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Placed precariously at the southern edge of India, Trivandrum has undergone a complete makeover over the centuries. The blooming tourism there is one of the reasons for mounting demands for air tickets to Trivandrum so often. The airlines flying to Trivandrum are always full due to its much-talked-of locations, various monuments, museums, beaches and of course political importance. The town is shrouded with busy people, an endearing contrast to the palaces undisturbed by time and promise. So much for the legends of blue blood!

If you want to do an online research about current air fares and available discounts, you might end up with a plethora of details in our site. You have to do a fair amount of sifting to compile the particulars you need. Once you reach there, you might be disoriented about the general squalor in the city. It is a sad fact one has to deal with in a city as populated as Thiruvananthapuram. Though a humdrum of political and commercial activities, Trivandrum will not let you be dull even for a second. As the administrative capital of Kerala, it can push you to action in a very surprising way indeed.

So you have made up your mind to visit Trivandrum. The next thing you do would be to scan the web for details on various flights to Trivandrum. You will be awestruck by the fact that it is so easy and convenient. Numerous flights by Indian Airlines, Kingfisher, Jet Airways, and Air India Express are the most obvious options for those in the domestic vicinity. The international airlines that cater to travelers to Thiruvananthapuram are Emirates, Singapore Airlines, Air Asia, Air Arabia, Qatar Airways, Air India, Gulf Air, Etihad Airways, Island Aviation, Oman Air, Kuwait Airways, Sri Lankan Airlines and SilkAir.

Though Trivandrum is high up the ladder in hospitality industry, the city has a kind of nonchalance that touches you. This is another inspiration to follow the updates on air ticket prices, schedules and lowest airfares other ongoing events in our website. It is not just a bunch of historical shrines and beaches. You will find yourself at a junction where there are two paths. One calls you as though from ancient times and the other with coffee bars, restaurants, parks, and pubs etc., which add color to the city life. Whichever trail you choose, after a while you will find the two paths interconnected.

In the last few years, the Aviation industry in India has witnessed a massive development in terms of technology and services. Due to the neck to neck competition in the sector and the increasing demands of travelers the emergence of the budget airlines took place. Popularly known as low cost carriers, these airlines offer best possible prices for a trip anywhere in India.  In today’s era where everyone is in the hurry these domestic airlines have gained much preference as they are not only economical but also undoubtedly much more comfortable than local trains or buses.

India is blessed with many historical monuments.  Some of the speaking stones of India which are included in the list of each and every tourist visiting the country are Taj Mahal, Qutub Minar, Red fort, Jama Masjid, Gateway of India, India Gate, Lake palace and the list goes on.  To appreciate the beauty of the country, the Himalayan Mountains and the back waters of Kerala are the best places for the nature lovers.  The Goa city and its beaches are known for its nightlife and the gala time. Mumbai, Delhi-the capital city, Kolkota, Chennai, Bangalore and the national capital region-Gurgaon are the major commercial hubs of India.  Not to forget the forts and palaces of the Rajasthan is an ultimate experience. Famous for various cuisines, religions, customs and languages it’s truly a place that can be called Unity in diversity.

Therefore, in case you are planning a business or a vacation trip in any part of the country known for its rich culture buying an air ticket can really be cost effective. Even booking a ticket is absolutely hassling free.  The discounted air fares are available on various online travel companies. All you have to do is a little search and it is advisable to compare the prices between various travel portals.  Few of them provide really cheap air tickets to various parts of the country.

Other than booking air tickets one can also find cheap accommodation, information about the flight, the city you are visiting, weather information of the destination etc.  These days’ online portals are truly a one stop shop for all your travel needs.

Also, advance booking of air tickets is always beneficial as the fares are low in compared to last minute booking.  Avoiding holidays and weekends can be another advantage.

Gone are the days when you had to stand in queue to book airline tickets or you have to make round of calls to private inefficient agents just for a ticket, now you can do online airlines booking at really affordable prices hassle-free. You need a computer and Internet connection and then move your mouse over the best deals offered by various travel sites and select any of the online airlines booking deals for cheap online flights. On travel sites they have online airlines booking for any destination around the world, or if you are confused which destination to select then again they can help you with their professional expertise get you the desired destination cheap online flights.

Online airlines booking travel sites provide you the holistic traveling solutions; they provide everything for traveling under one roof. Whether it is arranging meeting at any domestic destination or offshore destination they can arrange you cheap online flights at one click or if you want hotel arrangements then again they can get hotel accommodation for any luxury or budget hotel around the world with your cheap online flights. Online airlines booking travel sites online air fare are also affordable that you can’t just resist, you will surely think about it again and again, most often you will be enticed by the attractive online air fare.

Online airlines booking are the great phenomena for the aviation industry which has been booming at the time, and therefore most of the airlines are offering incomparable online air fare for any online air fare. What you have to do is just click on the right button that is online airline booking and voila you are done, you will be provided with the cheap online flights in jiffy.

If you are wary of the online air fare then you can also compare the online air fare for various online airlines booking and then come to the successful decision for cheap online flights. Don’t wait for anything just do the trick with your fingers to see the sweet smile on your loved ones faces for memorable holidays of lifetime.

International Airlines In India

International Arilines serves as a medium by which you can move from one country to other or vice-versa.  It helps you to  connect with your relatives who are living in an extreme corner , as well as in increasing business  network globally . International Airlines serves in India are :

Emirates Airways     

 Emirates Airline,which is a flag career of un ited arab  have its base station or  headquarterin Dubai,which connects it with a extensive network of International routes.  It serves at 101 destinations, in 60 countries of the world. It flies to Canada, U.S, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand. In Europe, it serves France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Russia, England, Switzerland, Turkey and Malta. The airline carries passengers to destinations like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore  etc. 

British Airways India

 British Airways India is one of the most popular and largest airline which serves over 600 destinations in almost 80 countries, in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and North and South America. Brittish Airways is committed to delivering safe and secure air travels with  attractive offers and having extensive global route network flying to and from centrally located airports.

Cathay Pacific Airways

Cathay Pacific Airways is has its base or headquarter in  Hong Kong. The airline offers scheduled cargo and passenger services to over 90 destinations around the world.. Initially it was situated in Shanghai, then later on moved to Hong Kong, where it can be presently found.                                                                                                  

                                         Cathay Pacific operates scheduled passenger and cargo services to more than 100 destinations world wide.

Jet Airways

Jet Airways has its headquarter in Mumbai, operating domestic (India) and international flight services. It has been adjudged many times as India’s ‘Best Domestic Airline’.  The airline has had the distinction of being repeatedly adjudged India’s ‘Best Domestic Airline’ and has won several national and international awards.
 Everyday it operates over 340 flights to these 50 destinations. The first private Indian carrier to fly to international destinations, Jet Airways operates daily international flights to Kathmandu, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and London (Heathrow).  Emerging as a world-class international airline, Jet Airways offers economical air fares, a high quality of service and reliable and comfortable operations.

Air Canada

Air Canada is Canada’s largest  international airlines having its base or headquarter in Montreal. A wholly owned subsidiary of ACE Aviation Holdings Inc, it also serves as the flag carrier of Canada. The airline is headquartered in Montreal. The airline also has hubs at Toronto Pearson International Airport and a Pacific hub at Vancouver International Airport. It has cargo service to more than 150 destinations; holiday packages to more than 90 destinations; and maintenance, ground handling and training services to other airlines.
 Air Canada boasted of the distinction of being the 12th largest airline in the whole world.

Lufthansa Airlines

Lufthansa is one of the most popular  airlines of the world and has its base in Cologne. It is the largest airline in germany. Its main bases can be seen at Frankfurt International Airport, in Frankfurt and Franz Josef Strauss International airport at Munich .The airline consist of large number of modern aircrafts and is  third largest passenger airline fleet in the world. Lufthansa is a founding member of the Star Alliance, one of the world’s major airline partnerships. The airline flies domestically and internationally to almost 200 destinations throughout the world.

Swiss International Airlines

Swiss International Airlines has its main base or hub  at Zurich Kloten Airport  in Switzerland Zurich Kloten Airport. It is also known as Swiss European Air Lines. . Switzerland’s national airline is a subsidiary of Lufthansa, the German flag carrier. The airline serves 90 destinations in more than 40 countries.

Delta Airlines

Delta Airlines is a U.S. based airline, with its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. Today, it is the world’s largest airline flying to almost 400 destinations in 66 countries. More than 170 million passengers fly with Delta each year.  

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines has its main base at Airline House, and  its head  hub can be seen at Singapore Changi Airport. It flies or serve for  Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and the “Kangaroo ” routes. An innovator in the aviation industry, it was the launch customer of the “superjumbo” Airbus A380. Its subsidiary is SilkAir, a regional airline.

                                  Currently, Singapore Airlines  is serving to 65 destinations in 35 countries on five continents. 

To know more about schedules, flights, special offers, international airports….you can visit on official websites of each airlines….

Have a wonderful journey!!!

 

In December, 2005, this airline was renamed as “Indian”, which is a part of the preparation for its merger with Air India. On February, 2007, at the authorization of government, Indian Airlines was merged with Air India to provide improved facilities to its flyers. After mergence, the airlines retained the initials of Indian Airlines as IC with logo name as Air India. This mix and match was done to augment the amenities within the lowest possible costs. This airline has always been a preferred among people in the country. With facilities like promotional or discounted fares, travel assistance, excellent choice of meals and holiday packages, Indian Airlines continued to be among the top favorite of people.  Airlines are a means to enjoy luxurious and comfortable travel to a variety of places. The same anticipation of flyers is fulfilled at Indian Airlines, where you are served with utmost care and comfort. This airline is a state owned department that works under Ministry of Civil Aviation. If you are willing to travel through this airline; then, you should be rest guaranteed of services that will provide you with best-in-class services. Indian Airlines is a Delhi based airways that focuses primarily on domestic destination, with few global destinations too. The main hub of this airline is Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and important bases at Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport at Mumbai, Meenambakkam Airport at Chennai and Subhash Chandra Airport at Kolkata.

With the facility of inexpensive fares provided from time to time, you will have the autonomy of availing cheap Indian Airlines tickets. After all, everyone likes to travel at affordable rates and save a lot of money. This airline is such that its conveniences are of supreme class, which are available within your budget. Even, the cabin crew and ground staff are well trained to deal with the passengers with utmost care and comfort. The seating capacity of the aircrafts also provides proper leg space for a relaxing journey. The meals provided while the journey is something to be relished. You will be given a choice to select from vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, along with special meals for health conscious people. By now, you must have been lured to take-on a flight with Indian Airlines. If you plan to travel to some international destination like Dubai, Bahrain, Colombo or Singapore; then, you definitely will have ever appreciating memories from your air travel. The reasons for this are choicest of delicacies, excellent in-flight assistance, warm hospitality and comfortable journey. After the merging of Indian Airlines and Air India, the result seemed to be a constructive decision. Even, the fares allow almost every category of people to travel to their dream destinations. Now, they don’t have to recline with not having enough finances for an air travel.

When it comes to travelling within India, people are provided with a lot of options to choose from. With the advent of the internet, shopping for the best air fares is a piece of cake. Earlier people preferred to travel by trains or buses, since they were more economical when compared to domestic flights. Now the scenario has changed, since there are many new domestic airlines in India that offer discounted airline travel to the customers.

Features of Domestic Flights In India

Apart from the cheap air fares offered by the domestic flights, there are many additional features that make domestic flights the most popular mode of transport for the people. Some of these features are as follows:

Online Booking: Many of the domestic flights in India provide customers to book tickets online. All they have to so is log on to the official website and put in the necessary information like, date and time of departure, destination city etc. Booking process takes a few minutes depending on the speed of the internet and makes it a convenient option for travelers to plan their journey on time.

Convenient Seating Facility: Since domestic airline are small when compared to the international ones, it offers ease to the customers travelling on them. Generally these airlines have five to six passengers seated at every row, and this makes it convenient for the crew to cater to the needs and requirements of each and every customer.

Regular Service: In the case of international flights that operate once or twice in a week, the domestic airlines in India operate almost everyday, thereby making it a convenient option for customers travelling for business purposes.

Reward System: Many of the domestic airlines come with a reward system to encourage more and more people to travel by flights. These reward points are based on the common flier miles that show hoe frequently a particular person has travelled by the concerned flight.

Some of the perks offered by these reward system are precedence check in, options to upgrade from coach to first class and also VIP handling.

Choosing The Best Domestic Airlines In India

If you travel frequently, you might want to choose the best airlines that will take you to your destination safely and efficiently. Below are some of the tips that can help you in choosing the best domestic flight in India:

Safety Records: If you are travelling on a new airline, you might want to look up at the safety records to know about the safety arrangements they provide to their passengers. The best place to dig for such information is the internet.

Reviews: Another best way to get information about domestic flights is by going through the reviews put forth by customers. You can easily browse through forums and articles or take the advice and recommendations of our colleagues or friends who have already used this airline.

Prices: If you plan on making use of domestic airlines fares, during festive seasons, then you might also want to look for discounts and other schemes offered by these airlines. You may come across many booking offices that offer better rates when compared to a normal airline.

Conclusion

The bottom line is that domestic flights are also provide you with last minute deals along with updated schedules that can help travelers to know about the flight timings and different routes. Choosing the best airline solely depends on your budget and the time spent to research for such flights.

United Airlines and Continental Airlines have raised their airfares. This move was followed by American and Delta Air Lines. Approximately, to has been added to the cost of round trip tickets. The move is geared towards business travel segment air travellers making last-minute bookings. These steps are an attempt by airlines to balance out their losses due to the continuous spurt in fuel prices. The Associated Press reported that travellers who book ‘first class and instant-upgrade tickets’ will be effected by the rise in fares. The Associated Press also reported that such travellers ‘are less likely to put off or cancel trips because of rising prices’. Since mid December, leisure fares have gone up four times.

Twin Cities’ Passengers to be Hit Hardest

With Delta Airlines also increasing ticket prices, travellers catching Delta flights from the Twin Cities of St Paul and Minneapolis will have to bear the brunt of the impact at the local level. Delta Airlines is the largest airline in the town and handles more than 450 departures from the Minneapolis St Paul Airport everyday. However, there has been no instantaneous response to this hike from budget airlines such as Southwest, AirTran, Frontier, and Sun Country.

Qantas to Also Hike Fares

Qantas voiced plans to increase the fares of trans-Tasman, regional, and domestic airfares by a maximum of 5%. The move will significantly dent its cheap flights segment. The airline claimed that the rise in the average prices in Singapore Jet Fuel (SJF) and West Texas Intermediate Crude Oil (WTICO) are the major factors behind the step. Qantas has claimed that the prices in WTICO and SJF are higher than the level of prices during the first half of FY11 and also at their peak after FY08. In fact, the SJF average per barrel rise has been from US from September, 2010 to US0 in January 2011. In the present week, this reached the figure of US7 as per internet sources. The increased airfares would be applied to the tickets sold from February 25th onwards.

Qantas CEO’s Take on the Issue

Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas commented ‘Airlines in Australia and around the world continue to monitor oil and fuel prices very closely, and many have already responded to the current high prices with changes to their surcharges and fares’. He went on to say ‘Domestic, regional and Tasman fares have been under review and, while we have been absorbing higher fuel costs for some time, this increase is an appropriate response to this significant and additional cost to our business’. Mr Joyce even voiced the concern that future hikes can be a possibility and that ‘after fuel hedging and this change to our fares, Qantas will still not fully recover these higher fuel costs’.

Looking to travel by air sometime soon. Here are three things to keep in mind before you even board the plane so that you’ll be ready for whatever the airline throws at you. 1. Do not even bother with the on-flight food. You generally ca not even tell what kind of animal it comes from anyway. I try to make it a habit to avoid foods of such unclear origin. That does not answer the question of what you should eat while on a flight. Try packing something you like in your carry-on since you likely wo not be getting anything tasty from the airline. If there’s one thing an airline can get right, it’s water, so you do not have to pack your own bottles. I usually bring along some apples and bananas or sliced vegetables along with some good bread from a specialty store. Plastic containers can also be useful for bringing pasta, or really anything. Always pack enough to get you through the flight. 2. Children, especially babies, are quite difficult to bring along on a flight. If your trip is only going to take a few hours, you might be able to get away with it, but otherwise just get a babysitter and you’ll be saving yourself a ton of trouble. If you are flying cross-country or on an international flight, however, do not even think about bringing kids along. I can guarantee that it would not be a pleasant experience. You’ll never know if your kid will react to the flight, but it will most likely end in vomiting. Having brought a baby along on a 24-hour international flight, and I would never do it again. Spare yourself the headache; it’s not worth it. 3. For luggage, bring a small, durable fanny pack along with a carry-on. Any food, clothing, or toiletries should go in the carry-on so that they can be easily accessed on the flight. Place any money, credit cards, or tickets in the fanny pack and keep the pouch at your front. Your checked luggage may be stolen, lost, or ripped apart by the chimpanzee working for the airline – it’s all part of the flying experience. I wish you the best of luck on your next flight, and I hope that you are prepared for the beautiful adventure that you’re sure to have.

The recent war of low flight charges has left the passengers with the best worth for their money. Of late you might have observed that the flight charges have gone down considerably thus providing opportunity for many first time fliers to have a feel of the air travel. The passengers are overwhelmed at this amazing opportunity. Not many might have dreamed to travel in flight a couple of years ago when the flight charges were sky rocking and tickets to Chennai from Mumbai might have cost around Rs.7,000.00 to Rs.8,000.00. This scenarios has changed drastically and the prices fallen very sharply following the recession. An amazing situation prevailed in the aviation industry with the insertion of low cost air fares by many new airlines operators. This led many airlines to revise their air fare and offer air tickets at almost half a price. Many of the domestic flights operators are running in huge loss and are not able to cover even the operation charges of the flight. The passengers are not complaining though. They’re actually happy that the tight competition in the industry has left them with many reasons to smile. The following are some the benefits you can avail in this situation. Many of the airlines are offering very low fares which are quite surprising for many. Some of the airlines who’re offering such fares are Go Air, Indigo, Paramount Airways, Spice Jet, Jet Lite and Jet Konnect. The margin between these operators is very little but still you can save a lot by choosing any of these airlines. The main idea of these flight operators is to fill the seats fully and not to fly with empty seats. Therefore to fill them they would offer tickets at much lesser prices to attract the middle class passengers. For example they would sell the tickets to Chennai from Bangalore for as less as Rs.500.00 which would have cost Rs.2,000.00 in the normal circumstances. Many operators of domestic flights are offering huge discounts and special offers to the passengers. The airlines are offering amazing discount if you book your ticket 14 days in advance. You can save as much as 50-60% on base fare by doing so. If you book your return ticket 14 days in advance you can save an additional Rs.1000.00 to Rs.1500.00 on the base fare. This would account for almost 20-30% of your total flight charges. Some of the airlines and travel portals are even offering 5% cash back and book one ticket and get one ticket free offers.

This month articles includes air news covering the entire world on airlines as below,

African Airline News

Planned expansion Johannesburg- Low cost airline, 1 time, is planning to sell a 25% stake in the carrier to a black economic –empowerment (BEE) CONSORTIUM TO RAISE R65, 1-million to expand its airline and related businesses.

The group entered into a subscription agreement with Mtha Aviation and the SKMT Sunrise Investment Group to become its strategic BEE partners. The parties have formed an investment holding company, Oakleaf Investments Holdings, to acquire and hold the 25% stake in the 1 time group.Mtha would own 83% of Oak leaf and Sunrise the balance.

The proceeds of the deal will be used to expand its airline fleet, to start airline operations at Lanseria International Airport and to introduce new routes into Africa.

The group will also invest in expanding the fleet of its charter business and in upgrading its aircraft maintenance facilities.

Landmark Ethiopian Boeing

Addis Ababa –Boeing delivered its 900th 777 aircraft to Ethiopian Airlines recently.

The airliner is the ultra-long-range Boeing 777-200LR and is the first of five such aircraft the airline ordered in 2009.

The carrier becomes the first African carrier to operate this ultra-long range variant of the 777 that will be used to open up several new destinations including Washington, DC and Beijing.

The carrier is also reported to be in negotiations with Boeing for the delivery of four 777 freighters.

The carrier recently introduced flights to Bangui that marks its 60th destination globally and 39th in Africa, with Kilimanjaro having been added earlier in December. Ethiopian also upgraded equipment on its daily flights to Mombasa using Boeing 737-800s in place of the Bombardier Q400.

In another move, Ethiopian Airlines has entered into a code share agreement with Air China. Under this agreement, the two carriers jointly provide fourteen weekly flights on the Addis Ababa-Guangzhou and Addis Ababa-Beijing routes.

Regional Acquisition

Nairobi-Jet link Express has acquired an additional Bombardier CRJ100LR from LeasAir.The deal was arranged by AMS Aircraft, UK.

Acquisition Completed

Johannesburg-The ASL Aviation Group has completed the previously announced acquisition of Safair Operations, Safair Lease Finance and three ATR72-500s from Aergo Capital.

ASL now has fleet of about 90 aircraft and euro 400-million annual turnover.

Carriers Banned

Brussels-The European Commission has updated its list of airlines banned from EU airspace for safety reasons.

The African airlines affected by the ban are all air carriers registered in Benin, Republic of Congo, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Liberia, Mauritania, Sierra Leone, Sao Tome and Principe, Sudan, Swaziland and Zambia which are now barred from entering the union’s airspace.

MOU Signed

Casablanca- A|D|S and the Moroccan Aerospace Association have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to increase cooperation and form joint initiatives.

New Cargo Service

Johannesburg- Air cargo Germany (ACG) has inaugurated a twice-weekly Frankfurt Hahn-Johannesburg service using Boeing 747-40 freighters.

New Name

Nouakchott-Mauritania Airlines replaces Mauritania Airways as the country’s national carrier and will operate a fleet of two Boeing 737-500s and a 737-700NG.

Burkina Faso Start-Up

Ouagadougou- Centralfrique Air Express has registered a single Boeing 747-300 in Burkina Faso to be operated on Hajji Flights.

Marsland Boeing

Khartoum-Vista Georgia is operating a Boeing 737-500, acquired from Luxair, on behalf of Sudanese carrier, Marsland Aviation.

World Air News Round Up

Gripen Support Contract

Johannesburg-Saab has been awarded an interim support and services contract from Armscor in South Africa involving the South African Air Forces growing fleet of Gripen C and D advanced fighter aircraft.

The agreement covers interim support services for the time until the fleet is fully operational. The contract is an on demand-based contract with a fixed part covering the framework for the 17 months period to end of March 2012.

On demand services are typically maintenance repair and overhaul, engineering support services in Sweden or on base in South Africa and resupply of spares.

Saab was also awarded a contract for delivering a multi-emitter environment simulator for Gripen .Saab in South Africa has been contracted to develop and test an interface between the Gripen mission support system and the SAAF current intelligence system.

French-Russian Joint Venture

Moscow- Rosoboronexport and Sagem (Safran group) signed an agreement to create a joint venture for inertial navigation systems, at the recent session of the French-Russian inter-governmental commission on bilateral cooperation.

The new company will be based in the Russian Federation, with the Russian partner holding 51% and the French partner 49% of the capital.

Aviation Security Innovation

Crawley-Thales UK recently showcased advances in aviation security technology as it delivered the INSTINCT Technology Demonstrator 2 (TD2) aviation security project on behalf of the British Home Office.

Technology demonstrated at the event included full-body scanners trailed at Manchester Airport and a walk-through explosive detection system trailed at Glasgow Airport.

These were showcased alongside more than 40 other exhibits at Thales UKs flagship Crawley site. The site has been transformed into a simulated airport experience, from ticketing through to boarding.

Since winning the contract to lead TD2 last July, Thales has received more than 300 expressions of interest, leading to 180 submissions from small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), academia and industry.

Sofia Airborne

Palmdale-A US-German infrared observatory mounted in a Boeing has flown its inaugural scientific flight, a mission to better understand how stars form.

The modified B747SP jetliner completed the flight recently, returning to its base in Palmdale, in the Mojave Desert, after 10 hours of cruising at high altitude.

The telescope, which is 100 inches in diameter, targeted the “star-making factory”, Orion Nebula, and   a young forming star cluster 3000 light-years from Earth.

The maiden flight as the first of three initial scientific flights planned and marked the start of a 20-year observing campaign.

The joint NASA and German Aerospace Centre project is called the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy or SOFIA for short.

Bar Coded Passes

Geneva-The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced an historic milestone in passenger travel with the 100% worldwide implementation of 2D bar coded boarding passes (BCBP) which replaces the previous generation of more expensive and less efficient magnetic stripe boarding passes.

“The magnetic stripe boarding passes are on their way to a history museum next to the paper ticket. After electronic ticketing in 2008, the conversion to BCBP in the next important step to provide passengers with more convenience and choice.

“Completing many tasks during the journey will now take seconds with the swipe of a bar code,” said Giovanni Bisignani, IATAs Director General and CEO.

The completion of the industry project gives passengers greater choice in checking –in at home, at a kiosk, on a mobile device or at an airport check-in counter.

BCBP also allows airlines to issue a single, printed boarding pass for multiple flights, simplifying the journey for passengers with flight connections or those travelling on different airlines.

In addition, BCBP opens the door for automated access to premium services. For example, with a scan of a BCBP, eligible passengers can access fast-track security lanes or lounges.

Airlines issue over two-billion boarding passes every year. The conversion to printed 2D BCBP has been a five-year project and will save the industry up to US$ 1, 5-billion every year.

Avalon A320 Order

Toulouse-Ireland-based aircraft leasing group, Avolon, has announced a firm order for eight A320 aircraft from Airbus.

The aircraft will all be equipped with the new fuel-saving Shark lets option.Avolon will make an engine selection for the aircraft in the near future.

Air Australs B737-800s

Seattle- Boeing has delivered a Next-Generation 737-800 to Air Austral, as part of the airlines modernization plan for its medium-haul fleet.

The aircraft is the first of two the airline has ordered to replace one 737-300 and one 737-500 in its fleet.

Air Austral is headquartered int. Denis, Reunion, a French Department island located east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean.

Corvalis Deliveries Stopped

Wichita-Cessna has suspended deliveries of the Corvalis line of high-performance singles after the composite structure of the wing of a newly built aircraft “unbounded” during the planes shakedown flight.

“During a production flight of a new Corvalis 400, a wing fuel leak was detected,” Cessna spokesman Doug Oliver explained.”Working closely with the FAA, we took immediate steps to understand the root cause. We now fully understand the cause and have a solution.”

The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive saying that seven feet (2, 1 metres) of skin had “unbounded” from the upper forward wing spar.

Cessna didn’t say what the fix was but the effect is limited to eight aircraft, none of which is yet in service .It could, however, delay deliveries.

Ethiopian Eyes B777 Freighter

Addis Ababa- Ethiopian Airlines was contemplating acquiring Boeing 777 freighter aircraft, the outgoing Ethiopian CEO, Girma Wake, told our correspondent, Kaleyesus Bekele, in a recent interview.

Wake said that the surge in the amount of cargo the airline was hauling had prompted the management to acquire Boeing 777 freighters. Talks were currently being held with Boeing and the outcome of these negotiations together with a study its officials were making, would determine how many of the aircraft the airline would order, he said.

Meanwhile, Ethiopian airlines’ flight training academy has signed an order with Diamond Simulator GmbH & Co. for its first DA40 flight simulator in the AE300 Austro diesel engine configuration.

The simulator is scheduled for delivery at the end of this month.

More Routes for EgytAir

Cairo- EgyptAir, is to open more routes in Africa, according to Hussein Massoud, the carriers CEO who told World Air news  that his company  would inaugurate the new routes to Lusaka and Accra soon.

Egypt Air has also increased its frequencies to Paris, Rome and London and is planning to launch a new flight to Toronto in the near future.

Precision Air Seeks More Capital

Daresaalam- Precision Air Limited has announced that it was going to sell shares with the view of raising its capital.

Alphonse Kioko, CEO of Precision, told World Air news that his company would float shares to the public for sale in order to raise the company’s capital and buy more aircraft.

Established in 1991, Precision Air is based in Daresalam, Tanzania .Kenya Airways has a 49% stake in the company, the remaining shares being owned by a private investor, Michael Ngaleku Shirima.

The airline serves 10 domestic and three international destinations. It operates one B737-300 and four ATR42s and five ATR72s.

World Record Order for A320 Airliners

What is believed to be the largest commercial jet airliner order in aviation history was announced last month immediately after India’s biggest low-cost carrier, IndiGo, signed a Memorandum of  Understanding for 180 Airbus A320 aircraft of which 150 will be the new re-engined A320neo model and 30 will be standard A320s.

Apart from being the largest single firm order number for large jets in commercial aviation history, it also makes IndiGo a launch Customer for the A320neo.Engine selection will be announced by the airline at a later date.

The A320neo, available from 2016, incorporates new more efficient engines and large wing tip devices called Shark lets delivering significant fuel savings of up to 15%, which represents a cut-back of up to 3600 tones of CO2 annually per aircraft .In addition, the A320neo provides a double-digit reduction in NOx emissions and reduced engine noise.

“This order for industry-leading fuel efficient aircraft will allow IndiGo to continue to offer low fares,” said Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia, co-founders of Indigo.”Ordering more A320s was the natural choice to meet India’s growing flying needs. The opportunity to reduce costs and to further improve our environmental performance through the A320neo, were key to our decision.”

Fokker Joins MEBAA

Amsterdam-In response to its rapidly expanding Middle East and North African customer base, Fokker Aircraft Services (FAS) has become one of the newest members of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA).

In recent years FAS hangars have seen increasingly more Boeing and Airbus aircraft being received for a range of VIP completion, conversion and refurbishment programmes, in addition to maintenance, repair and overhaul services.

FAS recently delivered of a VIP Airbus –A318 completed for a Middle-East –based customer based in the Middle East and is at present is completing the conversion of African customers A320.

Korea Selects C-130J

Marietta, Ga- Lockheed Martin has signed a contract with the Republic of Korea to provide four C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for its transport fleet.

Koreas new Super Hercules will be the longer fuselage or “stretched” combat delivery variant. Deliveries will be in 2014.

New Cargo Manager

Johannesburg-Dr. Ruediger Munzert has been named Lufthansa Cargos new general manager for Southern Arica and Senegal.

Dr. Munzert will manage outside as well as inside sales functions and ensure quality ground handling at Lufthansa Cargos largest African hub in Johannesburg, as well as in Cape Town, Luanda and Dakar.

He took up his new position in Johannesburg last month and will report to Herman Zunker, Lufthansa Cargo’s Director for Africa, who is also based in Johannesburg.