AVIATION
For young women from rural areas :
SriLankan Airlines creates magical future
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The new
recruits |
SriLankan Airlines has created a magical future for dozens of young
ladies from rural Sri Lanka, transforming them through a special
personality development program and creating opportunities for them to
embark on rewarding careers as cabin crew. SriLankan's Service Delivery
Head G.T. Jeyaseelan said: "For the first time in the history of our
national carrier, SriLankan Airlines has gone out to the villages to
recruit promising young women, and our instructors have transformed them
to be as good we want them to be. Having gone through this specially
designed programme, we expect them to be as good as anyone else from
anywhere in this country, or even better." The national carriers'
recruitment team recently visited the Southern Province, Uva, Central
Province and the outreaches of the Western Province. Thousands of young
women flocked to the recruitment centres in towns such as Tissamaharama
and Tangalle, hoping for a chance for an international career and
lifestyle that few in Sri Lanka ever have the opportunity to achieve.
"These young ladies can now prove to the rest of Sri Lanka that our
nation is not just about cities, but embodies our rural areas as well.
We would like all of them to become our heart and soul in the air. It's
in their hands now. And if they succeed, they will inspire our people in
the villages," said Jeyaseelan.
While a large number of young women were selected outright for entry
to the airline's rigorous 65-day Cabin Crew Training Program, 27 of
those who did not quite meet the required standard but nevertheless
demonstrated potential were chosen for the special Personality
Development Program.
In-flight Service Delivery Manager Rashmore Ferdinands, said:
"SriLankan has invested significantly in this program, and we are glad
to see that our efforts have been successful. We are confident that all
of these young ladies would be welcome additions to our cabin crew, and
they will now go through the recruitment process." In three-months, a
group of instructors who included the airline's own staff and external
experts in relevant fields taught the girls everything they needed to
raise the level of their personalities and capabilities, including
English, Grooming, Etiquette, Teambuilding, Role Play, Customer Service,
and Airline Industry Orientation.
Emirates launches Airbus A380 to Shanghai
Third Emirates A380 launch in Greater China :
Shanghai, the most populous city in China, is set to join the
Emirates' expanding list of Airbus A380 destinations, when the
superjumbo begins its non-stop service from Dubai on April 27.
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Emirates’
A380 will begin non-stop flights between Dubai and Shanghai
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Shanghai will be Emirates' third destination in Greater China to
welcome the Airbus A380, following the launch of the aircraft to Beijing
on August 1, 2010 and Hong Kong on October 1, 2010.
Emirates' 489-seater A380, which will be the first scheduled A380
service to Shanghai, will operate three days a week (Wednesday, Friday
and Sunday) as EK302 departing Dubai at 0310hrs (local time) and
arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 1530hrs (local).
The return flight EK303 departs Shanghai at 2330hrs (local) and arrives
in Dubai at 0430hrs (local) the following day.
"Thanks to the support that we have received from the Civil Aviation
Administration of China and the Shanghai Airport Authority, Shanghai
will become the latest destination to join our global Airbus A380
network. Emirates currently has 15 A380s in service, flying from Dubai
to 10 countries around the world," said Emirates Airline and Group
Chairman and Chief Executive Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum.
"Emirates has enjoyed a long and successful partnership with China.
We began cargo operations between Dubai and Shanghai in 2002 and then
started passenger services in 2004. The A380 launch demonstrates our
continuing commitment to this important country, in addition to boosting
trade between China and Dubai, the Middle East and Africa," said Ahmed.
"We are happy to welcome Shanghai's first A380 flight to land at
Shanghai Pudong Airport, having adapted the facilities and enforced
thorough safeguard measures for A380s to ensure the smooth operations of
this revolutionary superjumbo," said Shanghai Airport Authority Vice
President and Shanghai International Airport Chairman of the Board Yu
Wuyan.
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Shanghai |
The arrival time of the Emirates' A380 in Dubai offers passengers
from China with a convenient transfer to an expansive list of Emirates'
destinations in the Middle East, which saw the addition of Basra on
February 1; Africa and a growing number of cities in Europe, which
following the June 1 launch of Geneva and the Copenhagen launch on
August 1 will stand at 27.
For passengers wishing to stop over in Dubai, the city has an
enormous amount to offer from world class golf courses to fine dining,
and views from the tallest building in the world to an enormous range of
shopping options. Over 111,000 business and leisure travellers visited
Dubai in 2010 from China following the UAE gaining Approved Destination
Status.
Sitting on the mouth of the Yangtze River, Shanghai is a truly global
city, home to over 19 million people and an international hub for
finance, culture, art, fashion, research and entertainment.
Shanghai, famous for its historical landmarks, such as the Bund and
its modern and ever-expanding skyline, was the host city for the 184 day
2010 World Expo, which attracted over 73 million visitors and allowed
countries from around the world to showcase themselves on a world stage.
Currently Emirates operates double-daily services each to Beijing,
Shanghai and Hong Kong, and daily services to Guangzhou; while the
airline's fleet of 15 A380s are currently operating on services from
Dubai to London Heathrow (double-daily), Manchester, Paris Charles de
Gaulle, Toronto, Seoul, Bangkok, Beijing, Jeddah, New York, Hong Kong,
Sydney and Auckland. |