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Boost in Air Connectivity as British Airways flies to Tropical Paradise Seychelles

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The Seychelles International airport of Pointe Larue welcomed British Airways again on its grounds on Sunday, December 13, 2020, after a four-week break from the safe tropical island destination.

British Airways resumes its weekly flight to Seychelles, providing the perfect opportunity for British visitors to escape to endless summer. 

With the United Kingdom loosening restrictions over several areas within its territories, the sunshine at the end of the tunnel brings a good presage for the local industry.

Showing customary interest from the UK market, some 171 visitors, disembarked from the London outbound flight on Sunday.

On the same note, the airline has confirmed an optimistic projection of flight load for its upcoming voyages for the rest of the month of December, providing further comfort to the tourism operators in Seychelles.

Speaking of the return of British Airways the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Chief Executive Mrs Sherin Francis mentioned the destination’s appreciation to airline partners for their loyalty in such uncertain times.

“The restart of tourism for our small island is heavily dependent on air connectivity. We have been privileged to be able to count on our airline partners to remain visible and accessible. Our relationships have grown beyond all expectation and our collaborations have strengthened over the past few months. It has been a quite humbling experience for us as a small destination to realise that our allies in the industry hold equally high esteem for our destination and its potentials. The confidence of our team has been boosted by so much camaraderie,” said Mrs Francis.  

As of this December Kenya Airways, Qatar Airlines and Air Austral will also be resuming their operations to the paradise destination adding their names to the list of airlines contributing to the restart of tourism for the Indian Ocean Island.

Since its reopening to commercial flights in August 2020, Seychelles has been welcoming numerous private planes and charters from various parts of the world.

Several regular flights from commercial airlines including Emirates Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Edelweiss have also been recurrent while the destination’s national carrier Air Seychelles resumed its operations in November.

Keeping its marketing strategy a priority on all fronts the STB holds regular virtual meetings with airline partners and is engaging in several joint marketing activities with airlines partners to keep the destination visible and reach out to their customers. 

More news about Seychelles

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MEDIA CONTACT: STB News Bureau, Tel: +248 4 671 354 / +248 4 671 313, stbnews@seychelles.travel 

Minister Bartlett Welcomes Return of BA to Montego Bay

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Three days ahead of the start of the traditional winter tourist season, Jamaica Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, elatedly welcomed the return of British Airways flights to Montego Bay. The first fully loaded Boeing 777 flight, BA2265 from London Gatwick, touched down at the Sangster International Airport late Saturday afternoon (December 12).

Joining Minister Bartlett in welcoming the capacity 332 passengers, as well as Captain Graham Dawkins and the flight crew, were British High Commissioner to Jamaica, Asif Ahmad, Executive Director of Jamaica Vacations, Joy Roberts, Jamaica Tourist Board Regional Director, Odette Dyer and British Airways Commercial Manager Caribbean, Diane Corrie.

Returning after an absence of 11 years, it was outlined that the BA flight will operate for the winter season until April 17, 2021 with a capacity of 31 Club World (Business Class), 52 World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy) and 250 World Traveller (Economy) seats. Thereafter, it will be operating a twice weekly schedule with flights on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

“This is a very good sign because it is starting for us the recovery of the industry, and certainly the British market,” said Mr. Bartlett as the beat of drums mastered by the group Children of the Drums, filled the hallway. The mix of passengers included Brits and Jamaicans from the Diaspora.

He was also cognizant of the importance of the flight in gradually adding to the return of jobs displaced earlier this year by the COVID-19 pandemic. He noted, however, “as we are anxious and excited about the return to economic activities, we have to recognize the responsibility that we have to manage this pandemic and to comply with the protocols that have been established.”

Mr. Bartlett said all workers in the industry had a responsibility to protect themselves and for its part, the ministry had invested in providing protective equipment for them. Also, “all the hotels have been responding extremely well to the need for the COVID-19 infrastructure that will enable us to not only be compliant but to reduce to a minimal, if not to zero, the incidences of infection.”

Responsible management by the tourism sector has ensured that since reopening in June, “the incidence of infection has been very, very low, if not at zero and the resilience corridors that we have developed are an example to the world of how to create a bubble that will protect both locals and international visitors alike,” said Minister Bartlett.

High Commissioner Ahmad said the significance of British Airways coming back to Montego Bay, adding to existing flights into Kingston, was that Montego Bay is important to Britain, and indeed the other way around as well. “It is the kith and kin connections that we have with the 800,000 Jamaicans that we have living in the UK and the tourists who come here repeatedly and visit family and friends; that is important,” he said.

Mrs. Corrie said British Airways has been flying to Jamaica for over 70 years and was “absolutely delighted to be back in Montego Bay.” She said Jamaica had many attractive assets, including its warm weather that people in the UK and in Europe wanted to get out and experience.

More news about Jamaica

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MEDIA CONTACT: Jamaica Ministry of Tourism, Corporate Communications Division, 64 Knutsford Boulevard, Kingston 5, Tel: 920-4924, Fax: 906-1729

Aviation consultant to host ‘Airlines in Crisis’ webinar for WTM Global Hub

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WTM Global Hub – WTM Portfolio’s new online portal – will host a webinar on Thursday, May 14, at 2 pm BST with respected UK aviation expert John Strickland, Director of JLS Consulting. Called Airlines in Crisis – What is the Prognosis for the Aftermath of COVID-19?, the online event will explore the devastating impact of COVID-19 on airlines and airports across the globe – and what the future may hold for the sector.

As the pandemic spread worldwide from February onwards, lockdowns and travel bans have meant the aviation sector is facing crippling financial losses and widespread job cuts.

With fleets grounded, British Airways looks set to lose about 12,000 jobs, while Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair have both announced more than 3,000 job cuts each. Virgin has also withdrawn from Gatwick.

IAG Group – which owns BA, Aer Lingus and Iberia – hopes to operate flights from July at the earliest if lockdown measures are relaxed. But it does not expect passenger demand to recover before 2023.

With more than 37 years of experience in the air transport industry, Strickland advises airports, airlines, and other industry partners, and regularly appears on TV and in newspapers to comment on the market.

During the webinar, he will scrutinize the response of the aviation sector so far and analyse the flight path to recovery.

Without billions in state support, it is feared some airlines could collapse and those carriers that do survive will be significantly smaller, with dramatic changes to networks and business models for “the new normal.”

Attendees will also be able to ask questions during the webinar about issues that affect their businesses and customers.

Claude Blanc, WTM Portfolio Director, said: “John is much respected in the travel industry for his expert insights and he has moderated many aviation debates at WTM events over the years.

“Our webinar will offer attendees an unrivalled opportunity to hear his well-informed observations about the future shape of the aviation industry and to ask questions about possible ways forward.

“There are so many challenging issues affecting air travel: why are passengers struggling to get refunds for cancelled flights; how will travellers pass through airports; will we need masks and empty middle seats on planes; and what about quarantine and lockdown restrictions in holiday destinations? 

“All these and more are very difficult hurdles for aviation to overcome, so John’s knowledge and advice will be essential for industry professionals seeking a way out of this crisis.

“Our previous three webinars have proved to be very popular, attracting thousands of travel trade attendees from a range of sectors, who have been watching from all parts of the world.”

“Airlines in Crisis – What is the Prognosis for the Aftermath of COVID-19?” starts at 2 pm BST on May 14 and will be the fourth webinar on the resource platform.

Previous webinars have been held by Oxford Economics; travel journalist Simon Calder; and Nick Hall of the Digital Tourism Think Tank with Jeremy Jauncey – the founder and Chief Executive of travel website Beautiful Destinations.

Launched on April 23, WTM Global Hub aims to support travel industry professionals around the world.

WTM Portfolio – the parent brand for WTM London, WTM Latin America, Arabian Travel Market, WTM Africa, Travel Forward and other key travel trade events – is tapping into its global network of experts to create exceptional content for the hub.

Part of the Global Hub content will be provided in Spanish and Portuguese by WTM Latin America, which will also be adding Latin American webinars.

Along with interactive webinars, other content from industry experts includes podcasts; a library of videos; blogs; responsible tourism and travel technology news; and “Your Travel Community,” featuring positive updates from travel professionals about how they are supporting the industry and others.

WTM Global Hub can be found at http://hub.wtm.com/ .

#IdeasArriveHere #TogetherWeStand #OneTravelIndustry #RoadToRecovery #TravelIndustry #EuropeanTourism #SaveTourism #TogetherInTravel

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About World Travel Market

World Travel Market (WTM) Portfolio comprises nine leading travel events across four continents, generating more than $7.5 billion of industry deals. The events are:

WTM London, the leading global event for the travel industry, is the must-attend three-day exhibition for the worldwide travel and tourism industry. Around 50,000 senior travel industry professionals, government ministers and international media visit ExCeL London every November, generating over £3.71 billion in travel industry contracts. http://london.wtm.com/

Next event: Monday, November 2, to Wednesday, November 4, 2020 – London #IdeasArriveHere

MEDIA CONTACT: Natalia Hartmann, Portfolio Press & PR Executive, World Travel Market , Tel. +44 (0) 20 8439 5535, Mobile. +44 (0) 7775 036 858

Brexit uncertainty, but LHR is doing well

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Despite Brexit uncertainty, Heathrow remains a bright light for the UK, with the role we play in keeping people and products moving evident. Our new domestic connections will be pivotal in linking more regions and nations to global opportunities, benefiting all corners of this great country and we look forward to announcing many more of these as part of the expansion programme,”  Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said

  • Heathrow’s passenger numbers continued to climb in March, with over 6.5 million passengers travelling through the UK’s only hub airport, ringing in the 29th consecutive month of record growth for the airport. Notable spikes in the previous month were St Patricks and Mother’s Day, attitudes towards travel remain strong despite ongoing uncertainty around Brexit’.
  • Africa performed especially well over the past month, increasing by 6.2% compared to the same time last year. Domestic connections also saw a slight uplift (+0.2%) with British Airways launching its 2nd service to Inverness and Flybe growing their loads by more than a fifth (23%) with an inaugural flight to Cornwall on March 31.
  • More than 149,000 metric tonnes of cargo travelled through the UK’s biggest port by value, further demonstrating the importance of Heathrow in a post Brexit world.
  • Both Latin America and Africa saw remarkable double digit growth with the former up 23% on 2018 due to additional services to Brazil and increased volumes to Mexico. Freight to and from Africa grew by 11%, thanks to Virgin’s growth on routes to the continent.
  • Two of Heathrow’s Terminals made it into the top five globally, with Terminal 5 taking top spot. In addition, Heathrow was voted amongst the world’s top 10 airports overall and won “Best airport in Western Europe” and “World’s Best Airport Shopping”.
  • In March, Heathrow launched the airport’s new Innovation Prize to fund ideas and solutions addressing aviation environmental impact. The prize is sponsored by Heathrow’s new Centre of Excellence for Sustainability, which connects experts and offers Heathrow as a living laboratory to test and develop ideas that encourage sustainable aviation.
  • The expansion project reached another significant milestone, as the names and locations of the 18 shortlisted sites in the running to become offsite construction centres for Britain’s new runway were revealed. Shortlisted sites will now pitch to airport bosses for their chance to become one of the final four construction centres, to be announced early next year.
  • Heathrow announced the launch of their 10th domestic route. The route is operated by Flybe and links the hub airport to Cornwall in Newquay for the first time since 1997.

Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye said:

Travel News | eTurboNews

British Airways Pilots thought Edinburg was in Germany and landed in the wrong city

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Passengers at London City Airport today boarded British Airways flight BA3281 assuming they would fly to Duesseldorf, Germany but were surprised when landing they saw a sign: Welcome to Edinburg after landing at Edinburgh,  United Kingdom. Edinburg was the busiest airport in Scotland in 2018, handling over 14.3 million passengers and an unexpected landing did not raise any eyebrows.

The plane used is a Saab 2000 twin-engined high-speed turboprop airliner. It is designed to carry 50–58 passengers and cruise at a speed of 665 km/h. Production took place in Linköping in southern Sweden. The Saab 2000 first flew in March 1992 and was certified in 1994

Welcome to Edinburgh was the message after landing, when in fact every passenger expected to get off in the German city by the Rhine river instead. The flight was operated by WDL Aviation. WDL Aviation GmbH & Co. KG is a German charter airline headquartered at Cologne Bonn Airport and flies also for British Airways.

British Airways is currently working with WDL to find out why it filed the wrong flight plan and flew to Edinburg without realizing.

“We have apologized to customers for this interruption to their journey and will be contacting them all individually,” BA said in a statement.

On its final flight on Sunday, the plane flew to Edinburgh and back so it seems that someone at WDL mistakenly repeated the same flight plan for the next day, according to BA.

When the crew arrived at London City airport on Monday it is thought that they saw Edinburgh on the flight plan from the day before and followed the old flight route.

The BA statement said: “At no time has the safety of passengers been compromised. We flew the passengers on the flight with number BA3271 to Düsseldorf after the involuntary stopover in Edinburgh,”

BA declined to say how many passengers were affected by the mistake.

The plane sat on the tarmac at Edinburgh for two-and-a-half hours, before flying onto Düsseldorf.

The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks.

For the passengers involved, will they get compensation for the delay? And ultimately – what does this do for trust in British Airways that such a mistake can be made?

Travel News | eTurboNews

Oman Air climbs to first place in one of Heathrow’s greenest years yet

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Oman Air has landed first place in the latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table, due to its use of ‘Continuous Decent Approach’ which helps to reduce fuel burn and minimise noise by arriving aircraft. This achievement builds on the strides made in the previous quarter (Q3) which saw Oman Air leaping up 26 spots after phasing out their older aircraft and replacing them with the ultra-quiet and green 787 Dreamliners. Oman Air’s drastic improvement shows the impact technology can have on an airline’s environmental performance and the importance of the “Fly Quiet and Green” league – the UK’s first in advocating sustainable action.

The latest Heathrow “Fly Quiet and Green” league table publishes the top 50 busiest airlines at Heathrow on seven noise and emission metrics from October to December 2018. The results show Heathrow airlines have a clear commitment to modernising their fleet and working to adopt techniques which will help to reduce the airport’s impact on local communities. In addition to this public ranking, Heathrow encourages new technology through environmental pricing incentives, which reduce landing charges for airlines operating their greenest and quietest aircraft at our airport. The top environmental performers such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliners and Airbus A350s now make up over a tenth of planes at Heathrow.

Other airlines at the top of the League rankings included British Airways (short haul fleet), which jumped up to second place due to its improved punctuality benefitting both local communities and passengers alike. SAS placed third, moving up three places in the latest table due to the introduction of A320 neos to their fleet. Icelandair earns most improved airline, jumping an astounding 40 places to take the 11th spot. The airline has worked to improve its use of Continuous Decent Approach, whilst sticking more closely to the designated flight paths set for pilots, which assists the provision of predictable respite for local communities.

This news comes shortly after the conclusion of Heathrow’s eight-week Airspace and Future Operations consultation during which local residents were given the opportunity to share their views on the airport’s future airspace design – both for the existing two runways and as part of the proposed expansion. Heathrow’s consultation is part of a nationwide move to modernise the country’s airspace for the first time since the 1960s, potentially boosting punctuality for passengers by reducing the need for routine stacking as well as providing guaranteed respite for the airport’s local communities and reducing airplane emissions.

Matt Gorman, Heathrow’s Director of Sustainability, said:

“As we prepare to expand our airport, we’re working with airlines to encourage fierce competition for the top spot of the ‘Fly Quiet and Green’ league table and it’s brilliant to see more airlines vying for pole position. As airlines modernise their fleets, we’ll also be engaging with local communities to modernise the UK’s airspace, enabling aircraft to more efficiently use the skies around us, increasing punctuality whilst reducing emissions and noise in future.”

Abdul Aziz Al Raisi, Chief Executive Officer, Oman Air said:

“We follow Heathrow’s Quiet and Green league table very closely and it is indeed gratifying to see Oman Air rank first for the fourth quarter of 2018. Moving to the quieter, more efficient Boeing 787 Dreamliner has had a positive impact and shows our commitment to operating the most environmentally friendly aircraft across our growing international network. This is indeed a proud moment to see our efforts recognised by one of the world’s leading airports.”

Travel News | eTurboNews