India’s government will review the financial situation of the state-run Air India Oct. 28 and decide on the future of several aircraft purchase orders. A panel of federal ministers, led by Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, was scheduled to meet yesterday, according to an official at the civil aviation ministry.

NEW DELHI – India is likely to open the commercial bids of the two shortlisted vendors for the medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) in the first week of November. A Defense Ministry official said the vendors – French Rafale International and European consortium Cassidian Eurofighter – will be invited to witness the opening of their bids on Nov. 4.

NEW DELHI — An Indian air force (IAF) MiG-29 crashed into a mountain during a night-flying exercise in the northern part of the country Oct. 18, the second crash this month and the seventh IAF MiG fighter to go down this year. According to air force officials, two MiG-29s from western air command took off from Adampur in Jalandhar in northern India on Oct. 18 for an exercise in high altitude, and one of them crashed into a mountain at around 8:30 p.m. local time.