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By Nithyakala Neelakandan
Published on July 6, 2024
Sri Lanka is set to hand over the management of Mattala Rajapaksa International Airport to a joint venture between India and Russia in the coming weeks, announced Minister of Aviation Nimal Siripala de Silva. The India-Russia partnership, awarded in April, will run the airport located in Hambantota, Southern Sri Lanka. This facility, which cost USD 209 million to build, was once dubbed the “world’s emptiest airport” due to its lack of flights.
The decision to involve an India-Russia joint venture comes after the Sri Lankan Cabinet approved the call for Expressions of Interest in January, receiving five proposals. The chosen partnership, Shaurya Aeronautics Pvt. Ltd. of India and Airports of Regions Management Company of Russia, will manage the airport under a 30-year contract.
Mattala Airport, named after former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, was a key project during his decade-long rule. Despite its high costs, primarily funded by a USD 190 million high-interest loan from China’s Exim Bank, the airport has struggled financially since its opening in 2013. The government has sought commercial partners to take over operations since 2016 to curb the losses.
Minister de Silva highlighted the importance of this new management strategy in reviving the airport’s fortunes. The airport is strategically located near major industrial and educational hubs in Southern Sri Lanka and has the potential to become a significant regional aviation hub under effective management.
Additionally, Minister de Silva mentioned the ongoing development of the Kankesanthurai port in northern Sri Lanka, supported by a USD 69 million investment from India. This project aims to enhance the port's infrastructure and boost maritime trade capabilities.
The minister also touched upon the future of SriLankan Airlines, stating that the government prefers a strategic restructuring over privatization. Regulatory constraints limit the sale of more than 49% of the airline’s shares to external investors. Thus, the government is committed to revitalizing the national carrier through a comprehensive restructuring plan.
This move to hand over Mattala Airport to a joint venture between India and Russia marks a significant step in Sri Lanka’s efforts to manage its large-scale infrastructure projects more efficiently and drive economic growth through enhanced connectivity and trade.
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By Hariharan U
Published on October 22, 2025
SpiceJet has announced a major expansion of its domestic network ahead of Chhath Puja and Diwali, strengthening connectivity to Bihar with new and additional flights to Patna and Darbhanga.
The airline has introduced new flights to Patna from Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, along with increased frequencies from Delhi and Mumbai. In addition, Darbhanga has gained extra services from Delhi and Mumbai, further improving accessibility for travellers heading home during the festive season.
These routes build upon SpiceJet’s existing operations to Patna from Delhi, Mumbai, and Guwahati, and to Darbhanga from Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Delhi. The new flights commenced in a phased rollout from October 10, 2025, ensuring greater travel flexibility and convenience for passengers amid the festive rush.
Earlier this month, SpiceJet also introduced special daily non-stop Diwali flights to Ayodhya from Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad, enabling devotees and tourists easier access to the Shri Ram Temple during the celebrations.
Commenting on the development, Debojo Maharshi, Chief Business Officer, SpiceJet, said, “The festive season holds immense significance for millions of our passengers, and we are delighted to make travel home for Chhath Puja and Diwali more convenient and accessible. With enhanced connectivity to Patna, Darbhanga, and Ayodhya, SpiceJet continues to play a key role in bringing people closer to their loved ones for celebrations that matter most.”
The expansion underscores SpiceJet’s commitment to meeting evolving travel demand, particularly during high-traffic festive periods, by offering affordable, direct, and seamless connectivity across India’s key regional hubs.
By Manu Vardhan Kannan
Published on October 20, 2025
IndiGo and Digi Yatra have announced a new app-to-app integration that allows IndiGo flyers to share boarding passes directly with the Digi Yatra app. The collaboration enhances contactless, biometric-enabled travel while ensuring user consent, data privacy, and faster passenger processing at airports.
IndiGo, India’s leading airline, has partnered with Digi Yatra, the Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI)-based ecosystem that uses facial biometric technology for contactless passenger processing, to enable this direct integration between their mobile applications. The initiative eliminates the need for passengers to manually scan or upload boarding passes on the Digi Yatra app.
After completing web check-in, IndiGo flyers can now simply click “Share with Digi Yatra” within the IndiGo app to securely transfer their boarding pass. This process ensures that passenger consent is obtained at every step and that only essential data is shared with authorised Digi Yatra verifiers at airports.
Designed with privacy by design principles, the transaction occurs entirely offline through deep linking between the two apps, without involving any cloud or server processing. This ensures data integrity, authenticity, and enhanced security while improving convenience for travellers.
Commenting on the development, Suresh Khadakbhavi, CEO of Digi Yatra Foundation, said,
“Our mission is to transform air travel into a seamless, secure, and paperless experience for every passenger. This collaboration with IndiGo marks a significant milestone in that journey. By integrating our technology directly with IndiGo’s app, we are enabling travellers to enjoy faster check-ins, smoother boarding, and enhanced convenience. As more airlines and airports embrace our ecosystem, we will continue to innovate and support India’s vision for digital transformation in travel.”
Neetan Chopra, Chief Information and Digital Officer, IndiGo, added,
“Every year, we fly millions of customers who trust us for our promise of safe, on-time, and hassle-free travel. This partnership with Digi Yatra takes our commitment to customer convenience a step further by enabling a smooth, contactless boarding journey. We are thrilled to be among the first airlines to adopt this technology and remain focused on leveraging innovation to make air travel simpler, faster, and more enjoyable.”
This collaboration underscores the aviation industry’s shared commitment to digital innovation and highlights growing confidence in Digi Yatra’s secure, paperless travel ecosystem as India moves closer to a fully digital airport experience.
Published on October 14, 2025
Etihad Airways is focusing on premium travel and customer segmentation to boost its business in India, one of its top three global markets, while operating at full capacity under a bilateral seat agreement with the country.
The Abu Dhabi-based airline has been upgrading its services with new aircraft and enhanced cabin experiences to attract high-value travellers. Since relaunching flights to Kolkata in March 2023, Etihad increased its weekly frequency from four to eight flights by 2025. Across India, the airline now operates 185 flights a week to 11 cities.
“We fly all the seats that the bilateral agreement allows us,” said Javier Alija, Etihad Airways Vice President for Global Sales and Distribution. The agreement caps 50,000 weekly seats for Abu Dhabi-based carriers, shared between Etihad and Air Arabia Abu Dhabi. Until the agreement changes, the airline cannot add more frequencies or destinations.
To overcome these capacity constraints, Etihad is building partnerships, including a tie-up with Akasa Air, connecting four Indian cities to Abu Dhabi. The airline is also enhancing the passenger experience for long-haul travellers, especially to the US, with Abu Dhabi’s new terminal and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) pre-clearance. This allows passengers to arrive in the US as domestic travellers, saving time at immigration.
Kolkata is the first Indian city to receive Etihad’s new A321 LR aircraft, featuring a redesigned cabin with just 160 seats, two first-class suites, 14 business, and 144 economy seats, offering a widebody-like experience in a narrow-body aircraft. “This reflects Kolkata’s strong premium travel potential,” Alija said.
Etihad’s focus on yield optimisation and operational efficiency has helped the airline achieve record financial results. For the current year, it expects 21–22% growth in seat capacity, 22–23% increase in revenue, and a 30% rise in absolute profit, supported by expansions in other markets. The airline plans to launch 13 new international routes by year-end, aiming to serve nearly 90 destinations worldwide.
Alija added, “Even if our frequencies and destinations remain static, these customer-focused and operational efforts ensure Etihad continues to be the preferred airline for Indian travellers. We are very conscious that our rapid growth should not compromise the financial gains we have achieved.”
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