• Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

  • Home
  • Post a press-release
  • Visibility packages
  • Subscribe email updates
  • Event Calendar
  • Contact

Expression of interests launched for new carrying-capacity studies for La Digue, Mahe and Praslin

April 24, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

The Seychelles Ministry for Tourism, Civil Aviation, Ports and Marine have recently launched 2 expression of interests for carrying capacity studies to be undertaken on La Digue as well as Mahe and Praslin. The aim of the studies is to determine the current status of the islands and the acceptable amount of tourism development that can occur while still remaining sustainable, and assist the government in taking informed decisions on all future tourism development projects.

The Carrying-Capacity Study for La Digue dates back to 2013 and the results have led to the policy directive of setting a moratorium on the development of tourism accommodation establishments to 5 rooms per developer. This moratorium is supposed to be valid for a period of five years and the time has come to commission a new Carrying-Capacity Study.

Moreover, in 2018 the President announced that La Digue would be a model of sustainability as part of the National Vision 2033.  An eco-tourism strategy specific to the island for the next 15 years has been developed and the Carrying-Capacity Study on La Digue will aim to align with the established vision and provide recommendations to policy makers pertaining to future development on the island in view of assuring its sustainable development.

As for Mahe and Praslin, the Carrying-Capacity Study was commissioned in 2016 and set to be reviewed in 2020.  The results of the Carrying-Capacity Study has led to a number of policy directives and a set moratorium on the number of rooms that can be developed per promoter which is 20 rooms for Northern Mahe and 24 rooms per promoter for  the rest of Mahe and Praslin.

The carrying-capacity analysis will determine the ability of the ecosystem of La Digue, Mahe and Praslin and the various segments thereof to withstand all impacts of additional tourism development activities. The studies will apply the perspectives of Physical carrying capacity, Ecological carrying capacity, Social carrying capacity and Economic carrying capacity in order to develop a balanced overall assessment.

Consultants interested to undertake the study have to submit their expression of interest to the Department of Tourism by Friday, April 26, 2019 by 1500 hours. Results of the two carrying capacity studies will determine whether or not to maintain the moratorium currently in place on La Digue, Mahe and Praslin.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, apply, April, assessment, assist, aviation, Breaking Travel News, capacity, carrying, civil aviation, come, commission, current, currently, dates, decisions, department, Department of Tourism, development, Eco Tourism, ecological, economic, ecosystem, established, For immediate Release, future, government, hours, impacts, in, informed, interest, interested, island, islands, LA, La Digue, launched, LED, Mahe, maintain, marine, ministry, model, moratorium, national, New, News articles, Northern, number, order, period, pertaining, physical, Place, policy, ports, Praslin, president, projects, recommendations, remaining, results, rooms, segments, Set, setting, Seychelles, Seychelles travel news, social, status, strategy, studies, study, Sustainability, sustainable, sustainable development, taking, The Island, The National, The Seychelles, time, to, TO BE, tourism, Tourism Development, tourism strategy, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, view, vision, years

Qatar Airways partners with Rolls-Royce to trial its Virtual Reality training tool

April 15, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Qatar Airways is proud to be the global launch partner of Rolls-Royce’s new Virtual Reality training tool. Recognized for its ongoing commitment to innovation, Qatar Airways is the first airline to trial the ground-breaking new technology as part of its engineering training plan.

The new tool is designed to provide engineers with Rolls-Royce Trent XWB refresher training in a virtual environment without the need for a physical engine to work on. Qatar Airways engineers will be the first in the industry to experience this cutting-edge technology.

The Trent XWB, which powers the Qatar Airways A350 fleet, is Rolls-Royce’s largest engine and must be separated before engineers can transport it for maintenance and repair. Using HTC Vive equipment, engineers will be immersed in the process, using sight, sound and touch to separate the two parts of the engine in a virtual setting, without the complexity and cost of a real engine.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways is an airline of the future, and we constantly strive to deliver innovation in every area of our business. Our ultimate goal is to provide our customers with a quality on-board experience every time they travel, and by adopting the latest technology in our engineering department, we aim to ensure that they arrive at their destination smoothly and without disruption. We are very excited about the new Virtual Reality training tool offered by Rolls-Royce and we are proud that they have chosen Qatar Airways as their global launch partner.”

Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Aerospace, Mr. Chris Cholerton, said: “At Rolls-Royce we are designing, testing, and maintaining engines in the digital realm, so it makes sense that we bring cutting-edge technology to our training programmes. In the same way pilots complete elements of their training in a simulator, certain engineering tasks can be taught through Virtual Reality. Qatar Airways was the first customer to take delivery of the Trent XWB, and their forward-thinking vision across their business makes them the perfect launch partner for this technology.”

The Rolls-Royce Virtual Reality training platform trial follows Qatar Airways’ first venture into the world of Virtual Reality when it became IATA’s global launch partner of RampVR™ in August 2018. The award-winning system, pioneered by IATA, utilises the latest virtual-reality technology to simulate real air-side conditions for ground handling and ground service operator training. The RampVR™ system is being used by Qatar Airway’s Talent Development department to train their ground operations teams.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, area, August, Aviation News, aviation-website, award, award-winning, Baker, board, breaking, Breaking Travel News, Business, chief, chief executive, Cholerton, chosen, commitment, complete, conditions, Corporate News, cost, customer, customers, cutting, deliver, delivery, department, designed, Destination, development, digital, disruption, Edge, elements, engine, Engineering, engineers, engines, environment, equipment, executive, experience, first, first airline, fleet, Forward, free, future, Global, goal, ground, ground breaking, ground handling, Group, handling, IATA, in, Industry, innovation, International Travel News, IT, largest, LATEST, launch, maintenance, Mr, need, New, News articles, ongoing, operations, operator, partner, partners, physical, pilots, plan, platform, president, proud, Qatar, Qatar Airways, Qatar Airways Group, Qatar Travel News, quality, real, reality, reality training, repair, Rolls, Rolls-Royce, s, said, separate, service, setting, sight, simulator, sound, system, talent, teams, Technology, testing, The World, through, time, to, TO BE, tool, tourism, train, training, transport, Transportation News, Travel, Travel Technology News, Travelwire News, Trent, Trent XWB, trial, UK Travel News, used, using, venture, virtual, Virtual reality, Virtual Reality training, vision, way, We, work, World, World News, XWB

ADI statement on circus lion attack in Ukraine

April 4, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Animal Defenders International (ADI) has urged Ukraine and other countries without bans on the use of animals in circuses to stop circus suffering after a lion attacked a trainer during a circus performance in the city of Lugansk.

 

ADI President Jan Creamer said: “Exploited for entertainment, animals in circuses endure a lifetime of suffering and abuse. It’s time for countries without bans in place to step up and stop animals and people being put in harm’s way.”

 

The attack is one of a growing catalogue of incidents involving circus animals around the world, highlighting the inherent animal welfare and human safety issues.

 

Studies of the use of wild animals in traveling circuses show that circuses cannot meet their physical or behavioral needs. Animals are confined in small spaces, deprived of physical and social needs, spending excessive amounts of time shut in transporters. These animals are often seen behaving abnormally; rocking, swaying, and pacing, all indicating that they are in distress and not coping with their environment. ADI’s video evidence has shown how these animals are forced to perform tricks through physical violence, fear, and intimidation.

 

The animal protection organization is currently in Guatemala helping enforce a ban on the use of animals in circuses, as it has done in both Bolivia and Peru, and now has 21 lions and tigers at its temporary rescue center. Eighteen of the big cats will be going to the new ADI Wildlife Sanctuary in South Africa. To support the rescue mission, donate here: https://donate.adiusa.org/guatemala/

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, animals, around the world, attack, attacked, ban, bans, big, Bolivia, Breaking Travel News, cats, center, circuses, city, countries, currently, defenders, Defenders International, distress, donate, entertainment, environment, evidence, fear, forced, Growing, Guatemala, Helping, Human, in, incidents, International, intimidation, involving, issues, IT, Jan, lion, lions, Lugansk, meet, mission, needs, New, News articles, organization, People, perform, performance, Peru, physical, Place, president, President Jan Creamer, protection, rescue, s, Safety, safety issues, said, sanctuary, show, shut, small, social, South, South Africa, spaces, spending, statement, stop, studies, suffering, support, temporary, The World, through, tigers, time, to, tourism, trainer, Travel Destination News, traveling, Travelwire News, Ukraine, Ukraine travel news, up, use, video, violence, way, wild, wild animals, wildlife, World

What is so different at W Bali when it opens in Ubud?

April 4, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

W Hotels Worldwide,  what is part of Marriott International, today announced the signing of W Bali – Ubud, the brand’s newest W Escape.

W Bali – Ubud will redefine modern luxury in the destination, taking inspiration from social, historical and physical insights and embedding elements of each into the rooms and public spaces. Upon entering the hotel, guests will be immersed in modern interpretations of traditional Balinese art styles with works from local artists, that lead to breathtaking lounges perfect for soaking in spectacular jungle sunsets as sounds of cool beats drift through the air.

The hotel will offer 100 inspired guestrooms, including 10 villas with private swimming pools and an EWOW suite (the brand’s take on the traditional Presidential Suite). W Bali – Ubud will weave the Balinese festival culture and aesthetic into the design of the hotel alongside carved stone and Pura (terra cotta) finishes throughout. When it comes to experiencing the destination through the W lens, W Bali – Ubud will embody the brand’s signature work hard, play hard philosophy, with FUEL-focused activities (fitness and wellness programming) including weekly workouts, poolside DJ performances, healthy and delicious cuisine and amazing adventures powered by the W brand mantra of DETOX. RETOX. REPEAT.

Guests will be able to soak up the sun at two pools – a WET Deck (pool deck) featuring terraced pools inspired by the rice paddles historically used in the region, and another a designated quiet pool for peaceful relaxation and downtime. The poolside Sunset Bar will serve up of the most breath-taking views on the island set beside reinterpreted Batik and Ikat (textiles) motifs. At W Bali – Ubud, the signature AWAY® Spa by W Hotels with a large open social deck will allow guests to hit pause, treat themselves and recharge with a selection of locally-infused treatments.

As the brand’s newest W Escape, W Bali – Ubud will bring a bold new take on international cuisine with a Balinese twist to multiple on-site bars and restaurants. Traditional Asian flavors intertwine with international influences at the stylish all-day dining restaurant Morinda, which will tempt guests with an in-house bakery, fresh-pressed juices, a strong vegan focus and a third-wave approach to coffee culture. Synn, a specialty restaurant featuring the finest of Balinese and world cuisines will be an underground sensation, literally. This new restaurant is partially underground, opening towards a jungle cliff and featuring cuisine as innovative as the locale including a progressive cocktail lab and digital artwork on display. Encouraging guests to detox and retox in true W style, the FIT (gym) bar will feature a pressed juice lab by day and a high-energy bar by night complete with UV-responsive, painted displays. Guests can indulge their wanderlust at Wanderbar, the hotel’s panoramic cocktail bar nestled on one of the hotel’s highest hills, offering 360-degree views from sunrise to sunset and inspired concoctions to match.

W Bali – Ubud will take meetings, weddings and other events to the next level with a 176-square-meter (577-square-foot) meeting room featuring bright natural lighting and outdoor lawn spaces. Both the outdoor and indoor event spaces utilize bamboo, shaping the landscape with live planting and indoor material used to accent the spaces with a natural touch.

Bali’s Denpasar International Airport is only an hour’s drive away from the new hotel, providing easy access for jetsetters. Nearby activities and attractions like Bali Swing Adventure Park, white water rafting along mountain rivers, the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary, Bali’s famed rice terraces and temples, as well a thriving bohemian café culture and restaurants on par with the best of Asia are all within walking distance of W Bali – Ubud, offering guests endless possibilities for adrenaline-fueled play.

W Bali – Ubud is slated to join the brand’s robust portfolio of more than 50 hotels around the globe, including the recently opened W Dubai – The Palm (February 2019), as well as the soon-to-open W Aspen, W Ibiza and W Abu Dhabi – Yas Island.

For more information visit w-hotels.marriott.com.

 

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, announced, around the globe, art, Asia, Asian, Aspen, attractions, bakery, Bali, Balinese, bamboo, bar, bars, batik, best, bold, brand, Breaking Travel News, Coffee, complete, cuisine, culture, day, Delicious, Denpasar, design, Destination, Dhabi, different, digital, dining, display, distance, DJ, drive, Dubai, elements, energy, escape, event, Events, EWOW, Feature, featuring, Festival, FIT, fitness, foot, forest, Fresh, fuel, Globe, guestrooms, guests, healthy, high, highest, Hills, historical, hit, Hospitality News, hotel, Hotel Travel News, Hotels, house, Ibiza, in, including, Indonesia travel news, indoor, information, innovative, Insights, inspiration, inspired, International, International Airport, island, IT, join, Jungle, landscape, lead, like, live, local, locally, lounges, Luxury, mantra, Marriott, Marriott International, match, meeting, meetings, modern, most, mountain, natural, nbsp, New, new hotel, night, offer, offering, only, open, opened, opening, outdoor, PAR, park, Paywall articles, peaceful, performances, philosophy, physical, play, pool, portfolio, powered, premium, presidential, private, public, Quiet, region, relaxation, repeat, restaurant, restaurants, rice, rivers, room, rooms, s, sacred, sanctuary, selection, serve, signature, Signing, site, slated, social, soon, spa, spaces, spectacular, Square, strong, Style, suite, Sun, Sunrise, swimming, taking, temples, The Island, The Region, The Sun, through, to, today, tourism, traditional, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, treat, treatments, ubud, up, used, UV, vegan, views, villas, visit, W, W Escape, W Hotels, W Hotels Worldwide, walking, wanderlust, water, wave, weddings, weekly, wellness, wet, white, work, works, World, worldwide, Yas Island

UNESCO, African Union and Ethiopia Role Model on World Press Freedom?

March 29, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Ethiopian Airlines, has been chosen as the Official Carrier for the 2019 World Press Freedom Day Global Conference to be held in Addis Ababa from May 1-3, 2019.

This conference is not without controversy, however.  According to Journalists without Border, terrorism charges have been systematically used against journalists ever since the 2009 terrorism law took effect. The charges carry long jail sentences and allow the authorities to hold journalists without trial for extended periods. There has been no significant improvement since the purges that led to the closure of six newspapers in 2014 and drove around 30 journalists into exile. On the contrary, another six-month state of emergency was proclaimed in February 2018, which the government could again use to arrest critical journalists and ban the public from watching or listening to certain broadcast media. The Internet and social networks are often disconnected while physical and verbal threats, arbitrary trials, and convictions are all used to silence the media.

The conference is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union and the Government of Ethiopia under the theme ‘Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation’.

UNESCO Spokesperson Roni Amerlan said: ” The offer by countries to host World Press Freedom Day marks their recognition of the value of the right to press freedom and freedom of expression.

We have often held World Press Freedom Day celebrations in countries in transition and we do not think that we should restrict our support for the recognition of press freedom and their participation in this awareness-raising event to countries which rank at the top of NGOs’ rankings.

Every year, 3 May is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom, to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession. World Press Freedom Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 following a Recommendation adopted at the twenty-sixth session of UNESCO’s General Conference in 1991. This in turn was a response to a call by African journalists who in 1991 produced the landmark Windhoek Declaration(link is external) on media pluralism and independence.

At the core of UNESCO’s mandate is freedom of the press and freedom of expression. UNESCO believes that these freedoms allow for mutual understanding to build a sustainable peace.

It serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom – a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

It is a date to encourage and develop initiatives in favour of press freedom, and to assess the state of press freedom worldwide.

3 May acts as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics. Just as importantly, World Press Freedom Day is a day of support for media which are targets for the restraint, or abolition, of press freedom. It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the pursuit of a story.

The 26th celebration of World Press Freedom Day is jointly organized by UNESCO, the African Union Commission and the Government of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. The main event will take place in Addis Ababa, on 1 – 3 May at the African Union Headquarters. This year’s theme“Media for Democracy: Journalism and Elections in Times of Disinformation”  discusses current challenges faced by media in elections, along with the media’s potential in supporting peace and reconciliation processes.

World Press Freedom Day will also be celebrated worldwide. Events will be organized in several countries to raise awareness about the importance of press freedom and journalists’  safety. More information of events will be available in the Events Map soon.

As the United Nations agency with a specific mandate to promote “the free flow of ideas by word and image”, UNESCO works to foster a free, independent and pluralistic media and the safety of journalists.

As the official carrier, Ethiopian will provide air transport service to the 1000-1500 participants who will be coming to Addis Ababa from around the globe.

Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, remarked, “We are honored to have been chosen to serve as the official carrier for this year’s World Press Freedom Day Global Conference. We are all the more delighted to be part of this noble cause which seeks to advance press freedom around the world.

Global, regional and national media stakeholders, high-level government officials, and journalists from across the globe will take part in the conference which will be held at the African Union Commission headquarters.

https://en.unesco.org/commemorations/worldpressfreedomday

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, around the globe, around the world, arrest, assembly, attacks, authorities, Awareness, ban, border, Breaking Travel News, broadcast, build, carrier, Cause, celebrated, celebrates, celebration, celebrations, CEO, challenges, charges, chosen, citizens, closed, Closure, coming, commission, commitment, conference, controversy, convictions, countries, critical, current, date, day, declaration, defend, democracy, Democratic, detained, down, effect, elections, emergency, EN, ethics, Ethiopia, Ethiopia travel news, Ethiopian, Ethiopian Airlines, even, event, Events, exercise, External, Feature, federal, fined, following, France Travel News, free, freedom, freedom of expression, freedoms, GebreMariam, general, general assembly, Global, Global Conference, Globe, government, government officials, governments, Group, Group CEO, headquarters, held, high, honored, host, ideas, image, importance, improvement, in, In February, independence, independent, information, initiatives, Internet, issues, IT, jail, jail sentences, journalism, journalists, just, landmark, law, LED, link, lost, Main, map, marks, May, media, medias, model, month, Mr, murdered, national, nations, nbsp, need, networks, News articles, offer, official, official carrier, officials, participants, participation, pay, peace, physical, Place, potential, Press, press freedom, principles, processes, proclaimed, professional, professionals, promote, public, purges, raise, recognition, reconciliation, Reflection, regional, republic, respect, response, right, role, row, s, Safety, said, sentences, serve, service, significant, social, social networks, soon, stakeholders, State, state of emergency, story, support, supporting, suspended, sustainable, targets, terrorism, Tewolde, Tewolde Gebremariam, The World, theme, think, threats, times, to, TO BE, top, tourism, transition, transport, transport service, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, trial, tribute, turn, UN, UN General Assembly, UNESCO, union, United, United Nations, United Nations agency, use, used, value, violations, We, WHO, word, works, World, world press, World Press Freedom Day, World Press Freedom Day Global Conference, worldwide, year

Aviation Safety: Fatigue management

March 28, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

In aviation operations, managing fatigue is important because it diminishes an individual’s ability to perform almost all operational tasks. This clearly has implications for operational efficiency, but in situations where individuals are undertaking safety-critical activities, fatigue-effected performance can also have consequences for safety outcomes. Fatigue is a natural consequence of human physiology.

Because fatigue is affected by all waking activities (not only work demands), fatigue management has to be a shared responsibility between the State, service providers and individuals.

A brief history of flight and/or duty limitations

For most workers, hours of work are part of the working conditions and remuneration packages established through industrial agreements or social legislation. They are not necessarily established from a safety perspective.

However, the need to limit pilots’ flight and duty hours for the purpose of flight safety was recognized in ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) in the first edition of Annex 6 published in 1949.  At that time, ICAO SARPs required the operator to be responsible for establishing flight time limits that ensured that “fatigue, either occurring in a flight or successive flights or accumulating over a period of time, did not endanger the safety of a flight”. These limits had to be approved by the State.

By 1995, ICAO SARPs required States to establish flight time, flight duty periods and rest periods for international flight and cabin crew. The onus was on the State to identify “informed boundaries” that aimed to address the general fatigue risk for flight operations nationally. At no time have ICAO SARPs identified actual flight and duty hours because it had proven impossible to identify global limits that adequately addressed operational contexts in different regions.While ICAO SARPs apply only to international operations, many States also chose to establish similar flight and duty time limitations for domestic operations. States generally used the same flight and duty limits for helicopter crew as for airline crew.

The fallacy of flight and/or duty limitations is that staying within them means that operations are always safe. Buying into this fallacy suggests that scheduling to the limits is enough to manage fatigue-related risks. However, more recent SARP amendments related to prescriptive limits have highlighted the responsibilities of the operator to manage their particular fatigue-related risks within the limits using their SMS processes.

And then there was FRMS….

Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS) represent an opportunity for operators to use their resources more efficiently and increase operational flexibility outside the prescriptive limits, whilst maintaining or even improving safety. In implementing an FRMS, the onus shifts to the operator to prove to the State that what they propose to do and how they continue to operate under an FRMS, is safe.

In 2011, SARPs enabling FRMS as an alternative means of compliance to prescriptive limitations were developed for aeroplane flight and cabin crew (Annex 6, Part I).  At the time of development, it was necessary to address concerns that airline operators would take this as an opportunity to schedule purely for economic benefits at the cost of safety. Therefore, while often referred to as “performance-based” approach, the FRMS SARPs are nevertheless very prescriptive about the necessary elements of an FRMS and require the explicit approval of an operator’s FRMS by the State.

Since then, similar FRMS SARPs were made applicable for helicopter flight and cabin crew in 2018 (Annex 6, Part III, Section II).

But what about air traffic controllers?

Despite their obvious impact on flight safety outcomes, ICAO SARPs have never required the hours of work to be limited for air traffic controllers even though some States have had hours of duty limitations for air traffic controllers for many years. This is about to change. Amendments to Annex 11, becoming applicable in 2020, will require that ICAO States establish duty limits and specify certain scheduling practices for air traffic controllers. As for international airline and helicopter operations, States will have the option of establishing FRMS regulations for air traffic service providers.

Fatigue Management SARPs today

Today, ICAO’s fatigue management SARPs support both prescriptive and FRMS approaches for managing fatigue such that:

  • Both approaches are based on scientific principles, knowledge and operational experience that take into account:
    • the need for adequate sleep (not just resting while awake) to restore and maintain all aspects of waking function (including alertness, physical and mental performance, and mood);
    • the circadian rhythms that drive changes in the ability to perform mental and physical work, and in sleep propensity (the ability to fall asleep and stay asleep), across the 24h day;
    • interactions between fatigue and workload in their effects on physical and mental performance; and
    • the operational context and the safety risk that a fatigue-impaired individual represents in that context.
  • States continue to be obliged to have flight and duty time limitations but are under no obligation to establish FRMS regulations. Where FRMS regulations are established, the operator/service provider, can manage none, some or all of its operations under an FRMS, once approved to do so.
  • Prescriptive fatigue management regulations now provide the baseline, in terms of safety equivalence, from which an FRMS is assessed.

In practice…

In Airlines:  The Fatigue Management amendments to the Annex 6, Part I, in 2011 led many States  to reviewing their prescriptive limitation regulations for pilots based on scientific principles and knowledge (refer text box) and identifying further requirements for operators to manage their fatigue-related risks within the prescribed limits.  Fewer States have reviewed their prescriptive limitation regulations for cabin crew.

In every case, despite a refocus on providing adequate opportunities for sleep and recovery, altering existing flight and duty limitations remains a very sensitive and difficult task because it impacts income and work conditions as well as the constraints of pre-existing employment agreements. It is made even more challenging for States whose flight and duty time limitations are legislated.

Where States have reviewed their prescribed flight and duty limits, the increased awareness of the relationship between sleep and performance has served to highlight the responsibilities of the individual crew member and the airline to manage fatigue, and in some cases have resulted in the prescribed limits sitting alongside a set of regulations  that make these responsibilities more explicit, e.g. the FAA’s Fatigue Risk Management Program, EASA’s Fatigue Management requirements, CASA’s Fatigue Management requirements and CAA South Africa’s Fatigue Management Program.

The scientific principles of fatigue management

 

  1. Periods of wake need to be limited.  Getting enough sleep (both quantity and quality) on a regular basis is essential for restoring the brain and body.
  2. Reducing the amount or the quality of sleep, even for a single night, decreases the ability to function and increases sleepiness the next day.
  3. The circadian body-clock affects the timing and quality of sleep and produces daily highs and lows in performance on various tasks.
  4. Workload can contribute to an individual’s level of fatigue.  Low workload may unmask physiological sleepiness while high workload may exceed the capacity of a fatigued individual.

Many States have established, or plan to establish, FRMS regulations, often at the encouragement of their airlines. The FRMS challenge for States continues to be whether they have the resources to provide the necessary oversight from a scientific and performance-based perspective, particularly when the same regulations usually apply to a variety of domestic flight operations. While FRMS requirements are onerous and time-consuming, the few airlines who have so far managed to get FRMS approval for particular routes have found the operational flexibility gained to be worth the effort.

General scheduling principles

 

  1. The perfect schedule for the human body is daytime duties with unrestricted sleep at night. Anything else is a compromise.
  2. The circadian body clock does not adapt fully to altered schedules such as night work.
  3. Whenever a duty period overlaps a crew member’s usual sleep time, it can be expected to restrict sleep. Examples include early duty start times, late duty end times, and night work.
  4. The more that a duty period overlaps a crew member’s usual sleep time, the less sleep the crew member is likely to obtain. Working right through the usual nighttime sleep period is the worst case scenario.
  5. Night duty also requires working through the time in the circadian body clock cycle when self-rated fatigue and mood are worst and additional effort is required to maintain alertness and performance.
  6. The longer a crew member is awake, the worse their alertness and performance become.
  7. Across consecutive duties with restricted sleep, crew members will accumulate a sleep debt and fatigue-related impairment will increase.
  8. To recover from sleep debt, crew members need a minimum of two full nights of sleep in a row. The frequency of recovery breaks should be related to the rate of accumulation of sleep debt.
  9. Keep short notice changes to a minimum, especially where they infringe or overlap the  Window of Circadian Low (WOCL).
  10. Duty periods associated with high workload (such as multiple, challenging landings and in marginal weather conditions) may need to be shortened and extensions avoided where at all possible.

In Helicopter Operations:  For some States, the recent amendments to Annex 6, Part II (Section II) have highlighted the need to establish flight and duty time limits for helicopter crew members that better relate to the context of helicopter operations, rather than using the same limits as for airline pilots. Within those limits, the helicopter operator is expected to build crew schedules that use both fatigue science and operational knowledge and experience.

A new fatigue management guide for helicopter operators, currently under development in ICAO, identifies general scheduling principles based on fatigue science to guide helicopter operators in building “fatigue-aware” schedules that offer optimum opportunities for sleep and recovery (refer text box).

The particular challenge in helicopter operations, however, is that so many helicopter operations are unscheduled. While some helicopter operators will be able to operate within prescribed limits and effectively manage fatigue risks using an SMS, many types of helicopter operations, such as those that require unscheduled, immediate responses, possibly in high-risk settings, will benefit from the operational flexibility and safety gains of an FRMS.

In Air Traffic Control Services: Next year, States are expected to have established prescriptive work hour limits for air traffic controllers, while FRMS regulations remain optional and can be established at any time. However, the nature of the relationship between the Air Navigation Services Provider (ANSP) and the State will influence how the implementation of fatigue management regulations will unfold. In most cases, the State provides oversight of only one ANSP and although there is a current trend for privatisation, many of the ANSPs are fully or partially owned by the State.

In an industry sector that is often largely self-regulated, the distinction between a prescriptive fatigue management approach and FRMS may become blurred. However, a refocus on safety and not only organisational expediency or personal preference is likely to have substantial effects on the way controllers’ work schedules are built in ANSPs across the world. This is a “watch this space”.

Fatigue Management Guidance for ICAO States

The Manual for the Oversight of Fatigue Management Approaches (Doc 9966) received another update this year – Version 2 (Revised) – and an unedited version (in English only) will shortly replace the current manual available for download here. On this website you can also find the following:

  • Fatigue Management Guide for Airline Operators (2nd Edition, 2015)
  • Fatigue Management Guide for General Aviation Operators of Large and Turboject Aeroplane (1st Edition, 2016)
  • Fatigue Management Guide for Air Traffic Service Providers (1st Edition, 2016)
  • The Fatigue Management Guide for Helicopter Operators (1st Edition) is expected to be available later this year.

The Fatigue Management Guide for Helicopter Operators (1st Edition) is expected to be available later this year.

The author, Dr. Michelle Millar, is the Technical Officer (Human Factors) and the NGAP Program Manager at ICAO. She heads the ICAO FRMS Task Force and has been involved in the development of ICAO fatigue management provisions since 2009. Her academic background is in sleep, fatigue and performance.

 

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, Annex, ANSP, apply, approval, approved, asleep, author, aviation, Aviation News, aviation safety, aviation-website, Aware, Awareness, based, benefit, benefits, better, body, Box, Breaking Travel News, breaks, brief, build, building, built, buying, CAA, cabin, cabin crew, capacity, case, challenge, change, changes, Compliance, compromise, concerns, conditions, continue, continues, control, controllers, cost, crew, crew member, crew members, critical, current, currently, daily, day, debt, demands, development, different, domestic, domestic operations, download, Dr, drive, duty, duty limits, early, EASA, economic, edition, effects, efficiency, effort, elements, employment, end, English, essential, establish, even, existing, expected, experience, FAA, factors, fall, far, fatigue, Fatigue Risk Management Program, Fatigue Science, fatigued, fewer, find, first, flight, flight operations, flight safety, flights, following, force, found, frequency, FRMS, FRMS SARP, full, function, G, gains, general, getting, Global, guidance, guide, Heads, helicopter, high, highlight, history, hours, Human, ICAO, II, impact, impacts, implementation, important, in, including, income, increase, increased, increases, individual, industrial, Industry, influence, International, international airline, IT, just, keep, knowledge, landings, late, later, LED, legislation, less, limit, Limited, limits, low, maintain, Make, Manage, management, Management Guide, manager, Managing, May, member, members, Michelle, most, nationally, natural, nature, navigation, nbsp, need, New, News articles, night, nights, notice, obligation, offer, officer, only, operate, operational, operations, operator, operators, opportunity, option, outside, over, oversight, packages, particularly, perform, performance, period, personal, physical, pilots, plan, practices, Pre, principles, privatisation, processes, program, propose, provides, published, purpose, quality, quantity, rate, received, recent, recover, recovery, regions, regular, regulations, relate, related, Relationship, remains, represents, require, requirements, resources, responsibility, responsible, restore, resulted, right, Risk, risk management, risks, routes, row, s, safe, Safety, SARP, SARPS, schedule, science, sector, service, service providers, services, short, single, sleep, SMS, social, South, South Africa, space, standards, start, State, states, stay, support, task, task force, Technical, terms, text, the crew, The World, through, time, times, timing, to, TO BE, TO DO, today, traffic, traffic controllers, Transportation News, Travelwire News, trend, update, use, used, using, usual, variety, way, weather, weather conditions, website, were, WHO, work, workers, working, World, worst, worth, year, years

Puerto Princesa City in Philippines worried about Chinese Tourists and illegal gambling

March 24, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

Puerto Princesa is a popular tourist city with many beach resorts and seafood restaurants. It has been acclaimed several times as the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines.  The city is located in the western province of Palawan, and westernmost city in the Philippines and has about a quarter of a million people living there.

Many in this town feel the town is overrun by Chinese nationals, mostly tourists. There are many newly organized establishments catering to tourism forms the backdrop of this seeming trend which has prompted City Hall officials to call for an investigation.

In Manila and other major cities, the reported involvement of Chinese nationals in online casino gambling has come to a head and has enforcement agencies having their hands full trying to curtail cybercrime activities.

The recent growth of tourism in Puerto Princesa City has been fueled by unprecedented waves of arrivals of Asian visitors, mainly from Korea and China. What has been otherwise a slumping sector has recently become a vibrant business to local establishments catering to tourists.

It is not certain what has triggered such sudden boost, particularly in Chinese arrivals, but it is well worth noting that all these have happened within the backdrop of the present administration’s diplomatic pivot towards Beijing.

There are certain red flags that needed to be raised concerning this trend, particularly because of the unique situation of Palawan being the territorial doorstep to the disputed West Philippine Sea. With Beijing aggressively maintaining its physical dominance over the region, and with Manila displaying a laissez-faire foreign policy stance, Palawan needs to take care of its own backyard.

As City Hall is set to conduct a probe on illegal Chinese gambling activities, in the wake of recent arrests of certain Chinese nationals, these broad questions of national security also need to be raised.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, arrests, arrivals, Asian, Asian visitors, backdrop, beach, Beijing, boost, Breaking Travel News, Business, casino, casino gambling, catering, China, Chinese, Chinese arrivals, Chinese gambling, Chinese nationals, Chinese tourists, cities, city, come, Cultural Travel News, diplomatic, dominance, enforcement, flags, foreign, foreign policy, forms, full, gambling, gambling Puerto, greenest, Growth, Hall, head, illegal, in, investigation, IT, Korea, Living, local, Manila, million, million people, national, nationals, need, needed, needs, newly, News articles, officials, online, over, Palawan, People, Philippine, Philippines, Philippines travel news, physical, policy, popular, present, Princesa, probe, province, Puerto, quarter, questions, raised, recent, Red, region, reported, resorts, restaurants, s, sea, seafood, sector, Security, situation, the Philippines, The Region, times, to, TO BE, tourism, tourist, tourist city, tourists, town, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, trend, trying, unique, visitors, waves, West, Western, worried, worth

Italy travel: Extraordinary opening of hidden treasures to the world

March 21, 2019 by Forimmediaterelease

An extraordinary opening is about to take place of over 1,100 sites in 430 locations in Italy, from the Palazzo della Consulta in Rome to the Castle of Melegnano (MI), from the Center for Space Geodesy in Matera to the city of Pontremoli (MS). This is the Italian Environmental Fund (FAI), the National Trust of Italy.

The organization was founded in 1975 on the model of the British National Trust. It is a private non-profit organization with 60,000 members in early 2005. Its purpose is to protect elements of the Italian physical heritage that could otherwise be lost.

The splendid paradox of Italian beauty is being together both every day and extraordinary, sometimes sumptuous and explicit, others hidden and wounded, but always so deeply Italy’s as to define who the country is and remind of the countless plots that have woven the nation’s origins, leaving footprints in Italy’s cultural heritage as if they are clues.

On Saturday and Sunday, March 23 and 24, 2019, the FAI invites everyone to participate in the FAI Spring Days to look at Italy as never done before and build an ideal bridge between cultures that will make travel around the world a goal and a delight.

Now in its 27th edition, the event has turned into a grandiose mobile party for a vast public, which awaits every year to take part in this extraordinary collective ceremony, an unrepeatable appointment in the cultural panorama that since 1993 has enthralled almost 11 million visitors.

Year after year, the FAI Spring Days exceed themselves: this edition will see 1,100 places open in 430 locations in all regions, thanks to the organizational thrust of the 325 groups of delegates scattered in all regions – regional, provincial, and youth group delegations – and thanks to the 40,000 Cicerone Apprentices.

Hundreds of sites and thousands of people that the soul of the FAI lights up, will take everyone by the hand and accompany the Italians to reflect themselves in the astonishing variety of the most beautiful country, opening places that are often inaccessible and exceptionally open to visitors this weekend, during which it is possible to support the Foundation with an optional contribution or with registration.

For 2019, the novelty of the largest square festival dedicated to the cultural heritage of Italy will be a FAI bridge between cultures, the FAI project that aims to amplify and tell the different foreign cultural influences scattered in open goods throughout Italy. Many of these places bear witness to the wealth derived from the encounter and the fusion between Italy’s tradition and that of European, Asian, American, and African countries.

This is why in some of these sites and in some FAI assets the visits will be handled by over a hundred volunteers of foreign origin who will tell the historical, artistic, and architectural aspects typical of their culture of origin which, in contact with Italy’s, contributed to give life to the country’s heritage.

Examples are the Carlo Viganò Library of the Catholic University in Brescia, a “journey” between the Latin, Greek, Arabic, and vernacular languages through manuscripts, sixteenth-century works, and printed works that document the development of algebra, astronomy, the physics, and other sciences.

There is the Piazza Sett’Angeli in Palermo, an open book where one can read the millennial history of the city, and the Chinese Cabinet of Palazzo Reale in Turin, covered with lacquered panels  from China. Also, there is the connection between Venice and the Dalmatian School of Saints George and Trifone, which still maintains the spiritual and cultural bond between the Dalmatians and Venice.

The catalog of goods that can be visited during the FAI Spring Days is available at giornatefai.it and contains a proposal so varied and original that it is impossible to summarize.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: Press Release Tagged With: and, appointment, architectural, around the world, artistic, Asian, assets, bear, beautiful, beauty, bond, book, Breaking Travel News, bridge, British, build, cabinet, castle, Catholic, center, Century, ceremony, China, Chinese, city, collective, connection, contact, contribution, countries, country, cultural, cultural heritage, Cultural Travel News, culture, cultures, day, delegates, delegations, development, different, document, early, edition, elements, environmental, European, event, Extraordinary, extraordinary opening, FAI, FAI Spring Days, Festival, foreign, foundation, fund, George, goal, goods, grandiose, Greek, Group, groups, hand, heritage, hidden, hidden treasures, historical, history, hundred, in, IT, Italian, Italians, Italy, Italy travel, Italy travel news, journey, languages, largest, Latin, leaving, Library, life, lights, locations, lost, Make, march, members, MI, million, million visitors, mobile, model, most, most beautiful, Ms, nation, national, News articles, Non, open, opening, organization, original, over, participate, party, People, physical, Place, places, printed, private, profit, project, proposal, protect, public, purpose, regional, regions, registration, Rome, s, school, see, sites, Soul, space, spiritual, spring, Spring Days, Square, support, The National, the National Trust, The Palazzo, The World, thousands, through, to, tourism, tradition, Travel, Travel & Tourism Organizations News, Travel Destination News, Travelwire News, treasures, turin, typical, university, up, variety, Venice, visited, visitors, visits, volunteers, wealth, weekend, WHO, Why, witness, works, World, wounded, year, youth

Search




Recent Articles

  • Jamaica welcomes new Frontier Airlines service to Montego Bay
  • New Board of Governance appointed for the Seychelles Tourism Academy
  • Minister Bartlett Laments Passing of Former Tourism Minister Francis Tulloch
  • Seychelles takes over Eastern Europe with market blitz
  • VOYAGERS TRAVEL COMPANY CREATES A PRICE ESTIMATOR TOOL FOR GALAPAGOS TRAVEL
  • Jamaica welcomes new charter service from Fort Lauderdale to Ocho Rios by Qcas Aero
  • Bartlett Calls for COVID-19 Recovery Strategy for Commonwealth Countries
  • Fraport Builds New Airfreight Warehouse at CargoCity South 
  • Joseph Calleja, World Famous Maltese Tenor, to Perform at the 25th Anniversary Concert in Malta, the Hidden Gem of the Mediterranean, With Special Guest Plácido Domingo July 26, 2022
  • Bahamas Tourist Office Kicks Off Summer Boating Flings

Copyright © 2022 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in