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Emirates sets up aid airbridge to Pakistan

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 6 September 2022: Emirates SkyCargo has set up an airbridge between Dubai and Pakistan to offer cargo capacity free of charge on flights to transport relief aid to people grappling with the damage caused by the devastating floods.

Starting last Friday, cargo capacity on all Emirates’ passenger flights to Pakistan has been available to organisations based at the world’s largest humanitarian hub, International Humanitarian City (IHC), to transport critical equipment and supplies, food and other emergency relief goods directly to the five airports – Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Peshawar, and Sialkot.

Emirates Group Chairman and Chief Executive HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, said: “Emirates is deeply connected and committed to Pakistan. From our first flight in 1985 to Karachi until today, we’ve steadily grown the mutually beneficial air links that facilitate business, tourism and trade between the UAE and Pakistan. HH Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed al Nahyan, President of the UAE, and HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, UAE’s Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, have directed urgent aid to Pakistan, mobilising people and businesses across the UAE, and Emirates is ready to play our part.”

Emirates operates 53 scheduled passenger flights per week to Pakistan, where recent heavy rainfall has caused catastrophic flash flooding across the country, tragically leaving over 1,100 people dead and millions homeless.

Any of the humanitarian organisations at IHC wishing to use the free cargo capacity to transport humanitarian relief from Dubai to Pakistan should contact Emirates SkyCargo’s centralised crisis relief desk at [email protected] and [email protected].

Supreme Committee for the Supervision of IHC, Chairman, His Excellency Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani said: “Times of crisis are a true test of spirit, and once again, we are working with Emirates to respond to a devastating humanitarian crisis, this time in Pakistan, where floods have caused unimaginable losses and damages. We are grateful for the long-standing support of Emirates to the IHC community and its honourable commitment to alleviate the suffering of the victims of these extraordinary floods. Together, we are proud to deliver this vital support to the people of Pakistan.”

In May 2021, Emirates SkyCargo flew relief materials free of charge from Dubai to India over three weeks to support the Indian community in managing the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. Under the Emirates India Humanitarian Airbridge, Emirates donated cargo capacity to transport essential supplies such as relief tents and thousands of oxygen cylinders and concentrators free of charge on flights to Indian destinations.

After the Port of Beirut explosions in August 2020 devastated many parts of Lebanon’s capital city, Emirates SkyCargo ramped up its freighter operations to Lebanon by dedicating over 50 flights to deliver critical emergency relief and aid to the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the blasts.

www.emirates.com

(Your Stories: Emirates)

Taipei gears up regional promotions

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TTR WEEKLY
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TAIPEI, Taiwan, 6 September 2022: Taipei’s Department of Information and Tourism (DOIT) launched the latest version of its Come Explore Taipei campaign at the MATTA Travel Fair in Kuala Lumpur from 2 to 4 September.

DOIT resumed sales in Southeast Asia last month after a two-hiatus during the Covid-19 crisis.

During the MATTA Fair, Taipei stressed its second-place ranking in the 2021 Global Muslim Travel Index, an accolade that gained traction with Malay travel consumers at the three-day fair. Taipei has as many as 70 Muslim-friendly attractions, and it has launched a robust campaign to certify numerous Muslim-friendly restaurants and mosques. The well-known Muslim actor and Internet celebrity Yana Samsudin, followed on social media by over a million fans, visited the exhibition and shared her Taipei travel experiences during a tour of the Taipei Pavilion.

The Taiwan Lantern Festival will return to Taipei on 5 February 2023 after a 23-year absence when it was hosted in other cities in Taiwan.

(Source: Bernama)

Finnair links Nordic cities to Qatar hub

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 6 September 2022: Finnair will launch daily services from Nordic capitals to Doha through a partnership with Qatar Airways.

Finnair and Oneworld partner Qatar Airways agreed last week to establish daily flights from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen to Doha.

Finnair. New AirLounge seat.

These services will be supported by a comprehensive codeshare agreement allowing shared passenger and cargo capacity.

Passengers from the three Nordic cities will benefit from seamless connections via Doha to Qatar Airways’ extensive network of around 100 destinations across Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

The services should start between November and December 2022, with Finnair’s Airbus A330 aircraft featuring the airline’s new long-haul cabins, including industry-leading Air Lounge business class seats, a brand-new premium economy travel class and refreshed economy class.

The flights to Doha will be sold and marketed by both Finnair and Qatar Airways. In the pipeline are roundtrip daily flights to Doha from Helsinki, Stockholm and Copenhagen.

“We are delighted to expand our collaboration with our Oneworld partner Qatar Airways, offering new connections between Doha and the three Nordic capitals”, said Finnair CEO Topi Manner. “The role of Doha as an international hub is growing, and Qatar Airways has extensive connections from Doha onwards to Australasia, the Middle East and Africa.”

Meanwhile, Finnair confirmed the roll of its new renewed cabins on its New York, Phuket, Singapore and Tokyo routes. The new cabins will also be on all Finnair flights to Bangkok from 25 November.

The improvements deliver a new Premium Economy travel class, a renewed Business Class and a refreshed Economy Class and are already available on selected long-haul routes. The full cabin renewal will extend to all aircraft in the long-haul fleet of Airbus A350s and A330s before the end of 2023.

Airlines increase flights to Phuket

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TTR WEEKLY
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PHUKET, 6 September 2022: Vietnam Airlines returns to Phuket Island with twice-weekly flights following last week’s inaugural welcome by the island’s travel industry leaders.

The flights scheduled for Thursday and Saturday should boost leisure travel from Ho Chi Minh City after a two-year break. Flight VN9624 departs HCMC at 1000 and arrives in Phuket one hour later.

The return of flights from the southern Vietnamese city followed shortly after Malaysia’s FireFly resumed flights from Penang to Phuket in late August. The first flight FY3600 from Penang International Airport to Phuket International Airport arrived on 26 August. Using a Boeing 737 on the route, the airline offers direct flights from Penang to Phuket four times weekly on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

More airlines are serving Phuket, as confirmed by the Airports of Thailand’s flight schedules for September. Batik Air resumed direct flights from Kuala-Lumpur to Phuket in early August. AOT said the return of Batik Air was a “good sign of economic recovery in tourism that will mark recovery for Phuket”. Batik Air, previously branded Malindo Air, is a low-cost airline based in Malaysia.

Major Middle East airlines with global networks – Emirates, Etihad and Qatar – serve Phuket with direct flights out of hubs in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Doha. Singapore Airlines increases flights to three daily services starting this month. Other notable players include AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Thai Vietjet, Jetstar Asia, Scoot, IndiGo, Air Astana and Malaysia Airlines.

Ethiopian renews Travelport agreement

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TTR WEEKLY
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ADDIS ABABA, 5 September 2022: Ethiopian Airlines and Travelport, which powers travel bookings worldwide, renewed an agreement including distribution on the Travelport+ platform and New Distribution Capability (NDC) content.

The agreement expands travel retailing and distribution contracts between Travelport and Ethiopian Airlines. Both companies are developing a strategic plan to provide agents access to NDC content and functionality from Ethiopian Airlines in the Travelport+ platform.

As part of the agreement, Ethiopian Airlines will also become a new participant in Travelport’s Rich Content & Branding (RC&B) programme.

“As we are now investing in our ability to meet the high demand for travel following the pandemic, we must deepen our partnership with Travelport as they understand our need to efficiently deliver simplified access to our growing content,” said Ethiopian Airlines’ chief commercial officer  Lemma Yadecha.

“Travelport’s enhanced multi-sourced content capabilities within the Travelport+ platform will help us to provide agents and their travellers with quick, easy access to highly relevant offers and more choices to fit their needs. Our expanded agreement with Travelport and Rich Content & Branding will further enable us to drive more value for our travellers through today’s modern travel retailing environment.”

Hilton opens Hiroshima hotel

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TTR WEEKLY
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HIROSHIMA, Japan, 5 September 2022: Hilton Hiroshima debuts as the newest addition to the brand’s portfolio in Japan.

The newly opened 420-room hotel offers convenient access to popular UNESCO World Heritage sites in Hiroshima and boasts the largest hotel meeting facilities in the Chugoku and Shikoku region.

With Japan set to host the G7 summit in Hiroshima next year, the hotel looks forward to a steady increase in international and domestic guests.

The 420 rooms and suites on the seventh to 22nd floor offer guests cityscape views as well as the Seto Inland Sea and beautiful mountains in the distance.

Hilton Hotels & Resorts marks its continued global growth by reaching its 600th property with Hilton Hiroshima and Hilton Dubai Palm openings. In addition to the latest milestone openings, the brand recently grew its footprint in Mexico with the opening of Hilton Tulum Riviera Maya All-Inclusive Resort and Hilton Cancun, an All-Inclusive Resort. Hilton Hotels & Resorts also debuted its largest hotel in the Asia Pacific with the opening of Hilton Singapore Orchard.

Sarawak paints travel stories at MATTA fair

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUCHING, 5 September 2022: Sarawak featured its famous street art murals incorporating elements of culture, heritage, people and nature at the MATTA Fair KL 2022 held at the weekend.

“In Sarawak, street art is a growing trend which tells interesting stories of the people, culture, history and what makes them unique and diverse. We hope that showcasing this creative art will inspire more Malaysians to visit Sarawak and discover its culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals. Essentially, this also reminds us of how important it is to practice responsible tourism for long-term sustainability and conservation to preserve its heritage,” said  Sarawak Tourism Board deputy chief executive officer for integrated marketing communications  Suriya Charles Buas.

“Sarawak tourism is on the right track to recovery with the growing confidence of visitor arrivals. We welcomed 703,891 visitor arrivals between January and July this year. To boost domestic tourism, we invite our friends from West Malaysia to come and experience Sarawak’s beautiful offerings first-hand. After all, Sarawak is just a stone’s throw away“, he explained.

At the fair, STB’s delegation was joined by eight tour agencies that offered fair visitors a wide range of tour packages encompassing Sarawak’s culture, adventure, nature, food and festivals.

Tour packages included village cultural experiences such as exploring an Iban longhouse tour with its unique culture and tradition. Travel firms also promoted trips to Bengoh Dam, known as the “Jurassic Park” of Kuching, and the renowned Mulu National Park, a UNESCO Heritage site.

For more information on Sarawak, find out more at www.sarawaktravel.com.

(Your Stories: STB)

LADA puts on a show at MATTA fair

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TTR WEEKLY
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KUALA LUMPUR, 5 September 2022: Langkawi Development Authority was named the official partner of the MATTA KL 2022 Fair hosed at the World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur last weekend.

The 51st edition of Matta Fair in Kuala Lumpur targeted domestic travellers in peninsular Malaysia. Langkawi’s travel industry had 16 booths under the banner of LADA, representing 20 companies, hotels and agencies.

After a two-year pause, the travel fair returned to promote the country’s top destinations mainly to domestic travellers.

Langkawi highlighted its premier travel attraction, the first UNESCO Geopark in Southeast Asia, comprised of a collection of 99 tropical islands. It was one of the first destinations in Malaysia to reopen to tourism earlier this year, acting as a pilot project that led up to the phasing out of all travel restrictions in May.

LADA will lead roadshows to states across Peninsula Malaysia, including Penang, Ipoh and the Klang Valley, as part of the recovery plan that is also targeting international travellers from regional markets such as Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines.

LADA’s data collection shows that the destination has welcomed 1.17 million visitors this year, mainly via Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Ipoh, Kota Baru, Johor Baru and Singapore.

More information: https://naturallylangkawi.my/

Japan eases up on entry rules

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TTR WEEKLY
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SINGAPORE, 5 September 2022: Japan will ease entry rules starting 7 September, allowing independent tourists to enter the country if they book their holiday package through a travel agency.

The new rule ends the need to travel in a group package organised by authorised tour agents. The country reopened to escorted group tours in June and is now easing the rule to allow travellers to book unescorted “package tours.”

The Japan Times last week also confirmed that the country would raise its daily arrival cap to 50,000 visitors, up from the 20,000 daily maximum that has also been in place since June.

Under the new rules, tourists will no longer need an escort, but they will still need “sponsors” or travel agencies in Japan to endorse their itinerary to allow them to enter the country.

Japan will abolish the need for fully vaccinated visitors (three jabs) to submit proof of a negative Covid-19 within 72 hours of their flight departure, effective 7 September.

The country immigration agency confirmed: “From 0:00 am (JST) on 7 September 2022, based on the New Border Measures (31), among all cross-border travellers and returnees from countries/regions where the B.1.1.529 Omicron variant becomes dominant, persons who possess a valid vaccination certificate of Covid-19 will be no longer required to submit the certificate of a negative result of pre-departure Covid-19 test within 72 hours before departing from the original country/region.”

Blue zone countries in the Asia Pacific

The new rules apply to travellers from around 150 countries identified on a Blue Zone List.
In the Asia Pacific, they are:

Indonesia, Australia, Republic of Korea, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, China, New Zealand, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Palau, Bangladesh, East Timor, Philippines, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Laos

According to national tourism data provided by JNTO, just over 8,000 foreign tourists have visited the country since it started the reopening phase in July.

Japan maintains some of the strictest border rules in the region when compared with countries like Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore which have dropped all testing and quarantine requirements allowing visitors to travel freely.

Emirates scales up A380 ops

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TTR WEEKLY
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DUBAI, UAE, 5 September 2022: Emirates will debut its newly retrofitted A380s featuring its latest Premium Economy cabins to five new cities from December – New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore.

The airline will also add more Premium Economy seats on services to London Heathrow and Sydney as its newly enhanced aircraft sporting refreshed cabins roll into scheduled service.

The airline aims to offer customers more opportunities to experience its highly acclaimed Premium Economy product. Its latest deployment plans will also see 85 A380s back in the sky by December, well-timed to serve the year-end travel demand.

Emirates’ enhanced A380s with Premium Economy to New York JFK, San Francisco, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore will operate as follows:

To New York JFK, Emirates will operate with its newly retrofitted A380 on EK203 and EK 204, starting from 1 December.

To Auckland, Emirates will debut its Premium Economy cabin on EK 448 and EK 449, starting 15 January 2023.

From 1 February 2023, Melbourne will become the second Australian destination to be served with the signature Emirates A380 featuring Premium Economy. Services will be deployed on EK 406 and EK 407.

San Francisco will become the second US destination to be served by the retrofitted A380 with refreshed interiors on EK 225 and EK 226, starting on 15 February 2023.

Emirates’ enhanced A380 with Premium Economy will land in Singapore for the first time on 1 March 2023, operating as EK 354 and EK 355.

Emirates will also update its schedules to London Heathrow, Sydney and New York JFK with its retrofitted A380 aircraft operating on the following services:

From 15 December 2022, Sydney will become the first city in the Emirates network to offer Premium Economy seats on all flights, with the introduction of the airline’s retrofitted aircraft on EK 414 and EK 415.

From 1 January 2023, London Heathrow will receive its third daily service with Premium Economy, with the new product debuting on EK 005 and EK 006.

From 15 March 2023, Emirates will operate its second A380 with Premium Economy to New York JFK on EK 201 and EK 202.

Emirates will also start A380 services with a Premium Economy debut to Christchurch from 26 March 2023 as an extension of the Dubai to Sydney service, operating with EK 412 and EK 413.

Scaling up A380 operations

With the strongest travel demand in more than two years, Emirates will provide customers more choice and a better experience as it ramps up A380 services to 42 destinations by the end of March 2023. In tandem, the airline is optimising its network to meet robust demand and enhancing its existing schedules to over 400 A380 departures from Dubai, offering 460,000 weekly A380 seats by March 2023, including 81,000 seats across its premium cabins, offering the very best in customer comfort.

By year-end, the airline will be serving close to a third of its network with its flagship on 85 A380s as it unlocks more destinations like Houston, Bengaluru, Perth, Auckland, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, with additional cities to be announced in the coming weeks. With an expanded list of cities, Emirates will have recovered 75% of its pre-pandemic A380 network. The airline is also adding frequencies to popular cities already served by its flagship, bringing greater resiliency and stability to its operation.

Raising the bar for premium air travel

Since Emirates debuted its Premium Economy Class to London, Paris and Sydney, customer response has been overwhelmingly positive, with demand exceeding expectations, demonstrating its appeal and willingness of travellers to trade up and try the quiet luxury and meticulously customised experience it offers.

On a four-class Emirates A380, the Premium Economy cabin is located at the front of the main deck with 56 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration. In the cabin, every inch of space anticipates customer needs with a generous seat pitch and width. 

The Emirates A380 experience has long been taking passenger comfort to new levels, with an extensive suite of products that turn the journey itself into a destination, including one of the industry’s largest screens for customers to enjoy the airline’s award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice. Customers travelling in First and Business Class cabins can enjoy the aircraft’s signature features, such as the popular Onboard Lounge and fully flat seats in Business Class, as well as private suites and Shower Spas in First Class.

Emirates recently announced its fleet retrofit programme, consisting of a multi-billion dollar investment to ensure customers continue to have the best experience in the sky. Starting from November, the airline will begin intensive work to upgrade and retrofit the interior cabins of 67 Airbus A380 and 53 Boeing 777 aircraft, with one aircraft rolling out into service every 16 days. By 2025, nearly 4,000 new Premium Economy seats will be installed, 728 First Class suites refurbished, and over 5,000 Business Class seats upgraded to a new style and design.

Emirates is the world’s largest operator of the A380, with 118 double-decker aircraft in its fleet. Since A6-EVF, the first A380 reactivated in 2020, began flying, the operating fleet has clocked in more than 31,000 trips worldwide, carrying over 10 million passengers.

Tickets can be booked on emirates.com, the Emirates App, or via both online and offline travel agents.

For more information on Emirates Premium Economy, visit:  https://www.emirates.com/english/experience/cabin-features/premium-economy-class/

(Your Stories: Emirates)

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