AirAsia Group Expands India Operations Post-Tata Partnership Exit

17 Dec 2024 CW Team

Despite parting ways with Tata Group, AirAsia Group is pressing ahead with its India market expansion, focusing on rising air travel demand between India and Southeast Asia. Thai AirAsia X, the long-haul, low-cost airline based at Bangkok’s Don Mueang International Airport, launched its maiden operations to India on Sunday with direct flights between Delhi and Bangkok. The airline is starting with twice-weekly flights on Wednesdays and Sundays, planning to increase the frequency to four flights per week starting January 15, 2025. Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Tassapon Bijleveld, CEO of Thai AirAsia X, expressed enthusiasm over the launch. "Yesterday was amazing. We got our permit two weeks ago, started flying, and had a 90% load factor," he noted, sharing that 319 passengers boarded the maiden flight from Delhi to Bangkok, with a surprising 329 passengers on the return journey. The airline aims to cater not only to travellers bound for Bangkok but also to those connecting onward to destinations like Vietnam, China, and Australia. It operates Airbus A330-300 widebody aircraft with a seating capacity of 367. This expansion follows AirAsia Bhd's exit from its joint venture with Tata Sons in 2022. The JV previously operated AirAsia India, which has since merged into the Air India Group. Thai AirAsia X’s India entry is supported by a new bilateral air services agreement between India and Thailand, which increases weekly seat allocations by 43% to 46,000. Under the agreement, the additional 14,000 weekly seats will be introduced in two phases, with the second phase kicking in once airlines from both countries utilise 80% of their current capacity. Thai AirAsia X’s entry underscores the growing demand for direct connectivity between India and Southeast Asia. (ET)

Infrastructure Urban

11 Mar 2026

India Expands Semiconductor Training To 500 Institutions

Under the Chips to Startups programme of the India Semiconductor Mission, the Union minister responsible for Railways, Information and Broadcasting, and Electronics and IT reported notable progress in talent development. He indicated that over the past four years substantial steps have been taken towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. World-class EDA tools have been deployed in 315 academic institutions across the country to provide students with practical exposure to chip design. These EDA tools are supported by leading global firms and are accessible t..

Delhi Institutions Support India Semiconductor Mission

The Government of India has prioritised talent development through training, upskilling and workforce development under the Chips to Startups initiative of the India Semiconductor Mission, with officials noting progress in four years towards a 10-year target of training 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design. Electronic design automation tools provided by Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Renesas, Ansys and AMD have been deployed in 315 academic institutions, enabling students to gain practical chip design experience. Chips have been fabricated and tested at the Semiconductor Laboratory, Mohali, a..

NHA Announces Winners Of NHCX Hackathon At IIT Hyderabad

The National Health Authority (NHA) has concluded the NHCX Hackathon under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) to stimulate innovation around the National Health Claims Exchange (NHCX). The winning teams presented their solutions at the NHCX Innovation Meet held at IIT Hyderabad during a two-day event in March 2026 that also served as the hackathon grand finale. The hackathon itself ran from 22 to 28 February 2026 and aimed to accelerate paperless, transparent claims processing across India. The event was organised with a range of ecosystem partners, including the Insurance Regulatory a..