Leading commercial plane makers, Boeing Co. said that it would go for production of commercial planes as per its earlier plans. France-based Airbus, on the other hand, decided to stop the production for some time. However, no company got a new order for plane purchase in the first two days of the ongoing Hyderabad air show.

The 19,00 employees of Jet airways, who were earlier shunted from their posts, can now take a sigh of relief, as on late Thursday night, Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal apologized to all the 19,00 employees and asked them to resume back to work on Friday morning.

Goyal, who empathized with the agony that the employees might have undergone, said, “The management might not like my decision but sometimes there are disagreements within the family and as the head of the family, I am taking this decision.”

New Delhi, Oct 17: The Monopolies and Restrictive Trade Practices Commission (MRTPC), the anti-monopoly watchdog, on Friday ordered its investigative arm Director General of Investigation and Registration to probe into the operational alliance formed by two leading private carriers Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines.

The watchdog ordered an investigation on the alliance, to find out whether the tie-up would result in monopoly and submit a report within 60 days, according to reports.

On October 13, Kingfisher Airlines chief Vijay Mallya and Jet Airways chief Naresh Goel broached a possible alliance to overcome their problems, largely generated by mounting fuel bills in wake of the global financial crisis.

After delivering 99 helicopters to Indian Clients, the US Based rotorcraft manufacturing major, Bell Helicopter, while handing over its 100th helicopter in India at the Indian Aviation 2008 at Hyderabad announced its plan of set up a Maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) base in the country. 

Bob Fitzpatrick, Senior vice-president, Bell Helicopter said that the company was in the initial stage of talks with potential partners for the unit and hope to wrap up the plan within an year.

New York - Continental Airlines, the fourth largest US carrier, said Thursday it lost 263 million dollars in the third quarter amid higher costs for jet fuel that have pounded airlines.

The loss comes after earnings of 241 million dollars in the year- earlier period, the Houston-based company said. Revenue rose 9 per cent to 4.2 billion dollars, but could not overcome the company's 736 million dollar fuel bill. It said it would delay the planned purchase of new aircraft.

Hyderabad, Oct 16 : Air India on Thursday said that it is considering a plan to give about 15,000 of its staff a three-five years leave without pay.

Air India CMD Raghu Menon said, "We are planning to offer leave without pay for three to five years. We can consider it for about 15,000 employees."

However, he said, those who take up the offer to go on leave would be taken back if they desire so at the same seniority and last drawn pay.

Menon''s statement comes at a time when the country''s leading private carrier Jet Airways has laid off 1,100 jobs as the financial crisis in the aviation sector worsens.