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Article by Rajat Levesque Singh

Tours Gone Wild is one of the travel packages to Brazil. The company started in 2004 with Brazil as its main destination but has expanded to Argentina, Uruguay, Colombia, Peru, Spain, and Greece as well as offering travel packages to Miami, where the company is based.Brazil remains as one of TGW’s main destinations and in 2008, the company opened an office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to offer its clients better service as well as have a presence in Brazil. “One of the keys to surviving in the travel industry during these times is offering something unique with excellent service at a good price. We started the company in 2004 with more of a focus on nightlife and a younger demographic, but we have evolved into a full service travel company that caters to everyone. Our focus is to offer a high quality Brazil vacation package and guarantee that our clients have a vacation of a lifetime”, says Arturo Perchemlian, TGW Co-Founder.Rio de Janeiro is TGW’s most popular Brazil travel destination. Rio de Janeiro Travel Packages include airfare, accommodation, transfers, a half-day city tour and VIP nightlife services. “Our nightlife services are offered in Rio de Janeiro year-round and we customize the VIP Service on the client. We have relationships with the best nightspots in Rio, but if the client is not into the club/bar scene, we will arrange for the guide to take him/her to a nice restaurant, samba show, live music or a nice place with a more relaxed atmosphere”, adds Mr. Perchemlian.

The VIP Service and TGW’s expert advice is what sets TGW apart from any other company offering vacation packages to Brazil. It isn’t difficult to book a Brazil travel package online, but to have someone at the destination to show you a great time and offer you expert advice is key. Once you get to the destination, it also isn’t that difficult to find things to do during the day, but once the sun sets, you are lost and some areas can become a bit sketchy and unsafe.Brazil has been growing year after year as one of the main travel destinations in Latin America (2nd in incoming tourism to Mexico). With the Brazil World Cup in 2014 and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil is on pace to become the world’s top travel destination. Even though Rio de Janeiro is TGW’s home base in Brazil and its main Brazil Travel Destination, it has expanded its package offering to include Buzios, Iguazu Falls, Amazon & Manaus Region, Salvador, and Florianopolis. The company also offers Brazil Travel Packages for special events, such as Brazilian Carnival, New Years in Rio de Janeiro and the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Sao Paulo.The service aspect of the travel industry is essential. “In the past 4 years, we have been getting a ton of add-on requests to our Rio de Janeiro trips or even stand alone trips to other Brazil Travel destinations. We have teamed up with the best travel suppliers to offer high quality vacation packages that include hotel accommodations, transfers & tours anywhere in Brazil. Although the VIP nightlife aspect is not included in other destinations, we give nightlife recommendations and can even make restaurant reservations via our Rio de Janeiro office. Florianopolis is actually becoming one of the hottest party and jet-set destinations in the world and we will be expanding our nightlife service to that Brazil Travel destination,” adds Mr. Perchemlian.

travel news, tourism news, tyravel guides, travel tips, travel magazine

About the Author

Rajat

http://goarticles.com/article/Tours-Gone-Wild-Expanding-to-More-Brazil-Travel-Destinations-tourism-news/5207352/

Article by Rajat Levesque Singh

Having been in the Travel Business and Timeshare Industry for over 21 years, Eric’s expertise and passion for vacations is unsurpassed.

A native of Philadelphia, Eric grew up wanting to travel the world. Yet every time he shared this dream with others, he was told that “only rich people travel.” To which Eric would then say, “Then I guess I have to do something about that as well.” And he did.

Never heard of a Travel Club before? Well, don’t worry, it’s a fairly new concept, and yet has been around for over a decade. The reason most people never heard of Travel Clubs is that they don’t typically advertise in normal media, such as television, newspapers and magazines. Rather they’ll invite couples to be their guest at a 90 minute presentation and offer them some form of a “travel gift” as a way of compensation for their time and consideration.

Eric says, “We use the best gifts in the industry but they have restrictions. People don’t like that they’re not going to show up and just get two airline tickets to fly anywhere. But after 9/11, that’s just not going to happen. And we could give them a stack of movie tickets or a new television, but we’re looking to attract people who like to travel and take vacations.”

Unfortunately there have been a lot of unscrupulous companies that have given the travel industry a bad name. Eric’s goal is to try and change that reputation, and show everyone that it is possible to run a Travel Club that is both reputable and profitable. Eric says, “Even timeshare, at some of the best resorts, have left a bad taste with many consumers. I like to think we’re the next generation of timeshare. We’ve kept all the positive aspects of timeshare, and removed all the negatives.”

Eric Shuman’s Travel Club Destination Vacations International, Del Rey Travel has over 100,000 members. They get amazing discounts on any and all travel, with the exception of airfare. The airlines are so competitive that margins are small; there’s just not a lot of savings to get. “We’re a full service travel agent. We’ll do all the research, book you an amazing vacation, and save you a ton of money,” Eric says. “I like to think we’re old school. Remember when all the travel agents were in the malls? They were professionals we’d all look up to with respect. Now everyone thinks they can do it themselves, on the internet. Unfortunately, they end up with lousy vacations, spending way too much on their accommodations, and have no money left over to have fun, go out to nice restaurants, and buy something fun to remember their trip. But not our members, they’re spoiled, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Eric’s belief is that too many kids are growing up without ever going on a vacation. And with the economy, many people just can’t afford them. Eric went on to say, “Some of my best memories in life were going on vacation with my parents. I’ll never forget them as long as I live. And yet I hear too many people say that they just quit vacationing, that it’s a luxury that they just can’t afford. After I heard that, that’s when I said, I want to do something about it.”

To join a DVI travel club, you must pay an initial membership fee, a one- time registration fee, and then a nominal annual payment. After that, you get a full service travel agent booking all of your travel at cost. DVI provides assistance with hotels, cruises, all-inclusives, and just about anything and everything in the travel industry.

Eric smiles, “I sell fun. I think it’s important for families to have some quality time together. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to vacation, do you?”

travel news, tourism news, travel guides, travel tips, travel magazine

About the Author

Rajat – Travel And Tour World travelandtourworld.com

http://goarticles.com/article/Complete-Bio-For-Eric-Shuman-Del-Rey-Travel-travel-news-tourism-news/5248406/

Article by Rajat Levesque Singh

Having been in the Travel Business and Timeshare Industry for over 21 years, Eric’s expertise and passion for vacations is unsurpassed.

A native of Philadelphia, Eric grew up wanting to . Yet every time he shared this dream with others, he was told that “only rich people travel.” To which Eric would then say, “Then I guess I have to do something about that as well.” And he did.

Never heard of a Travel Club before? Well, don’t worry, it’s a fairly new concept, and yet has been around for over a decade. The reason most people never heard of Travel Clubs is that they don’t typically advertise in normal media, such as television, newspapers and magazines. Rather they’ll invite couples to be their guest at a 90 minute presentation and offer them some form of a “travel gift” as a way of compensation for their time and consideration.

Eric says, “We use the best gifts in the industry but they have restrictions. People don’t like that they’re not going to show up and just get two airline tickets to fly anywhere. But after 9/11, that’s just not going to happen. And we could give them a stack of movie tickets or a new television, but we’re looking to attract people who like to travel and take vacations.”

Unfortunately there have been a lot of unscrupulous companies that have given the travel industry a bad name. Eric’s goal is to try and change that reputation, and show everyone that it is possible to run a Travel Club that is both reputable and profitable. Eric says, “Even timeshare, at some of the best resorts, have left a bad taste with many consumers. I like to think we’re the next generation of timeshare. We’ve kept all the positive aspects of timeshare, and removed all the negatives.”

Eric Shuman’s Travel Club Destination Vacations International, Del Rey Travel has over 100,000 members. They get amazing discounts on any and all travel, with the exception of airfare. The airlines are so competitive that margins are small; there’s just not a lot of savings to get. “We’re a full service travel agent. We’ll do all the research, book you an amazing vacation, and save you a ton of money,” Eric says. “I like to think we’re old school. Remember when all the travel agents were in the malls? They were professionals we’d all look up to with respect. Now everyone thinks they can do it themselves, on the internet. Unfortunately, they end up with lousy vacations, spending way too much on their accommodations, and have no money left over to have fun, go out to nice restaurants, and buy something fun to remember their trip. But not our members, they’re spoiled, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Eric’s belief is that too many kids are growing up without ever going on a vacation. And with the economy, many people just can’t afford them. Eric went on to say, “Some of my best memories in life were going on vacation with my parents. I’ll never forget them as long as I live. And yet I hear too many people say that they just quit vacationing, that it’s a luxury that they just can’t afford. After I heard that, that’s when I said, I want to do something about it.”

To join a DVI travel club, you must pay an initial membership fee, a one- time registration fee, and then a nominal annual payment. After that, you get a full service travel agent booking all of your travel at cost. DVI provides assistance with hotels, cruises, all-inclusives, and just about anything and everything in the travel industry.

Eric smiles, “I sell fun. I think it’s important for families to have some quality time together. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to vacation, do you?”

travel news, tourism news, travel guides, travel tips, travel magazine

About the Author

Rajat – Travel And Tour World travelandtourworld.com

http://goarticles.com/article/Complete-Bio-For-Eric-Shuman-Del-Rey-Travel-tourism-news/5256118/

Article by Rajat Levesque Singh

Having been in the Travel Business and Timeshare Industry for over 21 years, Eric’s expertise and passion for vacations is unsurpassed.

A native of Philadelphia, Eric grew up wanting to travel the world. Yet every time he shared this dream with others, he was told that “only rich people travel.” To which Eric would then say, “Then I guess I have to do something about that as well.” And he did.

Never heard of a Travel Club before? Well, don’t worry, it’s a fairly new concept, and yet has been around for over a decade. The reason most people never heard of Travel Clubs is that they don’t typically advertise in normal media, such as television, newspapers and magazines. Rather they’ll invite couples to be their guest at a 90 minute presentation and offer them some form of a “travel gift” as a way of compensation for their time and consideration.

Eric says, “We use the best gifts in the industry but they have restrictions. People don’t like that they’re not going to show up and just get two airline tickets to fly anywhere. But after 9/11, that’s just not going to happen. And we could give them a stack of movie tickets or a new television, but we’re looking to attract people who like to travel and take vacations.”

Unfortunately there have been a lot of unscrupulous companies that have given the travel industry a bad name. Eric’s goal is to try and change that reputation, and show everyone that it is possible to run a Travel Club that is both reputable and profitable. Eric says, “Even timeshare, at some of the best resorts, have left a bad taste with many consumers. I like to think we’re the next generation of timeshare. We’ve kept all the positive aspects of timeshare, and removed all the negatives.”

Eric Shuman’s Travel Club Destination Vacations International, Del Rey Travel has over 100,000 members. They get amazing discounts on any and all travel, with the exception of airfare. The airlines are so competitive that margins are small; there’s just not a lot of savings to get. “We’re a full service travel agent. We’ll do all the research, book you an amazing vacation, and save you a ton of money,” Eric says. “I like to think we’re old school. Remember when all the travel agents were in the malls? They were professionals we’d all look up to with respect. Now everyone thinks they can do it themselves, on the internet. Unfortunately, they end up with lousy vacations, spending way too much on their accommodations, and have no money left over to have fun, go out to nice restaurants, and buy something fun to remember their trip. But not our members, they’re spoiled, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Eric’s belief is that too many kids are growing up without ever going on a vacation. And with the economy, many people just can’t afford them. Eric went on to say, “Some of my best memories in life were going on vacation with my parents. I’ll never forget them as long as I live. And yet I hear too many people say that they just quit vacationing, that it’s a luxury that they just can’t afford. After I heard that, that’s when I said, I want to do something about it.”

To join a DVI travel club, you must pay an initial membership fee, a one- time registration fee, and then a nominal annual payment. After that, you get a full service travel agent booking all of your travel at cost. DVI provides assistance with hotels, cruises, all-inclusives, and just about anything and everything in the travel industry.

Eric smiles, “I sell fun. I think it’s important for families to have some quality time together. And I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to vacation, do you?”

travel news, tourism news, travel guides, travel tips, travel magazine

About the Author

Rajat – Travel And Tour World travelandtourworld.com

http://goarticles.com/article/Complete-Bio-For-Eric-Shuman-Del-Rey-Travel-travel-news-tourism-news/5255804/

With the turbulent changes in aviation industry it is essential for updates on matters affecting the industry to the stakeholders and travelers.

There are different sources of getting this information and the easiest and cheapest of all is through internet where one can spend less to be able to download the information.

Appointments Made By Major Aircraft Manufacturers.

For new ideas and innovation there is need for appointments to increase efficiency, reliability and effectiveness. This can only be achieved through competitive selection and promotions to those willing to widen their skills through refreshers courses and attending training courses to be able to cope up with the new technology in the industry.

Gulfstream appoints Rebecca Johnson their Regional Vice President in International Sales on 3rd May 2010 and she will report to Tarek Ragheb, who is vice president, International sales for the Europe, Middle East AND Africa (EMA) Division. Rebecca Johnson will be based in Switzerland and her territory is Central South Europe, which  includes Albania,Austria,Bosnia,Bulgaria,Croatia,Czech,Greece,Hungary,Italy,Kosovo,Macedonia,Moldova,Romania,Serbia,Slovakia,Slovenia,Switzerland and Turkey. With over 6,300 flying hours ,most recently ,she served as an international captain on a Russian-based Gulfstream G550 for Farner Airwings.She has also worked for Hawker Beech craft  for six years  and she has  holds a bachelors degree in aviation from San Jose State University and  she also worked for Calif,charter company at Silicon Valley Express .She has a wealthy of experience in flying  business executive jets and thus the knowledge of the know how of the customers taste and perception on the product and service quality on private charter flights. She will be able to ensure customer satisfaction and punctuality is observed and maintained.

Appointment of  former U.S  Army officer Chuck W Glass by Piper Aircraft to become Director International Flight Training and fleet programs. After retiring from his final Pentagon posting as Director of Military Attaché Operations for South Asia  he went on to pursue a career in General Aviation Flight Training. This announcement was made by Piper Executive Vice President Randy Groom during a news conference held at Sun n Fun fly-In. Chuck W before joining piper as worked for Diamonds chief representative for china in Beljing.He has extensive experience in flight training at Pan Am International Flight Academy in charge of career Pilot Division. With his experience he will be able to advice Piper on the components that usually breaks down in the aircraft and which needs its immediate attention. This will put Piper Aircraft on fore front and to ensure their aircrafts are reliable and safe for pilot training course and other air charter flights.

The appointment of Cecile Vion-Lanctuit by Euro copter as the Vice President of Corporate Communication will enhance its relations with its customers as she was the Head of International Media Relations since 2007 and previously worked as the company’s press officers. She joined Euro copter from in April 2006 from parent company EADS,where she worked at the Munich Headquarters during four years as Senior Manager Media Monitoring and Impact Control in charge of EADS Groups image. She joined EADS in  late1999 as Corporate Auditor and she has over 10 years experience in communications and marketing in real estate field in Canada. She is a graduate of Ecole Superior de Commerce de Lille in France and at Euro copter she succeeds Olivier Blain who will assume other duties within Euro copter Group. She will have to carry out a market research to ensure its customers are satisfied with the product and services provided and also on the comfort ability and reliability.

Plans for New Heathrow, Stansted Runaways Dropped By BAA

This was due to changes to government airports policy  this is a directive by the Britain’s new ruling Conservative-Liberal Democrats coalition and it went a head to say it will even block additional runways as Stansted and Gatwick as well as cancelling plans for a third runway at Heathrow as part of a program me for low-carbon economy. Heathrow the Britain’s biggest airport as well as Stansted, its third –largest is owned by BAA and late last year it sold Gatwick which also serves London. This has hardly come after BAA has already spent GB 190 million (USD 273 million) on the Stansted project and Heathrow Airport did not disclose the amount spent. This project was approved by the government in January last year for the third runway and another terminal at congested Heathrow airport as part of GBP 9 billion (USD $ 13 billion) expansion the then Labour leadership said was crucial to Britain’s  prosperity. legal challenge from local residents and environmentalists concerned about noise and increased carbon emission opposed this project fiercelessly.Stansted has previously said new runway capacity was urgently required if the UK was to preserve its global economic competitiveness.Britol Airport in western England in a separate development has said its local authority had approved an expansion that would allow it to almost double the number of passengers it handles.

Inaugural European Aviation Forum In Exeter Hosted By Flybe

The UKs number one Domestic Airline and the worlds largest operator of Bombardier DASH-8 Q400 turboprop aircraft ,hosted the first ever European Q400 Flight Operations Conference at its Training Centre at Exeter International  Airport at end of May 2010.This event was attended by dozens of Q400 Operators from across Europe head to the South West for the conference where, together with leading representatives of the Canadian –based aircraft manufacturer, they discussed and addressed issues that are unique on the Q400 success.Flybes  Aviation being the first in the world to be awarded Bombardier Recognized Service Facility status for DASH 8-Q400 aircraft demonstrated the comprehensive range of cost-efficient maintenance services to those in attendant. This is the new DASH 8  model in addition to DASH 8-100 series which is for cargo and passenger  flights .It is cost effective both for maintenance, fuel consumption  with a long fuel endurance.

Huge Increase In Aviation Tariffs

A significant 130% increase in ACSA tariffs has been proposed by the South Africa Regulating Committee-mostly as a result of the upgrades undertaken by ACSA in preparation for the world cup, including the new King Shaka International Airport in Durban, whose projected budget was R3.2 billion but which will eventually cost in the region of R6.8.Both  Johannesburg and Cape Town airports have seen developments to a value of R1.7 billion at the two airports are on the cards by 2015,possibly leading to further large increases in the future.

Although less than the 241% boost over five –year period requested by ACSA, the increase has nevertheless been branded as “totally unacceptable,” by Jeff Poole, IATA Director, Industry Charges, Fuel and Taxation.”IATA is very concerned that the inefficiencies and scope changes that ACSA has built in during recent years.”IATA has reported and pointed out that the increase are likely to affect international passenger numbers if passed onto ticket prices, this in turn will affect business, tourism and the wider economy. Airlines will need to decide on the viability of continued flights to a region that is not known to be a high-yield area in any case.

United States of America GPS Rule to Apply To Business Jets Aircrafts

All aircrafts (including business jets) operating at commercial airports or close to congested airspace in the USA will have to be equipped with GPS in order to work with the next generation air traffic control system effective from 1st January 2010.This new system-though expensive to install-is expected to provide significant savings for businesses as air traffic congestion and fuel consumption are reduced.The equipment would broadcast a planes exact position in the sky .Eventually, planes will be required to carry equipment that allows them to receive positioning signals from other aircraft, as well as from satellites and ground stations. This is a regulation that the passengers, aircraft owner and the crew of the business jet should be aware of and implement to be able to fly safe.

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African Airlines have limited access to global markets through alliances and partnerships. They have fragmented and poor market networks even within Africa where the skies are regulated by complete protectionist bilateral air service agreements (BASAs).

This is illustrated by the absence of efficient air transport services between African nations in some regions. At times travelers are forced to go to Europe on transit flights en route from one African nation to another.

Among other problems, the restrictions imposed by BASAs are major contributing factors for the poor market network African carriers operate. Former Secretary General of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA), Christian Folly-Kossi, comments: “African airlines hardly forge partnerships among themselves. The BASAs have definitely limited their market access. This has affected their market reach and scope. A single airline, even if it is very big, cannot have presence in all the markets worldwide because by doing so would cost it dearly.”

While African airlines are suffering from poor market access as the result of the protectionist air service agreements.non-African carriers are taking advantage to develop their network in Africa.

“Mega carriers from the Middle East and Europe are dominating African skies,” said Girma Wake, CEO of Ethiopia n Airlines, which serves 35 international destinations in Africa. Wake added:” What we should know is that foreign airlines are carrying 75% of the air traffic between Africa and other regions. Industry analysis agrees that the protectionist BASAs is hampering the development of the airline industry in Africa.”

Certainly, African civil aviation authorities recognize the impact of the BASAs on air transport development. Accordingly, they started taking measures which would enable them to address the issue of market access years back. With the view of liberalizing the internal African air transport market in October 1988,African civil aviation ministers met in Yamoussoukro in the Republic of Cote D’ Ivoire and signed the Yamoussoukro Declaration on a new African air transport policy.

Following the implementation of air liberalization policies in the US and Europe, African states in 1988 arrived at the general consensus on the need to draft a new policy that requires the liberalization of the African airline industry. This agreement dubbed the Yamoussoukro Declaration intends to avoid the bilateral air service agreements (BASA) that impose several restrictions on African carriers and rather create a single domestic market in Africa. Unfortunately this has never been realized and the African air transport market is still hampered by restrictive BASAs.

This declaration was the result of a collective consensus that African nations must prepare for the adverse effects of deregulation in the United States and the air transport liberalization policies of Europe.

Since the coming into being of the Yamoussoukro Declaration (YD), the issue of market access has been at the centre of development strategy of the air transport sector in Africa. The main aim has been to take away limitations imposed by the various bilateral and multilateral agreements, to create a single domestic air transport market in Africa.

Tewodros Tamrat, director, corporate and industry affairs with AFRAA, explains: “The main trust of the YD is the liberalization of the internal African air transport market. It is intended to remove restrictions imposed by the bilateral air service agreements which are the basis of service agreements which are the basis of the relation between states currently.”

Tamrat, a member of the YD monitoring body under the auspices of the African Union, said these agreements normally specified and limited the number of airlines that could be designated to operate on specific routes; the type of aircraft capacity and the frequency and aircraft capacity and the frequency and the airports into which airline would be allowed to operate.

“It may also require airlines to obtain approvals from the respective countries on the type of fares and terms and conditions they should apply.

“Furthermore, traditional BASAs require substantial ownership of the airline by the national government of the designating state if an airline is to be allowed by the other state to operate to/from its country.”

Tamrat believes the removal of these restrictions will give airlines the freedom and flexibility to operate whenever and wherever it is economically viable and profitable within the African market.

“It will enable airlines to establish an efficient route network, allowing efficient utilization of their aircraft capacity. More importantly, it will allow competition among African airlines encouraging them to be more efficient and provide lower fares and quality service to consumers.

“The increased competition within the region will strengthen the African carriers and prepare them for the inevitable liberalization and globalization of the international market.”

He added: “As accesses to Africa markets are reserved for African carrier’s time and space to grow and strengthen their competitive strength without being crashed by competition from the international mega carriers.”

According to Tamrat, African traffic in many countries is of low density and fragmented limiting the growth potential of African airlines. He commented:” It also restricts connectivity and limits frequency at times forcing passengers to go via Europe to travel between two African countries.

“The opening up the internal market will give airlines the opportunity to consolidate the traffic, create economies of scale and allow them develop regional and sub-regional hubs. This, in turn, will enable them generate sufficient traffic on a sustainable basis to feed into their international flights.”

Yamoussoukro Decision

The Yamoussoukro Decision of 1999 having been endorsed by the Heads of States of the then OAU, entered into force in 2000 with a two-year grace period. The decision was supposed to have been fully implemented by August 2002 and should have replaced by bilateral or multilateral agreement on air services between parties which are incompatible with the decision.

However, to date the Yamoussoukro Decision has not been implemented .Nine years after its adoption by African heads of State; issues of market access remain regulated by a complete system of protectionist bilateral service agreements.

As a result, the air transport in Africa continue to suffer from many dysfunctions including poorly developed network of scheduled services, prohibitive cost of air travel and loss of market  share to mega carriers from Europe and the US.

The mega foreign carriers continue to capitalize on the weaknesses of the bilateral systems to make inroads into the domestic African market. The foreign carriers are poised to make even deeper inroads with the new EU community clause and negotiating mandate, to which Africa is yet to develop a common position.

Major Challenge

Folly-Kossi said that the major challenge in the implementation the Yamoussoukro Decision was that some of the institutional and legal frameworks required for the implementation of the decision had not yet been put in place.

“These are the executive agency, competition regulations and dispute settlement mechanisms. The executive agency, once established, will have the authority not only to follow-up, but also to enforce implementation of the decision,”Folly-Kossi said.

AFRAA, in cooperation with NEPAD, recently started a new initiative that will facilitate implementation by States that are willing and ready to start the process without waiting for others to start at the same time. Folly-Kossi said the new initiative which had an acronym “CREW” (club of ready and Willing) had received support by various states and would be launched as soon as preparation was completed.

The prompt and uniform implementation of the YD is seen by many Africa as a key factor for the transformation of Africa’s air transport industry.

However, some Africa countries with small and weaker airlines  are concerned that full implementation of the Yamoussoukro  Decision may lead to the disappearance of their airlines as a result of anti-competitive behavior such as abuse of dominant position by bigger airlines.

These countries have been demanding the establishment of competition regulation to ensure fair competition and a level playing field for both big and the small airlines.

Countries like Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, Egypt and South Africa are demanding for the full implementation of the YD.

Folly-Kossi said that to address the issue, the three African regional economic communities (COMESA,SADC,EAC) had put in place joint competition regulations which were anticipated to be implemented soon. He added that ECOWAS was also in the process of adopting competition regulation for its region. The AU was also working to establish harmonized continental competition regulations.

Folly-Kossi hopes that all these efforts will address the concern of some of the countries which have reservations on the full implementation of the YD.

Slow Pace

“YD implementation is progressing very slowly. Much of the progress made both at continental and regional level is in the area of putting in place the legal and institutional framework required for implementation,” said Tamrat.

The AU and the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) have been working to finalize the outstanding legal and institutional framework. This includes establishing the executing agency. It has been decided by the African Ministries of Transport that AFCAC be the executing agency of the YD.

However, work to provide the necessary legal document that will enable AFCAC to take the responsibility (that is, amendment of the AFCAC constitution) has not been finalized. The AU and AFCAC are working to finalize this document which will need to be adopted and signed by African States.

The absence of an executing agency has been one of the main stumbling blocks for the speedy implementation of the YD.Many African States, particularly those with small airlines, have expressed the view that the absence of a competition regulation is the reason why they are reluctant to implement YD.

In the absence of a level playing field they fear their small airlines may not survive .The YD itself requires that a competition regulation to be put in place.

In this respect, the AU has hired a consultant to prepare a harmonized continental regulation, which is expected to be submitted to the next Ministerial meeting of the AU.

Dispute resolution mechanism is also envisaged under the YD and so far it has not been established.

The AU has also engaged the service of a consultant to prepare a dispute settle-ment mechanism for dispute arising among states relating to the YD.

Much more progress has been made in the various Regional Economic Communities on the implementation of the YD. Again here most of the work is in putting in place various regulations that are required to implement the YD such as competition laws, airline licensing, safety oversight, and consumer protection. ECOWAS, UEMOA, BAJUL Accord Group in West and Central Africa and EAC, COMESA, and SADC in East and Southern Africa are working together on the harmonization of their various air transport rules and regulations.

Tamrat commented:” In all cases we see in the continent an encouraging trend toward fewer restrictions on traffic rights, capabilities and frequencies .However, these are still done on a BASA basis and not necessarily based on the YD.”

Wake agreed with what Tamrat said about the slow pace of the effort to implement the YD.However, Wake said it was not discouraging.”There are some developments though they are happening slowly.

‘What we must know is that while we are debating on liberalization, foreign airlines are carrying the majority of the African air traffic. Whether the YD is implemented or some airlines will prosper and others will lose.

“The implementation of the YD will bring more opportunities. Ethiopian has signed open skies agreement with more than 20 countries based on the principles of the YD,” he said.

AFRAA is calling on the AU for a strong political push on member states towards the full implementation of the YD.

“We should not wait for all the 53 countries to implement the YD at once,” Kossi said.”Let us start with those which are ready and willing to implement and others will follow.”

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.

In the October air news there reports that Johannesburg could become “centre of the world” if its airspace was liberated, according to Fathi Atti, Etihad Airways’ Head of Government Affairs and below find more news.

Opening the Aviation Outlook Africa 2010 conference in Cape Town recently ,he made a “no brainer” business case for the long-delayed full liberalization of African airspace by drawing  on Abu Dhabi, Dubai,Dohar,and Singapore as examples.

“In the past, European hubs such as Franfurt, Paris and London were seen as the centre of the aviation world. With global liberalization, this focus shifted to Singapore and then to the Middle East. New technology means aircraft can now fly longer distances non-stop, meaning any city can be a world aviation hub. There is no reason why it can’t be Johannesburg!”he said.

He added that the Arab Liberalization Agreement led to increased traffic and tourism between Arb states. It brought more competitive fares and better products and services; more routes and a more diversified visitor base; increased traffic and a resulting boom to the tourism industry; job growth in aviation and an indirect job growth in the wider economy.

In Abu Dhabi it helped Etihad become the fastest growing commercial airline in the world.

To achieve success as in the Middle East, Atti suggested Africa needed airlines that were managed by business experts and not governments and civil servants; needed to lift border restrictions such as visas; needed to integrate its regions; must embrace new aircraft and new technologies; and must liberalize its domestic and external markets so everyone could fly.

Increase Focus On Africa

In a similar vein, Koustav Dhar, CEO of Jagson Airlines, an Indian regional airline, stressed that Africa was the new land of golden opportunity for airlines.

With an average 12% annual growth in air transport Africa was one of the highest growth regions worldwide. Domestic passenger numbers in Africa grew from 28,5-million in 2003 to 82,87-million in 2009, he pointed out. Domestic aircraft numbers increased from 158 in 2003 to 445 in 2009. Weekly international departures from Africa increased from 5108 in 2003 to 12543 in 2009.

Following the introduction of a low-cost carrier and several start-ups, consolidation was now happening in Africa because of fierce competition, price wars, infrastructure constraints, pilot shortages, megers and acquisitions, Dhar said.

He predicted this could lead to big airlines using narrow-bodied aircraft competing for the same passengers in the same markets; and big players and several others competing for specific markets on regional routes resulting in higher frequencies.

He said there was a real need for a strong regional airline supporting domestic African operations and connecting most African nations with multiple frequencies.

He suggested Egypt or Morocco should be promoted as the natural African hub for the Middle East to Africa, Asia to Africa and Africa to Europe flights.

Addis Ababa and Abuja were natural hub choices for Africa to US and Africa to Asia connections.

Dhar suggested a higher concentration of services was needed or regional routes and more 70-to 100-seat category aircraft were needed for quick turnarounds.

He said Open skies policies must include Central African nations, which needed better connections to Europe, Asia and Middle East. West Africa needed better connections to South America, the route having the best growth potential. He believed the Indian Ocean Islands, Central- and Western Africa needed to be better marketed in Europe ,the US and Asia. He urged that Namibia, Algeria, Sudan, the Comoros and Madagascar be promoted to attract more airlines and encourage entrepreneurs to start medium and regional airlines.

Regional Liberalization

East African Community (EAC) deputy secretary general, Alloys Mutabingwa, called on African states to speed up the implementation of the Yamoussoukro Decision (YD) – in terms of which African states agreed to open skies within Africa for African carriers-through their regional economic communities, such as the ECA and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

He said they particularly should work on eliminating restrictions on capacity and frequencies between city pairs. This would ease travel within Africa, where regional connections were still often unavailable.

“We also must put in place the necessary regulations, institutions and monitoring mechanism to ensure fair play in a liberalized environment,” he said. Fear of competition has been on of the main contributing factors why YD has remained largely unimplemented in many parts of Africa. However, SAA,Egypt Air, Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines are enjoying simplified bilateral air service agreements due to the inclusion of some elements of YD.”

Mutabingwa said EAC partner states were in an advanced stage of implementing YD. They had also established a regional organization to coordinate efforts in addressing safety and security oversight in the region.

SACAA Supports Comair’s Plans For Old Durban Airport

The SA Civil Aviation Authority supports Comair’s call to keep the old Durban International Airport operative ,says Commissioner for Civil Aviation ,Colin Jordaan.

Speaking at the recent Aviation Africa Outlook Conference in Cape Town, he said the SACAA had made representations to the Standing Portfolio committee on Transport in this regard. Consequently, a new working group was constituted, which would decide the fate of the airport in the next few months.

The Government last year turned down a proposal from Comair to buy the old airport with a view of using it as an alternative for kulula.com, similar to its operations at Lanseria.Comairs plans are based on the model of overseas low-cost carriers, such as Easy Jet and Ryan Air, using secondary, cheaper airports to keep down costs.

In a later development, the SA Minister of Transport, Sibusiso Ndebele, has announced that the department is going to open bids for Durban International Airport to all interested parties.

End In Sight For African LCCs

Comair, the company which pioneered low-fare flying in South Africa with kulula.com,says the traditional low-cost carrier (LCC) model does not work in Africa and no-frills carrier fares are likely to equal those of full service airlines in future.

Comair’s joint Chief Executive, Erik Venter, says the reason is there is little difference in the operating costs of a low-cost and a full-service airline in this market. “The traditional low cost carrier model does not work here,” he told the conference.” Unlike their overseas counterparts, local LCCs are subject to the same taxes and fees as full-service airlines because they have no cheaper, alternative airports to which to fly.”

He said the only real difference between the two airline business models was the low fare, but this depended on high volumes, which were difficult to achieve in Africa. Pressure to offer lower fares meant LCCs had to use increasingly larger aircraft to achieve higher volumes.

Comair has acquired two Boeing 737-800NGs for kulula.com and is also in discussions to finance the acquisition of up to eight B737-800s for delivery between 2012 and 2015.

Venter predicted a recovering world stock market, a climbing oil price, plus a shortfall of pilots would severely impact on LCCs in future.

“We’re sitting at a plateau of LCC growth in South Africa .The past growth is hardly going to be maintained and LCC tickets will go up to be not far off from full service airline tickets in future. And if we can’t keep prices low, we won’t get the volumes and then we can’t maintain the LCC model”.

Venter said a hybrid airline business model was already emerging with traditional airlines toning down their services and LCCs moving closer to being full-service airlines.

Before the world knew Kingfisher as an airline in India, Kingfisher was more identifiable with the tropical bird of the same name. Kingfisher was started by UB Group owner and Kingfisher chairman Dr. Vijay Mallya, often referred to as India’s Richard Branson. He is known for his flamboyant style and risk-taking business ideas. Kingfisher airline was launched in 2005 and the aircrafts exuded luxury and 5 star class with offerings like personal entertainment systems and gourmet meals served in Kingfisher First and Kingfisher Class, known as business and economy classes in other airlines. After the huge success of Kingfisher airlines in metro India, the company was looking to increase its airline connectivity in smaller, more regional air routes. As a step towards this, Kingfisher announced a merger with Air Deccan in 2008, after much speculation. Air Deccan was considered to be the country’s first Low Cost Carrier that changed how people traveled all across India. Air Deccan operated on sectors like Mumbai to Coimbatore and Delhi to Guwahati. Offering airfares at par with train tickets, Air Deccan offered no frills like meals or entertainment on its aircrafts, which enabled them to price their tickets lower than anybody else. In fact, Air Deccan can be credited for forcing other airlines to drop their fares when they introduced the never-before Rs. 1 fare. In its years of operation, Air Deccan, under the guidance of Capt. Gopinath, was hailed as truly being the common man’s airline with the catch-line “Simplify Deccan”. After the Kingfisher – Air Deccan union, Air Deccan was rechristened to Kingfisher Red Airlines, carrying the brand of its parent company Kingfisher. Under its new name, the airline repositioned itself as a low fare airline. It has also included appetizing meals on its aircrafts. The goal was to offer travelers the Kingfisher experience on all its aircrafts irrespective of how much they paid for a ticket. Kingfisher and Kingfisher Red Airlines (formerly Air Deccan) collectively have 81 aircrafts in their fleet that service over 60 airports within India. Some of their most popular routes include flights between Delhi and Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai, Delhi and Goa, Kolkata and Bangalore, Hyderabad and Chennai, Agatti and Kochi and Bangalore and Tirupati. Kingfisher also operates charter flights to all routes in its network.To add another feather in its illustrious cap, Kingfisher will begin flying international skies, commencing flights from Bangalore city to London early 2009.