Entry fee for neighbouring country tourists at monuments slashed

Visitors from the SAARC and BIMSTEC countries would be charged the same rates of the entry fee to ticketed monuments as Indian citizens, Tourism and Culture Minister Ambika Soni announced। Addressing the MPs of the Consultative Committee attached to her ministry, she said though the debate on charging a uniform entry fee from other foreign visitors was still on, there was a strong point in continuing with the present differential rate of tickets। The entry fee for visitors from the SAARC and BIMSTEC countries has been put on par with Indian citizens as an acknowledgement of the common heritage between India and its neighbouring countries and promotion of regional solidarity. Giving details of plan expenditure on restoration and maintenance of monuments, Soni said the 11th Five-Year Plan (2007-12) proposals, amounting to Rs.9.33 bn, were more than three times the provisions during the earlier plan. A substantial amount of these allocations would be spent on making monuments more attractive through programmes like Light and Sound shows at the World Heritage Sites, establishment of tourist facilities and better signage. Those who attended the meeting included Chander Kumar, N.K.S. Chauhan, Pankaj Chowdhary, Parasnath Yadav, Chandan Mitra, Barun Mukherjee and Surendra Motilal Patel.

Etihad Airways eyes more expansion in India

Etihad Airways, the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), is looking at expanding its operations to India in the next few years।

James Hogan, chief executive of Etihad Airways, said India is one of their key global markets।"Currently, Etihad flies to four Indian destinations - Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram - and we would like to double this in the next few years in order to satisfy the huge demand from Indian customers across Etihad's flight network that includes Britain, Canada and South Africa," Hogan said।It flies to a total of 44 destinations in the Middle East, Europe, North America, Africa and Asia।The airline started its services to Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram last month, and since then passenger figures on both the routes have averaged more than 90 percent across economy and business class।Etihad, which also operates daily flights to Delhi and Mumbai, plans to start flight services to Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, besides increasing its frequency into the two Kerala airports.In a related development, Etihad was awarded four industry accolades recognising the airline's progressive web strategy, which has been enabled by Indian IT major Infosys Technologies.

Spicejet pilots to fly Oman Air

Oman Air has signed a strategic agreement with SpiceJet to provide the national airline of Oman with well trained pilots।

Oman Air officials were recently in India in search of a partner to provide the airline with well-trained pilots for Boeing 737।

A statement issued by Oman Air said, SpiceJet pilots would fly with Oman Air on contract for a period of one year until Oman's trainee pilots are ready to take to the skies।

"This would provide Spicejet pilots with international exposure and rich flying experience through Oman Air's extensive network. The first batch of six first officers of Spicejet would reach Muscat soon," the company said.

GoAir to invest in cargo, engineering

GoAir, India’s private airline announced that the group has decided to looks at investments in GoEngineering, GoGround Services, GoCargo and several other Investments। Jeh Wadia would continue to be the Managing Director as part of GoAir’s overall business strategy and expansion plans. The future CEO will report directly to the Managing Director and would pilot the airlines day-to-day business operations.

Jeh Wadia, managing director of GoAir said, “As part of our expansion and business plans, GoAir is currently planning to expand its fleet size to 18 by 2009 and 35 by 2011 that would be fully funded internally। This is a conservative plan and will be revised to more aggressive growth once the industry shows signs of improvement.”

Currently, GoAir operates 396 weekly flights to 11 airports across the country and has had the highest loads for the months January, February, March, April, May and June (90 per cent). It also has the highest market share per aircraft in the industry.

Kingfisher Airlines launches direct flights between Mumbai and Bhuj

Kingfisher Airlines, India’s fastest growing private airline announced the launch of direct flights from Mumbai to Bhuj। Kingfisher Airlines will service the sector four times a week at very convenient times for air travellers.

With the launch of this service, Kingfisher Airlines now connects 30 cities with 189 flights a day on the wings of a fleet of 30 brand new aircraft।

Commenting on this, Vijay Mallya, Chairman and CEO, Kingfisher Airlines said, “ Through the launch of this new route, Kingfisher Airlines reaffirms its commitment toward addressing the needs of its guests by providing connectivity between the commercial capital of the country and other cities that are rapidly emerging as centres of economic activity।”

Bhuj is also a key destination for merchant vessel sailors। The new service of Kingfisher Airlines between Mumbai and Bhuj will also benefit all the shipping personnel who need to travel to major Gujarat ports frequently.

Adds Manoj Chacko, GM, global sales, Kingfisher Airlines, “All our efforts are focused on offering our guests enhanced convenience in terms of connectivity and service। The introduction of service between Mumbai and Bhuj is a step toward that. With this new route, Kingfisher Airlines will provide conveniently timed flights not only for air travelers flying to Bhuj, but greatly improved air connectivity to the entire region."

Bhuj, the major town of Kutch, is an old walled city. There are walls within walls, attractive gateways, old palaces with intricately carved wooden pavilions, and striking, brightly decorated Hindu temples. Note: Fares shown are one-way and are given in Indian Rupees. Taxes @ Rs. 750 per ticket are extra.

Finnair begins flights to Mumbai

Finnish national carrier, Finnair began a direct flight from Helsinki to the commercial capital of India, its second destination in the country। It will operate five times a week with an Airbus A-340 aircraft।Finnair began its operations from New Delhi on Oct 31, 2006, and has been flying to the national capital every day since May 19।"The new route also opens numerous possibilities to tourist traffic from Europe to India। Near Mumbai there are several interesting destinations for travellers, for example Goa, known for its magnificent beaches, and the culturally rich state of Kerala," a Finnair statement said।"Apart from Mumbai, this flight would be very convenient for passengers from neighbouring cities like Pune and Ahmedabad। The Mumbai route also gives Finnair more onward connections to destinations all over India," said Taina Törnström, Finnair director for the Indian subcontinent. "Finnair is strengthening its partnerships with Indian air carriers to make these connections as smooth as possible," she added.The flights to Mumbai are part of Finnair's Asian strategy. "In response to a strong demand from the Asian market, the number of weekly flights to India has increased from seven to 12. Flights to other Finnair destinations in Asia have also been continuously increased," the airline said.Besides New Delhi and Mumbai, Finnair now flies to eight other destinations in Asia: Guangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong in China; Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya in Japan; and Bangkok in Thailand.