INDIA: Emirates commemorates four decades of operations in India and connecting the nation to global opportunities. From its inaugural services to India on 25 October 1985, Emirates has evolved to become one of the country’s most prominent international carriers, offering seamless connectivity via Dubai, award‑winning hospitality, and enduring commercial ties.

Over a span of 40 years, Emirates has carried over 24 million passengers between Dubai (DXB) and Mumbai (BOM) on more than 95,000 flights in both directions, and more than 15 million passengers between Dubai (DXB) and Delhi (DEL) on 60,000 flights, reflecting a shared story of mobility and progress.  

Today, Emirates serves nine gateways across India – Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Thiruvananthapuram operating 167 weekly flights to Dubai and onward to its global network. Across four decades of service, each flight has been a catalyst, connecting people, enabling commerce, and driving progress and prosperity.

Marking the occasion, Mohammad Sarhan, Vice President – India & Nepal, Emirates, said: “It is an incredible milestone to complete 40 years of serving India, a market that has been a cornerstone of our global operations. We are humbled by the continued trust that Indian travellers have placed in Emirates over the decades. From the very beginning, we have promised to deliver world‑class service, seamless connectivity, and a superior flying experience. As we look to the future, we remain committed to delivering on this promise to our customers by continuously innovating to maintain our position as the airline of choice for millions of travellers while also deepening our relationship with India.

India has always been an integral part of the Emirates’ journey and success. Over the past four decades, our partnership with India has grown from strength to strength, built on mutual trust, respect, and a shared vision of connecting people and opportunities across the world. We are proud of the role we have played in supporting India’s connectivity, trade, tourism, and economic growth, linking cities like Mumbai and Delhi through Dubai to global destinations across North America, Europe, and beyond.”

Strengthening Global Connectivity

For generations of Indian travellers, Dubai has been a gateway to discovering the world. From Mumbai, popular onward connections over the past year included New York, San Francisco, Houston, Boston, Los Angeles, Dallas-Fort Worth, Washington D.C., Toronto, Seattle, Manchester, London Heathrow, and Paris Charles de Gaulle. Inbound flows into Mumbai via Dubai prominently originated in New York, Houston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas–Fort Worth, Boston, Seattle, Washington D.C., Toronto, Manchester, London Heathrow, and Johannesburg.

From Delhi, travellers connected to Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Montreal, Manchester, Boston, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, and Houston. Inbound to Delhi over Dubai included Seattle, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Houston, Montreal, London Heathrow, Washington D.C., Manchester, Dallas Fort Worth, and Boston.

Emirates’ “Fly Better” promise means understanding what Indian travelers value and delivering it through culturally relevant services, regionally inspired cuisine, and personalised experiences throughout the journey. This also includes popular movies and music content in nine regional languages specific to India, and live sports tournaments such as cricket, golf, and more have all enriched the travel experiences of Indian travellers over the past 40 years.

Supporting India’s Trade and Exports

Beyond passenger operations, Emirates SkyCargo has played a vital role in facilitating India’s trade flows. Over the last five years, the carrier has transported around 700,000 tonnes of exports and imports between India and the world. Key commodities have included pharmaceuticals, perishables, and other cargo, supporting businesses in reaching new markets efficiently and reliably.

Charting the Path Ahead

Emirates continues to invest in India by deploying its latest aircraft, enhanced cargo capabilities, and product innovation. Milestones such as the introduction of its flagship A380 aircraft to Mumbai in 2014 and to Bengaluru in 2022, the rollout of Premium Economy to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata on a mix of aircraft in its fleet and the deployment of the latest A350 aircraft on Republic Day this year in Ahmedabad and Mumbai underscore a long‑term commitment to India’s travellers and trade. With one of the youngest wide‑body fleets and a network spanning six continents, Emirates aims to remain a vital partner of India and enabler of connecting people, cultures, and opportunities for decades to come.

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PUNE: In a significant boost to aviation skill development in Western India, Global School of Aviation, the training arm of Global Flight Handling Services (A concessionaire of Airport Authority of India for Airport Ground Handling at Pune Airport), today inaugurated its Pune training facility at Aero Mall, adjacent to Pune International Airport. Shri Muralidhar Mohol, Hon’ble Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation, Government of India, inaugurated the state-of-the-art centre.

The new facility underscores Pune’s growing stature in India’s aviation landscape, serving both as a key operational base for airport services and now as a hub for aviation training and employment.

“Pune has always been a city of talent and innovation. With the expansion of air connectivity under the UDAN scheme and the rise in passenger traffic, this new training centre will provide timely skilling opportunities for the region’s youth,” said Shri Muralidhar Mohol, Union MoS for Civil Aviation and Cooperation. “I commend Global School of Aviation for investing in Pune and supporting the Government of India’s vision of making India a global aviation hub.”

The Global School of Aviation Pune facility will offer diploma and certification programs in Airport Ground Handling, Cabin Crew Training, Airport Operations & Management, and degree programs in collaboration with AMET University. Plans are already underway to bring international certification programs from governing bodies and develop a fully equipped mock aircraft cabin to deliver real-world, hands-on training experiences.

“We are proud to launch this facility in Pune, which will enable us to meet our in-house requirements and provide the right platform to future aviators who are looking for an aviation career,” said Sarita Kumari, Managing Director, Global Flight Handling Services. “With over 400 staff working at Pune Airport—95% of whom are from the city and neighbouring districts—this centre is a natural extension of our commitment to local employment, skilling, and aviation excellence.”

Located inside Aero Mall, India’s first airport mall complex situated just opposite Pune International Airport, the training facility benefits from real-time exposure to airport operations. Trainees will be able to interact with professionals from Global Flight Handling Services, which operates across 23 Indian airports, including Pune, Aurangabad, Jalgaon, and Sindhudurg in Maharashtra alone.  As an airport ground handling company, we remain committed to expanding our presence across Maharashtra and other parts of India, continuing our mission to elevate aviation infrastructure and training standards nationwide.

The facility is equipped with smart classrooms and multimedia-equipped training halls, cabin crew training labs (under development), career counselling and placement support, and access to on-ground practical exposure at Pune Airport.

Pune Airport, one of the fastest-growing airports in the country, handled over 10.54 million passengers in FY2024–25 and is undergoing significant expansion. With rising demand for both domestic and regional flights, the city is witnessing a parallel surge in the need for skilled aviation professionals across roles.

The Pune centre is the second facility under the Global School of Aviation brand, following the launch in Chennai in 2024. Centres in Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Visakhapatnam are scheduled to launch soon.

Global School of Aviation is a vertical of Global Flight Handling Services, a group company of Updater Services Ltd., India’s largest integrated facilities and business support services provider with a workforce of over 65,000.

“This is not just a training centre; it’s a gateway to careers in aviation for thousands of young Indians,” added Sarita. “We want to ensure that anyone aspiring for an aviation career—whether on the ground or in the air—has access to quality education, global certification, and practical experience.”

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MUMBAI: Vistara, India’s finest full-service carrier and a joint venture of the Tata Group and Singapore Airlines has won two recognitions at the coveted ‘ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Awards 2024’, including “ch-aviation World’s 4^th Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2024″ and “ch-aviation Asia’s 2^nd Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award 2024″.

Notably, Vistara had also been recognized for having the third youngest aircraft fleet in Asia, consecutively for the past two years. Switzerland-based airline intelligence provider and research company, ch-aviation, maintains comprehensive databases of aircraft, along with their operators and owners, from across the globe to determine these awards.

Vinod Kannan, Chief Executive Officer, Vistara, said, “We are delighted to receive these accolades at the ch-aviation Youngest Aircraft Fleet Awards 2024 – securing a position in the World’s Top Five for the first time and advancing to the second position in Asia. They are an acknowledgement of our continued investment in maintaining a young and modern fleet to keep our CO2 emissions at their lowest. We thank Ch-aviation for recognizing our efforts.”

Thomas Jaeger, CEO, of ch-aviation, said “Ch-aviation established the Youngest Aircraft Fleet Award to revere airlines worldwide who understand the value and necessity of investing in their fleets, introducing new-generation aircraft that considerably reduce CO2 emissions in the aviation industry and improve fuel economy. Sustainability represents a significant challenge and will continue to require giant leaps forward for the aviation industry. Hence,  ch-aviation has decided to honor them with this award that celebrates their effort. It is essential to say that this Award is entirely based on non-manipulable fleet data. There is no jury or any other subjective parameter involved.”

Vistara’s current fleet, with an average age of 2.94 years, consists of A320NEO, A321NEO, and B787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, all powered by cutting-edge technologies and advanced systems that result in a reduction in engine noise as well as nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.

In March 2023, Vistara achieved an important milestone of operating a wide-body aircraft for a long-haul international flight using a 30% SAF blend, reducing 150,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Extending this success, Vistara also operated a commercial domestic flight on a wide-body aircraft using SAF, another industry-first initiative. This flight, utilizing a blend of 17% SAF and 83% conventional jet fuel, resulted in a reduction of approximately 10,000 pounds of CO2 emissions. Vistara also became the first airline in India to implement Aerowash, an automated aircraft exterior washing and cleaning solution. Furthermore, Vistara deployed SITA eWAS and SITA OptiClimb® solutions for optimizing flight planning and operations, aiming for a yearly reduction of 15,000 tons of carbon emissions.

Vistara is India’s highest-rated airline on Skytrax and TripAdvisor, and it has been the winner of several ‘Best Airline’ awards, besides being lauded for world-class cabin cleanliness and upholding high safety standards. The only Indian carrier to feature amongst World’s Top 20 Airlines, Vistara has been named ‘16th Best Airline’ globally, while also being recognized as the ‘Best Airline in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row, ‘Best Airline Staff in India and South Asia’ for the fifth consecutive year, ‘Best Cabin Crew in India and South Asia’ for the third time in a row and ‘Best Business Class Airline in India and South Asia’ for the second time in a row at the coveted World Airline Awards 2023 by Skytrax.

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Dignitaries like Dr Pramod Chaudhari; Executive Chairman of Praj Industries, Shishir Joshipura; CEO & Managing Director of Praj, Ghanshyam Deshpande; President of Center of Excellence & Allied Technologies,  Dr Pramod Kumbhar, Chief Technology Officer & President, of Praj Matrix and others were present on the occasion.

During the inauguration ceremony, Minister of Petroleum & Natural Gas and Housing & Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri said, “This facility demonstrating indigenously developed technology for production of SAF is a testament to India’s rising prowess in the Global Bioeconomy. Utilization of Captive Agri-Resources to produce Biofuels such as SAF is aligned with the Government’s goals towards ‘Atma Nirbhar Bharat’ and will go a long way in helping India achieve its energy self-reliance by 2047. I compliment the visionary leadership of Dr. Pramod Chaudhari and Team Praj for this exciting development.”

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Pramod Chaudhari said, “Inauguration of SAF demonstration facility is yet another milestone in Praj’s pursuit of energy transition through Bioeconomy. Recently, we collaborated with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCL) and Air Asia India to successfully fly India’s first commercial passenger flight with 1% SAF produced at our bench scale setup that was blended with ATF. We truly believe in India’s potential to be a hub for supplying SAF for the Global Aviation Industry and we stand committed to helping build SAF production capacities. We thank Minister Hardeep Singh Puri for his continued guidance and encouragement.”  

The hard-to-abate Aviation Industry is one of the largest consumers of fossil fuels and an emitter of Greenhouse Gases (GHG). According to the India Brand Equity Foundation 2023 report, the Government has set a target to operationalize 1,000 UDAN routes and to revive 100 airports by 2024. Thus, India is the third-largest and fastest-growing civil aviation market in the world. The low-carbon SAF has a significant role in helping India achieve its net zero goal targets by 2070.

It may be noted that around 3% of all GHG emissions worldwide are currently attributable to aviation. Unless controlled, otherwise the emissions may zoom to as much as 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions from the aviation sector by 2050. Harnessing Sustainable Aviation Fuels is regarded as the most promising pathway for helping achieve this target.

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