AVIATION

Deccan Aviation has 250 helipads

Shirajiv SIRIMANE

Deccan Aviation has intensified its destinations and now has has 250 established helipads all over Sri Lanka and this number is increasing.

Deccan Aviation is the first and only helicopter and aircraft operator in Sri Lanka to have 250 established helipads in the country.

The company is rapidly increasing helipads in the island, especially in the North and East, in line with economic developments taking place.

“We have helipads at various locations which include district secretariat grounds, municipal council grounds, public school grounds, hotel premises, beach land and even golf clubs,” CEO/Director of Deccan Aviation Lanka Denham Schokman said.

Deccan has a fleet of luxury vehicles and trained chauffeurs to provide ground transportation to and from the landing zone to wherever their guests intend on travelling.

The airline also pays a fee for the utilization of the helipads which is a useful contribution to the rural community such as public schools, private land owners and municipal council grounds.

“All helipads are secured and police officials are present to ensure the security of the aircraft and to control crowd from moving too close to the helicopter while the rotors are turning.” When selecting a helipad Deccan personnel check on different attributes such as a 15m x 15m area to land the helicopter, wind direction, approach path and obstructions around the helipad.

“Our guests pay premium for flexibility and comfort and it’s our duty to ensure that we take them directly to their intended location.

“It is very common for us to get a call at late in the night requesting us to fly to a remote location next day at dawn. Our operations team is on standby at all times to visit any location and secure a landing zone irrespective of the time we get the request,” Schokman said.

“Over the past years we have built a reputation based on the sound principles of superior customer care, starting with our personal meet-and “greet services at the airport, and ending with your safe arrival at the intended destination.

We remain committed to leading the industry in every way, from operating the youngest fleet of any domestic airline and rigorous internal and external audits to ensure our technical and service delivery are second-to-none.”

Deccan Aviation Lanka was incorporated in July 2004, as Sri Lanka’s premier private helicopter operator.

The partnership between Deccan Aviation India and the Favourite Group of Sri Lanka gave birth to a new era in private aviation. By early 2007, the company’s success in the rotor wing division led to the launch of its fixed wing charter operations with the introduction of a fleet of Hawker Beechcraft 1,900 aircraft. In May 2011 Deccan Lanka will introduce the eight seater GA8 aircraft for low cost flights throughout Sri Lanka.

Deccan Lanka provides air taxi services to the tourism industry and serves a roster of corporate clientele. Their helicopter and aircraft are based in Colombo. In January 2008 Deccan Lanka launched its airborne medical evacuation service.

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Thai Air to launch new regional airline

Thai Airways said on Friday its new regional airline will start operations in July 2012 to tap strong demand for air traffic in Asia and win back market share in the wake of fierce competition in the region.

The new mid-tier airline will be named Thai Smile, Chairman Ampon Kittiampon told reporters.

In May, the airline said it planned to launch the new airline in March or April 2012. The mid-tier carrier is part of Thai Airways’ expansion plan, an effort to turn itself around after years of losing market share in a region where swelling middle classes, fast economic growth and liberalised air policies provide opportunities for higher earnings. (Reuters)

Emirates offer special student fares to UK

Emirates has once again announced special fares to five points in the United Kingdom for the benefit of Sri Lankan students travelling to that country.

A series of all-inclusive one-way special fares starting from Rs. 51,500 to London and an all-inclusive one year return fare of Rs. 123,700 from Colombo to London have been unveiled by the award-winning Dubai-based international airline. Complementing these special fares, the airline has also increased the baggage allowance by 10kg on Economy Class for students travelling to the UK, increasing their baggage allowance to an extra-generous 40kg.

The other points to which special all-inclusive one-way fares apply are Glasgow, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle.

Special fares to the designated five points are valid for students who purchase tickets before 1st October 2011 and complete outbound travel between 1st September and 15th October 2011.

In addition to special fares and increase in baggage allowance some students travelling to Manchester will also be able to experience travelling on the iconic Emirates A380 Airbus at no extra cost.

“Emirates is a preferred carrier among students travelling overseas because we offer a comprehensive package of good price, great product and convenient connections,” said Emirates’ Sales Manager in Sri Lanka, Devika Ellepola,. “Offering special student fares in Sri Lanka has now become an annual feature at Emirates.”

Students who fly Emirates are also eligible to earn Skywards Miles from Emirates’ frequent flyer programme. These miles can be redeemed for free tickets, upgrades and other benefits.

Susanne Mohamed Anver, a student at the University of Birmingham who regularly flies Emirates said: “Emirates has a pretty impressive baggage allowance.

It’s a blessing to any student flying back to the UK from Sri Lanka.” She said the Emirates website was one of the easiest airline websites she had ever used, and added that she preferred flying Emirates because of the stopover in Dubai.

To be eligible for the special fares from Emirates, students have to be Sri Lanka residents holding valid student visas to the UK and be below 28 years of age.

SpiceJet flies to seven new destinations

SpiceJet, India’s most preferred budget airline announces the commencement of its much-anticipated Q-400 operations by opening bookings for the first phase. In this phase, SpiceJet will connect Hyderabad to seven popular Tier II and Tier III destinations - Aurangabad, Bhopal, Indore, Mangalore, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Vijayawada. The all-inclusive inaugural fare on these routes begins from Rs. 1999.

SpiceJet will be commissioning a brand new fleet of the latest Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft from Bombardier which have been ordered to cater to enhancing the air connectivity to Tier-II and Tier-III towns. The Q400 NextGen turboprop aircraft, which can accommodate 78 passengers, is widely accepted as the best short-haul plane in the world. SpiceJet had placed an order for 30 such aircraft and are in the process of taking delivery of the first 4 aircraft during August.

SpiceJet will also be adding routes within its existing destinations using the Q400 aircraft and will now operate direct flights from Hyderabad to Goa, Madurai, Nagpur and Pune and Bangalore to Vizag. SpiceJet will also be flying on 3 currently unconnected routes “ Hyderabad-Mangalore, Hyderabad-Aurangabad and Vizag-Tirupati.

Announcing this development, Neil Mills, Chief Executive Officer, SpiceJet Limited said, “We decided to strategically focus on improving air connectivity in Tier-II and Tier-III towns as we believe there is a large market in India which is yet to be touched by the benefits of the aviation revolution. With the launch of our Q-400 turbo-prop operations, Maran’s vision to offer extensive domestic coverage to SpiceJet passengers in Tier II and Tier III cities is now being realized. We are very happy to be entering this new phase of growth, which we believe holds the future of the aviation industry in the country.” Hyderabad’s Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) had been chosen as the first base for the regional operations.

The south-central location of Hyderabad reduces flying time to any of the cities in the region making it the most suitable location to connect other cities especially in the South. The location advantages of Hyderabad also allow exploring and developing markets in the west, central and eastern part of the country.

Qantas Engineers for industrial action

Aircraft engineers at Australia’s Qantas Airways will stage one-hour work stoppages for the rest of the year in protest against the airline’s plans to cut jobs and set up new airlines in Asia, a union said on Friday.

The Australian Licensed Aircraft Engineers Association said in a statement the stoppages would last until the week before Christmas but the union would offer to provide Qantas with replacement workers to make up any shortfall.

The replacements would only work on overtime pay, a strategy aimed at hurting Qantas financially though saving customers from any disruption.