on cars, which can reach as much as 100%. India wanted the carmaker to build vehicles locally but Tesla wanted to test the market first with imports and the talks ended in deadlock. Senior Tesla executives are in India this week to meet the government to discuss local sourcing of parts and other issues, Reuters reported on Tuesday. Tesla met officials from Modi's office and other ministries on Wednesday, said the person and another source familiar with the matter. Tesla had hired a local team and began a search for showroom space, but that was also abandoned last year.

NEW DELHI, May 16 (Reuters) - Senior Tesla Inc (TSLA.O) executives will meet Indian government officials on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss local procurement of parts and other issues, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Tesla and an Indian government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The electric carmaker had hired a local team and begun a search for showroom space, but that was also abandoned last year. The meeting comes weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the United States in June. Reporting by Aditya Kalra; Additional reporting by Aditi Shah; Editing by Jan HarveyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

In granting bankruptcy protection, the National Company Law Tribunal in New Delhi ordered a moratorium on Go First's assets and leases. But bankruptcy protection supersede lessors' repossession requests. Go First's lessors also include SMBC Aviation Capital and CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing. Its voluntary seeking of bankruptcy protection to renegotiate contracts and debt marks a first for an Indian airline, and Chief Executive Officer Kaushik Khona, who was present as the order was read, hailed the tribunal's decision as "historic". The Indian tribunal said the new resolution professional will take "all necessary steps including the execution of the arbitral award".

This is the first time an Indian airline has voluntarily sought bankruptcy protection to renegotiate contracts and debt. But if bankruptcy protection is granted, those laws supersede lessors' repossession requests. Go First's lessors include major global names such as Jackson Square Aviation, SMBC Aviation Capital and CDB Aviation's GY Aviation Leasing. Two advisers to some lessors said there were major concerns that the granting of bankruptcy protection for Go First could force the lessors to embark on lengthy litigation to repossess planes. The person added that the development could lead to higher lease rates for Indian airlines in the future.

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