Boeing delivers China Eastern's First 737-700s with High-Altitude Package

China Eastern Airlines (Yunnan) has taken delivery of its first two Next-Generation Boeing 737-700s modified for operations in some of the most remote, high-altitude regions.

The modifications include one hour of additional emergency oxygen supply and enhancements to the cabin pressure control system that allows operations at airports located at up to 14,500 feet. These airplanes can use the high-elevation airports in Western China such as Lhasa and Bangda.

"The high-altitude and extensive oxygen package will provide additional capability for China's carriers as they support the country's initiative to improve access and service to western China," said Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President, China Sales Rob Laird

Souce: ASIA Travel Tips .com

Emirates invests over US$38 million to build Luxury Conservation Resort in Australia

Emirates is to invest Dhs 142 million (approx. US$38.8 million) to build a luxury conservation resort in Australia's Blue Mountains - its first such hospitality development outside of the U.A.E.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chairman of Emirates, and the Hon. Sandra Nori MP, New South Wales' Minister for Tourism, today announced the resort's development plans at a media conference in Sydney.

Using the same philosophy as Emirates' acclaimed Al Maha Desert Resort and Spa reserve in Dubai, the new conservation project plans to be one of Australia's most environmentally sympathetic developments, and will provide world-leading hospitality facilities and services to guests.

The project is located in the Wolgan Valley of the Blue Mountains, where 3,600 acres of freehold land will be incorporated into a conservancy reserve. The site is currently farmland that borders the Gardens of Stone National Park, in an area where there are many threats to wildlife and conservation. Guest facilities will occupy less than two per cent of the total land.
Sheikh Ahmed said, "We want to take this beautiful, but sadly distressed rural farming site and turn it into a sanctuary to further showcase Australia to the world."

He added, "Emirates' plan is to protect this site and enhance its environmental values, starting with the removal of invasive plants and feral fauna that has placed pressure on indigenous wildlife. Working closely with environmental and government agencies, we even hope to reintroduce some threatened species to this conservancy. We want this project to gain the same recognition for Australia that we have received for Al Maha and the Dubai Desert Conservation Reserve in Dubai."

The resort is expected to have all final government approvals in place in the next few months with opening planned for 2007.
NSW Minister for Tourism Ms Nori said the Blue Mountains resort would be a welcome addition to nature-based tourism and a major draw card for international visitors.
She said, "Few global cities can boast a pristine, World-Heritage listed attraction like the Blue Mountains, on their door-step, just over an hour from the centre of Sydney. This conservation resort will show there's no place in the world like Sydney.

She added, "The resort will also generate jobs - from environmental guides to hotel staff. And of course, local businesses in the region also stand to benefit."

Emirates has already engaged in hundreds of hours of consultations with government and community organisations in Australia to ensure the project will meet and exceed standards for environment protection and quality hospitality. It will also become a corporate member of The Australian Wildlife Conservancy, whose expertise is well known in the conservation area. Along with National Parks & Wildlife Service and local conservation groups, their knowledge and experience will be invaluable during the creation of the Wolgan Valley project.
Local Wolgan Valley species already identified as under pressure that will be encouraged to expand within the sanctuary include koalas, spotted-tailed quolls, yellow-bellied gliders and brush-tailed rock wallabies.

Emirates is not new to the hospitality industry. It owns, manages and operates the Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, a conservation-based resort set in a 225 square kilometre nature reserve.
In May this year, Emirates announced that it will build a new 5-star, Dhs 800 million (US $218 million) luxury hotel in Dubai. The 70-storey, 350 metres high building will be among the world's five tallest hotels, and also one of the largest in the U.A.E.

Emirates also owns the 218-room Le Meridien Al Aqah Beach Resort, situated on a superb stretch of the private Al Aqah Beach, in the picturesque emirate of Fujairah.

Source: ASIA Travel Tips .com

Jumeirah International Rebrands

Jumeirah International, the Dubai based luxury hospitality group, has rebranded with the company being known from today as ‘Jumeirah’.

The group also unveiled a new corporate identity, and announced that it will rebrand its existing portfolio of luxury before year end in an aim to create a single, memorable identity for the company. The new brand was unveiled during a press conference held at The Jumeirah Beach Hotel, Jumeirah’s first hotel which opened in November 1997.

The aim of the rebranding is to create a strong brand platform for local, regional and international expansion, and to strengthen Jumeirah’s position as one of the world’s leading luxury hospitality groups.

The group’s existing portfolio of hotels will be renamed, with the brand ‘Jumeirah’ to be incorporated with the experience name – for example, Emirates Towers Hotel will be rebranded Jumeirah Emirates Towers, and its logo will change to reflect the new corporate identity of the brand.

Burj Al Arab will however retain its existing identity, reflecting its position as the icon of Dubai in addition to being one of the world’s most luxurious hotels. The hotel will continue to be presented as the flagship of Jumeirah.

Chief Sales & Marketing Officer of Jumeirah Bill Walshe said, “Today’s brand launch is the first step in a journey that will see us rebrand our hotels over the coming few months. To promote our new brand, we will then launch a multi-million dirham international advertising campaign in the 4th quarter of this year”.

At today’s launch, the group also unveiled the corporate identity of Jumeirah Hospitality & Leisure, a Dubai Holding entity and the parent brand of Jumeirah.

Gerald Lawless, CEO of Jumeirah commented, “The rebranding of the company is a reflection of our commitment to become the world’s leading luxury hospitality operator. Since becoming part of Dubai Holding, Jumeirah is enjoying strong synergistic relationships with other member entities which will help to achieve the expansion strategy of the group. We have accelerated our growth plans both in the region and internationally and today’s launch of ‘Jumeirah’ as our hotel and resort brand will enable us to enhance our profile around the world”.

Source: ASIA Travel Tips .com

Airline offers discounts on accommodation, services - Bahrain

Air Arabia yesterday announced a tie-up with discount accommodation broker OctopusTravel.com.

The airline Website, airarabia.com, signed the deal with the broker Website, benefitting thousands of passengers this summer, the airline's Bahrain and Eastern Province general manager, Mohammed Jaffer Mahmood, said.
"Hotels are available immediately offering Air Arabia customers the opportunity to book discount accommodation and services including, villas, apartments, sightseeing and private transfers."

He said OctopusTravel provides links to a co-branded Website with special rates and promotions for the carrier which offers a portfolio of over 20,000 hotels discounted by up to 70 per cent off rack rates in more than 3,300 cities in 112 countries, from budget to five-star deluxe with a detailed, independent report on every one."

Mahmood said travellers can also choose from 3,000 apartments and villas with real-time availability, instant confirmation and a printable voucher and location map.

The site also features a facility to search and book all kinds of hotel rooms and multiple bookings in one transaction. "Private transfers and tailor-made private sightseeing bookings are available in more than 2,000 sightseeing tours and excursions."

He said Air Arabia now offers a complete holiday product for the benefit of leisure and business travellers in the region.

"We decided to partner with Octopus Travel because of its industry-leading technical platform which can present information in over 20 languages including Arabic, its vast selection of accommodation, its competitive prices and its strong focus on customer service," he said.

Source:

Kiwi tourists boost total travel spend

Kiwis taking time out to explore the highways and byways of their own backyard helped push up tourist spending to $17 billion last year.

Though growth in international spending dropped 2.4 per cent to $7.4 billion in the year to March 2004, spending by domestic tourists rose 2.6 per cent to $9.8 billion compared to the previous year.

Overall, spending from both groups rose a slim 0.4 per cent to $17.2 billion, but visitor numbers were up 4.9 per cent to 2.16 million, according to the latest Tourism Satellite Account.

The biggest jump in visitor numbers was from Oceania, including Australia, which rose 14 per cent during the period.

Visitor arrivals from Asian countries dropped 10 per cent in the 12 months to March last year. The biggest fall was in numbers from the price-conscious Chinese and Japanese markets, put off by the high Kiwi dollar.

According to the satellite account, the $7.4 billion spent by overseas tourists meant tourism overtook dairy at $5.7 billion, meat at $4.3 billion and forestry at $3 billion as an export earner.

The satellite account takes in both international and domestic tourist spending and money spent on airfares, and is the most comprehensive record of tourism spending each year.

AdvertisementAdvertisementTourism Ministry research manager Bruce Bassett sounded a note of warning about the figures, saying they pre-dated the cheap trans-Tasman airfares to some extent and anecdotal evidence was that domestic tourist spending could soften as more New Zealanders head offshore.

According to the satellite account, tourism contributed $6.2 billion, or 9.4 per cent, of New Zealand's gross domestic product in the year to March 2004. A further $5.8 billion was spent in flow-on sectors such as transport, accommodation and restaurant meals. It is estimated that tourism directly employs almost 103,000 people.

Spending on accommodation rose 5 per cent to $1.5 billion, food and drink was up by 1.4 per cent and transport rose 3.7 per cent, but growth in all areas slowed.

The worst-hit sector was airfares, which dropped almost 4 per cent to $3.2 billion.

Tourism Minister Mark Burton said the figures showed the importance of the tourism industry to New Zealand.

Last year, the Government's marketing arm Tourism New Zealand spent about $25 million on advertising New Zealand offshore through its 100% Pure New Zealand campaign.

Source: SUE ALLEN - http://www.stuff.co.nz/

Airlines try to nudge up airfares

The four biggest U.S. airlines are testing higher fares as a way to offset increasingly costly jet fuel.

United raised fares 3 percent on all flights, Northwest hiked U.S. fares 3 percent and American and Delta boosted fares $5 each way, USA Today reported Thursday.

With oil continuing to trade at historically high levels, all industries must act responsibly to offset rising costs, said United marketing chief John Tague.

Although crude oil prices fell 81 cents to $58.09 per barrel Wednesday, the futures contract flirted with $60 a barrel Monday, closing at a nominal record of $59.37.

Source: Big News Network

Emirates, Etihad airlines to get new Boeing aircrafts

Aviation giant, Boeing will deliver 11-15, 777-300ER aircrafts to the Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways in the next five months, said a top company executive.

"The Emirates Airlines will receive 6-10 aircraft with a list price of $1.5 billion, while five aircraft will be delivered to Etihad Airways having a list price of $1.2 billion", said Lee Monson, vice president of Boeing airplane sales, Middle East and Africa.

He added that Etihad Airways will receive the first delivery in October followed by two other deliveries in November and December.

The Emirates Airlines which already received two aircrafts in March wants to increase its fleet through lease and direct purchases by late 2007, making it one of the world's largest 777 operators.

Monson also said that Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will also get its first 777-200LR Worldliner in January 2006.

"To-date, four airlines have ordered or announced commitments for the Worldliner — PIA, EVA Airways, Air Canada and Air India. Orders and commitments for the 777-200LR have more than tripled since the airplane was unveiled in February 2005", he said.

He said that the 777-200LR will enable airlines to launch new non-stop flights. "Non-stop travel is set to grow over the next couple of decades and Boeing’s product strategy, which includes the Worldliner, will help airlines leverage this trend. "

Source: aljazeera.com

Plane traveling from Chicago makes emergency landing in Colorado

A United Airlines plane en route to Las Vegas from Chicago declared an emergency and made an unscheduled landing at Pueblo Memorial Airport Wednesday after its crew initially reported smoke in the cockpit, an airport official said.
None of the 156 people aboard Flight 1525 were injured, airport manager Jerry Brienza said. Passengers waited at least four hours for another airplane to arrive.

Find the latest airline industry news in our Flights section.

United did not immediately return a phone message.

Karen Byrd, of the Federal Aviation Administration, said the crew reported a vibration in the cabin. Brienza said the crew reported smelling smoke but later said it was a problem with some avionics equipment in the cockpit.

The incident happened around 6:30 p.m.

Source: The Associated Press

Safety tips for solo travel

Street smarts and safety precautions can be as key to travel plans as tickets and reservations.

Here are some quick safety suggestions for solo travelers this summer from the Women's Travel Club. More are available at www.womenstravelclub.com.

• Hotels: Choose one on a busy, well-trafficked street. Ask for a room on a top floor away from the emergency exit, which someone could pry open.

• Rental cars: If another car hits yours, don't stop until you reach a busy, well-lighted area.

• On the street: Study maps ahead of time so you can stay alert on the street. Dress down, but avoid the sloppy-tourist look, too. Remember to take off name tags after a meeting or conference.

Source: KRT News Service

Travel agencies say Hawaii is hot this summer

Travel agents say Hawaii remains one of the top five U.S. travel destinations this summer, AAA reports.

Travel agency managers cited Hawaii as having one of the most attractive discounts or values for summer travel this year, along with Orlando, Seattle, Las Vegas, and California generally. Hawaii did not make the top five last summer; New York did.

"Despite generally higher prices for gasoline, hotels and other vacation costs, Americans continue to hit the road, rails, skies and sea," said Sandra Hughes, AAA Travel vice president. "Our travel agents expect international travel to remain strong this summer as Americans find ways to go where they want to, when they want to."

Internationally they said the top summer destinations were London, Cancun, Rome, the Caribbean generally, and Montego Bay. Last year the top five were London, Rome, Paris, Vancouver and Ireland.

The survey finds that 69 percent of travel agents are seeing increases in overall summer travel bookings compared to last year despite higher fuel costs, rising hotel rates, and a weak U.S. dollar.

Source: American City Business Journals Inc

Online Travel Shoppers Split Between Airlines, Agency Websites

While more than half of online travel shoppers begin their search with a travel agency, they're evenly split between those sites and ones from airlines when it comes time to book flights, a research firm said Tuesday.
Fully, 54 percent of travel shoppers begin their research at an online travel agency, compared to 37 percent that start with airlines, and 9 percent with a travel meta-search provider, according to Nielsen/NetRatings in its Quarterly Travel Benchmarking Survey.

"The wide selection of travel suppliers drive the majority of travel shoppers to begin their research with agencies and meta-search providers before directly visiting a supplier," Heather Dougherty, senior Internet analyst for Nielsen/NetRatings, said in statement. "At that point, suppliers are in a strong position to capture a potential sale as consumers visit their sites to confirm pricing and frequent flyer benefits before making the final purchase.

"Additionally, the growth of travel meta-search players, such as Kayak and SideStep, provide suppliers with sales opportunities through side-by-side price comparisons with agencies."

With nearly half of all airline ticket sales and reservations conducted online during the last six months, airlines had a stronger record for converting shoppers to buyers, while agencies fared better in drawing visitors to the site for comparison shopping, destination searches and multi-trip bookings.

Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and Delta ranked as the three most visited airline websites during April 2005. Southwest led with 8.1 million unique Web surfers, compared to 5.7 million and 4.9 million that visited American and Delta, respectively, the research firm said. Southwest converted the most "lookers into bookers" with a 14 percent visitor conversion rate, followed by Delta and American with 10 and 9 percent.

Online travel agencies attracted up to twice the number of visitors as airlines during April 2005. Expedia drew 16.3 million unique visitors to its site, with Travelocity and Orbitz ranking as the second and third most popular online travel agency with nearly 12 million each, Nielsen/NetRatings said. Expedia, Orbitz and Travelocity secured conversion rates of nearly 5 percent, 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

Source: InternetWeek

Travel warning for Malaysia

AUSTRALIANS are being warned to avoid travelling to the east coast of the Malaysian state of Sabah amid reports terrorists are planning to kidnap foreigners.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade issued updated travel advice tonight warning travellers of reports that terrorists were planning kidnapping attacks on foreign tourist resorts.

"Australians are advised to avoid all travel to coastal resorts, islands and dive sites off the east coast of Sabah," DFAT said on its travel advisory website.

"We have received credible reports that terrorists are planning kidnapping attacks targeting resorts frequented by foreigners."

Terrorists in the past have kidnapped foreigners from the eastern part of mainland Sabah, and from islands and sea off its east coast, the department said.

"Kidnapping attacks in other parts of coast and offshore Sabah cannot be ruled out."

Sabah is on the island of Borneo.

Source: theaustralian.news.com.au/

Air India expands operation in Bangladesh

India's state airlines Air India on Saturday launched a new route, flying from New Delhi to Dhaka, then to Kolkata and London.

It will operate six flights on the Delhi-London route every week, Air India officials in Dhaka said.

This is the third long haul flight of the international flag carrier launched from Delhi in the past three months. The other two were Delhi-Frankfurt-Los Angeles and Delhi-Amritsar-Birmingham-Toronto.

Currently, Bangladesh airlines Biman operates two weekly flights to New Delhi, while Biman and Indian Airlines operate several flights between Dhaka and Kolkata daily.

European jetmaker Airbus took the lion's share of a record $50 billion in plane deals announced at the Paris Air Show as it added last-minute transactions worth $3.6 billion on Friday.

Airbus has outsold Boeing Co. by a margin of more than two to one at the world's biggest aviation jamboree, held at Le Bourget this week.

Yet Boeing is beating Airbus in sales this year in the key market for mid-sized planes, and many industry analysts expect it to wrest leadership in overall orders from Airbus in 2005.

In a surprise turnaround, Airbus sales chief John Leahy suggested Airbus would retain its lead in new orders over Boeing, despite forecasts to the contrary from Airbus parent company EADS as well as from Boeing and analysts.

The two rivals reported a record $48.7 billion in air show deals, with Airbus accounting for $33.5 billion and Boeing $15.2 billion, company data and Reuters calculations based on list prices showed.

Smaller companies added to the overall tally, with Brazilian plane-maker Embraer among those landing deals.

The volley of announcements fuelled upbeat forecasts for an industry clambering its way out of a post-2001 recession, with the help of emerging aviation powers including a string of commitments from airlines in India.

Industry analysts said they were impressed with the pace of the turnaround while touring the "chalets" at Le Bourget -- a purpose-built bazaar where executives wine, dine, do business and talk shop every two years.

The Paris show in 2003 was overshadowed by travel fears due to the war in Iraq, a boycott by U.S. military top brass due to tensions with France and an industry downturn.

Commercial aviation pulled out of its steep dive in 2004, but it is only since the dollar also perked up earlier this year that aircraft makers and their suppliers have sounded confident.

"Orders are strong, and dollar pressure has eased somewhat," French bank Exane BNP Paribas said in a note to clients on the air show, adding that high oil prices remained a worry.

Airbus said its deals on Friday included one for 40 of its single-aisle A320 family of planes by an unidentified airline, which would make an announcement soon.

It also sold 18 A319 jets worth $55 million each to low-cost airline germanwings.

An unnamed Saudi buyer snapped up a long-range, four-engine A340-600 jet for private use. It seats 380 passengers, and its $215 million price tag excludes specially fitted interiors.

Chalet War

"Considering all the PR and the statements from the Boeing chalet that they would dominate the market this year, we wanted to point out that we outsold them in every year since 2000 and intend to do so this year," Airbus's Leahy told reporters.

"We maintain our position that our goal is approximately 50 percent of the market."

Leahy hit out at Boeing but was clearly frustrated after EADS Chief Financial Officer Hans Peter Ring suggested early this month that Airbus would lag Boeing in orders in 2005.

Boeing does not forecast orders but has said it expects to be ahead for the first time since 2000.

Boeing effectively conceded the Paris show to Airbus earlier in the week by letting it be known there would be no "blockbuster" deals. Airbus's critics say it deliberately groups together orders to grab a concentrated dose of publicity and point out that many Airbus announcements remain provisional.

The U.S. planemaker announced deals for about 150 planes, of which 88 were firm orders.

That compares with firm orders for 10 Airbus planes out of the 280 planes in deals it announced. Analysts note, however, that the vast majority of tentative commitments do turn into firm orders, usually within six months.

Analysts said Airbus had recovered faster than expected from a months-long onslaught from Boeing in the new and expanding market for mid-sized long-range jets.

Boeing has a strong lead in the lucrative segment, with 266 commitments for its 787 Dreamliner.

Airbus hit back this week with 95 for its planned A350, which it hopes to get board backing to start building later this year.

It expects a board decision on the 4.5 billion euro ($5.5 billion) programme in September, a delay which Airbus Chief Executive Noel Forgeard said this week was prompted in part by a desire to cool a major international trade row over aircraft subsidies with Boeing.

Three flights a week will cater for the growing numbers of Sikhs and Punjabis travelling to their ancestral homes from North America and the UK.

The first 10 flights from Raja Sansi airport are sold out, officials say.

The service is expected to boost religious tourism around the Sikhs' holiest shrine, the Golden Temple.

Airport makeover

Sunday's inaugural flight was flagged off by the federal civil aviation minister, Praful Patel, and Punjab's chief minister, Capt Amarinder Singh.

The Punjabi community has long demanded a direct air connection between their home state and Western countries where a large number of them are settled.

To handle the increased air traffic, the airport at Amritsar is being given a $15m makeover which includes a new terminal building and modern landing aids.

Air India's Regional Director for India, Capt PP Singh, told the BBC that "the response has been huge".

As well as the first 10 flights already selling out, "there are heavy bookings for subsequent days".

'Prosperity'

One woman visiting Punjab from her home in New York, Rubina Boparai, said: "All this is most exciting. I am now waiting for the day when I will be able to fly directly to New York from Amritsar and be spared the harassment of a day-long drive to Delhi."

Kirpal Singh Duggal, a frequent traveller to the UK, said: "It is like flying directly from one home to another."

Mr Patel said the new flight would initiate a phase of growth and prosperity in Punjab.

He said the Amritsar-Toronto service would soon be upgraded to a daily one and in the coming months, both Air India and the state's domestic carrier, Indian Airlines, would start other passenger and cargo services from the city.

Services will also be extended to include new, budget Air India Express flights from Amritsar to the Gulf countries and other Western destinations.

Air India currently caters approximately 44 destinations throughought the world. It also has code-sharing agreements with many international airlines to expand coverage. The airline ferried 3.39 million passengers during the financial year ending March 2003 and achieved a load factor of 71.6 per cent, substantially higher than the 66 per cent load factor recorded in the preceding year. The airline strives to achieve the best in-flight standards and receives a 4 star rating for cabin safety procedures from skytrax airline quality review.

Three classes of seats are offered - First class, Executive class and Economy class. Flat bed seats are offered for first class passengers. The airline also offers a frequent flyer programme alone and in collaboration with many of its alliances. The airline also offers luxury lounges in its ground terminals for its First and Executive class travellers in select destinations within India.

Air-India has duty free sale on board its flights effective June 1, 2003 named 'sky bazaar', meaning Market in the sky. Air India has recently placed a order for 50 Boeing Dreamliner Aircrafts . The contract is worth more than 6 billion US $ and will make Air India one of the largest air carriers in Asia .

Cargo Operations

In 1954, Air-India commenced its freighter operations with a DC3 Dakota aircraft, giving Air-India the distinction of being the first Asian airline to operate freighters. Currently, the airline operates regular Cargo flights to many destinations of the world. The airline also has ground truck-transportation arrangements on select destinations.

An active member of IATA, Air-India carries all types of cargo including dangerous goods (hazardous materials) and live animals, provided such shipments are tendered according to IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations and IATA Live Animals Regulations, respectively.

At the warehouse in Mumbai, Air India has developed an indigenous system of inventory management for cargo handling of import/export functions. This takes care of the entire management of cargo, supports Electronic Data Interface (EDI) messages with Indian Customs and replaces to a great extent existing paper correspondence between Customs, Airlines, and the custodians. This also replaces manual handling and binning of cargo at the warehouse in Mumbai by Air India.

As it symbolises movement and speed, the Centaur, a stylised version of Sagittarius, was selected as Air-India's logo.

Air India's mascot, the Maharaja, is a turban clad king with over-sized moustache and a royal dress. "He may look like royalty, but he isn't royal" - these are the words of Bobby Kooka, the man who conceived the Maharajah. This figure first made his appearance in Air-India way back in 1946, when Bobby Kooka as Air-India's Commercial Director and Umesh Rao, an artist with J.Walter Thompson Ltd., Mumbai, together created the Maharajah.

Fleet

As of May 2005 the airline has the following fleet:

· BOEING B777-200 - 3

· BOEING B747-400 - 12

· BOEING B747-200 - 2

· BOEING B747-300 - 2

· AIRBUS A310-300 - 19 (+3 to be delivered June-July 2005)

· BOEING B737-800 - 3

Future Plans

Air-India has registered a profit of Rs 133.85 crores (Approx USD 30 Millions) in the financial year ending March 31, 2003, after taking into account the deferred tax benefit. In the year 2002, it recorded a net profit of Rs 15.44 crores. Air-India earned a total revenue of Rs 5658 crores (Approx USD 1.26 Billions) in 2002-03 as against Rs 5017 crores (Approx USD 1.1 Billions) in the previous year. The airline has ambitious plans to expand its network and acquire new aircraft. The newly elected Government of India has appointed Mr.Praful Patel, as the Minister for Civil Aviation who plans to make the airline "A Maharaja of the Skies ". It is planning to buy 50 Long range planes in the time frame of next 10 years. Boeing, with its Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 are in the cards. As of December 2004, Air India has leased 3 Boeing 777s from United Airlines. The first of the three is on its way to India, which will be put in Mumbai-London operations. Air India has started a new operation linking Toronto , Amritsar and New Delhi .

History

Air India traces its roots back to October 15, 1932 when its founder, J. R. D. Tata flew a single engined De Havilland Puss Moth registed VT-ADN carrying air mail from Karachi's Drigh Road Aerodrome to Bombay's Juhu Airstrip via Ahmedabad. The aircraft continued to Madras via Bellary piloted by a Royal Air Force pilot named Neville Vincent.

That same year, the airline was formally established as Tata Airlines, a division of Tata Sons Ltd. (now Tata Group), the large Indian industrial house. Following the end of World War II, regular commercial service was restored in India and Tata Airlines was converted into a public company under the name Air India in 1946.

1948 was a very significant year in the history of the airline as 49% of the airline was acquired by the Government of India, with an option to purchase an additional 2% at any time. In return, the airline was granted status to operate international services from India as the designated flag carrier under the name Air India International.

On June 8, 1948 a Lockheed Constellation L-749A named Malabar Princess and registered VT-CQP took off from Bombay bound for London via Cairo and Geneva. This marked the airline's first longhaul international flight, soon followed by service to Nairobi via Aden.

In 1953, the Government of India chose to exercise its option to purchase a majority stake in the carrier and Air India International Limited was born as one of the fruit of the Air Corporations Act that nationalised the air transportation industry.

In 1954, the airline took delivery of its first L-1049 Super Constellations and inaugurated services to Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

Air India International entered the jet age in 1960 as its first Boeing 707 named Nandadevi and registered VT-DJJ was delivered. Jet service to New York via London was inaugurated that same year. On June 8, 1962 the airline's name was officially truncated to its current form of Air India. On June 11, 1962 Air India became the world's first all-jet airline.

In 1970, Air India moved its offices into its own custom built skyscraper in downtown Bombay. The next year, the airline took delivery of its first Boeing 747-200 named Emperor Ashoka and registered VT-EBD. This coincided with the introduction of the 'Palace In The Sky' livery and branding.

In 1986, Air India made the decision to supplement its fleet with Airbus A310s and began to accept delivery of these aircraft later that year. The airline would later become (and remains today) the world's largest operator of this type in passenger service. In 1988, Air India also took delivery of two Boeing 747-300s in mixed passenger-cargo configuration.

747-400

In 1989, to supplant its "Flying Palace" livery, Air India introduced a new livery that was mostly white but had a golden sun on a red tail. However, that livery, which was applied to only about half of Air India's fleet, was never very popular, especially among Air India employees, and it lasted only four years.

In 1993, Air India took delivery of the new flagship of its fleet when the first Boeing 747-400 named Konark and registered VT-ESM made history by operating the first ever nonstop flight between New York and Delhi. In 1996, the airline inaugurated service to its second US gateway at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. In 1999, the airline opened its dedicated Terminal 2-C at the newly renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai.

The 21st century has seen Air India introduce new service to Shanghai in China, as well as two new US gateways at Newark Liberty International Airport and LAX.

In March 2004, Air India started non-stop flights from Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport to London, Heathrow, making it the 3rd station from India (after Mumbai and Delhi).

In December 2004, Air India leased three Boeing 777-222ER aircraft from United Airlines, using them on the Bombay-London route. One was delivered by December 2004, while the other two are expected to be delivered by mid-January 2005.

Source: Independent-Bangladesh.com

InterGlobe to launch low-cost airline in India

Continuing its spree of big announcements, InterGlobe Enterprises has announced its plans of launching IndiGo, an Indian low cost airline venture. InterGlobe is a diversified Indian multinational corporation with significant presence in aviation management, travel technology, travel distribution services and hospitality industries. (6/21/2005)

The venture is being jointly promoted by InterGlobe Enterprises and aviation industry professional Rakesh Gangwal, and IndiGo has committed for 100 firm A320 family aircraft with Airbus. The nation-wide low-cost airline expected to be launched late this year or early next year, has come up with largest firm order placed by a domestic airline, with deal with Airbus worth US$6billion .

Airbus said it had received a letter of intent for the purchase of 100 A320 planes from IndiGo. This announcement follows the orders placed by private Indian carriers like Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines and the yet-to-be-launched Paramount Airways.

As per the information available, in the first year of its operation, IndiGo plans to connect 17 cities across the country, with a target of flying two million passengers. The local media says IndiGo plans to start operations with six carriers - depending on delivery schedule by Airbus - and further enhance it to 18 over a two-year period. The airline plans to employ the full fleet of 100 carriers over eight-year period. Over the first two years of operation, InterGlobe Aviation, plans to invest up to US$91 million, with plans to break-even in 15 months.

In the recent past, InterGlobe introduced ITQ (InterGlobe Technology Quotient), which is being termed as India’s pioneering operational technology consultant and converged solutions provider for the travel industry. ITQ will evaluate current technologies capabilities, recommend solutions and implement them across travel agents, airlines, cruises, hotels, tourism bureaus, car rental companies, portals and corporations in India.

The second initiative is the launch of InterGlobe Hotels, a JV with Accor Asia Pacific to develop a series of Ibis brand economy hotels across India and South Asia.

“The new ventures (ITQ and JV with Accor) have broadened the operating boundaries of InterGlobe and we are constantly in the process of identifying new goals and horizons,” said InterGlobe.

Source: eyefortravel.com

Dubai group plans to run 40 luxury hotels

Dubai's state-owned firm Jumeirah, which boasts the world's only seven-star hotel, announced Tuesday an ambition plan to own or manage 40 luxurious hotels at home and abroad within the next five years.

"We want to run 40 hotels nationally and internationally" within five years, Jumeirah chief executive officer Gerald Lawless told a press conference during which the firm said it would run 14 hotels at home and 25 others abroad.

"We want to develop a global super-brand ... to create the world's most luxurious hotel group," said the head of the hotels firm which owns one of Dubai's main landmarks, the sail-shaped Burj al-Arab luxury hotel.

"We want to be a player on the world stage," said Jumeirah chief sales and marketing officer Bill Walshe.

Jumeirah, created in 1997, currently owns six luxury hotels in Dubai and two in London.

Lawless said planned to run hotels in Sydney, New York, Beijing, Shanghai as well as in South Africa, the Maldives and Mauritius. Jumeirah is part of the state holding firm Dubai Holding which runs mega projects aimed at turning the affluent Gulf emirate into a business and leisure hub.

Source: AFP

Local Airlines to Halt Service to Phuket

The nation¡¯s two flag carriers, Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, will suspend their operations to Phuket, Thailand, next week.

The Construction and Transportation Ministry said yesterday that the airlines applied for closures of operations to the resort island due to a decrease in the number of passengers, and the applications were admitted.

Korean Air will scrap its Seoul-Phuket route on June 29, and the Pusan-Phuket route on June 30. Asiana Airlines will also stop operating its flights between Seoul and Phuket on June 28.

The decision to stop the operations came from a decline in the number of passengers to Phuket, especially honeymooners, as people still feel reluctant to visit the island, which was hit by a deadly tsunami.

The tsunami, which struck Southeast Asian countries last December, claimed 5,400 lives, mainly those in southern Thailand including Phuket, and some 2,800 are still missing.

The two airlines began operating charter flights between Seoul and Phuket in 2002. Asiana Airlines started two regular flights per week for the route last July, while Korean Air also launch two weekly services last September.

Korean Air also provided service between Pusan and Phuket since last October.

The route had been popular, especially among newlyweds, with boarding rate on Seoul-Phuket flights reaching 98 percent in July 2004, 99 percent in August, 97 percent in September, 94 percent in October, 92 percent in November, and 76 percent last December.

But the two carriers had suspended operations since the end of last year after the giant wave from the earthquake brought catastrophe to large areas of the tourist destination.

Those planning to travel to Phuket will be able to use the flights of Orient Thai Airlines, which operates two weekly services between Seoul and Phuket. Phuket Air will also start operating two flights per week on July 16.

Korean Air plans to resume its operations on Oct. 2 and Asiana Airlines in the middle of December.

Source: Kim Rahn - koreatimes.co.kr

Microjet taxis may transform travel

If the nation's 429 commercial airports are too crowded, there is an alternative, aviation visionaries say: using a new generation of microjets, with two engines and just five or six seats, as air taxis or charters to connect the 5,400 airports scattered around the country that now have no scheduled service at all.

It may be a Buck Rogers fantasy, or it may be the early phase of a new transportation network of point-to-point travel between little-known cities like this one.

Using new or improved technology, including satellites and on-board computers, to handle air traffic at places with no control towers and to provide better navigation support than airliners receive at big airports, the new mode of transportation could be safe and reliable, say advocates for the new generation of technologies, known as the Small Aircraft Transportation System. Following the inevitable tradition of aviation, it is known by its acronym, SATS.

"The only thing small about SATS is the size of the aircraft," said Marion C. Blakey, who heads the Federal Aviation Administration. "The system itself holds enormous potential for the way we fly as a nation."

The aviation agency, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, half a dozen universities and a variety of private companies showed off possibilities at a three-day technology demonstration here this month. One of the more audacious was a robot air traffic controller, essentially a computer box on the ground that receives requests for permission to land from planes a few miles away. The computer system, devised by NASA, gives the planes a number in the queue.

The system is said to be able to manage 12 to 15 takeoffs and landings an hour, even in bad visibility. At the moment, many small airports are lucky to see four takeoffs or landings an hour, especially when the weather is poor.

Source: MATTHEW L. WALD - New York Times News Service