Indian private carriers call off strike

Pressured by low-cost carriers, the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) has called off its decision to suspend domestic operations on August 18, two days after it was announced. An FIA press release said the strike was being withdrawn "in view of the agitated public sentiment and potential inconvenience to thousands of passengers and the government’s willingness to enter into dialogue". Eight private airlines, including Jet Airways and Kingfisher, had on Friday said they would stop domestic operations for a day on August 18 to pressure the government for a bailout and threatened an indefinite suspension if their demands were not met. The strike call ran into opposition almost immediately, when IndiGo announced its decision to withdraw on Saturday and SpiceJet followed suit early Sunday evening. Earlier in the day, MDLR Airlines, which has three aircraft and flies to six destinations, and Paramount, which has a 2 per cent domestic market share, announced that they were not participating in the strike.

Representatives of state-owned Air India, which is an FIA member, did not attend Friday's meeting and declined to be part of the strike from the start. Private carriers account form over 80 per cent of the domestic airline market. Sources said low-cost carriers were peeved that the full-service carriers had given the government the impression that the airlines wanted bailout packages, an issue, they said, was never discussed at FIA’s Friday meeting. What domestic airlines wanted, the low cost carriers said, was that Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF), which accounts for 40 per cent of carriers’ operational cost, should be notified under the declared goods category, which means it will attract a uniform tax of 4 per cent across the country instead of varying rates that are as high as 30 per cent in some states. Airlines also wanted the parking and airport charges, which are 50 to 60 per cent higher than international levels and have pushed up their costs by $250 million annually, to be reduced.

Shaheen Air's new flights from Peshawar & Sialkot to Muscat

Shaheen Air International, the second national carrier of Pakistan, is starting Sialkot to Sharjah operations from Saturday. Airline's spokesman Farooq Nasir Khan informed that in the first phase with effect from July 18 direct flights at 3:00pm from Peshawar to Sharjah and at 11:30 pm from Sialkot to Sharjah are scheduled every Saturday and Wednesday. However, in the second phase with effect from July 25 additional flights from Peshawar to Muscat on every Saturday & Thursday and Sialkot to Muscat on every Saturday will be operating. Talking to the media, Farooq further said that due to increase in airline's fleet to ten, the airline's operations are expanding massively.

For the benefits of Pakistanis, international flights to Mashad (Iran) from Lahore and flights to Kuwait from Peshawar have also been introduced. Daily flights from Karachi to Lahore & Karachi to Islamabad have also been increased to three per day. At present Shaheen Air has the potential to cater the needs of more than 85,000 passengers every month by operating 720 domestic and international flights, he added. National Travel & Tourism (NTT) is the GSA for Shaheen Air in Muscat, Oman.

Government not to bail out Indian private airlines

Civil aviation minister Praful Patel on Saturday asked private airlines withdraw their proposal to suspend operations Aug 18 and asked them come to the table for discussions rather than inconvenience passengers. "The government understands the difficulties being faced by aviation sector. However, the government does not support any move that will inconvenience the travelling public of the country," Patel said in a statement. "We advise the airlines to engage in a dialogue with the government," he said, while warning that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the sector's regulator, will be asked to take strict action if the airlines did not withdraw their threat. The decision to suspend operations, taken at a meeting in Mumbai of the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA) on Friday, the representative body of private carriers in the country, has also been criticised by air travellers, who said this kind of threat should be dealt with severely.

"These people are in the service sector. They earn their bread and butter from us. How can they take such a decision that has no concern for passengers? There are ways to protest but certainly not this way," said Mohan Parthasarathy, an executive and a frequent traveller. The civil aviation minister said state-run Air India, which is not a member of the federation, will mount additional services Aug 18 so to reduce the inconvenience of passengers. "The issue of tax on aviation turbine fuel is a state issue and the aviation ministry has been requesting the states for the past few years to see reason," he said, referring to one of the demands of private carriers for a cut in jet fuel prices. "The other issues primarily relate to the slowdown in the economy, global and domestic, and the impact of high prices of aviation turbine fuel in 2008-09," the minister said.

Apart from a cut in sales tax on fuel, the private carriers have asked the government to direct oil retailers to sell aviation jet fuel cheaper and reduce the airport charges which they say have ballooned ever since private players were allowed into the field. "Aviation fuel prices in India are among the highest in the world," said Anil Baijal, secretary general of the federation, adding this alone accounted for 30-40 percent of an airline's operational costs. The private carriers owe nearly $500 million towards fuel to oil companies. Baijal said that the accumulated losses of private carriers amounted to nearly $2 billion. Thus far, the civil aviation ministry has ruled out any bailout package for the aviation industry, even though moves are afoot to help the national carrier tide over one of its worst crises. The opposition parties, including the Left front and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), have also said that a bailout package from the government would not be desirable.

Air India reschedules Delhi-Surat flight timings

Two years after the resumption of airline services, air travel in the city is still getting step-motherly treatment from airlines, which do not find the city's route an important enough route to concentrate on. The schedule of a solitary round-trip flight between Delhi and Surat run by Air India, which has been regularly irregular, is about to change again by August 5. The flight will now leave from Delhi by 2.30 pm and reach Surat by 4 pm. It will take off half an hour later and land in Delhi at 6.10 pm. In fact, the airline has also changed the flight timings of August 3 and 4. Though the airline claims the change is to deal with weather problems in winter, observers feel differently.

"We have done this for operational purpose," said an official from Air India. "With this changed schedule, there will be no more problems with weather in coming winter months. Daily operations will be guaranteed." However, a source from Surat airport said, these changes in schedule was because the Surat route is not a priority route for the national carrier. To accommodate more important routes, Surat flight times have been changed to less important times, the inconvenience of the customer notwithstanding.

Indian private airlines' to ground fleet on Aug 18

Taking a leaf out of employees' labour union books, private airlines on Friday threatened to suspend domestic operations on August 18 if the government did not give in to their demand for a bailout package in the form of lower sales tax on fuel and airport taxes. Never before has an entire industry threatened to pull out from the market to arm twist the government into buying its line. "The airline industry realizes its role in the life of the nation. But in view of the indifference shown by the government, it may not be able to continue its operations and so we have decided not to operate nationwide services on August 18," Anil Baijal, secretary general of the Federation of Indian Airlines, the lobby group of airlines in India, announced at the Jet Airways office in Mumbai. "The idea is to highlight the urgency for the government to intervene urgently. If, however, an adequate response is not received, member airlines will be compelled to suspend their services for an indefinite period."

Baijal did not spell out the nature of the response or the level of commitment the airlines are expecting from the government in the next 18 days. For now, the government has little sympathy. "We understand the problems being faced by the aviation sector, but do not support any move that will inconvenience the people. My advice to the airlines is to engage in a dialogue with the government," said civil aviation minister Praful Patel. Although the relationship between governments and airline operators worldwide has never been an easy one, the threat by Indian private airlines is a first in the century-old history of the global airline industry. If it is indeed carried out, it will mean cancellation of about 12,000 domestic flights by airlines such as Kingfisher, Kingfisher Red, Jet Airways, Jetlite, IndiGo, Go Air and Spice Jet on August 18. The only option for the domestic air traveller will be the 300 scheduled flights operated by Air India and the additional ones it may mount to meet the demand.

The no-fly decision was taken following an afternoon meeting attended by Jet Airways' Naresh Goyal, Kingfisher Airlines' Vijay Mallya and other members of FIA except those from Air India and Paramount Airways. Following the meeting, Baijal read out a statement to the media which began with the financial difficulties faced by the industry. The total losses incurred by the Indian airline industry in 2008-09 are estimated to be Rs 10,000 crore, he said, listing ATF sales tax, airport charges, depreciation in the value of India rupee, the economic meltdown and terrorists attacks as contributory factors. Patel stressed on Friday that tax on ATF was a state issue, and the aviation ministry had been requesting the states for the last few years to see reason. The minister declared that Air India would not participate in the decision of "select private airlines" and would, instead, mount additional services on August 18 to reduce inconvenience to the public.

The airline bosses refused to put a figure on the losses they would suffer if the threat was put to force. When asked whether suspending operations entirely did not amount to violating the provisions of the Scheduled Operators Permit that allows airlines to operate flight services, Mallya said that passengers who had booked on that day would be given a complete refund. Sudhakara Reddy, president, Air Passengers Association of India, a consumer rights organization, was scathing. "The losses are of their own making," he said. "The two big airlines, Jet and Kingfisher, bought loss-making airlines like Air Deccan and Air Sahara. The government, on the other hand, gave airlines benefits like a credit period for payment to oil companies and airports. Then again, IndiGo and Spice Jet made a profit in the last quarter, which means there is a turnaround in the industry. When they make a profit, do they share it with the government or public?"

Air India Express flight makes emergency landing at Mumbai

Two apparently sozzled Mangalore-Dubai passengers on an Air India Express flight, who could not wait for alcohol to be served, created such a ruckus aboard the plane that the pilot was forced to divert the flight and make an emergency landing at the MUmbai Chhattrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA). Sahar police officials said the flight left Mangalore on Thursday at 9.30 pm but was forced to land at Mumbai airport at 12.02 am because of the "security threat" posed by Prasad Shetty and Shahnawaz Khan. Shetty was on his way to Dubai to join work and Khan was going there on a business tour. Both were booked for assault and outraging the modesty of a woman and remanded to police custody till Saturday.

Officials said they started by fighting with each other and when one of the cabin crew, Altaf Mohammad, intervened they abused him as well. They then refused to switch of their mobile phones one of them said he knew airline safety norms "better than the crew" and finally started demanding liquor be served soon after the flight had taken off. "Even the seat-belt sign had not been switched off then," the complaint filed with the cops said. The report, written by the crew head, said the captain served three verbal warnings. The captain added he would be forced to land at the nearest airport if they did not sober down. "But the two responded arrogantly and threatened to jump off the aircraft if the flight was not taken back to Mangalore immediately. They also shouted that they wanted the captain to come out of the cockpit and discuss the issue," deputy commissioner of police Brajesh Singh said.

"The captain was finally forced to make the decision to land at Mumbai airport," the complaint added. The matter was brought to the notice of Air India officials, the airport traffic manager and CISF officials, after which the flight made an emergency landing. The complaint was lodged by the airport traffic manager and handed them to the Sahar police. "The two misbehaved with airport officials as well after they were offloaded. They appeared sozzled before boarding the flight and were sent to V N Desai Hospital for a test," Sahar senior inspector Dilip Patil said.

JetLite codeshare flights to be sold as 9W on GDS

With immediate effect Jet Airways has opened up the entire domestic JetLite flight network as code share flights for sale within India. This is a significant step taken, where Jetlite’s domestic flights, denoted by 9W will be on display on the Global Distribution Systems (GDS) and the airline's website jetairways.com. Hitherto, JetLite flights were only available in conjunction with Jet Airways operated flights, as code share flights. These flights are now being sold as individual flights, or in conjunction with another Jet Airways flights as a connecting product. Customers can now take full advantage of the global distribution presence of Jet Airways.

Members of the award-winning Jet Privilege program can also accrue miles on JetLite flights when they fly on them using the Jet Airways code. Having achieved even greater synergies with this integration in its reservation systems, individual travelers and agents of both Jet Airways and JetLite will now experience a kind of flexibility while choosing flight timings, accessing a wider network of almost 400 flights a day, and accruing enhanced mileage points, like never before. Besides increasing the GDS presence. This will truly give Jet Airways and JetLite guests and the travel trade ease of operation while booking Jet Airways and JetLite flights. Since inception, the airline has leveraged cutting–edge technology to simplify and make the airline experience for all, both engaging and comfortable.

Tourist arrivals rise in Oman

The Sultanate’s tourism industry has shown resilience in the wake of the global slowdown and the flu scare, according to a Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) study. The report says the number of tourist arrivals over the first five months rose 17.5 per cent as compared to last year. The study also reports a 3.9 per cent rise in revenue. With its economy diversifying, the Sultanate is increasingly banking on its tourism sector. "The diversification strategy of tourism is paying off. Despite the crisis, early indicators are encouraging,” said Philippe Dauba-Pantanacce, economist, Standard Chartered Bank. Compared to other GCC nations, Oman is ahead in terms of attracting tourists. "The arrival figures have so far been encouraging. We have managed to retain our share," said Mahesh Ramamurthy, manager, Bahwan Tours.

"The future looks promising as there has been a rise in inquiries for travel in October to December. With Ramadan ending in third week of September, we can expect a lot of tourists by October," he said. The push from the government, especially the Tourism Ministry, has given the sector a boost. The government has plans to spend $17 billion, a 10 per cent increase in public spending, this year. Close to $6 billion, including the $1.17 billion modernisation and expansion plan of Muscat Airport, had been disbursed by May, said the SCB report. Oman Air, the national carrier, has plans to start flights to new destinations across Europe and Asia, including Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, Maldives and Colombo, this year. While flights to Frankfurt and Munich is planned to start by end of September, the airline will add Paris, Maldives and Colombo to its global network by October, officials said.

Meanwhile, hotels in the Sultanate have registered a rise in bookings , sources said. Two major projects, long delayed, have been completed recently. "Completion of The Wave will bring back confidence, and should also help consolidate Oman’s image as a destination of choice," said Dauba-Pantanacce. The Muscat Hills Golf and Country Club has opened, albeit five years late. "This milestone will help establish Oman’s image as a high-end destination." Oman’s tourist-friendliness attracts travellers, officials at Dertour, one of Germany’s largest tour operators, said. In Oman, Dertour partners with Zahara Tours. "Despite the crisis, we are sure of a 15 per cent growth in tourism," said Carina Baugmgarner of Dertour. Similarly, Switzerland-based Holiday Maker Tours AG have been selling Oman as a destination for 20 years and claims to have brought in 20,000 visitors.

"As demand for Oman as a tourist destination is rising, the future is positive," said Harsh Abrol, manager, Zahara Tours. In the last quarter of 2008, number of guests rose to 400,000 and revenue reached RO51 million at all hotels in the Sultanate, Ministry of National Economy statistics indicates. According to official data, the four and five-star rated hotels occupancy and revenue have indicated high growth rates in first three months this year. In first quarter of 2009 the number of guests increased to 217,000 compared with 194,000 last year, an average annual growth rate of 12.4 per cent. Total revenue for these hotels reached an annual growth rate of 6.8 per cent in the first quarter of 2009, according to official data.

Annual TAAI conference to be held in Dubai

Dubai's Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Travel Agents Association of India for the hosting of the annual conference of India's travel trade body in Dubai from September 29 to October 2. The conference will contribute extensively in promoting and marketing Dubai in India which has been showing signs of strong growth, TAAI President Rajinder Rai said.

Emirates becomes world's largest Boeing 777 operator

Emirates has become the world's largest airline operator of Boeing 777 aircraft with the arrival of its 78th Boeing 777 today. Emirates has another 28 Boeing 777s pending delivery, worth over $1bn at list prices, and it is also the only airline to operate every model in the Boeing 777 family, -200s, -200ERs, -200LRs, -300s, -300ERs and freighters. The newest addition to the Emirates fleet is a Boeing 777-300ER configured for long distance journeys. Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline said, 'The 777s form the backbone of our fleet, and we have configured these aircraft to give us maximum flexibility in terms of route deployment. Emirates' 777s today fly to six continents from our Dubai hub, operating routes within a two-hour distance to long-range journeys of 16 hours non-stop. The 777 is an excellent aircraft in terms of operating economics, and importantly, the new technologies incorporated within enable us to fit it out with the latest onboard systems and passenger amenities.

Emirates is committed to maintaining a young and modern fleet, which enhances our passengers' comfort and safety and also makes our aircraft some of the most environmentally-friendly in the skies.''The 777 is the world's most successful twin-engine, long-haul airplane and Emirates has contributed significantly to the program's success, both in becoming the now largest 777 airline customer and through its continued feedback on quality step improvements we've made to the airplane,' said Marty Bentrott, Boeing Vice President of Sales for the Middle East, Central and South Asia. 'With suppliers around the world contributing to and benefitting from 777 production, Emirates' investment toward building the world's largest Boeing 777 fleet has played a role in maintaining and strengthening the global aviation manufacturing industry.'

Emirates recently completed an upgrading programme for its existing 777 fleet, and now all of its 777 aircraft boast its award-winning ice (information, communication, entertainment) system, which offers passengers in all cabin classes an unrivalled choice of up to 1,200 channels of the latest movies, TV programming, music and games on demand. The airline's long-range 777s have also been equipped with its very latest onboard products including private suites in First Class, lie-flat massage seats in Business Class, and ergonomically designed seats in Economy Class. Emirates received its first 777, a Boeing 777-200, in 1996. Its current 777 fleet comprises: three -200s, six -200ERs, 10 -200LRs, 12 -300s, 45 -300ERs, and two 777 freighters. In total, Emirates operates 137 an all-wide body fleet of Boeing and Airbus aircraft to 99 cities in 60 countries on six continents.

Jet Airways to start Mumbai-Riyadh flight

Jet Airways, the first private airline from India to fly to Saudi Arabia, has announced it will start its Riyadh-Mumbai flight on August 6. The carrier will operate the new route's flights on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. Jet Airways has been operating daily Jeddah-Mumbai flights since July 15, and a Dammam-Mumbai flight is in the pipeline, the airline has said.

Air India to cancel Boeing aircraft order

After coming under attack in Parliament over extravagant booking of aircraft, loss-hit Air India is now having second thoughts on acquisition of 111 aircraft, payments for which have added considerably to its financial woes, besides considering a proposal to cancel delivery of six Boeing aircraft, say sources. The proposal, made at a recent Air India board meeting, is seen as an attempt to bring down the annual interest burden. These six Boeing aircraft, likely to be B777’s, are part of the total 68 Boeing aircraft ordered by the national carrier. The list price of a single such aircraft varies from $165 million to $200 million. However, the negotiated price for Air India could be much lower because of the huge size of the order. A top airline official said that the airline was now trying to work out the ‘cost economics’ of cancellation of the order. "Since these are firm orders, there are likely to be huge penalties, and the airline has already made some advance payments for acquisition of these aircraft," said the official.

SpiceJet reports improvement in passenger traffic in July

Budget air-carrier SpiceJet said it has witnessed a healthy improvement in demand and expects to post a 10 per cent rise in passenger traffic this month but low yields still remain a cause of concern. "After being constantly on the decline for quite some time now, demand for air travel grew by 12 per cent in June and we expect it to grow by 10 per cent in July," SpiceJet Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Aggarwal said. Demand for air travel is witnessing an upward trend after a long interval and this is a "silver lining" for the beleaguered industry, he said. SpiceJet has posted a healthy performance in Q1FY'10 clocking a 15 per cent jump in its revenues, Aggarwal said, adding "however, low yields remain a cause of concern." The airline, which declared its Q1 results on Monday, posted a net profit of Rs 26.34 crore against a loss of Rs 129.22 crore in the year-ago period. Describing the air-carrier posting a profit as a creditable achievement, he said, "We have been able to squeeze out a profit (even) in this time of gloom and doom." However, for the industry to sustain its business, yields need to improve significantly, he added.

Kingfisher flight aborts take-off at Mangalore

The 9.30 pm Kingfisher flight to Mumbai from Kochi via Mangalore airport, was about to gain speed after taxing for take off, when it was directed to return to the tarmac to pick up a lady passenger, who had been left behind on Sunday, July 26.It is said, that a lone lady passenger, who was waiting at the VIP lounge of the local airport, ensured that she was picked up by the flight that was about to take off. Reportedly, the woman, who is a member of the advisory committee of Airports Authority of India, came to know about the departure of the flight late, and immediately confronted local head of Kingfisher Airlines, Rishi Mehta. He thereafter asked the Air Traffic Control officials to summon the aircraft back, which was done.

The flight took off after a delay of about an hour. The incident was reported by the pilot, as per rules, to the Director General of Civil Aviation and an investigating team arrived at the local airport to investigate the incident. Kripa Amar Alva, who was the passenger in question, said that her bags had been loaded on to the aircraft and that she was unaware that the flight had left. The airport officials, while providing her a seat in the lounge, had promised that she would be informed when the flight is ready, she claimed. When she came out to check as to why the flight, scheduled to leave at 7.45, had not yet departed, she found to her dismay that the flight was on its way, she explained. Alva said, other passengers in the flight were furious, thinking that she had caused the delay, but asserted she was not to be blamed for the incident.

Deccan 360 to launch express cargo operations

Deccan 360 is gearing up to launch express operations "in a few months", according to its founder and managing director, Captain G R Gopinath. According to the captain, "we will provide guaranteed, fast, reliable, integrated, on demand, worldwide, door to door movement of shipments which are tracked and controlled throughout the journey." "The solutions will essentially be customised to ensure that the varied logistics needs of verticals like electronics, automobiles, textiles, manufacturing, banking and pharmaceuticals are catered to." Deccan 360 is currently in the process of finishing off its express cargo hub at Nagpur in central India. This will be the core of the company’s hub and spoke distribution model.Agreements have also been signed to set up express cargo facilities at Delhi and Hyderabad airports. Deccan 360 plans to deploy three Airbus A310 freighters with a capacity of 35 tonnes each, along with six smaller ATR aircraft for use on internal routes in India.

Air Astana to organise FAM trips to Almaty

In an effort to promote Almaty in Kazakhstan as a leisure destination in India, Air Astana’s India office will organise familiarisation (FAM) trips for the travel trade and media from India to Almaty in the coming months. This is the first time the airline is hosting a FAM trip for media to Kazakhstan’s second biggest city and commercial capital. The trip will be organised in association with the Kazakhstan Tourist Association (KTA), the national body of Kazakhstan for the promotion of tourism. Chander Mulchandani, Manager – Sales & Marketing, Air Astana in Delhi, informed that two FAMs will be organised separately.

"The trade FAM is almost finalised and is scheduled for next month, while the media FAM will be held some time in November this year. Dates will be announced once we receive confirmation from the KTA office in Almaty," he said.Air Astana is looking at hosting ten delegates as part of each FAM. Further elaborating on the FAMs, Mulchandani said, "We are trying to promote Almaty as a leisure destination in a big way big way with the support of the Kazakh Embassy in Delhi as well as hoteliers in Almaty." At present, the leisure traffic from India to Almaty is just two per cent of the total traffic, and according to Mulchandani, promotional activities are also aimed at enhancing the awareness level about the destination in the Indian market besides promoting Almaty as a leisure destination.

Jet Airways and KSTDC launch 'Golden Jet Escapes'

Two of India’s premium luxury travel brands, The Golden Chariot South India’s first luxury train by Karnataka state tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) and Jet Airways, India’s premiere international airline have joined hands to offer unique holiday packages that combine luxury with convenience. ‘The Golden Jet Escapes’ offers a flight to Bangalore and onward journeys on Karnataka’s famed Golden Chariot Train, was launched in Bangalore today by Minister for Tourism and Infrastructure Development, Sri G Janardhana Reddy amidst an audience of media and tour operators. These new holiday packages will target both international and domestic travelers from metro destinations such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Goa and Kochi in India, while on the international front, the offer is valid from New York, New Jersey, Toronto, London and Brussels.

Specially packaged fares have been provided by both the Golden Chariot and Jet Airways to offer a seamless travel experience that combines the air travel from a gateway city with the Golden Chariot experience that will showcase Southern India’s historic regions and sights such as Kabini, Mysore, Sharavanabelagola, Belur, Halebid , Hampi, Badami Caves, Pattadakai and Goa.The holiday packages have been especially created around the concept of time travel. Starting with 21st century Bangalore, travelers will be taken back in time to the 6th century Badami Caves, each destination offering chapter in history of this region.The Golden Jet Escape packages will be available on Jet Airways and The Golden Chariot websites. Bookings can be made on the websites www.glodenjetescapes.com and www.jetairways.com from Monday, July 27th, 2009.

These packages can also be availed through GSA’s of the Golden Chariot and travel agents. Jet Airways with its extensive network in India and in key gateway cities in the US, UK and Europe will also market this to new target audiences encouraging them to experience and relive the rich cultural diversity of Karnataka’s heritage. This offer that is available for both Premiere and Economy class on Jet Airways. Tourism Minister Sri. G. Janardhana Reddy, said, "The Government is interested in coming up with more such initiatives where marketing is jointly done with leading private sector players. Especially when the partners are popular and accepted it augurs well for the destination. With this initiative, Karnataka has spread its marketing initiatives firmly on the international and national markets."

According to Mr. Sudheer Raghavan, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, "Jet Airways has always sought to promote tourism both internationally, as well as within India, by leveraging its unmatched pan-India and growing international network. We are delighted to partner with KSTDC to launch the ‘Golden Jet Escapes’ initiative, as part of our ongoing efforts to boost domestic travel and tourism. We are confident that the compelling value proposition on offer will spur more travelers to visit Karnataka this year." On this occasion, Sutradhar, The Golden Chariot’s on board magazine was launched by Sri. Siraj Sheikh, Chairman, KSTDC. Speaking on the occasion he said that Karnataka is a land full of exciting stories and they can be seen and heard at every turn, in every destination. "Sutradhar, will narrate the stories of this land in an exciting manner that will be presented by the Sutradhar of ‘The Golden Chariot’. This will be yet another piece of showcase literature for travelers to Karnataka to read."

Jet Airways announces special fares to Bangkok

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline announced an amazing special economy class return fare of INR 4388 to mark the launch of its Mumbai - Bangkok service 9W 68, a second frequency to the Thai capital, effective 16th August, 2009. Jet Airways’ guests may avail of this fare, specifically introduced for them, applicable only on outbound travel on 9W 68, from Mumbai to Bangkok, with an option to choose any other flight on the return Bangkok – Mumbai sector. This fare is valid for sale with immediate effect until August 05, 2009, whilst outbound travel must commence on or before October 15, 2009. Jet Airways has also re-introduced a special Premiere fare of INR 25000 (one way) valid for sale and travel with immediate effect until September 30, 2009, on this second frequency. With the introduction of this flight, Jet Airways’ leisure and business travelers now have a choice of flights to Bangkok either late at night or in the afternoon and return in the evening or the following morning. Taxes and surcharges extra.

Kingfisher Airlines staff to get delayed salaries

In a call to arms, the man running operations at financially stressed Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, India’s biggest airline by passengers, has asked its 6,000-plus employees to adjust to delayed salaries and embarrassing dealings with unpaid vendors in the months ahead that will decide if the airline survives a severe downturn, even as chairman Vijay Mallya tries to secure funding for the carrier. The communication comes at a time that airlines across the globe are faced with difficult times, and follows a similar missive from the office of Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav asking employees to join hands in a 'fight for survival'. In an email sent late Saturday night, Hitesh Patel, executive vice-president, Kingfisher Airlines, wrote it was difficult to foresee what the future held for the carrier. But, 'in a sense, our performance, our outlook over the next two months would dictate the shape of that battle,' he wrote, explaining how the airline was trying to improve its state of affairs.

An airline executive confirmed the receipt of the email, reviewed by Mint. Patel, who wrote the email after interactions with employees at four main bases for the airline, did not take calls for comment. The era of 'guests', as Kingfisher Airlines calls its passengers, Patel said, was getting over with the growing market share of low-cost carriers (LCCs). 'For the forseeable future, the market will be ruled by the LCCs,' Patel said, adding Kingfisher is following the trend and operating three of four of its flights as Kingfisher Red, its low-fare service. The number of planes in Kingfisher Airlines’ fleet has been reduced to 69 from 89, added Patel, a former executive at JetBlue, a low-fare US airline.

Kingfisher Airlines reports losses

India's Kingfisher has posted a net loss of 16.09 billion rupees ($334.9 million) for the year ending 31 March on net sales of 52.7 billion rupees. Kingfisher did not provide a comparison to the figures from a year. The last fiscal year was only nine months long as that took into account the airline's integration with low-cost carrier Deccan, and the separation of the latter's charter business into a separate company. It also wanted to bring its accounting year in line with that of other firms in the UB Group, its parent company. For those nine months in the previous fiscal year that ended on 31 March 2008, the airline posted a net loss of 1.88 billion rupees.

The losses come amid a turbulent time for the Indian airline industry, with the carriers reeling from falling demand and high costs. Kingfisher said earlier in July that it was seeking board approval to issue shares worth 50 billion Indian rupees, and secured shareholder approval to borrow up to 125 billion Indian rupees.The cash could allow the company to shore up its balance sheet and navigate its way out of the rough times, says a spokeswoman.