Travel / Aviation

With focus on safety in the skies :

Deccan Aviation expands fleet

The Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka has issued Deccan Aviation with the Airworthiness Certificate for its newly acquired GA8 Airvan, thus approving its safety for air travel.

This new aircraft has been certified by many international airworthiness agencies including the world's most modern and most stringent airworthiness standard - The Federal Aviation Regulation 23 (FAR 23) and also the Aviation Authorities of Australia, USA, Canada, New Zealand, UK and South Africa. No other aircraft in its class measures up to the stringent safety, design and airworthiness requirements to which the GA8 is certified.

Deccan Director and CEO Denham Schokman said, "At Deccan, safety starts long before a flight takes off, The GA8 Airvan takes us a step further in our endeavours to offer our guests the ultimate flying experience.

In fact the safety of our guests and crew is our top priority. It is the rationale behind the superior technology in our aircraft and the reason we have the most stringent training, operations and maintenance procedures in the industry.

With its modern design, superior performance and multiple redundant safety features, the GA8 brings with it our continued assurance of safety in the skies".

High Commissioner for Australia in Sri Lanka, Kathy Klugman welcomed the entry of quality Australian aircraft to Sri Lankan skies. She said that the Australian aviation industry was a technically sophisticated niche supplier to the domestic and overseas markets. She said that the launch of the new Deccan Aviation service could not have come at a better time, capitalizing on the great promise offered by the growth of Sri Lanka's tourism sector in all parts of the country. The High Commissioner wished every success to the venture and to others investing in Sri Lanka's post-war growth."

Led by the founder of Gippsland Aeronautics George Morgan, a team from the manufacturers, Australia based Gippsaero Pty Ltd, was in Sri Lanka recently to train Deccan Aviation's engineers and pilots on the GA8 which included the assembling and flight testing of the aircraft.

Said Morgan, "My team and I have been very impressed by the standard and quality of work of Deccan Aviation's engineers. We worked long hours on rigorous training sessions and the end result has been great. I have great confidence in their performance. They will certainly do the GA8 proud."

Emirates offers special fares

To over 15 popular destinations:

Emirates Passengers from Colombo can now visit their favourite destinations at a significant cost saving following the announcement of special fares on return Economy Class tickets to more than 15 popular cities on the airline's 113 destination network.

These special all-inclusive fares are valid for specified periods from mid June to end October 2011, the award-winning Dubai-based international airline said.

Among the destinations covered are Dubai, Singapore, Moscow, Frankfurt, Geneva, New York, London, Manchester, Toronto, Zurich, Paris, Houston, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Munich and Milan. Special fares will also be on offer on Economy Class return air travel to Copenhagen to which Emirates services begin on August 1. The airline has also announced special fares on one way Economy Class travel to Melbourne and London as well as on Business Class return travel to Frankfurt.

"A large number of travellers stand to benefit from these special fares as many diverse destinations are covered," said Emirates Sales Manager in Sri Lanka Devika Ellepola. "This is an opportunity to enjoy special fares while earning Skywards Miles from our frequent flyer programme, as well as bonus miles through the Miles Accelerator feature whereby members can earn additional miles that can be exchanged for tickets," she said.

She said travellers who have not as yet become members of Skywards may register now and start earning miles immediately, and save money on their travel at the same time.

Some of the special fares are also valid on flights operated with the Emirates Airbus A380 aircraft, enabling travellers to experience the luxury and state-of-the art features of this iconic aircraft, Ellepola said.

The highest saving on these special fares is on travel to Dubai for which a return Economy Class ticket from Colombo during the offer period will cost Rs. 46,083, Rs. 23,000 less than the standard fare.

All passengers on Emirates enjoy generous baggage allowances of 30kg, 40kg and 50kg respectively on Economy, Business and First Class.

The winner of more than 400 top industry awards, Emirates operates 21 flights a week from Colombo to Dubai.

The Emirates network now comprises 113 destinations on six continents.

Gulf Air rolls out new check-in, departure services system

New online system benefits passengers:

Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain has introduced a new online solution that offers end-to-end check-in and departure services for customers.

The new Advanced Check-in System International (ACSI) will make the passengers' online self-service experience in reservation, booking, e-ticketing and web check-in procedures much easier and smoother.

Customers can now enjoy a variety of value added services such as automatic flow of seat preferences, special service request, travel document information and onward journey details with precession and ease - all from the comfort of one's home or office.

In addition to the benefits it offers to customers, the new robust platform also benefits airlines. It fully supports check-in, boarding and load control functions, offers enhanced passenger recognition and service and promotes operational efficiency, thus saving time and money.

It also acts as the single source of data for all flight schedules, providing real time updates to passenger and inventory. Gulf Air Acting Director, Information Technology Dr Jassim Haji said, "Travellers these days have become very time conscious, who would like to spend less time at airports on check in and departure procedures.

In response to this, Gulf Air has been simplifying these processes by introducing several technological advancements. The new ACSI system is the latest offering to our customers."

"This fully integrated and automated solution provides a faster, more simplistic passenger check in process, delivering a seamless travel experience to customers.

At the same time, the flexible, configurable technology ensures operational integrity while delivering industry and security-compliant applications for Gulf Air," he said.

The ACSI system is already in place in eight Gulf Air destinations, i.e. Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Mumbai, Muscat and Paris and will be introduced progressively in other stations soon.