Recent News

Mumbai, 22nd September 2022: Experience and wellbeing of our passengers at the airport has always been a prime focus for Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA). In recognition of its customer-first initiatives and services, CSMIA has achieved Level 3 of the ‘Airport Customer Experience’ Accreditation programme by Airports Council International (ACI). CSMIA was the first airport in India to be qualified for the Level 1 and Level 2 certification and continues to keep up with passenger’s expectations, year after year, with primary focus on safety, comfort, and convenience. The Level 3 accreditation from ACI lauds the advanced customer experience strategy through the multifaceted engagement of customers, employees and customer experience professionals. Moreover, CSMIA’s digital focus is complimented by a customer-first approach where technology meets quality service. From Common Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks for passengers to check-in and generate baggage tags themselves, Self-Baggage Drop counters (SBD) to e-gates that allow passengers to scan their boarding pass before proceeding to the security check are just some of the proactive initiatives which are examples of CSMIA’s commitment to adapting to the next generation digital framework. With a focus on promoting a contactless journey, the airport expedited its planned developments and launched initiatives like introducing a touchless feature via QR-code-based technology and its self-check-in kiosks, defining the tech-enablement undertaken at every step of the journey of the passenger. CSMIA also ensured to introduce to the travellers, the culture of India through several activities rolled out at the airport – Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav, 16th Passenger Day celebrations, T2’s 8th Anniversary celebrations and activities, Mumbai Street Food festival, Diwali Kandil décor activities, Christmas, and Independence Day installations and much more. Speaking on the occasion, CSMIA spokesperson said, “We are extremely delighted to be bestowed with this prestigious accreditation by ACI. Acknowledgement of our sincere efforts toward passengers has truly motivated us to strive harder to achieve optimal airport transit experiences for our passengers. Being so close to achieving the next two levels of the total five levels, makes us want to push harder and reach greater heights together.” The ACI Airport Customer Experience Accreditation programme is the first worldwide customer experience management accreditation that is designed specifically for the airport industry and is dedicated to ACI member airports. Recently, CSMIA was recognized as ‘Best Airport by Size and Region’ for the fifth consecutive year. CSMIA has also achieved the ‘Voice of Customer’ recognition and was also the first Indian airport to achieve ACI Health Accreditation for two consecutive years.

Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain – 22nd September 2022: Gulf Air Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi reflected on the airline’s achievements during a number of interviews and media opportunities conducted with him by several local and international media publications. Captain AlAlawi stated “We are pleased to have the Gulf Air services and products recognized by so many renowned aviation related entities; while maintaining our status as an effective and conscience international citizen. We are constantly striving to deliver excellence to our passengers by enhancing a broad spectrum of deliverables from our convenient flight schedules, numerous international and regional flights, and a variety of products and services both on the ground and onboard. Winning these awards is a reflection of Gulf Air’s ongoing commitment to fulfil the ever-changing travel needs of our passengers; placing us truly in ‘a class of our own’.” During the pandemic, and being one of the few airlines in the world that never stopped flying; Gulf Air repatriated many citizens and non-citizens who were affected by the close down, and helped take them back home. Also, the airline shipped food and medical supplies into Bahrain, using its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner cabin seats for cargo. Moreover, The American Government officially thanked Gulf Air for repatriating US citizens out of Afghanistan, as a token of appreciation for the national carrier’s humanitarian gesture. Gulf Air received the Skytrax Five Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating after a vigorous audit by Skytrax Research that took place between November and December 2021. The rating came as a direct result to the success of airline’s operations in flying safely throughout the pandemic and enhancing its airport and onboard protocols to combat the spread of COVID-19. The airline received this recognition by providing the highest standards to customers and staff whilst maintaining its boutique strategy to deliver its renowned Arabian hospitality. Gulf Air also received, for the second consecutive year, APEX’s Five Star Major Official Airline Rating. Based solely on certified passengers’ feedback, the rating came as proof of the success of Gulf Air’s boutique strategy and the major developments in its products and services since the launch of the recent brand refresh and fleet modernization programme. Captain AlAlawi added “I am so proud to have the opportunity to work with such a dedicated team represented by the national carrier’s workforce, to help turn around Gulf Air and make it the customer-centric airline it has become today. The immense team effort paid towards realizing this goal has led to the many achievements and accolades we now enjoy at Gulf Air”. More recently, the national carrier was honoured at Singapore’s Changi Airline Awards, winning in the “Connectivity Award” and the “New Airline Award”.

Kuwait, September 21,2022: Jazeera Airways announced the launch of two new routes to the cities of Thiruvananthapuram and Bengaluru in India from 30th October onwards.This will be eighth destinations of the airline in India. The Kuwait- Thiruvananthapuram route will be served on Tuesdays and Sundays, with return flights from Trivandrum leaving in the early morning of the next days. The Kuwait-Bengaluru route will be served on Thursdays and Sundays, with return flights from Bengaluru leaving in the early morning of the next day. Speaking of the new flights, Jazeera Chief Executive Officer, Rohit Ramachandran, said, “We are pleased to be extending our reach into India by the addition of these two new services, catering to the high demand from the expat and business communities in Kuwait and from other connecting GCC countries for flights”.

Delhi, September 12, 2022: Responding the demands of tourism, relaxation, cultural and economic exchanges between peoples of Vietnam – India, Vietjet excitedly welcomes two new routes connecting the “Pearl Island” Phu Quoc with the New Delhi Capital and Mumbai city of India.The route connecting the paradise Phu Quoc with the largest city of 1.4 billion population country – Mumbai, inaugurated on September 08 with two return flights per week. The flight route connecting Phu Quoc with the capital New Delhi officially inaugurated from September 09 with three return flights per week. Phu Quoc owns a coastline with many beautiful beaches stretching from the North to the South of the island with a magnificent natural landscape, along with the development and planning of many luxury and world-class resorts, rich and diverse local products. Therefore, Phu Quoc has become a “bright pearl” on the international tourist map. With just more than 4 hours of a flight, passengers can fly directly to “Pearl Island” Phu Quoc or experience a “thousands of enchantment” India in very affordable ticket prices. Vietjet is currently the airline operating the most routes between Vietnam and India with 17 direct routes connecting Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang and Phu Quoc with the five largest cities of the South Asian country including New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Bangalore. International tourists can plan to hunt for good price tickets and discover the beauty of “Pearl Island” Phu Quoc easily from now on when Vietnam has officially exempted visas for passengers to come and stay in Phu Quoc for 30 days, at the same time Vietnamese tourists can also easily discover India with convenient and fast e-visa policy without Covid test.

7th Sept. 2022, Colombo: SriLankan Airlines has partnered with local banks, Bank of Ceylon (BOC) and Hatton National Bank (HNB) for new internet payment gateway solutions for Visa and Mastercard payments. The newly integrated payment gateways will provide a superior user experience with greater payment options, convenience and security for customers purchasing air tickets and other value-added services from the SriLankan Airlines’ website using their Visa or Mastercard. SriLankan’s upgraded Visa and Mastercard payment gateway system powered by BOC and HNB, allows customers the option of paying in their preferred currency out of 42 global currencies. Customers are also guaranteed a secure transaction due to the advanced fraud management capabilities built-into the system by HNB-CyberSource ‘Decision Manager’ tool. The added convenience and security measures are expected to encourage customers to opt for purchasing air tickets and value-added services from the SriLankan website over brick-and-mortar channels. Further, purchasing directly from the airline’s website brings about other, often unique,benefits to customers. This includes benefits such as site-exclusive deals; a lowest fare guarantee; zero service charges; and the ability to make the first date change and cancel tickets 24 hours before departure at no cost. Conrad Reshantha, Senior Manager Commercial Services & Support of SriLankan Airlines, stated, “The future of airline bookings will largely be contained to the digital sphere as more individuals migrate from traditional to online channels, given the clear advantages of the latter. The SriLankan Airlines’ online booking channel is cutting-edge and optimized to provide users an effortless experience and the means to book any ancillary service that they require to supplement their air travel including neighbor free or extra legroom seats, excess baggage, special meals and travel insurance.” “We believe that these new partnerships will pave the way tofoster customer confidence in using the SriLankan Airlines’ website, and in time, increase patronage of the channel. As online sales take precedence, the airline is determined to enhance the customers’ digital experience and flexibility by consistently investing indeveloping and promoting the channel as a priority,” added Dimuthu Tennakoon, Head of Worldwide Sales & Distribution of SriLankan Airlines. Efforts are underway to extend the new Visa and Mastercard payment gateways to other platforms that entail digital sales such as the call centre and mobile app of the airline and websites of SriLankan Aviation College and SriLankan Holidays. The airline is further working on introducing payment options such as China’s UnionPay and Japan’s JCB in the near future.