Tag Archives: Hyderabad

National carrier, Air India has become the first airline to launch self check-in kiosks for its domestic fliers that aims to make the check-in process expeditious. The exclusive service presently covers 26 domestic centers at Aurangabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneshwar, Calicut, Coimbatore, Cochin, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jamnagar, Jodhpur, Kolkata, Lucknow, Nagpur, New Delhi, Mumbai, Mangalore, Raipur, Rajkot, Trivandrum, Udaipur, Visakhapatnam and Varanasi. Under this initiative, started on May 1, 2016, customers can procure the boarding pass by using the self-check-in kiosks also known as CUSS (Common Use Self Service) near the check-in area at the airport.

The FICCI-KPMG ‘India Aviation Report 2016’, launched at the civil aviation exposition in Hyderabad, reveals that with 81 million trips, India’s domestic aviation market grew at over 20.3% during January to December 2015-the highest growth rate recorded in the world. It further said that India is well on its way to become the third largest aviation market by 2020, owing to increasing disposable incomes, fall in prices of Aircraft Turbine Fuel (ATF), increase in tourism, visa reforms, etc. have placed India in a unique position. This is bringing the country closer to achieving its vision of becoming the largest aviation market by 2030. The report highlights that the National Civil Aviation Policy (NCAP 2016) is likely to provide a significant fillip to the industry. The various fiscal and monetary incentives, liberal policies focused on ‘ease of doing business’ and enhanced push for regional and global connectivity are extremely positive. Steps taken to revive and operationalise around 160 airports in India, if chosen carefully, will improve air connectivity to regional and remote areas. Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in the sector will get substantial support from the state in terms of financing, concessional land allotment, tax holidays and other incentives. The report strongly suggests that in order to ensure high-geared growth, it is imperative to broaden the base of domestic flyers through greater air connectivity in Tier 2/3 cities. Many Indian states have taken positive initiatives, largely in the field of development of airports, reduction in sales tax rates on ATF and direct subsidy to airlines for improvement of connectivity. The government and industry are engaged closely in addressing the various opportunities and challenges in the aviation sector; and that’s a welcome sign. …

Telangana State Tourism Development Corporation (TSTDC) have launched two new catamaran yachts for the Hussain Sagar Lake at Lumbini Park in Hyderabad. TSTDC has introduced the luxury ride package with these two new boats, which will be priced at Rs 100 per person. The boats can accommodate 12-15 members per trip. Additionally, TSTDC has also launched party packages priced at Rs 2,000 per hour at these luxury boats. The party packages will begin post 8:30 PM and can be availed up to 12:00 AM. The boats will not only provide a luxurious ambience to tourists but also have a lower seating which is closer to the water during the ride. The inauguration was done by Sania Mirza, brand ambassador for Telangana State. The new catamaran boats have been procured from the USA and will be available to ferry the public at the Hussain Sagar Lake. TSTDC owns the largest water fleet in India amongst the state tourism departments, about 95 which comprises small and big boats. The corporation operates leisure based cruises and water sports at different lakes and rivers of the State, Parasailing activity at Hussain Sagar etc., which are very popular amongst the local crowd as well. Currently the state tourism development corporation already operates one mechanical large boat as a ferry to the Buddha statue. TSTDC also runs 3 cruises 2 AC and 1 Non AC for parties and rides on the lake. TSTDC has also introduced a jolly ride with these cruises – with a carnival style folk and cultural song and dance presentation during the ride. It operates a Jetski and speedboat as well to cater to the tastes of adventure enthusiasts.

IndiGo has launched three new daily non-stop flights on the Delhi–Dehradun route, and will further connect Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad as a one stop flight. Fares for Delhi to Dehradun flight is Rs 1,126, while Mumbai to Dehradun via Delhi would cost Rs 4,069, Bengaluru to Dehradun via Delhi fare is Rs 5,078, Hyderabad to Dehradun via Delhi is Rs 4,253. Dehradun is not IndiGo’s 35th domestic and 40th overall destination. The airport at Dehradun, the state capital of Uttrakhand, also serves as the gateway to nearby cities of Mussoorie, Haridwar and Rishikesh. The airline has also connected Chennai to Bengaluru and Kolkata to Jaipur with its third flight, while also commencing additional daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai, Bengaluru and Thiruvananthapuram & Pune and Thiruvananthapuram. In addition, IndiGo will also connect Jaipur to Hyderabad with the launch of its second daily non-stop flight, with effect from March 15, 2016. Fares for Chennai to Bengaluru flight is Rs 1,674, Kolkata to Delhi Rs 4,036, Hyderabad to Chennai Rs 2,129, and Delhi to Chennai Rs 3,633.

SpiceJet has announced the launch of two new flights to Jaipur and Hyderabad. With the introduction of these two new flights, SpiceJet now connects 10 Indian cities with Dubai every day. The airline is offering an introductory one way offer of Dh359 (all-inclusive) between Dubai and Jaipur. The Dubai-Hyderabad fares are available at Dh397 (all-inclusive) on a first-come-first-served basis. The flights will commence on February 16, 2016, for which bookings are now open. “With the launch of our Jaipur-Dubai sector, SpiceJet will become the first private airline to operate a direct flight on this route. SpiceJet will also be the only airline to fly five times per week on this route. The Hyderabad-Dubai flights are so timed as to allow business travellers to India’s IT hub make the most of every working day,” said Shilpa Bhatia, Senior VP Commercial, SpiceJet. The airline will deploy its Boeing 737-800 aircraft on these routes.

United Kingdom (UK) granted over 360,000 visitor visas, until September 2015, a 16.5 per cent increase year on year, according to recently released statistics. With the commercial partner VFS, UK offers 15 visa application centres across India, more than in any other country. Visa application centres are situated in Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Mumbai South, Mumbai North, Pune, Ahmadabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Cochin, Kolkata, Gurgaon, Jaipur and Goa. A number of premium services are offered to the UK Visa applicants at the Visa Application Centre (VAC). VFS Users can avail walk in appointments where urgent travellers or those who have missed their appointment, can pay Rs 2537 to get a walk in appointment. Digital Assistance is provided in filling out the visa application form on the visa4uk website. The staff reads out questions on the form, and records the answers verbatim on behalf of the applicant for an extra cost of Rs 400. Group Appointments is available for group travellers who can apply at the same visa application centre at a particular time and day. This service is extended to all groups including tour operators, large families, conferences etc for Rs 500 per application. Travellers can pay for their visa by cash at the VAC, using VFS Global’s Credit Card at an additional cost of Rs 1000 per transaction. Certification service enables travellers to keep hold of their original documents. Applicants need to bring original documentation to the VAC to show VFS staff, who photocopy the documents and send to the decision hub along with the application. This service costs Rs 50 per document page. In 2015, India became the second country to benefit from the British Irish Visa Scheme, allowing Indian …

Jammu & Kashmir Tourism Development Corporation (JKTDC) is all set to organise 15 roadshows across the country starting January 15, 2016. Farooq A. Shah, Secretary Tourism, Jammu & Kashmir and Managing Director, JKTDC, said that Jammu will emerge as an independent tourist destination. “This year Jammu festival will be organised at a large scale to showcase the rich culture tradition and heritage of Jammu and will showcase its immense unexplored tourism potential through these roadshows. Conducted in all metro cities like Hyderabad, Pune, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai and more, the roadshows will also have 10 food festivals organised in specific towns and cities across the country to attract maximum visitors to the state of Jammu & Kashmir. These roadshow will be professionally organised to reach out to the majority of the relevant market segments, which are important for Jammu & Kashmir tourism.    

After successfully conducting multi-city roadshows pan India in 2015 along with the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), South Africa Tourism is back with its second round of shows in Kolkata (January 18, Monday), Delhi (January 19, Tuesday), Hyderabad (January 21, Thursday) and finally reaching Mumbai again (January 22, Friday). These shows will strive to give greater insight into the wide selection of experiences that South Africa has to offer – from adventure to shopping, nature and culture.