In the new winter schedule that commences from Oct 27, Indigo has announced daily flights from Pune to Trivandrum and Bhopal, a 2nd additional frequency to Indore, a 6th additional frequency to Chennai and a 4th additional frequency to Ahmedabad. Air India Express launches non-stop flights between Pune and Chennai and also introduces additional frequency on the Pune to Kochi route. In visa news, the US mission opens an additional 250,000 visa appointments for Indian travellers. These and more updates in the October edition of Travel Updates.

The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government approved a proposal to rename Pune's Lohegaon International Airport as “Jagadguru Sant Tukaram Maharaj Pune International Airport”. The decision was made during a state cabinet meeting, and the proposal will be forwarded to the Centre. The plan for the renaming was put forward by Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation, Murlidhar Mohol, who is from Pune.

The ‘Obstacle Limitation Survey’ (OLS), which assesses the feasibility of runway expansion, has returned positive results for Pune International Airport, indicating a step forward in the airport’s runway expansion and an expected increase in international flights. According to officials, the OLS survey was conducted in July by the Airports Authority of India (AAI).

Rising Middle East tensions have caused significant air travel disruptions, with airlines diverting or cancelling flights and regional airports experiencing long delays. Europe's aviation safety regulator has advised avoiding Iranian airspace due to potential retaliatory attacks, further complicating travel logistics in the region.

SpiceJet plans to expand its fleet to 100 aircraft by the end of 2026 after raising Rs 3,000 crore through new shares. The airline aims to capitalize on strong market demand and has resolved issues with lessors and manufacturers. It will focus on returning grounded planes to service and acquiring new ones.

India's newest airline, Shankh Air, has received approval from the Civil Aviation Ministry to operate in the country. The airline will be based in Uttar Pradesh, with hubs in Lucknow and Noida, and will focus on both inter and intra state routes to major cities with high demand and limited direct flight options.

Noida International Airport (NIA), also known as Jewar Airport, is set to commence operations from April ’25. NIA will become Asia's largest and the world's fourth-largest airport with six operational runways when the project is completed.

Starting September 03, customers will, progressively, no longer be able to make bookings with Vistara for travel on or after 12 November 2024. Vistara will continue to take bookings and operate flights, as usual, till 11 November 2024. All customers who have already booked with Vistara for travel beyond November 12, will have their tickets transferred to Air India and will soon receive communication regarding the change.

Air India has announced that check-in counters for international flights from Delhi will now close 75 minutes before departure, up from the previous 60 minutes. This change aims to provide extra time for passengers to clear security and immigration. Frequent flyers are hopeful that this adjustment will help improve Air India's punctuality issues experienced over the past year.

The Fast Track Immigration Trusted Traveller Programme, an initiative to expedite immigration for pre-verified Indian nationals and OCI cardholders was launched in Delhi on June 22 and will soon be introduced at major airports in India. Work is in progress to start the FTI-TTP in seven more major airports - Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin and Ahmedabad.

With effect from October 27 with the following schedule:

With effect from 27th October with the following schedule:

With effect from October 28 with the following schedule

With effect from October 27 with the following schedule:

With effect from October 27 with the following schedule:

With effect from November 01 with the following schedule:

With effect from November 01 with the following schedule:

Air India made the international debut of its flagship A350 aircraft on the London route and its new soft product called "Vista Verve".

In December last year, the carrier started receiving long-range A350 aircraft. This is part of its mammoth order of 470 Airbus and Boeing planes. Of the 40 A350s ordered by the airline in 2023, six have already joined its fleet.

These planes feature Air India's new soft products including chinaware, tableware and glassware, new bedding, and updated amenity kits for Business and Premium Economy guests. Inside the cabin, one of the first things you notice is the smartly dressed crew donning their new Manish Malhotra livery which is a major departure from the earlier Air India uniforms. The A350 also features a social area between the business and premium economy cabins where a small bar has been set up.

The US Mission to India has announced an additional 250,000 visa appointments for Indian travellers, covering tourists, skilled workers, and students. This initiative aims to ease the visa process and strengthen US-India relations. The mission has already processed over one million non-immigrant visa applications for a second year in a row.

In February 2020, The European Commission extended the advance visa application time limit for a Schengen visa to up to six months in advance of your proposed travel date to Europe. Earlier, you could apply for a Schengen visa only up to three months before the travel date.

And now travellers with a “positive history” could get an extended visa validity between one to five years. Currently the Schengen visa applications are still having significant waiting times and limited availability of slots. If you are planning to Europe in the first half of 2025, we advise you to apply for the visa as much in advance as possible.

Team Odyssey recently attended the 2024 UNIGLOBE conference and awards held at ITC Royal Bengal in Kolkata. It was an incredible experience connecting with fellow Uniglobe agencies from 25 cities and meeting our Uniglobe preferred trade partners.

We learned so much from the amazing speakers, engaging discussions on inspiring topics and from the team building activities. The team has returned from the high octane conference fully charged and raring to go. Here’s to growth, collaboration, and celebrating our achievements together!

For more pictures and details about the team’s experience, please see our posts on:

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