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Vela Alpha Could Be the Most Interesting eVTOL Developed in Indonesia

Vela was founded in the summer of 2020, just four years ago, but it has the ambition to think it can catch up to its more established competitors by moving fast enough. Vela is ready to launch its subscale technical demonstrator for the first time this year, having already finalized the design of its flagship eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing). It will then advance its design during the following years with the feedback from this initial flight testing, and by 2027, it will celebrate the first flight of a full-scale prototype.

If all goes according to plan, Vela's aircraft might be ready for service by the end of the decade, possibly in 2028. That would be a noteworthy achievement for a tech firm that isn't able to take advantage of the larger industrial ecosystem that manufacturers of eVTOLs in other regions of the world enjoy. Currently, the company is placing its bets on a group of forty engineers who have worked in the aerospace and automotive sectors in the past.

India's SpiceJet Eyes 100 Aircraft Following Capital Raising

By the end of 2026, SpiceJet (SG, Delhi International) hopes to have 100 aircraft in its fleet, according to the managing director of the airline. Ajay Singh made the comments following the carrier's confirmation of an oversubscribed capital raising of INR 30 billion rupees (USD 359 million). He said "SpiceJet is an airline that has strong fundamentals but was hamstrung by two black swan events one after the other, the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX, followed by the COVID pandemic. But we have all the infrastructure ready to become a 100-strong fleet again. We have the airport slots, international traffic rights, pilots and crew, as well as the maintenance infrastructure."

His remarks came after the low-cost carrier successfully raised capital. Last week, the airline was capable of targeting INR 30 billion in two days because of a qualified institutional placement. Authum Investment and Infrastructure Limited, Bandhan Infrastructure Fund, White Oak, Carnelian Bharat Amrikaal Fund, 360 ONE Equal Opportunity Fund, Goldman Sachs (Singapore), Morgan Stanley Asia, BNP Paribas Financial Markets ODI, Nomura Singapore Limited ODI, Tata Mutual Fund, Discovery Global Opportunity Ltd, Societe Generale ODI, and others were among the participants.

Singapore Airlines CEO set to join board of Air India

On November 12, 2024, Goh Choon Phong, the CEO of Singapore Airlines (SIA), would become a member of the Air India board following the airline's merger with Vistara, a joint venture between the Tata Group and SIA. Reportedly, Tata Motors' Group Chief Financial Officer, PB Balaji, would also be joining the board. Following the Ministry of Civil Aviation's approval of Singapore Airlines' investment, which will give SIA a 25.1% stake in Air India, the appointments will be finalized. Furthermore, Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India, has named former Vistara chief operating officer Hamish Maxwell as its chief operating officer.

After the merger, SIA will provide personnel to support flight operations and engineering, while Tata Group will oversee Air India. Phong began working with Singapore Airlines in 1990 and has held a number of high managerial positions both domestically and abroad. He joined the board on October 1, 2010, and on January 1, 2011, he was appointed CEO.

He was President of SIA Cargo and Executive Vice President of Marketing and the Regions before this. Prior to this, he held senior vice president positions in finance, information technology, and commercial technology. He was also assigned to China and Scandinavia for work abroad.

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Malaysia Airlines launches its inaugural flight to Da Nang, Vietnam

Malaysia Airlines marked the launch of its first route to Da Nang, Vietnam, providing passengers easier access from its major hub in Kuala Lumpur to the destination. The airline will fly every day of the week. The airline will fly every day of the week.

At 08:35 am local time, the first-ever flight MH748 took off from KLIA Terminal 1 (KUL) to Da Nang International Airport (DAD) amid a vibrant send-off ceremony. There were 155 passengers on the Boeing 737-800 flight, 12 of whom were in business class and 143 of whom were in economy.

Passengers were welcomed warmly and celebrated the new connection between Malaysia and Vietnam upon landing at DAD around 10:25 am local time. At 11:25 am, flight MH749 from DAD to KUL took off, and it returned to Kuala Lumpur at 3:20 pm local time.

The CEO of Airlines of Malaysia Aviation Group (MAG), Ahmad Luqman Mohd Azmi, stated, “Our inaugural flight to Da Nang achieved an impressive load factor of 90%, reflecting strong demand for travel to this beautiful city and symbolizing another significant step in our commitment to being the carrier of choice for travelers. This new service marks our third destination to Vietnam.”