The govt has decided that Air India will almost double its fleet by adding over 100 aircraft, but without burdening the exchequer with a mammoth debt burden like last time. The airline will grow by leasing aircraft instead of purchasing them. "We have decided not to seek any additional budgetary support except for the turnaround plan approved for the airline earlier. The airline will lease aircraft and has the resources to make the payment that needs to be made for leasing," aviation secretary R N Choubey said. A financial support of INR302.31b was approved for AI in 2012. Of which, it has received INR222.8b till March 2016 and another INR17.13b was to be given in FY16-17. The Modi govt has decided that the airline's growth plan will not lead to any enhancement in this equity support. <br/>
star
Women’s only seats are to be introduced on Air India flights, following a spate of sexual harassment reports on the carrier’s flights. Plastic handcuffs will also be issued to flight crew to restrain "totally out of control" passengers. From Jan 18, 6 economy class seats will be solely dedicated to female travellers. "We feel, as national carriers, it is our responsibility to enhance comfort level to female passengers," said Air India’s Meenakshi Mali. No extra cost will be imposed on the seats. While some people praised Air India’s decision, others felt it was the wrong approach. "It is an impractical move and will lead to gender discrimination," national president of Air Passengers Association of India Sudhakara Reddy said. "The airline should not go ahead with the plan." <br/>
Canberra Airport is lobbying for SIA to introduce a fifth flight to its Capital Express service. The airline started flying between Canberra, Wellington and Singapore in September. Its first full month of operation saw an average load of 83%. Canberra Airport head of aviation Matthew Brown described the new service as recording a "remarkably strong performance". He and a SIA spokesman said it was hoped the Capital Express would eventually run 7 days a week. The Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics has not yet released its November or December international flight reports but Brown said the figures were "very strong". The SIA spokesman said: "Our focus is on ensuring that the 4 weekly flights are performing strongly and that passenger numbers continue to grow. <br/>