Business
Cruising Heights
Settlement or Court: Families to Decide
Air India and the Airports Authority of India have finalised a framework for settling compensation claims for the families of victims of the 2024 aircraft accident near Delhi. The settlement outlines clear categories and amounts of compensation to provide timely financial assistance to affected parties and help reduce prolonged legal disputes.
2 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
cold-chain & pharma air cargo: India's new global corridors
India's air cargo sector is at an inflection point. After decades as a cost-sensitive, volume-driven export ecosystem, the country's trade network is being reshaped by something far more delicate: temperature sensitivity. From vaccines and biologics to gene therapy vectors, the new export frontier is clinical—not commodity. That transition is redefining how India's airports, airlines, and freight forwarders operate.
7 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
India's SAF Revolution: How Tata and Honeywell Are Building the Green Skies Ecosystem
The global aviation industry stands at a critical juncture. As air travel rebounds to pre-pandemic levels and beyond, the pressure to decarbonise has never been greater. In India, this transformation is being led not by piecemeal policy interventions but by an audacious industrial strategy spearheaded by the Tata Group—one that treats Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) not as a regulatory checkbox but as the cornerstone of a vertically integrated green aviation economy. A Special Report
10 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
FALLING STANDARDS
In August 2024, the DGCA placed SpiceJet under enhanced surveillance, including increased spot checks and night monitoring, following earlier, less severe audit findings.
2 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
India's Third Wave of Airport Privatisation
India's airport ecosystem is poised for its most ambitious change yet. After earlier privatisation phases transformed marquee hubs into world-class gateways, the Centre is now preparing a third, broader wave of monetisation that uses an innovative 'bundling' strategy to unlock private investment across 11 airports by 2025-26. This move not only aims to modernise infrastructure and expand capacity but also to embed professional operations in regional aviation markets that have long struggled to attract sustained investment. A Special Report
10+ min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
Blanketgate Scandal: A Costly Aviation Blunder
A missing blanket on a government jet triggered a mid-flight firing, an awkward rehiring, and fresh questions about chaos at the top of Homeland Security. Welcome to aviation management, Trump administration style—where pilots get axed over linens and nobody checks if Spirit Airlines actually owns planes before trying to buy them.
1 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
INDIA TAKE FLIGHT WITH ADANI-EMBRAER TIE-UP
On 27 January 2026, Adani Defence & Aerospace and Embraer signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to establish India's first private-sector Final Assembly Line (FAL) for regional transport aircraft. The FAL could be a precursor to a major transformation in Indian aviation manufacturing. This partnership is not merely an assembly deal; it is the creation of a comprehensive aerospace ecosystem designed to dominate both the civil and defence sectors over the next 20 years.
1 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
India's Aviation Challenge: Building for 1.9 Billion Passengers
Airport traffic forecasts are often read as demand indicators, but their real value lies in what they signal for infrastructure, financing and resilience. As aviation approaches a new scale of global movement, the challenge is no longer stimulating demand but building systems capable of absorbing it. Building on ACI World’s long-term outlook, it is important to explore how India and the Asia-Pacific are reshaping the assumptions that underpin global aviation growth.
9 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
INDIA-EU FTA'S €500M GREEN SKY GAMBIT
The India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA), signed on January 26, 2026, is the first major trade deal to link Indian aviation growth to European environmental standards explicitly. It moves the sector from a simple \"buy-and-fly\" model to a \"high-standard green partnership.\"
2 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
India's aviation moment at 'Wings'
The significance of Wings India 2026 lay less in what was unveiled than in what was reinforced. At a time when aviation has moved from recovery into structural expansion, the event highlighted how policy, infrastructure, manufacturing and sustainability are converging to shape the industry's next phase. What emerged in Hyderabad was not a collection of announcements, but a clearer picture of India's evolving role in the global aviation ecosystem.
10+ min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
Great Nicobar Airport moves into the execution phase
India is proceeding with plans to build a greenfield international airport on Great Nicobar Island, valued at approximately ₹8,573 crore and forming a key part of the island's broader development programme. The Airports Authority of India has invited bids for marine geotechnical investigation work—the first major construction step after years of planning. These surveys, conducted with the assistance of Engineers India Limited, will assess underwater soil and seabed conditions critical to the design of the airport's foundational structures at Chingenh, on the island's southern tip.
1 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
Air India and Singapore Airlines bet on deep integration
In global aviation, the most consequential deals are often not the loudest. The Air India--Singapore Airlines cooperation framework, signed in Mumbai this January, is one such case, an agreement that avoids headline-grabbing numbers but has the potential to rewire traffic flows across Asia, Australia and beyond. Beneath its measured language lies a calculated response to rising Gulf competition, changing passenger behaviour, and the limits of standalone expansion in a capacity-constrained world.
10 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
TRUMP TARGETS "SHADY" CANADIAN PROTECTIONISM
President Donald Trump threatened to decertify the private jet maker's large-cabin planes and all aircraft made in Canada, and slap 50 per cent import tariffs on new planes until Canada certified the latest aircraft produced by US rival Gulfstream. What caused the brouhaha, and what's next?
2 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
Boeing and Airbus see India reshaping global aviation
When the world's two dominant aircraft manufacturers look two decades ahead, their forecasts are less about optimism and more about risk calibration. Boeing and Airbus use long-range outlooks to guide production, investment and supply-chain decisions measured in billions of dollars. That both companies now place India at the centre of their future demand assumptions signals not just market growth, but a structural shift in where global aviation gravity is moving. A Special Report
6 min |
February 2026
Cruising Heights
Managing the Crowded Skies
The air traffic management system in India is straining but adapting-and preparing for the next decade. VISHAL DUGGAL takes a close look at where the real bottlenecks lie, what tools are in active use to manage demand-capacity mismatch in one of the most dynamic civil aviation markets in the world.
9 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
The Runway to Rejuvenation
As futuristic greenfield Airports rise from empty fields, existing hubs are being reinvented in a breathtaking display of engineering and vision. VISHAL DUGGAL reports on greenfield dreams and brownfield upgrades.
8 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Data-Driven Blueprint for Airport Growth
AAI is driving airport expansion through a data-driven, demand-based strategy that prioritises high-growth corridors, UDAN-critical routes, and regions with strong economic potential.
7 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Engines Driving India's Global Expansion
India's aviation sector is expanding rapidly across both narrow-body and long-haul operations, shaping a new era of fleet and network growth. With CFM LEAP engines powering domestic expansion and GEnx engines enabling efficient international operations, engine performance is becoming a strategic differentiator. VIKRAM RAI, Chief Executive Officer, South Asia, GE Aerospace, outlines this ambition.
2 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
India's Air Cargo Outlook 2026: Growth Without Comfort
India's air cargo sector enters 2026 with momentum— but also with unresolved structural weaknesses that policy has yet to confront.
2 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Star Air: Redefining India's Short-Haul Future
India’s aviation story has long been dominated by the big, shiny numbers—record narrowbody orders, mega-hub expansions, and the relentless march of metro-to-metro traffic.
7 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Thales- Driving Self-Reliance in Aviation
India's fast-growing MRO sector is creating strong demand for advanced avionics support, and Thales' new facility near New Delhi is stepping in to meet it. Since opening in March 2025, the centre has rapidly scaled to serve major airlines, including an 11-year IndiGo contract covering current and future A320 family aircraft. ANKUR KANAGLEKAR, Vice-President (India), Thales, explains how the company is strengthening India's path toward aviation self-reliance.
6 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Regional Demand Reshapes India's Fleet
India's regional aviation market is expanding rapidly, driven by strong Tier-2 and Tier-3 demand and a surge in new routes and airports.
6 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
“Aequs Powers India's Aviation Ascent”
Aequs is redefining India's rise as a global aviation powerhouse with a fully integrated aerospace ecosystem in Belagavi. Its end-to-end capabilities accelerate production, strengthen supply chains, and anchor India's ascent as a manufacturing hub. RAJEEV KAUL, MD, Aequs, outlines and elaborates on this vision.
4 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Building the Foundations of India's Aviation Future
India's aviation sector is undergoing a deeper transformation than traffic numbers or fleet orders can reveal. The country is shifting from being a high-growth market to building end-to-end aviation capability across manufacturing, maintenance, engineering, and talent. This ecosystem-level change signals a future where India not only expands its skies but sustains and powers them through its own strengths. SALIL GUPTE, President, Boeing India and South Asia, outlines how Boeing is part of this story.
3 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Wings India 2026 From Aspiring Soar to Global Ascent
India's aviation story has long been told through growth curves such as passenger numbers, fleet orders, and airport counts, but at critical moments, the industry pauses to ask a more consequential question: what kind of aviation power is India becoming? Wings India 2026 arrives at precisely such a juncture, when scale alone is no longer the headline and execution has become the real measure of ambition. This is a moment not of projection, but of proof. Nidhi Sharma reports
10 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Turboprops Power India's Growth
ATR turboprops are driving India's regional connectivity boom, linking tier 2 and tier 3 cities across short routes where they deliver unmatched economics. ATR is poised to anchor the next wave of regional growth, enabling affordable, reliable air travel for millions
6 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
The great Indian MRO rebuild
Aircraft maintenance is rarely glamorous, but it is where aviation ambition is either validated or exposed.
10+ min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Pratt & Whitney Deepens Its India Footprint
India has become a core pillar of Pratt & Whitney's global growth, powered by a booming aviation market and a rapidly expanding fleet footprint. ASHISH SARAF, Vice President & Country Head, India Pratt & Whitney, talks on all this and the RTX Business.
5 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Trent Engines Power India's Next Growth Phase
India's rapid economic rise and expanding aviation ecosystem have made it a priority market for Rolls-Royce, aligning with deeper India-UK cooperation and the country's Viksit Bharat vision. As Air India and IndiGo scale up with Trent-powered widebodies, Rolls-Royce is anchoring long-term growth through investment, technology partnerships, and advanced engine support systems. SASHI MUKUNDAN, Executive Vice President (Transformation), Rolls-Royce India, explains the roadmap
4 min |
January 2026
Cruising Heights
Building India's Aerospace Supply Chain
CSIR-NAL is building a resilient indigenous aerospace supply chain by supporting partners across component manufacturing, certification, and quality assurance. Through deep engagement with MSMES-covering LRUS, standards compliance, and technical handholding it is strengthening capabilities while reducing financial and developmental risk. DR ABHAY A PASHILKAR, Director, CSIR-National Aerospace Laboratories, outlines many facets of this collaboration in an exclusive interaction
8 min |