BMI is making a foray into the burgeoning Indian aviation market by launching a direct flight between London and the northern Indian town of Amritsar, beginning Oct. 14. The airline will operate the Airbus A330-200 in the market, offering initially three flights a week, says Vikas Mathur, the company’s sales manager for India. “Traditionally, Punjab and the United Kingdom share deep and strong business and social relations. We are glad to offer customers from Amritsar the most convenient and shortest route to travel to London,” Mathur says.

NEW DELHI — The Indian Air Force (IAF) lost yet another MiG-21 fighter jet in a crash Sept. 6, nearly a week after the chief of the service announced that only experienced pilots will be allowed to fly the Soviet-era aircraft starting next year. The combat aircraft crashed when the rookie pilot was on a routine training sortie in northern India’s Punjab province. The pilot bailed out safely.

NEW DELHI – India’s space agency on Sept. 1 announced plans to build a new class of powerful communication satellites. K. Radhakrishnan, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), says the new spacecraft will feature an upgraded power system to accommodate more transponders. “ISRO has plans to integrate new technologies in them and get into higher bands,” Radhakrishnan says. ISRO is aiming to introduce these technologies during the next five-year plan (2012-17) that starts next April.