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Singapore Airlines to redeploy Airbus A380 Superjumbo to India from January

Southeast Asian carrier Singapore Airlines (SIA) announced the redeployment of its Airbus A380 Superjumbo aircraft to India in a phased manner, starting January 10 next year. The aircraft will be back into operations after a 20- month break in services owing to the pandemic. Starting January 10, 2022, the A380 will replace the Airbus A350-900 on the Singapore Airlines flight SQ 424/423 (VTL services) between Mumbai and Singapore, while from February 14, SIA will operate the A380 in place of the Boeing 787-10 on its flight SQ 406/403 (VTL services) between Delhi and Singapore, a release said. SIA has restarted passenger services from eight Indian cities, including daily Vaccinated Travel Lane (VTL) services from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai from November 29, providing eligible customers with quarantine-free entry into Singapore. Scoot, which is SIA's low-cost subsidiary, operates non-VTL services from Amritsar, Hyderabad, and Tiruchirappalli. "The return of the A380 to India is a special occasion for us as this superjumbo aircraft has always been a popular choice for our customers. Ever since we resumed operations from India, we have seen a steadily growing demand for our VTL flights to Singapore. "We are confident that the A380, with its larger seat capacity, will be the preferred choice for our customers seeking comfortable and safe quarantine free travel to Singapore from both Mumbai and Delhi," said Sy Yen Chen, General Manager India, Singapore Airlines. The Singapore Airlines A380 is configured with 471 seats in four classes: six suites and 78 business class seats on the upper deck and 44 premium economy class and 343 economy class seats on the main deck. "The A380 will provide more space and privacy in all classes. We look forward to welcoming our customers back onboard the world's largest passenger aircraft, where they can once again enjoy our world-class product and services, including our most luxurious Suite cabin," Chen said. SIA currently operates 48 weekly services from eight cities across India. These include daily VTL services from Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai. The routes that the Singapore Airlines A380 will now operate on are designated quarantinefree services under Singapore Vaccinated Travel Line (VTL) arrangement, the airline said. Singapore Airlines was the first airline worldwide to fly the A380 superjumbo in October 2007. In late 2017, following an extensive four-year development programme, the Airline launched a multi-million-dollar cabin product upgrade for its A380 aircraft.. The new cabin product made its debut in India on September 1, 2019.

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Cyprus sees full tourism sector rebound by 2024

The government of Cyprus expects tourism to start fully rebounding in 2022 after arrivals this year increased a healthy 175 per cent over a dismal 2020, a Tourism Minister said Thursday. Deputy Minister of Tourism, Savvas Perdios, said the Mediterranean island nation recorded around 1.7 million traveller arrivals between January and October, 54 per cent fewer than in a record-setting 2019. But unlike other years, arrivals noticeably increased this fall instead of dropping off in September, Perdios said. He said that tourism is expected to return to pre-pandemic levels by 2024. Tourism directly accounts for 13 per cent of Cyprus' economy and the precipitous drop in revenue during the first months of the pandemic hit the country hard. Tourism revenue between January and September of this year reached over EUR 1 billion (USD 1.2 billion), more than three times the amount for the same period last year but a 53 per cent drop from 2019. The decision by Royal Caribbean, the world's second-largest cruise line operator, to use Cyprus as a home port significantly helped the tourism this year, according to Perdios. The company is expected to keep Cyprus as a home port for the next few years. To broaden the country's appeal beyond the staple sun and surf that have drawn tourists for decades, authorities are looking to promote winery tours in areas of Cyprus with a millennia-old history of making wine, the Minister said. They also hope to popularise Cyprus as a location for nature hikes, scuba diving and tours of religious sites that date back to the origins of Christianity. Private companies have embarked on massive marina projects to encourage yachting.

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Chhattisgarh-based MotoGlampers to expand its operations to Kerala

Kerala Tourism’s new Caravan Policy, Keravan Kerala, is gaining traction as Caravan companies from outside the state are getting drawn into the state. After Bengalurubased Campervan Camps & Holidays joined the bandwagon a few weeks back, it’s now the turn of Chhattisgarh-based MotoGlampers to announce their interest to launch their services in the state. The company officials met the Kerala Tourism and Transport officials in Thiruvananthapuram and elicited their interest to launch the Caravan services next month. Their SUV Caravan is designed to offer a novel experience to travellers at an affordable cost, without compromising on homely comforts. It is especially suited for adventure seekers, with its distinct features like a roof-top bed for a family of four, an on-ground convertible tent for seating and dining, and all facilities for luxury camping. Welcoming MotoGlampers to Kerala, VR Krishna Teja, Director - Tourism, Kerala said that it’s a great sign that stakeholders from other states have realised Kerala’s huge potential in the Caravan Tourism sector. “The surge in applications for operating Caravans and setting up Caravan parks reflects the keen interest of the service providers from across the country to be stakeholders in God’s Own Country. Most of the proposals are expected to be operational by January 2022,” he added. As many as 109 entrepreneurs have submitted proposals for 213 Caravans, while 49 investors have registered for developing 66 Caravan parks across the state.

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Greece further amends Covid travel rules for foreigners

Foreign travellers can opt to show a rapid antigen test or a PCR test to enter Greece, the country said on Thursday, amending a rule it announced only the day before to help curb the spread of the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus. Health authorities said on Wednesday that the measure - which will be in effect from December 19 - would require a PCR test no more than 48 hours old. Previously, proof of vaccination or recovery from Covid-19 or negative testing were necessary to travel to Greece. On Thursday, slightly broader options for the testing were announced - with all travellers aged over five needing to show either a PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their arrival or a rapid test 24 hours before arriving. "The Omicron variant prompted our country to take one-off measures for foreign visitors," government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou said. He said the restrictions would apply for the Christmas period and were aimed to delay the spread of the pandemic to give Greek people more time to get booster shots.

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All-woman team to construct Ginger Hotel in Mumbai

Committed to driving women empowerment and creating an equitable workplace across industries, Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) has collaborated with TATA Projects Limited for the construction of the new Ginger hotel at Santacruz, Mumbai by an all-woman engineering team. This marquee project is a significant step forward in promoting varied opportunities for women in otherwise traditionally male-dominated industries such as construction. Puneet Chhatwal, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, IHCL, stated, "At IHCL, we are committed to providing equal opportunities for all. Today, the world is marching towards a future where women are continuing to push the boundaries across sectors. This partnership with Tata Projects Limited reiterates this belief. We are proud of the all-woman team helming the construction of the all-new Ginger Santacruz." The 371-room hotel with a built-up area of over 19,000 sqm will be constructed over 19 months. The building process will incorporate the latest construction techniques and technologies. Located at a prime location in close proximity to Mumbai Airport and Western Express Highway, this will be a flagship Ginger hotel. It is being constructed by one of India's leading construction companies - Tata Projects Limited. Vinayak Deshpande, Managing Director - TATA Projects Limited, said, "The Ginger hotel project is progressing well under the leadership of an all-woman team. This is reflective of the culture of the company, which encourages women to embrace diverse roles in the workplace. The success of this team is important for motivating more women to build their careers in the construction and engineering sector. Another key feature is that new technologies such as BIM and 3D are also being deployed to ensure on-time and quality construction." IHCL has also recently launched all-woman-run luxury residences in Chennai.

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How aviation and travel industries are making an entry into the metaverse

The future looks a lot different, and travel could change for us in the foreseeable future. Major airline company, Boeing, is planning to take a dive into the Metaverse. The company's factory is working with immersive 3-D engineering designs with robots and more. Boeing is working on an ambitious new project wherein the company is trying to bring together design, production, and airline services under a single digital ecosystem. Boeing is taking on futuristic projects, all of USD 15 billion worth, and laying the foundation of an aircraft programme for the future over the next decade. The company is also working to prevent any future manufacturing problems like the one faced by its 787 Dreamliner. Boeing's Chief Engineer, Greg Hyslop said in a statement to Rueters that it is about strengthening engineering. Hyslop said, "We are talking about changing the way we work across the entire company." On the other hand, Airbus too has pledged to invent new production systems and leverage the power of data in order to optimise its industrial system. Both these airline companies, the biggest in the world, are embarking in the digital revolution that the world is going towards. This is where Metaverse comes in. The shared digital space is using virtual reality, and the aviation sector, or the travel sector are not too far away from getting an action of this augmented reality. For example, business travellers are reportedly already using the Metaverse and using a try before you buy feature. This means that you get to see a destination even before travelling to it. So for aviation companies there would be digital twin replicas of the aeroplanes that you can experience first hand. This same could work for hotels, and places in the same way. There will be digital threads involved in these digital mockups in the Metaverse, wherein you can see all about a jetplane, from its infancy to its development. VISUAL STORIES

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