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Soubhik Mitra

Soubhik Mitra

Soubhik Mitra is an assistant editor with the Hindustan Times. The Mumbai boy has spent over a decade reporting on civic, environmental and political issues. His current stint is the longest where he writes on aviation and travel.

Articles by Soubhik Mitra

Flights, hotels, packaged holidays bought on the go likely to grow at a staggering rate: Study

The report pointed out that better disposable incomes and several nearby countries offering visas on arrival have whetted Indians’ appetite for vacations.

Updated on Mar 2, 2017 10:22 IST

Frequent fliers demand an airfare regulatory body

At least two governments had promised capping airfares, particularly during holidays but failed.

Updated on Feb 26, 2017 18:58 IST

A new high: Only 25% domestic traffic in India from metros, rest from smaller cities, says study

Metros and top tier-2 cities contribute mainly to traffic on top 15 domestic routes in metro cities namely Mumbai, Delhi, emerging tier-2 cities such as Pune and popular tourist hubs such as Goa, states the study.

Updated on Feb 22, 2017 06:29 IST

Mid-air scare: German jets escort Mumbai-London flight after it lost contact with air traffic control

The Jet crew is suspected to have tuned in to 132.980MHz while the correct frequency was 132.890MHz.

Updated on Feb 20, 2017 03:58 IST

German fighter planes escort Jet Airways flight after it loses contact with ATC

The flight with 330 guests and 15 crew was escorted to London by fighter jets of the German Air Force.

Updated on Feb 19, 2017 17:47 IST

Senior pilot barred from flying for 3 months for skipping breathalyser tests

The Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) — that brought the lapse to light — accused the regulator of being lenient with Captain Kathpalia.

Updated on Feb 19, 2017 13:42 IST

DGCA bans ‘all kinds of photography’ by flight crew

The order adds that while photography was already banned for pilots on airborne planes since 1997, now it is prohibited even when the aircraft is on ground. The rule also applies to fliers during boarding and after touchdown.

Updated on Feb 19, 2017 13:42 IST

A long and torturous flight ahead for the Navi Mumbai airport

Although the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has set a deadline to get the airport ready by May 2020, industry experts feel that the project is unlikely to have it smooth.

Updated on Feb 14, 2017 03:32 IST

Valentine’s Day: Couples chose unconventional destinations, drive hotel bookings

Boliday bookings by couples celebrating Valentine’s Day seem to have added another long weekend to the calender.

Updated on Feb 13, 2017 19:29 IST

Valentines’ Day: Couples drive hotel bookings, in advance

A couple near the historic Taj Mahal on the eve of Valentine's Day in Agra.

Updated on May 1, 2017 12:19 IST

Scare at Mumbai airport: Indigo flier opens emergency door, co-passenger hurt

The inflated escape chutes are normally deployed by the crew during fire evacuations.

Updated on Feb 10, 2017 20:08 IST

Senior Air India pilot banned from flying after skipping alcohol test

On February 8, an internal email sent to Air India chairman and managing director Ashwani Lohani stated that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) wanted Captain Arvind Kathpalia grounded “with immediate effect”.

Updated on Feb 10, 2017 08:24 IST

Air India pilot accused of evading breath checks to face panel

The DGCA data stated that such safety lapses almost tripled from 69 cases in 2011 to 186 in 2015.

Updated on Feb 9, 2017 15:28 IST

A senior AI pilot evading breath checks before flights, union tells DGCA

The DGCA data stated that such safety lapses almost tripled from 69 cases in 2011 to 186 in 2015.

Updated on Jan 31, 2017 16:43 IST

Two senior aviation security officials in Mumbai fight over transfer before tribunal

Both officials at Mumbai airport did not wish to comment on the matter as it was still pending with the tribunal.

Updated on Jan 30, 2017 05:51 IST

DGCA asks pilots to cooperate with ATC to avoid unstable landings

The DGCA chief BS Bhullar, however, said the circular was not linked to any rise in unstable landings or mix-ups between pilots and ATC.

Updated on Jan 25, 2017 18:42 IST

Making last-minute travel plans for Republic Day weekend? Be ready to pay double the airfare

On Monday, spot fares between metros and routes connecting metros with tourists hubs such as Goa had nearly doubled, showed the analysis conducted by travel operator, Cox and Kings Ltd.

Updated on Jan 24, 2017 13:00 IST

Passengers claim they saw sparks from engine, Mumbai-Delhi flight aborted

Airfield sources said they noticed sparks from the engine exhaust.

Updated on Jan 23, 2017 09:34 IST

Local tours hold holidayers back for Republic Day weekend

Travel portal, Cleartrip, for instance, recorded an 80% spike in bookings for local experiences in 2016.

Updated on Jan 24, 2017 10:58 IST

Indian business fliers’ bills touched US$29.6 billion in 2015: Report

The survey sample accounted for just 5% business travel spends in India based on business travel bookings and expense reporting data of more than 100 corporates and some small businesses from consultancy firm KPMG’s database.

Updated on Jan 20, 2017 04:38 IST

Service tax hike hits the holiday planner

Operators added that while the amount appears small, it will compound when a family of four books packages.

Updated on Jan 19, 2017 03:50 IST

Mumbai remains most unpunctual private-run airport

The data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday showed that 45% flights taking-off and landing in the city airport were delayed.

Updated on Jan 18, 2017 04:17 IST

Stranded fliers hit record high in December

Indian skies recorded 9.5 million fliers, up from 7.7 million in the same period last year, the data showed.

Updated on Jan 17, 2017 19:08 IST

Mumbaiites make travel plans for Republic Day weekend

Itineraries high on adventure also saw significant bookings.

Updated on Jan 16, 2017 03:50 IST

Longer wait at Mumbai airport as runway to be shut for 3 months

The Mumbai airport — India’s second busiest — had cancelled 2,100 flights during its last runway repair period. The closure may hurt leisure travellers as the period partially overlaps summer vacations.

Updated on Jan 13, 2017 19:04 IST

45% of flights were not on time at Mumbai airport in December

Even as domestic carriers squabble over whose flights were mostly on time, flight movement data showed that fliers across airlines faced their worst delays at the Mumbai airport in December

Updated on Jan 12, 2017 09:53 IST

On-time performances of flights: Senior officials meet aviation regulators

The ongoing airlines’ tiff over who fared better on the clock entered the second round on Tuesday after senior officials met the aviation regulator with concerns and calculators.

Updated on Jan 11, 2017 06:55 IST

Snowfall in Istanbul leaves fliers stranded in Mumbai

Thousands were stranded in different parts of the world after heavy snowfall in Turkey, particularly Istanbul, froze air traffic over the past four days

Updated on Jan 11, 2017 03:48 IST

9.5 million fliers travelled across India in Dec, the highest for 2016

The report by ixigo.com also stated that flight bookings between October and December accounted for one-third of the total booking volume in the year.

Updated on Jan 10, 2017 05:54 IST

In Mumbai: Airlines to meet DGCA over punctuality report

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) recently set up a panel to review the calculation of on-time performance of airlines days after IndiGo Airlines accused the Mumbai airport of inaccuracy.

Updated on Jan 8, 2017 18:58 IST

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