KARACHI: When already operating with small fleet, four passengers aircraft of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) were grounded; three in Karachi and one in Lahore- after being hit by birds within a week time. The grounding of two Boeing 777 and two Airbus 320 have disturbed the flight schedule besides causing financial loss to the loan ridden PIA. PIA spokesperson Mr. Mashood Tajwar said four of the airline’s aircraft have been grounded within a week after being hit by birds during landing. “The flight schedule has been badly disturbed and more than a dozen flights have been delayed. One international flight…
Author: holidayweekly
MUMBAI: The founder of cash-strapped Indian airline Jet Airways has stepped down as Chairman of the company. Mr. Naresh Goyal’s resignation is likely to pave the way for potential investors to save India’s oldest private carrier. They were held back by Goyal’s reluctance to give up control of the company, it stated. Jet’s debt exceeds $1 billion and the airline has grounded some flights as it is struggling to pay employees, suppliers and leasing companies. Within minutes of Monday’s announcement, the company’s stock jumped 12 per cent. The banks, led by State Bank of India (SBI), will take a controlling…
TOKOYO: Japan Airlines and Travelport Worldwide have agreed to form a joint venture to take ownership of Travelport Japan and Axess International Network, a subsidiary of the carrier. Under the unified Travelport Axess brand, the joint venture will operate a global distribution system tailored to the needs of the Japanese travel industry. Travelport Axess will continue to offer travel agents services through Axess’ global distribution system platform, Axess, and enable access to Travelport’s global distribution system platforms, Apollo and Galileo. The proposed joint venture will provide online, mobile and corporate travel propositions including global booking and expense management tools as…
ISTANBUL: Turkish Cargo, which serves 124 countries as the world’s fastest-growing air cargo brand, transported 186 historical works of art belonging to Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe and Topkapı Palaces to Tokyo for the Tulip Tradition in Treasures and the Ottoman Empire exhibition as part of the Turkish Cultural Year in Japan. According to a statement by the national flag carrier Turkish Airlines (THY), prior to the move on the Istanbul-Narita route, historical works exhibited at Dolmabahçe and Topkapı Palace were first packed with protective materials to preserve their original texture and structure and later placed in 56 highly secure wooden crates. The…
MARYLAND: Marriott International has presented a three-year growth plan, which includes the opening more than 1,700 hotels around the world. At a meeting with institutional investors and security analysts at the New York Marriott Marquis, the company said it planned plan to add between 275,000 and 295,000 rooms by 2021, supported by the strength of its record 478,000-room pipeline, including roughly 214,000 rooms already under construction. Marriott argued its new room openings during this period could contribute $400 million in fee revenue in 2021 and $700 million annually when stabilised. The company’s three-year growth plan assumes, but does not forecast,…
CAPE TOWN: Africa Tourism is hot right now. Overlooked in the past, the tourism potential of the African continent is now becoming visible. The first African Tourism Board (ATB) is about to be launched in Cape Town during the upcoming World Travel Market Africa in South Africa on April 11 with a list of impressive speakers, ministers, private industry leaders, and stakeholders attending. A week before the ATB launch in Cape Town on April 11, the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) is getting ready for their annual summit in Seville, Spain. With a price tag of $4,000 for a…
BRASILIA: The Brazilian Government announced that Brazil would allow visa-free entry for citizens of The United States, Canada, Australia, and Japan, effective in 90 days (June 17th). Until then, the current e-visa will be required. Citizens of those countries wishing to visit Brazil will no longer need to apply or pay for a visa. They will be able to stay in Brazil for 90 days from the date of first entry in the country, extendable for an equal period, provided that it does not exceed one hundred and eighty days, every twelve months, counted from the date of the first…
PARIS: French air crash investigators are saying that they have found “clear similarities” between last week’s Ethiopian Airlines crash and last October’s Lion Air disaster. Both 737 MAX aircraft plunged nose-first to their doom. “During the verification process of the FDR (flight data recorder) data, clear similarities were noted by the investigation team between Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610, which will be the subject of further study during the investigation,” the BEA said in a statement. Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 nosedived into a field shortly after takeoff last Sunday, killing all 157 people on board. Lion…
DUBAI: India’s Jet Airways on Monday grounded four aircraft as it failed to pay the lease for renting them, the latest in a series of financial challenges hurting the airline. Jet Airways, once the number two airline in India, said that it is “actively engaged” with aircraft lessors, as it informed the National Stock of India that it is grounding aircraft “due to non-payment of amounts outstanding to lessors.” Jet Airways did not elaborate on which routes will be affected or how long the grounding is for. It has, however, cancelled flights to and from Abu Dhabi for an indefinite…
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) has decided to close down six of its premises at a time when the government is trying to bolster the tourism industry. A letter issued by the corporation stated that it has been decided in the meeting that the ‘sick units/restaurants of PTDC Motels, which are continuously incurring losses should be closed immediately’. The facilities to be closed are PTDC motel at Taxila in Punjab, PTDC motel at Chattar Plain in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTDC motel at Astak in Gilgit-Baltistan, PTDC motel at Khuzdar in Balochistan, Chakdara restaurant in KP and Daman-i-Koh restaurant in…