AVIATION

70th anniversary celebrations:

Emirates A380 - star attraction at Birmingham Airport

An Emirates’ Airbus A380 was the star attraction at the Birmingham Airport’s 70th anniversary celebrations.

Seventy years after Birmingham Airport’s first passengers departed in an 8-seat de Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft, many across the city were mesmerised by the

largest passenger jet aircraft ever built.

It was the first ever flight by the superjumbo to a UK regional airport.

The Emirates’ A380 operated a special service on the airline’s lunchtime flights to and from Birmingham, giving passengers from the West Midlands a one-off opportunity to experience its luxurious onboard amenities.

These include Private Suites and Shower Spas in First Class, flat beds in Business Class, an Onboard Lounge for First and Business Class customers, and more generous seats and wider aisles in Economy Class.

The aircraft has the award-winning ice entertainment system, with over 1,000 channels of on-demand entertainment.

During the anniversary event, bringing together around 500 guests from the travel, business and airline community, the award-winning carrier announced another treat for travellers from the region, the construction of an Emirates Lounge. The 7,000 sq.ft. facility will be the only dedicated lounge offered by a long-haul airline at Birmingham airport.

President, Emirates Airline, Tim Clark, who flew into Birmingham on the A380 to mark the occasion and the opening of the airport’s new International Pier said; Birmingham is a key point on our global network, and it’s important that we offer premium travellers from this region our superior service on the ground, as well as in the air. Emirates has invested over Dhs 230 million (US$63m) in lounges around the world.

We are delighted that premium passengers flying from Britain’s second largest city will soon be able to experience the luxury of an Emirates Lounge.

The CEO of Birmingham International Airport Paul Kehoe said; “This significant investment demonstrates the continuing commitment Emirates has in Birmingham and the Midlands region.

Dragonair launches new service to Guangzhou

Dragonair will launch a new service today to Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong and the biggest city in the fast-growing Pearl River Delta region.

The twice-daily service will provide passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Guangzhou with more choice and convenience. The new flights will offer improved connectivity via Hong Kong to the rest of the world, further enhancing Hong Kong’s status as one of the world’s premier international aviation hubs.

“We are excited to announce this new operation to Guangzhou which extends our network’s coverage into the Pearl River Delta. This is one of the most affluent and most economically dynamic regions in Mainland China and is home to a population of 45 million - six times greater than that of Hong Kong,” said Dragonair Chief Executive Officer Kenny Tang.

“The new Guangzhou service is important because air-to-air connections are still by far the most convenient way for international travellers to move in and out of the Pearl River Delta region. Opening Guangzhou as a destination reinforces Dragonair’s long-term commitment to explore potential destinations and strengthen our presence in our core Mainland market,” Tang said.

The early morning and evening departures from Hong Kong are designed to offer travellers good connections into and out of the Hong Kong hub from international destinations. Dragonair’s sister airline, Cathay Pacific, will codeshare on the service, providing even more convenience for international travellers.

Jet Airways to resume operations

Jet Airways (India) Ltd said it will resume full operations after reaching an agreement with some of its pilots who had been on strike for the past five days.

All crew will report for duty yesterday, Mumbai-based Jet Airways said in an e-mailed statement. The airline has agreed to reinstate immediately four pilots it fired, Press Trust of India said, citing Sam Thomas, general secretary of the Guild.

The strike forced Jet Airways to cancel more than 800 flights since Sept. eight, stranding more than 13,000 passengers, according to government estimates. The airline had to scrap flights after pilots belonging to the newly formed National Aviators Guild union called in sick, refusing to work until the carrier reinstated the four pilots dismissed for initiating steps to form the union.

“A new potential challenge in the form of labour unrest is something that the industry will now be concerned about,” said Binit Somaia, South Asia director at the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. “Labour unrest is not something that the Indian private airlines had to deal with in the past. Now most carriers will be concerned.”

Jet Airways’s domestic bookings slumped 39 percent to 14,000 a day since the strike began, Sudheer Raghavan, chief commercial officer, said Sept. 9. International reservations were down 9.5 percent to 9,500 a day.

Rival carriers began to charge fares at almost Double the usual rates after the strike hampered Jet Airways’ operations, the Daily News & Analysis newspaper reported without saying where it got the information. India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation asked airlines to charge fares at rates that prevailed in the week ended Sept. six according to a statement from the Press Information Bureau.

As many as 400 captains and first officers were protesting the firing of their colleagues, Guild’s Thomas said. The airline then asked a court to force the striking pilots to return to work.

Shares of Jet Airways rose 2 percent to 258.55 rupees in Mumbai on September 11.

The stock has gained 27 percent this year.

Bloomberg