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Istanbul Joins The Michelin Guide

Türkiye capital İstanbul joins the Michelin Guide family. The Michelin Guide will announce the selection of Gastrocity İstanbul on October 11, 2022. Istanbul, among the world’s leading centres for gastronomic tourism, offers diners an ancient food culture shaped by a unique cultural heritage reflected in the city’s fine dining establishments. Speaking at a meeting for İstanbul to join the Michelin Guide, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, Minister of Culture and Tourism, Türkiye, noted noted that activities to position İstanbul – one of the most visited cities in the world – as a ‘gastrocity’ will attract tourists interested in good food and exceptional flavours to Türkiye. He added, “This interest of the MICHELIN Guide in the İstanbul food and drink sector demonstrates that Türkiye is also at the forefront of gastronomy tourism. The MICHELIN Guide will move our businesses, which stand out with their originality, diversity, sustainability and creativity, to the global stage with an entirely new perspective.” Expressing his satisfaction with İstanbul’s addition to the Michelin family, Gwendal Poullennec, International Director of the MICHELIN Guides, observed that İstanbul has fascinated the world for centuries with its history, culture and intercultural identity. Poullennec said that “the MICHELIN Guide’s selection for İstanbul will present the city to gourmets around the world. Fuelled by ancient traditions and young, open-minded and creative talents that shape an original taste identity, İstanbul's culinary scene amazed our team.”

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BLR Airport Witnessed 45% Growth In Passenger Traffic In FY 2022

The Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport) continues continues to recover with over 45% growth in domestic travel and about 136% growth in international travel in FY 2022 as compared to FY 2021. BLR Airport welcomed 16.28 million passengers in FY 2022 versus 10.91 million passengers in FY 2021. Traffic recovery was 54% of FY 2020 levels - domestic recovery was at 55%, while international passenger traffic recovery was at 24%. “Our focus on driving operational efficiencies coupled with a resilient ecosystem has enabled us to end FY 2022 on a record high both in terms of cargo and passenger volumes. It reflects our commitment to serving the industry and our customers through sustained innovations and technological advancements,” said Hari Marar, MD & CEO, Bangalore International Airport Limited. With restrictions easing up, corporate traffic is gradually reviving both in domestic and international sectors. This is influenced by higher vaccination penetration, lower infection rates, relaxation of travel restrictions, cross border regulations, and increased economic activities. The number of domestic destinations served directly from BLR Airport has grown to 76 compared to 54 last year, and this has been possible due to enhanced connectivity to Tier II/III cities. Share of non-metro traffic to / from BLR Airport increased from 45% pre-Covid (Apr’19-Feb’20) to 60% in FY 2022, signifying growing penetration of non-metro connectivity. As a result, the transfer traffic share at BLR Airport has increased to 18% in FY 2022, compared to 10% pre-covid. With this sustained growth, the Airport has established itself as the most preferred transit destination in South India. Top domestic routes in FY 2022 were Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Goa, with these sectors contributing 40% to the traffic. BLR Airport served 20 international destinations in FY 2022 with Dubai, Male, Doha, London, and Frankfurt being the top cities contributing 67% to the traffic. Growth in the international segment is expected to increase as more airlines reinstate operations to and from BLR Airport during the coming months.

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Malaysia to lift Covid-19 testing for fully vaccinated travellers from May 1

Beginning May 1, Malaysia will remove most COVID-19 restrictions, including the requirement to wear a mask when outdoors and the requirement for fully vaccinated travellers to be tested for the coronavirus. Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin said that wearing of masks is still required indoors, including in shopping malls and on public transportation. “The wearing of masks outdoors is optional, but is still encouraged,” he said during a press conference on Apr 27. The minister said that people are also encouraged to wear masks outdoors in crowded places such as at Ramadan bazaars, stadiums and night markets. Khairy also announced that all testing protocols for travellers into the country – pre-departure and on-arrival tests – will be dropped for those who are fully vaccinated, those who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection six to 60 days before their date of departure, as well as travellers aged 12 and below. However, those who are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19 still must undergo these tests and observe a five-day mandatory quarantine, said Khairy. Travel insurance will no longer be a prerequisite for foreigners entering the country. “You do not need to have traveller’s insurance anymore to come to Malaysia,” he said. Khairy also said that check-ins via contact tracing app MySejahtera will no longer be required and that people who are not fully vaccinated will be allowed to enter premises as well. Only those who have tested positive for the virus and have been issued a home surveillance order will not be allowed in. The minister explained during the press conference that the MySejahtera app is still needed. “I encourage all to activate the MySJ Trace function for the purpose of contact tracing,” he said. People can still use the app to report their COVID-19 test results and submit their health assessment when they are under quarantine, he added. Meanwhile, those who test positive COVID-19 may also be released from quarantine earlier, the minister said, provided that their professionally supervised RTK-Ag test on the fourth day is negative. The current rules mandate a seven-day quarantine for positive cases. Malaysia fully opened its borders on Apr 1, more than two years after restricting exit and entry due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Malaysia reported 3,361 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, an increase compared to the 2,478 cases on Monday. The number of cases has been trending down in Malaysia over the past few weeks, with five-figure daily cases last reported on Apr 13. A peak of more than 30,000 daily cases was recorded back in March. As of Tuesday, more than 16 million or 68.1 per cent of the adult population have received their booster dose, while 97.6 per cent have completed their vaccination. According to the ministry’s COVIDNOW website, more than 81.5 per cent of the total population have been fully vaccinated. Since the start of the pandemic, Malaysia has reported more than 4.4 million COVID-19 cases, with more than 35,500 deaths.

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Air India proposes to acquire AirAsia India

Tatas-owned Air India plans to acquire no-frills carrier AirAsia India and has sought approval from the Competition Commission for the proposed deal. AirAsia India is majority-owned by Tata Sons Private Ltd with a shareholding of 83.67 per cent and the remaining stake is with AirAsia Investment Ltd (AAIL), which is part of Malaysia’s AirAsia Group. Full-service carrier Air India and its low-cost subsidiary Air India Express were acquired by Talace Private Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Private Ltd, last year. Besides, Tatas operate full-service airline Vistara in a joint venture with Singapore Airlines. The latest move is likely a part of the sprawling group’s efforts to consolidate its airline operations. “The proposed combination relates to the acquisition of the entire equity share capital of AirAsia (India) Private Limited (Air Asia India/ Target), by Air India Ltd (AIL), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Tata Sons Private Limited,” a notice filed with the Competition Commission of India (CCI) said. Deals beyond a certain threshold require the approval of CCI, which works to foster competition as well as curb anti-competitive practices in the marketplace. AirAsia India, which started flying in June 2014, offers scheduled air passenger transport, air cargo transport and charter flight services in the country. It does not have international operations. According to the notice, the proposed combination will not lead to any change in the competitive landscape or cause any appreciable adverse effect on competition in India, irrespective of the manner in which the relevant markets are defined. Tatas took over Air India and Air India Express in January this year. In October 2021, Tatas emerged has the winning bidder for loss-making Air India. It offered a bid of Rs 18,000 crore, comprising cash payment of Rs 2,700 crore and taking over the carrier’s debt worth Rs 15,300 crore.

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Akasa Air postpones launch of flight operations to July

The commercial flight operations of Rakesh Jhunjhunwala-backed Akasa Air will be launched in July instead of June. “As we get closer to the airline launch date, we can now confirm refined estimates on our timelines. We expect our first aircraft delivery by early June 2022, with the intention to start commercial operations in July 2022,” Vinay Dube, CEO, Akasa Air, told PTI. However, there will be no impact on “later aircraft induction” and Akasa Air remains on plan to fly 18 aircraft by the end of March 2023, said Dube, who is also the Founder and Managing Director of the carrier. On March 26, Dube had at an aviation event said that the airline is planning to launch its commercial operations in June. Akasa Air, which along with Dube is backed by ace investor Jhunjhunwala and aviation veteran Aditya Ghosh, got the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Civil Aviation in the first half of August 2021 to launch commercial flight operations. With the aviation regulator DGCA giving its green light to Boeing Max aircraft in late August, Akasa Air signed a deal with Boeing on November 26 last year to purchase 72 Boeing 737 Max planes. Dube said on Monday, “With respect to starting the airline, we are extremely thankful to the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA for their guidance and support on all required regulatory clearances.” “We have received our NOC and our next key milestone is the Air Operators Permit. We are working closely with the regulatory authorities and following all the required processes to comply with the requirements to obtain this certification. We hope to satisfy all regulatory requirements for this certification at the earliest,” he added. Aviation consultancy firm CAPA said in November 2021 that the disruption in the Indian aviation sector due to Akasa Air will possibly be felt from 2024-25 onwards “once it has the scale and achieves a competitive cost base”.

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Thailand to ease more COVID-19 restrictions from May 1

In a recent development, Thailand has announced plans to eliminate pre-arrival testing for incoming visitors starting next month. As per the Tourism Authority of Thailand, starting May 1, visitors will not have to get tested before coming or upon arrival, irrespective of their vaccination status. Though fully vaccinated travellers will be able to enter the nation and travel around without any quarantine restrictions, the rules will be little different for unvaccinated visitors. Rules for unvaccinated visitors 1) If a visitor is not fully vaxxed and enters the nation without a negative PCR test, he/she will need to book a minimum 5-day stay in a government-approved hotel and quarantine there. There, they’ll get tested with a PCR test on the fifth day of their trip. 2) Alternatively, if a traveller is unvaccinated but arrives in the country with a negative RT-PCR test, taken within 72 hours of their arrival, they won’t need to quarantine. They are free to travel throughout the nation. However, all those visiting Thailand will still have to register for a Thailand Pass online and obtain an insurance policy with a minimum coverage of $10000 (less than the previous $20000 requirement). Apparently, Thailand began welcoming foreign travellers without quarantine under its Phuket Sandbox program in July 2021. Then, in November, the country started permitting tourists to visit the rest of the country without quarantine requirements. Again, in December, the rules became stricter because of the Omicron variant. In February 2022, Thailand again started its Test & Go Thailand Pass program to boost tourism. Fully vaxxed visitors from foreign nations were allowed to visit any part of the country and skip quarantine.

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