News

Emirates to re-instate pre-pandemic flight frequencies to India from April

Emirates will re-introduce pre-pandemic flight frequencies to its destinations in India from April 1, 2022. The airline will be operating 170 weekly flights to nine cities in the country. The move comes on the back of the decision by the Indian government to restore international flights to and from the country in line with established bilateral agreements from the end of March 2022. Emirates will be operating the following flights Mumbai- 35 weekly flights New Delhi- 28 weekly flights Bengaluru – 24 weekly flights Chennai- 21 weekly flights Hyderabad- 21 weekly flights Kochi- 14 weekly flights Kolkata – 11 weekly flights Ahmedabad- 9 weekly flights Thiruvananthapuram- 7 weekly flights Emirates has also brought back its customer-favourite Airbus A380 on a daily basis between Dubai and Mumbai in March 2022. Emirates flight EK 500/ 501 is operated by the iconic double decker aircraft. Customers travelling on Emirates across all classes of travel can enjoy an unparalleled flying experience with spacious cabins and signature service. During their flight, Emirates customers can savour regionally inspired meals and more than 4,500 channels of content on its award-winning in-flight entertainment system, ice. Customers travelling in First and Business Class with Emirates from Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi can avail complimentary chauffeur drive service to the airport and on arrival at select locations within the airline’s global network. Customers travelling in premium cabins and Emirates Skywards members in select membership tiers will also have access to Emirates’ exclusive lounge experience in Dubai and select airports around the world. Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services and recently took its customer care initiatives further with even more generous and flexible booking policies, which have been extended to May 31, 2022. Keeping the health and wellbeing of its passengers as top priority, Emirates has introduced a comprehensive set of safety measures at every step of the customer journey.

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Virgin Atlantic announces a second daily service between London Heathrow and Delhi

Virgin Atlantic has announced a new second daily service to Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, commencing on June 1, 2022. The new flights to Delhi are now on sale. June onwards, the airline will offer a morning as well as a night departure from Delhi to London offering more choice to customers travelling for both business and leisure between India and UK’s capital cities. Together with Delta Air Lines, Virgin Atlantic will offer seamless connections between Delhi and the USA via Heathrow, some of the US destinations being New York JFK, Boston, Austin, Seattle and Atlanta. The airline is also making some adjustments to its flying schedule to Mumbai from March 27 onwards. The flights from Mumbai will now have an afternoon departure arriving into London Heathrow in the evening. Virgin Atlantic offers a flexible booking policy allowing customers to amend their flights with no change fees all the way until December 31, 2023. Alex McEwan – Country Manager South Asia at Virgin Atlantic, said, “We are excited to offer customers even more choice this summer when flying to London Heathrow and beyond, with a double daily Delhi service, alongside our daily Mumbai service. This will be our largest ever flying programme to India, which is our third largest market globally. Customers can fly with confidence, knowing that our ‘Fly safe, fly well’ programme will take care of them throughout their journey. With fewer travel restrictions than at any other point during the pandemic, this is the perfect opportunity to book your trip.”

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SriLankan Airlines doubles flights as India opens skies

SriLankan Airlines is set to celebrate the reopening of Indian skies on 27 March 2022 by doubling up to 88 weekly flights to India to match pre-COVID-19 levels. Consequently, customers too would be doubly rewarded by SriLankan expanding its flight frequencies at the same time that India does away with air travel bubble limitations this upcoming summer season. Coupled together, it will effectively provide SriLankan Airlines’ passengers enhanced flight options and connectivity between India and destinations in the Maldives, the Far East, Oceania, Europe, and the Middle East. SriLankan continued to proactively expand into these markets during the past two years in spite of the many challenges arising from the pandemic. Accordingly, the airline launched operations to Seoul, Sydney, Kathmandu, Frankfurt, Paris, and Moscow between 2020 and 2021, while maintaining flights to the majority of its destinations in the pre-pandemic schedule. The airline expects to further establish its current network of routes within the next year for the benefit of passengers. The airline’s Indian network currently covers the following cities: Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Trivandrum, Kochi, Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Bangalore. The reopening of Indian skies would allow a passenger to book a SriLankan Airlines’ flight from any of these Indian cities to any other online destination via Colombo. Similarly, passengers originating from non-Indian cities within the airline’s network could connect to any of the nine Indian cities that the airline flies to via Colombo.

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Pride Hotels to unveil newly refurbished ‘Pride Amber Vilas Resort & Convention Centre’ Jaipur

The Pride Amber Vilas Resort & Convention Centre Jaipur, an exclusive resort hugely popular with domestic and international tourists has now been extensively refurbished and is set to reopen in April 2022. Located away from the bustle of modern-day cities this upscale ethnic resort has been an expression of the spirit of Rajasthan and its royal elegance. It has now undergone a makeover to let guests discover the colorful nuances of rustic charm blended with luxury indulgences that they can fully immerse themselves in. Announcing the development, Atul Upadhyay, Vice President, Pride Group of Hotels saID, “Pride Amber Vilas has over the years enjoyed pre-eminence in attracting large section of leisure tourists from across the world. We are now delighted to unveil the refurbished resort that will allow us to cater to well-heeled travelers looking for opulence and local experiences. The resort is redesigned with a perfect amalgamation of modern interpretation and customary themes that echoes the rich cultural heritage of Rajasthan now in name of Pride Amber Vilas Resort & Convention Centre.” Spread on a sprawling 70 acres, ‘Pride Amber Vilas Resort & Convention Centre’ now features 95 cottages & suites meticulously designed with tastefully adorned ethnic décor, contemporary amenities, and breathtaking views. Each of the rooms reflects an eclectic mix of style, glamour and all-out Rajasthani inspiration. It narrates stories of romance and chivalry, synonymous with this magical land set amidst the desolate desert beauty. All the guest rooms are fully air-conditioned and decorated with all contemporary elements equipped with wi-fi internet access, attached bath, minibars, wardrobes and LCD TVs. The facilities include a multi-cuisine restaurant serving Rajasthani and international menu, a bar stocking refreshing beverage, a swimming pool, gym with latest fitness equipment’s, games room, and a Spa/ Jacuzzi/ Sauna centre that will beacon guests with healing pleasures. Pride Amber Vilas Resort & Convention Centre boasts of being one of the largest convention center with more than 26,000 square feet of convention centre in Jaipur. It offers a perfect venue for weddings, receptions, and events with 2 spacious lush green lawns and 3 banquets ready to accommodate 100 to 500 guests.

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Nepal Airlines to resume Mumbai-Kathmandu flights

After two long years, Nepal Airlines Corporation has decided to resume its Mumbai-Kathmandu flights. The flights are set to resume from March 27 onward. This will add yet another flight to Nepal-India route at this time, as the government in India has allowed the resumption of scheduled international flights from March 27 onwards. Nepal Airlines said that it will operate its Airbus 32 for three weekly flights, on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Friday for the Mumbai-Kathmandu route. There is additional good news for travellers interested in this route, as the airline is offering passengers an attractive offer. It is running a Buy 2, Get 1 Free campaign for the month of April. The campaign will allow every third passenger in a group to get a base fare waiver. The Mumbai-Kathmandu route was a very popular one in pre-pandemic days, but of course like every other airline across the world, it faced hard times during the pandemic. Now, the airline is hoping to get back to the pre-pandemic days when it used to operate with full capacity. Nepal is one of the most sought-after tourism destinations in the world, and travellers have historically had a fascination with the Himalayan country. Of course there is the lure of Mount Everest, but apart from that you also have a set of amazing experiences. So now you can plan your Nepal tour, and fly to Kathmandu from Mumbai, starting March 27.

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Bullet trains to operate between Delhi and Varanasi every 22 minutes from 2029

In a recent travel update, travellers would be able to board bullet trains between Delhi and Varanasi every 22 minutes! The bullet train is planned to begin on the Delhi-Varanasi High Speed Rail Corridor (DVHSR). The announcement was made recently by the railway ministry in the Rajya Sabha. A survey will be done to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) for seven corridors, including DVHSR. As per officials, the 813-km long corridor will have 13 stations, one underground in Delhi and 12 elevated in Uttar Pradesh. The train would cruise at the speed of 330 km/hr and take 3 hours 33 minutes to reach Varanasi from Delhi. For the underground station, a 15 km long tunnel is planned. The official said, “Total 43 trains per day will reach the Avadh crossing station every 22 minutes”. According to the proposed plan, 18 trains would operate on a daily basis every 47 minutes from Varanasi. The train will commence its journey from Hazrat Nizamuddin, and would stop at Noida Sector 146 metro station, (upcoming) Jewar Airport, Mathura, Agra, Etawah, Kannauj, Lucknow, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh, Prayagraj, Bhadohi and end at Manduadih in Varanasi. The authorities said another section of DVHSR has been proposed to connect Lucknow and Ayodhya. However everything depends on cost feasibility. In addition to Delhi-Varanasi route, surveys would also be conducted for Varanasi-Howrah, Delhi-Amritsar, Delhi-Ahmedabad, Mumbai-Hyderabad, Mumbai-Nagpur, and Chennai-Mysore via Bengaluru routes.

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