Tag Archives: Kolkata

With visa-free entry for Indians, AirAsia adds 1.5mn seats between India & Malaysia

AirAsia announced a significant service increase between Malaysia and India, totalling a 69 weekly flights starting in the first quarter of 2024, with up to 1.5 million seats per year.

The significant increase in capacity comes in response to the anticipated surge in travel demand following the Malaysian government’s announcement of a 30-day visa-free entry for travellers from India into Malaysia starting today.

The announcement also coincides with the recent announcement by the governments of Thailand and Vietnam of a visa-free entry initiative for visitors from India to these countries. This enables Indian travellers to explore other ASEAN nations affordably via AirAsia’s Fly-Thru service with a one-stop in Kuala Lumpur and connect to Bangkok, Phuket, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and more seamlessly.

Tony Fernandes, CEO, Capital A, said, “This is a huge, much-anticipated news not only for AirAsia but for the country, and we truly thank the Malaysian government, particularly Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, for this forward-thinking initiative. AirAsia has been at the forefront of trying to make visiting Malaysia from India easier. The 30-day visa-free entry for the citizens of India will surely provide a welcome boost for Malaysia’s tourism and its economy ahead of the upcoming peak travel season while boosting economic bonds between these great nations. As a vital player in the aviation sector, we stand ready to add capacity to support the demand for affordable and accessible air travel in the region.”

Manoj Dharmani, Regional Commercial (India), AirAsia Head, added, “We see this as an opportunity not only to enhance regional connectivity between two of our largest markets but also to act as a catalyst for significant economic growth. In the first quarter next year, AirAsia will be operating a total of 69 flights weekly to Kuala Lumpur from nine destinations in India from Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Tiruchirappalli, New Delhi, Amritsar and Trivandrum – a new destination commencing February 2024.”

SAT hosts ‘Learn SA’ in Pune with aim for uptick in inbound

Recognising the strong uptick in tourist arrivals throughout the first half of the year, South African Tourism with an aim to sustain the travel momentum hosted the second workshop of ‘Learn South Africa’ 2023 in Pune. In line with the tourism board’s strategy to surpass pre-pandemic arrival numbers by the end of the year, the hallmark travel trade training session ‘Learn SA’ is aimed at equipping travel agents with the finest tools to sell the destination effectively.

In efforts to propel the strong travel momentum witnessed during the initial six months of 2023, the 6-city training session which concluded in Delhi and Pune will be followed by Kolkata, Kochi, Indore and Jaipur. On-ground events such as ‘Learn SA’ assist the tourism board in setting the ground for aligning trade partners with the board’s well-developed strategy to boost growth and attract Indian travellers to the Rainbow Nation. The workshops also act as a valuable platform for expanding South African Tourism’s network of trade partners by inviting a delegation of new players and encouraging them to participate. This immersive experience aims to equip them with the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively market and represent the country, further enhancing our collaborative efforts to showcase the diverse attractions and experiences that South Africa has to offer.

India is currently the 6th largest international source market for South Africa and the tourism board believes that the country has a significant role to play when it comes to the prospering tourism landscape of South Africa. In Pune, the workshop garnered the participation of over 111 trade partners. Further, for this year’s edition of ‘Learn SA,’ more than 1,000 trade partners are expected to be in attendance from all over India. The 9th edition of ‘Learn SA’ focuses its lens on novel activities, unexplored provinces, and hidden gems of South Africa.

Commenting on ‘Learn South Africa’ 2023, Neliswa Nkani, Hub Head – Middle East, India and South-East Asia, South African Tourism, said, “I want to extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Indian trade fraternity for being a part of this workshop and playing a pivotal role in its success. Their enthusiasm, dedication, and eagerness to learn more about South Africa have not only elevated this initiative but laid the foundation for enduring partnerships that will continue to grow in the years to come. This year, through our collaborative efforts, we have witnessed a significant growth in tourism from India and it further reinforces my belief that this is only the beginning. It will be our endeavour to innovate and to explore newer avenues of association by expanding such programs to tier-2 and tier-3 cities of the Indian market.”

Pune is one of the key emerging source markets for South African Tourism in India. The Rainbow Nation has been seeing an increased preference for leisure as well as business travellers from the country, thereby contributing to the flourishing footfalls. During the period January – June 2023, the tourism board witnessed a 18% jump in business travellers from Pune in comparison to January – June 2022. Of the overall inbound traffic from the city, over 88% of the travellers chose South Africa for their business and MICE initiatives.

Owing to its novel initiatives and collaborative efforts throughout the year, South African Tourism has witnessed over 80% growth in arrivals from January – July 2023 in comparison to the same period last year. South African Tourism is deeply invested in India as part of its long-term global strategy, and it is one of the top-3 focus markets for the tourism board globally.

Air India to start non-stop flight between Kolkata and Bangkok from Oct 23

Air India is set to introduce non-stop flight service between Kolkata and Bangkok from October 23, 2023. In its official statement, the airline said, “AI322 will depart Kolkata at 2200 hrs to reach Bangkok at 0205 hrs the next morning. The return flight AI321 will take off from Bangkok at 0305 hrs to land in Kolkata at 0410 hrs (All Local Time). The flight, operated with a narrow body Airbus family aircraft, will have a two-class configuration of Economy and Business Class and operate six days a week from Monday to Saturday.”

Air India currently operates a total of 14 flights to Bangkok per week with daily non-stop flights from Delhi and Mumbai connecting the destination. Earlier in March, the Tata Group-owned airline said that it would add frequency on the major eastbound routes of Asia like Hong Kong, Bangkok (Thailand), and Seoul on its 2023 summer schedule.

The airline said that it would add a total of eight new weekly flights – six to Bangkok (three each from Delhi and Mumbai), and additional weekly flights from Delhi to Seoul (Incheon) and Hong Kong, starting from March 26.

Thailand renews contract with VFS Global for processing visa applications across India

Continuing its partnership with the Thailand government, VFS Global has re-won the contract to process visa applications for Thailand from India.

The company will cater to travellers from India across visa categories through visa application centres and drop off centres as per the jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Embassy in Delhi and Royal Thai Consulate General in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai.

VFS Global’s relationship with the Government of Thailand dates to nearly two decades. The company has processed more than 2.2 million Thai visa applications since 2005.

As a part of the mandate, VFS Global will roll out drop box services in Tier-II cities such as Ranchi, Aurangabad, Bhopal, Indore, Nagpur, Nasik, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayawada, Currently the service is available at Agra, Amritsar, Dehradun, Jaipur, Ludhiana, Guwahati, Patna, Bihar, Bhubaneswar, Jamshedpur, Siliguri and Visakhapatnam.

The VFS Global newest visa application centre (VAC) in Lucknow (a drop box facility earlier) will also accept applications for Thailand visas.

“The renewal of the Thai visa contract attests to VFS Global’s superior business performance, commitment to improving customer experience, and unshakable faith placed in us by the 70 sovereign governments we work with, including Thailand,’’ said Prabuddha Sen, Chief Operating Officer – South Asia, VFS Global.

 

 

 

Air India launches ‘FlyAirIndiaSale’ for India-US travel route, offer valid till October 5th

Air India has launched a limited-period, #FlyAirIndiaSale, to offer attractive fares on all India-U.S. routes in Economy Class and Premium Economy Class (available on select U.S. routes).

All-inclusive Economy Class fares start from INR 42,999 (one-way) and INR 52,999 (return).

All-inclusive Premium Economy fares start from INR 79,999 (one-way) and INR 1,09,999 (return). Air India’s Premium Economy class is currently available on select routes- Bengaluru-San Francisco, Mumbai-San Francisco, and Mumbai-New York.

Bookings under the sale are open for only five days, from 01 October to 05 October 2023, for travel between 01 October and 15 December 2023.

Air India operates 47 non-stop flights every week from Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai to five American cities- New York, Newark (New Jersey), Washington DC, Chicago, and San Francisco.

The sale fares are also available from several other Indian cities for one-stop flights to the U.S. via Delhi, Bengaluru, or Mumbai. This enables travellers from cities across India, such as Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Chennai, Kochi, and Kolkata, among others, to travel seamlessly to the U.S. at the highly discounted fares.

AAI to add 160 parking bays at 27 airports as aircraft orders soar

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will add 160 aircraft parking bays at 27 airports in two years to expand air connectivity. The capacity expansion will aid domestic airlines that are adding aircraft to meet the growing demand. Air India and IndiGo have around 1,500 aircraft on order that would be delivered over a decade. In FY 2024 domestic airlines are expected to induct around 100 planes.

“By the end of year 2023, 104 bays will be constructed at 16 airports and in 2024, an additional 56 bays will be constructed at 11 airports. All the bays are suitable for Code ‘C’ type of aircraft ranging from ATR-72 to AirbusA321,” AAI said.

Amritsar, Goa (Dabolim), Kolkata and Patna, which feature in the top twenty airports for domestic passenger traffic will see addition of aircraft bays. While Amritsar and Kolkata airports will see the increase in 2023, Goa and Patna will get new parking bays next year.

Other airports that will see additional parking bays include Leh, Raipur and Tirupati. Extra parking bays at Leh would especially be useful, given the short operating window at the airport due to weather conditions. The list of 27 airports also includes the airfields in Datia, Rewa (both Madhya Pradesh) and Solapur (Maharashtra) which currently see no scheduled airline flights. “Any capacity addition at tier-II airports is good and will especially help government’s regional connectivity scheme. Along with increase in parking bays, AAI should also provide night landing and round-the-clock air traffic services at some of the smaller airports,” said Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation blog Network Thoughts.

“By FY30, the combined fleet size of Indian airlines is likely to double to 1,400 and thus we will require additional 600-700 aircraft parking bays at in the country,” said Kapil Kaul, CEO (South Asia), aviation consultancy, CAPA.

“CAPA doesn’t expect a capacity challenge at metro airports till FY 30. AAI must construct parking bays at airports which align the operational and commercial requirements of airlines,” Kaul added. (Source: The Business Line)