AVIATION

Helitours mulls Kilinochchi flights

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

For the first time Heli tours, the passenger arm of Air Force will be launching direct flights to Kilinochchi from Ratmalana.

The flights would take off every Thursday.

An Air Force spokesman said they are getting a number of enquiries and will extend the frequency as demand increases.

Helitours also operates scheduled flights to Jaffna every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The other routes of the domestic airline include China Bay, Batticaloa, Anuradhapura and Ampara. With the ending of the war and the tourism sector booming, Sri Lanka's domestic airline sector picked up with both holiday, makers, entrepreneurs making use of the domestic flights. SriLankan Airlines too re-introduced their air taxi service.

Helitours also opened their own travel agency in Galle Road, Colombo 3 offering affordable air tickets to passengers.

This office also offers tickets for their domestic flights. Helitours aim is to offer domestic air passage services for the public at lowest possible air fares. Helitours have now completed over 300 flights and they are also expected to create another historic milestone when it eventually becomes the first domestic aviation body to introduce scheduled flights using helicopters.Helitours, the brainchild of Air Marshal Paddy Mendis, incorporated as a strategic business unit of SLAF in 1972, restricted to essential military equipment for three decades, has now geared towards the growing civilian demand in the backdrop of tourism boom in Sri Lanka, taking domestic air travel to new heights.

Helitours fleet consists of twenty fixed wing aircraft and helicopters including Bell-206, also known as the Jet Ranger, Bell- 212, Bell- 412 and Mi-17.

Oman Air wins Gold in 2010 Vision Awards

Oman Air's latest annual report has won awards and praise from the League of American Communications Professionals (LACP). The report won a Gold Award in this year's 2010 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition, whilst Oman Air also won a Bronze Award in the Best Letter to Shareholders category.

In addition, Oman Air's annual report was ranked 48th in the LACP's Top 100 Annual Reports worldwide list and 25th in the Top Annual Reports EMEA list, across all categories.

During the judging process, the report attracted 98 marks out of a possible 100. More than 5,000 entries to the 2010 Vision Awards Annual Report Competition, from 24 countries, were received by the LACP and Oman Air has achieved a higher ranking than many large industrial corporations.

This achievement is made all the more impressive by the fact that, this year, these awards have attracted a record 5,000 entries from around the world which included global giants.

Upon receiving the awards, Oman Air's Chief Finance Officer, Japeen Shah, commented, "We are delighted to have received Gold and Bronze awards in the 2010 Vision Awards, and to have been ranked so high in the worldwide and MENA Top 100 lists, which cover all industries.

It is particularly fitting that our annual report achieved the Gold award, as its theme was "Gold Standard", a reflection of Oman Air's commitment to delivering the highest quality in everything we do."

"We expanded our fleet of aircraft, increased our network of exciting destinations, pioneered inflight mobile phone and wi-fi connectivity and introduced a range of great new products and services.

In doing so, we also increased the number of passengers we carried by 38%, cargo carried by 99%, cargo revenues by 238% and overall revenues by 40%, compared with 2009."

This year's success in the 2010 Vision Awards builds on last year's achievements, when Oman Air won Silver and Bronze awards. The Vision Awards process recognises and rewards exemplary annual reporting from across the globe.

Reports submitted are judged across three geographic regions - EMEA (Europe/Middle East/Africa), the Americas and Asia Pacific and the LACP has this year innovated further by introducing regional Top 50 rankings which join an already existing World Top 100 ranking.

Deccan celebrates seven years with fleet expansion

Deccan Aviation Lanka celebrated seven years of active flying in Sri Lankan skies with the introduction of the eight seater GA8 Airvan aircraft and plans to expand its fleet in the coming months in response to the demand for domestic flights.

Deccan Aviation Lanka's plan for its eighth year of operations includes the expansion of both its rotor wing and fixed wing fleet by purchasing and operating new aircraft.

Commenting on the progress of the company, CEO and Director Denham Schokman said, "domestic aviation was confined only to flights between Colombo and Jaffna at the time Deccan launched operations. It was a journey filled with challenges with the war, global recession and high fuel cost. Today we look back with a deep sense of satisfaction at our growth and unblemished safety record, industry and guest endorsement are evidence of our achievements and are a testimony to our team's commitment in delivering the best travel experience in domestic aviation.

With the introduction of the Airvan, Deccan Aviation Lanka steps into its eighth year as the only authorised company in Sri Lanka to operate both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft.Although Sri Lanka's domestic aviation sector is yet in its infancy, Deccan Aviation has assumed a pioneering role in standardising and improving the sector in Sri Lanka.

The company's growth through the years is a reflection of its steady but gradual progress through some of Sri Lanka's difficult political and economic times. On July 2004, Deccan took to the skies for its maiden flight in a Bell 206 BIII JetRanger helicopter.

These efforts were further enhanced in May 2007 when Deccan launched its fixed wing division with a 17 seater Beechcraft 1900C aeroplane and became the only company to operate both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft in Sri Lanka.

In 2008, Deccan entered into a two year contract with First Choice UK to fly their flight crew between Colombo and Male. With the dawn of peace, Deccan was well positioned to serve the increase in numbers of tourists visiting the country.

Emirates' success story moves to Denmark

Emirates has entered a new chapter with the launch of flights to Denmark and the land of famous story teller Hans Christian Andersen. The August 1 launch of a non-stop daily service to Copenhagen takes Emirates' own story into brand new territory as its first passenger service to Scandinavia.

Aboard the inaugural EK 151 from Dubai were Richard Vaughan, the airline's Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide; Salem Obaidalla, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Europe & Russian Federation; Pradeep Kumar, Senior Vice President, Cargo Revenue Optimisation and Systems and Luc Delcomminette, Vice President, Arabian Adventures.

Their guests on the first flight included Claus Rubenius, founder of RUBENIUS; Jens Lund, Chairman of the Danish Business Council in Dubai; Lars Oestergaard Nielsen, Managing Director, Maersk Kanoo (UAE) and an international media group.

"Copenhagen brings a new and exciting dimension to the Emirates' network," said Richard Vaughan, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations Worldwide.

"Emirates' passengers from Scandinavia no longer need to travel to Germany to join our flights. They can travel directly from the Danish capital all the way to the Far East and Australasia, via our ultra-modern hub in Dubai."

The Dubai-Copenhagen route, the airline's 114th destination, will be served by an A330-200 in a three-class configuration. Up to 17 tonnes of cargo can be carried in the belly-hold of each flight.

"This new link opens up Scandinavia for Emirates on the cargo side too," said Pradeep Kumar, Emirates' Senior Vice President, Cargo Revenue Optimisation and Systems.

"We have been sending in freighters to Gothenburg in Sweden since 2003, but this additional channel, feeding into our vast and efficient network, will be welcomed by importers and exporters by offering more frequencies and cargo capacity."

In the cargo hold going into Copenhagen were garments, fruit and vegetables from the Indian subcontinent. On Emirates' first flight out of Denmark, pharmaceuticals are being exported to Australia and the Middle East, along with seafood bound for the Far East.

"The route is great news for the many Danish and Scandinavian businesses that are operating in the growth markets of Southeast Asia, India, and Australia.

"It will also help attracting both business travellers and tourists to Denmark," said Carsten Noerlund, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Copenhagen Airports.

AAI to regulate development fee for all airports

Following the Supreme Court's order terming the Development Fee (DF) charged at Delhi and Mumbai airports illegal, the government has come up with rules prescribing DF rates.

The Airports Authority of India (Major Airports) Development Fee Rules, 2011, specify collection, deposit and utilisation of the DF charged by airports run by both private consortia and the state-owned Airport Authority of India (AAI).

The apex court in April had struck down DF charged at Delhi and Mumbai airport as without any 'authority under law'.

These Rules, notified on August 3, authorise private airport operators to charge DF after an appropriate order to this effect is passed by the airports regulator, Airports Economic Regulatory Authority (AERA).

As of now, both Delhi and Mumbai airports have discontinued levying DF till the time AERA passes an order. Delhi airport charged Rs 200 and Rs 1,300 whereas Mumbai airport charged Rs 100 and Rs 600 for departing domestic and international passenger respectively since 2009.

Indian Express

Special Cathay fares to Bangkok, Singapore

Cathay Pacific Airways is offering special tactical fares for travellers to experience the excitement and diversity of Singapore and Bangkok.

The tickets for the two destinations should be purchased before September 15, and the journey should be performed before September 30.

"The airline conducts flights to Bangkok three times a week - Monday, Wednesday and Friday and four times a week to Singapore - Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, which provides our customers a chance to tailor their travel itinerary in a manner that is convenient to their needs," Cathay Pacific Airways, Colombo, Sales and Marketing Manager Ruhan Abbas said.

Cathay Pacific Airways is represented by Finlays Colombo PLC as General Sales Agent.