Jordan lifts tourist visa restrictions for Indian nationals

Jordan has said that visa restrictions on individual Indian nationals visiting the kingdom as tourists have been lifted. The decision came as moves to promote tourism to the country and to support economic growth, the Jordan Tourism Board said. The decision is in line with a series of efforts to stimulate and boost the tourism sector in light of the current global economic crisis. Such efforts include the reduction of the sales tax on hotel rooms and plans to reduce electricity tariffs on hotels.

Qatar Airways starts flying to Goa

Qatar Airways has launched new non-stop service to Goa, which is now the carrier's 10th Indian destination. The new route will be serviced by a two-class Airbus A320 with 12 seats in business and 132 seats in economy. The Goa flights will leave Doha at 9.25pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Emirates starts flying to Luanda, Angola

Emirates Airline has launched new non-stop service to the capital of oil-rich Angola. The new service to Luanda will leave on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday using an Airbus A330-200. This new route marks the 18th destination in Africa for Emirates.

Etihad Airways to start flights to Tokyo & Nagoya

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is set to open its first Japanese services early next year, with connections to Tokyo and Nagoya. The carrier will operate a four flights a week service to Nagoya, via Beijing, from Monday February 1, increasing to five flights a week from March 27. A five flights a week direct service to Tokyo's Narita airport is also scheduled for launch on March 27.

Oman Air starts flying to Maldives

Oman Air has started a non-stop service between the Sultanate and the Republic of Maldives. The flights to the Maldives capital, Malé are on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, returning the same day. The route will be operated by Oman Air's newly introduced Airbus A330 aircraft, which has first, business and economy class seating, the airline said.

SriLankan Airways adds another flight to Dammam

SriLankan Airlines has launched another flight to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, offering now a total of four flights per week to its Dammam-Colombo route. SriLankan has two flights from Riyadh and two from Jeddah.

Cathay Pacific to start flights to Jeddah

Cathay Pacific Airways, the flag carrier of Hong Kong, has announced the launch of a new route to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The four-times-weekly service, which is to operate through Dubai on the way to and from Hong Kong, will be operated by an Airbus A330-300 aircraft in a two-class configuration. The carrier launched its service to Riyadh in 2001 and the number of flights per week was recently increased from five times a week to daily.

Etihad Airways to launch flights to Hyderabad

Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways has announced the launch of a new route to its latest destination in India, the city of Hyderabad. Etihad is the first airline to operate flights between Abu Dhabi and the state capital of Andhra Pradesh. Initially operating four flights a week, Etihad will increase to daily from the start of 2010. Etihad now flies to seven Indian destinations including the cities of New Delhi, Chennai, Mumbai, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. In total the airline now operates 42 flights to India each week.

Oman Air warns Boeing on 787 Dreamliner delays

Peter Hill, CEO of Oman Air has said that Boeing risks losing a $1bn order for its 787 Dreamliner aircraft to a rival model from Airbus, if the US plane's production schedule is delayed any further. 'Further delays might mean that we'd have to look elsewhere,' he said. The Sultanate's national carrier already has seven A330s from Airbus on order, with the first four scheduled for handover this year.

Kuwait Airways starts flights to Chittagong

Kuwait Airways has announced the launch of a new route to the city of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Chittagong is the airline's second destination in Bangladesh.