Cruise ship Starstar Libra gets "detained"

Malaysian passenger vessel 'Star Libra' was Tuesday held at the Kadamat island on court orders following a petition by a Mumbai-based couple seeking compensation for the accidental drowning of their baby in November. The Lakshadweep Iceland Administration Tuesday 'arrested' the vessel on the orders of the Kerala High Court. Later, it was released and allowed to proceed to Mumbai after its officials furnished a Rs.1 million bank guarantee to the court. Under the international maritime laws, a ship is regarded as a person and could be arrested on court orders, said experts. The couple, Mehul Shah and Natasha Shah, had moved a Malaysian court, seeking $10-million compensation from the vessel's firm Star Cruises.

Their 14-month-old baby, Neuna, had drowned off the Kadamat Island near Lakshadweep after a vessel transporting her to the island from the luxury liner capsized. Joy Thattil, the counsel for the Shahs, said that the couple approached the high court to become the first claimant over the compensation and the court passed the order for the arrest of the cruise liner last week. 'Now the Shahs would get the first lien (claim), even if there are other cases filed in any other country for the accident,' said Thattil. 'The arrest took place at the Kadamat Island by the officials of the island administrators today morning and after they furnished a bank guarantee of Rs.10 lakhs in the Kerala High Court it was allowed to travel to Mumbai,' said Thattil.

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Old Himachal hill road to be revived

An old mountain road in Himachal Pradesh passing through some spectacular Himalayan terrain is to be revived to attract travellers. The Hindustan-Tibet Road, built during the British colonial rule to connect Shimla to the Tibetan plateau, passes through Shimla and Kinnaur districts. Long stretches of the road, immortalised by writer Rudyard Kipling in his classic 'Kim', lie in neglect, with the new Hindustan Tibet road carved out years later. The new road passes through the lower altitudes and does not have to be closed for long periods during the winter snowfall, which usually results in closure of the old road. But adventure seekers, including foreign tourists, can still be seen taking the old route, which offers far more spectacular views of the forests and valleys.

Sensing the potential of the old road to attract large numbers of tourists, the tourism department has chalked out a project to widen and improve the high altitude route. 'We have prepared a Rs.500 million plan to improve the old Hindustan-Tibet road and sent it for approval to the central government for funding,' said P.S. Draik, additional director in the tourism department. According to the plan, a 170-km stretch of road will be improved. This runs from the resort town of Narkanda, winding through lesser-known places such as Baagi, Khadrala, Sarahan to Wangtoo, to where it joins the new road in Kinnaur valley. Officials say several little-known scenic spots located on this road have the potential to attract trekkers and tourists in large numbers.

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J & K to promote Buddhist monasteries

Jammu and Kashmir plans to showcase the magnificent Buddhist monasteries of Ladakh region in Asian countries to attract more foreign tourists. 'Life-size pictures of the monasteries and their historical background will be sent to China, Japan, Malaysia and South Korea,' Tourism Minister Dillawar Mir said. Jammu and Kashmir had recorded over 300,000 tourist arrivals till June 2006, before a grenade attack on tourists killed 15 of them and wounded 60. This led to fear, severely affecting tourist traffic in the last six months of 2006. The tourism department wants to project Kashmir as a beautiful and safe destination, and rich in handicrafts and cultural heritage. 'The state has temples and shrines of all faiths. We are proud of our cultural heritage and want to showcase it to attract tourists,' said Mir.

The minister admitted that so far efforts were directed at wooing tourists from Europe and the West. He stressed that they would now aim at attracting people from Asia, particularly southeast and central Asia. Mir said that a two-day Kashmir Festival would be organised at the Press Club of India in New Delhi starting Feb 17 to highlight Kashmiri handicrafts, cuisine and horticulture products. Stalls at the fest would give live demonstrations of handicrafts like woodcarving, needlework and Basholi paintings, with craftsmen coming from Ladakh and other regions of Jammu and Kashmir. Special stalls would be set up for the sale of horticulture produce like apples, walnuts, apricots, saffron, fruit juices and olive oil. Chefs would prepare mouth-watering Kashmiri cuisine.

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Fog throws Delhi out of gear

A dense fog added to the Delhiites' Monday morning blues as the national capital was fogged up for the third consecutive day, affecting road and rail services. Flight schedules, however, were untouched. Early morning visibility dropped to below 100 metres, leading to traffic slowdown on most roads, with vehicles forced to move at 15 km an hour during the peak traffic hour - 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. "Road traffic is affected for the third day and there were some minor accidents in east Delhi," said a police official. Commuters complained of being inconvenienced. "Monday mornings are always rushed and fog compounded the problem. The road visibility was less than 70 meters in Mayur Vihar, Noida Mode and Pragati Maidan," Rajesh Srivastava, who travels to Paharganj from Noida, said. Savita Sengupta, another commuter, said she lost her way near Shanti Path in the heart of the city.

"The visibility was really poor just before 8 a.m. and I just could not see the vehicles in front of me. Instead of turning into Shanti Path, I took some other road and was delayed by 20 minutes on my way to office," she said. Over a dozen long-distance trains, most of them New Delhi-bound, were also delayed by several hours. Trains like the Mumbai Rajdhani Express, the Patna Sampark Kranti Express, the Farakka Express, the Shiv Ganga Express and the Purva Express were delayed by two to five hours. Flight schedules were "almost normal". "The runway visibility was over 1,000 metres this morning. Barring a couple of flights, almost all were on time," said an airport official. However, runway visibility dropped to 500 meters at 8 a.m., leading to minor delays in the case of some domestic flights.

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Ban on mobiles in Taj Mahal lifted

Tourists visiting the Taj Mahal can now carry their mobile phones inside the world heritage site but have to keep them in switched off mode, an official of the paramilitary Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) said. Earlier a total ban on mobile phones was in place in view of the terrorist threats, said CISF Deputy Commandant Khamo Singh. Tourists can now carry biscuits and other snacks but they should not litter around, she said. 'People would not be permitted to organise picnics. They must ensure that the used packets were not thrown around but dumped in the dustbins provided,' Singh added. 'We expect the travel agents to brief tourists what they could carry and what they were not supposed to do in the Taj Mahal. This will also help us better monitor security checks and perhaps reduce some burden on our personnel,' she said.

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Air India team to finalise $6 billion loan

A team from Air India will be going to Washington soon to formalise documentation for availing itself of a $6-billion loan from the US Exim Bank for purchase of Boeing aircraft. "The team will work on preparing all operative documents for Air India and Air India Express including the master lease agreement that would see the aircraft being leased to a Special Purpose Vehicle from which they would join the respective airlines," sources said. The loan constitutes about 85% of the cost of the aircraft with the airline tying up the rest of finances from commercial banks. Official sources added that the formalisation of the documentation would help the airline avail itself of the first tranche of $1.4 billion loan for acquiring 17 aircraft including 10 Boeing 737-800 and seven Boeing 777.

The loan will be of a 12-year tenure. Apart from Air India officials, the team will include lawyers from ABN Amro, ICICI and State Bank of India (SBI). In April 2005, the airline board approved a proposal to acquire 68 Boeing aircraft including 27 Boeing 787, 8 B 777-200 Long Range and 15 B777-300 Extended Range aircraft and 18 Boeing 737-800 aircraft for the 100% subsidiary, Air India Express. While the Boeing 737-800 aircraft will be used by Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of AI, the other aircraft being purchased will be utilised by the Maharaja to operate on existing and new routes. Air India is purchasing aircraft after a gap of more than 10 years. The airline has relied on leased capacity to meet its demand during the period.

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Air traffic affected at Kolkata due to fog

Air traffic was affected on Monday at the N S C Bose International airport in Kolkata due to dense fog for the second consecutive day. Airport sources said the thick blanket of fog affected air traffic to and from Kolkata for about four hours in the morning. A Spice Jet flight to Hyderabad was the last one to take off from the city at 6:10 am (IST), airlines sources said. Among international flights, Air India's plane from Jeddah with Haj pilgrims had to be diverted to Nagpur.The clearance for the operation of flights was obtained after 10:00 am as the weather conditions improved.The delay in the morning hours is likely to affect movement of several flights during the day.

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Low cost carriers yet to tap inflight advertising revenue

Globally, low cost airlines have succeeded in boosting their ancillary revenue through in-flight advertisements, but Indian carriers are yet to take off on this front in a big way. Except for Air Deccan which has been advertising products like ICICI Bank credit cards and VIP luggage, and Kingfisher which had earlier tied up with Pepsi, other airlines like Spicejet, GoAir, and Jet Airways are yet to make much headway in this. Surabhi Chawla, an aviation analyst with Angel Broking, says that globally, airlines garner nearly 14-20% of their revenues through in-flight advertisements. However such advertising has been lagging behind in India since premium brands, which are normally advertised on board, are beyond the reach of the average air traveller in India at present, especially after the successful entry of low cost carriers (LCCs).

Says Sandip Shenoy, an industry analyst, “Advertisers of premium products like Christian Dior would not mind giving a small bottle of perfume free to the air-travellers. However, the scenario is different in India.” Sachin Khandelwal, head-cards product group in the ICICI Bank says the product has gained a lot of visibility on Air Deccan flights. The company has done in-flight promotion of the card through headrest in 72 aircraft flying to all the domestic destinations. “There is a good mix of salaried and self-employed travellers flying the airline, and that suits our target customers.” Private carriers are now looking at attracting advertisers in their flights. Says Siddhanth Sharma, CEO, Spicejet, “We are certainly looking forward to boost our auxiliary revenue. We are in talks with firms like Cafe Coffee Day to introduce in-flight advertisements.”

Adds Sanjay Kumar, vice-president, sales and marketing for the airline confirms that at present there are no offers from luxury product advertisers to run promotional campaigns in-flight. “We cannot compromise on the brand image of our airlines by promoting other brands rather then premium products. We shall advertise on baggage tags, and might use headrest as a display space.” Kapil Kaul of CAPA (Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation) adds that in-flight advertisements are poised to grow with the growth in the aviation sector. Warwick Brady, COO, Air Deccan considers in-flight advertising a serious business. The airline earns around Rs 36 crore annually through in-flight advertising.

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Government likely to introduce visa-on-arrival soon

In a bid to ease visa norms, the Government is likely to introduce visa-on-arrival facility at Indian airports soon. Tourism minister Ambika Soni said the facility would be made available as soon as infrastructure at major airports like Delhi and Mumbai had been upgraded. "In my interaction with the ministries of home affairs and civil aviation, I was told that there was not enough infrastructure at major airports for visa-on-arrival. But once these are in place, then visa on arrival facility can be considered," the minister said. Soni added that her ministry had approached the finance ministry for tax incentives and was hoping to get some relief. Soni was speaking at the National Tourism Awards function held recently.

Amongst the recipients were Champaner-Pawagarh archaeological park for the best maintained tourist friendly monument and the Panna national park that received the award for the best maintained tourist friendly national park. Kerala topped the hospitality sector by bagging three awards - for best state in tourism, innovative use of tourism website and rural tourism. The best rural tourism award was shared by Kerala and Orissa for their development of villages of Aranmula and Raghurajpur. Among the north-eastern states, Sikkim stood out as the best tourist destination.

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Railways approve 20 budget hotels for Commonwealth Games

Ahead of the anticipated rush of tourists during the Commonwealth Games 2010, the Railway Ministry has given the green signal to 20 sites for construction of low-cost budget hotels for mid-class spenders. Tourism Ministry sources said a proposal was sent for about 100 sites across the country out of which 20 have been assessed as suitable for the construction of low cost hotels. Construction agencies have been allotted the contracts and work will start soon, the sources said. "A stay in the five-stars can cost one 2000 dollars. There are a very few of those who can afford such a high amount, and those who can, do not find a room here. Such is the state of shortage of rooms in India," Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said.

The Tourism Ministry anticipates a shortage of 150,000 rooms, out which 30,000 rooms would be required in the National Capital Territory of Delhi alone during the Commonwealth Games rush. Eager to cash in on sports tourism, the Ministry is having sleepless nights on a rather subdued response to its call for budget hotels. It has gone to the extent of promising tax rebate to the houses that can give bed and breakfast facility to the tourists. The Minister said she was looking forward to private players pitching in to make up for the room shortage by creating budget hotels.

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J & K Govt. plans more security for tourists

The Jammu and Kashmir government is planning to deploy more security forces at tourist destinations and resorts to protect visitors. 'The government will take all measures to offer security to tourists visiting the valley. They are our guests and it is our duty to save them from militant attacks,' state Tourism Minister Mohammad Dillawar Mir said. He said that 15 tourists were killed and over 60 wounded in grenade attacks by militants in Srinagar, Gulmarg and Ganderbal areas of the valley in 2006. 'More security forces, particularly paramilitary forces, will be deployed to ensure that such attacks are not repeated,' said Mir. Nearly 300,000 tourists had visited the Kashmir Valley till June 2006. But a spate of attacks that followed drastically reduced the flow of tourists. Mir added that several schemes have been launched to bring more tourists to the region. He, however, said that incidents taking place in Kashmir were 'overplayed and sensationalized' by the media that scared away those desirous of visiting the valley.

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Tata's stake in SpiceJet may rise to 15%

Tata group's investment arm Tata Investment Corporation Ltd is likely to increase its stake in SpiceJet from 7% to 11%, which is further likely to increase to 15%, a highly placed industry source said. On January 11, 2006, Spicejet approved the 25% issue of fresh shares worth $72 million. With the dilution, the stake held by the Kansagara family, has come down from 17% to 13%. SpiceJet increased its equity base from Rs 185 crore to Rs 242 crore through this fresh issue.

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Air Deccan flies into profit zone

Improved margins during the busy winter season have helped low-cost carrier Air Deccan to come into the black for the first time, with a net profit of Rs 9.64 crore for the second quarter ended December 31’06. The airline had notched up a loss of Rs 43 crore in the July-September’06 quarter. Net income from operations rose 32.39% on a sequential basis to Rs 474.89 crore. The profit was aided by income of Rs 132 crore from the assignment of aircraft purchase rights to Investec bank of the UK. This is the second tranche of payment from the $100m raised by the airline in November last year. Commenting on the performance, CEO Capt GR Gopinath said, "The airline carried 16.4 lakh passengers in the quarter compared to 8.3 lakh in the September-December '05 period."

He added, though this profit is due to the other income, we aim to register an operating profit soon. Our passenger loads have been growing steadily and this quarter we have again nudged past Indian Airlines to become the second largest airline in terms of market share. The company has achieved a market share of 19.7%. The average yield per passenger stood at Rs 2,615 showing a YoY growth of 4% over Rs 2,512 in the same period of previous fiscal. Margins have grown to Rs 2,615 per passenger during the period compared to Rs 2,512 last year. The airline hopes to fly 8.1 million passengers this year. Director (finance) Mohan Kumar says: “Our Q2 revenue moved up 19% mainly on account of cost controls.

Our cost per seat kilometre is Rs 3.18, which is amongst the lowest in the country.” Mr Kumar added, “While it takes about 10–12 months for every new route to mature, Kandla, Kullu & Pathankot launched this quarter have already turned profitable, with increased load factors. All the three destinations are unconnected by any other airline. The key is better route planning which leads to enhanced fleet utilization and better yields.” Air Deccan inducted four Airbus A320 planes in the period under consideration. It has added 24 new routes, 38 new flights and 6 new destinations including 3 monopoly sectors to its network this quarter. Air Deccan launched its eighth aircraft base at Ahmedabad in November.

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Rajasthan plans to open biodiversity project to tourists

Rajasthan, a major tourist destination, is set to open up a forested area near Jaipur as a biodiversity attraction in the desert state. 'We have developed the forest area of Jhalana under the Rajasthan biodiversity project with an investment of Rs.3 million,' Devendra Bhardwaj, regional forest officer, said. Being promoted as a prime attraction for tourists, the area would have a deer park spread over 60 hectares. There are about 50 deer and plans are to bring in 50 more. Visitors would also be able to catch a glimpse of several other animals like monkeys, hyenas, foxes, sambhar and blue bulls. The southern part of the park has been developed to attract migrant birds from all over the world and a forest lodge is being converted into a rest house for tourists. The Jhalana forest park is home to over 30 rare species of medicinal plants and visitors will be able to get more information about their uses. 'The entry tariffs for tourists and their vehicles are still to be finalised. A detail proposal in this regard has been sent to the state government,' Bhardwaj said.

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Kerala is "the best tourist destination in the country"

Kerala received three awards for its tourism promotion programme, including as the best tourist destination in the country. Kerala's tourism department's project in Aranmula village - famous for its handcrafted metal mirroris - in Pathanamthitta district was awarded for the best rural tourism project in the country. Orissa shared the award in this category for its initiative in Raghurajpur village, which has successfully preserved its heritage while promoting tourism. Kerala was also recognised for its innovative use of information technology for tourism projects. Sikkim received the award for the best tourism project in the North East. Distributing the awards on the occasion of National Tourism Day, Tourism Minister Ambika Soni said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government has recognised tourism as an industry.

She said her ministry had been working hard to get the taxation regime rationalised, which would help the industry to grow faster. 'We are trying to resolve the various troubles the industry is facing. Once the airports in Mumbai and Delhi get modernised, we would be able to introduce visa on arrival for some countries,' Soni assured. The tourism awards have been instituted to give recognition to the travel industry for its outstanding performances, nationally, in various tourism segments, interests and also based on its revenue earnings, services and facilities. The three new awards, which were introduced this year for the best chefs were given to Manjit Singh Gill of ITC Welcomegroup in Gurgaon (Lifetime achievement award), Hemant Oberoi of Diplomatic Enclave in New Delhi (Chef of the year) and Madhu W Krishnan of ITC Grand Maratha Sheraton in Mumbai (Lady chef of the year).

The best hotel awards went to the Oberoi Amarvilas in Agra (Five Star Deluxe),Taj Residency in Bangalore (Five star classified five star), ITC Hotel Grand Maratha Sheraton and Towers in Mumbai (Five Star Deluxe with facilities for the physically challeneged), Gateway Hotel on Residency Road in Bangalore (Four Star), the Brunton Boatyard in Kochi (Three Star), the Dessert Resort-Mandawa in Rajasthan (Two Star)Hotel Fifty Five (One Star). The Leela Palace Kempinski in Bangalore is the best eco friendly five star deluxe hotel while the Marari Beach in Kerala's Allappuzha district won a special award in the same category.

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Tourism Minister clarifies "Goody no official guest"

The Indian government Thursday clarified that the controversial British TV star Jade Goody, accused of hurling racist abuses at Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, would not be an official guest if she visits the country, but could come and 'cleanse' herself. Goody, who has reportedly approached the Indian high commission in Britain for a visa after the country's tourism office invited her, can visit India 'just like any other tourist', said Tourism Minister Ambika Soni. 'It (the advertisement appeared in London newspapers inviting Goody to India) was an open invitation. It was asking her to come and see the wellness facilities we have here and that she could come and clear herself of the racist feelings she has,' Soni said. Reports suggested that Goody's acceptance of the invitation had put the government in a dilemma over playing host to her after New Delhi officially expressed its displeasure at her racist remarks during the Channel 4 reality TV show 'Celebrity Big Brother'.

But Soni clarified that there was no official invitation for the British TV star. 'We have told her to visit India, visit Kerala and enjoy the facilities we have, which had cleansed even greater racists. So she is just a small fry. She should come here and cleanse herself,' Soni said. 'Anyone is welcome to India. It is up to the high commission to decide whether a tourist should be given visa,' the minister added. But sources in the tourism ministry said Soni had sought an explanation from the Indian tourism office in London and Ireland for issuing an advertisement inviting Goody to India without consulting her. 'The minister was not at all aware of the advertisement or the invitation. She does not know who asked the UK office to put out such an advertisement,' said an official in the minister's office. The advertisement in London papers asked Goody, who has since apologised to Shetty for the remarks, to visit the country and experience its healing nature.

Responding with alacrity to the invite, the former dental nurse who has been voted out of the reality show, approached the Indian high commission in London for a visa. The Indian government is at a loss and doesn't quite know what to do. 'How can the tourism office invite a person against whom our foreign office had expressed disapproval?' asked a senior Congress leader. 'The tourism ministry should have contacted others before making such a move,' he added. Government officials fear that Goody's arrival could create serious trouble for them. 'Through television channels, everyone in India knows every detail about the controversy. Goody is not a star who will attract welcoming crowds. People will be hostile.'And since she has accepted the ministry's invitation, we are bound to provide protection to her. How can we do it? She cannot be a state guest? She cannot just come and go unnoticed. The media will not let it happen,' an official said.

Officially, the tourism ministry says that its foreign offices are free to advertise on their own. 'Our offices abroad are free to give advertisements,' said Amitabh Kant, a joint secretary in the tourism ministry. Although Kant insisted that it would not be proper for him to make any comment on the issue, he said: 'Anybody who can obtain a visa can visit the country.' Some in the tourism ministry are asking what is the big deal. 'The advertisement was for everyone and our country welcomes everyone to enjoy our culture and experience,' said one official who did not want to be named. 'Why should Jade Goody be given special treatment? We need to ensure the safety of all foreigners who visit our country,' he said.

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India Tourism to open office in China

With an eye on tapping spiritual tourism potential of China, the tourism ministry is planning to open its representative office there to showcase Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India. This was announced by tourism secretary A K Misra at a conference "Positioning India as a Hub for Buddhist Tourism" organised by FICCI at Delhi. He said the Chinese version of Incredible India website, to promote India as an attractive destination among the Chinese, will be formally launched on the visit of Chinese tourism minister on February 12. Stating that the tourism ministry plans to attract largely Buddhist South Asian tourists to Buddhist sites here, Misra observed India Tourism overseas offices in Singapore and Tokyo are already promoting Buddhist circuits in a big way.

Beijing will be 14th overseas office of India Tourism after New York, Los Angeles, Frankfurt, Milan, Toronto, Dubai, London, Johannesburg, Amsterdam, Sydney, Paris, Tokyo and Singapore. All important Buddhist destinations now will be covered by the a "Bodh Parikarma Train" which is going to be launched on March 28 this year, he said. The FICCI in a five point programme presented to the government said if Buddhist tourism circuits are properly developed, number of tourists visiting India would multiply by five and earnings could be well over Rs 4500 crore. According to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) estimates, China will have biggest outbound market by 2020 with 100 million Chinese travelling out every year. Presently, this is limited to 12 million outbound travellers a year.

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SpiceJet launches "Freedom to Fly" fares

SpiceJet, the fastest growing and the most efficient no frills airline with respect to load factor, turnaround time, high reliability & customer care has unveiled its exciting promotional offer on the occasion of 58th Republic Day of India. Under this offer, the air travelers can avail 99,999 seats at an unbelievable price of 99 paisa applicable on traveling between 15th February 2007 to 15th April 2007. These promotional seats will be available on all SpiceJet routes spanning across 14 destinations with 84 daily flights. Within its two years of operations, SpiceJet has achieved many landmarks in the aviation industry. The airline recently crossed 3 million passengers mark since its inception on May 23, 2005. SpiceJet achieved this milestone with its 10 new generation Boeing 737 – 800 aircrafts, making it the only domestic airline with the highest average of 3 lakh passengers per aircraft.

Spreading its wings all across major cities and adding flights on a regular basis between various destinations; the airline has been termed as the most preferred airline in the country. Announcing this special offer, SpiceJet’s CEO, Mr. Siddhanta Sharma said, “There can not be any better way to celebrate the 58th Republic day of India, than giving the citizens of India Freedom to Fly at 99 paisa. This is also a small gesture of thanks giving to all those passengers who rendered their valuable support to us.” With an overall market share of 9%, SpiceJet remains an undisputed leader in load factor among all the domestic airlines. Even in the existing foggy conditions, SpiceJet achieved one of the highest load factors of 88 percent in December 2006. It also holds a record for highest load factor achieved by any airline based in India, with all time high 95.4 percent passenger load factor achieved on April 18, 2006.

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India records significant growth in tourist arrivals

India had a significant growth in the number of foreign tourists visiting the country last year, say official figures. According to the tourism ministry, foreign tourist arrivals increased from 3.92 million in 2005 to 4.43 million in 2006, an increase of 14.2 percent. 'Foreign exchange earnings from tourism have also shown a phenomenal growth from $5.73 billion in 2005 to $6.569 billion in 2006, achieving an increase of 14.6 percent,' the ministry said in a note. 'Condenast Traveller, the world's leading travel and tourism journal, has ranked India amongst the top four preferred holiday destinations in the world,' the note said. The Association of British Travel Agency has also ranked India as number one among the top 50 places for 2006.

The country has been awarded as Asia's leading destination by the World Travel Awards. The Incredible India campaign itself has been ranked as the highest Recall Advertisement worldwide by the Travel and Leisure magazine. Although official figures are not out yet, tourism ministry officials say domestic tourism also continues to be upbeat. The ministry has also introduced 'Incredible India Bed and Breakfast Establishments' that will make rooms available with Indian families at affordable costs. It has launched an integrated international media campaign covering Europe, the US, Canada, Australia, the Far East and the Asia Pacific to promote India as a must-see destination.

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Discounts being offered on 'Heritage on Wheels'

To woo tourists, the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corp (RTDC) has come out with discount packages for trips on 'Heritage on Wheels', a luxury tourist train. Tickets for the train, run jointly by Indian Railways and the RTDC, will come with a 10 percent concession for newly weds. The couples will also get special hospitality, said officials. The coaches in which the couples are will be specially decorated. A 15 percent concession will be given for 15-member groups while diplomats and their staff can enjoy 10 percent cuts. "The discounts will be valid till April," RTDC managing director Rakesh Saini said.

For single occupancy, the tariff per night is $300 while for double and triple occupancy the tariff is $200 and $150 respectively. The Heritage on Wheels, launched in February last year, travels through the unexplored regions of Bikaner and Shekhawati - famous for a large concentration of high quality frescoes. During its three-night-four-day tour starting from Jaipur, the train covers Bikaner, Haat, Gajner, Tal Chhapar, Ramgarh, Nawalgarh and Mandawa before terminating at Jaipur. The train has nine carriages, all decorated with Rajasthani art. The RTDC, along with the Indian Railways, also runs an internationally acclaimed "Palace on Wheels" train.

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Ooty to host Tea and Tourism festival 2007

A two-day 'Tea and Tourism festival 2007' will get underway at the open air stadium near the government botanical gardens on February 3rd at Ooty. Organizations and associations like the Nilgiri Hoteliers and Restaurant Owners Association, Tea Board, Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation, The Industrial Co-operative Tea Factories, United Planters Association of South India and the Small Tea Growers Association will participate in the conference, an official press release said. 'Romance with tea' would be the festival theme, which would be given wide publicity through posters, stickers and logos. Tea stalls would be set up where tourists can taste and buy different flavours of Nilgiri tea. One lakh nilgiri tea sachets would be disributed free of cost to tourists, it said. Besides entertainment and cultural programmes, tourists could travel in open air buses to various tourist spots. Special trains would run from Udhagamandalam to Runneymade station near Coonoor, the release said.

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Scrapping of Regional Plan may hit tourism in Goa

The scrapping of the controversial Regional Plan, 2011 may adversely affect Goa's tourism industry and slow down the pace of investment in the hospitality sector, according to experts. Two years ago, Goa had released the Tourism Masterplan 2004, a document outlining the vision for future growth of tourism. Several provisions of this document were included in the Regional Plan, which has now been denotified by the Goa government after strong protests from several quarters. "The Plan had envisaged robust tourism growth in the state, which is facing accomodation scarcity and becoming an expensive holiday destination," Nitin Kuncolienkar, President, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said. The Plan, notified in August 2006, had proposed relaxation in rules to facilitate further residential and commercial constructions in coastal areas.

Its denotification may queer the pitch for further investments by the hospitality sector which has put in Rs 35,000 crore during the last two decades, experts said. "We have a shortage of a minimum of 5,000 hotel rooms. If there is a ban on further development and constructions, how can we manage to make up with this shortage ?" asked Nitin Kuncolienkar. GCCI's 'Goa Agenda', a comprehensive report on the state's tourism activities released a few months ago, quotes a 1989 study recommending a maximum hotel bed capacity of 46,000 in coastal areas. The figure is whopping, as according to 2003 statistics, the state has a bed capacity of 34,914 of which two-third was in the coastal areas.

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Jet Airways starts daily flights to Bangkok

Jet Airways, one of India's largest private airlines, Tuesday launched two new international flights linking Delhi and Kolkata to Bangkok. "Bangkok is the 50th destination on our network and our third destination within the ASEAN region," Wolfgang Prock-Schauer, chief executive officer, Jet Airways, said after the arrival of a Jet flight in Bangkok from Delhi Tuesday. "The strengthening of economic ties between the two nations will see a marked increase in both business and tourist traffic and hence this is our effort to provide travellers with convenient connections," he added. "The 14 daily direct flights between India and Thailand will be operated with the new generation Boeing 737-800 aircraft with winglets," an official spokesperson of Jet Airways said. As part of its inaugural offer, Jet Airways has introduced a special return economy class inaugural airfare starting at Rs.6,500 on the Kolkata-Bangkok-Kolkata sector, while economy fares start at Rs.13,500 on the Delhi-Bangkok-Delhi sector. The
fares are exclusive of taxes.

The return airfare for club premiere for the Delhi-Bangkok sector ranges from Rs.28,500 to Rs.38,000 while on the Kolkata-Bangkok sector it is between Rs.18,500 and Rs.26,000. Jet Airways has also announced a companion free offer for club premiere passengers on the Delhi-Bangkok-Delhi sector until March 31, 2007. The 'club premiere' tickets must be purchased by Feb 15 for travel until March 31, 2007, an official spokesperson for the airlines said. Jet Airways operates over 330 daily flights to 50 places covering various destinations in India. It also operates flights to outside India, including London, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Colombo, Bangkok and Kathmandu. The airline plans to extend its international operations to North America, Europe, Africa and Asia in the coming years with the induction of wide-body aircraft into its fleet in 2007.

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Varanasi struggles to cope with pollution

It is a question of 2.4 million empty plastic bottles dumped on a helpless city, and Varanasi, the cultural capital of India, doesn't even have regular garbage collection! The Hindu holy city along the Ganges attracts roughly 2.5 million tourists annually, out of which 40,000 are foreigners. By simple calculation, for a stay of two days, every tourist requires on an average three bottles of water. This works out to a staggering 2.4 million empty bottles per year. Navneet Raman, convenor of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) in Varanasi, pointed out the various problems besetting the city of temples. Pollution. Degradation. These are a few of the terms which have come to be associated with the beautiful city that was once described with only adjectives like rich cultural heritage and mystic beauty. According to Raman, Varanasi is one of 63 cities under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

But it is now also among the 10 cities where the issue of heritage degradation is of primary concern. The local authorities have formulated a City Development Plan (CDP), which charts out numerous plans to restore the beauty of the city. But according to Raman, the plan has many loopholes. Speaking at the India International Centre here Monday, he said past studies and reports on the city had not been taken into consideration before new plans were chalked out. Criticising a plan to construct permanent jetties for boats along the river's ghats to avoid unorganised parking, Raman said this would ruin the 600-year-old cultural and heritage fabric of the river front which is frequented by pilgrims for bathing, prayers and boating. Varanasi, with an area of 49 sq km, has only three percent green cover left and suffers from a high level of pollution. However, instead of coming up with projects to make the city greener, numerous settlements have been allowed to encroach on the fertile flood plane area to the east of the river, he said.

The CDP has also addressed the issue of building bridges. This, he said, would make the Ganga in Varanasi look like a hurdle to be crossed, just like the Yamuna in Delhi. And even more important, people taking pilgrimage baths in the river will become a public sight thanks to the crossing traffic, which is hardly a comforting thought, he pointed out. Also, plans to put lights at heritage sites, in a city that does not get more than 14-16 hours of electricity a day, is a thought which doesn't seem to be grounded on reality, Raman said.Despite all the drawbacks, Varanasi attracts huge crowds every year, reinstating the fact that there is something about the city that can't be seen but felt. However, if proper techniques to revive the city based on active study by professionals, citizens and experts are not employed soon enough, the eternal city might just lose its glory, Raman stressed.

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Indian plans to fly to Guangzhou & Melbourne

The state-owned carrier Indian will provide another direct air link between India and China. The carrier has shortlisted Guangzhou to start regular operations between the two nations with the Airbus A-330 aircrafts that are being taken on wet lease. Official sources said that the airline would look to operate flights to Melbourne also with the A-330 aircraft. Both the aircraft are scheduled to arrive in India later this year. A wet lease involves leasing the aircraft with the cockpit crew. "We plan to start flights to Guangzhou first then expand our route network to include Melbourne. However, if we get both the A-330 together then both the flights will be launched at the same time." "Initially, we will look at operating four times a week. The frequency of the flight will be ramped-up to a daily service when the airline receives more aircraft," airline officials said.

Earlier, the airline was considering operating the Airbus aircraft on routes to South Africa or destinations in Europe before finalising on Guangzhou and Melbourne. The decision to operate to Guangzhou was taken as it is close to Hong Kong, a popular destination among Indian visitors. At present Air India is the only Indian carrier to operate flights between India and China although both Jet Airways and Air Sahara have announced their intention of starting services. Jet plans to operate on the Shanghai-Los Angeles route while Air Sahara is to launch a flight to Guangzhou. From the Chinese side, Air China is among the airlines that operate regular flights between Beijing and Delhi.

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Airlines not keen on removing fuel surcharges

For airlines, fuel surcharge is a levy that is helping them curtail losses significantly. And so, even though oil companies have cut Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF) prices by around 20% in the recent past, airlines refuse to make a corresponding reduction in fuel surcharge, which was first introduced early last year to counter the impact rising oil prices on their operational cost. For now, carriers have said they will not touch the levy till at least the next quarter. And this month’s marginal hike in ATF prices has only assisted them in arriving at the decision. “We have not yet recovered our entire losses due to jet fuel price hikes last year, so it would make sense to retain the surcharge for one more quarter,” said SpiceJet Ltd CEO and chairman Siddhanta Sharma. And why not? The levy, along with congestion charges, has helped SpiceJet keep its losses in the second quarter in check. “Had it no been for these two charges, we would have been worse off,” said Sharma.

Jet Airways was also able turnaround in the third quarter of this fiscal partly on account of these levies. Such positive impacts on profit are keeping carriers from shedding these taxes that may not have been part of their original business model. Manoj Chacko, Kingfisher Airlines GM, sales, said: “They may not be part of our business model but they enable us to offset the impact of, at least, some of the unbudgeted costs arising out of abnormal situations like oil price rise and congestion.” But Air Deccan chief operating officer (COO) Warwick Brady says till the Union petroleum and finance ministers do something to rationalise the duties on ATF and bring its price on par with international tariffs, fuel surcharge will continue to be integral part of air travel in India. “Oil companies are very irrational in their hikes and cuts of ATF prices. When it comes to increasing the price, they match it with the international rise, but when it comes to decreasing, it is usually below the international decline.

Today, the cost of ATF in India is 70% higher than international price,” points out Brady. Fuel surcharge was first levied by domestic carriers early last year after global crude prices soared past $70 a barrel. It started with Rs 300 and was then raised to Rs 500. This was hiked two more times by Rs 150 and Rs 100. Currently, airlines are charging Rs 750 as fuel surcharge. Besides this, a congestion surcharge of Rs 150 is also embedded in airfares. A budget airline executive informed that these two levies (Rs 900) cover around 25% of their per-seat operational costs. Analysts believe the two additional charges provide a cushion to airlines against cut-throat competition on the fare front to some extent. “They have now got used to this cushion. It assures them of some recovery on their cost. But this can go on only till there is consensus on it from all of them. Even if one of them decides to pull back, the others will also have to do so or else they will lose business,” said an analyst.

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Spicejet planning direct Kolkata-Goa flight

Low-fare airline SpiceJet is planning to introduce non-stop flights between Kolkata and Goa from the winter of 2007. “Having strengthened our operations in eastern and southern India, our target now is western India,” Siddhanta Sharma, CEO, SpiceJet , said. He was announcing the launch of the airline’s Kolkata-Hyderabad daily flight from February 4. The airline also plans to fly to Jaipur and Ahmedabad from Kolkata in a few months. “A non-stop flight should not take more than two-and-a- half-hours to reach Goa from Kolkata. The journey time now is much more, as there is no direct flight,” said Sharma. According to the initial plan, the flight will leave Kolkata at noon and reach the seaside destination at 2.30pm.

“Goa is an extremely popular tourist spot, visited by 10-12 per cent of domestic passengers from the eastern region,” said Anil Punjabi, chairman (east), Travel Agents Federation of India. “Once direct flights start, the number will increase significantly.” SpiceJet’s Kolkata-Hyderabad flight will leave Kolkata at 2.15pm and reach the destination at 4.15pm. The lowest fare on the route for a round trip is Rs 1,800, excluding taxes. The airline will operate Boeing 737-800 series aircraft that can seat 189 passengers, all in the economy class. Sharma said the airline was “registering an encouraging response” on the existing Kolkata-Chennai-Bangalore sector.

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AI & SATS to set up cargo handling facility at Bangalore

Air India Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. V Thulasidas today laid the foundation stone of the state-of-the-art cargo handling facility at the new Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL). The project to be jointly developed by Air India (AI) and Singapore Airport Terminal Services Ltd. (SATS) will have two ware house floors with a gross floor area of 18,000 sqm. It will have a design capacity to handle more than 150,000 tonnes of Cargo. As part of this joint venture, AI SATS aims to bring in the necessary professional expertise to build, operate and maintain the cargo facility, thereby achieving excellent domestic & international cargo operations. Both the entities will jointly invest more than Rs.80 Crores in the development of this project.

Speaking about the new cargo facility, Mr. V Thulasidas, Chairman and Managing Director, Air India said, “Today, Bangalore has become the most important destination in India. With this joint venture with SATS, we will develop state of the art cargo handling facility at the new Bangalore International Airport.” Equipped with the latest Material Handling System (MHS), this new facility will be able to handle general, perishable and specialized cargo including courier and mail. The MHS will also have an integrated computer system for tracking cargo within the warehouse. This will ensure quick processing for delivery and acceptance of cargo.

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Spicejet to start Kolkata-Hyderabad-Bangalore flight

Private low cost airline Spicejet will connect Kolkata to Hyderabad, besides introducing an additional flight to Bangalore, with the newly inducted Boeing 737-800 aircraft on the Kolkata-Bangalore-Hyderabad route from February 4. "Introduction of this additional new flight has been made in order to improve the connectivity from Kolkata," Spicejet's Vice President, Marketing, Sanjay Kumar said after announcing the new routes. As part of its further expansion in the East and North East, the airline has plans to introduce a flight to Port Blair by June-end this year, besides connecting Agartala, Bagdogra and Dibrugarh soon, Kumar said. With these flights, the airline's eight flights daily at present would be enhanced to 16 flights daily by the end of June this year.

Spicejet is now operating in Delhi, Chennai, Guwahati and Bangalore. Describing the new flight from Kolkata, as part of the airline's expansion plan countrywide, Kumar said that Spicejet would increase its operation from 85 flights a day by 11 aircraft at present to 260 flights a day by 26 aircraft by the end of 2008. Spicejet would also be looking towards setting up its maintenance base in Kolkata after Delhi and thus looking for a hanger space in the city airport within this year, he said. By the end of 2007, Spicejet's operation would increase to 160 flights a day by 18 aircraft with a seat capacity of 25,000 daily. The airline's present seat capacity 15,000 per day, he said.

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Kerala to promote medical tourism abroad

In its efforts to promote Kerala as an ideal destination for medical tourism, the state's tourism department plans to hold road shows in the US, Britain, Dubai, Muscat, Kuwait, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. "A policy is required for this because it has to be systematic and we have asked the CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) to give inputs to the draft of the policy and when we announce it shortly we would become the first state in the country to have such a policy," Tourism Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said. He said the aim of the policy for the next five years is to attract about 100,000 tourists who would seek medical treatment in the state's hospitals. During the last calendar year, around 15,000 tourists visited the state for medical treatment.

"The government has entrusted the ICRA Advisory services to prepare a study report on Kerala's potential in medical tourism, roles and responsibilities of stakeholders besides other factors. The report is expected to be ready soon," the minister said. "We have also tied up with the National Accreditation Board for hospitals and healthcare service providers for accreditation of hospitals in Kerala," he added. E.M. Najeeb, executive director of KIMS Hospital - one of the leading players in the field of medical tourism, said that the need of the hour to form a body similar to the Kerala Travel Mart Society, which takes care of the tourism industry. "The government should form a working group of all players in the field and include representative from hospitals and discuss the proposed policy," said Najeeb, who is also chairman of the Indian Association of Tour Operators.

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Indian Railways set to become net savvy

You can travel by train in India and still remain connected with some long-distance trains set to get Wi-Fi connectivity. Premier trains like the Rajdhani Express and the Shatabdi Express and even the Jan Shatabdi Express will be the first ones to be provided with the facility, officials of the Mumbai-headquartered Western Railway said. The state-run RailTel Corp of India Ltd has carried out Wi-Fi connectivity tests on a few trains. "The tests have proved that passengers will experience seamless connectivity on running trains. Considering the revenue it will yield, the project is being given top priority," said Satya Prakash, divisional railway manager of Western Railway. Apart from enabling passengers to stay connected on moving trains, RailTel also plans to provide Wi-Fi connectivity at select railway stations to allow commuters to work on laptops and palmtops. "Important stations in Mumbai like Chhattrapti Shivaji Terminus, Churchgate, Mumbai Central and Dadar will be among the first in the country to become Wi-Fi enabled," said Prakash.

A RailTel source said,"RailTel will provide Wi-Fi connectivity at 500 stations. In addition, call centres would be set up at 14 stations by the year-end to provide quick information services about the arrival and departures of trains and the reservation status by simply dialling 139." "We will soon be short-listing the trains and stations where Internet service would be made available." RailTel will also be setting up local area network (LAN) to provide Wi-Fi connectivity within stations. It is also looking at providing Wi-Fi connectivity to tourists visiting small towns through the LAN. "A wireless LAN will be created in the coaches through transmitters placed inside them. Besides, a roof-mounted antenna would catch the signal from towers which are being set up at railway stations," he said. RailTel also plans to set up 250 cyber cafes at railway stations across India. It already operates nine fully air-conditioned cyber cafes offering Internet browsing, Internet telephony, video-conferencing and audio-video chatting.

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Surajkund crafts fair to start next month

Famous for its traditional crafts, the 2007 edition of the Surajkund fair will be organised at Surajkund village in Faridabad district of Haryana Feb 1-15. Andhra Pradesh will be the theme state for the 21st Surajkund Mela, Haryana Tourism Minister Kiran Chaudhary said. The annual crafts festival is organised by the Surajkund exhibition authority and central ministries of tourism, culture and textiles. Chaudhary said the exhibition had become an international attraction for showcasing India's finest handicrafts and handlooms. She said an added attraction would be the folk dances and cuisines of Thailand and other neighbouring South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries (SAARC). Twenty craftsmen from these countries would also participate in the exhibition. Over 400 state and national award-winning craftsmen from across the country would participate in the exhibition.

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Jet Airways plans to raise $400 million

Private airline Jet Airways is talking to several leading private equity firms to raise $400 million (over Rs 1,760 crore) through qualified institutional placements for its aircraft acquisition plan. The qualified institutional placements are aimed at improving the airline's balance sheet besides raising 15 per cent of the cost of its $2.5 billion bill for 20 wide-bodied aircraft for international operations and 10 Boeing 737s for domestic operations. The rest of the bill will be funded by debt. The qualified institutional placement could result in a dilution of the promoters’ equity by 10 per cent. The promoters currently hold 80 per cent in the airline. Sources said the airline was also considering a follow-on issue or a combination of QIP investments and equity expansion. However, the airline, which reported a third-quarter profit over the trailing quarter on account of improved load factors and an aircraft sale, has dropped plans for a $500 million foreign currency convertible bonds issue.

A Jet Airways executive said the airline would extend its international operations to North America, Europe, Africa and Asia once it acquired the wide-bodied jets. Besides its $2.5 billion acquisition programme, Jet Airways also plans to buy 10 Boeing 787-8 “Dreamliners”. The biggest commercial aircraft from the Boeing family, the Dreamliner carries a listed price of $1.5 billion. Deliveries are scheduled between July 2011 and December 2012. Investment bankers say qualified institutional placements reflect the changing investment climate in the aviation industry. For instance, reputed investment houses like the Tata Group, Istithmar PJSC and Goldman Sachs recently acquired a stake in low-cost carrier SpiceJet. “With its India-UK operations nearing break-even, investing in Jet Airways makes sense for private equity firms,” said an investment banker.

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GoAir reshuffles top management

GoAir, the Wadia-group promoted airline, has roped in former SpiceJet CEO Mark Winders as the executive director. The airline is expected to bring in a few new professionals to the management. "We have appointed Mark Winders as the executive director," said Jeh Wadia, managing director, GoAir. Aviation industry sources said that the airline may see a major reshuffle at its top-deck with the appointment of a new chief commercial officer and chief financial officer. Sources said that a senior executive from a leading FMCG company is set to join the airline. The move comes at a time when the airline is planning to sell 20-26% stake to a strategic investor.

The airline is in negotiations with a few short listed investors. The buzz is that short listed players include investment arm of the Abudhabi Government.Global investment bank Morgan Stanley is the banker for the stake sale. Currently, the airline has a fleet of seven A320 aircraft with 20 more on order. Private equity investors have revived their interest in investing in low-cost airlines as they have started making profits again. Investors, who believe in the long-term potential of the industry, are queueing up with investments. GoAir has a market share of about 4%. And it has added new destinations recently.

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Air France invites Indian to join SkyTeam

Even as the proposed merger of Air India and Indian gets under way, both are being wooed by global aviation alliances to join. On Saturday, Indian was invited to join the 10-member airline grouping SkyTeam by the President and Chief Operating Officer of Air France, Mr Pierre-Henri Gourgeon. Air France is the largest member of SkyTeam. At a meeting with the Chairman and Managing Director of Indian, Mr V. Trivedi, Air France proposed that Indian was a "suitable candidate" for joining the alliance as it provided synergy not only within India but also in the Gulf region where the European airline has a strong presence. The SkyTeam has as its members Air France, KLM, Continental, Northwest and Aeroflot among others that together operate more than 14,600 flights daily to 728 destinations in 149 countries.

The Indian side explained that a decision on the invitation could not be taken immediately not only because of the proposed merger but also as the airline was undergoing a safety audit being done by the International Air Transport Association. The invitation, interestingly, comes close on the heels of an expected announcement on Air India joining a global airline alliance. Earlier, the airline Chairman and Managing Director, Mr V. Thulasidas, while refusing to name the global aviation alliance that the airline would be joining said that a decision on joining a global alliance was expected at the end 2006. Air India officials maintain that a final announcement was delayed only due to the Christmas and New Year holidays in Europe, where a final decision on the airlines membership was to be taken.

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IAF planning to acquire six C-130J Transports

India is close to concluding a contract with the US for acquiring six C-130J Super Hercules Transport Planes, the first deal between the two countries for military aircraft, defence sources said. A "request for details" for the deal was submitted to the US Embassy in Delhi last month, and this was forwarded to the Pentagon so that the deal could be notified to the US Congress, the sources said. The deal, once approved by the US Congress and New Delhi, will be a one-off contract between the governments of the two countries under Washington's foreign military sales programme. There will also be an option for six additional Hercules Aircraft manufactured by aviation major Lockheed Martin, the sources said. The sale is expected to be finalised in the next few months, they said.

The super Hercules Aircraft, which can carry a payload of 20 tonnes, are likely to be used for operations by special forces for strategic airlifts, the sources said. The Indian Air Force is currently upgrading its fleet of about 80 Russian-made AN-32 medium-lift cargo planes as well as 25-30 IL-76 heavy-lift jets, and officials have said there is a need for an aircraft like the Hercules which could fit somewhere between the two others. The Hercules' ability to make short take-offs and landings from rough runways makes it suitable for operations involving special forces as well as emergency missions in areas affected by natural disasters, sources said. Lockheed Martin is also in the race to sell India 126 multi-role combat jets and has offered the P-3C Orion Reconnaisance Aircraft to the Indian Navy.

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HAL to increase production of Advanced Light Helicopters

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) will increase the production of Dhruv, it's multi-role, multi-mission Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH), in a phased manner. Aircraft Research and Design Centre (ARDC) officials said that 18 ALH were expected to fly out of the HAL stable in 2007. The targets for 2008 and 2009 were 24 and 33 respectively, they said. Around 65 Dhruvs are already in service with the defence forces, including the Coast Guard. The weaponised version of Dhruv is tipped for a 2008 launch. Earlier, Chief Test Pilot Wg Cdr Upadhyay said 10 ALH that comprises the 202 Army Aviation Squadron will soon be delivered at Leh. Meanwhile, upgrading of helicopters with Shakti Engine, done by Turbomeca and HAL, is on at the ALH assembly unit. The upgraded copters have Multi Function Displays (MFDs) and have had their cold-weather trial in Leh. "The ground runs will start by the end of January. The copters are scheduled for a late 2007 certification," Wg Cdr Upadhyay said.

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Finnair to increase flights to India

Finnair is set for a massive boost to the fast growing Asian market with significant increases in traffic to India and China. In response to strong demand, the number of weekly flights to India will increase from the current three to 12, while there will also be an increase in flights to China. In June, Finnair will launch a new Indian route with flights to Mumbai, which will be served non-stop from Helsinki five days a week. Moreover, in mid-May the current three-weekly frequency for flightsto the Indian capital Delhi will be increased to daily. “It will be extremely hard, if not impossible for airlines to secure new arrival and departure slots at Indian airports in the coming years,” says Henrik Arle, Finnair’s Deputy CEO, responsible for Scheduled Passenger Traffic. “By adding to its Indian scheduled traffic just now, Finnair is ensuring its presence in these fast growing markets.”

“Following these renewals, we will fly to all our long-haul destinations non-stop, without stopovers,” says Arle. “Dailyflights bring more alternatives for our customers.” The changes about to be implemented also significantly increase the efficiency of the Finnair long-haul fleet usage. The number of weekly long-haul flights from Helsinki will increase from 61 to 66. The monthly passenger kilometre totals offered by Finnair on long-haul traffic will consequently grow by 2.5 per cent. As a result of the increases in Indian and Chinese traffic, the onward flights from Bangkok to Singapore will no longer be operated. Singapore and the flights previously planned for Kuala Lumpurwill be served in cooperation with partner airlines. All in all Finnair Asian traffic will grow this year by over 30 per cent since Finnair is adding two new Airbus A340 aircraft for the long-haul fleet during May and June.

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Flight restrictions in place for Republic Day

Air Force exercises for Republic Day will affect flight operations to and from New Delhi for a little more than an hour — till January 26. However, there will be no change in flight schedules on January 25 as the air force exercise will not be held that day. The exercises, which kicked off on Saturday, will be held every day till January 24 and on January 26 between 11 am and 12.15 pm. Civilian aircraft will not be allowed to fly over Delhi air space during the period, leading to rescheduling of some flights. Though most airlines are yet to change their schedules, Jet Airways has rescheduled some flights to avoid passenger inconvenience. Indian Airlines and Air Deccan spokespersons said they were yet to reschedule their flights. Officials of other airlines could not be reached. Jet flights in several other domestic sectors have also been rescheduled as well as their operations in the Kathmandu and London sectors. Kingfisher Airlines has also rescheduled a few of its flights connecting Delhi.

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