Recent News

Doha: Qatar Airways Group has acquired a 25 per cent stake in Southern Africa’s regional carrier, Airlink. The announcement is a continuation of the multi award-winning airline’s ambition to further develop its operations across the African continent. The investment in Airlink – which flies to more than 45 destinations in 15 African countries – will enhance a code-sharing partnership between the two airlines. The deal will bolster Qatar Airways’ Africa growth strategy and cement its role as a key driver to the continent’s economic success. On the announcement, Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Badr Mohammed Al-Meer, said: “Our investment in Airlink further demonstrates how integral we see Africa being to our business’ future. This partnership not only demonstrates our confidence in Airlink, as a company that is resilient, agile, financially robust and governed on sound principles, but also in Africa as a whole, showing huge potential that I am delighted we are able to help start realising.” Airlink Chief Executive, Rodger Foster, said: “Having Qatar Airways as an equity partner is a powerful endorsement of Airlink and echoes our faith in the markets we currently serve and plan to add to our network. This transaction will unlock growth by providing efficiencies of scale, increasing our capacity and expanding our marketing reach. By bolstering Airlink and its business, this investment will strengthen all of the existing airline partnerships Airlink has nurtured over the years.” The partnership between Qatar Airways and Airlink seeks to align both carriers’ loyalty programs – Qatar Airways Privilege Club and Airlink Skybucks. Qatar Airways currently flies to 29 destinations in Africa, and there’s been strong growth in the market with new destinations added to the Qatar Airways network on the continent since December 2020. Abidjan, Abuja, Accra, Harare, Kano, Luanda, Lusaka, and Port Harcourt are the African cities newly added to the extensive Qatar Airways network, while Cairo and Alexandria were resumed.

SOUTHLAKE, Texas, 22nd August 2024: SABRE has finalized a multi-year renewal of its distribution agreement with Delta Air Lines. The long-term agreement enables Sabre-connected travel agents to access both traditional EDIFACT and New Distribution Capability (NDC) content, enhancing their ability to provide comprehensive travel offers to their customers. Earlier this year, Delta announced details of its selling and servicing transformation, which includes NDC. Sabre and the airline will collaborate on the integration of NDC content into Sabre’s travel marketplace to support this strategy. The renewed agreement underscores a shared commitment to the third-party distribution ecosystem and collaborative retail innovation. Regardless of technology, Sabre-connected agencies can offer a rich array of travel choices, which will evolve to include additional price points and omnichannel servicing. “We are pleased to extend our full content agreement and value-based commercial model with Sabre,” said Jeff Lobl, Managing Director, Distribution Strategy and Agency Sales Programs for Delta Air Lines. “We look forward to collaborating with Sabre to make Delta’s NDC technology solution available to all Sabre-connected travel agents to ensure that our customers receive the best possible travel experience tailored to their needs.” Both Delta Air Lines and Sabre are committed to fostering a travel marketplace that prioritizes innovation and flexibility. This renewed agreement reinforces both companies’ shared vision for a future-proof, distribution landscape that accommodates various technologies and content types, and empowers a thriving travel ecosystem. “Sabre is delighted to extend our long-standing partnership with Delta Air Lines and to support their NDC journey,” said Roshan Mendis, Chief Commercial Officer at Sabre Travel Solutions. “This agreement underscores our commitment to building a comprehensive travel marketplace that equips travel agents with the tools and content they need to excel in today’s dynamic travel environment, including the ability to leverage the potential of NDC.”

New Delhi, 17th August 2024: Indian Air Force (IAF) and Indian Army have jointly carried out a first-of-its-kind precise para-drop operation of the Aarogya Maitri Health Cube at a high-altitude area close to 15,000 feet. These critical trauma care cubes have been indigenously developed under Project BHISHM (Bharat Health Initiative for Sahyog Hita and Maitri). The operation was conducted in line with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of providing critical supplies to Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR) affected areas. The IAF utilised its advanced tactical transport aircraft C-130J Super Hercules to airlift and precisely para-drop the cube. The Indian Army’s Para Brigade, known for its operational acumen and agility, played an instrumental role in the successful deployment of the trauma care cube, utilising their advanced precision drop equipment. This demonstration underscored the capability of such specialised military assets to effectively support HADR operations, even in the most remote and mountainous regions. The successful para-drop and deployment of the BHISHM trauma care cube exemplified the synergy & jointness of the Armed Forces and underscored the commitment to providing timely & effective assistance as first responders.

LANGLEY UK, 20th August, 2024: Travelport, a global technology company had announced that it has extended its long-term agreement with Turkish Airlines. The Turkish flagship carrier aims to enhance its modern retailing capabilities in Travelport+ with the ability to quickly and easily customize offers for group bookings. The addition of Travelport’s automated allocation management feature will allow the airline to improve inventory management and seamlessly tailor its group offers for travel retailers using Travelport+. The long-term deal also confirms Travelport will continue providing Turkish Airlines with its powerful data intelligence and rich content and branding (RC&B) solutions. “Our expansion of services with Turkish Airlines confirms the value that our modern retailing solutions provide Travelport’s airline partners so that they can seamlessly manage products and tailor unique offers for agencies,” said Chris Ramm, Vice President of Air Partners – EMEA, India and Global Sales Strategy at Travelport. “Our ability to provide the solutions that our air partners need to elevate their modern distribution capabilities cements Travelport’s role within the industry as a leader in modern travel retailing.”

Delhi,13th August-2024,: Air India Express has launched six new daily direct flights in a single day, further strengthening its domestic network. The new flights operate on the Chennai-Bhubaneswar, Chennai-Bagdogra, Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram, Kolkata-Varanasi, Kolkata-Guwahati, and Guwahati-Jaipur sectors. Five of these routes are new to the airline’s growing network. The newly introduced Guwahati-Jaipur flight is an exclusive route, served by Air India Express. To meet the increasing demand on the Chennai-Thiruvananthapuram route, previously served with two weekly flights, the airline has now introduced an additional daily service, bringing the total to nine flights a week.

Mumbai, 13 August 2024: AirAsia further enhances its network from India to Malaysia and Thailand with the announcement of a new route from Port Blair to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. With this service AirAsia becomes the sole airline in Asian to operate international flights to and from Port Blair. Set to commence on 16 November 2024, AirAsia will fly three times weekly to Kuala Lumpur, marking its 17th and counting route from India. With the addition of Port Blair, the airline operates flights from numerous cities acrossIndia,including Amritsar,Chennai and more,with a total of 97 flights weekly. In 2024 alone, AirAsia launched 10 new routes to Malaysia and Thailand, namely Jaipur, Bhubaneswar and Kozhikode – just to name a few. To commemorate the launch of this new route, AirAsia is offering promotional fares to Kuala Lumpur from Port Blair from only INR 4,999 all-in*one way for travel between 16 November 2024 to 8 October 2025. All Indian citizens are eligible for visa-free entry to Malaysia for tourist visits of upto 30 days until 30June 2025.

Delhi, 10th August 2024: Regional airline, flybig, launched the flight between Moradabad and Lucknow,further expanding its domestic network under the UDAN scheme up to 12th destination. The flight from Moradabad to Lucknow was inaugurated by Dharampal Singh, State government minister and Baldev Singh Aulakh,the Minister of State for Agriculture, who attended the ceremony. “As a committed regional carrier, flybig is dedicated to providing accessible and affordable air travel options to underserved and unserved airports across India,” said Capt. Saanjay Mandavia, CMD and Founder of flybig.”The introduction of flights between Moradabad and Lucknow will benefit business travellers, tourists, and local residents, facilitating seamless regional connectivity.” The airline will operate thrice-weekly flights between Moradabad and Lucknow on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. flybig has also recently launched services from Lucknow to four key destinations, which include Azamgarh, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, and Shravasti, enhancing regional connectivity in Uttar Pradesh.