Air India Express to start new flights from Muscat

Air India Express announced the launch of a new flight which will connect Muscat with Amritsar-New Delhi (via Abu Dhabi). The airline is also exploring two additional flights a week between Muscat and Kochi (via Mangalore) on Wednesdays and Fridays. The state-of-the-art Boeing 737-800 aircraft, which is a 185-seater, will fly on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with effect from September 4. The announcement was made at a press conference in Muscat, chaired by Indian Ambassador to the Sultanate, Anil Wadhwa, and Air India Express manager for Oman, Mohit Sain. These flights will depart Muscat at 20.35 hrs and arrive at Amritsar at 03.25 hrs the following day. John, airport manager, was also present at the press meet.

Welcoming the introduction of additional flights, Wadhwa said, "These flights will allow connections to places which were hitherto difficult to reach." Sain, who has recently taken over as manager, assured that the airline would explore direct flights to Ahmedabad and Goa. Air India Express in the Oman sector has not suffered any losses, Sain informed. Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India, commenced its operations to Oman in May 2005, coinciding with the 50th year of diplomatic ties between the Sultanate and India. Air India Express currently operates four flights a week to Kozhikode, three to Thiruvananthapuram, two to Kochi and three to Mangalore from Muscat. As the only carrier operating international flights between Salalah and Kerala, Air India Express has three flights a week to Kochi, two to Kozhikode and one to Thiruvananthapuram from Salalah.

In addition to Air India Express operations, Air India also provides connectivity with daily non-stop flights to Delhi, Ahmedabad via Mumbai, Chennai via Kochi and Kozhikode and three weekly flights to Hyderabad via Bangalore. Air India Express flies to 14 international destinations — Dubai, Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, Muscat, Salalah, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Bahrain, Doha, Kuwait, Colombo and Dhaka from 17 Indian cities, namely Kozhikode, Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram, Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Ahmedabad, Jaipur, Delhi, Amritsar, Srinagar, Lucknow, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai, Mangalore and Tiruchirapally.

Oman invites bids for development of Sohar International Airport

Oman's government has invited bids for Sohar Airport's key airfield infrastructure project. This phase includes building a 4,000-metre runway with turning loops at the ends, in addition to a full-length taxiway with high speed exits. With a width of 75 metres, the runway will be designed to handle some of the largest aircraft in operation today, including Airbus' Superjumbo A380. Other works envisaged in this package are airside roads, power and water networks, fuel fire fighting systems, and navigation aids. Sohar Airport, which is designed to handle 500,000 passengers and 100,000 tonnes of air cargo per year, will also serve as an emergency alternative to Muscat International Airport.

Flydubai still committed to starting flights to India

Low cost airline Flydubai remains committed to its Indian hubs, despite postponing three of its routes this month, its CEO said. "India will be operational. We are committed to operating to India," Ghaith Al Ghaith said. Last month the Dubai based carrier was forced to postpone all three of its routes to Lucknow, Coimbatore and Chandigarh due to operational issues. Passengers affected by the cancellation were given a full refund and a free voucher for travel on any of the airline’s routes until the end of November. With more than one million Indians residing in the UAE, India is an important route for the budget carrier.

Regional budget airlines could grow by up to 10 percent in the next two years, Al Ghaith added. Flydubai launched in June amid the global economic downturn, which has seen a slump in passenger traffic. The no frills airline, which is wholly owned by the government of Dubai, has already launched five routes to Beirut, Amman, Damascus, Aleppo and Alexandria, and is due to launch its sixth route to Djibouti in September. Flydubai is competing with other low cost airlines including Kuwait’s Jazeera Airways and Sharjah based Air Arabia.

Jey Airways to post profits on London sector this winter

The London operations of Jet Airways will become profitable this winter schedule, which lasts October through March, a top company official said. The company will also introduce a larger aircraft on that route in October. "Jet Airways claims a market share of 37% in the India-UK market. We are expecting our India-UK operations to be profitable in winter season," Anita Goyal, executive vice president, network planning and revenue management, said on the sidelines of its 17th annual general meeting.

Air India offers special fares on Hyderabad-Mumbai sector

Air India has announced a short term special fare on its flight AI-601 from Hyderabad to Mumbai. The flight AI-601 departs from Hyderabad at 0410 hrs and arrives in Mumbai 0520 hrs. The special fare on the sector is Rs 1929 and for three days before departure it will be Rs 1829, an AI release said. These fares which will be available till September 17 and the travel is to be completed by September 20. User Development Fee as applicable will be payable separately.

IBS Software signs up with S7 Airlines Cargo

IBS Software announced that S7 Cargo acting on behalf of S7 Airlines and GLOBUS airline, based in Russia, has signed up for iCargo, its new-generation cargo management solution. Leading IT solutions provider to the global travel, transportation and logistics industry, IBS Software announced that S7 Cargo acting on behalf of S7 Airlines and GLOBUS airline, based in Russia, has signed up for iCargo, its new-generation cargo management solution. The S7 Cargo has chosen iCargoNet, the SaaS offering of iCargo, that will be hosted from IBS’ state-of-the-art data centres. With this the total number of cargo customers for IBS has grown to 19 in a very short time.

iCargo, developed in association with a Core Group of Influencers comprising 6 leading airlines in the world, has, within a span of a few years grown to be an industry leading air cargo management solution globally. The IBS solution (www.ibsplc.com) was selected by S7 Cargo for its strong customer service and proven ability to help cargo carriers in significantly increasing operational effectivity and cost efficiency. iCargoNet, the hosted version of iCargo lowers the total cost of ownership and facilitates transaction-based pricing, whilst bringing new benefits such as ease of global distribution and ability to add new modules and system features as the business needs of the airlines grow and change.

SITA awarded CUPPS certification

A new standard in passenger processing has arrived with the announcement today that SITA is the first platform provider to achieve CUPPS (Common Use Passenger Processing System) compliance certification and to successfully complete its CUPPS Pilot program. The SITA CUPPS Pilot started in January 2009 at Orlando International Airport with the check-in and boarding of WestJet passengers, followed recently by Continental Airlines passengers. The culmination comes today with the certification demonstrating that SITA's platform is fully compliant with the pre-released version of the IATA (International Air Transport Association) CUPPS Technical Specification. Catherine Mayer, SITA's Vice-President for Airport Services, said, "This is a great day for the air transport community as it brings common use passenger processing to a more efficient level. It is also another milestone in SITA's long history of community leadership in the common use arena."

"SITA first developed CUTE (common user terminal equipment) with the airlines in 1984 and is now the first to receive certification for our platform using the new industry adopted CUPPS Recommended Practice. This certification demonstrates that our systems can run multiple applications according to the CUPPS standards. In fact, SITA's AirportConnect Open is the only fully-integrated common use platform supporting CUPPS, CUTE, and web-based applications, as well as CUSS kiosk applications." SITA's AirportConnect Open is a proven, stable platform that has been in operation since 2004. It provides a low-risk migration path to CUPPS compared with both new platforms that may be introduced by other companies and with existing platforms where CUPPS, CUTE, and CUSS Kiosk capabilities are not integrated as a single system. SITA is the world's leading specialist in air transport communication and IT solutions.

SITA delivers and manages business solutions for airline, airport, GDS, government and other customers over the world’s most extensive network, which forms the communications backbone of the global air transport industry. SITA's portfolio includes managed global communications, infrastructure and outsourcing services, as well as services for airline commercial management and passenger operations, flight operations, aircraft operations and air-to-ground communications, airport management and operations, baggage operations, transportation security and border management, cargo operations and more. With a customer service team of over 1,600 staff around the world, SITA invests significantly in achieving best-in-class customer service, providing integrated local and global support for both its communications and IT application services.

SITA has two main subsidiaries, OnAir, which is the leading provider of in-flight connectivity, and CHAMP Cargosystems, the world's only IT company dedicated solely to air cargo. SITA also operates two joint ventures providing services to the air transport community, Aviareto for aircraft asset management and CertiPath for secure electronic identity management. SITA is one of the world's most international companies. Its global reach is based on local presence, with services for around 550 air transport industry members and 3,200 customers in over 200 countries and territories. In 2009, the company celebrates 60 years in business. Set up in 1949 with 11 member airlines, SITA today employs people of more than 140 nationalities, speaking over 70 different languages. SITA had consolidated revenues of over US$1.47 billion in 2008.

Travelocity Global acquires Travelguru India

Travelocity Global, the US based online travel firm, has acquired Travelguru, one of India's largest online hotel distribution networks, for an undisclosed sum. Industry sources, who termed the deal as a distressed sale, pegged the acquisition size at between Rs 45 crore and Rs 50 crore. Travelocity Global said that the Travelguru will remain a separate entity with co-founder and CEO Ashwin Damera continuing to head its operations. Travelguru between its three offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore employs close to 150 people. Roshan Mendis, regional vice-president of Travelocity Asia Pacific, said the acquisition will complement the company's online business and help it access more than 4,000 hotels in India.

Industry sources said that Travelguru has been in the red for quite sometime and Damera had been trying hard to find a buyer for over a year now, reaching out to the likes of expedia.com, makemytrip.com and Cox & Kings. Travelguru since its inception in 2005 has received two rounds of venture capital funding. It raised $25 million in 2006 -- $10 million from Sequoia Capital India, which the latter followed up with a $15 million co-investment with Battery Venture. In 2007, Travelguru acquired travel portal, desiya.com, reportedly for $25 million in 2007.

Kingfisher Red may start charging for inflight meals

Passengers may soon have to pay for food on board low-fare service Kingfisher Red as the parent carrier, Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines Ltd, studies ways to change the way it operates in a deteriorating market condition. "In line with market dynamics, Kingfisher Airlines is evaluating various options, including charging for food on board Kingfisher Red," said an official. "The airline has kick-started a market research to find out what is the best option for the airline, but nothing has been finalized as of now."

In October, Kingfisher Airlines began serving free food on Kingfisher Red, comprising a bottle of water, a cup cake, freshly cut fruit and upma, a southern Indian breakfast food made of rice flour. Kingfisher Red, which is a no-frills, all-economy, low-fare service, was created by UB group-run Kingfisher Airlines by re-christening Air Deccan, India’s first low-fare carrier that it acquired in mid 2007. Earlier, Air Deccan was selling food on board, which doubled as a source of revenue. Currently, at least 70% of Kingfisher’s flights are operated under the Kingfisher Red service. Kingfisher has at least 370 daily domestic flights, with 73 aircraft connecting 70 destinations.

Jet Airways planning to add more A330's to its fleet

Jet Airways has decided to go in for more Airbus 330s, and not Boeing 777s, thanks to the aircraft’s cost-efficiencies. "The Airbus 330 is 30 per cent more cost-efficient compared with the Boeing 777. In the current economic downturn, operating a three-class configuration aircraft is tough, especially the first (class). With its two-class configuration, the Airbus makes much more sense," said Mr Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways. Company sources said that while the Boeing 777’s running cost works out to approximately $13,000 an hour, that of the Airbus 330 is $9,000. Incidentally, the Airbus 330 is a 220-seater aircraft while the Boeing 777 has 312 seats. Jet has 10 Boeing 777s and 12 Airbus 330s in its fleet of 86 aircraft. Of this, it has leased out seven Boeings and only two Airbus. It plans to lease out the remaining three Boeings in the near future.

Kingfisher Red aircraft suffers birdhit at Guwahati

A Kingfisher Red Imphal-Guwahati-Kolkata flight made an emergency landing at Guwahati airport on Saturday afternoon, after a bird hit one of the wings during takeoff. The pilot noticed a technical snag soon after the flight took off at 3.50 pm and sought permission for emergency landing from air traffic controllers. "The flight landed safely and all passengers on board are fine. We have found a few feathers in the propeller," said an airline official.

Jet Airways flight skids off the runway at Dhaka

A Jet Airways Dhaka-Delhi flight skidded on the taxiway of Dhaka's Zia International Airport on Monday morning just before taking off. When the Boeing 737-800 with 131 people on board was heading towards the take off point, it had to make a U-turn. "Unfortunately, Capt Suman Choudhury lost control and the aircraft skidded. The nosewheel of the aircraft entered the soft ground along the runway and got grounded," said an airline official. All the passengers were safely removed and the aircraft was towed to the parking bay. "The incident compelled flight operations to remain suspended for 45 minutes as five international and domestic flights had to be diverted," a Jet Airways official said from Dhaka.

Jet officials said poor runway conditions, particularly due to the monsoon, were responsible for the mishap. "Although the impact of the incident was not too serious and all passengers on board were safe, it was certainly a cause for concern. Flight safety officials in Bangladesh will probe into the matter," an airline official said. Following the incident, Jet sent a plane from Kolkata to take the stranded passengers to Delhi. This aircraft flew back to Dhaka from Delhi and returned here with 94 passengers booked on a Dhaka-Kolkata flight at 6.45 pm, 2 hours and 15 minutes behind schedule. DGCA officials in Kolkata said they were waiting for the pilot's report to ascertain what made the aircraft skid. "The aircraft did not have any snags. A team of engineers was sent to Dhaka to carry out routine inspection," a DGCA official said.

Grand Hyatt Muscat launches 'Rembrandt' package

Grand Hyatt Muscat is showcasing original Rembrandt etchings, as well as offering 'Rembrandt Package' from August 20 to September 20, 2009. During the Holy Month of Ramadan, an exhibition of original Rembrandt etchings will be held in the Afrah ballroom at Grand Hyatt Muscat. This will be the first time that these etchings of Rembrandt van Rijn will be shown in the Middle East and North Africa. Rembrandt van Rijn is one of the most famous Dutch Old Masters, well known for his etchings, drawings, and paintings, which make exceptional use of light and shadow.

The exhibition, which is presented by the Rembrandt House Museum and the Al Salmi Library, will be open daily from 10:00am to 12:00 midnight. Guests can take advantage of a special Rembrandt Package, book a Grand Room and get a second room at a 50% check out. This offer is valid until September 20, 2009, available to GCC residents discount. Every day of the week, children aged up to 12 eat for free at any restaurant at Grand Hyatt Muscat when dining with their paying parents. The promotion is restricted to two children per couple and may not be used in combination with any other promotion.

Jet Airways may lease aircraft to Oman Air

India's private airline Jet Airways has said it has converted the wet lease of its aircraft, where airplanes are given along with the crew and maintenance obligations, to Turkish Airlines into dry lease, which comes without staff and other frills. The airline is also holding talks with Gulf Air and Oman Air for similar conversion. While the lease term with Gulf Air will expire in October this year, the agreement with Oman Air continues until October-November.

Tourists rush to Goa undeterred by swine flu

Flu scare across the country has failed to dampen the tourist inflow in Goa as enthusiasts are still thronging the beaches during weekends, officials said. Goa State Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) said that the state has a bed capacity of 40,000 and most of its hotels have a very good occupancy. The GTDC officials also denied any reports of Flu affecting the tourist inflow in the state. "There is absolutely no need to raise apprehensions. Goa will have around 35,000 tourists visiting this weekend itself," GTDC Deputy Chairman Lyndon Monteiro said. The industry sources also rubbished rumours of weekend travellers cancelling their trips to the coastal state in view of the Swine Flu scare.

"Swine Flu has not yet affected the tourism industry. All the hotels have high occupancy and there is no dearth of weekend tourists visiting here," Travel and Tourism Association of Goa (TTAG) President Ralf D'Souza said. "Goa is much safer place compared to rest of the cities. The situation here is much under control and hence this is a good reason for the tourists to come here," he said. The tiny coastal state receives around 24 lakh tourists annually including 20 lakh domestic tourists, who flock to the beaches on long weekends.

AirAsia to start Kuala Lumpur-Kolkata flights

Three years after Malaysia Airlines withdrew operations from Kolkata after servicing the sector for only a year, Kuala Lumpur-based low-cost airline, AirAsia, is set to revive the connection between the Malaysian capital and Kolkata with daily flights from November 7. AirAsia is Asia's largest low-fare, no-frills carrier that began operations in 1996. It will operate a 180-seater Airbus A320 aircraft. The incoming flight AK 203 will touch down at the city airport at 4.30 pm. The return flight, AK 204, will take off for Kuala Lumpur half an hour later.

The revival of flights to Malaysia comes as a huge boost to the sagging fortunes of international traffic from Kolkata with JetStar Asia, British Airways, Gulf Air, Royal Jordanian, KLM and even Air India deserting the city. Among carriers that have touched down are Emirates, Air India Express, Bangladeshi private carriers and international wings of Jet Airways and Kingfisher Airlines. The travel trade fraternity has also welcomed the flight's introduction and believes its convenient schedule will ensure that it does not go the way Malaysia Airlines did.

Air India aircraft makes precautionary landing at Kolkata

An Air India Kolkata-Hyderabad flight with 31 passengers on board on Saturday made a "precautionary" landing at the NSC Bose International airport at Kolkata half an hour after take-off as the pilot was alerted by an alarm about technical fault in the aircraft. The flight, IC-7217, which also had a four-member took from the airport at 5:15 pm but returned half an hour later after the alarm, airport sources said. The pilot informed the Air Traffic Control and the aircraft was allowed to return and make a "precautionary" landing, one of the three categories of landing in aviation parlance.

The plane was taken to an isolation bay and the passengers disembarked. However, no ambulance or fire fighter was requisitioned as is the normal practice during emergency landing. Airport sources said the passengers and crew are safe. An investigation is on to find out why the alarm went off and what for, said the sources. The passengers were later accommodated in a Kolkata-Bangalore flight which took off at 6:15 pm.

Oman Air launches 'family get-together' fares to Salalah

Oman Air, the Diamond Sponsor and Official Carrier for Salalah Tourism Festival in its continuing efforts to boost inbound tourism, has designed attractive family rates for passengers travelling from Muscat to Salalah who can now plan to escape to the verdant and delightfully cool Salalah. Abdulrazaq Alraisi, Senior Manager - Sales, Oman Air, said, 'Oman Air is happy to play a pioneering role in activating internal tourism by offering packages and prices that would attract the general public to travel to Salalah. With the heat soaring in the Gulf, the need to cool off in a cooler place has become a need of the moment for everyone. Oman Air's efforts in this regard have not only made the passengers appreciate the ingenuity of the National Carrier but also are earning it laurels for helping boost the tourism potential of Salalah and matches well with the slogan of the ongoing Salalah Tourism Festival - 'family get-together'.'

To help families fly to Salalah and enjoy the clement weather, Oman Air is offering a wide range of fares for family members during the Khareef season in Salalah. The special rates that are on offer for passengers travelling from Muscat to Salalah and back for Parents and for each child for parents travelling with children less than 12 years with one month ticket validity, special fare per ticket for group booking of a minimum of ten adult passengers and maximum of 30 adult passengers travelling jointly (two children paying applicable child fare are considered as one group member) and a special rate for passengers, who are regularly traveling to Salalah or Muscat which includes 4 tickets.

Jet Airways launches Hyderabad-Dubai flight

Jet Airways, India's premier international airline, will launch a new daily flight on the Dubai to Hyderabad sector, aboard a Boeing 737-800 aircraft, effective August 16, 2009. Flight 9W 550 will depart Hyderabad at 0930 hrs, arriving in Dubai at 1150 hrs. Flight 9W 549 will then depart Dubai at 1250 hrs, arriving in Hyderabad at 1800 hrs. The new Hyderabad-Dubai flight will be Jet Airways' first international service from Hyderabad, and its second daily service to Dubai from South India. The airline currently flies twice daily to Dubai from Mumbai, and daily from Delhi and Chennai. Hyderabad, or the 'City of Pearls' is the administrative, financial and economic capital of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Also known as the 'City of Nizams' from its days as the capital of the erstwhile princely state of Hyderabad, it is renowned the world over for its rich history and distinctive 'Hyderabadi' culture- a unique mix of the linguistic and cultural traditions of North and South India, as well as Hindu and Muslim traditions. A delightful mix of old-world charm and modernity, Hyderabad has, in recent years, grown to become one of the coutnry's leading IT and biotechnology hubs. Shakir Kantawala, General Manager, Dubai and Northern Emirates, Jet Airways, said, 'Hyderabad is another step to further enhance the Indo-Gulf connectivity. Dubai is home to one of the largest number of Andhra expatriates and our new operation will surely help our valued guests residing and working in UAE who come from Hyderabad and other important areas around Hyderabad, like Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad, who can now experience our world class services, on the ground and in the air.'

Kantawala said, 'Jet Airways also plays an important role in promoting tourism and Hyderabad has always been a favorite holiday destination. Also, Hyderabad is one of Asia's largest IT hubs and our operation will offer better options for corporate and commercial travel.' He added, 'We have a very special All Inclusive introductory Return fare, in Economy, valid for travel from Dubai to Hyderabad in the first week of our new operation from 16th August to 22nd August and return travel can be completed by 30 September 2009. Jet Airways will continue to offer value for money.' Bookings can be made and tickets can be purchased through any travel agent, Jet Airways office, or the Jet Airways website.

According to Mr. Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, CEO, Jet Airways, 'With the growing popularity of Dubai as a leading business and leisure destination, there has been an increasing demand for enhanced air connectivity to the Gulf emirate from Southern India. We are confident that the new service from Hyderabad will be well-appreciated by travellers and will complement our existing services from India.' With the introduction of this new Hyderabad - Dubai service, Jet Airways will fly to eight destinations in the Gulf, including Kuwait, Bahrain, Muscat, Doha, Abu Dhabi, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dubai from several Indian cities.

Oman extends bid deadline for new terminal at Muscat airport

Oman has extended until August 31 a deadline for international firms, including French Vinci and Indian Larsen & Toubro, to bid for the construction of a new terminal at Muscat's main airport. The tender, which contractors say is worth about $1.4bn, has already been pushed back twice this year. 'Bidders need more time to prepare for the new changes,' an Oman tender board official has said.