ISLAMABAD: The aviation division presented details of the loss-making flight operations of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) during the last 10 years in the National Assembly on Thursday, which ran into billions of rupees. PIA suffered a loss of Rs371.14 billion during the 2009-19 period, adding that the airlines recruited 3,492 employees since 2010. At present, the PIA has 15,052 employees, out of which 11,284 employees are recruited on a regular basis. Most of the losses sustained by the PIA on the flights for London. The house was informed that the national flag carrier suffered Rs1.99 billion losses on Lahore-London…
Author: holidayweekly
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain has added scuba diving equipment to its growing list of special free baggage allowance with up to 15 kilograms of scuba diving equipment permitted complimentary over and above the standard allowance for all passengers. Coinciding with Bahrain’s Sports Day on 11 February, the new policy has been introduced in response to increasing demand from scuba divers who fly to various beach destinations within the global Gulf Air network. The airline operates direct flights to a number of seaside destinations such as the Maldives, Sharm El Sheikh, Alexandria, Muscat, Casablanca,…
Airbus’ earnings release today has highlighted a record-breaking year for the European manufacturer. However, amongst the healthy profits and solid order book, small nuggets of disappointment lurked. One such issue was the A380 program, which saw Airbus pegging a loss of $219m. The A380 program is winding down. The last wings were shipped from Airbus’ UK manufacturing site at Broughton just last week, and with only a handful of orders to fulfill, Airbus is slowly closing down the project. While the A380 will be missed by many, the losses it has caused to the planemaker will not. Airbus delivered just…
DUBAI: Air Arabia, the region’s first and largest low-cost carrier, has announced a record year of profitability and continued growth in 2019 with a net profit of$272.2 million for the full year ending December 31. The Sharjah-based airline said this was an increase of 80 percent compared to the net profit registered in 2018 (excluding the impairment accounting treatment that Air Arabia took in 2018). The airline’s turnover for the full year hit Dh4.75 billion, thus registering an increase of 15 percent compared to the 2018 turnover. Announcing the results following a board of directors meeting, Air Arabia said the…
Air Italy investors Qatar Airways and the Aga Khan decided to put the struggling carrier into liquidation, citing “persistent and structural conditions” in the market. Shareholders of the two-year-old airline acted unanimously and the Italian carrier will guarantee flights scheduled through Feb. 25 by other operators, Air Italy said Tuesday in a statement. Qatar Airways said separately it was prepared “to do its part to support the turnaround and the growth of the airline,” but that would have been possible only with the commitment of all shareholders. Air Italy had losses of about 200 million euros ($218 million) in 2019…
MADRID: The 11th edition of the World Congress on Snow and Mountain Tourism will take place on 11-13 March 2020 in Andorra, under the theme “Tourism, Innovation, and Sustainability”. The Congress is organized by the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Government of Andorra and the Parish of Canillo. Within the framework of the Year of Tourism and Rural Development that the UNWTO is celebrating in 2020, Congress will focus on the role of mountain tourism in rural development, mainly addressing the issues of innovation, sustainability and digital transformation. UNWTO Executive Director Manuel Butler highlighted the timeliness of the theme of…
After being turned away from five countries, the MS Westerdamis to be allowed to dock in Cambodia. The Holland America Line ship has been on a virtual ‘cruise to nowhere’ for days as it was turned away from Thailand, Japan, Taiwan, Guam, and the Philippines. HAL says there are no sick passengers aboard and no evidence of coronavirus. Westerdam, which is carrying 1,455 passengers, will dock at Sihanoukville today and stay in port for several days. “Guests will disembark in Sihanoukville over the next few days and transfer via charter flights to Phnom Penh for forwarding travel home,” HAL said.…
PESHAWAR: Hashooo Foundation organized the graduation ceremony for Hospitality Management Training Skills Development Project at Pearl-Continental Hotel Peshawar under the “Livelihood Programme”, funded by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The skills development programme was implemented for 50 male youth (40 Afghan Refugees & 10 Pakistanis) and the training were held in the training centre of Hashoo Foundation, Peshawar. The content of the courses was carefully planned, with a mix of informative theory/classroom-style sessions, site visits, face-to-face conversations with industry professionals and hands-on training. The Hospitality Management Training Programme offered training in hospitality management in the area of Culinary…
ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi has said organizing international games in scenic areas of the country will promote tourism in Pakistan and will also highlight the soft image of the country in the world. Addressing an event regarding the conclusion of the National Karakoram Alpine Ski Cup in Islamabad on Tuesday, February 11, he said tourism is increasing tremendously in Pakistan especially in Gilgit-Baltistan due to its beauty and hospitality of the people. He said Pakistan is rich in beautiful places. Congratulating Pakistan Air Force in organizing the winter sports festival in Pakistan, he said such games are very imperative…
ISLAMABAD: President Dr. Arif Alvi Tuesday invited the American Business Council (ABC) of Pakistan to take advantage of Pakistan’s virgin territory particularly the huge hotel and tourism industries of its scenic northern parts. Speaking at American Business Council dinner reception here, the president said after improvement in the security situation and ease of doing business by the government, Pakistan was good for all kinds of businesses and its tourism industry had great potential. The president said huge influx of tourists was witnessed last year in Northern parts of the country, adding that in 2014 15,000 to 20,000 tourists visited northern…