For Immediate Release | Official News Wire for the Travel Industry

Where press releases are breaking news

Japan’s first domestic passenger plane since 1960s to challenge Boeing and Airbus

by

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation, an aviation unit of Japanese industrial giant, is planning to start deliveries of Japan’s first domestically-produced passenger plane since the 1960s as soon as next year.

The 88-passenger jet has a flight range of about 2,000 miles, while a smaller variant can fly up to 76 people for about the same distance. The MRJ (Mitsubishi Regional Jet) made its maiden flight in November 2015 with the first deliveries slated for mid-2020.

Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation initially planned the first deliveries of the jet for 2008. However, the date was pushed back five times due to production difficulties. Orders for the aircraft that once totaled 474 units from US and Japanese carriers have been reportedly reduced to 407 jets so far.

The Japanese conglomerate, a longtime supplier of aircraft components to Boeing, invested over 600 billion yen ($5.36 billion) into MRJ as of March 2018 with another 200 billion yen ($1.8bn) expected to be pumped into the project by the end of 2020. In October, Mitsubishi announced plans to invest an extra 170 billion yen ($1.5bn) in capital into its aircraft unit, canceling 50 billion yen ($446mn) of the debt owed by the division.

The long-anticipated MRJ, which is designed for local air transportation, may become a peer competitor for such mainstays as Canada’s Bombardier, whose C Series regional planes are marketed as the Airbus A220, after the 2017 acquisition of the unit by the European aerospace giant. The Japanese jet is also expected to provide keen competition to Brazil’s Embraer that announced plans to create a joint venture for Embraer’s airliners in 2018.

The newcomers in the sector of regional air service, such as the Russian Sukhoi Superjet-100 and the Chinese Comac ARJ21, which are currently undergoing test flights, may also challenge Airbus and Boeing.

Mitsubishi is currently involved in legal proceedings with Montreal–based Bombardier. In October, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer filed a lawsuit, accusing the Japanese corporation of stealing secret information and causing Bombardier “to suffer irreparable financial loss.”

Mitsubishi counter-sued, saying that the Canadian aircraft producer had violated antitrust regulations through “a multifaceted scheme to expand its power within the regional jet market by impeding the entrance of a new competing aircraft.”

Travel News | eTurboNews

India’s Jet Airways halts all international and domestic operations

by

One of India’s major airlines, Jet Airways, has announced it is temporarily halting flight operations on Wednesday after the carrier failed to secure the “critical interim funding” necessary for the company to remain afloat.

Jet Airways will operate the last flight on Wednesday as it cancels all its international and domestic flights, the airline said in a statement. It explained that it cannot afford to pay for fuel or other critical services to keep the operations going, as all its months-long attempts to seek both interim and long-term funding were in vain.

“Unfortunately, despite its very best efforts, the airline has been left with no other choice today but to go ahead with a temporary suspension of flight operations,” the statement reads.

Earlier this month, the airline’s fleet was significantly reduced to just five aircraft and it was forced to suspend international operations. On Wednesday, the Jet Airways website listed only 37 domestic flights and had an additional nine-page list of canceled flights, saying that the schedule was impacted by “operational reasons.”

The troubled company failed to receive a stop-gap loan of about $217 million from its lenders as part of a rescue deal agreed in late March, Reuters earlier reported.

“Bankers did not want to go for a piecemeal approach which would keep the carrier flying for a few days and then again risk having Jet come back for more interim funding,” an unnamed bank source in the negotiations on the debt resolution process told the agency.

The uncertainty over the crucial funding crashed Jet Airways stock on Tuesday, with shares plunging around 20 percent.

Employees have been hit hardest by the crisis in the company and have reportedly not been paid in months. The pilots even called on the State Bank of India (SBI) to release the necessary funds and appealed to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi to save 20,000 jobs which may be lost in the shutdown.

Travel News | eTurboNews

From airport terminal to glamorous holiday destination: Designer pop-up shop

by

Marie France Van Damme, the Hong Kong-based designer known for her globally influenced line of luxury resort, swim, and ready-to-wear, continues to expand her presence worldwide with the opening of a Paris pop-up shop inside Le Bon Marché on May 1, which will operate through June 1. Best known for her silk caftans and timeless collection of elegant resort wear, Marie France Van Damme’s designs have become a “must-have” for the jet set and those who appreciate a timeless luxury product.

Located on the second floor of Le Bon Marché  (24 Rue de Sevres, 75007 Paris, France) in the Savoir Faire department, the new 100 square-foot pop-up shop will offer Marie France Van Damme’s summer 2019 collection of ‘Dolce Vita’ essentials, including luxe day resort wear, elegant summer dresses and evening wear, glamorous bathing suits, and flowy silk caftans. The pop-up shop will be designed to mimic an airport, complete with a dashboard listing departure flight numbers. Inspired by the legendary Splendido hotel and Hotel du Cap, the installation will transport its clientele to a glamorous beach destination replete with silver coated palm trees, inflatable buoys, and branded metallic beach bags.

Designed by renowned lifestyle curator Marie France Van Damme, the shop is inspired by a concept she calls the MFVD holiday jet-set ‘Jet Pack,’ which represents a selection of featherweight garments designed to pack in a small travel bag that you don’t have to check in. As the designer guides you through her world with the perfect ‘Jet Pack’ this summer, the pieces available in the pop-up shop will take the Marie France Van Damme woman from city to resort and resort to city, and provide the best of both worlds: luxe day resort wear and chic evening looks.

“Packing can be stressful and most people are guilty of stuffing their suitcases full of items they’ll never wear, just in case. The answer is, of course, to think carefully about what to bring, and to buy cleverly. The challenge is getting the right mix, to buy things that slide perfectly from day to night, items that can be dressed up or pared down,” says Marie France Van Damme. “Like me, our customer travels around the world, and she needs to find things that will look beautiful during the day as well as at night; from the beach to a cocktail or dinner in the evening. We are honored to open a pop-up in time for the holiday season in one of the world’s most exclusive luxury shopping destinations.”

Marie France Van Damme’s new Summer 2019 collection is a return to the glamorous roots of resort wear and offers striking essentials, designed to have a wear-anywhere appeal from Portofino to Paris. Signature pieces from the new collection include metallic swimsuits, vaporous cover-ups, silk boubou caftans, and effortless summer dresses.

For the perfect look, the pop-up shop will also offer onsite beach makeup services for customers, and an opportunity to design their own one and only boubou caftan. Customers can choose from a selection in a book, one fabric and one trim, which Marie France Van Damme will then produce in her atelier. Customers who purchase the limited-edition caftan can enter a raffle to win a two-night stay at a One&Only Resort. To celebrate the opening, the store will host a series of special events.

Travel News | eTurboNews

“It’s easier to fly nude”: Naked man attempts to board plane in Moscow airport

by

A man was filmed trying to board a plane to Crimea in a Moscow airport after stripping in public. He stood in the line for the ticket check fully nude, before bewildered police detained him.

At first, it seemed like a typical Saturday at Moscow’s Domodedovo Airport. Passengers were lining up near the jet bridge to board a plane for the city of Simferopol in Crimea. But one man clearly stood out.

Footage from the scene shows the man getting in line stark naked. Covering his private parts, he calmly waited for his turn as others passed through the final check. It was not clear what the man had in mind, but he crossed himself several times as the line moved forward.

During the entire process, the naked man acted as if nothing were amiss. Other passengers didn’t pay much attention to him either, apart from giggling.

According to one witness, the man explained his stunt by saying that “clothes make body aerodynamics worse” so “it’s easier to fly” nude.

The man was later detained by police and is set to be examined for his mental condition.

The airline, whose aircraft he attempted to board, told local media that the individual undressed in public and ran past its staff. “He failed to reach the plane,” the company’s spokesperson said.

Not a lot is known about his identity, except that police say he is 38 years old and was born in Siberia.

Travel News | eTurboNews

Indonesian national airline Garuda cancels order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 jets

by

Indonesia’s flag carrier Garuda has announced the cancellation of its multi-billion-dollar order for 49 Boeing 737 Max 8 passenger jets after two fatal crashes involving the aircraft in less than five months.

In 2014, Garuda Indonesia signed a $4.9 billion agreement for the delivery of 50 of the Boeing planes, one of which was handed to the company.

The air carrier has now reportedly sent a letter to Boeing to cancel the order for the remaining 737 MAX jets with the representatives of the world’s biggest aerospace group expected to visit Jakarta in late March for “further discussion” of the issue.

The move comes amid the latest crash of Boeing’s best-selling passenger jet in Ethiopia. The tragedy, which killed all 157 people on board, followed a similar deadly accident in Indonesia that took the lives of 189 people in October.

“Our passengers have lost confidence to fly with the MAX 8,” Ikhsan Rosan, spokesperson for Garuda said.

Earlier this month, global air carriers and aviation authorities had to ground the troubled jet over safety concerns until the results of a probe into the crashes are known.

The investigation, currently in its early stages, was launched after the first crash of a 737 MAX aircraft operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air.

Boeing’s best-selling 737 Max 8 has been extremely popular among the company’s customers since it hit the market in 2017. Global airlines and leasing corporations have placed some 5,000 orders for the jet.

Travel News | eTurboNews