Aviation


 

Best Air expands jet fleet with McDonald Douglas MD 83 aircraft

After commencing services to Colombo on July 28, Best Air has expanded its fleet by introducing a 162 seater McDonald Douglas MD 83 aircraft to add capacity on the Colombo-Dhaka sector. A total of over 1000 MD80 and MD90 variants are in operation with airlines worldwide, including American Airlines, Delta Air and Japan Airlines.

Best Air also operates flights to Maldives via Colombo, making the island destination the third international destination that the airline added to its route structure since June this year. The introductory airfare to the Maldives which still stands is the most competitive in the market inclusive of all taxes.

The Dhaka based airline started international operations to Bangkok earlier this year and currently operates 3 weekly flights with definite plans to add capacity on this sector by increasing to 4 frequencies.

Best Air is a full service carrier with an excellent OTP record and enjoys a healthy passenger load factor of 90% on this sector. According to Best Air’s overseas representative based in Colombo “We had a delay on one single flight from the Maldives to Dhaka for reasons beyond our control which received a lot of press coverage, but this is the single exception, and in a world of frequent delays, we are happy that we have maintained a good on time performance on this sector.”

Dhaka and Colombo were connected starting July 28 by Best Air after a lapse of almost 8 years.

“We lobbied hard to make the route happen, it’s unthinkable that two major SAARC capitals did not have direct connections despite large scale investments by Sri Lankan companies in various sectors in Bangladesh. We saw an opportunity and worked closely with the airline in building capacity on this route” Denham Schokman CEO of Favourite Holidays, the local GSA for the airline said.

Travel sources revealed that the new route to Dhaka, and the added benefit of an additional flight to the Maldives via Colombo would provide opportunities for growth considering the lack of direct services to Bangladesh and the established demand to the Maldives.

Although tight lipped about future plans Schokman was able to say that “We will rely on broadly the following strategy, that is, to remain focused on product and service niches that offer a unique proposition to our clients.

The Colombo-Dhaka route is unique in that there is no competition at present and cuts travel time by more than 75%.”

Qatar Airways joins in the spirit of Garangao

In celebration of Garangao, the festival of children, Qatar Airways teamed up with the Qatari Al Jasrah Cultural and Social Club to organise several celebratory events across numerous locations in Doha last night.

Activities centred around the city’s popular Souq Waqif, City Centre Mall, as well as children’s wards of local hospitals, including Hamad Hospital in Doha.

Qatar Airways’ participation in Garangao, traditionally celebrated on the 14th day of the Holy Month of Ramadan, reflects the airline’s support of local traditions and its commitment to preserve Qatar’s rich cultural heritage and customs.

Qatar Airways airline officials headed up by Senior Vice-President for Qatar, Fathi Al Shehab attended the festive celebrations and helped distribute 10,000 goody bags filled with sweets and nuts to local children, who had gathered for the special occasion.

Hundreds of children in specially prepared outfits participated in the activities, singing Garangao songs.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said: “As the national carrier of the State of Qatar, we are only delighted to be part of this joyous occasion.

The country’s culture and traditions are very close to my heart and Garangao is a great opportunity to show our commitment to Qatar’s culture and supporting a festival for children.”

He further expressed his happiness, that as more and more organisations were trying to keep the tradition alive by re-enforcing Garangao culture, the custom would be passed on to the younger generations.

Added Al Baker: “I am delighted to see this cultural tradition becoming more popular year on year among the children of Qatar.

Qatar Airways’ participation in the Garangao celebrations marks our strong belief in supporting the local community.”

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 63 aircraft to 83 destinations across Europe, Middle East, Africa, South Asia, Far East and North America.

Earlier this year, the airline began scheduled services between Doha and the southern Chinese industrial city of Guangzhou.

During the summer, the airline introduced daily flights linking the Qatari capital with Kozhikode in Southern India.

Starting December 8, Qatar Airways is to launch scheduled flights to Houston which, at 17 hours, will be one of the longest flights in the world non-stop from Doha.

Emirates Colombo announces inaugural fare to Los Angeles

Travellers in Sri Lanka could be among the first to fly Emirates to Los Angeles thanks to the early introduction of a special inaugural fare in Colombo. The award-winning carrier will launch services to the City of Angles on 26th October 2008.

Economy Class return tickets issued before the launch date for Emirates’ thrice weekly services to Los Angeles will cost just Rs. 165,000 and will be valid for outbound travel before 30th November. These tickets may be used for a stay of between seven days and three months.

“Los Angeles is an iconic city that most Sri Lankans are familiar with, and this inaugural fare provides an unmatchable opportunity to travel to this aspirational destination in the comfort and style that Emirates is known for,” said Devika Ellepola, Emirates’ Sales Manager in Sri Lanka. “We have started accepting bookings early to enable Sri Lankans to make the most of this special price.”

The second largest city in the USA, Los Angeles will be Emirates’ fourth destination in North America and will be followed very quickly by San Francisco on 15th December. In the Americas, Emirates also operates non-stop services to New York and Houston in the USA, Toronto in Canada and Sao Paulo in Brazil.

Founded in 1781 by the Spanish Governor Felipe de Neve, Los Angeles became part of Mexico in 1821 and was purchased by the United States of America in 1848. Spanning nearly 500 square miles, this city of 3.8 million people is one of the world’s centres of culture, technology, media, business and international trade.

One of the world’s fastest - growing international airlines, Emirates operates 17 services a week from Colombo to Dubai and four services a week from Colombo to Singapore. The winner of more than 400 major international awards, Emirates flies to 101 cities in 61 countries in Europe, North and South America, the Middle East, Africa, Indian subcontinent and Asia - Pacific.

‘India Aviation 2008’ attracts industry majors

The first Indian civilian air show, ‘India Aviation 2008’ - an International Exhibition and Conference on Civil Aviation which was launched on 11 January, 2008, is receiving enthusiastic response from the civil aviation industry.

Organised by the Ministry of Civil Aviation along with FICCI, this exhibition is being held between 15-18 October, 2008 in the Shamsabad Airport, Hyderabad. USA is the partner country for this event.

The support of the US Commercial Service and AMCHAM has ensured a large participation from the USA. The event will have country pavilions from the USA, Canada and Germany. Aviation majors like Air India, Airports Authority of India, Airbus, ATR, Bharat Electronics Limited, Bell Textron, Boeing, Bombardier, Cessna, CFM, Dassault, Embraer, Engine Alliance, Eurocopter, GE Aviation, GMR, GVK, Gulfstream, HAL, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airline, Rolls Royce, Beagle Aircraft, Hindavia Aeronautical Services Pvt. Ltd., Horizon Flight Academy, Jeppesen, Touch Wood Aviation, Transcon Electronics Ltd., Vaisala Oyj, WH Brady & Co., Wings Aviation, Vectra Aviation etc. have confirmed their participation at the show and have already started preparation for an impressive display.

The India Aviation 2008 will have a number of aircraft on static as well as flying display. By 16 September, 2008, 36 different types of aircraft had already confirmed participation which include the A 380 of Airbus (France), Citation X, Citation CJ2, Citation, Grand Caravan and Skyhawk of Cessna Aircraft Company (USA), Learjet 60XR, Challenger 605, Global Express, CRJ900 of Bombardier (Canada), Hawker 4000, Hawker 900XP, Hawker 400XP, Premier 1A and King Air 350 of Hawker Beechcraft Corporation (USA), Falcon of Dassault Aviation (France), G450 of Gulfstream (USA), 412, 407 of Bell Helicopter (UK), IL114 of Hindavia Aeronautical Services Ltd. (Russian aircraft). Besides, a number of Indian aircraft will also be on display - Sports Star of E Vector, Airo 1 and Airo 5 of Airo Aviation, Dragon Fly, B-777 300ER, A319 of Air India, ALH of HAL, two aircraft of Vectra Aviation, A340-500 of Kingfisher, HANSA of NAL, ENSTROM 480B of Monarch International, one Helicopter of Pawan Hans Helicopters, 412 and 407 of Bell Helicopters and Cessna 152, Cessna and Pushpak of AeroClub.

A number of companies have already confirmed putting up chalets at the venue. They include Dassault, Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd., Jublent Enpro and Hawker Beechcraft. Aviation India

India gives approval for air services agreement with Maldives

With a view to attracting more foreign passengers, the Indian Government gave approval for signing an Air Services agreement with Maldives.The approval has been given at a meeting of Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

“A revised agreement signifies an important landmark in the civil aviation relations between India and Maldives and has the potential to spur greater trade, investment, tourism and cultural exchange between the two countries,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi told reporters.

The decision comes in accordance with the policy of liberalisation in the civil aviation sector. It also reflects government’s liberal approach in the matter of granting traffic rights under bilateral agreements with various foreign countries.

The signing of a new Air Services Agreement is the first milestone to achieve for the purpose of establishing air connectivity with new countries. Recently, a number of new Air Services Agreements have been initialed/signed based on modern practices in civil aviation sector.

Air Services Agreements with some countries were signed some time back and required updating in view of the changing circumstances and developments in international civil aviation, and with respect to newer standards and recommended practices. These countries include the US, UK, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, Iceland, Finland, Tunisia and Qatar. PTI