Airbus set to deliver first A380

PARIS (AP) -- After repeated, embarrassing delays, Airbus is to deliver its first A380 superjumbo jet Monday -- a critical step for the European plane maker in its efforts to rebound from a string of troubles.

The double-decker jet, the world's largest passenger plane, is to take off from the southwestern city of Toulouse, Airbus' headquarters, for delivery to Singapore Airlines following a glitzy delivery ceremony including a sound and light show.

Airbus President and Chief Executive Thomas Enders called the handover "a major milestone for the A380 program" in a statement released by the company Friday.

Airbus has gone though five CEOs as multiple delays in the A380 program resulted in massive write-offs and a restructuring plan that foresees 10,000 job cuts over four years -- not to mention billions of dollars in lost profit.

Such delays have hurt more than just profits: Airbus' reputation has suffered, and U.S. rival Boeing Co. grabbed the top sales spot in 2006.

The A380's inaugural commercial flight has been set for Oct. 25 from Singapore to Sydney. Singapore Airlines has auctioned all seats on the first flight on eBay, raising about $1.25 million for charity.

Singapore has fitted its jet with 471 seats configured in three classes: 12 luxury suites on the main deck, 60 business class seats on the upper deck, and 399 economy class seats on both decks. The plane is to replace one of three Boeing 747-400 jets already serving the Sydney-Singapore route.

John Leahy, Airbus' chief salesman, suggested that the A380's problems will be over once the plane gets into commercial service.

"When this airplane is out flying, my marketing job will get a lot easier," he told The Associated Press in an interview last week.

The A380 includes glamorous features such as a cocktail bar complete with water fountain and a duty-free lounge. Some airlines will offer passengers the chance to freshen up with a shower.

Morale at Airbus has also been hurt by accusations that senior managers profited from knowledge about the A380's problems to cash in on share options. A preliminary report by the French Financial Markets Authority pointed to "massive insider trading" at European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co., Airbus' parent company.

The A380 represents Airbus' bet on future demand for long-haul travel between increasingly congested hub airports worldwide. Boeing argues passengers want point-to-point journeys between smaller airports and is targeting the more lucrative market for midsize jets.

Airbus is targeting every airline currently flying a Boeing 747, currently the biggest passenger plane in the skies.

Airbus says the A380 will revolutionise flying comfort

Singapore Airlines Garners More Awards

SIA garners more awards

In another annual survey conducted by the UK edition of Conde Nast Traveller, Singapore Airlines was rated the 'Favourite Business Airline 2007' by Business Class travelers. -- PHOTO: BT

SINGAPORE Airlines has again secured the 'World's Best International Route Airline Award' in the annual Readers' Choice Awards 2007 poll conducted by the US-based travel magazine, Conde Nast Traveler.

The Airline has won this top award 19 times since it was launched 20 years ago.

Readers, who participated in the annual Business Travel survey conducted by the magazine, also voted the Airline as the winner in the following categories: Best Transpacific Business Class, Best Transatlantic Business Class

In another annual survey conducted by the UK edition of Conde Nast Traveller, Singapore Airlines was rated the 'Favourite Business Airline 2007' by Business Class travelers.

Recently, readers of the UK-based Business Traveller magazine voted Singapore Airlines as the top airline in the following categories: Best long-haul Airline, Best Business Class, Best Cabin Staff and Best Asian Airline.

These accolades come soon after the recently announced rating of Singapore Airlines as Airline of the Year in the annual Skytrax survey.

'We are grateful to our customers who have supported the Airline through the years by consistently according it good ratings in the various surveys. We appreciate their unwavering loyalty,' said Mr Huang Cheng Eng, Executive Vice President, Marketing & The Regions for Singapore Airlines.

He adds,'Our staff must also be commended for working as a team to provide the best possible travel experience for our customers. I am confident that these awards will encourage our people to continue their good work and to set even higher standards of customer service'.

The awards that Singapore Airlines has been winning over the years encompass categories such as inflight service and entertainment, food and beverage, ground services, safety and company management.

Qatar Airways Sponsors International Travel Exhibition In Vietnam

Qatar Airways Senior Manager Commercial Operations Far East & Australasia Marwan Koleilat, poses with local television celebrity Quynh Huong and Qatar Airways cabin crew holding a Certificate of Appreciation from the organisers of the International Travel Exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM - Qatar Airways has celebrated its first appearance at the International Travel Exhibition (ITE) in Ho Chi Minh City, with a successful participation as one of the event's key sponsors.

The travel trade and consumer show, considered one of the highlights of the travel calendar in the region, has grown in significance with Laos, Cambodia and host country Vietnam among the many nations that took part.

Record numbers of visitors attended the three-day event, which ended on Sunday at the Phu Tho Exhibition Centre in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam's commercial capital. The event attracted more than 120 international buyers from 22 countries.

Qatar Airways launched direct flights to Ho Chi Minh City in March from its hub in Doha, State of Qatar, becoming the first carrier in the Middle East to serve the country of Vietnam.

Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker said the expanded format at this year's ITE travel show highlighted its growing importance as a platform to promote outbound tourism from the region.

"Qatar Airways is delighted to be supporting travel to and from this part of the world with our four weekly non-stop flights which are part of our ever-growing international network," said Al Baker.

"The brand new international terminal at Tan Son Nhat Airport is an outstanding example of Ho Chi Minh City's status as a major travel destination, as well as being a point of origin for increasing numbers of passenger traffic."

Tourism ministers from Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam officially opened the exhibition following high-level meetings between the participating tourism authorities. Delegations from each of the three "Jewels of the Mekong" combined their efforts to create the largest event in ITE's history.

Qatar Airways, one of the show's sponsors, exhibited a state-of-the-art stand at the event, which featured Business Class seats complete with cabin crew assistance to help create an onboard experience for visitors.

There were also flat-screen televisions displaying the airline's latest corporate video, together with refreshments for visitors, destination brochures and in-flight magazines.

Qatar Airways Senior Manager Commercial Operations Far East and Australasia Marwan Koleilat was presented with a Certificate of Appreciation from the event organisers for the airline's participation at ITE.

"We enjoyed highlighting our award-winning Five Star service at this important event and look forward to facilitating the growing number of people looking to travel from this region throughout Qatar Airways' expanding network," said Koleilat.

The increase in passenger numbers is expected to allow more premium class travellers flying Qatar Airways with access to its exclusive Premium Terminal at Doha International Airport, exclusively for departing First and Business Class passengers.

The Premium Terminal features facilities such as a spa, jacuzzi, duty free, business centre and fine dining restaurants. Built in just nine months, the terminal is the world's first commercial passenger building dedicated to First and Business Class passengers.

The Doha – Ho Chi Minh City schedules are:-

Depart Doha International Airport

Tue, Fri, Sat QR688 at 0745, arrive Tan Son Nhat Intl at 1920
Sun QR688 at 2359, arrive Tan Son Nhat Intl at 1135 following day

Depart Tan Son Nhat International Airport in Ho Chi Minh City

Mon, Tue, Fri, Sat QR689 at 2030, arrive Doha International at 2359

Airbus 'insider trading' denied

Delays to the Airbus A380 have cost the firm billions

French finance minister Christine Lagarde has denied the government acted improperly in relation to alleged insider trading at Airbus parent, EADS.

Giving evidence to parliament, she said her ministry was not aware of any problems at the firm before approving share sales in the Airbus owner.

Media reports claim the state knew about setbacks to the Airbus 380 and still allowed suspicious share sales.

These occurred before news about delays to the Airbus A380 emerged last June.

Ms Lagarde told a French parliamentary committee on Thursday that the government had acted "in the most irreproachable" manner with regard to EADS from the end of 2005 to May 2006, when delays to the Airbus 380 superjumbo first became public.

The announcement wiped 26% off the value of EADS, the Franco-German firm which owns the Airbus plane manufacturer.

A report from the stock market regulator AMF sent to the French prosecutor's office a week ago is understood to have examined the extensive sale of stock options before the problems with the plane were revealed.

The French press, claiming to have seen a leaked copy of the report, claim 21 former and current managers are under suspicion but stock market regulators have refused to comment on this, saying their probe is incomplete.

This prompted a parliamentary investigation into the role of the French government, a major EADS shareholder, amid allegations that ministers allowed state bank CDC to buy shares from defence firm Lagardere in April 2006 despite knowing about problems at the plane maker.

'Not aware'

Ms Lagarde said that the finance ministry's internal investigation into its conduct proved that until "at least the end of May 2006", the government was "no more aware than the public or the markets" of delays with the superjumbo A380.

"The services of my ministry performed their task in the most professional manner, the most irreproachable fashion," she said.

Thierry Breton, finance minister at the time, testified last week before the parliamentary committee that he knew nothing of the deal with Lagardere, also defending the finance ministry's actions as "beyond reproach".

President Nicolas Sarkozy has promised to investigate fully whether the government played any part in the alleged insider trading, while opposition politicians have called for a public inquiry into the matter.

Shanghai’s seagull terminal nears completion

Officials at Shanghai Pudong International Airport have confirmed that the US$2.5 billion (Yuan 20 billion) seagull-shaped Terminal 2 project will open for passengers early next year.

This marks completion of the second phase of construction at the airport, which opened in 1999. Upon completion, the expansion project will increase the airport’s annual passenger capacity from 20 million to 60 million, making Shanghai one of the world’s largest airports.

More expansion is planned. The airport expects to handle around 100 million passengers a year and 5.7 million tonnes of cargo by 2020, making it the biggest international airport in China.

By then, it should have three terminals, two satellite buildings and five runways, and will handle most air passengers travelling to and from the city.

Shanghai Pudong International Airport is located in the eastern part of China’s Pudong district. In 2006 it handled 17.15 million passengers on international flights, considerably more than Beijing Capital International Airport, which handled 12.6 million international passengers. At present, only 5% of passengers traveling to Pudong are on transfers, but that figure is expected to grow to between 30 to 40% by 2020.

Air India in talks with Star Alliance to join group

By Saifur Rahman, Business News Editor

Dubai Air India, the newly merged Indian national carrier, has began negotiating with Star Alliance to join the group, a senior official told Gulf News.

It is mulling more firm orders for its future needs.

"The newly-merged airline has appointed a team to look into future fleet requirements and they are currently talking to both manufacturers," Jitender Bhargava, executive director of Air India's corporate communications, said.

"We have also started talks with Star Alliance for possible membership."

The company is in the process of establishing new routes and will then built on those in the coming years. "The current orderbook is good enough for now. However, we will need more in the coming years," he said.

"There are 330 aircraft currently in operation in India. In five years, it will jump to 1,000. This means we will have to order more to meet future demand.

"The current plans are to develop intercontinental routes from India to the US, via a common hub in Europe. We are looking at cities like Munich, Vienna and Copenhagen to offer those services, where travellers from all major cities could come and change aircraft to board flights to their destinations in the US."

Volumes

Air India carried 4.8 million passengers, while Indian Airlines, which merged with Air India, carried 7.86 million passengers, he said. "The Indian aviation industry is growing at 30 per cent year on year - one of the highest in the world."

The merger will be completed in 12 to 18 months, when flight codes of Air India and Indian Airlines will be unified and booking systems integrated, he said. "Then we will look into route rationalisation and network optimisation. We hope to expand our flights to the Gulf then," he said.

IATA standard paves way for global mobile phone check-in

Α global standard that paves the way for global mobile phone check-in using two-dimensional (2D) bar codes was announced by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Mobile phone check-in enables airlines to send 2D bar codes directly to a passenger’s mobile phone, personal digital assistant or smart phone.

Passengers simply register their mobile number with their airline at the time of booking to receive a text message with a 2D bar code, or instructions to download it. The bar code becomes the passenger’s boarding pass and it is read directly from the screen of the mobile device, eliminating paper completely from the check-in process.

“Passengers want the convenience of self-service options in a paperless environment. This standard is an important step in getting rid of paper that bogs down processes and drives up costs,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s Director General and CEO.

Historically, airline global applications for mobile phone technology have been restricted due to differerent regional formats. The IATA standard uses existing codes: Aztec and Datamatrix which are used extensively in Europe and North America; and QR which is widely used in Japan. All three are proven technologies and can be read by a single scanner type that is cost effective and readily available globally.

“The creation of a standard code is only part of the solution,” said Bisignani. “In the next months we will be working with our members to develop standardised processes and guidelines that facilitate global implementation.”

The industry has set a deadline of the end of 2010 to implement 100% bar coded boarding passes (BCBP). Upon full implementation, BCBP will save the industry over US$500 million annually. A 2D standard for paper bar coded passes was established in 2005 and is the basis for web check-in. Both standards (mobile and paper based) can be issued and accepted by airlines worldwide.

The global introduction of BCBP to replace magnetic stripe technology is one of five Simplifying the Business (StB) projects launched by IATA in 2004. The StB goal is to use technology to make travel more convenient while saving US$6.5 billion in costs.

ASTA and ACTA applauds RCCL`s stance against card mills

The American Society of Travel Agents and the Association of Canadian Travel Agencies applauded Royal Caribbean Cruise’s (RCCL) announcement that its brands (Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises) will begin terminating relationships with businesses it deems to be card-mills.

In a letter to travel agents, RCCL noted that it "has a fundamental concern with the business practices of these companies" and that it is "taking this action in an effort to prevent a growing and troubling trend within the travel industry."

In a letter sent to Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of sales for Royal Caribbean, and Dondra Ritzenthaler, senior vice president of sales for Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises, ASTA said: "We appreciate that [your] actions once again demonstrate the value of the travel agency distribution system as well as the importance of promoting industry integrity. [This] announcement is good news to legitimate travel sellers whose businesses depend upon consumer trust and to consumers who look to their travel agent for expert and professional service."

"ASTA has worked long and hard to educate consumers and travel companies regarding card mills, and we would welcome any opportunity to work together towards this goal. ASTA has long been engaged in the fight to stop the proliferation of card mills and the damage these firms inflict on the reputation of professional travel agents."

"ACTA has long been concerned about the acceptance of such cards by suppliers, as they are sold to non-travel professionals and ACTA certainly welcomed the cruise line’s decision. The association can only wish that many other travel suppliers, and hotel chains in particular, will follow suit and help the industry fight the proliferation of such card mill," commented Christiane Theberge, President and CEO of ACTA.

"This fight to preserve the value and integrity of bona fide travel professionals was also behind the decision ACTA took at the beginning of this year to introduce a new ACTA ID Card recognizing Canadian travel professionals. This card with stringent requirements is already recognized by numerous suppliers who were unanimous to claim that travel professionals carrying the ACTA ID Card are the major sellers of travel products," concluded Theberge.

Ryanair carries more ABC1 passengers than BA survey reveals

Ryanair’s passenger profile for the last 6 months included a greater proportion of ABC1 passengers than British Airways (BA) an independent survey commissioned by in-flight media company InviseoMedia and carried out by iCD Research revealed. Based upon an independent survey of 1000 UK adults, iCD’s research reveals that 59% of Ryanair’s passengers were from the top three social grades compared to just 52% for BA. This research helps challenge the perception that budget carriers such as Ryanair only carry budget passengers. This latest research compliments other quantitative data from respected sources such as TGI, EMS and the Civil Aviation Authority, all of whom confirm Ryanair’s passenger profile as being one of the best in the aviation industry. The research was gathered using iCD’s own panel of 200,000 UK adults, carefully created to be a representative sample of the UK as a whole. Commenting on this research, Dominic Stead CEO of InviseoMedia whose company has an exclusive deal to install its patented airline tray-table media across Ryanair’s fleet said: “This survey dispels the myth that budget carriers such as Ryanair carry just hen parties and football supporters. The research clearly shows that consumers from the highest social groups now regularly fly Ryanair; they clearly appreciate the carrier’s low fares and its record for punctuality.” Paul Dixon, Managing Director of iCD who carried out the research said: “The ‘Chavair’ label given to Ryanair by policy makers and some sections of the media has proven undeserved. Low cost carriers and Ryanair in particular, have proved that passengers with the highest incomes are more than happy to fly frequently and without the frills of full service carriers such as BA.” Social Grade: Ryanair - British Airways ABC1: 59% - 52% C2DE: 41% - 48%

Boeing To Delay Delivery Of 787

Reuters - Boeing on Wednesday pushed back first deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner by at least six months as it struggles to assemble the new lightweight, carbon-composite plane.

The delay is a major embarrassment setback for Boeing, which has for months insisted it would meet its delivery timetable despite production problems, and mirrors delays suffered by rival Airbus on its A380 superjumbo.

"We are disappointed by today's schedule changes and deeply regret the impact these delays will have on our customers," said Boeing Chief Executive Jim McNerney.

Boeing, which has orders for more than 700 of the 787s from 48 airlines and leasing companies -- worth more than USD$100 billion at list prices -- said there would be no "material" impact to earnings and left its forecasts for this year and next unchanged.

The Chicago-based company said 787 deliveries are now slated to begin in late November or December 2008 versus an original target of May 2008.

Chief Financial Officer James Bell said some revenues would slip from 2008 to 2009 as about 30-35 plane deliveries are moved from one year to the next. The company is set to update its financial forecasts alongside its third-quarter earnings report on October 24.

The company said it is still aiming to deliver 109 787s by the end of 2009, only three fewer than originally planned.

The delay is a blow to Japan's All Nippon Airways, the first 787 customer, which was hoping to ferry passengers to next summer's Beijing Olympic Games in the initial planes of its planned 50-strong 787 fleet.

"Many outside Boeing had questioned the feasibility of meeting the first delivery date," Bank of America analyst Robert Stallard said in a note. "Boeing has now bitten the bullet and accepted that the schedule is beyond them. The firm has taken the only sensible move under the circumstances."

Boeing said the delay was due to problems putting together the actual structure of the plane, compounded by the scarcity of some parts.

It said that integrating the plane's flight control software, being produced by Honeywell -- which had contributed to a previous delay in the schedule -- was not the cause of the delivery delay.

The company said it now expects the first test flight of the 787 to take place "around the end of the first quarter" next year, suggesting it could be as late as March or even April 2008.

That is a drastic extension to its original plan to start airborne tests in August 2007. In early September, Boeing rescheduled the first test flight for mid-November to mid-December as it wrestled with software problems and a shortage of bolts.

Boeing said the new schedule restores some margin to deal with unexpected problems that might appear during ground and flight tests. If Boeing sticks to its new schedule, it could have eight months to complete flight testing and certification, as opposed to six months on its previous estimate.

Flight testing and certification on Boeing's last new airliner, the 777, took 11 months.

"We deeply regret the impact these delays will have on our customers, and we are committed to working with them to minimize any disruption to their plans," Scott Carson, chief executive of Boeing's commercial planes unit, said in a statement.

He said the main problems were installing parts of the plane's structure, which had been thrown out of sequence by some suppliers sending incomplete work to Boeing's main Everett, Washington plant, aggravated by a shortage of some small parts.

Boeing, which rolled out a shell of the first 787 model in front of many of its customers in early July, did not say whether it would have to pay any penalties or other compensation to airlines buying the plane, which is standard in the industry when a plane's delivery is delayed.

US Plans October Meeting On Airline Delays

The Bush administration will convene a meeting of airline executives in October aimed at reaching a voluntary agreement on scheduling to reduce delays and congestion at New York area airports, aviation sources said.

The meeting planned for October 23-24 will address scheduling practices of domestic carriers at John F. Kennedy and Newark airports. Airlines were supposed to submit scheduling information for spring and summer 2008 travel to aviation authorities by Thursday.

Carriers expected to participate include: JetBlue Airways, Delta Air Lines, US Airways, American Airlines, and Continental Airlines.

JetBlue is based at JFK and Delta has major operations there. Continental operates a hub at Newark. Both airports have extensive international departures. Delta has already announced some schedule changes at JFK for next summer.

Like the first meeting of its kind in Chicago for O'Hare Airport in 2004, the US Justice Department will oversee the proceedings to ensure that no antitrust rules are violated.

The scheduling meeting seeks to wring a voluntary agreement from airlines to change scheduling by eliminating flights or moving them to less busy times of the day. The FAA could cap flights at either airport, if no agreement is reached.

JFK and Newark are two of the most congested airports in the United States and delays there can impact traffic in other cities as well as international flights.

Ground delays are on a record pace this year, especially those lasting between one and five hours. Chronic and widespread delays during the summer, partly blamed on scheduling, angered consumers and drew the attention of congressional lawmakers and the White House.

President George W Bush ordered deputies in September to devise a plan to shorten delays. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters will submit her recommendations in December. They could include forced schedule cuts, if voluntary efforts fall short, or a plan to charge airlines more to use congested airports at busy periods.

Germany`s hotel market keeps a strong pace

Germany’s hotel market expansion will not stop. In the next five years 179 first-class hotels and 49 luxury hotels with more than 37,000 rooms will be opened in Germany. According to tophotelprojects.com, the on-line databases for international hotel projects, most of the top hotel projects are planned for the major cities of Germany.

In the capital city of Berlin 49 first-class and luxury hotels with over 4,200 rooms are under construction and will be opened until 2013. In Hamburg 14 top hotels (with more than 2,500 rooms) are planned and in Munich 9 top hotels (with 1,700 rooms) are under construction. In Frankfurt the hotel market will welcome 12 new top hotels with more than 2,800 rooms.

A large number of planned top hotels will be managed by international hotel chains and operators, e.g. Hilton, Kempinski, Mandarin Oriental, Marriott and Rezidor. One of the most important top hotel projects this year will be The Charles hotel in Munich, No 3 of the Rocco Forte Collection in Germany (opening is scheduled for end of October 2007).

In Germany more than 12,000 hotels (from business to wellness hotels and boarding houses) and over 33,000 other accommodation facilities are currently under operation. 2,800 hotels are four star rated (first class), 224 are luxury hotels (five star rated). In total, over 4,480 hotels are focused on business travelers. Over 5,900 houses are conference hotels and more than 4,600 hotels are dedicated to leisure guests.

European MPs demand airport masterplan

The European Parliament yesterday published a report warning that the continent will not be able to meet the rising demand for flights simply by optimising existing capacity. It says that such an approach would result in a shortfall of 3.7 million flights a year by 2025.

It has called on the European Commission to develop a European masterplan for airports, including the development of up to 10 major airports and 15 medium-sized airports.

While acknowledging the importance and urgency of boosting existing capacity, notably by improving slot allocation and ground-handling services in airports, the Parliament urges the EU executive to “take a further step” and come up with a “Masterplan for enhanced airport capacity in Europe” before 2009, containing measures to “promote and coordinate any national and cross-border initiatives for building new airport capacities”.

“Airports are so congested that if one flight gets slightly delayed, it affects many other airports. The lack of airport capacity is therefore not just a national problem. It is a European problem,” says Danish Liberal MEP Anne Jensen, who drafted the report.

The report adds that building new capacity would help avert unnecessary air pollution caused by en route or ramp congestion, but says additional measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and noise, such as including aviation in the EU’s Emissions Trading Scheme, taxing jet fuel or differentiating airport charges according to environmental performance, would be necessary.

Thai lands at Hong Kong’s Terminal 2

Thai Airways has become the sixth airline to operate to Hong Kong International’s Terminal 2 (left), which officially opened in 1 June. Thai joins Oasis Hong Kong Airlines, Emirates, Jetstar Asia Airways, Bangkok Airways and Siem Reap Airways International at Terminal 2.

These six airlines now serve more than 100 departing flights a week from the terminal and airport officials predict Terminal 2 will account for about 15% of the passengers departing HKIA by te end of this year.

“Terminal 2 complements the facilities and services in Terminal 1, and gives us vitally important room to grow,” says Stanley Hui, CEO of Airport Authority Hong Kong. “In the months ahead, Terminal 2 will serve an even larger number of airlines and departing passenger traffic.”

In addition to offering passenger check-in services, Terminal 2 operates as a multi-modal hub where air, land and sea transport converge seamlessly. Each day, Terminal 2’s coach station serves over 6,000 passengers, who board buses to local hotels and 70 mainland destinations.

In 2009, an automated people mover will connect Terminal 2 to the new SkyPier which will receive ferries from the Pearl River Delta.

ICAO sets 2010 deadline for e-passports

All states should embrace machine-readable passports (MRPs), or e-passports, by 1 April 2010 in order to improve security and safety at airports, claims the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).

ICAO secretary-general, Dr. Taieb Cherif, says the technology “improves the overall national security of states in the fight against terrorism and criminal mobility. With the introduction of this infrastructure, we are witnessing the beginning of a new era in travel document verification and authentication.” He claims it will also support more efficient border control procedures.

Dr. Cherif says ICAO will support states’ plans to issue machine readable travel documents and will help to ensure standards and best practices are followed to establish and maintain confidence in the systems.

“I encourage those states that require assistance with their machine readable travel documents or electronic machine readable travel documents to contact the ICAO Technical Co-operation Bureau and see how they can benefit from its proven track record.”

ICAO estimates that up to 120 states have begun the process of introducing MRPs. Of these, around 50 states have included biometric details in their specifications.

ICAO is working with donor states, international organisations and other United Nations offices to support those states with insufficient resources to introduce MRPs by the deadline.

UK to switch taxes from passengers to flights

The British government is planning to replace air passenger duty with a tax based on flights rather than passengers. Chancellor Alistair Darling (left) announced yesterday (Wednesday), “I propose that aviation makes a greater contribution in respect of its environmental impact and for this to be as environmentally effective as possible, from 2009, I intend to levy the duty not on individual passengers but on flights.” He also stressed that it is “right” that aircraft emissions should be part of the EU emissions trading scheme.

“It is right to tax emissions, not passengers. That means reflecting a combination of aircraft type and distance flown,” says EasyJet CEO Andy Harrison. “However, the reform should not be used as an excuse to further increase the burden of tax on passengers. EasyJet, for example, already covers its carbon costs more than four times over.”

British Airways says, “Our share of Air Passenger Duty (APD) revenue for the government is now £400 million (US$815.6 million) a year. With this money, the government could offset our entire CO2 emissions four times over.”

Ryanair says the reformed APD would be “just another tax on ordinary passengers from government ministers swanning around on private aircraft. This Labour government lied when it proposed to spend the £1 billion raised from doubling APD on the environment. Not a penny has been spent on the environment and they are back stealing more from ordinary passengers going on holidays.”

Airbus Orders Jump To 854 After Strong September

Airbus has reported 854 plane orders to the end of September versus 226 at the same point last year.

The Toulouse-headquartered company posted 141 orders in September versus just four in the same month a year earlier.

Thirty-six deliveries in September lifted the total for the first nine months to 330 from 320 at the same point last year.

US rival Boeing had 329 deliveries for the same period, its web site showed.

Boeing had 893 net orders as of October 2, subtracting 10 order cancellations.

Airbus uses gross figures which do not reveal how many plane orders were cancelled.

Wizz Air Orders 50 Airbus A320s

Wizz Air, a leading budget airline in eastern and central Europe, signed a deal with Airbus to buy 50 narrow-body A320 aircraft, the companies said on Wednesday.

Wizz Air, which is expanding its 70 route European network, also has an option to buy 25 additional A320's by 2016, they said in a presentation.

"The new deal increases the total order made by Wizz Air for A320 to 82," the companies said.

The 50 new planes are to be delivered in 2011-2014, while the option covers the period 2014-2016.

The total value of the order is USD$3.5 billion based on listed prices, but airlines usually receive a discount to the official price.

Boeing Says 787 On Track For May 2008 Delivery

Reuters - Boeing said on Monday it still expected to deliver its first lightweight 787 Dreamliner aircraft on time by May 2008, despite delays to its test flight schedule.

"It is still our objective to meet that May 2008 delivery but in doing that we have had to compress our flight-test schedule," Randy Tinseth, Boeing Commercial Airplanes Vice President for Marketing, told reporters.

"It is an aggressive schedule but we believe we can do it."

Tinseth said the plane was still set for its first test flight between mid-November and mid-December after a three month delay due to a shortage of bolts and problems programming the flight control software.

The plane must complete 1,300 flight-test hours and 3,700 ground-test hours between the first flight and certification of the plane, Tinseth said, describing the schedule as "challenging".

The first 787 is due to be delivered to Japan's All Nippon Airways.

Boeing, which competes with Airbus for the title of world's biggest plane maker, is forecasting 28,600 new aircraft worth about USD$2.8 trillion will be bought over the next 20 years on the back of rising demand for passenger travel and air cargo.

Tinseth, speaking on a visit to Australia, said Boeing now expected 580 planes worth USD$73 billion would be bought in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific by 2026.

Boeing upped its forecast from 440 planes worth USD$60 billion previously due to rapid growth in low-cost airlines which were bumping up orders for single-aisle planes.

He said fuel prices were expected to remain volatile, although Boeing's 20 year forecast assumed they would moderate over the next 20 years.

Four Seasons Hotels strenghten its position in Egypt with fourth property

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts further reinforced its committment to the Middle East region by opening Four Seasons Alexandria, its fourth property in Egypt earlier this year. This opening brings the total number of Four Seasons properties in the region to nine.

“We are very excited to have opened the Alexandria property,” says Cesare Rouchdy, Senior Director of Marketing Four Seasons Egypt.

“We believe this is an important addition to our portfolio both here in Egypt and in the region as a whole. This property complements our other two city Hotels in Cairo and our Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, and is already reaching maximum capacity on a regular basis,” he adds.

Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence was the group’s first foray into Egypt. Opening in May 2000, the property set a new standard in luxury in the country’s capital. Capitalising on the success of its Cairo property, Four Seasons then opened its first resort in the region in Sharm El Sheikh, overlooking the Red Sea. The third chapter in the Four Seasons story in Egypt, is the Nile Plaza property in Cairo, which opened in 2005.

At Least 19 Killed In Congo Plane Crash

At least 19 people died when a Russian-made cargo plane crashed and exploded on Thursday in a busy area of Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, officials said.

Seventeen passengers and crew on the Antonov 26 aircraft belonging to Congolese airline Africa 1 were killed when it came down on several houses in the Kingasani neighborhood, shortly after taking off from Ndjili Airport.

One father found the bodies of his young son and daughter crushed by a wall. Debris from the crash was widely scattered over neighboring streets and buildings.

"There has been heavy damage. Two houses have been completely destroyed," deputy Health Minister Ferdinand Ntua said at the crash site. "There are a lot of dead but for the moment we have no figures."

Air travel is notoriously dangerous in Congo. In 1996, at least 350 people died when a Russian-built Antonov 32 cargo plane ploughed through a crowded market in central Kinshasa, in the former Belgian colony's worst air disaster.

The Africa 1 aircraft was carrying 14 Congolese passengers and three Ukrainian crew, according to the plane's manifest.

"All the members of the crew and passengers are dead," a rescue official said.

An eye witness saw at least six corpses pulled from the wreckage of the plane as Red Cross and firemen joined family members picking through the devastation.

The stench of burning debris and jet fuel filled the air. Police struggled to hold back around 1,000 onlookers.

An airport security official who arrived quickly at the crash site said fire fighters had initially struggled to reach the wreckage in the crowded shanty town.

"There are at least four houses burning, the airplane is burning... There's a lot of smoke and flames, everybody in the houses must be dead," he said.

A spokesman for the 17,000-strong United Nations mission in Congo (MONUC), the largest in the world, said it had dispatched a rescue team and firefighters to the scene.

Ageing planes in Congo suffer from a lack of maintenance and spare parts but they are often the only way to transport people and goods across the vast central African country that is slowly recovering from a 1998-2003 civil war.

Eight people were killed in early September when another Antonov cargo plane overshot the runway and caught fire while landing in the eastern Congolese town of Goma.

Congo, a country the size of West Europe with only a few hundred kilometres of paved roads, has one of Africa's worst air safety records and was dubbed an "embarrassment" by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) last year.

Africa 1 is on the European Union's airline blacklist. All airlines certified by Democratic Republic of Congo authorities -- except for Hewa Bora Airways -- are banned from the EU.

Concorde Parts Under Hammer In French Auction

Reuters- Hundreds of components of the Concorde supersonic airliner, from headsets to toilet seats, are attracting strong bidding in a French auction which relives the era of luxury travel at twice the speed of sound.

Most of the 60 pieces sold on the auction's first day attracted around five times the asking price.

The Anglo-French aircraft was withdrawn from service in 2003 after ferrying the rich and famous across the Atlantic for 27 years at speeds up to 2,625 kph.

The auction runs until Monday in the French aviation capital of Toulouse where the sleek, droop-nosed aircraft was assembled in cooperation with Britain.

Items being sold to raise money for a museum include a pair of toilet seats weighing 5.8 kilos and available for auction prices starting at EUR400 euros (USD$567) each.

For the same asking price, collectors can bid for a Concorde pilot's headset.

A laminated cockpit window panel went for EUR3,100, 10 times the asking price, at the start of the auction on Friday.

If space is not a problem, the auction includes a couple of one-tonne Concorde landing gears on which the bidding starts at EUR2,000 - EUR3,000 -- wheels not supplied.

Among the most symbolic items for the plane's many fans, however, will be a "Machmeter" weighing just over a kilo and offered at a suggested price of EUR1,500 - EUR2,000. The instrument's dial recorded Concorde's speed as it slipped through the sound barrier, known as Mach 1.

"This sale has really got people carried away and we really welcome that because it is the last sale of Concorde accessories that will ever be organized," said auctioneer Marc Labarbe.

Designed in the 1960s, Concorde's cockpit instruments may look old-fashioned compared to the digital read-outs in modern passenger jets, but the plane's performance remains unmatched.

The plane carried 100 passengers and 9 crew at speeds up to Mach 2.2, almost three times the cruising speed of a Boeing 747.

The Mach number is the ratio of an aircraft's speed to the speed of sound.

Of the 20 Concordes built most are in museums or on display at London and Paris airports.

Concorde was suspended from service following its only crash outside Paris on an Air France flight in July 2000. It made only a temporary comeback before being withdrawn in 2003 as the two operating airlines cited heavy operating costs.

China's plane ambitions take off

China wants to have its own aircraft manufacturing industry

By Michael Bristow
BBC News, Beijing
China Aviation Industry Corporation I (AVIC I) is probably not a name that has executives at Boeing and Airbus quaking in their boots.

But the Chinese aircraft maker is currently assembling a regional passenger jet that it hopes will establish China as a major plane manufacturer.

The ARJ21 - which stands for Advanced Regional Jet for the 21st Century - is due to have its first test flight in March next year.

China believes this could be the start of a trend that will see the country build its own jumbo jets in the near future.

AVIC I, a state-run consortium based in Shanghai, says the regional plane is China's first independently developed passenger jet, although it will have engines made by US firm General Electric.

The plane, a model of which was on display at an aviation trade show in Beijing last month, has been primarily built for the Chinese market.

It has also been designed to cope with the high temperatures and high altitude runways it will encounter in China's western regions.

State-run media report that 71 ARJ21s, which will initially have 70 to 90 seats, have already been sold to domestic airlines, such as Shanghai Airlines. Other deals are pending.

These aircraft will be delivered from the end of 2009. A slightly larger version of the ARJ21, with 150 seats, will be produced later.

Expanding market

There will certainly be demand for more aircraft from China. In its latest forecast, Boeing said China would require 3,400 new planes worth about $340 billion over the next 20 years.

It expects China's domestic market to grow nearly fivefold by 2026, which will make it slightly larger than today's intra-North American market.

One of the problems in China is that even Chinese airlines do not want to buy China's own planes Tom Ballantyne, Orient Aviation magazine

"Over the forecast period, China will have the fastest-growing market, making it the largest market outside of the US for new commercial airplanes," Boeing said.

With an expanding market, China is keen to develop its own manufacturing industry for passenger aircraft.

Li Zhiyong, from AVIC I's marketing and sales department, said: "At the moment, all aircraft that fly in China are made abroad so, sooner or later, China must produce its own planes."

But he added that the ultimate aim was to sell the ARJ21 abroad.

The firm already appears to have had some success. There are reports that Lao Airlines is considering buying two of the jets, becoming the plane's first foreign customer.

But, speaking at the Aviation Expo/China 2007, Mr Li said the most important hurdle had yet to be overcome.

"We have to get test flight licences from either Europe or the United States. This will allow us to sell the plane abroad more easily," he said.

Building expertise

AVIC I obviously hopes its plane will be a commercial success, but China does not hide the fact that the project has another role - to give technicians experience for future, larger projects.

"This is a big project for them," says Tom Ballantyne, of Orient Aviation magazine based in Hong Kong. "They are really hoping this will kick off airline production in China."

AVIC unveiled its plans for the ARJ21 in March

Earlier this year, the Chinese government confirmed that it wanted to build its own jumbo jets by 2020.

It believes it now has the expertise, and economic strength, to build a large passenger plane.

China also appears to think that, as one of the world's largest nations, it ought to have its own aircraft manufacturing industry.

"A home-made large aircraft may inspire the nation like the country's manned spacecraft program," said Liu Daxiang, from AVIC I's science and technology development department.

Mr Ballantyne agrees that China should be able to produce jumbo jets in the coming decades, but he says it might be difficult persuading airlines to buy the planes.

"One of the problems in China is that even Chinese airlines do not want to buy China's own planes," he said.

Boeing and Airbus, it appears, are not going to face any serious Chinese competitor any time soon.

Hoteliers Protest Against Low-Budget Andaman Tourism

Reuters - Hundreds of tour operators and hotel owners in the Andaman islands protested on Thursday against a scheme to fly budget tourists to the islands, saying it had stopped wealthier travelers from visiting.

India recently allowed all level of government employees to use their leave allowances to fly to the Andaman and Nicobar islands, the remotest part of its territory, as it tried to boost the tourism-dependent economy following the catastrophic tsunami of 2004.

Many low-wage workers jumped at the chance to take their first flight and visit the islands' famed beaches, forests, coral reefs and tribal cultures -- a perk once reserved for only senior state employees.

But islanders working in the tourism industry say crowds of cost-conscious tourists are straining resources without generating much income.

"They visit the Andamans for at most a day and go back hardly spending any money," said G. Bhasker, general secretary of the Andaman Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

"Agents are blocking tickets in bulk, preventing up-market tourists who are genuinely interested in visiting our islands."

Hundreds of protesters chose World Tourism Day to shout slogans outside the tourism directorate in Port Blair, the archipelago's capital, and threatened further protests if the government did not listen.

The island's chief secretary promised to look into their complaints.

Authorities expect more than 150,000 tourists will visit the islands this year, but some estimate that around 80 percent of those are low-wage state employees.

Etihad takes off to Singapore and Brisbane

Dubai: Etihad Airways has launched its new three flights-a-week service to Singapore and Brisbane.

Flight EY470 took off on schedule yesterday morning from Abu Dhabi airport bound for Brisbane via Singapore. Singapore is Etihad's fifth destination in Southeast Asia after Bangkok, Manila, Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur.

Brisbane is the airline's second destination in Australia following the highly successful Sydney route started in March this year.

"Demand has been great for the new flights to Singapore and Brisbane with the seat factor for both destinations approaching 70 per cent in economy class and 65 per cent in business class for the month of October," the airline said.

---

---

James Hogan, Etihad's chief executive, said: "Etihad continues to expand its global flight network offering our customers frequent connections to many of the world's most popular destinations.

"The UAE is building strong commercial and cultural ties with Singapore and the Australian state of Queensland and the new Etihad flights will give these ties a significant boost."

Other new destinations launched in 2007 include Dublin and Milan as well as the southern Indian cities of Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram.

Etihad is operating a two-cabin Airbus A330-200 on the new flights. The aircraft is configured to carry 262 passengers, with 22 in business class and 240 in economy.

Flight EY470 will operate every Friday, Sunday and Wednesday, departing from Abu Dhabi at 10.05am and reaching Singapore at 9.35pm. The flight will depart from Singapore at 10.50pm and arrive in Brisbane at 6.20am the following morning.

Flight EY473 will operate from Brisbane every Saturday, Monday and Thursday departing at 11.25am and arriving in Singapore at 7.05pm. The flight will depart from Singapore at 8.25pm and arrive in Abu Dhabi at 11.59pm.

Engine Fire Forces Jet Back To St Louis

Reuters-A fire in one of two engines on a Chicago-bound American Airlines MD-80 jet forced the plane to return to St. Louis Airport on Friday, officials said.

None of the 137 passengers and five crew members on board was injured, an airline spokesman said.

Flight AA1400, bound for Chicago's O'Hare Airport, took off at 2:12 p.m. EDT, and was back on the ground within 30 minutes, American Airlines spokesman Mary Frances Fagan said.

"It had a left-hand engine fire that occurred after take-off. The aircraft returned to Lambert International safely. No one was hurt, and the passengers were evacuated on stairs," Fagan said.

Firefighters put out a small fire in the engine after the plane landed, Lambert spokesman Jeff Lea said.

Demand for business jets soaring in Middle East

Dubai: The Middle East business aviation market is flush with "active buyers" of business jets, a customer survey by global aerospace giant Honeywell revealed.

The 16th Annual Business Aviation Outlook gave a bullish outlook for the private aviation market and said the region encompassing Asia, the Middle East and Africa "again ranks as the area with the highest purchase expectations".

Industry-wide, Honeywell Aerospace said deliveries of business jets would exceed 1,000 for the first time in 2007, up from 861 in 2006. So far, sales are up more than 12 per cent compared with the same period last year. In 2008, deliveries are expected to top 1,300.

Yesterday, Airbus' corporate jet division reported similar findings. It said it won a 36 corporate jet sales this year, setting a record.

---

---

The Honeywell survey highlights the growing importance of developing markets, while expectations of corporate jet sales in the United States declined slightly,

ICAO Opposes EU Emissions Plan

Reuters - The International Civil Aviation Organization has passed a resolution opposing a European Union plan to include foreign airlines in its emissions trading system, the UN body said on Friday.

"A resolution was adopted which said... that emissions-trading schemes are fine, but they should not be applied to the aircraft of foreign countries without mutual consent," Jeffrey Shane, the undersecretary for policy in the US Department of Transportation told reporters in Montreal.

He said that during recent ICAO meetings, about 42 European governments took "a formal reservation" from that wording.

"They did not want a clause that said, 'ICAO urges states not to apply emissions trading to foreign aircraft without mutual consent'."

The ICAO is a United Nations body created in 1944 to promote the development of civil aviation around the world.

The United States has opposed the plan to include foreign airlines in the EU's emissions trading scheme and pushed the ICAO to let individual countries decide the best way to manage greenhouse gas emissions from their airlines.

The EU Commission plans to include flights into and out of the 27-nation bloc from 2012 in its emissions trading scheme.

Environmentalists say the airline industry must contribute more to reducing greenhouse gases, blamed for global warming.

Shane said that all ICAO member states recognize the importance of emissions trading "as one of many tools for addressing emissions from aircraft."

He also that the ICAO will create a "very high-level group" tasked with coming up with an action plan on reducing the aircraft emissions.

Bush seeks answers to airport congestion

US President George Bush met yesterday (Thursday) with transportation secretary Mary Peters and acting FAA administrator Robert Sturgell to discuss how to reduce congestion at the country’s key airports. "There's a lot of anger amongst our citizens about the fact that they're just not being treated right," admits Bush. "We've got a problem. We understand there's a problem and we're going to address the problem."

Peters will report back to the president on recent steps to address congestion (see: FAA checks JFK and Newark schedules) and prevent passengers being stranded on-board on a runway for hours (see: US airports blasted in on-board delays probe).

Airport delays in the US rose almost 20% between October 2006 and August 2007, compared with the same period a year before and nearly half of the delays occurred in the Philadelphia-New York corridor.

Transportation Department officials are reportedly considering a plan to make airlines pay a premium to use congested airports at peak times – mainly the afternoon and early evening. However, industry experts suggest any congestion pricing policy would simply lead to higher ticket prices for passengers.

"The bottom line is that there is not much we can do once an aircraft leaves the gate and enters onto the taxiway. At that point, we come under the control of an antiquated air traffic control system," says Bob Reding, an executive vice-president at American Airlines.

Dublin signs T2 contracts: work starts next week

Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) has signed seven major construction contracts to allow work to start next week on T2, the new passenger terminal at Dublin Airport. The contracts, which have a combined value of Euro 180 million (US$254 million), were awarded following a major international tender process and cover areas such as concrete, steelwork, cladding and logistics.

The T2 project is a key element of the DAA’s Euro 2 billon (US$2.8 billion) Transforming Dublin Airport programme, which will improve, expand and modernise the passenger facilities at the airport.

“We were pleased with the level and quality of interest in this hugely important project and we are very happy that we have got the right skills at the best price,” says DAA Chief Executive Declan Collier. “We look forward to working in partnership with each of these seven contractors to deliver some of the key elements of T2.”

These first seven contracts represent the initial tranche of 17 separate construction packages that comprise the overall T2 project. The project includes a 75,000m² terminal building, a 24,000m² departures pier and a wide range of other airport campus upgrades. Each contract was tendered separately. The new terminal will cost Euro 395 million, while the overall T2 project has a price tag of Euro 609 million.

Collier says that this multipackage approach would allow T2 to be delivered on time and on budget. “We are focused on delivering T2 within a tight timeframe, and this process allows us to move at the required speed to have the project completed on target and T2 operational in April 2010.”

Bahrain to implement hand baggage rules on Sunday

On Sunday, Bahrain International Airport will belatedly introduce hand baggage regulations to bring it into line with security guidelines put in place by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) last December. Airport director Mohammed Al Kaabi says the implementation in Bahrain was delayed in keeping with the huge incoming traffic after the summer vacations. Under the new rules, all passengers traveling from or transiting through the airport will have to undergo extra security screening for liquids, gels and aerosols. Prescription medicines, accompanied by prescriptions, will be the only exceptions.

Lounge replaces jail for SFO arrivals

San Francisco International Airport has opened a holding lounge for international travelers who arrive with incorrect travel documents. The lounge will enable them to wait in comfort for a return flight instead of in jail, say airport officials. James Kosciuk, of US Customs and Border Protection, claims the holding facility is the first of its kind in the country and could serve as an example for other airports. He adds that around 520 people each year arrive at the airport with incorrect documentation. About 200 are immediately put on return flights, and the others were previously held in jail until a flight could be arranged.

World Tourism Day 2007 praises the role of women in tourism

On the occasion of World Tourism Day 2007 hosted by Sri Lanka in Bentota, a Think Tank was held on this year’s theme "Tourism Opening Doors For Women" and its inter-relationship with the UN Millennium Development Goals. Under the Chairpersonship of H.E. Mrs Nilofar Bakhatiar, a group predominantly of women who have played prominent roles in Tourism around the world discussed:

• The importance of women in the tourism sector.
• Improving the role of women in tourism.
• Accentuating the role of women particularly in developing countries.

During the discussion the following issues were raised:

The need for AWARENESS CREATION about the opportunities for women and their concerns amongst general policy makers and amongst women themselves.

Creating APPROPRIATE POLICY FRAMEWORKS FOR WOMEN/S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT with tourism as a primary component so that the sector is integrated into mainstream policy making.

The requirement not only to open doors, but to MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR WOMEN TO GO THROUGH THEM, including good training development programmes, targeted information, decent and equal pay, good career development, family support structures and frameworks for ensuring self-respect.

The PARTICULAR OPPORTUNITIES presented by agro tourism, ecotourism, health and wellness, and the creative sector.

The importance of GETTING THE DIVERSE PRIVATE SECTOR ACTIVELY INVOLVED AS WELL AS NGOs AND THE MEDIA; with a fundamental requirement for the Public Sector to put in place and implement legislation for equal opportunity, equal pay and fair working conditions. In respect to the latter, note was taken of the need to address unreasonable working hours particularly for women with families.

The value of SHOWCASING WOMEN with fulfilling jobs at all levels, as well as those showing leadership and career progression.

The timeliness of this discussion in relation to broader action on gender equality and of UNWTO, WITH THE SUPPORT OF UNIFEM (United Nations Development Fund for Women), CHAMPIONING THIS ISSUE, as well as the importance of carrying this forward into a defined programme and action plan.

The DANGER OF SELF-DELUSION in considering primarily the beneficial aspects of tourism and women while ignoring the darker side of exploitation, harassment, abuse and marginalization.

The significance of INCREASED ACCESS TO CREDIT FACILITIES to encourage women entrepreneurs, and the proven reliability of women in meeting the conditions.

The absence of RELIABLE INFORMATION at a global, regional and national level, and the importance of such information for effective decision making & monitoring.

Against this background the following conclusions were reached:

• To initiate a UNWTO – UNIFEM annual report on the state of Women in Tourism.
• To make this an ANNUAL FORUM and to establish a broader biennial worldwide conference.
• To foster a NETWORK of activists, ambassadors and advocates to support the work of the UNWTO Special Advisor on Women in Tourism, and the establishment of a TASK FORCE to develop a draft Programme of Activity. To put in place a DATA COLLECTION system including desk research, case studies and alignment with the Tourism Satellite Account where feasible.
• To expand the website www.tourismgender.com into a PORTAL for gathering and presenting information, and serving as a framework for continuing focus; as well as a resource pool for gathering and sharing.
• To develop with partners an AWARENESS CAMPAIGN aimed at the industry, governments, media and women themselves, as well as the creation of a global AWARDS SCHEME.
• To strongly urge UNWTO and its Member States to take affirmative action within their power to actively involve women, from all social, economic and cultural spheres, into strategy, policy and operational decision making.
• To urge UNWTO to emphasize these issues within the framework of its Global Code of Ethics for Tourism. World Tourism Day 2007 is an occasion to celebrate women’s achievements in the tourism sector and stimulate continuous action in support of UN’s 3rd Millennium Development Goal: Promoting Gender Equality and Women Empowerment through to 2015 and beyond.

World Tourism Day is commemorated on 27 September each year by appropriate events on themes selected by UNWTO`s General Assembly, on recommendation of the Executive Council. This date was chosen to coincide with the anniversary of the adoption of the UNWTO Statutes on 27 September 1970 and designated as World Tourism Day by the UN General Assembly.

SAS To Resume Dash 8 Flights

Reuters-Scandinavian airline SAS said on Friday it planned to restart flights using its Dash 8 Q400 planes on October 4.

SAS has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights because its fleet of Dash 8 Q400 aircraft have been grounded after two SAS planes crash-landed due to undercarriage problems.

"SAS will deploy the first Q400 aircraft on Thursday, October 4, with the remaining Q400 aircraft returning to operation during the following days," the company said in a statement.

Boeing To Conduct Biofuel Flight Demo

Reuters-Boeing said on Thursday that it, Air New Zealand and Rolls-Royce announced a memorandum of understanding to conduct a biofuel demonstration flight.

Boeing said the demonstration flight is planned for the second half of 2008 using an Air New Zealand Boeing 747-400 equipped with Rolls-Royce engines.

Boeing said additional details will be announced closer to the actual demonstration flight date.

Deccan Aviation Quarterly Loss Widens

Reuters - India's Deccan Aviation, which owns budget carrier Air Deccan, reported a wider net loss for the quarter to June 2007, hit by lower air fares and higher fuel costs.

A statement late on Thursday said the company's loss widened to INR1.7 billion rupees (USD$42.8 million) from INR1.1 billion a year ago.

For the year ended June, its net loss was INR4.2 billion on revenue of INR21.4 billion. It had reported a loss of INR3.4 billion on revenue of INR12.4 billion in the 15 month period ended June 2006.

The company reported a 15 month period as it changed its accounting year mid-way.

United Breweries, which runs Kingfisher Airlines, owns 26 percent of Deccan and has also made an open offer for a further 20 percent of the carrier.

Thailand reaches new record in visitor arrivals in the first half of 2007

REPORT - BALI - PATA TRAVEL MART: Thailand recorded a total of 6.95 million visitor arrivals in January – June 2007, an increase of 3.30% over the same period of 2006, according to figures made available by the Thailand`s Immigration Bureau, Police Department.

Although there was strong growth in arrivals from Europe (14.45%), the Middle East (19.97%), Oceania (20.66%), and South Asia (10.58%), there has been a decline in arrivals from key Asian source-markets like Malaysia (-11.64%), China (-17.72%), Japan (-6.54%) and Korea (-2.31%).

This has been attributed partially to reports about the situation in South Thailand as well as the strengthening of the baht. TAT officials have also noted that the number of Approved Destination Status countries by China is at an all-time high, giving Chinese visitors much more choice than previously about where to go.

TAT is projecting 14.8 million international visitor arrivals in 2007 and estimated revenue of 547.5 billion baht. The domestic tourism target is for 82 million trips with a projected revenue of 377 billion baht.

Mrs. Phornsiri Manoharn, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand said “We are confident that our marketing efforts and strong co-operation between the public and private sectors will help us meet our targets for this year. We are also working to address the declines in arrivals from our key markets.”

“At the same time, we are encouraged by the strong interest shown in Thailand by emerging markets like Russia, the Middle East, India and Africa,” Mrs Phornsiri said. Details of visitor arrivals in January - June 2007 Overall:

Visitor arrivals tabulated by nationality showed a total of 6,954,752, an increase of 3.30% over the same period of 2006.

East Asia: Visitor arrivals from East Asia declined by 3.91% to 3,606,731. Markets that have shown good growth include Laos PDR. (+122.26%), Myanmar (+31.68%), Cambodia (+3.81%), Indonesia (+3.01%), and Hong Kong (+2.87%).

Europe:

Visitor arrivals from Europe were up by 14.45% to 1,954,239. Russia was the outstanding market with a growth of 50.94% during this period. Other main markets like the UK were up by 4.56%, Germany (5.79%), Sweden (24.99%), and the Netherlands (8.50%).

The Americas:

Arrivals from the Americas declined by 1.46% to 454,651. USA, the main source market declined by 2.88% but there were some markets that showed a positive growth such as Argentina (+64.38%) and Brazil (+24.77%).

South Asia:

Arrivals from South Asia were up by 10.58% to 346,261. India, the main source of arrivals from South Asia showed a total of 264,555, up by 14.06% over the same period of 2006.

Oceania:

Arrivals were up by 20.66% to 350,854. Visitors from Australia were up by 22.75% to 302,981 and arrivals from New Zealand were up by 8.98% to 47,011.

The Middle East:

Arrivals from the Middle East grew by 19.97% to 189,689 with all markets showing positive growth. Arrivals from the UAE were up by 16.10%, while arrivals from Israel rose by 17.04%, Kuwait (9.65)%, Egypt (+19.02%), and Saudi Arabia (+31%). The Middle East market is important to Thailand because the visitors are high spenders.

Africa:

Arrivals from Africa were up by 9.67% to 52,327.

JACOB Online opens a new office in India

REPORT - BALI - PATA TRAVEL MART: JACOB Online launched today (28 September) their new office in New Delhi, India at the PATA Travel Mart in Bali, by holding a ribbon cutting ceremony performed by PATA President & CEO , Mr Peter de Jong and Mr Ian Hawkes, Executive Director of PATA UK`s Chapter.

With the market in Asia growing exceptionally fast at all levels, JACOB Online is growing its activities in South East Asia with contracting offices now expanding into sales and growing throughout the region.

Ian Hawkes said: "JACOB is a great concept as it combines the latest in online distribution with a great team of people who firmly believe in providing service. I am sure their Indian office will be a great success".

Denise Atkinson, Sales Director for JACOB Online, says: "With the new office in India, we are expecting a huge increase in hotel sales into Asia and Europe and we are also planning on expanding our offices in Asia to cover more of the region, from a Sales point of view, over the next year."

Having launched JACOB Asia in Hong Kong at last year`s PTM, the first year has exceeded all expectations - and JACOB now offers a wide range of hotels and categories from Beijing to Bangkok and from Singapore to Siem Reap. In additional to offering hotels in Asia, JACOB Online has a comprehensive portfolio of hotels in Europe, Canada and the Middle East.

Bush Seeks Changes To Cut US Airline Delays

US President George W Bush directed deputies on Thursday to devise a plan to shorten airline delays, an initiative that could force carriers to change schedules and pay more to use crowded airports at the busiest times of the day.

"We've got a problem. We understand there's a problem and we're going to address the problem," Bush said after meeting Transportation Secretary Mary Peters in the Oval Office.

Transportation Department figures show that US airline delays are on a record pace for 2007. For the year to July, delays surpassed the 1 million mark, up more than 20 percent from the same period a year ago.

Nearly a third of flights are late or canceled and more than 50,000 by July had ground delays of between one and five hours, a 40 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

Some aviation experts, lawmakers and regulators blame airline overscheduling for delays while others say the government has failed to upgrade the aging air traffic system to handle the millions of arrivals and departures each year. Airlines scheduled a record 647,000 flights in July alone.

The focus of the White House discussion was congestion in the New York area, which handles a third of US air traffic. Delays in New York can affect flights throughout the country.

Of immediate concern are delays at John F. Kennedy airport, which is growing fast and is a major point for international service. The most concrete step to emerge from the White House meeting was a decision for government planners to meet the airlines to discuss scheduling changes at JFK.

Peters told reporters after meeting Bush that she preferred a cooperative approach but the Federal Aviation Administration could limit flights at JFK if necessary.

Any action at JFK would most affect JetBlue Airway, which is based there, and Delta Air Lines, which operates two terminals. American Airlines operates international and some domestic service at JFK.

Delays have been a chronic problem for the industry for nearly a decade, interrupted only by the aviation downturn that followed the hijacking attacks of 2001. Past efforts by airlines and regulators to reduce or rearrange schedules at some of the most congested airports have provided temporary relief at best.

Mike Boyd, an industry consultant, said the steps announced by the Bush administration are too late and only "dumb down" the system.

"Every flight is full, airlines are meeting the nation's demands. The air traffic system is behind," Boyd said, adding that airlines had failed over the years to forcefully demand improvements in air traffic services.

US officials will study the concept of charging airlines more to use crowded airports at the busiest times of the day. Recommendations are due in December.

The Transportation Department has already proposed congestion pricing pilot programs at 15 airports as part of legislation to modernize the air traffic system.

Airlines oppose congestion pricing, saying it will only raise fares as extra costs are passed along to consumers.

Peters did not discount the possibility that government action could affect airline business models, such as the trend toward using more regional jets in place of larger planes.

"We don't necessarily want to say you can't do that, but we do want to say at the end of the day we have to reduce congestion and delay. Everything is on the table," Peters told reporters.

Airlines quickly note shortcomings in the aging government-run air traffic system and the impact on operations in the New York area of corporate jets, a growing preference for business travelers.

"The bottom line is that there is not much we can do once an aircraft leaves the gate and enters onto the taxiway. At that point, we come under the control of an antiquated air traffic control system," Bob Reding, executive vice president for operations at American Airlines, told a Senate hearing on Thursday.

American, Delta and other carriers said they have already tweaked their schedules at peak hours at some airports, adjusted the time that planes sit at gates, and streamlined maintenance to ensure aircraft meet their schedules.

US air-traffic control needs more redundant safety systems says ACTE

Citing a major communications breakdown at a regional air-traffic control center in Memphis earlier this week as yet another cause for alarm regarding aviation infrastructure, the Association of Corporate Travel Executives (ACTE) is demanding greater redundancy in systems used to direct aircraft.

A major telephone line failure at the Memphis center resulted in numerous delays and clearing the airspace over a central portion of the country for three hours. According to ACTE Executive Director Susan Gurley, the design, maintenance, and installation of updated equipment in control centers is as important as the aircraft themselves.

"Aircraft are built to the highest possible specifications, with redundant systems in place to respond to malfunctions," said Gurley. "I find it hard to believe, and unsatisfactory, that the functions of this air traffic control center became unhinged with the failure of a single telephone line. There should have been a number of redundant systems available to automatically switch around this problem."

Gurley added that this problem dramatically exposes the vulnerability of the air-traffic control system, at least in some parts of the country. ACTE`s executive director was swift to praise the swift actions of air-traffic controllers, who used their cell phones to contact other traffic control centers.

"It`s not a question of delays or air travel disruption, which are serious enough," said Gurley. "But an issue of overall safety. Three years ago, many of our members were disturbed to lean that some air traffic control systems in eastern Europe still used standard phone lines to direct traffic from one control center to the next. I can assure you this was an eye-opener for the industry."

Gurley stated that while this incident resulted in no loss of life, she noted that no one downplayed its significance. The air-traffic control system in the United States handles thousands of flights a day. Communications systems and radar need to be the best available. ACTE`s director concluded with the statement that terrorism is not the only threat to the international travel profession.

"Typically, this is the kind of improvement that would come out of the Airline Trust Fund, the primary source of funding for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). There is no question that FAA funding is stretched to the limit, and that it is unrealistic to bridge the funding gap for this agency to ticket prices or additional taxes on travelers. But this is question of safety. Airborne commerce is the pulse of the nation`s economy, and this makes a good argument for bridging the FAA funding gap from general tax revenue," said Gurley.