Business Aviation
Re-discovering India with SriLankan Holidays

The world wonder Taj Mahal |
This month, SriLankan Holidays features the cities of Bangalore,
Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi - offering a blend of exotic sights and
incredible bargains.
SriLankan Holidays’ General Manager Amith Sumanapala said, “No matter
how many times you have been to India, it always has something new to
offer. You just need to keep an open mind and have an adventurous
spirit.”
“The four cities are very popular in our destination list and we want
to give more Sri Lankans the opportunity to discover India and create
their own world of memories and perhaps a wardrobe full of great
bargains.”
While all four cities offer unique cultural and shopping experiences,
retail therapy is best at Chennai giving the greatest selection for
saris and stand out for their variety of other traditional Indian
clothing and accessories.
Bangalore meanwhile, now famous as the Silicon Valley of India, is
also home to many splendid gardens and parks - the cities earlier fame.
It is now also called the Pub City with over 200 Pubs all over the town.
Hyderabad is an entirely new vista, offering more attractions for the
sightseers including a wide array of heritage monuments, lakes, parks,
gardens, resorts, museums and scrumptious cuisine that lures tourists.
The city is also known for its pearls and diamond markets, glass
embedded bangles and beautiful saris.
SriLankan Holidays final destination on the list - Delhi and the
capital city of India is a myriad of attractions and is the seat of
power in India. Topping the list of the city’s awesome sights is the
world wonder Taj Mahal and the Golden Triangle.
SriLankan Holidays packages include economy class airfare, star class
accommodation with breakfast and hotel transfers. A series of tours can
also be added to the packages.
Air Freight Growth dips sharply
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released
international traffic data for May that showed a significant drop in
cargo growth to 1.3% while passenger traffic grew 6.0%.
At
1.3%, cargo demand is considerably down from the 4.3% recorded for the
full year 2007. For the first five months of 2008, air freight volumes
were up 2.8%. The biggest cause of the slow growth came from a 0.5%
contraction in Asian carrier traffic.
This resulted from the impact of the earthquake in China and weakness
in the Japanese economy. Asian carriers also saw weakness in
transpacific markets with increased competition from US carriers taking
advantage of the weak US dollar.
International passenger demand grew 6% in May. This is slower than
the 7.4% increase recorded for the full year 2007, but stronger than
expected given the economic downturn.
The results were skewed by a shift in the US of 1.7 billion available
seat miles (2.72 billion available seat kilometers) from domestic routes
to international routes (a 7.9% rise in capacity in international
markets).
North American carrier international traffic grew 8.2%, while
domestic capacity fell 3.3%. Overall the underlying growth rate in
global domestic and international traffic was 3 to 4% (down from an
average of 6% for 2007).
International load factors rose slightly for the first time in three
months to 74.3% on slower capacity growth of 5.4% during the month. “The
high price of oil is re-shaping the industry. The major shifts in
traffic flows experienced during May reflect this,” said Bisignani,
IATA’s Director General and CEO.
During May jet fuel averaged US$160 per barrel - 87% higher than the
same time in 2007. By comparison, crude prices averaged US$123 per
barrel - an 81% increase. “Jet fuel margins are increasing the impact of
skyrocketing oil prices for the aviation industry. Unit costs are up
20-30% and that is going to take its toll on the bottom line.
Efficiency everywhere is the imperative. That must be understood by
governments, labour and our industry partners,” said Bisignani.
Cargo North American cargo traffic grew 4.6% as US carriers shifted
capacity from domestic to international routes. In addition to expanded
transpacific opportunities, the US-EU Open Skies agreement created new
opportunities in Europe.
Europe recorded a sluggish 1.4% increase. The strong Euro is damaging
competitiveness for both European exports and the European air cargo
business.
Latin America freight volumes contracted 13.2%. Industry
restructuring saw the replacement of retiring wide-body aircraft with
narrow-bodies with limited cargo capacity.
Africa recorded its 11th month of air freight contraction out of the
past 12 months with a fall of 6.5% during May as industry restructuring
removes freight capacity.
The lone bright spot was the Middle East where volumes rose 10.7% on
the back of oil-based economic growth.
Passenger Airlines in Latin America continued strong growth of 13.6%
reflecting robust commodity-driven economic growth in the region.
Middle Eastern airlines expanded their traffic 12.8%, lower than the
18.1% increase achieved for the full year 2007 due to slower economic
growth in origin-destination regions using Middle East airports as
connecting points.
The further decline in traffic carried (-2.2%) and capacity provided
(-5.1%) by African airlines reflects a loss of market share and the
reduction of unprofitable capacity in the face of high and rising fuel
prices.
Reversing the trend of the previous three months, load factors rose
slightly in May to 74.3% as high fuel prices are forcing cuts in
capacity and the retirement of older aircraft.
Emirates’ Hotel-For-Free offer
In line with Emirates’ continued efforts to promote Dubai as a
world-class tourist destination, the airline is offering First and
Business Class passengers flying to or via Dubai special super value
packages till August 31.

A passenger enjoys the luxury of Emirates’ First Class service. |
First Class Passengers receive two nights at The Palace - The Old
Town or The Harbour Hotel and Residence. Business Class passengers
receive one night’s stay at Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel or The
Harbour Hotel and Residence. In addition, credit would be provided per
person at the hotel to be used towards food and beverage and/or spa
facilities and a 96-hour visa.
The offer is applicable to all Emirates adult fare paying passengers
travelling to Dubai exclusively on flights operated by Emirates.
Passengers who travel Business Class on routes that do not offer First
Class but travel beyond Dubai on First Class are entitled to the First
Class offer.
The offer includes a Deluxe Room at The Palace - The Old Town, two
Bedroom Suite at The Harbour Hotel and Residence and a Deluxe Room at
Jumeirah Emirates Towers on bed and breakfast basis inclusive of all
applicable taxes and service charges.
The offer applies to First and Business Class passengers travelling
exclusively on flights operated by Emirates to or via Dubai from various
points on Emirates’ network. Travel must originate outside the UAE and
turnaround passengers or those travelling on frequent flyer redemption
tickets cannot apply. Accommodation has to be pre-booked and need not be
used immediately on arrival in Dubai.
Speaking on the launch of the offer, Nabil Sultan, Emirates’ Senior
Vice President Commercial Operations Gulf, Middle East and Iran, said,
“This is a great opportunity for business and leisure travellers alike.
We are offering our customers a hassle-free holiday as they do not have
to worry about booking accommodation. Emirates is always looking for
ways to reward our customers, and this offer fits perfectly into our
objective of being number one in client satisfaction.”
|