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Indigo increases routes to Bangkok

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SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: IndiGo will introduce daily direct flights from Hyderabad to Bangkok, effective 26 February.

The new daily service will improve connectivity between the two cities, providing a seamless travel experience between the two major tourist

hubs and accessibility across Southeast Asia. IndiGo will become the first Indian carrier to connect Hyderabad to Bangkok. It will increase international destinations served out of Hyderabad from eight to 14 compared to a year ago.

IndiGo connects Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Bhubaneshwar to Bangkok. With the addition of these new flights from Hyderabad, IndiGo will now operate 37 weekly flights between India and Bangkok, and Hyderabad will be the sixth Indian city connected to Bangkok.

IndiGo head of global sales Vinay Malhotra said: “With the introduction of this new route, IndiGo now offers 57 direct flights a week to Thailand from six cities in India (37 flights to Bangkok & 20 flights to Phuket). 

Agoda boosts support for WWF

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SINGAPORE, 30 January 2024: Agoda, the global digital travel platform, broadens its collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), expanding its Eco Deals Programme to support eight conservation projects across Southeast Asia. 

In a press statement, Agoda says it will increase its donation to WWF-Singapore four-fold to USD1 million as part of this year’s Eco Deals Programme, supporting the conservation efforts of local WWF offices in eight markets; Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

Photo credit: Agoda.

Agoda vice president for Southeast Asia, Enric Casals commented: “The Eco Deals Programme has been an important cause-related marketing initiative among our hotel partners to join since its launch in 2022. Building on the success of previous campaigns, the 2024 initiative is scaling up t, increasing the donation value up to USD1 million and expanding its reach projects in eight markets. This expansion offers hoteliers even more opportunities to get involved.”

Based on previous editions of the programme, Agoda will donate USD1 for each hotel booking made on hotels participating in the initiative. 

Funding support for WWF’s conservation projects, spanning marine, forest, and wildlife preservation. The latter includes the protection of tigers in Malaysia, whale sharks in the Philippines, and elephants in Thailand. Other projects receiving support this year focus on the conservation of Saolas in Vietnam, ecosystem restoration in Indonesia, ranger support in Cambodia, and improvement of urban wetlands in Lao PDR. 

The Eco Deals Programme is actively onboarding accommodation partners ahead of going live for consumers on 3 March and running until 3 December 2024. 

Accommodation partners can offer discounted rates of up to 15%. In return, participating partners will be highlighted with the Eco Deals Badge and be featured across various Agoda product and marketing touchpoints.

(Source: Agoda)

Hilton names VP Luxury Asia Pacific

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SINGAPORE, 29 January 2024: Hilton has appointed Candice D’Cruz as its Asia Pacific vice president of luxury brands.

Based in Singapore, she will lead Hilton’s award-winning luxury brands, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, LXR Hotels & Resorts and Conrad Hotels & Resorts, across Asia Pacific.

“Candice is a respected leader with a proven track record of delivering exceptional luxury experiences,” said Hilton’s brand management, Asia Pacific senior vice president Alexandra Jaritz. “With Asia Pacific contributing to almost 50% of Hilton’s global luxury pipeline, I am confident that Candice’s strategic guidance and profound understanding of the industry make her the perfect fit to lead the charge.”

With over two decades of experience, she joins Hilton from Marriott International, where she most recently served as vice president of luxury brand management and marketing for Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. 

Sabah wins silver brand award

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KOTA KINABALU, 29 January 2024: Sabah Tourism Board has won the silver award at the Putra Aria Brand Awards 2023 in the Transportation, Travel and Tourism category, following on from winning the bronze award in the same category in 2022.

Introduced in 2022 by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agents Malaysia (4As), the Aria Brand Awards, often dubbed the People’s Choice Awards, aim to acknowledge brands with a significant connection to Malaysians.

Putra Brand Awards 2023 organising chairman Datuk Johnny Mun described the accolades as ‘money cannot buy’ awards, which the people choose via online research survey results. The winners are determined through a survey involving 11,000 respondents over an eight-week period from September to October 2023.

“I am proud of Sabah Tourism Board for not just winning the award but also being awarded a higher tier from the previous year. It’s an achievement on the part of the Board,” Minister of Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew said. “Sabah has surpassed the targeted number of arrivals set at 2.2 million for 2023. We recorded some 2.6 million tourist arrivals (based on statistics released by the Board’s Research Division). This upbeat track record must continue. This year, we are targeting 2.8 million arrivals.

“Besides reinstating flights and developing new possible flight routes, I again would like to emphasise that developing quality tourism products and services is necessary to ensure our visitors have a memorable experience,” Liew added.

For more information on tourism to Sabah visit: www.sabahtourism.com. 

Emirates ramps up Australia flights

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DUBAI, UAE, 29 January 2024: Emirates will ramp up its operations in Australia by upgrading its second daily flight (EK430/431) between Dubai and Brisbane to an A380 starting from 1 October 2024, and add a second daily service between Dubai and Perth using a Boeing 777-300ER starting from 1 December.  

From 1 October, Emirates’ second A380 flight EK430 to Brisbane will depart Dubai at 0230, arriving in Brisbane at 2220. Emirates’ return flight EK431 will depart Brisbane at 0155 and arrive in Dubai at 1005. All times are local.  

The additional flight to Perth will use a Boeing 777-300ER. Starting from 1 December, Emirates flight EK424 will depart from Dubai at 0915hrs and arrive in Perth at 0005 the following day. Emirates’ return flight EK425 will depart from Perth at 0600 and arrive in Dubai at 1310.  

Emirates divisional vice president for Australasia Barry Brown commented: “We’re pleased to offer more choices and opportunities for Australians travelling from Brisbane and Perth through the ramp-up of our operations. 

“It demonstrates the importance of gateways for tourism and trade and Emirates’ commitment to ensure convenient schedules and comfortable connections to and through Dubai. Whether it’s the advantage of seamless afternoon connections from Dubai to a wealth of destinations across Europe on the second Perth flight or a full A380 experience to and from Brisbane to close to 50 cities served by our flagship, we’re creating access to diverse opportunities for business, leisure, culture, and more.”  

Brisbane Airport chief executive officer Gert-Jan de Graaff added: “The A380 will allow up to 100,000 extra passengers per year to travel between Queensland and Europe, Brisbane’s second busiest international destination. Now in its 21st year of serving Brisbane, Emirates is our number one mover of people to and from Europe.   

Perth flights 

Perth Airport’s Chief Operating Officer, Scott Woodward, noted: “The re-introduction of Emirates’ second daily service is great news as it will add significant capacity into the Perth market. Emirates is an important airline partner for Western Australia, and this additional daily service delivers an impressive 250,000 seats per year on this very popular route. 

“Not only does the new service mean more options for business and leisure travel, but the increased capacity will lead to many more international visitors coming to Western Australia. The return of this second daily service shows the commitment and confidence that Emirates has in the Western Australian market, and we will be working with the airline to ensure this second service is as popular as its current one.”

Through upgraded A380 operations to Brisbane and the resumption of Emirates’ second service to Perth, the airline will increase weekly capacity to Australia by an additional 6,900 seats, further serving the growing demand for international travel through Dubai and beyond to the airline’s global network of over 140 destinations. This also facilitates convenient air connectivity for the shipment of exports and imports, further supporting Australian businesses and specialised industries.   

Emirates’ second daily flight between Dubai and Perth will further provide additional connectivity to the airline’s gateways in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, ensuring more seamless and convenient options for travellers. Customers flying from Brisbane to popular destinations, including the UK, Italy, France, Turkey, Pakistan, and Egypt, will also benefit from the boost in seat capacity offered by the airline’s double daily A380 services.    

Beginning in June 2023, Emirates’ second Brisbane service, EK430/431 on the Boeing 777-300ER was made possible by the Queensland government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund. The additional flight was estimated to bring in 129,210 seats, including an estimated 38,610 visitors to Queensland and generate overnight visitor expenditure of AUD75 million a year. Thanks to this fund, Emirates can upgrade this service to the A380 and bring further travel and business opportunities to Queensland.

Emirates currently serves Australia with 63 weekly flights to Brisbane, Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, operated by a mix of A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft transporting 56,000 passengers per week to and from these major cities. The airline has recently announced that it will double its Premium Economy offering on flights to Melbourne starting from 1 February, adding to the two daily four-class A380 services to Sydney.  Tickets can be purchased on www.emirates.com, Emirates Sales Offices, or via online and offline travel agents.

Oneworld opens its first branded lounge

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HONG KONG, 29 January 2024: Oneworld Alliance unveiled its first-ever fully branded dedicated airport lounge in Seoul, Cathay Pacific announced last week. 

The new Oneworld lounge opens as the global airline alliance prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary later this year.

Oneworld Alliance unveils its first-ever fully branded dedicated airport lounge in Seoul.

​To launch its first branded lounge, Oneworld collaborated with global aviation ground services provider Swissport. Situated in Terminal 1 of Incheon International Airport, the lounge covers  555 sqm and can cater for up to 148 customers. 

Incheon International Airport is served by seven Oneworld member airlines: American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways and SriLankan Airlines. Between them, these Oneworld member airlines operate more than 60 weekly flights to Seoul, connecting the Korean capital with more than 900 destinations worldwide.

The new lounge is open daily between 0730 and 2345 and welcomes Cathay Diamond and Gold, and Oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members, first and business class customers when travelling with any Oneworld member airlines, as well as Cathay Silver members travelling on Cathay Pacific flights.

Cathay chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau commented: “For Cathay Pacific, it is meaningful to see this first alliance lounge opened in Korea, a market that has always been very important to us. With the opening of this fantastic new lounge, we are sure that the whole customer experience provided by Oneworld will be elevated as it allows our customers and members to really relax and enjoy themselves in such a comfortable, colourful, and vibrant environment before taking their flights on any of the oneworld airlines.”

Vietjet expands China network

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TTR WEEKLY
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BANGKOK, 29 January 2024: Vietjet expands its flight network between Vietnam and China by launching direct services between Ho Chi Minh City and Chengdu on 10 February, following the December launch of daily HCMC-Shanghai flights. 

The daily Ho Chi Minh City – Chengdu flight starts on 10 February from Ho Chi Minh City’s Tan Son Nhat International Airport at 1910 (local time) and lands in Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU) at 0015 the following morning (local time). The flight from Chengdu depart at 0050 (local time) and arrives in Ho Chi Minh City at 0355 (local time).

Vietjet’s standard promotion offering zero fares (*)  is up for grabs at www.vietjetair.com or the Vietjet Air mobile app for the travel period 10 February to 30 March 2024.

Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province in southwest China, is a dynamic metropolis known for its rich history and vibrant culture. The new route is expected to cater to the increasing demand for travel between the two countries, allowing passengers to explore the diverse attractions, culinary delights, and natural wonders Vietnam and China offer.

Vietjet continues to expand its presence in China. It recently commenced direct services to  Shanghai, Hangzhou and Guangzhou to Bangkok, Thailand. 

(*) Excludes taxes and fees.

ANA plans flights to Sweden

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 29 January 2024: ANA plans a direct service from its major Japanese hub at Tokyo Haneda to Stockholm Arlanda Airport in Sweden.

The direct route is due to start with the airline’s northern hemisphere winter schedule that runs from the end of October 2024 to 31 March 2025.

ANA (All Nippon Airways), a member of Star Alliance and the largest provider of scheduled passenger services on the domestic and international market to and from Japan, says the new route will serve as an important connection to the Japanese capital and cities in North Asia.

Japan is Sweden’s second-largest trading partner in Asia, with close to 150 Swedish companies – both major corporations and start-up companies – operating in Japan, the world’s third-largest economy. Sweden, in turn, is Japan’s largest Nordic export market, and roughly 180 Japanese companies have operations in Sweden.

ANA, a member of Star Alliance since 1999, has joint venture agreements with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines.

CX passenger traffic soars in 2023

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HONG KONG, 29 January 2024: Cathay Pacific surpassed the milestone of carrying more than 20 million passengers during 2023, which compares with about 3 million passengers carried for the whole of 2022.

The airline released the latest traffic figures for December 2023 and also the full year of 2023 for the Cathay Group, comprising Cathay Pacific and HK Express, 

Cathay Pacific carried 1,779,457 passengers in December 2023, an increase of 122.1% compared with December 2022. The month’s revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) increased 89.3% year-on-year. Passenger load factor decreased by two percentage points to 81.2%, while available seat kilometres (ASKs) increased by 94% year-on-year. 

In the entire year of 2023, passengers carried increased by 541.5% against a 326.8% increase in ASKs and a 396.8% increase in RPKs, compared with 2022.

Chief customer and commercial officer Lavinia Lau said: “December traditionally marks the peak travel season, and we saw many customers take advantage of the extended Christmas holiday to travel, resulting in strong demand for travel services throughout the month. There was an overwhelming demand for travel to short-haul leisure destinations, with Japan and Southeast Asia being especially popular.

“We saw good demand for travel from the United States and the Southwest Pacific in the first half of December. The demand for travel from the United Kingdom was particularly strong as it coincided with the peak period for international students returning to Hong Kong. Furthermore, our seasonal Christchurch service, which resumed last month, was popular among Hong Kong customers and stimulated transit traffic to and from the Philippines and the United Kingdom.”

Outlook 

“As a Group, we made significant progress in our rebuild journey in 2023. As we look ahead to 2024, we remain committed to working towards fully rebuilding our flights to deliver the high-quality and reliable services that Hong Kong deserves. Despite the ongoing challenges affecting the entire global aviation industry, we are prepared to face them, as always, with determination.

“The Lunar New Year is approaching, and this will mark another peak travel period when people celebrate and visit loved ones. We anticipate strong demand from late January until the Lunar New Year holiday ends. We are delighted to announce that our popular Barcelona service will resume in June, and we look forward to welcoming customers onboard.”

China and Singapore open visa-free travel

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SINGAPORE, 29 January 2024: China and Singapore have green-lighted 30-day visa-free entry for their citizens, starting 9 February 2024, a day before the Golden Week holidays. 

The bilateral visa-free entry policy extends to both leisure and business travellers. Still, Singapore’s visa-free agreement with China should boost inbound travel from China to reach pre-pandemic levels this year.

Photo credit: FCM Travel https://www.fcmtravel.com/en 

The mutual 30-day visa-exemption arrangement between Singapore and China PRC follows their agreement at the 19th Joint Council for Bilateral Cooperation meeting on December 7, 2023. It was subsequently affirmed through an exchange of diplomatic notes between Singapore and the PRC, setting the stage for a launch on 9 February.

Holders of ordinary passports issued by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will be exempted from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in Singapore. There will be no refund of the visa processing fee for those who applied earlier.

Holders of ordinary passports issued by Singapore will be exempted from visa requirements for a stay of up to 30 days in the PRC. 

In a statement released last week, a leading business travel firm, FCM Travel Asia, said it “foresees an increase in business travel as China and Singapore” once the 30-day visa-free entry agreement takes effect on 9 February.

 FCM Greater China general manager Calvin Xie commented: “It has been a year since China, one of the top markets in the world for business travel spending, re-opened its borders since the pandemic. 

“We have been looking forward to easing visa requirements between China and Singapore as China has been Singapore’s largest trading partner since 2013, with bilateral trading volume at USD55.6 billion for the first half of 2023. 

“Chinese companies are also expanding their footprints globally with notable success in Southeast Asia, and with Singapore known as a regional tourism hub for both companies and tourists, we foresee an increase in business travel,” Xie concluded.

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