Category Archives: Aviation

All the big Middle East carriers have been expansive in their approach and yet still experience extraordinary growth, says Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline. “The Middle East region has one of the most robust GDPs on the planet because it is at the epicenter of so many global initiatives. Yes, there are geopolitical concerns but overall, there will be strong growth and plenty of demand for everybody,” he adds.

Forward ticket data for July and August 2024 indicates that European travellers are increasingly choosing to venture further afield to explore New Delhi with an 9 per cent increase compared to the same time in 2023. Highlighted by ForwardKeys, outbound travel from Europe is displaying clear trends, with year-on-year growth in long-haul travel to a diverse range of Asian markets.

In a bid to attract foreign tourists to India during summer, MOT has come up with a campaign to develop destinations that have good weather during this time. Manisha Saxena, DG, MOT, says, “The idea is to dispel the notion that India is too hot in summers, and attract tourists from warmer countries like Middle East, South East Asia and African countries. We hve picked over 50 destinations to actively promote them as tourist attractions.” Efforts are on to develop places like Bir Billing, Kinnaur, Dalhousie and Tirthan in HP, Patnitop in Jammu & Kashmir, Auli in Uttarakhand, Wayanad in Kerala, Thenzawl in Mizoram and Kurseong in West Bengal.

Girisons Airways India, the Direct Selling Agent of Cyprus Airways, along with Cyprus Airways announces special flight-hotel packages for Indian travellers. Cyprus Airways is the national carrier of Cyprus operates flights to all major cities of Europe & Dubai from Larnaca. Indian travellers can now visit Cyprus on their European holidays. To facilitate this, we have now introduced “Flight + Hotel” packages. This package includes return flight from Rome/Milan/Zurich/Paris/Brussels to Larnaca (Cyprus) plus three nights hotel accommodation on all inclusive basis. Shreyder Elena of Cyprus Airways and Vivek Jain of Girisons Airways, are very excited about this package and wish to introduce Cyprus as a holiday destination to Indian travellers. These packages can now be booked in India through Girisons Airways located in Colaba, Mumbai via +91 9820060421

As per Mastercard’s annual report, in 2024, more Indians are traveling globally. In the first three months of 2024, 97 million passengers travelled, with 21% surge in domestic air traffic, and 4% in international travel. Indians are increasingly exploring key markets, with a 53% increase in visits to Japan, 248% to Vietnam, and 59% to the US, compared to 2019.

Olivier Ponti, Director of Intelligence & Marketing, Forwardkeys, shared that high airfare posed a significant obstacle recently due to strong demand and limited supply. As capacity returns, airfare is beginning to see a dip, although remaining 4% higher than 2019 levels by the end of April 2024. Despite some fluctuations, the global trend indicates a positive shift.

Vietnam Airlines started its maiden flight from New Delhi to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh on 15 May. Nguyen Trung Hieu, Country Manager India, Vietnam Airlines, said, “The move symbolises our commitment to providing passengers with world-class travel experiences.” They have also opened an informative centre for travellers’ convenience.

Air India has partnered with Merlin Entertainments, a global leader in location-based, family entertainment, for Air India’s Flying Returns (FR) loyalty programme, effective from 8 May 2024. Now, Flying Returns members will earn reward points when they buy tickets to Merlin’s ‘Madame Tussauds’ across nine locations around the world.

Travelport and Canadian carrier WestJet have signed a new long-term content distribution deal. This partnership will allow WestJet to improve its retailing capabilities, as both companies start to collaborate on the future delivery of NDC content and servicing.

Cambodia Angkor Air will start its first direct route between Phnom Penh and New Delhi from 16 June with 4  flights per week, heralding a new era of seamless air travel between India and Cambodia. David Yuhong Zhan, CEO, Cambodia Angkor Air, said, “We plan to open new routes connecting Siem Reap to Delhi and Phnom Penh to other cities in India soon.”