The first Bhutan Travel Expo in Singapore

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

Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines and its Singapore GSA Druk Asia organize the first Bhutan Travel Expo in Singapore from now till 30 October 2016 at ION Orchard Basement 4. Travel and holiday package brochures printed by Druk Asia on behalf of Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines are distributed to the public and travel trade. Bhutanese products including the huge A319 sharket aircraft models of Drukair and Bhutanese rare nutritious rice products marketed by Bhutan Natural are being sold at the travel mart.

Bhutan Natural share the same office as Druk Asia and Drukair Royal Bhutan Airlines located on the 12th floor of Albert Street OG Shopping Complex along Rochor Road, Singapore.

Philippines AirAsia launches flight between Cebu and Singapore on 25 November 2016

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

Philippines AirAsia launches direct scheduled flight between Cebu and Singapore on 25 November 2016. It will fly between Cebu and Singapore on Sundays, Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays using Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 25 November 2016, Philippines AirAsia flight Z2 7236 departs from Cebu for Singapore at 4.55 pm, arrives in Singapore at 8.30 pm and takes off from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1 at 9.10 pm and touching down in Cebu at 12.55 am on 26 November 2016 under Z2 7237.

Promotion fare one-way on the Singapore-Cebu route costs from 78 Singapore Dollars.

Philippines AirAsia is also affectionately known as AirAsia Zest and formerly known as Zest Air as the code Z2 is inherited from Zest Air. Zest Air was rebranded as AirAsia Zest in 2013 under a share-swap agreement with Zest Air. After its fleet integration with Philippines AirAsia by 2015, it is known in the current name of Philippines AirAsia.

Mega Maldives Airlines starts thrice-weekly flights to Colombo from 3 November 2016

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

Mega Maldives Airlines, the international airline of the Maldives,  today announced that it is launching its first scheduled flight to Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka, on 3 November 2016, to meet growing demand for budget flights between both capitals following the business closure of Mihin Lanka. It operates thrice-weekly flights to Colombo from Male on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.

On 3 November 2016, Mega Maldives Airlines flight LV334 departs from Male for Colombo at 1.10 pm, arrives in Colombo at 2.50 pm before leaving Colombo for Male at 3.50 pm and touching down in Male at 4.55 pm under flight LV335 using its B737-800 aircraft.

A return flight of Mega Maldives Airlines to Colombo costs from 165 US Dollars while a one-way fare may cost from 70 to 95 US Dollars depending on direction of travel.

Mega Maldives Airlines adds that it is resuming scheduled flights to Kuala Lumpur four times a week and to Jeddah thrice a week on 15 November 2016 although at this time, the fares are not published on-line yet. It plans to introduce a once-weekly flight to Medinah later in November to complement its Jeddah flight operations.

Besides new services to Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Jeddah and Medinah, Mega Maldives Airlines plans to launch direct flights from Male to Delhi by December 2016 and shortly to Mumbai, later to Kolkata and Dhaka in the future. The schedules are not confirmed yet.

Currently, Mega Maldives Airlines operates direct scheduled flights from Male to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai, as well as tour charter flights from Male to Chengdu, Shenyang, Yinchuan, Zhengzhou, Macau, Dar Es Salaam and Koror via Hong Kong using its fleet of 3 B767-300 ER and 1 B737-800 aircraft.

Singapore the official partner country of ITB Asia 2017

Press Release by : Ketchum

                               On behalf of Messe Berlin Singapore

Edited by : Gan Yung Chyan

                  / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Singapore continues to be home to the next three editions of the region’s leading travel trade show – ITB Asia. Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organisers of the event, have announced the extension of its milestone partnership with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) from 2017 – 2019, as it looks to continue supporting ITB Asia’s impact in the region, bringing a full range of innovative travel products, services and high powered content that cater to new and growing segments in corporate, leisure and MICE travel.

This also marks Singapore as the official partner country for 2017, acting as a platform designed to showcase the best of the country to thousands of travel industry leaders from Asia and around the world. Singapore commands an enormous presence in the world today and is lauded as one of the most influential and fastest growing travel market. ITB Asia’s well-known existence here over the past eight years will continue to see the creation of seamless business connections for the industry.

The next three editions of ITB Asia will take place from 25 – 27 October 2017

, 17 – 19 October 2018 and 16 – 18 October 2019.   

“Next year, ITB Asia will be momentous as we celebrate the show’s 10^th anniversary. Visitors, delegates and partners can expect a dedicated ‘Corporate Travel Day’ and ‘Hotel Day’, lined up with an exciting full day of conference programmes catered to these fast-growing sectors. Our partnership with STB comes at an opportune time and we are extremely pleased to be working in collaboration with them to boost our efforts in continually making ITB Asia the region’s go-to think tank and networking platform for all players in the travel value chain,” said Dr. Martin Buck, Senior Vice President, Messe Berlin GmbH. 

“We share a common vision with Messe Berlin for ITB Asia, which is to create opportunities for the Asia-Pacific travel trade industry to collaborate and grow,” said Ms. Melissa Ow, Deputy Chief Executive of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB). “ITB Asia has grown well since its inaugural show in 2008, delivering strong content and memorable experiences for delegates over the past nine years. We look forward to working with Messe Berlin to further entrench it as the leading travel tradeshow in the Asia-Pacific region.”   

The ninth edition of ITB Asia came to a close on 21 October 2016 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, with 846 exhibitors from 110 countries, and 895 buyers. The show also attracted more than 10,876 attendees.

Highlights of ITB Asia 2016

Press Release : Ketchum, on behalf of Messe Berlin Singapore
Edited by Gan Yung Chyan
                / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to Everyone

ITB Asia, the leading travel trade show for the Asian market, opened its doors on 19 October 2016 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

There has been a significant interest in the MICE and Corporate travel products, with over 85 per cent of attending buyers leveraging on the business matching platform to source for new destinations and travel products, and gain new industry knowledge.

“As we are witnessing a rise in travel demand among Asian buyers, we are constantly working with our exhibitors and partners to create new frontiers and provide the best business platforms for them to connect with the key decision makers in the MICE, Corporate and Leisure travel industry. To ensure high quality of buyers at our show, more than 60 per cent of our confirmed buyers are recommended through our exhibitors and partners. We have secured over 15,000 matched appointments and we anticipate more during the event,” said Katrina Leung, Executive Director of Messe Berlin (Singapore), the organiser of ITB Asia.

ITB Asia is now in its ninth year and this edition is the biggest with strong contributions from Indonesia, Finland and Japan who have increased their exhibition space by more than 60 per cent. The biggest exhibitor is the Ministry of Tourism of The Republic of Indonesia with a record breaking booth space of 400sqm – the largest booth country representative in the history of ITB Asia in Singapore. It also welcomes newcomers including Panama and Taiwan.

The three-day event also kicked off successfully with Google and Booking.com sharing about the impact of digital disruption and trends driving customer experience in travel in their opening keynote address.  

In addition, the event opened with a stimulating panel discussion by some of ITB Asia’s new partners such as CrescentRating and International SOS, who provided insights to the key corporate and consumer trends that are impacting the travel industry in Asia Pacific and how businesses can effectively engage with the different generation of travellers given the ever-changing travel landscape today.

Key highlights of this year’s show:

• For the first time ever, the keynote sessions will stretch across all three days
• This year, ITB Asia holds the most comprehensive conference line-up with over 5,440 conference minutes. This is 730 more minutes as compared to 2015.
• ITB Asia holds its inaugural MICE Day on 20 October 2016. The sessions held on the second day of the exhibition  covers a full spectrum of key issues faced by the MICE sector today.
• New partnerships with prominent industry heavyweights such as the Society for Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE), Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers (SACEOS) sealed, as well as a renewed agreement with the Incentive Conference & Event Society Asia Pacific (ICESAP).
• There is an increase in show presence from airlines with The Singapore Airlines being the official airline, along with other players including Finnair, Air Berlin, Air Greenland, Qatar Airways, Uzbekistan Airways, FMI Air, Myanmar National Airlines, Cambodia Angkor Air, Vietnam Airlines and Bangkok Airways.
• Some of the key conference speakers for this year also include:

o   Greg Schulze, Senior Vice President, Commercial Strategy and Services, Expedia Group

o   Andrew Hughes, Vice President Sales, Marketing & Sourcing APMEA, GTA

o   Jenny Wu, Chief Strategy Officer, Ctrip.com International

Cambodia Angkor Air to utilize Airbus A320-200 from 30 October 2016

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

Cambodia Angkor Air will utilize two new Airbus A320-200 aircraft in an all economic class configuration on 30 October 2016 while 2 of its 3 Airbus A321-200 aircraft will be returned to Vietnam Airlines in November 2016. Together with its three ATR72-500 aircraft, the airline has a total of 6 aircraft.

Cambodia Angkor Air first commences operations on 28 July 2009. It is a joint-venture between the Cambodian Government (51 per cent stake) and Vietnam Airlines (stake of 49 per cent).

Cambodia Angkor Air and private airline Bassaka Air, owned by the Nagaworld Casino in Phnom Penh, exhibit for the first time under the Ministry of Tourism of Cambodia booth at ITB Asia 2016 from 19 to 21 October 2016.

The next edition of ITB Asia will take place in the same venue, Marina Bay Sands Convention & Exhibition Centre, from 25 to 27 October 2017. 

FMI Air to import ATR72-600 in November 2016 and launch international flights in 2018

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

FMI Air, which conducted its first scheduled domestic flight between Yangon and Naypidaw in 2015, exhibits at ITB Asia for the first time from 19 to 21 October 2016. It shares its booth with the Union of Myanmar Travel Association at Booth K43.

FMI Air has a fleet of 2 Canadian CRJ-200 Regional aircraft with a seating capacity of 48 passengers each. However, on 7 November 2016, it will receive its first ATR72-600 aircraft, with a seating capacity of 58 passengers. The ATR aircraft promises more legroom, according to FMI Air.

FMI Air will import its second ATR72-600 aircraft in 2017 to increase frequencies on its route network.

The airline currently flies to Naypidaw and Sittwe from Yangon. After the first ATR72-600 aircraft is received, it will expand its scheduled route network to include Bagan, Mandalay, Heho, Mawlamyaine and Thandwe, destinations that are focused on leisure travellers, through 2017.

FMI Air has ambitions to open scheduled international flights from either Yangon or Mandalay to Phuket, Chengdu, Guilin, Guiyang, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Sihanoukville, Luang Prabang and Vientiane. Initially, it will choose 3 to 4 cities, that are not served by any airline that flies to Myanmar, to operate international flights to, subject to the appropriate safe aircraft availability and travel demand. Its main travel market target is China. 

The airline also plans to have its own inflight magazine published in Singapore and available in Myanmar in 2017.

Myanmar National Airlines adds second daily flight to Singapore on 1 December 2016

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

Myanmar National Airlines, which exhibits at ITB Asia for the first time from 19 to 21 October 2016, announces that it is adding second daily flight to its Yangon-Singapore-Yangon route sectors on 1 December 2016. 

The second daily flight of Myanmar National Airlines takes off from Yangon under UB003 for Singapore at 4 pm, arrives in Singapore at 8.30 pm before leaving Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 9.15 pm and touching down in Yangon at 10.45 pm local time under flight UB004. The flights are operated by the airline's B737-800 aircraft.

The first daily flight of the airline's Yangon-Singapore-Yangon route sectors remains unchanged, meaning flight UB001 leaves Yangon for Singapore at 7.15 am, arrives in Singapore at 11.45 am before departing from Singapore for Yangon at 1 pm and arriving in Yangon at 2.30 pm local time under UB002.

Myanmar National Airlines also says it has charter flights to Gaya from Yangon and it is resuming ATR72 twice-weekly flights from Yangon to Chiang Mai on 4 November 2016 with flight UB009 departing from Yangon for Chiang Mai at 5.50 pm, touching down in Chiang Mai at 7.20 pm before leaving Chiang Mai at 8.05 pm and returning to Yangon at 8.35 pm local time under flight UB010 every Monday and Friday. It has shelved plan to operate flights to Taipei.

Vietnam Airlines looks forward to better A350-900 XWB aircraft technology after 1 year

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                   / KUCINTA SETIA

Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

Vietnam Airlines at ITB Asia 2016, Singapore, marks more than 1 year of A350-900 and B787-900 flight operations formally with trade visitors. It has successfully operated over 2600 flights with A350-900s and over 5000 flights with B787-900s after one year.

Vietnam Airlines starts its first A350-900 revenue service on 30 September 2015 with its direct flight from Hanoi to Paris using the aircraft registerd "VN-A887". It introduces its first B787-900 Dreamliner jet on the direct route from Ho Chi Minh City to London on 1 August 2015.

On 6 September 2016, Vietnam Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Airbus Group on the airline's consideration to buy 10 additional Airbus A350-900 XWB aircraft.

According to Vietnam Airlines, it is looking forward to the outstanding features in the additional A350-900 aircraft that will have "improvements in design, materials and engines", enabling the aircraft to maintain its commercial loading capacity with longer range coverage and higher fuel efficiency for the ultra long haul flights. 

Once the A350-900 XWB aircraft have been successfully delivered, Vietnam Airlines will operate direct non-stop flights to the US.

Currently, Vietnam Airlines has a fleet of 4 A350-900 XWB, 7 B787-900 aircraft. 4 B777-200ER, 8 A330-200, 56 A321-200 and 3 ATR72-500 aircraft.

The wide-body A350-900 XWB and B787-900 boast full flatbed Business Class seats arranged in spacious rows of four. This arrangement is much more roomy and comfortable than that found in other commercial aircraft, enabling passengers to relax, enjoy inflight entertainment and alleviate effects of jet lag on long-haul flights. 

Business Class passengers have access to many useful inflight services such as chargers, USB gates, WiFi connections, Internet access from personal devices, a new generation of entertainment systems featuring large 16-inch LCD screens, etc.

The operations of A350-900 and B787-900 aircraft not only assure world class safe enjoyable flights for Vietnam Airlines' passengers but also enable Vietnam Airlines to introduce long-haul flights. Therefore, SkyTrax has certified Vietnam Airlines recently as a four-star airline and ranked in the Top 3 most improved airline company in the world in 2016.

ITB Asia 2016 is held at Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre from 19 to 21 October 2016 and open to registered tourism and travel trade visitors, buyers and media only. Visit Vietnam Airlines at Booth E45.

Mihin Lanka ends operations on 29 October 2016

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

Mihin Lanka, Sri Lanka's only low-fare airline, ends operations on 29 October 2016 for its merger with SriLankan Airlines on 30 October 2016.

SriLankan Airlines takes over Mihin Lanka's aircraft and operates flights from Colombo to Muscat, Mahe, Male, Dhaka, Chennai, Kolkata, Madurai, Trivandrum, Gaya, Varanasi, Lahore, Jakarta and Medan - Kualanamu, all Mihin Lanka's destinations on 30 October 2016.

Sayacinta - Airpost therefore presents below more glorious looks of Mihin Lanka's livery in Colombo as a gesture of gratitude to the airline for 9 years of reliable flight operations.

XiamenAir adds new daily flights from Singapore to Fuzhou and Xiamen from winter 2016

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

XiamenAir is introducing new daily flights from Singapore to Xiamen and Fuzhou with effect from the start of its upcoming winter schedule.

On 31 October 2016, XiamenAir flight MF898 launches flight from Singapore for Fuzhou at 8.25 am, arrives in Fuzhou at 1.05 pm before leaving Fuzhou at 8 pm under flight MF897 and touching down in Singapore at 12.40 am on 1 November 2016.

On 18 November 2016, flight MF896 leaves Singapore for Xiamen at 2 am, touches down in Xiamen at 6.15 am before departing from Xiamen at 12.10 am on 19 November 2016 and arriving in Singapore at 4.25 am.

The new B737-800 flights of XiamenAir allow business tourists the option to explore Xiamen and Fuzhou one day and return to Singapore within one day without breaking the bank.

Travellers can book these flights on Ctrip, other on-line ticketing platforms and at XiamenAir's offices, its Singapore web-site at www.xiamenair.com and agents.

XiamenAir's other existing daily return flight from Xiamen is MF851 (departing Xiamen at 11.05 am, arriving Singapore at 3.15 pm) /MF852 (departing Singapore at 3.40 pm, arriving Xiamen at 8 pm).

XiamenAir's other existing daily return flight from Fuzhou is MF865 (departing Fuzhou at 10.10 am, arriving Singapore at 2.45 pm) /MF866 (departing Singapore at 4.15 pm, arriving Fuzhou at 8.50 pm).

XiamenAir also flies to Dalian, Tianjin and Zhengzhou via Xiamen, and Xian via Hangzhou from Singapore.

Cambodia Angkor Air launches direct flight from Siem Reap to Hanoi on 30 October 2016

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

Cambodia Angkor Air launches direct flight from Siem Reap to Hanoi on 30 October 2016. It will fly between Siem Reap and Hanoi five times a week on Sundays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays between 30 October 2016 and 14 December 2016 before turning the service into daily from 15 December 2016 using its Airbus A321 or A320 aircraft.

On 30 October 2016, flight K6 850 departs from Siem Reap for Hanoi at 5.55 pm, arrives in Hanoi at 7.35 pm before leaving Hanoi at 8.25 pm and touching down in Siem Reap at 10.05 pm under flight K6 851.

To celebrate the new route, Cambodia Angkor Air will exhibit its flight products and services at ITB Asia 2016 to be held at Marina Sands Expo, Singapore from 19 to 21 October 2016. It now has daily code-sharing flights to Singapore via Ho Chi Minh City operated by Vietnam Airlines. 

Further news on Cambodia Angkor Air from ITB Asia 2016 will be published if any at Sayacinta - Airpost.

Jet Airways flies daily between Bengaluru and Singapore from 14 December 2016

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

India's largest private airline Jet Airways is launching direct scheduled flight between Bengaluru and Singapore on 14 December 2016. It will fly daily using one of its B737 aircraft.

On 14 December 2016, flight 9W24 departs from Bengaluru for Singapore at 11.10 am, arrives in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 3 at 6.10 pm before leaving Singapore for Bengaluru at 7.15 pm and arriving in Bengaluru at 9.15 pm local time under flight 9W23.

Prior to this date, Jet Airways' passengers have to fly to Bengaluru via Mumbai from Singapore. With the addition of Bengaluru to its Singapore flight network, Jet Airways flies to four Indian cities including Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai.

Flight Suspension Notice : Tigerair Taiwan's Singapore flights

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

Tigerair Taiwan is carrying out its final return flight operations to Singapore from Taipei-Taoyuan on 2 January 2017. 

On 2 January 2017, flight IT511 leaves Taoyuan for Singapore at 11.10 am, arrives in Singapore at 4.10 pm before departing from Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 5.05 pm for Taoyuan and touching down in Taoyuan at 9.50 pm.

Flights under IT511 and IT512 from 3 January 2017 onwards are cancelled.

As Tigerair did not announce openly Tigerair Taiwan's flight cancellations at www.tigerair.com, it is best to call the Call Centre of Tigerair at 31576434 for refunds or follow-up on the travel options to Taoyuan.

Asia's first trapezoidal grooved runway at Changi Airport enhances flight safety and operational productivity

Trapezoidal-shaped grooves on the surface of Changi Airport’s Runway 1

Changi Airport is stepping up its productivity and safety drive in its airfield with new and improved runway maintenance processes, including the cutting of groove, and use of stronger asphalt mixture to resurface the airport’s runways.

Runway grooving enhances surface drainage

The surface of Changi Airport’s Runway 1 is currently being cut with trapezoidal-shaped grooves, a new safety design developed by the Federal Aviation Administration of USA. This method of improving runway surface drainage, especially in the advent of climate change leading to higher intensity rainfall, has not been used in other airports in Asia.

Cut by a special machine for runway grooving, the trapezoidal grooves have been shown to provide better water drainage than traditional square grooves, especially under adverse weather conditions. They enhance the safety of aircraft operations by reducing the risk of hydroplaning, which happens when a layer of water builds between the aircraft tyre and the runway surface, causing skidding.

Trials conducted at Changi Airport have also shown trapezoidal grooves to be more maintenance-friendly as compared to its square counterpart, when it comes to removing rubber deposits of aircraft tyres wedged inside the groove.

Stronger asphalt mixture resurfaces all runways

Concurrently, Runway 1 is being resurfaced with a stronger and more durable asphalt mixture, which was jointly developed with the Civil Engineering Department of the National University of Singapore. The mixture was tested over three years to ensure it achieves a higher temperature resistance, in anticipation of hotter weather from climate change.

Every week, more than 6,800 flights take off and land on the two runways at Changi Airport. The impact of the aircraft tyres on contact with the ground will cause the pavement surface constructed of asphalt material to age. Regular preventive maintenance of the runways and taxiways is hence essential to ensure pavement quality. This allows safer and smoother aircraft movements and enables Changi Airport to continue handling heavier aircraft loads and higher traffic growth.

The grooving and resurfacing works at Changi Airport’s Runway 1 have been ongoing since October 2015 and are expected to be completed by end of 2016. Runway 2 has recently been resurfaced.

New runway maintenance equipment boost operational efficiency

At the same time, new equipment have been procured to enhance maintenance productivity in the airfield. These special equipment are essential to ensure the surface evenness and friction on the runways.

Whenever an aircraft lands on the tarmac, its tyres will deposit rubber residue which sticks to the pavement surface. To ensure the runways maintain good skid resistance, Changi Airport has deployed a new rubber removal machine that uses the mechanism of ultra high-pressure jet washing to remove the aircraft tyre rubber build-up, at an increased rate of 3,000 sqm/h as compared to the previous 2,300 sqm/h. The enhanced two-men operation model of the new machine, which previously required seven staff to operate, helps to increase productivity on site.

Changi Airport closes one runway every night for less than six hours for regular inspection and maintenance works. Besides runway resurfacing, pavement grooving and the removal of rubber deposits, other works include the servicing of airfield lighting, repainting of pavement markings and grass cutting alongside the runway. More advanced machinery are now used for the repainting of pavement markings and grass cutting.

Teng Hwee Onn, Senior Vice President of Engineering Management & Systems Planning at Changi Airport Group (CAG) said, “The measures that we have implemented in recent years have proven beneficial and have increased operational efficiency by about 20%, by reducing the time and resources needed to complete the same maintenance works in a night. The reduced maintenance hours have translated to additional running hours for aircraft operations, which is crucial to continued air traffic growth. CAG will continue to review and refine processes along the way to enhance aircraft safety and staff productivity.”

Based on Press Release by : Changi Airport Group

HK Express launches direct flights to Guam and Saipan in December 2016 and January 2017

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

HK Express, Hong Kong's only low-cost airline, has just announced to Sayacinta - Airpost that it is launching new direct scheduled flights to the U.S. Territories of Guam and Saipan in Micronesia, Pacific Ocean from winter this year onwards.  Its direct flight from Hong Kong to Guam begins on 15 December 2016 while its direct flight to Saipan, subject to regulatory approval, will inaugurate on 17 January 2017.

On 15 December 2016, HK Express flight UO34 departs from Hong Kong for Guam at 9.30 am, arrives in Guam at 4.15 pm before leaving Guam at 5.35 pm and touching down in Hong Kong at 8.35 pm under flight UO35 on the same day. Flights to Guam will take place on Thursdays, Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays.

On 17 January 2017, flight UO42 takes off from Hong Kong for Saipan at 9.30 pm, touches down in Saipan at 4.25 am on 18 January 2017 local time. The Airbus A320 aircraft of HK Express will park at Saipan airport for  a day before leaving Saipan at 1.40 am on 19 January 2017 for Hong Kong and arriving in Hong Kong at 5 am under flight UO43. Flights to Saipan take off on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays while according to HK Express' web-site www.hkexpress.com, flights from Saipan to Hong Kong will be on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays.

HK Express expects the passenger loads on the Guam and Saipan routes to be higher than its Myanmar routes since Hong Kong residents can enter these American territories without entry visas. The airline is selling the lowest-return for free fare from 588 Hong Kong Dollars one-way to customers booking each flight from now to 10 October 2016 for travel between 15 December 2016 and 25 March 2017. 

HK Express is the third low-cost airline in Asia to fly to both Guam and Saipan after JEJU air and T'Way Air of South Korea.

AirAsia X launches weekly charter flight to Xining

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

AirAsia X launches weekly charter flight from Kuala Lumpur to Xining, the capital of Qinghai Province in China, from 1 October 2016.

On 1 October, flight D7914 departs from Kuala Lumpur for Xining at 9.30 am, arrives in Xining at 2.45 pm before leaving Xining for Kuala Lumpur at 4 pm and touching down in Kuala Lumpur at 9.45 pm.

AirAsia X flies to Xining on Saturdays. Tickets are only available at selected travel agents in Kuala Lumpur.