Air Seoul's latest announcements on its Hong Kong, Kalibo and Japan flights

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

Air Seoul has announced developments on its Hong Kong, Kalibo and Japan flights.

Air Seoul lifts fuel surcharges on its Hong Kong-Incheon route on 1 December 2017. It said while passengers do not have to pay fuel surcharges for departing with Air Seoul from Hong Kong for Incheon from 1 December 2017 onwards, they have to pay Air Seoul fuel surcharges of 8400 Korean Won for departures from Incheon for Hong Kong in December. Air Seoul's lists of updated fuel surcharges for its international destinations, excluding Cebu and Kalibo, are available for references on its web-site www.flyairseoul.com. 

Air Seoul launches direct flight from Incheon to Kalibo the gateway to Boracay on 22 December 2017. It flies four times a week to Kalibo on Fridays, Saturdays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with Tuesday and Friday schedules different from Wednesday and Saturday flight timings.

On 22 December 2017 (Friday), Air Seoul flight RS541 departs from Incheon for Kalibo at 7.15 pm, arrives in Kalibo at 11.05 pm before leaving Kalibo for Incheon at 12.05 am on 23 December 2017 and touching down in Incheon at 5.35 am under flight RS542. Tuesday flights (starting 26 December 2017) follow Friday schedules.

On Wednesdays (first Wednesday flight on 27 December 2017) and Saturdays (first Saturday flight on 24 December 2017), flight RS541 departs from Incheon for Kalibo at 9.40 pm, arrives in Kalibo at 1.30 am before leaving Kalibo for Incheon at 2.30 am the following days and arriving in Incheon at 7.50 am under flight RS542.

In separate move, Air Seoul is increasing flight frequencies to Yonago and Narita in Japan. For instance, it is adding Thursday and Saturday flights from 26 December 2017 onwards with flight RS744 departing from Incheon for Yonago at 8.30 am, arriving in Yonago at 10 am before leaving Yonago for Incheon at 11 am and touching down in Incheon at 12.40 pm under flight RS743. These flight schedules are besides the existing flights to Yonago on Tuesdays and Sundays. 

Flights from Singapore to Kuantan increase by three flights a week from 2 February 2018

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

Flights from Singapore to Kuantan increase by three flights a week from 2 February 2018 when Scoot, operated by Scoot Tigerair Pte Ltd, launches scheduled flight on that day from Singapore to Kuantan. Scoot flies three times a week to Kuantan on Fridays, Mondays and Wednesdays using its Airbus A320 aircraft.

On 2 February 2018, Scoot flight TR470 departs from Singapore to Kuantan at 1.30 pm, arrives in Kuantan at 2.40 pm before leaving Kuantan for Singapore at 3.20 pm and touching down in Singapore at 4.25 pm under flight TR471.

Passengers who only intend to do aircraft spotting at Kuantan for a few hours ought to choose Firefly's daily flight to Kuantan from Singapore with flight FY3572 leaving for Kuantan at 11.30 am and arriving in Kuantan at 12.35 pm.

Kuantan's international airport is very small serving Malaysian flights of Firefly and Malaysia Airlines currently and the 15 Squadron (BAE Hawk) and 19 Squadron (MiG-29) of the Royal Malaysian Air Force. It is easier to spot aircraft there than at the public area of Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2.

About Kuantan
Tourist attractions of Kuantan include waterfalls such as Sungai Pandan Waterfall, Jerangkang Waterfall, shopping malls, Esplanade Park, Bukit Gambang Resort City and the largest safari park in the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the Bukit Gambang Safari Park. Kuantan is the administrative centre of the State of Pahang. It is an alternative starting point for onward travel to the Genting Highlands, and 26 km northwest of Kuantan, Sungai Lembing, where the largest tin museum in the world is located, in Pahang. 

Kuantan has rich ancient city heritage but little of such heritage is known to tourists. It is an important settlement of the ancient Mon-Khmer kingdom of Chi Tu, which was built by settlers from the Funan empire of ancient Cambodia before 607 until the 11th century AD according to ancient Chinese historical records. In Malay, Chi Tu is known as Tanah Merah (meaning red earth land) and Raktamrttika in Sanskrit. A smaller ancient kingdom of Pheng Kheng took over Chi Tu before it was colonized by the Siamese in the 12th century. From the 15th century onwards, Kuantan was a part of the Malacca Empire until Malaysia gains independence.

OKAir inks purchase deal for 5 B787-900 Dreamliner jets

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

China's first private airline OKAir, short for Okay Airways, and Boeing jointly announce the airline's confirmation order of five B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft at the value of 1.4 billion US dollars on 22 November 2017.  The purchase deal indicates that OKAir will enter the wide-body jet market.

Jet Li, President of OKAir, said: "We are committed to continually investing in fleet development to stay ahead of market growth and enhance our customers' flight experience." The five 787 Dreamliner orders will support our excellent aircraft fleet in order to launch strategic long-distance international routes. "

Ihssane Mounir, Senior Vice President of Sales for Boeing Commercial Aircraft Group, said, "We are honored that Okay Airways (management name of OKAir) is the new customer of the 787 Dreamliner. Our 787-9 Dreamliner will support Okay Airways in opening up new and profitable long-range international routes, while providing a comfortable flight experience for its passengers. Boeing cherishes the long-term partnership with Okay Airways and awaits to see the great benefits the 787 Dreamliner can bring to Okay Airways. "

The 787 family offers three highly efficient models optimized for the midsize market, with more than 1,280 orders from 70 customers around the world so far, making it the fastest-selling two-passenger airliner in aviation history. The B787-900 that flies to a range of 14,140 km and can carry 290 passengers is the second model of the Dreamliner family.

At present, more than 600 of the B787 Dreamliners in service in the world are already carrying more than 200 million passengers, helping airlines  open up over 170 new non-stop flights and save 19 billion pounds of fuel.

OKAir currently has 26 Boeing aircraft with cumulative flight to more than 100 domestic and foreign routes, serving more than 70 cities and transporting more than 25 million passengers. 

Under the new situation in the development of China's civil aviation industry, OKAir continuously explores its development path. With its core values ​​of Open, Kindness, Agility, Integrity and Refinement, it aims to build a world-class shared services platform at a height of 30,000 feet, provide comparative costs and advantages of service quality, highlight the customer values and ideals and strive to innovate.

In July 2017, OKAir and Capital Airport Group signed a cooperation agreement. Under the agreement, OKAir will start operating at the new airport in Beijing in 2019. The announcement of the five B787-900 Dreamliners approved by the relevant government departments of China will be mainly introduced into the operation of the new airport in Beijing to fly Beijing-based intercontinental routes. This is a landmark development in the history of Okay Airways. 

With the rapid development of the company, OKAir will further expand the international aviation market, bring comfortable travel opportunities to passengers and build Okay Airways' beautiful brand.

New Indian airline Yuvajet delays flight launch to June 2018

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

India's newest airline Yuvajet, headquartered in Ranchi, has delayed its inaugural flight launch from November 2017 to June 2018. It now plans to launch its first revenue flight from Ranchi to Chennai via Tirupati or Shidiri in the first week of June 2018.

Yuvajet's founder Kumar Kinshuk who showed the ATR 72-600 aircraft model to Sayacinta - Airpost explained that the airline will cancel its ATR 72-600 aircraft order, in favour of 5 cheaper Embraer ERJ 145 regional airliners after the ATR aircraft import permit is approved. 

Yuvajet will sign the purchase deal for 5 ERJ 145 aircraft with a London-based asset management company by the first week of December 2017 and put the delivered aircraft later under C checks, i.e. aircraft component maintenance checks.

ERJ 145 test flights from Ranchi are expected to follow during spring in 2018 before Yuvajet receives its AOC from DGCA to commence scheduled flights by June 2018 as the airline wants to avoid fog and winter season huddles.

Kumar said the smaller 50-seater ERJ aircraft will help Yuvajet extend its domestic reach in India and connect remote tier 2 and tier 3 Indian cities to major metropolitan Indian cities such as Chennai and Delhi. It is the airline's objective to foster more confidence in community feeder air travel among the residents, city governments and its customers by owning affordable aircraft.

Thirty to forty per cent of Yuvajet routes will be pioneer routes, according to Kumar. Planned destinations on Yuvajet's route map not only include Ranchi, Tirupati, Shidiri and Chennai, but also encompass Salem, Bhubneshwar, Pune, Raipur, Allahabad, Delhi, Surat, Mangalore and Coimbatore. 

Ranchi, the capital and "City of Waterfalls" of the Indian State of Jharkhand, and Surat the capital of the Gujarat State, will be its air hubs.

Yuva means Youth in Hindi while the airline livery by APG Design features the airline name in navy blue and violet, violet and magenta bands signify vibrance and ingenuity, the navy blue Ashoka Chakra 24-spoke wheel symbolic of India national heritage, and the stylized capital Y linking the small letter j and device of an aircraft appears to form the shape of a beak and an orb in the band suggesting foresight and confidence in flight service. 

Formed in 2016, Yuvajet is the commercial brand of Yuva JetLines Airways. It is a proposed feeder carrier and Kumar's family-owned venture with a few investors from Dubai. 

Yuvajet web-site www.yuvajet.com starts functioning from 27 November 2017 onwards. Monitor the web-site and Yuvajet Facebook for further updates to and after Yuvajet's month of flight launch.

Loong Air launches daily flight from Xi'an to Nha Trang

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

On 22 November 2017, Loong Air launches ceremonial flight to Nha Trang from Xi'an Xianyang International Airport. According to Loong Air web-site, it will fly daily between Xi'an Xianyang and Nha Trang from 23 November 2017. 

On 23 November 2017, Loong Air flight GJ8009 departs from Xi'an for Nha Trang at 9.25 am, arrives in Nha Trang at 1.05 pm before leaving Nha Trang for Xi'an at 1.55 pm and touching down in Xi'an at 7.05 pm under flight GJ8010.

Tickets are only available for sale at Loong Air web-site www.loongair.cn.

The Xi'an - Nha Trang route is Loong Air's first international scheduled route from Xianyang Airport. Flights from Hangzhou to Danang (launched on 28 June 2016) and Nha Trang (first service on 29 June 2016) are now only operated on charter basis.

Loong Air, the Hangzhou-based domestic private airline, is authorized to expand its route network to include international passenger flights on 13 April 2016. It plans to introduce scheduled flights to Hong Kong, Jeju, Singapore and other Asian cities within the next five years.

Singapore's first charter flight to Dalat on 10 December 2017

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

SilkAir is launching Singapore's first direct charter flight to Dalat, the "Little Paris"  and "Eternal Spring City" of Vietnam, on 10 December 2017.

According to ASA Holidays that charters SilkAir's Airbus A320 aircraft, SilkAir departs from Singapore Changi Airport T2 for Dalat at 10.20 am and arrives in Dalat at 11.30 am before it leaves Dalat for Singapore at around 12.30 pm and touching down in Singapore at 2.40 pm. 

ASA Holidays' SilkAir Charter Flight to Vietnam packages include 5D Dalat "Little Paris" and Nha Trang and 6D Scenic Dalat and Nha Trang + Ho Chi Minh City.

For further information on SilkAir's charter flights organised by ASA Holidays, visit ASA offices at People's Park Complex and Temasek Boulevard.

About Dalat
Dalat is known as "Little Paris" due to its French architecture villas and its replica of Eiffel Tower. It is known as "Eternal Spring City" as it is surrounded by hills, pine forest, lakes and waterfalls. Tourist destinations in Dalat include Flower Central Park, Xuan Huong Lake, Dalat Crazy House, Datanla Falls and Dalat Old Station.

Ethiopian Airlines launches scheduled flight to Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo on 8 March 2018

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

In the November/December 2017 edition of Selamta, Ethiopian Airlines Inflight Magazine, which celebrates the arrival of Ethiopian Airlines' first B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft,  Ethiopian Airlines advertised that it was launching direct flight to Buenos Aires from Addis Ababa from December 2017. After the inflight magazine was published, the airline clarified that its first flight to Buenos Aires will take place on 8 March 2018 instead, via Sao Paulo, Brazil.

On 8 March 2018, Ethiopian flight ET0506 departs from Addis Ababa for Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo at 9.30 am. It transit in Sao Paulo at 5.10 pm before leaving Sao Paulo for Buenos Aires at 6.10 pm and touching down in Buenos Aires at 7.40 pm.

In the evening of 8 March 2018 Argentina time, Ethiopian flight ET0507 embarks on the journey to Addis Ababa from Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo at 11 pm, arrives in Sao Paulo at 2.30 am on 9 March 2018 before departing from Sao Paulo at 3.30 am and arriving in Addis Ababa at 8.30 pm.

Flights leaving Addis Ababa and Buenos Aires are on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays using one of Ethiopian B787 Dreamliner aircraft.

Ethiopian Airlines received its first B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft on 26 October 2017 and deployed it initially on its route to Abuja, Nigeria, on 7 November 2017. 

The Ethiopian B787-900 Dreamliner aircraft has a total of 313 seats including 30 Cloud Nine Business and 283 Economy Class seats. It features an audio and video on-demand entertainment system, greatly reduced noise, higher cabin air humidity, adaptable lighting, the biggest windows in the sky and enables the airline to reduce its carbon footprint with up to 20 per cent less fuel consumption than its older B787-800 fleet.

VietJet Air may be the first Asia LCC to fly to the US mainland

Report by : Gan Yung Chyan

                   / KUCINTA SETIA
Distributed to All Press & Travel Professionals

According to a report by Bloomberg*, VietJet Air may be the first Asia low-cost airline to launch a long-haul flight to the US mainland in 2019 or within the next few years after the US has permitted Vietnamese airlines to launch flights to the US.

According to plan, VietJet Air proposes to launch its first American flight to San Jose, a city in California where there is a large Vietnamese population nearby. It is also studying the possibilities of launching flights to other small airports of California and in Orange County where there are many Vietnamese communities around.

VietJet Air may acquire Boeing B787 Dreamliners or Airbus A350 jets to start the long-haul flights to San Jose and other US mainland cities from either Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

If realized, VietJet Air will create opportunities for Southeast Asian passengers to transit in Vietnam for direct flights to the US at lower costs as its ticket prices to Vietnam from other Southeast Asian cities are the lowest in the region. 

Till then, Southeast Asian passengers no longer need to spend too much money on flights to the US mainland via Singapore, Honolulu, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Pudong, Incheon, Narita or Taoyuan. 

*Ref : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-11-12/vietjet-may-buy-787s-or-a350s-as-airline-weighs-u-s-route

LOT Polish Airlines launches non-stop flight to Singapore from Warsaw on 15 May 2018

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

On 15 May 2018, LOT Polish Airlines launches its first non-stop B787-800 Dreamliner flight from Warsaw, Poland's capital, to Singapore, according to LOT Polish Airlines Head Office. Singapore is the airline's fourth non-stop Dreamliner long-haul service destination in Asia  after Beijing, Incheon and Narita. 

From 15 May to 30 June 2018, the LOT Dreamliner operates thrice-weekly flights from Warsaw to Singapore on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays and from Singapore to Warsaw after the following day on Thursdays, Saturdays and Mondays. An additional service to Singapore from Warsaw is planned to commence on 2 July 2018 (Monday) while the additional service from Singapore to Warsaw is on 4 July 2018 (Wednesday), marking four return flights per week between Warsaw and Singapore from that week onwards till 27 October 2018.  

The inaugural flight from Warsaw, Flight LO067 departs for Singapore at 11 pm on 15 May 2018 (Tuesday) and touches down in Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 at 5.15 pm on 16 May 2018. The outbound flight to Warsaw from Singapore, Flight LO068, takes off at 12.05 am from Terminal 2 on 17 May 2018 and touches down in Warsaw at 6.15 am local time on the same day. The return flights to Warsaw both ways will take more than eleven hours to complete.

All Warsaw - Singapore - Warsaw flights are operated by Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner in a three-class deck configuration with 252 seats on board. In case of higher demand, however, the larger 787-900 will be deployed on the route.

To celebrate the commencement of non-stop flight to Singapore, LOT Polish Airlines is offering customers travel to Singapore from Warsaw and other Polish cities such as Poznan, Krakow and Gdansk at a ticket price from 2600 PLN one-way (980.18 Singapore Dollars). Tickets are now on sale at www.lot.com.

Rafal Milczarski, President of LOT Polish Airlines, commented, "Between Europe and Singapore, nearly 3 million passengers travel annually. This country is the gateway for further travel into Asia and even to Australia and Oceania. We are confident that the launch of the new LOT connection will provide an excellent opportunity for passengers from Central and Eastern Europe and not only to visit Singapore and to see the many advantages of this exotic and well-developed country, "

Milczarski added, "We keep the word, launching a new connection to Singapore - not only the mecca of many tourists, but also one of the most developed business centres in the world. We are confident that the non-stop flights will please passengers. Thanks to convenient distribution and modern Dreamliners the Warsaw - Singapore route is the most convenient route from Central Europe to Singapore."

The direct flights to Warsaw will open up convenient connections to other Central and Eastern European cities such as Berlin, Vienna and Prague, to passengers from Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Before 15 May 2018, there are no direct flights from Warsaw and other Central and Eastern European cities to Singapore.

However, Finnair offers connections to Warsaw, Berlin and other Central and Eastern European cities via Helsinki from Singapore. Lufthansa offers connections to Central and Eastern Europe from Singapore via Frankfurt while Swiss International Airlines offers the connections via Zurich. 

For more information and future updates on the new route and events up to and after the launch dates of the Warsaw - Singapore - Warsaw flights, visit www.lot.com, LOT Polish Airlines and Changi Airport Facebook.

Loong Air launches Heilongjiang airport's first scheduled flight on 22 November 2017

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

Loong Air, the private airline of Hangzhou, launches a Heilongjiang airport's first scheduled flight service on 22 November 2017. The Heilongjiang airport to launch operations is Wudalianchi Dedu Airport, located 6.5 km to the southwest of Wudalianchi, a county-level city under the jurisdiction of Heihe in Heilongjiang Province.

On 22 November 2017, Loong Air flight GJ8111 departs from Harbin for Wudalianchi at 12.55 pm, arrives in Wudalianchi at 2.05 pm before leaving Wudalianchi for Harbin at 4 pm and touching down in Harbin at 5 pm under flight GJ8112.

Loong Air flies between Harbin and Wudalianchi with its Airbus A320 aircraft daily.