Air India Express inducts new Boeing 737-800 aircraft

Air India's holding company, NACIL, has received one more Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which would be deployed on routes catered to by Air India Express. With the induction of the 17th Boeing 737-800 aircraft, received by the air-carrier on Saturday, Air India Express now has a fleet of 24 aircraft, including seven leased ones.

Jet Airways flight makes emergency landing at Budapest

A Mumbai-bound Jet airways flight from Brussels carrying 224 passengers and 13 crew landed at Budapest airport under emergency conditions after a technical snag in the aircraft. The flight 9W 227 landed at Budapest, capital of Hungary, safely and all the passengers, including four infants, and the crew are safe, a Jet Airways spokesperson said.

Qatar Airways to fly to Amritsar

Qatar Airways will launch its first flight to Amritsar in India's Punjab state on October 11. The new route will have four weekly flights which will be serviced using a two-class Airbus A320 aircraft.

Flydubai to start flights to Doha

Low-cost carrier Flydubai has announced plans to launch intra-GCC service with flights to the Qatari capital Doha. The twice daily flights, which will begin on October 18, will be the first direct service between Dubai and Qatar to be operated by a low-cost airline. One-way fares to Doha from Dubai will cost from Dhs200, which includes all taxes and one piece of hand baggage weighing up to 10kg.

Gulf Air to resume flights to Bangalore

Gulf Air, Bahrain's national carrier, has said it will resume its non-stop flights to the southern Indian city of Bangalore from October 24. The daily flight will depart Bahrain at 2150hrs and reach Bangalore at 0435hrs. The return flight will leave Bangalore at 0525hrs and reach Bahrain at 0750hrs.

Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi set to launch operations

Abu Dhabi-based Al Qudra Real Estate, a wholly owned subsidiary of Al Qudra Holding, has said that its Holiday Inn Abu Dhabi hotel will be opening to the public this October. The new hotel will be managed by the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) as a 4- star business hotel. The hotel comprises over 200 rooms, including standard, executive, and suite rooms, as well as two restaurants, a bar and a cafe lounge.

Renaissance Hotels & Resorts to expand in Middle East

Marriott group's lifestyle brand, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts has announced plans to open five properties in the Middle East over the next three years. Renaissance Doha is set to open later this year 257 rooms. Three more properties will open in 2010 - two in Dubai and one in Bahrain, while 411 room Renaissance Abu Dhabi will be ready in 2012.

Jet Airways CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer steps down

In a major shake up in Jet Airways, its Chief Executive Officer Wolfgang Prock-Schauer has put in his papers and Nikos Kardassis, who heads the airline's US operations, will take over from him as acting CEO from October 15. Kardassis had been the CEO of Jet Airways from 1994 to 1999 and heads its US operations as a senior vice president, officials of the premier private carrier said. They said Kardassis brings with him a wealth of experiences in the aviation industry and financial services.

Kardassis was closely involved in the restructuring and cost and network management of Jet Airways and has been working as senior advisor to chairman Naresh Goyal on crucial areas of finance and strategy. He served as the head of operations of the airline in the Americas for the past 18 months. Prock-Schauer, whose resignation is effective from October 15, will join as the CEO of the low-cost carrier British Midland PLC (bmi) and be based in the UK. Prock-Schauer remained at the helm of affairs in the Indian carrier since June 2003 and has guided the company during the critical period of its international expansion growth.

Aldar Hospitality to open new hotels in Abu Dhabi

Paul Bell, Managing Director of Aldar Hotels and Hospitality, has unveiled plans to open seven hotels on Yas Island in time for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1. Six of the hotels are in a plaza and are about 200 metres from the track. The track runs underneath Yas Hotel, which is managed by Aldar. There will be one five star, four four-star and two two-star properties, Bell said.

Lufthansa introduces special fares to Europe from the Middle East

Lufthansa German Airlines launched special fares from the UAE, Kuwait, Doha and Oman to over 40 destinations in Europe. Destinations include Amsterdam, Berlin, Brussels, Copenhagen, Düsseldorf, Geneva, Hamburg, Hanover, London, Lyon, Madrid, Paris, Prague, Rome, Valencia, Venice, Vienna, Zurich and more. Mr. Peter Pollak, General Manager Passenger Sales UAE & Director Gulf, Lufthansa German Airlines said, "We have introduced some of the lowest and very attractive fares in the U.A.E and other Gulf markets as they are of key strategic importance to Lufthansa. We are confident that our Special fares offer will benefit our UAE, Kuwait, Oman and Doha customers to fly to their favorite destinations in Europe combined with our extensive network worldwide 'there's no better way to fly'." Customers from UAE, Kuwait and Oman can book their tickets before November 10, 2009 and are required to commence travel latest by April 15, 2010.

Customers from Doha can book their tickets before November 15 and start travel latest by December 15, 2009. Hence, Lufthansa is also offering a very long travel period. This gives customers the opportunity to buy now and travel in the coming months, either for leisure, business, Eid break, Christmas or even Easter holidays. The maximum period of stay is 3 months. Lufthansa German Airlines is the only airline connecting Dubai and Abu Dhabi with 20 weekly flights to Frankfurt and Munich. Lufthansa flies daily from Kuwait to Frankfurt and also offers daily flights from Muscat to Frankfurt shortly before midnight (actual departure times vary for the different weekdays). Additionally, Lufthansa also flies daily from Doha to Frankfurt. Hence, the German flag carrier has an extensive route network, connecting the region to a total of 194 destinations in 79 countries which can be reached from Frankfurt and Munich.

RBG Grill opens at Park Inn, Muscat

The RBG Grill was recently opened under the wings of Park Inn brand, it is a bold new concept in hotel dining introduced in the Middle East for the first time by the Rezidor Hotel Group. The tempting menu offers guests a variety of international cuisine and local specialities in additional to signature grill dishes, the best gourmet burgers, light bites, soups, salads, shakes and smoothies. Friendly service standards are the trademark of RBG Grill. Decorated in red and cool grey, the spacious restaurant comfortably seats 80 guests indoors with additional 30 on the adjoining terrace in cooler months. Contemporary, vibrant and colourful décor, background music, TV screens for sports events and show kitchen add up to make it an inviting venue for family, friends or business travellers to enjoy.

"Whatever it is that you have planned, we aim is to make it extra special and memorable at the RBG Grill," says Sandeep Kamal, Executive Chef. It is an ideal spot to enjoy a healthy, delicious and affordable meal as well the perfect place to host product launches, dinners, receptions, birthday parties, functions and an array of other events. Park Inn Muscat is centrally located in Al Khuwair on Sultan Qaboos Street. It has a modern, sophisticated décor with state-of-the-art facilities. The 175 tastefully furnished guest rooms in the colourful and vibrant Park Inn style have been done keeping the business traveller in mind with an efficient and friendly 'Yes I can' culture followed by the trained staff.

Air India suspends crew for mid-air brawl

Air India suspended pilot Ranbir Arora and flight purser Amit Khanna for the October 3 mid-air brawl on its Sharjah-Lucknow-Delhi flight. The decision followed the submission of a report by the inquiry committee set up to probe the brawl onboard flight IC-884. The committee heard out the pilots and flight attendants involved in the scuffle. In its report, the committee said that Arora and Khanna had "greater involvement compared to the other two employees in magnifying the altercation". Accordingly, the airline management suspended the two staff members. The report said that the extent of involvement of each of the four employees would be determined through a regular departmental probe. Meanwhile, the airline management has constituted a five-member committee headed by a senior woman official to examine the charges of sexual harassment levelled by air hostess Komal against the pilots. A police probe into the molestation charges was also underway.