Airlines

Air India launches ‘Project Abhinandan’ for enhanced guest experience at 16 airports

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Air India, which is owned by Tata Sons, stated on Monday that it had launched “Project Abhinandan,” which aims to improve the experience for travelers on the airline at airports.

According to the airline, this project will give its customers a specific and hassle-free on-ground experience as part of its attempts to improve the guest experience. The former national carrier has educated 100 Service Assurance Officers specifically for this purpose and placed them at up to 16 major airports across the nation.

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All passengers will receive assistance from these staff, which will smooth the process of boarding for them. As part of the scheme, the knowledgeable Air India employees who have grown up with the company will also help passengers go to lounge areas, boarding gates, or the arrivals hall. In addition to this, Air India’s ground employees will deal with frequent problems that travelers typically encounter, like missing flights, missed connections at airports, delayed baggage delivery, and others.

According to Air India, its service assurance officers have received special training that will enable them to handle consumer complaints with ease.

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According to Rajesh Dogra, Chief Customer Experience & Ground Handling Officer at Air India, many air travellers find airport experiences stressful, regardless of how frequently they fly. The introduction of “Project Abhinandan” aims to make traveling with Air India more comfortable and welcoming for all passengers by streamlining the airport experience for everyone and significantly improving their entire travel experience.

Airlines

S7 Group Begins Fan Blade Production for Western Engine Models

The privately-owned Russian aerospace giant S7 Group has reportedly commenced production of blades for Western-built aero engines at its subsidiary, the Berdsk Electromechanical Plant (BEMZ), located in Novosibirsk.

This development, reported by the Russian aviation publication ATO.ru, marks a significant step for the company amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.BEMZ has started manufacturing composite fan blades compatible with jet turbine engines, including the CFM International CFM56, which powers popular aircraft like the Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 family.

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The technology for restoring blades of gas turbine engines used in Airbus and Boeing aircraft was previously developed by the Institute of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and is now being implemented in the production of new aircraft parts at BEMZ.

Currently, BEMZ focuses on producing parts essential for maintaining the airworthiness of civil aircraft. Over the past year and a half, the plant has manufactured approximately 3,500 structural elements and components for replacement on foreign aircraft, which are utilized by airlines such as S7 Airlines, Pobeda, Aurora, and Aeroflot.

The facility is undergoing expansion, with two stages of an investment program totaling 2 billion roubles already completed. These developments are likely geared toward producing blades for the CFM56 engines, which equip more than half of S7’s operational fleet, including 28 Airbus A320-family aircraft and 19 Boeing 737-800s.

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Vasily Yurchenko, CEO of Berdsk Electromechanical Plant, emphasized the shift in focus towards maintaining the airworthiness of the Western-made fleet. The plant has delivered thousands of components to S7 and other Russian carriers since 2022. Notably, according to Russia’s Air Operators Association, 89% of the country’s passengers in 2023 traveled aboard foreign-made aircraft.

Future plans include serious investments to transform the plant into a modern, high-tech aircraft manufacturing facility. In addition to engine blades, BEMZ is also known for producing various spare parts for aircraft, reinforcing its role in the Russian aviation industry as it adapts to new manufacturing needs.