Tibet Airlines now flies to Samui, plans new flights to Kathmandu and Sochi

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Tibet Airlines now flies to Samui from Chengdu and has plans to operate new international flights to Kathmandu in October 2016 and to Sochi, Russia, in November 2016 with its A319 and A330 aircraft.

Tibet Airlines flies between Chengdu and Samui on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Its flight TV9897 operated by Airbus A330 departs from Chengdu for Samui at 12.55 pm, arrives in Samui at 3.40 pm before leaving Samui for Chengdu at 4.40 pm and arriving in Chengdu at 8.55 pm under flight TV9898.

The airline's first flight from Chengdu to Samui is launched on 17 July 2016.

Chengdu is the Tibetan airline's domestic and international hub where it has onward connecting flights to Lhasa and other Chinese cities.

Spring Airlines and OKAir exercise passenger age-health discrimination

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Two Chinese private airlines now require elderly travelers intending to board their flights to issue body and health fitness certification documents on-line before they purchase their tickets. These airlines are Spring Airlines and OKAir. 

Elderly passengers aged 70 and above who intend to fly with Spring Airlines from Singapore to Shanghai-Pudong and within China to any part of the route networks of Spring Airlines or from other international destinations of Spring Airlines are advised to show the airline headquartered in Shanghai and its branch offices if any outside Shanghai their body and health fitness certification documents prior to purchasing an on-line ticket. Likewise and with more stringent requirements are from OKAir on elderly passengers of this age range.

The certification documents should include comprehensive medical health data, X-ray photo and report and a health professional declaration stating that the elderly passengers are fit to travel onboard a flight before purchasing a ticket. This is to ensure the passengers' health do not affect normal flight operations and to reduce frequency of passenger health emergencies due to inflight turbulence and flight diversions as a result of passenger emergencies due to health reasons which may cause unforeseen flight delays.

An elderly passenger aged 70 years old and above has to capture shots of the X-rays before emailing the relevant certification documents and health data to Spring Airlines. For further information, please contact Spring Airlines at its Facebook page and for OKAir at its web-site www.okair.net.

If the elderly passenger is deemed not fit to travel by the two airlines due to heart disease and other health reasons, he will not be allowed to purchase a ticket of Spring Airlines or OKAir.

This is despite the availability of comprehensive travel insurance and passengers' health insurance.

Spring Airlines and OKAir have no such restrictions on younger passengers.

Spring Airlines flies from Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Suvarnabhumi, Hong Kong, Incheon, Japan, Siem Reap, Taipei and many more Asian destinations to Shanghai-Pudong. It also operates many flights from Suvarnabhumi to Shijiazhuang and other Chinese cities while OKAir has flights from Suvarnabhumi, Jeju to China and domestic flights in China.

For the news source in Chinese, please refer to the news from Beijing Evening Press below.

航司要求70岁以上须有体检报告 年龄歧视？

《北京晚报》代丽丽2016-08-29 15:45:42

眼下正是旅游旺季，不少老年人也想出去转转，有人在买机票时却被告知，必须先去医院做个体检，有了健康证明才能购买机票，否则航空公司就有权拒载。这种强硬的做法让不少老年人觉得自己受到了歧视——这是哪门子规定？我身体好好的，为什么要开证明才能坐飞机？

70岁以上坐飞机要先出示体检报告

孙健最近打算带父亲出去玩一趟。父亲72岁，于是他通过航空公司的网站订票，没想到还会遇到年龄上的限制——春秋航空公司的客服人员告诉他，70周岁以上老人订购机票需要提供180天内的乘机证明或者提供180天内的医院开具的医院体检报告才能乘机！

这份报告里要有心电图、心率数值、血压数值、呼吸道检查（也就是胸透）的结果。而且还要将这些检查报告拍照后发送到对方指定的邮箱，航空公司审核通过后，老人才能购票。如此复杂的乘机要求让孙健很迷惑。“我父亲才72岁，身体很好，现在为了坐个飞机还要专门去医院做个体检，这也太麻烦了！”孙健说，不仅要专门跑趟医院，一向节俭的父亲更是为这笔体检的费用耿耿于怀。“全做下来的话，大约百十块钱，为什么平白无故要多花这些钱呢？”

航空公司表示是为老人安全着想

有同样规定的还有奥凯航空公司，而且要求比春秋航空更加严格，他们把年龄的限制定在了75岁以上，要求体检在乘机前的一周之内，还得是县级以上或三甲医院的检查结果才行，要求检查老人的心脑血管、高血压、心脏病、冠心病等情况。起飞当天，老人需要带着体检结果去办乘机手续，各项检查指标在正常范围内才会被允许乘机。

“老人身体好好的，为什么非要多此一举让我们去医院做体检呢？”面对疑问，客服人员回答，这也是为了老人的乘机安全着想。“高空环境中，可能会因为气压的变化导致血压升高、呼吸困难、缺氧等情况，还有气流变化导致的颠簸等等，老人要是有心脏病、呼吸系统疾病就可能会有危险。我们也是为老人的乘机安全着想。”客服人员的解释听起来似乎也挺有道理。

但孙健又觉得，现在老年人的寿命都提高了，70岁尚且算“年轻”的，很多80多岁的老人依然精神矍铄，健步如飞，还硬生生地定一个70岁或者75岁的门槛，这不是给很多健康的老年人平添了烦恼吗？“要是真有高血压、心脏病之类的，老人和子女也不会轻易让老人坐飞机啊！”

仅是少数航空公司的自行规定

记者向其他航空公司咨询，发现这仅是少数航空公司的规定，像国航、南航、东航、海航这四大航空公司就没有这样的要求，厦门航空、山东航空等公司也不做特殊限制，只是有些公司会强调乘机的前提是老人身体健康，最好有年轻人陪同等，但并不强制要求出具体健康证明等。

对于老年人乘机是否需要出示健康证明的问题，记者咨询了荣达律师事务所律师刘小明。刘小明介绍，《中国民用航空旅客、行李国际运输规则》当中并没有对老年人乘机做出特殊要求，只是要求重病旅客购票应持有医疗单位出具适于乘机的证明。但刘小明同时也表示，飞机作为在高空飞行的一种特殊交通工具，航空公司要求乘客的年龄和身体健康状况也是为了保证乘客的安全，出发点是好的，乘客也应该给予理解，不必心存芥蒂，但航空公司应该尽量简化流程、方便乘客，别让好心变成了乘客的烦恼。

V Air suspends flights for one year

Press Report in Chinese by NOWnews, Taiwan
Summary Translation by : Gan Yung Chyan
                                          / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

On 28 August 2016, TransAsia Airways revealed that instead of permanently closing its low-cost subsidiary V Air on 1 October 2016, the low-cost airline will suspend all flight operations for one year from 4 October 2016 to 3 October 2017. During this period, V Air will be restructured. Dismissals of employees will be under discretion and according to Taiwan labour law.   

威航原定自今年10月1日起并回母公司复兴航空，以便进行资源整合，但复兴航空今下午表示，威航公司董事会决议撤销合并案，改为自10月4日至明(106)年10月3日停业1年，期间将进行公司整顿、处理后续相关事宜。

威航公司董事会决议撤销合并案，也将利用停业期间将用于整顿公司、处理后续相关事宜，复兴航空也表示，停业期间会确保威航停业程序，并保障旗下员工权益，符合相关劳动法规。

威航合并案通过，日前便传已提交大量资遣计画书却未与员工协商、公告，对此，威航表示，目前尚未正式递交计画书给台北市劳动局，外传8月17日提出恐为误解，而计画书内容尚在调整中，并未正式送件。

Myanmar National Airlines marked first anniversary of flight operations to Singapore, announced new route

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Myanmar National Airlines, that celebrated its first anniversary of flight operations to Singapore from Yangon at Changi Airport on 17 August 2016, confirms that it is launching its first international direct flight from Bangkok Suvarnabhumi International Airport to Mandalay on 31 August 2016.

Myanmar National Airlines will fly direct to Mandalay from Suvarnabhumi on Wednesdays, Fridays and Mondays. However, the outbound flight from Mandalay to Suvarnabhumi continues to stop over in Yangon.

On 31 August 2016, flight UB020 departs from Suvarnabhumi for Mandalay at 9.20 am and arrives in Mandalay at 10.35 am. Flight is operated by its B737-800 aircraft.

To celebrate the new route, Myanmar National Airlines offers the cheapest one-way fare starting from 96 US Dollars and it is available for sale on the airline's web-site www.flymna.com.

Myanmar National Airlines will make its exhibition debut at ITB Asia in Singapore from 19 to 21 October 2016 where it may announce other new route plans.

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines markets Bhutan domestic flights to Singapore

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines at the second edition of Travel Revolution Fair 2016 markets domestic flights in Bhutan to Singapore travellers.

Purchase any round trip ticket on any international route sector of Drukair and pay only 130 Singapore Dollars for a round-trip ticket to Bumthang or Gelephu.

According to Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines, it normally costs 170 Singapore Dollars to purchase a one-way ticket to Bumthang or Gelephu from Paro. The promo through fare of 130 Singapore Dollars for a round trip is only available for purchase at the travel fair in Singapore until 21 August 2016.

Drukair domestic air services are operated by its sole ATR42-500 aircraft. The national flag carrier and ambassador of "Brand Bhutan" first launched its first domestic flight to Bumthang in December 2011. A test flight to Gelephu is opened on 17 December 2015 and the first scheduled flight to Gelephu from Paro is operated on 29 December 2015.

Bumthang, known offically as Jakar, is located in central-eastern Bhutan and is famous for the beautiful Bumthang Valley.

Gelephu is a town bordering India with the Bhutanese town of Phuntsoling located on the west of Gelephu and the town Sarpang on its eastern side. It is a part of a future Special Economic Zone of Bhutan known as Sarpang-Gelepang Development Corridor which is rich in forest resources. Recreational activities are available in Gelephu.

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines flies to Paro from Singapore via Kolkata every week. Promo fares to Paro from Singapore at 899 Singapore Dollars and to Kolkata from 290 Singapore Dollars for winter travel after 12 December 2016 are available.

Visit www.drukair.com.sg or email info@drukasia.com for more information.

Garuda Indonesia's move to Jakarta's international airport Terminal 3 and daily flights to Medan

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Garuda Indonesia will eventually move all its Jakarta-outbound flights to Soekarno Hatta International Airport Terminal 3 to ease air traffic congestion at the other two terminals. The airline at the second edition of Travel Revolution Fair 2016 said that after its domestic flights were shifted to Terminal 3 on 9 August 2016, the next step is to base all its international flights from Jakarta in the same terminal as Terminal 3 has expanded with more facilities and better services for passengers.

The Terminal 3 complex will also eventually be the terminal for the other SkyTeam member of airlines including Vietnam Airlines, China Eastern and XiamenAir.

Flights of AirAsia and Lion Air Groups in Jakarta have been moved from Terminal 3 to Terminals 2 and 1. 

Garuda Indonesia has flights to Jakarta, Surabaya, Denpasar and its latest destination Medan-Kualanamu from Singapore.

Medan-Kualanamu is the gateway airport to Medan, Berastagi and Lake Toba. 

Flights operated by Garuda Indonesia B737-800 depart from Singapore for Kualanamu at 11.15 am, arrive in Kualanamu at 11.45 am under flight GA851 before leaving Kualanamu at 1.30 pm and arriving in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 4 pm under flight GA850. Until 24 August 2016, book with Garuda Indonesia and enjoy one-way fare from 90 Singapore Dollars or round-trip fare from 158 Singapore Dollars for travel from today to 30 November 2016.

Garuda Indonesia has inclusive travel packages to Medan. Key places of interest in Medan include Medan Grand Mosque, Maha Vihara Maitreya Cemara Asri, Sri Mariamman Temple, Tjong A Fie's Mansion and shopping mails.

In Berastagi, tourists can visit Lumbini Natural Park where there is a replica of Shwedagon Pagoda. Visit Sipiso-Piso Waterfall and Togging with blue-green hills around the magnificent Lake Toba, and Lingga, a village with traditional Karo houses on stilts.

On Lake Toba, sail to visit Samosir Island, Tomok Village and Pulau Tuk Tuk, the island situated in the huge crater lake. The surrounding area is the heart of the Toba Batak culture.

Air Koryo launches charter flight to Taiyuan on 22 August 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Air Koryo is launching its first charter flight to Taiyuan, Shanxi Province in China, from Pyongyang, on 22 August 2016.

On 22 August 2016, Air Koryo's An-148 aircraft leaves Pyongyang for Taiyuan at 9 am, arrives i Taiyuan at 11 am before departing from Taiyuan for Pyongyang at 12.30 pm and touching down in Pyongyang at 2.30 pm. One of its Tu-204 aircraft will be deployed later on this new route according to passenger demand.

Air Koryo will fly between Pyongyang and Taiyuan until 30 October 2016. The flights are chartered by two established Shanxi Province travel operators including Spring Shanxi Travels, the tour operator subsidiary of Spring Airlines in Taiyuan.

Earlier this year, Air Koryo operated charter flights to Qingdao and Jinan in May 2016. It has regular scheduled flights to Beijing, Shenyang and Shanghai-Pudong in China and to Vladivostok in Russia Far East.

Scoot launches its first European scheduled flight to Athens on 20 June 2017

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Scoot is launching its first non-stop European scheduled flight from Singapore to Athens on 20 June 2017. One-way Economy Class fare starts from 288 Singapore Dollars and is applicable for purchase from 16 August 2016 to 31 August 2016.

On 20 June 2017, Scoot flight TZ702 departs from Singapore for Athens at 2 am, arrives in Athens at 8.30 am local time and departs from Athens at 12 pm local time and touches down in Singapore at 4.25 am on 21 June 2017 under flight TZ701.

Subject to regulatory approval, Scoot's B787 Dreamliner aircraft will fly between Singapore and Athens on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays.

The exciting news comes ahead of any confirmation of AirAsia X's plans to re-launch flights to Europe.

HK Express launches the world's first low-cost scheduled flight to Hualien on 6 December 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Following the upcoming launch of the world's first low-cost flight to Chiang Rai from Hong Kong on 25 November 2016, HK Express will launch the word's first low-cost scheduled flight to Hualien in Taiwan from Hong Kong on 6 December 2016. Subject to regulatory approval, Hong Kong's only home-grown low-cost airline will fly to Hualien directly every Tuesday and weekend. One-way fare starts from 98 HK Dollars.

On 6 December 2016 (Tuesday), HK Express flight UO3162 departs from Hong Kong for Hualien at 3 pm, arrives in Hualien at 4.35 pm before leaving Hualien at 5.10 pm and touching down in Hong Kong at 6.45 pm under flight UO3163.

On 10 December 2016 (Saturday), flight UO3162 takes off for Hualien from Hong Kong at 2.55 pm and arrives in Hualien at 4.30 pm. The return outbound flight UO3163 only leaves Hualien at 8.10 am on 11 December 2016 and touches down in Hong Kong at 9.55 am, ensuring that holidaymakers have a delightful time relaxing in Hualien from Tuesday.

Hualien is the gateway to the famous Taroko National Park while Hualien Airport is one of the three Taiwanese airports that allow aviation enthusiasts to view aircraft take offs and arrivals clearly, the others are Taipei Sungshan Airport and Kaohsiung Airport.

Hualien is the second Taiwanese destination of HK Express, after Taichung.

Lao Airlines joins IATA in its 40th year of flight operations as it plans new routes

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Lao Airlines, which exhibits at NATAS for the fourth time from 12 to 14 August, is formally admitted into International Air Transport Association (IATA) in Vientiane on 10 August 2016 as IATA's latest country member airline in its 40th year of flight operations. Its entry to IATA marks the airline coming of age as it takes on national aviation management and station operational safety responsibilities on an internationally-recognised level.

This comes after Lao Airlines has achieved globally recognised IATA Operational Safety Audit (IOSA) certification earlier this year following a comprehensive assessment of its operational management and control systems that are evaluated against more than 900 audit standards and recommended practices across eight disciplines including management organization, operations, maintenance and engineering, ground operations and aviation security.

Both IOSA certification and IATA membership are significant achievements for Lao Airlines since it began operations in 1976 under its former name of Lao Aviation. They will "enhance the trust and confidence levels" (quoting Dr. Somphone Duangdara, Lao Airlines CEO) of the airline among its customers.

In 1976, Lao Aviation had a fleet of Fairchild C-123, Douglas C 47, Douglas DC 4, Antonov 2, Mil Mi 8, Antonov 24 and Antonov 26 aircraft. 

In 2016, Lao Airlines has 4 Airbus A320-214 and 7 ATR72-500 and -600 series aircraft operating to 6 domestic and 15 international destinations. Following the achievements mentioned earlier, the airline plans to enlarge its existing route network on its own and with its interline airline partners.

The Lao national flag carrier plans to launch new charter flights to Wuhan in Hubei, China, Nanning in Guangxi from Vientiane and operate future scheduled flights to Taipei, Yangon, Tokyo-Narita and Kuala Lumpur.

Lao Airlines provides Singaporeans and tourists with connecting flights from Vientiane to Luang Prabang, Pakse, Savannakhet and it has code-sharing flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang with SilkAir from 31 October 2016 on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. It is the only airline to fly directly from Singapore to and from Vientiane three times on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

From 1 September 2016, Lao Airlines' passengers in Lao PDR intending to travel to Jakarta will be able to make reservations on Garuda Indonesia's network which includes Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia and New Zealand whereas Garuda Indonesia's passengers in Indonesia can connect to Lao Airlines' flights to Vientiane and Luang Prabang via Singapore and Suvarnabhumi. The Interline and SPA partnership between Lao Airlines and Garuda Indonesia will pave way for Lao Airlines' eventual flights to Jakarta on its own.

Lao Airlines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jin Air, South Korea's LCC, to formalise a future Interline agreement that will develop interline sales and provide mutual support on facilities, equipment and information for the safety operation of aircraft in Lao PDR and South Korea. The agreement will allow Lao Airlines to develop its flight network that will eventually cover destinations in South Korea and international cities that are already served by Jin Air including Jeju, Cheongju, Busan, Japan, Hong Kong, Taipei and Guam.

Mr. Sengpraseuth Mathouchanh, Vice President of Lao Airlines, said, “This cooperation will help Lao Airlines in the future to expand its routes to the domestic of Korea and beyond as well as the tourist, economic and investment between the two countries”.

Jin Air expects to sell its tickets on Lao Airlines' flights to Luang Prabang, Singapore, Chiang Mai, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Siem Reap and Danang and other future Southeast Asian cities from Vientiane in due course.

An officer of Jin Air added, “We expect to reinforce our airline network in Southeast Asia through this agreement. We will discuss further cooperation on promotions, sales and marketing in a variety of ways so that both airlines can leverage the synergy created through the collaboration.”

Lao Airlines' existing interline partner airlines include Garuda Indonesia, XiamenAir, China Airlines, Bangkok Airways, Air France KLM, Asiana Airlines, Korean Air, Cambodia Angkor Air, Vietnam Airlines,  Jetstar, Qantas, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Hainan Airlines, China Eastern, Thai Airways International, Eva Air, Aeroflot Russian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, SilkAir and SriLankan Airlines.

Establishing new interline partnerships with foreign airlines will enable Lao Airlines to expand its route network faster than addition of new aircraft.

More about IATA

IATA’s mission is to represent, lead and serve the airline industry and is the collective voice of 265 airlines from over 117 countries worldwide. Its vision is to be the force for value creation and innovation driving a safe, secure and profitable air transport industry that will sustain, connect and enrich the world. 

Bhutan Airlines (Tashi Air) launches direct flight from Paro to Delhi, one of its new routes

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Bhutan Airlines, operated by Tashi Air Pvt Ltd, exhibits at NATAS Travel Holidays 2016 for the first time from 12 to 14 August, and announces that it is launching direct flight from Paro to Delhi on 15 September 2016. It will fly five times a week between Paro and Delhi on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It will launch direct charter flight from Singapore to Paro in November 2016.

On 15 September 2016, Bhutan Airlines Airbus A319 flight B3773 departs from Paro for Delhi at 10.45 am, arrives in Delhi at 12.35 pm before leaving Delhi at 1.35 pm and touching down in Paro at 4.15 pm under B3774.

Bhutan Airlines also flies to Delhi via Kathmandu.

On 26 November 2016, Bhutan Airlines will launch direct charter flight from Singapore to Paro without the stopover in Kolkata, subject to bilateral government and regulatory approval. The charter flight is marketed in Singapore by ASA Holidays and Air Sino-Euro Associates Travel Pte. Ltd. in a 5 Days 4 Nights Bhutan (Paro - Thimphu - Punakha) travel package, which will take in sights of Bhutanese tourist destinations such as Motithang Takin Reserve, the wildlife reserve for takin, the national animal of Bhutan, Buddha Point (Kuensel Phodrang), Dochula Pass, the "Temple of Happiness" Punakha Dzong and Taktsang Monastery (Tiger's Nest Temple), the unofficial symbol of Bhutan.

The charter flight from Singapore to Paro will also be conducted on 1, 6, 11 and 16 December 2016. The return flight from Paro will land in Singapore Changi Airport at 1.30 am on the sixth day.

Singapore is one of Bhutan Airlines' two destinations operated on a charter basis. The other destination it operates to on a charter ad hoc basis is Kuala Lumpur.

Bhutan Airlines plans to launch scheduled flight to Singapore via Yangon in 2017, subject to bilateral government and regulatory approval.

Bhutan Airlines distributes Bhutan travel brochures, its company profile in English and limited hardcopies of its inflight magazine Kuzuzangpo La at NATAS Travel Holidays 2016. The airline has not published any aircraft postcard.

Sichuan Airlines launches direct scheduled flight to Prague on 12 August 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Passengers travelling with Sichuan Airlines from Singapore to Chengdu will be delighted to know that from 12 August 2016 onwards, Sichuan Airlines will provide connecting flights to Prague, the capital of Czech Republic, on Fridays and Tuesdays on a scheduled basis.

On 12 August 2016, Sichuan Airlines flight 3U8295 departs from Chengdu for Prague at 12.45 pm, arrives in Prague at 5.15 pm before leaving Prague at 7.15 pm on the same day for Chengdu and touching down in Chengdu at 10.45 am local time on 13 August 2016.

There are six hours of time difference between Prague and Chengdu/Singapore. Singapore shares the same timing as China.

The Chengdu-Prague return flights are operated by Sichuan Airlines' Airbus A330 aircraft. Passengers do not need to fly to Beijing or Incheon to connect to flights for Prague.

Prague is said to be Europe's most beautiful capital and it has stood out to be the most favourite European destination of China tourists following the terror attacks in Paris and Istanbul. It is Sichuan Airlines' second European destination after Moscow.

Sichuan Airlines flies from Singapore to Chengdu at nights on a scheduled basis. Buy your Sichuan Airlines' tickets at local travel agents in Chinatown and at Zuji.com.sg today.

Uzbekistan Airways to receive its first B787-800 Dreamliner in September 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

As part of its fleet renewal programme, Uzbekistan Airways will receive its first B787-800 Dreamliner long-range jet in September 2016 after the aircraft painting job was completed in Boeing in early August 2016. It is the first Central Asian airline to own a Dreamliner aircraft.

Uzbekistan Airways has purchase orders of 2 such Dreamliner aircraft since July 2014. Its advanced payments of 3.86 million US Dollars for the two aircraft have been remitted with the balance to be paid via state and bank loans.

The B787-800 Dreamliner will be deployed on routes from Tashkent to Europe, New York, Suvarnabhumi and in future a direct return route to Singapore and potential service to Australia via Singapore. 

Uzbekistan Airways currently flies to Singapore with stopover via Kuala Lumpur on the way back to Tashkent using its B767-300ER aircraft.

V Air suspends all flight operations on 1 October 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

V Air, the second Taiwan LCC, suspends all flight operations from Taipei-Taoyuan on 1 October 2016. The final day of its flight operations is 30 September 2016.

Refunds of air tickets to affected passengers or arrangements for passengers to board TransAsia Airways on the affected routes are in process.

West Air launches flight from Singapore to Urumqi via Chongqing without aircraft change on 2 September 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Chongqing-based low-cost airline West Air launches scheduled flight from Singapore to Urumqi via Chongqing without any change of aircraft in Chongqing on 2 September 2016. Services until end of October 2016 will be operated on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays before the service linking the three cities is operated daily.

On 2 September 2016, West Air flight PN6358 departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 for Urumqi via Chongqing at 12.35 am, transits in Chongqing at 5.05 am for Chongqing-bound passengers to alight before taking off for Urumqi at 7.15 am and touching down in Urumqi at 11.35 am.

The outbound flight from Urumqi for Singapore, flight PN6357, leaves Urumqi at 12.40 pm, transits in Chongqing at 4.20 pm before departing for Singapore at 6.35 pm and arriving in Singapore at 11.35 pm.

Round trip to Urumqi excluding taxes starts from 400 yuan. Tickets are on sale at www.westair.cn, travel agents and online ticketing platforms such as Tuniu and Ctrip.

West Air first launched its first international flight linking Chongqing with Singapore in February 2016 and it has attracted keen interest from Chongqing Airport and Changi Airport to develop tourist traffic to western China beyond Chongqing from Singapore.

The introduction of West Air's flight from Singapore to Urumqi is shortening the transit waiting time from up to 15 hours (if travel via Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou) to less than three hours and will promote overall tourist and business traffic between Xinjiang and Southeast Asia as a whole.

Tigerair Taiwan and V Air may be merged or closed down

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

According to Central News Agency of Taiwan, Tigerair Taiwan may be merged with Mandarin Airlines or closed down as the airline's main investor China Airlines is said to have a problem on the joint-venture agreement with Tiger Airways Holdings and Mandarin Airlines, the minority investors of Tigerair Taiwan. 

As of today, Tiger Airways Holdings hold 10 per cent stake in Tigerair Taiwan while China Airlines holds 80 per cent stake in the Taiwan LCC while the remaining stake was taken up by Mandarin Airlines in March 2014 from China Airlines.

Tigerair Taiwan first commenced inaugural flight to Singapore from Taipei-Taoyuan on 26 September 2014. Today, it flies to Singapore, Kota Kinabalu, Don Mueang, Macau, Kaohsiung, Dayong (Zhangjiajie in Hunan), Daegu in South Korea, Sendai, Tokyo, Okayama, Naha, Fukuoka and Nagoya in Japan. It launches its first flight to Hakodate on 12 August 2016.

Due to competition from Tigerair Taiwan on routes to Japan, Thailand, China and Singapore, China Airlines is considering merging the Taiwan LCC with its regional subsidiary Mandarin Airlines or closing down the joint-venture to stem losses. 

Mandarin Airlines has given response deadline to Tigerair Taiwan after 8 August 2016 on how it will re-organize its business or merge with Mandarin Airlines to avoid further losses on the routes it flies to including flights to Singapore and Japan.

Meanwhile, customers who have bought tickets from Tigerair Taiwan on Tigerair web-site should monitor status of their planned flights in September for sudden flight cancellations and should have purchased travel insurance before flying with the Taiwanese airline. Tigerair Taiwan has already cancelled its planned inaugural flight from Taipei-Taoyuan to Sapporo on 13 September 2016.

Also at risk of business closure is V Air, the low-cost airline subsidiary of TransAsia Airways. TransAsia is said to consider merging V Air with TransAsia Airways as V Air has not been attracting Japanese tourists and not earning any profit. TransAsia Airways is considering to become a budget boutique airline to stem losses from competition with V Air and other airlines operating to Taiwan and Japan, meaning future passengers of TransAsia will have to pay for inflight meals and inflight entertainment.

Both Tigerair Taiwan and V Air are taking late steps in attracting the Japanese travel markets. They have agreed to exhibit at JATA Travel Expo, Japan's largest international travel mart, but it remains to be seen whether they will exhibit on-site from 21 September to 24 September 2016 in Tokyo.

Hong Kong Airlines launches direct flight to Yonago, Japan on 14 September 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Hong Kong Airlines launches its first direct scheduled flight from Hong Kong to Yonago, a city of Tottori Prefecture in Japan on 14 September 2016. It flies to Yonago on Wednesdays and Saturdays using its Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 14 September 2016, Hong Kong Airlines flight HX6650 departs from Hong Kong for Yonago's Miho-Yonago Airport at 12.05 pm, arrives in Yonago at 4.10 pm before leaving Yonago at 5.10 pm for Hong Kong and touching down in Hong Kong at 7.55 pm under flight HX6651.

Yonago will be the eighth Japanese city destination on Hong Kong Airlines' Japan route network. Hong Kong Airlines has twice-daily flights to Okinawa, Tokyo, one daily flight to Osaka, five-time weekly services to Sapporo, Kagoshima and twice-weekly flights to Okayama in the Chugoku region in Western Honshu and Miyazaki. It will be the only airline to fly between Hong Kong and Yonago.

The 90 per cent mountainous region of Tottori Prefecture, situated in the northeastern part of the Chugoku region in Japan, has four distinct seasons with very high amount of precipitation in July and September. It boasts a wide range of local produce including Japanese watermelons, 20th century pears, oysters and Matsuba crabs. 

Tottori Prefecture is blessed with Japan's largest sand dunes, Tottori Sand Dunes. Spanning 16 km long and 2 km wide along the coast, wind and tide weaves together unique ripples and sand screens that evolve every minute. Tourists can choose adrenaline-pumping paragliding and sandboarding or strolling on a horse-cart or a camel or riding a cable car for panoramic views of the coastline. In addition, the hot springs from the sea floor of Miho Bay in the prefecture is said to improve digestion and relieve muscular pain.

The Prefecture is Japan's "Manga Kingdom", as it is home of Japanese comics artists behind the celebrated GeGeGe no Kitaro and Great Detective Conan. A ride on the Kitaro train or a walk along the yokai statue-lined Mizuki Shigeru Road will transport any visitor into the fantasy manga world.

As the original site of Mingei (folk craft) movement, Tottori Prefecture is also well-known for its traditional pottery and utensils inspired by the  beauty of daily life.

With the new Hong Kong - Yonago route, passengers from Southeast Asia need not spend too much to visit the "Manga Kingdom" via other Japanese cities.

Li Dianchun, Chief Commercial Officer of Hong Kong Airlines, said, "We are delighted to be launching our second route in the Chugoku region after our success with the Okayama route in March this year.  Our Yonago route will open up more options to our passengers in West Honshu. We have great confidence in this route and we hope to bring travellers from around the world to this scenic and cultural Prefecture."

Before 14 September, Yonago is linked by Asiana Airlines to Incheon outside Japan on a scheduled flight basis.

Colorful Guizhou Airlines links Yancheng and Yantai from 22 August 2016

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Passengers flying with Jetstar Asia to Guiyang, China, will have more Chinese cities to choose from for their onward domestic flights from the Guizhou Province's capital city on 22 August 2016. 

Between 22 and 31 August 2016, Guiyang-based airline Colorful Guizhou Airlines flies four times a week from Guiyang to Yancheng and Yantai on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays using one of its three Embraer E190 business jets. From 1 September 2016 onwards, the airline launches daily scheduled flights from Guiyang to these cities.

On 22 August 2016, Colorful Guizhou Airlines flight GY7123 departs from Guiyang for Yantai via Yancheng at 1.20 pm, transits in Yancheng at 3.35 pm before taking off from Yancheng at 4.25 pm and arriving in Yantai at 5.35 pm.

On the same day, flight GY7124 leaves Yantai at 6.25 pm, transits in Yancheng at 7.35 pm before departing from Yancheng at 8.25 pm and returning to Guiyang at 10.55 pm.

Colorful Guizhou Airlines is the first airline in the world to link Yancheng with Yantai and does not face any competition from other Chinese airlines on the new route.

Yancheng with a history of 2100 years is the northeastern Jiangsu provincial city named after the salt harvest fields surrounding the city. Home of Shi Nai An the author of Water Margin (<<水浒传>>) and Fan Zhongyan the twelfth century statesman, it has marshlands that are home to the red-crowned crane and the endangered elaphure (Elaphurus davidanus / Pere David's deer). Elaphure is known in Chinese as sibuxiang (四不像), a beast endemic to China with "the tail of a donkey, the head of a horse, the hoofs of a cow, the antlers of a deer".

Yantai is the largest fishing seaport in Shandong Province. Named after the watchtowers constructed on Mount Qi in 1398 to raise alarms against invasions of Japanese pirates, tourists can find walruses and mirages here and it is home to the Yantai Export Processing Zone. Yantai is also the gateway to Penglai City's Dan Cliffs, said to be the departure point of the Eight Immortals on their legendary trip to the Conference of the Magical Peach in The Tales of the Eight Immortals (<<八仙过海>>). The cliffs are of proximity to Yantai Penglai International Airport.

ITB Berlin launches ITB China on 10 May 2017 in Shanghai

Press Release by : Messe Berlin
Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan
                  / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Following the eight-year success of ITB Asia in Singapore, ITB Berlin will launch China's version of ITB, known as ITB China, in Shanghai on 10 May 2017.

Jane Sun, Co-President and COO of Ctrip, will be the keynote speaker at the official opening of the first ITB China, which will take place in May 2017. This was announced by ITB China’s organiser Messe Berlin, and by Ctrip, one of China’s leading online travel agencies. 

Ms Sun said, “We are very excited about ITB China and happy to be part of it right from the first event in 2017. We are confident that the ITB China will be a great opportunity for Ctrip to enhance its business relations with global destinations and travel service suppliers.”

Ctrip is a leading provider of travel services including accommodation reservation, transportation ticketing, packaged tours and corporate travel management in China. The company last attracted global attention in 2015 when it acquired a stake of Qunar, its rival company, and thereby strengthened its leadership in China's online travel space.

The first ITB China will take place from 10 to 12 May 2017 at the Shanghai World Expo Exhibition and Conference Center. The event, an international offshoot of one of Messe Berlin’s most successful trade fairs, will take place annually there. It is a three-day business to business travel trade fair that focuses exclusively on the Chinese travel industry. The ITB China Conference will take place parallel with the show and is co-organised by the leading conference organiser TravelDaily (www.traveldaily.cn), a leading online news portal and organiser of travel industry conferences in Asia’s largest country.

Trade fair preparations well under way

Interest in ITB China is high. Leading Chinese travel industry companies including Ctrip, Alittrip, Utour, Caissa and many others have already confirmed they will be sending their buyers to the first event in mid-May 2017. Exhibitors are also pressing ahead with preparations.

visitBerlin – the Marketing agency of Germany’s capital, was one of the first exhibitors to confirm its participation. 

Ralf Ostendorf, director of Market Management at visitBerlin, said, “Naturally, visitBerlin is delighted that as an offshoot of a Berlin event ITB China will be taking place in Shanghai. The Chinese market is very important for us. Last year in Berlin the number of overnights by Chinese visitors rose by 26.6 per cent, and the prospects for more business are good. We are already looking forward to establishing contacts in Shanghai and to taking part in the first ITB China.“

Exhibitors who decide early to attend ITB China can take advantage of a 10 per cent discount on stand fees if they register no later than 30 September 2016. For more details please visit www.itb-china.com.

About ITB

First launched 50 years ago, ITB Berlin is recognised as the most successful trade show for the global travel industry. Some 10,000 exhibitors from more than 180 countries regularly attend this event. 

Every year in October for the last eight years Messe Berlin has successfully organised ITB Asia in Singapore. Boasting 760 exhibitors from 73 countries, ITB Asia in Singapore has established itself as one of the leading travel trade shows in Asia. 

As the second show in Asia, ITB China will take place in Shanghai, one of the leading industrial cities in the People’s Republic of China, and with a population of around 23 million one of world’s largest cities. 

In addition to ITB Asia, which reflects tourism in the whole Asian region, ITB China focuses entirely on the Chinese travel market.