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| Sunday, 2 October 2005 |
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Travel Jet Airways mulls second flight to Colombo by Surekha Galagoda Jet Airways is exploring the possibility of launching a second flight to Colombo from next year. At present the Airline flies daily to Colombo from Chennai and the traffic is increasing daily said Vice President Passenger/Cargo Sales of Jet Airways P.K. Sinha who was in Colombo last week. He said that Colombo was the first international destination Jet Airways started flying to one-and-a-half years ago and Sri Lanka and its people will always be close to our heart. We have never looked back and are progressing steadily since trade and commerce between the two countries is growing steadily which has lead to the increase in traffic between the two countries. Sinha said that regional tourism can also be marketed by Sri Lanka and India if we can offer a twin destination product to Europeans and Australians as this area has a lot of potential to grow. At present Jet Airways flies to Nepal, Singapore, Malaysia and London (from Mumbai to London). This winter we will start operating a second flight from Delhi to London. We at Jet Airways believe in climbing the ladder slowly and steadily, therefore we will launch the Delhi London flight in the winter, watch the market and launch the second flight to Colombo. Our major expansion plan will be launched in 2007. We have invested heavily on training our Engineers and Pilots as our primary motto is ensuring safety. Jet Airways has built two aircraft simulators to train pilots and have built two hangers in Mumbai and Delhi. By ensuring safety the consumer's confidence grows rapidly, he said. The Airline commenced operations on May 5, 1993 and has been repeatedly adjudged the best domestic airline. It has won several national and international awards. The current fleet of Jet Airways consist of B737 New and next generation aircraft Airbus 340-300 and modern Turbo prop ATR 72 -500 aircraft. The airline has flown over 53.4 million passengers since its inception in May 1993 until May 2005. During the financial year April 2004-March 2005 the airline carried over eight million passengers. Over 22% of the passenger revenue earnings are from overseas passenger sales. Jet Airways operates over 275 flights daily to 48 destinations. The Chairman of Jet Airways Naresh Goyal has over 37 years' experience in the Civil Aviation industry. He is the recipient of several national and international awards. He has also been selected to the Board of Governors of the International Air Transport Association for two years ending June 2006. This is the first time a Chairman of a private airline of India has been elected to IATA's Board of Governors consisting of 31 members. ############# Malaysia Airlines welcomes Worldhotels Malaysia Airlines through its Loyalty and Frequent Flyer Program, Enrich welcomed Worldhotels as its 43rd partner. The latest addition brings the number of Enrich participating hotel partners to 23. For Worldhotels, the national carrier is its 11th partner. The latest association is part of the airline's on-going efforts to enhance its product offerings and partnerships with business partners that have strong credibility, thereby reinforcing Malaysia Airlines as a leading product brand. The agreement on this collaboration was signed by Assistant General Manager Marketing Support Malaysia Airlines, YM Raja Nordiana Zainal Shah and Asia Pacific Vice President Worldhotels, Roland Jegge. "This partnership inevitably enhances the value proposition for both our membership clientele. Our worldwide existence and widespread reach of our brands not only broadens our market share but also expands our revenue stream and enhances customer loyalty between our brands. "By offering Worldhotels as a participating Enrich partner, our members can enjoy its widespread membership benefits in particular the luxury hotel Deluxe Collection which befits Enrich as a premium lifestyle brand," YM Raja Nordiana said. Asia Pacific Vice President Worldhotels Roland Jegge said, "We see significant marketing benefits for both our member hotels and for Malaysia Airlines through this strategic alliance with one of Asia's leading airlines that has recently been accorded five Star Airline status. "This is yet again part of Worldhotels' continuing drive to expand brand presence and customer base in the frequent flyer market segment." This collaboration also further reinforces Malaysia Airlines' brand appeal in the tourism and hospitality industry. ################ SriLankan Air Taxi begins flights to Bentota, Koggala SriLankan Air Taxi, the domestic arm of SriLankan Airlines, will begin daily scheduled return flights from Colombo to Bentota and Koggala from November 1, providing a further boost to the country's tourism industry. "This service is intended to coincide with the Winter tourist season, and is expected to greatly assist hoteliers and tour operators in the southwestern and southern resort areas in marketing their products," said Herman Pereira, Manager Air Taxi at SriLankan. "Our amphibious aircraft will carry passengers from Colombo to Bentota in comfort in less than half an hour, and on to Koggala in another 40 minutes." In comparison, a road trip to Bentota can take up to three hours and up to four hours to Koggala. Flights depart the Bandaranaike International Airport at 6.30 am, arrive at the Bentota River at 7.05 am and get to Koggala Air Force Base at 7.45 am. The return flights depart Koggala at 8.30 am and Bentota at 9.10 am and touch down at BIA at 9.45 am. ############# SriLankan Cargo opens office in Abu Dhabi SriLankan Cargo recently opened its newest office in Abu Dhabi to provide a more rapid and convenient service to its customers in the Middle East where its operations continue to expand. The new office at the Cargo Terminal in Abu Dhabi Airport, supports SriLankan Cargo's enhanced operations to the Middle East, especially its increased frequencies into Abu Dhabi. The airline earlier this year expanded its cargo carrying capacity throughout the Middle Eastern region with the introduction of larger-capacity wide-bodied Airbus A330 aircraft on most of its Middle Eastern flights, replacing the smaller A320 aircraft. "The new Abu Dhabi office is expected to play an important part in supporting SriLankan Cargo's concept of using Colombo as 'a Hub in the Ocean' connecting the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Far East," said Head of Cargo at SriLankan Nalin Rodrigo. SriLankan Airlines also has traffic rights for four return flights between Abu Dhabi and Doha and three between Abu Dhabi and Bahrain. SriLankan has also increased frequencies into Dubai to 10 per week (two on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and one on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), from its earlier daily frequency. SriLankan now offers customers fast and convenient access to the giant Chinese market, having recently expanded its operations into China with thrice weekly A330 flights from Colombo to Beijing via Bangkok. ############## Emirates wins Conde Nast Readers Award Readers of Conde Nast Traveller Magazine in the UK voted Emirates their favourite airline for 'Business Travel' at the eighth annual awards held in London recently. The Dubai-based international carrier beat of stiff competition from other airlines, toppling last year's winner Singapore Airlines into second place and British Airways to third, to claim the top accolade in the Business Travel category. Emirates achieved high scores in all criteria including service/staff, range of routes catering, in-flight entertainment, punctuality/efficiency and luggage handling. Emirates' Manager UK South Majid Al Mualla said: 'While Emirates has won many awards in its 20-year history, there is nothing more satisfying for us than winning those awards which are voted for by airline passengers-our customers. The Conde Nast Reader's Travel Award is one such honour and a massive endorsement for our UK business. Winning this award serves to underline our efforts, at Emirates, to set new standards of customer service and care-both on the ground and in the air.' Emirates also polled the highest score for its in-flight entertainment in the 'Long -Haul Leisure Airline' category. Regarded as UK's most prestigious travel awards event, the Conde Nast
Readers Awards was attended by key figures in the UK travel and transport
industry. |
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