Lee family in dispute

SINGAPORE, 15 June 2017: Tightly-ruled Singapore was rocked by an unprecedented political drama, Wednesday, when a feud between the children of the late founding leader Lee Kuan Yew over his legacy burst into the open.

The founder’s oldest child, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, came under attack online before dawn from his younger brother Lee Hsien Yang, and younger sister Lee Wei Ling. They accused him of exploiting their father’s legacy for his own political agenda, a charge the premier quickly denied.

The pair also claimed that their brother had abused his powers to harass them. Read more

Laptop blamed for traffic loss

CANCUN, MEXICO, 5 June 2017: Top airline industry players are meeting, Monday and Tuesday, in Cancun to seek alternatives to the US and British bans on laptops and tablets on certain flights, which they say is hurting business.

The computer bans are looming large over the agenda as the International Air Transport Association (IATA) holds its annual meeting in the Mexican resort city.

Alternative proposals include sniffer dogs, bomb-detection technology, increased training — anything but the ban, which IATA says is threatening the industry just as it was enjoying a boom. Read more

First international flight to Chiang Rai

HONG KONG, 3 August 2016: HK Express will roll out a new direct service, 25 November, linking Hong Kong with the far north town of Chiang Rai in Thailand.

It will be the first scheduled international service to serve Chiang Rai Mae Fah Luang International Airport.

The Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Airports of Thailand that manages Chiang Rai’s airport have been engaged in promotions to raise awareness for the destination and create incentives for airlines to establish new services. Read more

Istanbul airport closed

BANGKOK, 16 July 2016:  Travel advisories issued, worldwide,  warn the security situation in Turkey remains tense.

Ataturk international airport in Istanbul is closed to inbound and outbound flights.  All Turkish Airlines flights have stopped.

Travellers are advised to contact their airline, or travel agent, for information about changing travel arrangements, including connecting flights or seeking  a refund for flights that have been cancelled.

Travellers who are currently in Istanbul   are warned to  stay indoors and avoid unnecessary travel. Avoid any large gatherings or demonstrations. Follow the directions of local authorities.

Travellers are warned to exercise a high degree of caution while visiting tourists destination throughout Turkey and to reconsider their need to travel to Istanbul and Ankara. 

Mekong tourism health check

BANGKOK, 10 June 2016: The half-day Mekong Tourism Investment Summit returns after last year’s big success to be staged during the 2016 Mekong Tourism Forum in Sihanoukville, Cambodia 5 to 7. July

Mekong Institute executive director, Watcharas Leelawath, will give an overview of the investment climate in the GMS, followed by separate panels on infrastructure, aviation, and hotel development.

The infrastructure panel will be led by Dr Leelawath, and will have representatives from the GMS member countries, including Inthy Deuansavan (CEO, Green Discovery – Laos),  Thourn Sinan (CEO, B2B Travel – Cambodia), Luzi Matzig (CEO, Asian Trails, Thailand). Issues to be discussed will include visa regulations; border crossing changes, airport developments, and new policies and incentives for the tourism sector. Read more

Cambodia proposes Moscow flights

PHNOM PENH, 26 May 2016: Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen said he is backing a proposal to establish scheduled direct flights between Russia and Cambodia.

Phnom Penh Post reported that the first direct flight might land at the coastal town of Sihanoukville, rather than the capital Phnom Penh.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon was quoted saying Cambodia has already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for direct flights in 2015, and last week’s talks should speed up implementation. Read more

Thai Smile gives and takes routes

BANGKOK, 12 May 2016: Thai Smile will likely resume some international routes that it suspended earlier in its career, according to Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation’s latest analysis.

Thai Smile has suspended several international routes since its 2012 launch and has also transferred back several international routes to THAI, its parent company, the report said.

Suspended routes include Bangkok to Ahmedabad, Luang Prabang and Mandalay. It also suspended services from Phuket to Delhi, Kuala Lumpur and Mumbai. Routes transferred back to THAI include Chongqing, Colombo, Delhi and Hyderabad. Read more

China Eastern spends USD10b on aircraft

BEIJING, 3 May 2016: One of China’s top airlines will split USD10 billion of new orders between European manufacturer Airbus and US-based Boeing, it said, as competition heats up for aviation market share in the world’s second-largest economy.

China Eastern Airlines said in a statement to the Hong Kong stock exchange that the lion’s share of the orders, nearly USD6 billion, will go to Airbus for 20 A350 aircraft.

It will also spend close to USD4 billion on 15 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. Read more

Star streamlines check-in at TBIT

LOS ANGELES, 2 March 2016: Star Alliance is improving facilities at Los Angeles’ Tom Bradley International Terminal by relocating member airlines to a single check-in zone and a speeding up the adoption of automated check-in.

Check-in for all 10 Star Alliance member carriers operating out of TBIT has been consolidated into a singe aisle. The check-in counters for Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Asiana Airlines, EVA Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, SWISS and Turkish Airlines are now all in aisle “C”, at the north end of the terminal.

This not only allows customers to identify the location of the check-in desks, but also allows member airlines to share counter space to match capacity to actual demand. Read more

Phuket passenger traffic soars

PHUKET, 19 February 2016: Phuket, one of Asia’s prime resort destinations, has experienced a sustained surge in air travel that has seen passenger arrivals nearly double over the past five years.

Despite political ups and downs traffic flow not only to Bangkok’s two gateway airports, but also to secondary airports such as Krabi, Chiang Mai and Samui have followed a similar upward trend as Phuket.

New data released by Thailand-based consulting group C9 Hotelworks shows that a year-on-year spur in international passengers hit 8%, while the domestic sector surged upwards by 15% which in practical terms includes a significant number of overseas travelers transiting Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang. Read more

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