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Emirates’ uni hosts aviation event

DUBAI, UAE: 10 August 2022: If you work in aviation, related research or are just an enthusiast, the 4th edition of the International Aviation Management Conference (IAMC) is the place to be from 21 to 22 November, hosted by Emirates Aviation University.

The event is a global platform where aviation leaders and professionals from both industry and academia come together to discuss key strategic issues facing the industry and present contemporary research findings.

The university is hosting the 4th International Aviation Management Conference on 21 and 22 November in Dubai.

This year’s conference has a topical theme – The Future of Aviation: COVID-19 Pandemic and Challenges. The organisers are calling aviation professionals, academic leaders, research scholars and students to register and submit their research papers and thought leadership pieces before 31 August.

Topics include air transport policy and regulation, airline operation and management, aviation safety and security, aviation finance and economics, airport planning and management, aviation management and strategy, technological advances and impact, women in aviation, aviation law, and aviation sustainability. All submissions must be original material and related to aviation.

At the previous three editions of the conference, participants have presented more than 60 influential research papers showcasing diverse and stimulating subjects ranging from air transport liberalisation, the impact of Etihad Rail, the impact of passenger satisfaction on brand persona and marketing mix on purchase decisions to serious technical themes, gritty case studies, and complex mathematical modelling made simple.

Attendees can look forward to another exciting edition of ground-breaking research and future industry trends and predictions.

Emirates Aviation University vice-chancellor Dr Ahmad Al Ali said: “The pandemic has been a black swan event and a game-changer for the aviation industry. The conference is the place to be this November to hear from the experts on how the industry and its key players have pivoted and the impact it has had on projects, initiatives, technology, sustainability and a whole host of concerns and opportunities. It’s a global platform that brings together all the good and the great, and an opportunity to network, collaborate, co-create, and drive key agendas within the aviation ecosystem.”

Organised by Emirates Aviation University, this year’s conference edition will be held on 21 and 22 November at the university campus and headlined by a gala dinner on day one.

This year’s keynote speakers include Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Chief Operating Officer; Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Chief Commercial Officer; and Mahmood Ameen, Chief Executive Officer, Emirates Flight Catering. IAMC 2022 is being hosted in partnership with Dubai Police and Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.

Recently, Emirates Aviation University achieved global accreditation through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a leader in quality assurance for higher education. The university obtained global accreditation having successfully completed QAA’s International Quality Review (IQR).

To register for the conference or to submit research papers, click here

To browse through previous conference research papers, click here

For more information, please email: [email protected]

About Emirates Aviation University

Emirates Aviation University (EAU) was established in 1991 by the United Arab Emirates Department of Civil Aviation and was initially named the Dubai Aviation College. The primary purpose of the College was to provide aviation-related training to private students and corporate clients. The university’s vision is to be one of the world’s leading institutes of higher education in aviation-related disciplines. In July 2022, EAU achieved global quality accreditation through the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA), the UK’s independent quality body and a global leader in quality assurance for higher education.

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Amadeus names EVP travel unit

SINGAPORE, 10 August 2022: Amadeus has appointed Javier Laforgue as executive vice president, travel unit & managing director, Asia Pacific.

He will oversee Amadeus’ business across the region and brings more than two decades of travel industry knowledge to the Asia Pacific, including extensive experience in various senior management roles across Amadeus.

Most recently, he headed global air distribution for the company and managed Amadeus’ NDC strategy and investment programme.

Laforgue commented: “The renewal of travel will deliver a unique opportunity for growth for businesses that are driving efficiency and productivity with technology. In the Asia Pacific, the travel industry is at a crossroads where technology plays a pivotal role in getting people moving again.”

He will be based in the Amadeus office in Singapore. 

NCL updates Covid-19 rules

SINGAPORE, 10 August 2022: Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings revised its SailSAFE health and safety protocols this week, aligning the company to the broader travel, leisure and hospitality industry.

Vaccinated guests aged 12 and over will no longer have pre-cruise Covid-19-related protocols. Unvaccinated guests may embark with a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure, subject to local regulations.

The new policy goes live across Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas fleets for all sailings starting 3 September 2022.

Requirements may differ for guests travelling on voyages departing from or visiting destinations with specific local regulations, including but not limited to Canada, Greece and Bermuda.

“Our long-awaited revisions to our testing and vaccination requirements bring us closer in line with the rest of society, which has learned to adapt and live with Covid-19, and makes it simpler and easier for our loyal guests to cruise on our three best-in-class brands,” said Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd president and chief executive officer Frank Del Rio.

For more information about NCL’s award-winning 17-ship fleet and worldwide itineraries, or to book a cruise, please contact a travel professional, call Hong Kong on +852 2165 6000 and Southeast Asia on +65 3165 1680 or visit www.ncl.com.

About Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NYSE: NCLH) is a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands. With a combined fleet of 29 ships with over 62,000 berths, these brands offer itineraries to approximately 500 destinations worldwide. The company has eight additional ships scheduled for delivery through 2027, comprising over 20,000 berths.

(Your Stories: NCL)

Fly on mobile phone points

BANGKOK, 10 August 2022: AirAsia rewards, partners with Total Access Communication Public Company Limited or “dtac” in Thailand to enable members to convert dtac reward coins to AirAsia points.

In the photo from left to right: Yos Patcharamongkolpan Assistant Vice President dtac Reward and Partnership, Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (dtac), How Lih Ren Chief Executive Officer, Marketing Group, Total Access Communication Public Company Limited (dtac), Ba-wornpak Siripanich, AirAsia rewards Country Head for Thailand and Mr. Jirayu Sirichu, Commercial manager, AirAsia rewards.

AirAsia members can convert points to dtac reward coins via AirAsia xchange’s “points code” conversion feature on AirAsia Super App. After making a successful conversion, members can use their converted AirAsia points to redeem their favourite deals on various travel and lifestyle products including flights, hotels, food delivery, shopping.

AirAsia rewards is offering 100% bonus AirAsia points to dtac reward customers with the highest accumulated conversion of dtac reward coins to AirAsia points until 31 August 2022 via the dtac app.

Cathay adds flights to India

HONG KONG, 10 August 2022: Cathay Pacific will add flights to Mumbai and Delhi during September as it gradually restores services to India.

In its latest timetable update for flights to India scheduled for September, the airline adds two flights to Mumbai (Monday 26 September and Tuesday 27 September) on top of the twice-weekly flights operating every Friday and Sunday.

On the route to Delhi, the airline adds a one-off service on Monday, 26 September, while maintaining its four weekly flights throughout the month on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

The Delhi-bound flight (CX2679) departs Hong Kong at 0810 and arrives in Delhi at 1155. Flight time on the Boeing 777-300ER is six hours and 15 minutes. The roundtrip airfare in the cheapest category is HKD6,384. The return flight (CX2694) departs Delhi at 1315 and arrives in Hong Kong at 2135. Flight time is five hours and 40 minutes.

The Mumbai-bound flight (CX2663) departs Hong Kong at 0810 and arrives in Mumbai at 1135. Flight time on the Boeing 777-300ER is five hours and 55 minutes. The roundtrip airfare in the cheapest category is HKD6,118. The return flight (CX2660) departs Mumbai at 1325 and arrives in Hong Kong at 2150. Flight time is five hours and 55 minutes.

Travel demand between Hong Kong and India remains low due to travel restrictions and quarantine requirements in Hong Kong and China.

However, the airline is counting on the cut in the mandatory hotel quarantine from seven to three days starting Friday, 12 August, to boost bookings. However, as long as the four-day homestay under medical surveillance requirement is enforced, flights between Hong Kong and India will remain well off the pre-Covid-19 frequencies.

Hong Kong cuts quarantine days

HONG KONG, 10 August 2022: Just days after Hong Kong announced it would ease its quarantine rules this Friday, the territory’s Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK)  said the adjustment should help air traffic to recover.

AAHK is working closely with the airport community to prepare for an expected increase in flights and passengers following the reduction of quarantine days for inbound travellers. However, reducing mandatory hotel quarantine to three days doesn’t go far enough for the territory’s tourism industry mainly because it is followed by “home medical surveillance lasting another four days.

Hong Kong is reducing the mandatory hotel quarantine from seven days to three starting Friday, 12 August, according to a government announcement last Sunday.

After the quarantine, travellers will need to undertake “home medical surveillance” for four days. Still, Hong Kong’s chief executive John Lee said he was “striking a balance between risk level as well as our economic activity.”

After completing the hotel quarantine, travellers can stay at home or in a hotel for four days of surveillance. They will be able to leave their residences but cannot enter “places where there is active checking of vaccine passes,” Lee announced.

That eliminates visits to bars, pubs, gyms and beauty parlours. People are also not allowed to visit nursing homes, schools and specified medical premises during the surveillance period.

“They cannot participate in any activities where masks are to be taken off,” Lee added. “If they test negative on a rapid antigen test, they can take public transportation, go to work and enter shopping malls,” he explained. Meanwhile, China shows no sign of backing away from its ‘zero-Covid’ strategy as Asia’s popular destinations come to terms with the possibility there will be no return for Chinese tour groups, possibly until Chinese New Year 2023 at the earliest.

Thai AirAsia boosts Seoul flights

BANGKOK, 9 August 2022: Thai AirAsia X is increasing flights on its Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi (BKK) to Seoul (ICN), South Korea route to 10 flights weekly starting this October.

The airline offers 20% off on all seats* and routes for bookings from 8 to 14 August 2022 for travel from 22 August to 18 April 2023.

Thai AirAsia X acting CEO Tassapon Bijleveld said: “We are mounting more flights for this popular sector in anticipation of a spike in demand towards the final quarter of the year, South Korea’s high season for travel.

“There will be daily flights from Suvarnabhumi to Incheon beginning October, with an additional service every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, making it a total of 10 flights weekly.”

Travellers can now enter South Korea without any quarantine requirement. However, passengers should check out full Information on entry into South Korea by visiting www.k-eta.go.kr.

*Promotion does not apply to long weekends and public holidays. Terms and conditions apply.

‘What About Kuching’ returns in October

KUCHING, 9 August 2022: Sarawak’s iconic festival ‘What About Kuching’ gained a new lease of life as organisers announced its comeback from 1 to 31 October.

First reported in the New Sarawak Tribune, the online news service confirmed What About Kuching Festival 2022 (WAK2022) returns after a two-year pause caused by Covid-19 lockdowns and travel restrictions.

What About Kuching Facebook

The community-driven festival of the arts, culture and lifestyle focusing on Sarawak’s state capital and its neighbouring districts hosted its third edition back in 2019, supported by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak.

Throughout October, WAK2022 will feature a multi-genre programme centred in the city of Kuching and radiating outwards towards greater Kuching.

The WAK festival series founding director Donald Tan confirmed at the close of proposal submission on 31 July, WAK2022 received 69 proposals from 59 different collaborators covering 111 events of various genres, including music, theatre, dance, arts and crafts, gastronomy, culture, sporting events and eco-based adventure activities.

“WAK2022 will be your best opportunity to experience and be immersed in our rich culture and heritage,” said Tan during the press launch, “It will satisfy your craving for music, theatre and fine arts as we present both the old and the new. Gastronomy will be a big part of the festival too!”

Find out more about WAK2022 at www.aboutkuching.com

(Source: New Sarawak Tribune)

DidaTravel delivers flight bookings

SHENZHEN, China, 9 August 2022: A leading Chinese travel service provider DidaTravel has launched its B2B flight booking multi-GDS portal, featuring access to full-service, low-cost airlines and new distribution capability (NDC) content.

DidaTravel’s 23,000 B2B buyers worldwide (travel agents, tour operators, OTAs, TMCs and event DMCs) can now access flights from 500 plus airlines to fly to more than 20,000 destinations.

In the future, clients can combine flights with accommodation to boost their ancillary revenue thanks to dynamic packaging technology that also includes in-path and post-booking cross-selling tools.

Packaging of flights with accommodation is already available through the company’s new flight booking engine or as an XML / API integration, with dynamic packaging to be integrated at the end of 2022. In addition, currently, there is an option for clients to query flight prices manually.

To lead this new venture, Jason Guan – who joined DidaTravel last year – has now been appointed as flight business unit general manager, reporting directly to Rikin Wu, DidaTravel Founder & CEO.

DidaTravel’s founder & CEO Rikin Wu comments: “Following years of partners asking for flight products, during Covid we put aside the time and resources to prepare for this properly, and I’m excited that we are now ready to launch. Given our network of 23,000 B2B travel sellers globally and our dynamic packaging capabilities, I feel confident that we will be able to grow and scale our flight business under the leadership of Jason.”

About DidaTravel

DidaTravel is a tech-driven integrated travel service provider founded in 2012 and headquartered in Shenzhen, China. It has over 300 staff in eight offices globally. The company works with over 23,000 travel buying clients worldwide. It has a portfolio of over 51,500 competitively sourced direct hotel contracts, as well as 700,000 hotel products provided by 600+ global suppliers, covering more than 200 countries/regions. Before the pandemic, in 2019, DidaTravel sold hotel bookings in the China & APAC region worth over USD700 million.

Emirates sells summer fare deals

SINGAPORE, 9 August 2022: Travellers looking for a getaway can gear up for their next holiday with Emirates’ summer-exclusive offerings starting this month.

For a limited time, travellers from Singapore can enjoy special fares to over 100 destinations across Emirates’ extensive network, with all-inclusive economy class fares starting at SGD689. Business class fares start at SGD2,979, and first class fares at SGD10,119.

Fares are available for bookings from 8 to 28 August 2022 and valid for travel from 1 September 2022 to 31 May 2023.

Promotional fares for featured destinations include:

DestinationsEconomy Class Fares From (SGD)Business Class Fares From (SGD)First Class Fares From (SGD)
Dubai6892,97910,119
London1,2094,87911,829
Paris1,3594,71911,669
Amsterdam1,3795,17915,539
Barcelona1,2995,14916,639
Rome1,4096,67917,809
Milan1,3395,15912,109
Zurich1,5295,08913,829
Istanbul1,2594,46915,509
USA1,8797,23916,339

Increased Connectivity to Dubai

Just four months after introducing its second daily flight, Emirates will increase its frequency between Singapore and Dubai with a third daily flight starting on 30 October 2022. EK349 will depart at 1010 local time, and passengers will touch down in Dubai just in time to enjoy the city’s nightlife.

With 21 flights a week from Singapore to Dubai, travellers can enjoy enhanced connectivity through Emirates’ Dubai hub. Emirates’ daily flights between Singapore and Dubai – EK354 and EK355 – feature flat-bed seats in business class and private suites in first class.

Travellers can enjoy savings during their holidays in Dubai and across the UAE with My Emirates Pass until 30 September 2022.

Travelling with Emirates

Emirates works to provide an incredible inflight experience and a seamless journey on the ground, offering award-winning services to customers in all classes of travel. From check-in to boarding, travelling with family is now much more convenient with Emirates’ priority boarding and over 100 channels of content for children on ice, Emirates’ award-winning inflight entertainment system.

Emirates continues to offer stellar and safe travel experiences to Dubai and the rest of its global network. The airline has also been building on its contactless technology offerings to provide even more convenient options to fast-track through airport formalities.

Customers are encouraged to check the latest government travel guidelines and ensure that they meet the travel requirements of their destination. For a consolidated overview of travel requirements by destination, travellers can visit https://www.emirates.com/english/help/covid-19/travel-requirements-by-destination/.

For more information, including how to book flights and a complete list of terms and conditions, customers are advised to contact their travel agent or visit https://www.emirates.com/sg