Salalah Beach Marriott Resort all set to open

Oman's Dhofar Tourism Company has signed an agreement with Marriott International for the management of the 234-room Salalah Beach Marriott Resort. Scheduled to open in December 2009, the resort will be part of a mixed-used, beachfront development, located approximately 75 kilometres from the Sultanate's southernmost city.

Aloft Hotel to open in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have announced the Aloft Hotel in Abu Dhabi will be opened on October 25 during the inaugural Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix. The 408-room Aloft Hotel, which is connected to the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, is 20 minutes from downtown Abu Dhabi and 15 minutes from Abu Dhabi International Airport.

Air India aircraft lands in Delhi under emergency conditions

The pilots of an Air India plane with 150 people on board on Thursday aborted landing at the IGI Airport Delhi after experiencing "fluctuations" on the instrument landing system (ILS) signal, but later touched down safely. None of the 143 passengers of the IC-864 from Mumbai to Delhi or seven crew members was hurt in the incident, an airline spokesperson said. At 1209 hours, the pilots who were on the ILS mode for a safe landing suddenly spotted the signals on the system fluctuating, leading to problems with the coordinates of the Airbus A-321's landing path.

As soon as the problem was noted, the pilots decided to do a "go around" and informed the Air Traffic Control about their decision against landing, the spokesperson said. The plane, which was earlier planning to land on Runway 28, touched down safely on Runway 29 after about 20 minutes, he said. The aircraft later took off on its onward journey to Chandigarh with 151 passengers on board, he added. The ILS enables a plane to land in difficult conditions like thick fog, but the computer system on board and the system on the ground have to tally the coordinates for ensuring proper landing or take-off.

Aida Cara makes maiden call in Goa

M V Aida Cara, a German passenger vessel on a world cruise docked at the Mormugao port on Friday morning. The vessel arrived from Mumbai and about 1,000 German passengers stepped off the ship for a day-long tour, said Freedom Holidays, the company designated as handling agents for the visit. "We expect seven consecutive international cruise arrivals this season," says Martin Joseph, managing director, Freedom Holidays. The tourism industry says Goa can expect at least 15 international cruise liners this season. Last season, the state saw 11 cruise arrivals. Meanwhile, the tourists visited churches at Old Goa, temples at Mangueshi and Mardol in Ponda, the Dudhsagar waterfalls in the hinterland, a jungle jaunt at Tambdi Surla and even managed a trip to Bat Island off Vasco. The vessel set sail for Mangalore at 6 pm. "If Goa has a dedicated cruise terminal with a passenger lounge, it can tap into a huge market," Joseph said.

"The pier was dusty with black powder as coal had been unloaded there the previous night. We had to put a carpet to maintain cleanliness. Dust was flying around, even the tourist coaches were black," he said. "We missed out on the Volvo Ocean Race which went to Kerala. Goa was being considered as a stopover as it is an internationally known destination," Martin said. The tourism industry also says that Goa needs more tourist guides with fluency in languages such as German, French, Spanish and Italian. Martin says, "Yes, since we have a shortage of such guides here we have to get them from Bombay and Delhi, and they charge exorbitant rates. It is actually a great employment opportunity to be tapped in a tourism destination like Goa. Housewives and youngsters can learn foreign languages and work as part-time interpreters and guides."

Incidentally, there were no representatives from the government nor the tourism department to receive the first cruise as is done with the first charter flights for the season. Aida Cara's journey originated from Hanover port in Germany and its passengers are on a world cruise spanning 120 days. The itinerary includes shore excursions at Egypt, Muscat, Dubai, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin, Colombo, Penang-Malaysia, Bangkok-Thailand, Hong Kong, and a return to Germany. Aida Cruises cater mostly to German speaking passengers. The company's Aida Diva also plans to extend its reach from the Arabian Gulf to include a 11-night Christmas cruise to Mumbai and Goa. Aida Cara, which arrived in Goa, has nine passenger decks, a pool, fitness centre, 540-seat theatre, 391 outside cabins of which four have balconies, 202 inside cabins, and can carry 1,000 odd passengers supported by a crew of 370.

Air India reschedules flights and adds seat capacity

Air India sources said that Air India Express flights on the Kozhikode-Muscat-Kozhikode route, currently operating four times a week, will be made daily. Now, flights on the Kozhikode- Doha-Bahrain route will also operate daily, while the Kochi- Muscat-Kochi service will be increased to five times a week from twice a week. In addition, the company plans to introduce daily nonstop flights (A-319) between Chennai and Muscat. Meanwhile, Air India Express will increase its passenger capacity by introducing the all economy A-320 aircraft to Dubai, Sharjah, Kuala Lumpur and Colombo from various cities in India. Also, the thrice-a-week A-330 service to Paris will be replaced by the B-777-200LR aircraft. The B-747-400 aircraft operating on the Mumbai-Riyadh and Delhi-Riyadh routes will be replaced by the B-777-200ER aircraft and the service will be increased to 11 flights.

MDLR Airlines aircrafts grounded for violating safety norms

Gurgaon-based MDLR Airlines Pvt. Ltd, which serves mostly north Indian destinations, has grounded operations amid regulatory findings that the carrier had flouted safety norms. The airline is "not shutting down", said Koustav M. Dhar, chief operating officer of MDLR, confirming that both its planes are grounded. "We will do some restructuring," he said. "We are going to be looking at being leaner and meaner." The notices of regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) were issued after several surveillance checks, part of an audit by the US aviation regulator, the Federal Aviation Administration. DGCA issued a show-cause notice to the airline, owned by realtor Murli Dhar Lakh Ram Developers and Promoters Pvt. Ltd, in mid-September. The airline, which employs 264 people, is yet to comply with the regulator’s directions. MDLR also faces cancellation of its scheduled regional airline licence if it cannot comply with the guidelines, which mandate at least three operational aircraft within the first year of operations.

Air Asia to launch three new routes to India

AirAsia has announced that it will commence its daily direct flights to Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 2009 respectively. Following a successful launch from the South Indian city of Trichy last year, AirAsia now offers the people of Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram the pleasure of flying to Kuala Lumpur for an unbeatable all-inclusive fare from as low as INR 1499 (RM 129) all in fares one way respectively for the booking period from 15th to 20th October, 2009 for the travel period from 12th November 2009 to 31st July 2010 for Kochi, from 16th November 2009 to 31st July 2010 for Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) and from 19th November 2009 to 31st July 2010 for Kolkata. Promotional seats are limited and available on first-come, first-served basis and made exclusively available online via www.airasia.com and mobile.airasia.com.

AirAsia launched its first route to Trichy, India which is situated in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu on December 1, 2008, and is the first airline in South East Asia to fly direct to the city. The launch of the first frequency to the city recorded an overwhelming response with an average load factor of 85% which led the airline to increase its 2nd frequency to the city with AirAsia’s 2nd direct daily flight on 1st September, 2009. To date, AirAsia has carried over 100,000 guests to and from Trichy. AirAsia Regional Head of Commercial, Kathleen Tan said, "Today, AirAsia is reiterating its commitment to the Indian market with the launch of three new routes- Kolkata, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), the first airline to launch 3 cities in India in one day. While most airlines are cutting back during these tough economic times, AirAsia is aggressively expanding its India route network as we believe there is robust demand in low fare travel."

"The three new India destinations are colourful cities with rich historical and cultural traditions. We believe our low fares and outstanding innovative services, will definitely open up new markets, stimulate new travel demand and enable more people to fly with us; thus promoting tourism which is beneficial for the economies of both countries." "It has been an ongoing and sustained effort for AirAsia to provide the best service with unbelievable low fares to our guests. With the introduction of the three new routes, connectivity to the three cities to and from Kuala Lumpur direct will bridge social ties and promote new connectivity via our hub in Kuala Lumpur as a gateway to over 130 routes in Asia, including the ones served by Airasia X, its long haul affiliate to Australia (Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne), China (Hangzhou, Tianjin, Chengdu), Taipei, London and Abu Dhabi, bringing the well known brand on to a global stage” concluded Kathleen.

It is now more convenient than ever to fly to Kuala Lumpur from Kolkata, located in the East Indian State of West Bengal and Kochi & Thiruvananthapuram, both located in the South Indian State of Kerala. Moreover as compared to other budget carriers, the route network offered by this award-winning airline is the most extensive in the region. This will translate into a low-cost yet efficient travel experience for guests who would benefit from using the LCC Terminal in Kuala Lumpur to connect to other regional ASEAN cities or long haul sectors serviced by AirAsia X. To add value, under GoHoliday at goholiday.airasia.com, guests may choose their holiday lodgings from over 50,000 hotels across Asia, Europe, India, Australia, Sri Lanka and China including ground transfer options and fantastic tour packages.

Jet Airways starts flights on Gaya-Varanasi-Bangkok route

Jet Airways, India’s premier international airline, will connect the Thai capital of Bangkok with Gaya and Varanasi, two important Indian cities on the famed Buddhist circuit, with twice weekly flights, effective October 6, 2009. The airline will operate with twice weekly services on the sector, on Tuesdays and Fridays respectively. These flights will allow people from the South Asian region to visit the famed Buddhist pilgrimage sights. Effective October 6, 2009 to October 24, 2009, 9W 69 will depart Bangkok at 0845 hrs, arriving in Gaya at 1015 hrs. Flight 9W 69 will then depart Gaya at 1145 hrs, arriving in Varanasi at 1230 hrs. Flight 9W 70 will then depart Varanasi at 1400 hrs, returning to Bangkok at 1845 hrs.

However, effective October 25, 2009 to March 27, 2010, 9W 69 will depart Bangkok at 0830 hrs, arriving in Gaya at 1015 hrs. Flight 9W 69 will then depart Gaya at 1145 hrs, arriving in Varanasi at 1230 hrs. Flight 9W 70 will then depart Varanasi at 1400 hrs, arriving in Bangkok at 1835 hrs. While Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, Gaya is home to the famed Mahabodhi temple, a UNESCO heritage site, and the site where the Buddha attained enlightenment, according to Buddhist traditions.

Air India is the official carrier for Commonwealth Games 2010

Air India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Commonwealth Organising Committee for becoming the Official Partner Airline for the Commonwealth Games, which will be held in Delhi in October 2010. The MoU was signed by Suresh Kalmadi, Chairman, Commonwealth Organising Committee and Arvind Jadhav, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India at a function held in New Delhi. Air India thus earned the distinction of being the first Indian and global sponsoring company for the Commonwealth Games.

Stargate theme park opens in Zabeel Park, Dubai

The Stargate theme park has opened in Zabeel Park, Dubai, after taking four years to build. The Dhs280m park features state-of-the-art interactive play with an element of education. Westech, a Swiss leisure services provider, supplied the project with all leisure equipment and the installation of rides and games. The park was due to open in November, but that date was brought forward because the park's Space Mall hit 70% occupancy.

Premier Inn opens at Dubai International airport

Premier Inn has announced it has opened a new hotel at Dubai's International airport. The new hotel at Dubai International Airport has 281 rooms, with en-suite bathrooms, and could accommodate a family of up to four. The hotel also offers a contemporary restaurant (Bedouinns), a bar (The Retreat), and a Costa Coffee outlet. The company has also recently inaugurated their hotel in Dubai Silicon Oasis, the company has said.

Qatar Airways aircraft flies from London to Doha fuelled by kerosene !

Qatar Airways has become the first carrier in the world to operate an aircraft powered by gas-to-liquid kerosene on a revenue flight. The Airbus A340-600 flew a six-hour flight from London Gatwick to Doha with all four of its Rolls-Royce Trent 500 engines powered by a 50/50 blend of GTL and Jet A1 kerosene. Qatar is set to be the market leader in the production of GTL, with Qatar Petroleum and Shell having created a multi-billion dollar integrated GTL 'Pearl' plant.

Flydubai starts flights to Doha

Dubai's low cost airline, Flydubai has received its fifth aircraft, Boeing 737-800NG, which will immediately serve the airline's inaugural flight to Doha. The plane is part of the historic order of 50 aircraft placed with Boeing at the Farnborough Airshow.

Etihad Airways to resume flights to Sri Lanka

Abu Dhabi based Etihad Airways has said that flights to Colombo in Sri Lanka will be resumed starting in January 2010. The carrier will operate four flights per week from Abu Dhabi to Sri Lanka's largest city and commercial capital, using an Airbus A320 aircraft. Flight EY266 will depart Abu Dhabi on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 9.55pm and arrive at Colombo's Bandaranaike international airport at 3.45am the following day. Return flight EY267 will depart Colombo on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.45am, arriving in Abu Dhabi at 8.00am the same morning.

Flydubai to launch flights to Khartoum

Flydubai has announced that it will launch daily service to the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, from November 8. At a distance of 1,600 miles from Dubai, the flight to Khartoum will be the longest in the low-cost carrier's network and its eighth destination since it started operations in June.

Emirates to increase flights on India route

Emirates Airlines has announced plans to increase frequencies from Dubai to Kozhikode in India's southern state of Kerala to 11 flights a week by December. The carrier, which currently operates six weekly flights to Kozhikode, said the total number of flights from the state would go up to 37 a week. Emirates operates 166 weekly flights to 10 Indian destinations connecting to over 90 destinations in 60 nations via Dubai.

Sudanese cargo plane crashes in Sharjah

A Sudanese cargo plane crashed on Wednesday in the desert near the airport in the United Arab Emirates, killing all six crew members, Sharjah civil aviation director Khaled al-Qassimi said. "A Sudanese cargo plane crashed two miles (three kilometres) from the Sharjah airport shortly after takeoff and there were no survivors among the six crew," Sheikh Khaled said, saying the crash site was in the desert. Officials had earlier said the the aircraft was Iranian. A civil aviation official said the airport had been closed to air traffic. The UAE emirate of Sharjah lies hard by the Gulf federation's trade and leisure hub of Dubai.

US troop transport aircraft allowed to fly after forced landing in Mumbai

A Bangkok-bound chartered US plane in which American marines were among the 205 passengers was ordered by authorities to land at Mumbai airport on Sunday for flying over Indian airspace without getting the mandatory military clearance. After remaining grounded for a few hours, the Boeing 767 plane belonging to North American Airlines and on a flight from Fujiriah in the UAE to Utapao in Bangkok was allowed by Indian Air Force (IAF) to resume its flight following a probe. IAF spokesperson Wing Commander T K Singha said the DGCA will decide when the airplane will take off. But due to the pilot's Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) the aircraft is not likely to take off before Monday. "A US aircraft with 205 passengers, including its crew and US troops on board, was made to land in Mumbai while flying over Indian airspace as there was some confusion about its call sign," a Mumbai airport official said.

Singha said that the transport aircraft had "civilian clearance from Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to fly over Indian airspace. "However, it was carrying military personnel, for which the aircraft should have obtained Air Operation Routing clearance (AOR), needed for a military aircraft," he said. Foreign military aircraft have to obtain two sets of clearances before flying over India. Once the aircraft entered Indian air space, the IAF ordered it through radio communication to land in Mumbai, to which it complied with, Singha said. A Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) spokesperson said in Mumbai, "The aircraft will not take-off today as the pilot has crossed his flying duty hours." The plane landed at Mumbai airport at 0752 hours and was parked at a remote bay and all the passengers remained inside till the inquiry was completed. The US Embassy was arranging for visa documents of the 205 passengers on-board.

"The US Embassy is arranging for visa, immigration and staying facilities for all the passengers," the MIAL spokesperson said. A US embassy spokesperson termed the issue as a "routine matter" and said "we are in touch with relevant officials to resolve" it. This is the fourth incident of a foreign aircraft violating rules relating to obtaining of clearance to fly over Indian airspace or other disputes since June this year. On June 20, a Ukrainian-made military cargo aircraft AN-124, operated by a Russian private airline Volga-Dnepr and chartered by US defence forces for flying out military equipment from its base in Diego Garcia island to Kandahar in Afghanistan, was caught in a similar situation. The IAF had ordered it to land in Mumbai as the aircraft did not have AOR clearance. It was detained for 24 hours and was asked to fly out after it obtained necessary clearance.

On August 27 this year, the IAF radar in Punjab had picked up an Air France aircraft (A-343) flying from Paris to Bangkok, as it did not have a proper identity. The IAF scrambled MIG-29 fighter jets to intercept it and it was asked to identify whether it was a friend or a foe. In the first week of September, a China-bound cargo plane of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Air Force was detained and its ten crew members including the pilot were questioned after customs officials found arms and ammunition on board the aircraft. The plane had made a scheduled transit landing at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata. The crew members had not informed in the routine declaration submitted to authorities that arms and ammunition were in the plane.

Air India to deploy Boeing 777 aircraft on long routes

To provide comfort and luxury to passengers in its long-haul flights, Air India has decided to deploy newly-acquired B777 aircraft on these sectors from the winter schedule starting October 25. The national carrier has also decided to introduce daily flights from Washington to Kolkata from December 1. "Air India will deploy the B777s to all its seven West-bound destinations in Europe, the US and Canada, and one to Tokyo. The airline will begin its services to Newark, Paris, Toronto and Tokyo using the B777 from October 25, beginning of the winter schedule," an Air India spokesperson said.

At present, the comfort and luxury of state of the art B777 aircraft are available on Air India flights to Chicago, New York, Frankfurt and London. Air India, which is in the red, has ordered the acquisition of 111 new aircraft, of which it has received and inducted 64 so far. These includes nine B777-300ER, eight B777-200LR, 15 each of A321 and A319 aircraft, besides 17 B737-800 aircraft for Air India Express. "The airline has reworked its winter schedule in such a manner so as to provide the passengers with a product that matches the best in the industry, both on international and domestic sectors," the spokesperson said. In the winter schedule, the airline will operate its Amritsar-London-Toronto flights with B777-300ER from Amritsar four days a week, while on the remaining three days the flight would operate from Delhi.

Oman Air seeks to expand Indian routes

Oman Air will not lease aircraft after November 22, when the last Airbus A330 leased from Jet Airways is returned. The airline took delivery of its third A330 this week and will add four more to its fleet by March 2011 thereby removing the need for leasing, CEO Peter Hill said. Having reached capacity on all its Indian routes, Oman Air will enter talks with the Indian Government to grow its network in its strongest market, he said. The airline expects available seat kilometres in 2009 to grow by 27 per cent on last year and will launch flights to Tanzania and Kenya. However, the airline’s next major announcement will come at Dubai Air Show, which starts on November 15.