VIENTIANE, 10 May 2023: Cambodia Angkor Air has introduced a new flight between Siem Reap, Cambodia and Vientiane, Laos starting 1 May.
To mark the inaugural flight, the airline introduced a promotional fare tagged at USD79 on the Vientiane to Siem Reap sector and USD89 on the return.
Photo credit: AeroLaos
AeroLaos reported the inaugural flight took place on 1 May. The airline schedules a single weekly roundtrip flight every Monday. The flight departs Siem Reap at 0600 and arrives in Vientiane at 0705. On the return leg, the flight departs Vientiane at 0750 and arrives in Siem Reap at 0900.
Cambodia Angkor Air’s flight K6 908 uses an A321 for the weekly service, and if it attracts enough leisure travellers touring the Mekong Region, it plans to increase frequencies.
The airline’s domestic flights serve Siem Reap and Sihanoukville from its Phnom Penh hub. International flights serve Vietnam: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Danang. It also flies to China: Guangzhou, Chengzhou, Shanghai, Haiku and Macau.
SINGAPORE, 10 May 2023: Pandaw survived a rough voyage through Covid-19 to report “good earnings” despite having to mothball six ships in Myanmar and cope with a spike in international airfares, the riverboat cruise line’s founder Paul Strachan reported in his annual report released Monday.
Strachan commented on the season from October 2022 to March 2023: “It was a surprise to see that we had finished the season with good earnings. We had not anticipated any earnings at all in our year of recovery after Covid.”
Photo Credit: Pandaw
Pandaw operated eight ships: two in India, three in Laos and Thailand, two between Vietnam and Cambodia, and one on the Red River in North Vietnam from October to March. That followed two and a half years of lay-up due to Covid when all eight ships had to be refitted and refurbished.
“If Covid were not punishment enough, following the 2021 military coup, we suspended operations in Myanmar,” Strachan explained. “Myanmar had been an important destination for Pandaw and provided about a quarter of annual revenue. The six ships remaining in Myanmar have been mothballed in the hope that the country will one day be safe for travel.”
But he identified “airline behaviour” as the most formidable bar to recovery. He claims airlines were slow to reopen routes, and travel confidence was low due to uncertain schedules.
“They were charging double or even treble what they had pre-Covid. As a result of this, many European tour operators were reluctant to promote Asian destinations. Visitor numbers to the region through the season were very low, as was seen in city hotels, resorts and river ships.”
India’s decision to no longer offer an eVisa to UK nationals, a key leisure travel market, was described as a massive blow to the tourism sector along with Covid restrictions.
Despite negative regional factors, high restart costs and the loss of Myanmar, the Pandaw founder noted that nearly 50% of bookings came from the Pandaw Members Club. Members must have previously sailed with the company, and a top Legacy tier caters to members who have sailed five times. Club member bookings are direct without commission.
Pandaw estimates it will achieve 60% of pre-Covid revenue during the next season and the year after, matching the pre-Covid annual average.
“That is without Myanmar. Already for 2023/24, we are close to target, so we feel very positive about our recovery.”
Routes in Laos and Red River occupancy and yields were higher this season than pre-Covid, reflecting a preference for smaller ships on remote river routings.
On the Classic Mekong route between Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Siem Reap in Cambodia, a larger ship offered scheduled cruises with an average of 50% occupancy. Next season the company will deploy two larger ships for the Classic Mekong cruises.
“India proved far more challenging for Pandaw’s cruises with lower occupancy caused by the visa issue that resulted in a small loss. We also experienced incessant management dramas,” Strachan noted.
Pandaw has now appointed a senior person to head up the India operations, with an office in Kolkata and has invested in hiring competent ship managers with a team from Myanmar conducting training sessions for the crews.
Pandaw has also opened a new office in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam and hired local staff for customer services and finance.
After reviewing the corporate structure, the company trades as a UK-incorporated company, while regional companies have been established in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam to streamline operations.
BANGKOK, 9 May 2023: Thai Vietjet has launched ‘Sky ConX’, a fly-through network that connects its passengers from and to various destinations via its Bangkok Suvarnabhumi base without multiple check-in procedures.
The Sky ConX offers the airline’s Thailand domestic and international connections, with a convenient transfer at Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, the main operating hub of the airline.
It ends the need to collect their baggage and recheck themselves for the onward flight while transferring at Suvarnabhumi Airport, making their journey seamless.
In the early stage of the introduction of Sky ConX, the airline offers seamless international connections from Phuket, Krabi, and Chiang Mai to Fukuoka, Taipei, and Singapore. In addition, the airline offers a domestic connection between Chiang Rai – Hat Yai/Phuket/Krabi/Surat Thani, Chiang Mai – Hat Yai/Krabi/Surat Thani, and Udon Thani – Hat Yai/Phuket/Krabi.
Passengers check in their bags once the first departure airport and are given two boarding passes. Once in Bangkok, there is no need to recheck.
Thai Vietjet will cooperate with the parent Vietjet Group to further provide connections from Thailand to international destinations, including Australia, Japan, and Korea using the same check-through service.
Flights with the Sky ConX service are available for booking at www.vietjetair.com, after selecting the inclusive origins and destinations, the flights available for the service will be suggested automatically.
When arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport, passengers can follow the sign to their connecting flight and then proceed to the waiting room after passing through the ticket check and carry-on bag scan. Passengers must allow at least 20 minutes before departure at the gate, check for the gate number, and they will board the following flight without leaving the passenger area or rechecking their bags.
LANGKAWI, 9 May 2023: Cenang Beach – Langkawi, Malaysia, was named among Tripzilla’s “Most beautiful beaches in Asia” for travellers looking for a summer break at the beach.
Cenanag Beach took the second slot after White Beach – Boracay in the Philippines, the only Malaysia beach to make to the top 15 list according to Tripzilla’s travel experts.
15 Best Beaches in Asia for Summer Travel
Most beautiful beaches in Asia to visit this summer
1. White Beach – Boracay, Philippines
2. Cenang Beach – Langkawi, Malaysia
3. Pink beach – Komodo Island, Indonesia
4. Koh Poda Beach – Krabi, Thailand
5. Dalwella Beach – Southern Province, Sri Lanka
6. Bai Sao Beach – Phu Quoc, Vietnam
7. Saracen Bay – Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia
8. Woljeongri Beach – Jeju Korea
9. Puka Beach – Boracay, Philippines
10. Weligama Beach – Southern Province, Sri Lanka
11. Bophut Beach – Koh Samui, Thailand
12. Miho and Matsubara – Shizuoka City, Japan
13. Mawun Beach – Lombok, Indonesia
14. Palolem Beach – Goa, India
15. Jeongdongjin Beach – Gangneung, South Korea
The Tripzilla citation praised Pantai Cenang – Langkawi “as a dreamy slice of tropical paradise in Langkawi, Malaysia. This two-kilometre stretch of white sand is dotted by coconut trees, lush rainforests, and a cliff on its south side. Pantai Cenang is one of the best beach destinations in Asia for those who can’t sit still.
Photo credit: gionnixxx via Canva Pro
“Kiosks along its shoreline offer all kinds of water sports such as sailing, surfing, boat rides, paragliding, and banana boating. If you want to unwind, you can rent a beach chair from one of the resorts on the beach and soak in the sun’s glorious rays all day.”
SEOUL, 9 May 2023: Together with three travel operators and one hotel, Sabah Tourism Board presented the state’s top tourist attractions at the Seoul International Travel Fair 2023.
The travel fair convened from 4 to 7 May at COEX Seoul.
Participating industry members from Sabah were Times Holidays Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, I-World Travel & Tours Sdn Bhd, Oh Yes Tour Sdn Bhd and Ming Garden Hotel & Residences.
SINGAPORE, 9 May 2023: Singapore Changi Airport handled 4.63 million passenger movements in March 2023, or over 82% of its pre-Covid traffic in March 2019, the first time since the pandemic that it has crossed 80%.
Aircraft movements, which include landings and takeoffs, totalled 26,000, about 81% of March 2019 levels. Airfreight throughput was 152,000 tonnes for the month, maintaining what was recorded for the same period last year.
Photo credit: Changi
During Q1, Changi Airport clocked 13 million passenger movements, with 74,000 aircraft movements registered for the same period. The top five traffic markets for the quarter comprised Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.
Changi Airport continued to see strong performance across key source markets, with the strongest growth in North America, Southwest Pacific and Europe. In addition, passenger flows to and from Greater China (mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau) also showed a strong recovery, with traffic doubling compared to the previous quarter, driven by the progressive resumption of scheduled passenger services.
From January to March 2023, airfreight movements totalled 417,000 tonnes, a decline of 9% year-on-year. Air cargo demand remained soft, especially in the first two months of the year, amid global economic uncertainty and inflationary pressures. For the period, Changi’s top five air cargo markets comprised Australia, China, Hong Kong, India and the US.
Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president of air hub and cargo development Lim Ching Kiat said: “It is encouraging that passenger numbers at Changi Airport have crossed 80% of pre-Covid levels for the first time since the onset of the pandemic, representing a milestone in the recovery of Changi’s traffic. As the world continues to gear up on travel, we look forward to more airlines resuming their services to cater to the growing appetite for travel and bringing in new airlines to connect our passengers with more destinations in the coming months.”
As of 1 April 2023, 102 airlines provide over 6,000 weekly scheduled flights at Changi Airport, connecting Singapore to 145 cities in 49 countries and territories worldwide.
New and reinstated services
In the first quarter of 2023, Changi Airport welcomed two new airlines, Air Macau and Firefly1. Ethiopian Airlines resumed scheduled services as the sole operator from Singapore to Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), while Scoot resumed services to Qingdao (China). Changi also welcomed the return of four Chinese airlines – Chongqing Airlines, Hebei Airlines, Guangxi Beibu Gulf Airlines, and Hainan Airlines.
New restaurants & stores
The first quarter saw more than 20 new stores and F&B outlets open at Changi’s four terminals. Among them are new concept stores such as WOKE Ramen (Terminal 1 public), Noyah La Maison (Terminal 3) and Crystal Jade Go (Terminal 4 transit), as well as familiar favourites like Penang Culture (T1 public) and Bee Cheng Hiang (T4 and transit).
Other highlights
At T1 Level 3, WOKE Ramen and Penang Culture expand halal food options alongside Andes by Astons, Burger King and Anjappar. T3 also welcomed a new bouldering play attraction at its basement levels, Climb@T3.
In the transit areas, Balenciaga has opened a full-fledged outlet in Terminal 1, while Tiffany & Co has returned to Changi Airport at T1. Almost all the outlets in T4 are now open; they include passenger favourites such as Heavenly Wang, Bengawan Solo, Old Chang Kee and iStudio.
At Jewel Changi Airport, new outlets opened in the quarter were ABC Cooking Studio, Amaris, Black by Blue Brave, Fossil, Guardian, Hurley, Maison Margiela, The Mineral Boutique, The Wonder Store and Watches of Switzerland.
SINGAPORE, 9 May 2023: India’s strong growth potential, as domestic travel overtakes the pre-pandemic levels, and international is not far behind, according to the latest Sabre data.
Following major aviation developments in the country announced recently, Sabre sifted through data to examine the potential of India’s travel growth over the coming years.
Key findings
• Significant investments in the tourism industry are expected to increase and support airline capacity requirements for domestic and international travel.
• As of March 2023, bookings are back to 100% of pre-pandemic levels for domestic trips and nearly 100% of pre-pandemic levels for international trips, with domestic travel increasing in popularity and domestic capacity having already exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
• Indian carriers are expected to play a significant role in international travel.
• Passenger numbers are increasing despite significantly higher international fares.
• The growing middle-class segment in India is expected to gain access to travel as travel becomes more affordable; the middle-class segment is expected to double from one in three to two in three Indians by 2047.
Significant investments in the Indian tourism industry are expected to increase and support capacity requirements for domestic and international travel.
As of March 2023, bookings are back to 100% of pre-pandemic levels for domestic trips and are at nearly 100% of pre-pandemic levels for international trips, with domestic capacity having already exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
Sabre’s booking data shows that in January 2023, there were 11 million domestic trips versus 11.2 million in January 2019, showing a travel recovery of 98.8%. In February, domestic travel measured at 99.3% and eventually exceeded pre-pandemic levels in March at 107.4%. Domestic capacity has already exceeded 2019 levels since the beginning of this year, signifying that there is potential for domestic travel to grow significantly.
The strong growth for domestic travel and capacity could be attributed to more Indians turning towards domestic travel during the pandemic when they couldn’t travel further afield and ongoing improvements in connectivity due to government investments.
In addition, India has recently seen a rise in low-cost carriers (LCCs), with these carriers recording growth in domestic travel. In Q1 of 2019, 23.2 million travellers flew on LCCs for domestic routes. The number increased to 26.5 million within the same period in 2023, an increase of 14%.
There were 5.7 million trips for international travel in January 2023 versus 6 million in January 2019, showing a recovery rate of 95%. The recovery rate increased to 97.5% in February 2023 and is now at 99.5% in March 2023. Capacity for international trips has also been planned to exceed 100% of 2019 levels by Q2.
International fares increased post-pandemic
An impressive travel resumption has been achieved even though average international fares are 41.3% more expensive as of February 2023 than pre-pandemic prices. This exemplifies the “revenge travel” phenomenon resulting from the long lockdowns, plus the fact that capacity could not catch up with the pent-up demand.
Domestic fares have also increased, 24.5% more than pre-pandemic prices as of February 2023. Fare prices are expected to stabilise as capacity grows to meet and potentially exceed demand, coupled with various tourism investments to make travel affordable for the growing middle-class segment in India.
SINGAPORE, 9 May 2023: The world’s most iconic luxury cruise brand celebrated a momentous construction milestone last week with the float out of Queen Anne at the Fincantieri Marghera shipyard in Venice, Italy.
The 249th ship to sail under the Cunard flag, Queen Anne officially touched water for the first time exactly 365 days before setting sail on her maiden voyage to Lisbon on 3 May 2024.
Photo credit: Cunard
Carnival UK president, Sture Myrmell, said: “We are delighted to celebrate this important milestone in the construction of Queen Anne. The float-out ceremony marks the ship’s transition from her building dock to where she truly belongs – in the water. Today marks a significant moment for Queen Anne as we recognise the dedication of the master shipbuilders at Fincantieri to build a ship that reinforces our position as a world-famous luxury brand.”
The float out completes the first comprehensive construction phase for Queen Anne, which now transitions to focus on building the luxury ship’s interiors.
Queen Anne
The 14-deck 3,000-guest Queen Anne will enter service in May 2024. It will make up the quartet for Cunard alongside Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth. It will be the first time since 1999 that Cunard will have four ships in simultaneous service.
SINGAPORE, 9 May 2023: Global passenger traffic in March stood at 88% of the March 2019 level, signalling a strong demand growth in air travel, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports in its latest analysis.
Total traffic in March 2023 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 52.4% compared to March 2022. Globally, traffic is now at 88.0% of the March 2019 level.
Domestic traffic for March rose 34.1% compared to the year-ago period. Total March 2023 domestic traffic was 98.9% of the March 2019 level.
International traffic climbed 68.9% versus March 2022, with all markets recording healthy growth, led once again by carriers in the Asia-Pacific region. International RPKs reached 81.6% of March 2019 levels, while the load factor at 81.3% exceeded the March 2019 level by 10.1 percentage points.
“The calendar year’s first quarter ended strongly for air travel demand. Domestic markets have been near their pre-pandemic levels for months. And for international travel, two key waypoints were topped. First, demand increased by 3.5 percentage points compared to the previous month’s growth, reaching 81.6% of pre-COVID levels. This was led by a near-tripling of demand for Asia-Pacific carriers as China’s re-opening took hold. And efficiency is improving as international load factors reached 81.3%. Even more importantly, ticket sales for domestic and international travel indicate that strong growth will continue into the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season,” said IATA’s director general Willie Walsh.
International Passenger Markets
Asia-Pacific airlines had a 283.1% increase in March 2023 traffic compared to March 2022, continuing the robust momentum since the lifting of travel restrictions in the region. Capacity rose 161.5%, and the load factor increased 26.8 percentage points to 84.5%, the second highest among the regions.
European carriers posted a 38.5% traffic rise versus March 2022. Capacity climbed 27.0%, and the load factor rose 6.6 percentage points to 79.4%, the second lowest among the regions.
Middle Eastern airlines saw a 43.1% traffic increase compared to March a year ago. Capacity climbed 30.5%, and the load factor pushed up 7.0 percentage points to 79.4%.
North American carriers’ traffic climbed 51.6% in March 2023 versus 2022. Capacity increased by 34.0%, and the load factor rose 9.8 percentage points to 84.8%, the region’s highest.
Latin American airlines had a 36.5% traffic increase compared to the same month in 2022. March capacity climbed 33.4%, and the load factor rose 1.9 percentage points to 82.8%.
African airlines’ traffic rose 71.7% in March 2023 versus a year ago, the second highest among the regions. March capacity was up 56.2%, and the load factor climbed 6.5 percentage points to 72.2%, the region’s lowest.
The Bottom Line
“As traveller expectations build towards the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season, airlines are doing their best to meet the desire and need to fly. Unfortunately, a lack of capacity means some travellers may be disappointed. Part of this capacity shortfall is attributable to the widely reported labour shortages impacting many parts of the aviation value chain and supply chain issues affecting the aircraft manufacturing sector resulting in aircraft delivery delays. However, a significant share of recent flight cancellations, primarily in Europe, are owing to job actions by air traffic controllers and others. These irresponsible actions resulted in thousands of unnecessary cancellations in March. This is unacceptable and should not be tolerated by the authorities,” said Walsh.
CHIANG RAI, 9 May 2023: Ruili Airlines will be the first international airline to resume direct flights to Chiang Rai, a far north town on Thailand’s borders with Myanmar and Laos.
According to the public relations department of the Chiang Rai Mae Fa Luang International Airport, the Chinese airline will fly a direct service from its home base Kunming in Yunnan province, China, to Chiang Rai starting this month without identifying a start date.
Chiang Rai Airport confirmed the return of a direct flight from China on its social media post earlier this month.
However, www.aeroroutes.com confirms Ruili Airlines has scheduled three weekly flights starting 13 May using a Boeing 737-700, which differed from the airport’s graphic that suggests a twice-weekly service on Saturday and Sunday.
The airports graphic shows the Ruili Airlines direct flight as the only international flight scheduled for Chiang Rai during the summer timetable. The other five airlines fly domestic services between Chiang Rai and two airports in Bangkok – Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese airlines offered charter and scheduled flights from Hong Kong, Macau, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Jinghong, Changsha, Chengdu and Guangzhou.
Ruili Airlines’ flight DR5035 will depart Kunming at 1900 and arrive in Chiang Rai at 2025. The return flight DR5036 will depart Chiang Rai at 2115 and arrive in Kunming at 2250.
The airline provides no information on the new Chiang Rai flight on its website or social media accounts. Even the popular booking site Trip.com doesn’t flag a direct flight option on the Kunming – Chiang Rai route. There is just one option from Chiang Rai to Kunming on Thai AirAsia The flight between the two cities involves a change of plane in the Thai capital and a two-hour wait at Don Mueang airport. The roundabout journey takes five hours and 50 minutes and costs USD475 one way.
Meanwhile, according to Aeroroutes’ flight schedules, Ruili Airlines (DR) introduced on 6 May three weekly flights routed Kunming – Jinghong – Chiang Mai using a Boeing 737-700
It will introduce three weekly flights on the Kunming – Phuket route starting on 3 June. It reopens a direct link that will encourage Chinese residents in Kunming to book beach holiday packages to the southern Thailand holiday island. Also, Kunming’s outbound travel agents will start promoting beach holiday packages in Cambodia’s Sihanoukville province in June. Ruili Airlines will serve Sihanoukville Airport with a weekly direct flight.
