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Beijing-Shanghai-Mumbai
flight from April 18
Beijing:
Soon after the conclusion of an agreement in New
Delhi during the visit of the Chinese Prime Minister
earlier this week, China Eastern Airlines has decided
to launch Beijing-Shanghai-Mumbai flights commencing
from April 18. It will be the second direct flight
linking China and India and the first between the
financial capitals of the world's two most populated
countries. The existing China Eastern flight connects
the Chinese capital, Beijing with Delhi. China Eastern
Airlines opened the Beijing-Shanghai- Delhi flight
on March 28, 2002. It flies every Tuesday, Friday
and Sunday. The new flight will fly on every Monday,
Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. A300 carriers will
be put into operation for the flight, the company
said in Shanghai. During recent Chinese Premiere Wen
Jiabao's visit India and China signed twelve agreements,
ranging from the border issues to cooperation in film-making
and expansion of trade. India and China also agreed
to expand flights. The Chinese Premier indicated that
bilateral trade could increase from $13 billion last
year to at least $20 billion in 2008. The new flight
between the financial capitals of the two countries
is expected to help trade and commerce between the
two nations. There has been steady grown in mutual
trade. India ranked 20th as the top trading partner
of China in 2003 and this position went up to 12th
in 2004. China is now the second largest trading partner
of India after the USA. It grew from 7.6 billion dollars
in 2003 to 13.6 billion dollars in 2004.
-
April 14, 2005
India-UK
signs MoU on more flights (Go
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New
Delhi: India and United Kingdom have today signed
a MoU to enhance the number of flights and frequencies
between the two countries. According to the Memorandum
signed, for India, there can be 56 flights from Delhi
and Mumbai to London-Heathrow, and unlimited flights
from India to UK on all other routes. For UK, there
is a staggered increase of flights from London- Heathrow
to Delhi and Mumbai - 42 in winters 2005, 49 in summers
2006 and 56 in winters 2006. In addition, there can
be 14 flights a week from UK to Bangalore and Chennai
and 7 flights a week from UK to any other city in
India. According to a press release, recognising the
need for further expanding and strengthening bilateral
ties and keeping in view the traffic potential and
passenger demand for more international air services,
both Governments had on 22nd July 2004 agreed in principle
to enhance the number of flights and increase the
frequencies, between the two countries. This was agreed
to during the talks held between the Minister for
Civil Aviation Praful Patel and his British counterpart
Alistair Darling, Secretary of State for Transport,
at London. Two-day official level bilateral talks
between the two countries were concluded here today.
The Indian side was led byi Ajay Prasad, Secretary,
Ministry of Civil Aviation. At present, British Airways
is operating 19 flights to India weekly, while Air
India operates 12 flights to UK in a week.
-
April 13, 2005
Branson
credits Virgin singers for building his Caribbean
home (Go
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Washington:
Virgin Records founder Richard Branson has thanked
his stars for helping him build a home on the Caribbean
Necker Island, which is now an exclusive resort only
open to rock stars, celebrities.He says every hit
score the singers gave his company helped add a brick
to his home. The music mogul bought the British Virgin
Islands retreat when he was just 24, but admits he
had no money at the time to invest in property. "As
Janet Jackson had a hit, I would build a little piece
of the island and then the Rolling Stones would have
another hit and I'd build another little piece of
the island.In a sense, as Virgin Records grew into
a great record label, so this beautiful island grew
as well", RatetheMUsic quoted him as saying.
-
April 10, 2005
Indian
Airlines hikes fares by 12 per cent (Go
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New
Delhi: Indian Airlines today announced an increase
of 12 percent in fare across the board due to rising
prices of Aviation Turbine Fuel (ATF). The hike will
come into effect form April 15. An Indian Airlines
spokesman said that the domestic ATF price has increased
from 27,250 rupees per kiloliter to 32,250 rupees
per kiloliter from April 1. He said, "Due to this
massive increase in the ATF prices the airline will
be increasing its domestic rupee fares by 12 per cent
from April 15, 2005". While the promotional and other
discounted schemes like Advance purchase (APEX), promotional
fares, positioning flight fares and point to point
fares would be continued, "the fares for these special
schemes are also being revised upwards proportionately".
However, there would be no immediate increase in the
case of Indian Airlines Holiday Packages and the Bumper
Super Saver Schemes, he added.
-
April 9, 2005
IAF
pilots got Aviation Week Laureates award (Go
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Washington:
For the first time ever two Indian Air Force pilot
have been awarded with the prestigious Aviation Week
Laureates award. The award is given for their heroic
feat of rescuing three critically injured mountaineers
from a record altitude of 23,260 feet last year. According
to a release of Indian embassy here, The Smithsonian
Aviation and Space Museum given the award to Wing
Commander Sudhir Kumar Sharma and Flight Lieutenant
A B Dhanake on tusday. The IAF pilots are getting
this award for their heroic feat of rescuing three
seriously injured members of a mountaineering expedition
to Mt Kamet in Uttaranchal in May 2004. The rescue
was done from a record height of 23,260 feet. In the
mission Wing Commander S K Sharma was main pilot and
Flt Lt A B Dhanake was his co-pilot. Earlier on Republic
Day this year Sharma was also awarded the peace time
gallantry award 'Kirti Chakra' for the it. After President
A P J Abdul Kalam and late J R D Tata the IAF pilots
are the only Indians to be inducted as laureates in
the Smithsonian's Hall of Fame award. This is also
the first time in the history of IAF when such an
award been given to its pilots. The Smithsonian award
was being given for the same feat in which both pilots
displayed exceptional flying skills and exemplary
courage to rescue the three persons, the Aviation
Week and Space Technology magazine said. The pilots
were chosen by the magazine as the "most outstanding
achievers in aviation operations category for the
year 2004" and as their Laureates, the release said.
The Smithsonian museum honours individuals for making
lasting contributions to the advancement of aerospace
and applying aviation for the betterment of human
kind.
Virgin's
Branson meets Mumbai's famous 'Dabbawalas' (Go
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Mumbai:
British billionaire and owner of the Virgin Group
of companies Richard Branson called on Mumbai's legendary
"dabbawallahs", known for their clockwork precision
in supplying meals across Mumbai, on Friday. Branson,
on a visit to India to promote his Virgin Atlantic
Airlines, wore a white cotton Gandhian cap, the dabbawallahs'
trademark dress code, as he expereienced their clockwork
precision in ferrying over 150,000 lunch boxes containing
home- cooked food to offices, schools and colleges.
The
joyous delivery men, clad in white baggy pyjamas,
hit fame when they were awarded the Six Sigma rating
for designing and executing their fascinating system
with zero error. But the real limelight came in 2003,
when they were honoured and admired by Prince Charles
on a rare visit to the former British colony. "It's
great to be delivering food stuff. But it's just great
to be experiencing the real Mumbai, " said Branson.
"He boarded the Marine Lines and saw how we work and
deliver the food at various halts. How much weight
to be picked up and without making any fault we have
been doing it for so long. He also wants that his
company Virgin Atlantic perform the same way," said
Raghunath Medge, President of Nutan, Mumbai Tiffin
Box Suppliers Association.
Branson
said that he would like Virgin Atlantic, of which
he owns 51 percent, to learn something from the efficient
way the lunch- box delivery boys handled such large
volumes. He had on Thursday said that Virgin Atlantic
wanted permission to fly more frequently to India
from Britain in order to compete more effectively
with British Airways. Branson is also keen to invest
personally in India's domestic aviation industry,
which is expected to grow by 25 to 30 percent per
year over the next five years as incomes rise. India
allows up to 49 percent foreign equity holding in
domestic carriers, but a foreign airline cannot hold
it. Branson is also talking with Indian mobile phone
service providers to give Virgin Mobile Holdings a
foothold in the world's fastest-growing major mobile
market, although he declined to name which firms.
Virgin Mobile, which buys airtime from partner T-Mobile,
is Britain's fifth largest mobile phone company. The
self-employed dabbawallahs start their run early morning.
They work in-groups of four in a sort of multiple
relay ensuring door-to-door delivery.
The
dabbawallahs date back to the late 19th century when
Bombay's rapidly growing population needed feeding
at work. More than century later Mumbai's middle classes
still prefer their chapatis cooked at home. In August,
2004, Forbes magazine had awarded them a six-sigma
performance rating, which ranked the dabbahwallahs
alongside the likes of GE and Motorola in terms of
efficiency and quality of service. Around one hundred
and seventy-five thousand boxes are transported every
day in Mumbai. It all starts from a point of origination,
and reaches the customers through transhipment in
all seasons, including monsoon. Many of the dabbawallahs
are semi-literate, and in Mumbai, where many observe
religious dietary rules an errant delivery could easily
cause offence. To get over that, each tiffin box is
color- coded and marked with simple acronyms such
as HO for hospital according to its final destination.
Each box also carries a code to ensure it returns
to where it started as promptly as it arrived.
-
April 2, 2005
Virgin
Atlantic wants more flights to India (Go
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Mumbai:
British billionaire Richard Branson has expressed
his desire that his Virgin Atlantic airlines should
be permitted to fly more frequently to India from
Britain in order to compete more effectively with
British Airways. Branson, in Mumbai after travelling
on Virgin's inaugural flight from London, said he
wanted to offer as many as 21 flights a week to various
Indian destinations from London this year and is also
keen to invest in a domestic Indian airline. "Mumbai
is Virgin Atlantic's second Indian destination after
New Delhi. It was added after "10 years of lobbying","
Branson said. Virgin, of which Branson owns 51 percent,
won the largest share of new rights in December to
fly direct from Britain to India. This had allowed
Virgin to compete with British Airways on key routes
but only by being able to fly more frequently could
it cater to large demand from the business and leisure
segments.
Virgin
Atlantic, which previously had a code-sharing agreement
with India's international flag carrier Air-India
Ltd., operates daily services between New Delhi and
London, and flies to Mumbai three times a week. Branson
hoped that the airline would soon be permitted to
fly daily to Mumbai and fly weekly to at least seven
more Indian destinations. He expected more UK-India
routes to be opened up after talks between the two
governments, which he said would be held over the
next few weeks. "We plan to try to get more services
to Mumbai and add some real competition and oversee
the other good thing as it will be Indian airlines
also flying and competing as well. So, hopefully fares
will come down," Branson said. Direct routes from
London to cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi and Bangalore
are invaluable for airlines, as demand far outstrips
the limited existing services, which are dominated
by British Airways. Branson is also keen to invest
personally in India's domestic aviation industry,
which is expected to grow by 25 to 30 percent per
year over the next five years as incomes rise. India
allows up to 49 percent foreign equity holding in
domestic carriers but these cannot be held by a foreign
airline. "If I, as an individual, am willing to put
some million pounds in India, or if other individuals
are to invest in India, I think it makes sense for
India, and I think under the current law, I am allowed
to do so an individual but it's a slightly murky.
It's not completely clear-cut," said Branson, whose
business empire includes trains, music, holidays and
personal finance.
Branson
had earlier abandoned talks with India's only low-budget
carrier, Air Deccan, to take a stake in the company.
Branson is also still in talks with Indian mobile
phone service providers to give Virgin Mobile Holdings
a foothold in the world's fastest-growing major mobile
market, although he declined to say which firms. Virgin
Mobile, which buys airtime from partner T-Mobile,
is Britain's fifth-largest mobile phone company. In
early 80s Richard Branson was known for his Virgin
Records - the legendary record label that signed major
names like the Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson and The
Human League. In 1984, he announced that a high quality,
value for money airline would begin. By the end of
the decade the airlines had flown over 1 million passengers.
In 1992 Richard sold Virgin Music to Thorn EMI and
invested the proceeds into Virgin Atlantic, to improve
its service. In the same year it launched the first
super economy service. In 1999 Richard sold a 49 per
cent stake in the company to Singapore Airlines valuing
it at a minimum of 1.225 billion pounds. The airline
has by now won a number of awards. In 2001 it was
voted OAG Airline of the Year.
-
April 1, 2005
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