New Delhi, Oct 23: Riding high on the success of its new iPhone 17 series and festive season demand, Apple Inc recorded its highest-ever quarterly shipments to India, sending 4.9 million smartphones to the country during the July–September quarter of 2025 (Q3 CY25), according to industry estimates.

According to research firm Omdia, this marks a 47 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth and represents Apple’s strongest performance in the Indian market to date.

What’s more, India accounted for 9 per cent of Apple’s total global iPhone shipments in the quarter — the highest share ever for the country — underscoring India’s growing importance in the company’s global strategy.

The launch of the iPhone 17 series on September 9 played a key role in driving record sales.

The new lineup features major camera upgrades, including a 48MP Fusion Main camera and a 48MP Fusion Ultra-Wide lens, alongside a 6.3-inch Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion.

The device also comes with the new A19 chip for enhanced performance and Ceramic Shield 2 technology, offering three times better scratch resistance and reduced glare.

Apple is expected to post its highest-ever festive quarter in India this year, with analysts forecasting a 28 per cent increase in sales compared to last year, driven by the early popularity of the iPhone 17 series.

This milestone comes on the heels of another major achievement for the Cupertino-based company — record iPhone exports from India.

In the April–September period of the current financial year, Apple shipped iPhones worth about $10 billion (over Rs 88,500 crore), marking a 75 per cent growth compared to the same period last year, according to industry estimates.

The success reflects the strong push of the government’s ‘Make in India’ and production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes, which have encouraged Apple to expand its manufacturing base in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

A majority of the iPhones produced in India this year — nearly 78 per cent — were exported to the US, up from 53 per cent a year earlier.

Mumbai, Oct 23: The Indian stock markets opened on a strong note on Thursday, even as global cues remained mixed.

The benchmark indices, Sensex and Nifty, started the session with solid gains, driven largely by strength in IT stocks.

The Sensex opened 727.81 points higher at 85,154.15, while the Nifty reclaimed the 26,000 mark, opening 188.6 points higher at 26,057.20.

“For now, upside objective is set at 26186, with 26800 appearing as an optimistic objective,” market experts said.

“Meanwhile, downside marker is placed at 25780, but an outright reversal is not expected today,” they added.

Among the top performers on the BSE were Infosys, HCLTech, and Tech Mahindra, which saw healthy buying interest.

On the other hand, Bajaj Finserv, Maruti, and Power Grid were among the major laggards.

Similar trends were seen on the NSE, where Infosys, HCLTech, and Tech Mahindra led the gains, while IndiGo, Eicher Motors, and Sun Pharma Life witnessed selling pressure.

Broader market indices also traded higher, with the Nifty SmallCap 100 rising 0.33 per cent and the Nifty MidCap 100 climbing 0.44 per cent.

Sector-wise, the Nifty IT index emerged as the top gainer, up 1.84 per cent, while the Nifty Realty index was the only one in the red, slipping 0.08 per cent.

Analysts said that investors showed renewed optimism in the market, with strong buying seen in technology shares supporting the early trade momentum.

Reports of an imminent trade deal between India and the US is doing the rounds in market circles and the market reaction through Nifty implied open confirms this, experts said.

“Comments from President Donald Trump and responses from Prime Minister Narendra Modi indicate an early trade deal. The expected deal involves some concessions from both sides,” they added.

Meanwhile, the foreign institutional investors (FIIs) extended their buying streak for the fifth consecutive session on October 21, as they bought equities worth Rs 96 crore.

Mumbai, Oct 22: An Air India flight scheduled from Mumbai to Newark in the United States had to return after take-off, as the crew identified a suspected technical snag, according to a statement issued by the airline on Wednesday.

“The crew of flight AI191 operating from Mumbai to Newark on 22 October, made a precautionary air-return to Mumbai due to a suspected technical issue. The flight landed safely back in Mumbai, and the aircraft is undergoing necessary inspections,” according to an Air India statement.

The total number of passengers on board, along with the time at which the airline departed and returned, was not available in the preliminary statement. As per the usual schedule, the AI1191 flight departs at 01:10 hours (IST) from Mumbai and reaches Newark at 07:55 hours (EDT).

Due to the flight’s cancellation, the return flight from Newark to Mumbai — numbered AI144 — was also cancelled.

The incident comes close on the heels of Delhi-bound Air India plane running into a technical snag at the Milan airport last Friday, stranding over 250 passengers at the foreign airport just ahead of Diwali.

The airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner (VT-ANN) had encountered a technical issue upon landing in Milan, preventing the aircraft from operating the return journey to Delhi.

Air India then scheduled an additional flight from Milan to Delhi on Oct 19 to bring back home 256 passengers who were stranded in Milan since, October 17.

The airline claimed it had extended all immediate assistance to affected passengers, including hotel accommodation and meals. Full refunds or complimentary rescheduling were also offered as per passenger preference.

A similar incident occurred on August 16 this year, when an Air India flight on the same route was cancelled due to a technical issue that was notices during pushback.

According to Air India, a maintenance task was identified just as the aircraft was preparing for departure. The subsequent delay caused the operating crew to exceed mandatory flight duty time limitation norms, making it unsafe and impermissible for them to continue.