At a time when most carriers are making huge losses, a very tight control on costs has helped low-cost airline SpiceJet to book profits, said its top official at the 25th annual convention of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) in Bangalore.

Air India’s (AI) chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav is expected to carry out his second reshuffle of directors in the coming week. The rejig becomes necessary as VA Fereira, executive director (personnel) will be retiring soon, and S Mukherjee, executive director (headquarters), retired on August 31.

Domestic airlines are contemplating airfares hike by increasing the fuel surcharge component in a fortnight due to rise in operational costs. After hitting a two-year low, airfares are likely to rise by 10% in September. ATF prices in the domestic market have gone up by 50% from the lows of March.

The consumption of aviation turbine fuel (ATF) turned positive in July on account of an increase in international flights. This comes after nine consecutive months of decline.

The country’s national carrier, Air India, has been forced to delay the start of its domestic low-fare service from this month to November as it’s in the middle of reassessing fleet plans, according to at least three company executives.

The Bihar government will set up a bamboo village to provide a comfortable stay for tourists who will visit Gaya during the Pitripaksha Mela.

To give a facelift to the State’s hospitality business, Meghalaya Government has embarked on an initiative giving thrust in improving road and air connectivity in the State.

Full service carriers may have aggressively shed capacity over the last one year -- Jet Airways has snipped 30% capacity in the last 12 months while Kingfisher Airlines cut back about 20% in FY09 -- but overcapacity still plagues the industry saddled with losses of over Rs 8,000 crore ($2 billion).

Private carrier Jet Airways today launched a daily flight from Kochi to Sharjah in the Gulf and has deployed Boeing 737 aircraft for the purpose .This is Jet’s fourth daily flight to the Gulf from Kochi.The carrier currently flies daily from Kochi to Doha, Kuwait and Muscar, it said in a statement .The airline also operates daily flights twice to Dubai from Mumbai, Delhi and Chennai, in addition to a daily flight to Abu Dhabi from Delhi and Mumbai.

Budget airlines SpiceJet, IndiGo and all-business carrier Paramount Airways will hire more than 500 pilots, cabin crew and ground staff Coming to terms with lay-off Crisis time: Keep staff motivated Job-cuts: A blessing in disguise Keep it light at your workplace! this fiscal as they expand operations after turning in surprise profits in the first quarter.