India plays crucial role in Etihad's growth strategy, says airline official

Etihad Airways' Vice President, Indian Sub-continent, reiterated the airline's unwavering commitment to the country over the last 15 years.

India plays a crucial role in Etihad Airways' growth strategy, contributing significantly to the airline's global operations, a top company official said.

Marking the Abu Dhabi-based carrier's 15-years of flying to India, Neerja Bhatia, Etihad Airways' Vice President, Indian Sub-continent, reiterated the airline's unwavering commitment to the country over the last 15 years, which she said, has resulted in Etihad Airways becoming one of the most preferred airlines for travellers from India.

Etihad began operations in India in September 2004.

A statement released by the airline said Mumbai was the first route in the country to be served by Etihad and today the city ranks highest in terms of total passengers the airline has carried over the years, with the number exceeding 3.5 million.

Owing to passenger demand on this route, Etihad introduced a fourth daily service to Mumbai last year. Delhi and Cochin rank second and third, with the airline carrying over 3.2 million and 2.3 million passengers on these routes, respectively over the years. Etihad has also added a fourth daily frequency on its Delhi - Abu Dhabi route.

As a result of its optimized schedule of non-stop flights between the UAE and India, appealing to greater numbers of point-to-point business and leisure passengers, Abu Dhabi is now the most popular destination for Indian travellers on the Etihad network, said the statement.

Etihad operates 161 return flights per week between Abu Dhabi and 10 key Indian gateways of Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Cochin, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram, connecting each of these gateways to international destinations.

Etihad Airways remains committed to its largest and busiest market, India. The UAE and India have shared strong commercial, cultural and historic relations and we will continue to honour these excellent trade and tourism ties through closer partnership with our friends in the Indian travel trade," Danny Barranger, Etihad Airways' Senior Vice President Global Sales, said.

Apple has a backup plan if the US-China trade war triggers iPhone tariffs

Apple has not given Hon Hai instructions to move production out of China, but it is capable of moving lines elsewhere according to customers' needs.

Business Standard : Apple has a backup plan if the US-China trade war gets out of hand.

The Cupertino-based company’s primary manufacturing partner has enough capacity to make all iPhones bound for the U.S. outside of China if necessary, according to a senior executive at Hon Hai Precision Industry.

The Taiwanese contract manufacturer now makes most of the smartphones in the Chinese mainland.

China is a crucial cog in Apple’s business, the origin of most of its iPhones and iPads as well as its largest international market.

But President Donald Trump has threatened Beijing with new tariffs on about $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, an act that would escalate tensions dramatically while levying a punitive tax on Apple’s most profitable product.

Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn, is the American giant’s most important manufacturing partner. It will fully support Apple if it needs to adjust its production as the US-Chinese trade spat gets grimmer and more unpredictable, board nominee and semiconductor division chief Young Liu told an investor briefing in Taipei on Tuesday.

“Twenty-five percent of our production capacity is outside of China and we can help Apple respond to its needs in the US market,” Liu said.

Liu also added that investments are now being made in India for Apple. “We have enough capacity to meet Apple’s demand.”

Apple has not given Hon Hai instructions to move production out of China, but it is capable of moving lines elsewhere according to customers’ needs, Liu added.

It’s unclear if India will ever become a major production base. Foxconn is now running quality tests for the iPhone XR series there and plans to begin mass production at a facility in the suburbs of Chennai. Older models are already assembled at a Wistron plant in Bengaluru.

Foxconn has also agreed to build a 13,000-worker facility in Wisconsin in exchange for more than $4.5 billion in government incentives. But that project has since come under criticism for low-paying jobs, sudden dismissals and ever-changing goals. On Tuesday, executives reaffirmed that employment goal, saying construction remained on schedule and that it will hire as many as 2,000 Americans by the end of 2020.

It will also start making networking and server products for the U.S. market by the end of next year, on top of LCDs starting next year, Liu said.

Mumbai expects 20% salary hike, Bengaluru's IT staff expect least increment

Bengaluru observed that 21 per cent people expect appraisals in the range of up to 10 per cent hike.

Business Standard : Professionals in the financial capital are looking at higher pay hikes of 20 percent or more, while those in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru expect only about 10 percent increment this year, says a survey.

Professionals in Mumbai, Pune and Chennai are looking for higher pay hikes of above 20 percent, while their counterparts in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru expect only 0-10 percent hike, says a survey by jobs portal Shine.com conducted across professionals from across industries in Mumbai, Delhi- NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune and Chennai.

It has found that in Mumbai almost 37 percent of those polled are expecting increment of above 20 percent, while in Pune and Chennai it is 36 and 38 percent, respectively. As many as 62 percent of employees in Mumbai are looking for over 20 percent appraisal in the education or training sector, around 56 percent in the auto sector are eyeing the same.

"It is interesting to note the variance in employee expectations across different metro cities and across sectors. While employee sentiments are high across most sectors, it is a given that not all organisations will be able to meet these expectations," said Zairus Master, CEO, Shine.com.

Further, 48 percent in the auto sector and 38 percent in the education/training sector are also looking for over 20 percent hike in Pune. In Bengaluru, professionals are expecting up to 10 percent hikes, while those in Delhi-NCR are on a lower side.

Over 46 percent of e-commerce sector employees in Bengaluru are only expecting an average growth of 11-15 percent. A sector-wise analysis of appraisal expectations reveals that the highest appraisal sentiment is being carried by professionals in the banking, financial services and insurance and BPO/BPO/ITES sectors with over 35 percent expecting over 20 percent hikes.

Sectors including BFSI, IT and BPOs, that already offer high packages to employees are the ones driving these low expectations.

Although Bengaluru has been India’s IT hub for years, its e-commerce sector is expecting lower appraisals as compared to Delhi.

While over 46 percent of e-commerce sector employees in Bengaluru are only expecting an average growth of 11-15 percent, Delhi NCR (Gurgaon) has over 1/3rd professionals expecting a hike of over 20 percent.

Wistron Corp has begun manufacturing iPhone 7 in India, confirms Apple

It was earlier touted that Apple may also produce iPhone 8 and higher models locally, but that has not been confirmed so far.

One of Apple's key manufacturers, Wistron Corp, has begun manufacturing iPhone 7 locally in India, Apple has confirmed. The handset is being manufactured out of its facility at Narasapura in Kolar district, on the outskirts of Bengaluru. Earlier only iPhone 6s and SE models were manufactured out of the unit.

"We are proud to be producing iPhone 7 in Bengaluru for our local customers furthering our long-term commitment in India,” an Apple India spokesperson said in an emailed statement.

That it would produce higher-end devices was anticipated when Wistron announced plans to open the Narasapura facility, its second in India after Peenya, in June 2018. The Taiwanese contract manufacturer, which also manufacturers for Xiaomi and Nokia, has taken up a 43-acre land parcel and plans to invest Rs3,000 crore in the unit in a phased manner.

It was earlier touted that Apple may also produce iPhone 8 and higher models locally, but that has not been confirmed so far.

The development comes at a time when Apple’s sales in India have dropped, owing to higher prices of newer Apple models and a gush of cheaper and powerful models from Chinese brands. Apple is said to be focusing on its strategy to target high-end users with premium products like iPhone X and newer versions of Mac and iPad. Simultaneously, it is keeping older handsets like 6S alive as an entry device for first-time users.

Foxconn Technology Group, Apple’s other big contract manufacturer operating in India, is also scaling up local manufacturing. As per media reports, Foxconn has presented plans to invest up to Rs5,000 crore in its facility in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai and is in talks with the government for concessions.

Business Standard