Tag Archives: Managing Director

AirAsia India will focus on expanding its domestic network and increase flight frequencies, before commencing international operations to Southeast Asia by early next year, as informed by Amar Abrol, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia India. Just a few days ago, the budget passenger carrier announced the addition of Nagpur and Indore to its network, effective March 17. It will also introduce new routes connecting Bengaluru, Kolkata, Goa, Indore and Nagpur. In addition, the airline will operate daily flights connecting its two hubs—Bengaluru and Kolkata—which will become operational from March 25. “We are not shying away from India. We will first commence flight operations to new domestic destinations and increase frequencies. In all, we are looking at starting flights to four to five new cities in this year,” Abrol shared. “We are making the preparations for international operations but it will most probably take place by the first quarter of 2019,” he added. When asked about the first international port of call, Abrol said, “It can be anywhere from India’s eastern seaboard to Southeast Asia, particularly to Thailand and Malaysia.”According to Abrol, apart from adding more domestic flight frequencies, the airline is “steadily working” towards “break-even” by the year-end. SOURCE: IANS

Charting out expansion plans to connect more Tier-II and III cities, AirAsia India has set a target to commence flights to overseas destinations by January 2019, according to Amar Abrol, Managing Director and CEO, AirAsia India. The airline inducted its 16th aircraft and announced the addition of Nagpur and Indore to its list of destinations. “Our strategy is that once we get to 20 planes (operating in domestic operations) we will start flying international. Mostly, it will be to South East Asian countries,” Abrol shared. Stating that 27 per cent of the people who fly with AirAsia were flying for the first time ever, he said, “So, we are opening up Indian skies. And we are getting lot many more Indians to fly for the first time.” The plan is to connect more and more Tier-II and III cities in India, wherever A320 can go and also start flying international after crossing 20 aircraft, he said. Source: PTI

Royal Orchid Hotels has announced the opening of its new hotel in Nashik named Regenta Resort Soma Vine Village. The property has 32 rooms offering boutique accommodation with varied dining and banquet facilities. On-site amenities at the hotel include a restaurant, winery, state-of-the-art fitness centre, outdoor pool, business centre and spa services. Chander K. Baljee, Managing Director, Royal Orchid Hotels said, “The hotel is the perfect complement to our recently refreshed Regenta portfolio of hotels across India. We are taking continuous steps towards expanding our presence all over India. The new hotel in Nasik is one such move towards achieving our aim. The government push toward tourism sector is giving us the much needed enthusiasm to go aggressive in adding new properties to our bouquet. Till now, we have added eight properties – Mysore, Ahmedabad, Dehradun, Kanpur, Dwarka, Indore, Pushkar and now Nasik in the current fiscal year taking the number to 49 hotels. We will continue our efforts in expanding our presence all over India.”

The Karnataka tourism department has agreed to share the profit with the Railway Board instead of collecting the huge haulage charges for running the Golden Chariot, the only luxury train of peninsular India. The train was running in loss as the Karnataka State Tourism Development Corporation (KSTDC) was paying more as haulage charges to the Railways than the revenue generated. With the decision, the KSTDC will not only make  revenue from the luxury train but also generate profit for the railways. “The Railways has decided not to go for the haulage charge. They  will be sharing the revenue…whatever revenue we get will be shared between the Railways and KSTDC,” said Kumar Pushkar, Managing Director, KSTDC. He explained that earlier the Corporation made losses for many years due to very high haulage charges to Railways. Pushkar said, “The haulage charges used to be higher  than what the total revenue we were getting from the sale of  the ticket. With this arrangement, running train will be  sustainable. It can be done to promote tourism in future years  also.” Pushkar said Karnataka tourism minister Priyank Kharge had met the Railway Board chairman recently and apprised him of the challenges KSTDC was facing to continue the train. Source: PTI

GoAir has announced the appointment of Jyri Strandman as Chief Operating Officer. He will report to Managing Director Jeh Wadia and be a part of the airline’s core management team. Strandman will be responsible for strengthening GoAir’s operational functions of Flight Operations; Engineering; Airport, Security and Airside Operations (ASA); Flight Safety; Inflight Services (IFS) and Integrated Operations Control Centre (IOCC). He has over 30 years of experience in the aviation industry. Prior to GoAir, Strandman was associated with US based Spirit Airlines as Director, Operations and VP, Flight Operations. At Spirit, he was instrumental in introducing over 70 Airbus A320 family aircraft including the NEOs into the airline fleet. Commenting on his appointment, Strandman said, “I look forward to many challenges that come with this ever-burgeoning market and expanding operations of the airline. I am excited at the prospect of making GoAir the preferred choice of airline for customers.”

Sarovar Hotels & Resorts announces the opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico, New Delhi – IGI Airport. Strategically located near the IGI airport, Taurus Sarovar Portico features 83 guestrooms and it is the second hotel opening of the year by Sarovar Hotels after the opening in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. The hotel offers state-of-the-art business and conferencing facilities, Fitness Center, Alfa 63 – an all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant, In-Room dining, and meeting rooms. The hotel is owned by Taurus International Projects. Commenting on the opening, Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels, said, “We are delighted to be consolidating our presence further in the Capital city. The opening of Taurus Sarovar Portico seeks to complement the demand for quality accommodation, especially near the airport both by business & transiting travellers. Our superior banqueting facilities will make meetings and events easier, complemented with our signature Sarovar hospitality, whether it a business get-together or a social occasion.” Sarovar Hotels is targeting to have 100 hotels under its portfolio by 2020. Expected openings in 2018 include hotels in Jaisalmer, Jhansi, Jaipur, Somnath, Dibrugarh, Junagadh, Gorakhpur and Lusaka, Zambia.

As a result of the Indian subcontinent’s growing outbound demand, Dubai Tourism has announced the appointment of Nijhawan Group as its in-market destination representation and trade marketing management firm in India. With over 45 years of experience in India, Nijhawan Group will now be responsible for all trade communications, brand partnership conversations and building crucial trade relationships in the Indian subcontinent to strengthen Dubai’s position in the market. Meanwhile, Cruise Club has been appointed as the representative in India for Dubai Business Events, a division of Dubai Tourism. Based out of Mumbai, Cruise Club’s role is to increase Dubai’s market share from incentive groups and corporate meetings. The team has already begun delegate boosting activity and promoting upcoming events. Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM) said, “India remains a top priority for us, now consistently being the largest source market for tourists to Dubai. This is a feat achieved through years of establishing and building strong trade ties in the market.” Ankush Nijhawan, Managing Director, Nijhawan Group, added, “With our appointment, we hope to capitalise on our extensive network of agents and generate greater growth into Dubai with their support.”

Sarovar Hotels has launched Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur, an upscale hotel strategically located in the hub of the city near AIIMS Hospital. The hotel was inaugurated by Gaurishankar Agrawal, Assembly Speaker, Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly, in the presence of Ajay K. Bakaya, Managing Director, Sarovar Hotels; Rajesh Ranjan, Director of Development, Sarovar Hotels & Resorts and Kevin Wilkins, General Manager, Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur. Singhania Sarovar Portico, Raipur, has 60 beautifully crafted, spacious and well-appointed rooms offering modern amenities and personalised service. The hotel offers state-of-the-art business and conferencing facilities, fitness centre, an all-day dining multi-cuisine restaurant, in-room dining and a meeting room. Speaking on the occasion, Agrawal said, “Raipur is an evolving city and the gateway to tourist destinations in Chhattisgarh. I believe this hotel will be immensely beneficial to people travelling to this city, business as well as leisure and to the locals here with their excellent F&B and banquet services on offer.” Commenting on the launch, Bakaya said, “We are glad to be setting our footprints in this emerging state of Chhattisgarh. With our immense focus on providing quality accommodation and services at the best rates, we hope to ensure a pleasant stay for all our guests travelling to this region.”  

In its endeavour to strengthen its growing network, IndiGo has commenced operations in Colombo, Sri Lanka. With touch-down of 6E-1202 (Chennai-Colombo) at Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo became its eighth international and 49th overall destination on IndiGo’s network. The maiden flight was welcomed on January 20 with the traditional water cannon salute followed by a ribbon cutting ceremony. Commenting on the launch, Capt Ashim Mittra, VP Flight Operations, IndiGo said, “IndiGo is delighted to commence its new daily services to and from Colombo. These new connections will not only boost corporate and leisure travel but also contribute to significant growth in cross border trade and commerce. We are hopeful that these new flights will provide affordable travel experience to our passengers across the country and beyond.” Malinga Arsakularatne, Managing Director, Hemas Leisure Travel Aviation Group (IndiGo’s GSA) added, “We are honoured to partner with IndiGo in strengthening tourism to and from India. Together, we can create benefits for travellers and shareholders.”

FCM Travel Solutions and KPMG released a whitepaper titled ‘The Digi-Smart Indian Business Traveller’ with a focus on how technology is rapidly revolutionising travel by maximising efficiencies, improving experience and increasing options for the average traveller worldwide and increasingly in the Indian market. Rakshit Desai, Managing Director, FCM Travel Solutions, said, “Digital technology today is rapidly growing. Self-booking tools, travel analytics, Artificial Intelligence and sharing economy services are not only here to stay but hold myriad and exciting possibilities for the future. The report aims to assist organisations that wish to serve today’s digi-smart travellers, understand their needs and make strategic decisions, based on these insights.” Jaideep Ghosh, Partner and Head, Transport, Leisure and Sports, KPMG in India commented, “Globally, technology has penetrated deep into business travel practices — it finds a host of applications in travel, including online booking tools, sharing economy services, travel analytics, virtual assistance, payments and compliance. With this whitepaper, we have set out to explore the concept of smart travellers, technology trends in business travel, their enabling ecosystem, as well as some potentially disrupting developments that could transform business travel landscape.”