US-Bangla Airlines launches flight to Muscat today and to Kolkata on 1 December 2016

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

According to US-Bangla Airlines, it launches its first B737-800 international flight today (11 November 2016) from Dhaka to Muscat and from Dhaka to Kolkata with effect from 1 December 2016.

On 11 November 2016, US-Bangla Airlines flight BS321 departs from Dhaka for Muscat at 10.45 pm, arrives in Muscat at 2 am before taking off from Muscat for Dhaka  at 3 am and touches down in Dhaka at 11.20 am under flight BS322. The direct flights to Muscat are operated twice a week on Sundays and Fridays while its flights from Muscat land in Dhaka on Mondays and Saturdays.

On 15 November 2016 (Tuesday), BS321 departs from Dhaka for Muscat via Chittagong at 8.45 pm, arrives in Chittagong in 45 minutes before leaving Chittagong at 10.15 pm and arriving in Dhaka at 2 am. It departs from Muscat at 3 am, transits in Chittagong before leaving Chittagong for Dhaka at 9.50 am and returns to Dhaka at 11.20 am under flight BS322. Flights to Muscat via Chittagong are operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

On 1 December 2016, US-Bangla Airlines launches its first scheduled flight from Dhaka to Kolkata at 11.40 am under flight BS201, arrives in Kolkata at 12 pm before leaving Kolkata for Dhaka at 12.50 pm and touching down in Dhaka at 2 pm on a daily basis under flight BS202.

US-Bangla Airlines faces direct competition from Regent Airways, Bangladesh's other private airline, on the flights to Muscat from Dhaka while it faces fiercer competition from Regent Airways, Air India Express and Biman Bangladesh Airlines on the Dhaka-Kolkata-Dhaka route sectors. Another Bangladeshi airline Novoair intends to start flights to Kolkata too.

US-Bangla Airlines now has two new Boeing B737-800 aircraft and it will have its third B737-800 aircraft in December 2016 for the new Kolkata flight. Future destinations it plans to operate international flights to include Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Bangkok, Doha and Dubai. Its first international destination is Kathmandu.

Air India Express launches low-cost flights from Kolkata to Singapore and Dhaka from 20 November 2016 onwards

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

Air India Express, the low-cost subsidiary of Air India, launches low-cost flights from Kolkata to Singapore and Dhaka from 20 November 2016 onwards according to the airline's updated flight schedule searches, of which Air India Express' Kolkata-Singapore flight on 20 November 2016 is the first low-cost scheduled flight between both cities in Changi Airport's flight records.

On 20 November 2016, Air India Express flight IX922 departs from Kolkata to Singapore at 9 pm, arrives in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 3.30 am. It departs from Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 for Kolkata at 3 pm and touches down in Kolkata at 4.30 pm on 21 November 2016 under flight IX921. The Kolkata-outbound flight takes place on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays while the Singapore-outbound flight for Kolkata takes off on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Besides the new Kolkata-Singapore-Kolkata flights, Air India Express has connected Chennai with Singapore with non-stop flights since 21 October 2016 with flight IX686 departing from Chennai for Singapore at 7 am, arriving in Singapore at 1.40 pm before flight IX685 takes off for Chennai from Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 2.40 pm and arrives in Chennai at 4.10 pm. Return flights to Chennai on the same day takes place on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It flies daily to Chennai via Tiruchirappali from Singapore.

The first direct flight of Air India Express on the Kolkata-Dhaka-Kolkata route sectors takes place on 21 November 2016 when flight IX912 leaves Kolkata for Dhaka at 5.20 pm, arrives in Dhaka at 6.40 pm before departing from Dhaka for Kolkata at 7.30 pm and arriving in Kolkata at 7.50 pm under flight IX911. These flights operate on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Air India Express has continuously increased the number of new routes from India to the world and it is the fastest-growing Indian low-cost airline today.

Mega Maldives Airlines launches direct scheduled flight to Delhi from Male on 14 November 2016

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

Mega Maldives Airlines has launched sales for its much anticipated non-stop flights between Delhi and Male. Its first scheduled flight between Male and Delhi commences on 14 November 2016 and will operate three times a week from Male to Delhi on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and from Delhi to Male on Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays.

The detailed flight schedules are as follows:-

Flight LV304 departs from Male at 3.15 pm and arrives in Delhi at 7.25 pm on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Flight LV305 departs from Delhi at 10 am and arrives in Male at 1.50 pm on Fridays. It departs from Delhi at 8.50 am and arrives in Male at 12.35 pm on Tuesdays and Sundays.

The services will be operated by Mega Maldives Airlines' only Boeing B737-800 aircraft, fitted with the latest Boeing Sky Interior, which has 12 Business Class and 156 Economy Class seats.

As the first non-stop service between the two capital cities, Mega Maldives Airlines provides significant advantages to what is available in the market. At a journey time of just 3 hours 40 minutes (outbound) and 4 hours and 20 minutes (inbound), this is the fastest and only non-stop connection between the two cities, cutting journey times on other existing flight options by between 2-8 hours.

For leisure travellers, the above schedules are timed to allow their best use of hotel check-in times and sea-plane transfers in Male. Similarly, the flight that departs from Male at 3.15 pm allows tourists to enjoy their hotels in the morning before transferring to the airport conveniently right after check-out. The above schedule allows for a range of holiday packages including 2, 3 and 4 night packages popular with Indian tourists.

For business travellers, the schedule allows a convenient option of arriving into the Male on Sunday (the first working day in the Maldives) and departing either the next day, or an option to arrive on Tuesday for a two-night option before departing on Thursday (the last working day of the week in the Maldives).

The Maldives is consistently ranked among the world’s best tourist destinations. It is also increasingly popular with Indian tourists with over 52,000 guests arriving in 2015, and growing at almost 20 per cent annually in recent years.

On the occasion of this launch, Mega Maldives Airlines founder and CEO George Weinmann noted, "We are thrilled with the positive response both in India and in Maldives to our new India services. The resort and hospitality community of Maldives is clearly throwing open their doors to an excited and dynamic Indian market".

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.