Travel Updates March 2011

Philippine Airlines starts six weekly flights between New Delhi & Manila

Philippine Airlines has started its India operations with the launch of six flights per week on Delhi-Manila route.

Out of these six flights, three will be direct flights connecting New Delhi to Manila. And the rest three flights will connect the two national capitals via Bangkok. The airline will operate an Airbus A330-300 aircraft with 42 business class seats and 260 economy ones.

Air India ties up with bmi for code sharing

With the aim of targetting the large European market, which is coming out a recession, Air India has inked a code-sharing pact with England-based airline bmi (British Midland International), the second largest operator at London's Heathrow airport

Kuwait Airways starts daily flights on Kochi-Kuwait route

Kuwait Airways has launched daily fights between Kochi and Kuwait beginning March 28, 2011.

The airline will offer daily flights on this sector aboard Airbus A310/A300 aircraft. In addition to services to Kochi, Kuwait Airways also flies to Mumbai, Delhi, Trivandrum and Chennai.

VFS Global to manage Korea Visa Application Centre in New Delhi

The first ever Visa Application Center of the Republic of Korea was inaugurated by H. E. Joong-Keun Kim, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India, in New Delhi recently. Effective April 1, 2011, VFS Global will operate and manage a dedicated Korea Visa Application Centre in New Delhi, for collection and delivery of the visa applications. However, the decision to grant a visa or otherwise would continue to remain with the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, New Delhi.

Earlier, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, New Delhi used to issue visas directly, but by adopting the outsourcing model travelers and visa seekers will now be able to easily avail visas to the Republic of Korea, from New Delhi.

H. E. Joong- Keun Kim, the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to India said, "It is with great pleasure that I announce the opening of the Korean Visa Application Center which reflects our constant endeavor to enhance services and facilities for visa applicants. As you may know, an ever increasing number of Indians are now visiting Korea each year. This trend has necessitated an arrangement to process a large volume of visa applications. It is to meet this requirement that we have partnered with VFS Global Services Pvt. Ltd. to open this center. It is my hope that with the opening of this centre, visa applicants will be able to get prompt and efficient visa services."

Kingfisher Airlines adds second flight on Delhi-Dharamshala route

Kingfisher Airlines has added a second flight on New Delhi Dharamshala route. According to a report in himachal.us, the new flight IT 4355 is an ATR aircraft and will leave Delhi at 3 pm and arrive in Kangra Airport at 4.25 pm. The return flight IT 4356 will depart Kangra Airport at 4.55 pm and land in Delhi at 6.25 pm.

Indigo launches eight new flights

IndiGo Airlines has announced the launch of eight new direct flights from Lucknow to Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore.

As per the company press release, with the induction of the 37th brand new Airbus A320 into its fleet, IndiGo will now operate non-stop daily flights between Delhi-Lucknow, Mumbai-Lucknow, and Bengaluru-Lucknow.

In addition, IndiGo also launched the sixth non-stop daily flight for Delhi-Bengaluru-Delhi and third non-stop daily flight for Delhi–Ahmedabad–Delhi.

Commenting on the launch of new flights in the region, Aditya Ghosh, President, IndiGo said, “These new frequencies will provide more flexibility of choice to our customers, enhancing connectivity across India. Our sole purpose is to make travel between varied destinations - hassle free, on time and affordable. With the launch of these flights, I am sure that we will be able to further cater to the increasing demand for air travel to and from Lucknow.”

Recently, IndiGo marked it’s entry in the Central Indian region with new flights from Raipur connecting Bengaluru, Delhi, and Hyderabad.

American Airlines reschedules Delhi to Chicago flight

In order to open up over 20 same day connection opportunities for customers flying beyond Delhi, American Airlines daily non-stop flight from Chicago will land in India at 5.45pm local time; three hours earlier than previously scheduled, already effective from March 27, 2011. The onward connection destinations now available following the change, include multiple flights to cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai and Bengaluru.

Philip Lewin, Country Manager, India, American Airlines said, “Our previous arrival time into Delhi was too late to allow any same-day connections beyond Delhi and we know that this created difficulties for some customers.”

Along with the new flight arrival time, American Airlines move into Terminal 3 at IGI Airport last year will help ease and speed connections, since most international and domestic flights now depart from the same terminal.