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Tata Sons shortlists expat CEO for Air India; board to be reconstituted

Tata Sons is understood to have shortlisted an expat CEO to lead Air India. It will be largely left to the new Air India CEO to finalise the management team for the carrier, officials aware of the matter said. The holding company has also shortlisted members for reconstituting the board of the acquired national carrier prior to its official takeover in January 2022. The new board will include officials from Tata Sons' M&A team, group aviation experts and a retired government official as an independent director, it is learnt. Traditionally, the chairman of Tata Sons is the chairman of all major operating companies in the group and it is likely to be so for Talace too, which houses Air India. Formal announcements are expected to be made in January 2022, officials said. Tata Sons did not comment. Talace Ltd, which houses Air India and Air Asia, is putting together a financial plan for working capital requirements, officials close to the development said. "Costs will start ticking on the books of Tatas from January next year such as salaries to be paid to employees, refurbishing aircraft and quality control expenses" an official in the team said. The group's integration team comprising key officials from Tata companies such as Air Asia India, TCS and Tata Steel, are putting together a marketing and branding plan for Air India and will make a presentation to the Tata Sons board officials. Tata Steel officials are being tapped for their understanding in handling employee unions, officials said. Likely, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran will be the new chairman with rest of the board likely comprising group stalwarts such as Bhaskar Bhat, Air Asia CEO including officials close to the government. The group will also rename Talace Ltd that bid for Air India to house its single airlines structure officials said. Seven board members have been asked to resign. These include four functional directors, two government nominee directors, chairman, and managing director. "The board of directors have to resign... (before the transfer of control) takes place after the (last) board meeting of Air India," said an airline official, requesting anonymity. He added that the board members were asked to resign at a meeting on November 15.

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BLADE India joins hands with Airbus to boost urban air mobility with fleet expansion

Urban air mobility firm, BLADE India has entered into a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Airbus, to further expand its on-demand helicopter services. To meet the significant demand and response in India, BLADE will be inducting five new H125 to its fleet initially. The helicopters will be provided to operators by a GIFT-City based leasing company taking advantage of the Government of India’s new initiative. BLADE will be underwriting flight hours through partner operators who have been specifically chosen based on their experience in ensuring the highest level of safety standards, equipment maintenance and operating protocols. Commenting on the development, Amit Dutta, Managing Director - BLADE India said, “BLADE India is delighted to announce the expansion of its services and network by selecting the H125. We are pioneering short-haul air mobility services in the country in partnership with Airbus. Indian cities rank amongst the most congested in the world. Our economy is being powered by several disruptions in digital, fintech, etc. Short-haul air mobility is poised to be the next big one. We are fortunate to have excellent support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India, which recently announced sweeping policy changes to accelerate the growth of the vertical lift industry.” Launched in India in 2019, BLADE is pioneering the urban air mobility space through a technology driven seamless booking platform offering quality flier experience. Since its inception, BLADE has been in active discussions with state governments and tourism boards to introduce short-haul air mobility services across India. BLADE India is the joint venture of Blade UAM Inc US and Hunch Ventures Group India, promoted by Karanpal Singh. Sunny Guglani, services in the country in partnership with Airbus. Indian cities rank amongst the most congested in the world. Our economy is being powered by several disruptions in digital, fintech, etc. Short-haul air mobility is poised to be the next big one. We are fortunate to have excellent support from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, India, which recently announced sweeping policy changes to accelerate the growth of the vertical lift industry.” Launched in India in 2019, BLADE is pioneering the urban air mobility space through a technology driven seamless booking platform offering quality flier experience. Since its inception, BLADE has been in active discussions with state governments and tourism boards to introduce short-haul air mobility services across India. BLADE India is the joint venture of Blade UAM Inc US and Hunch Ventures Group India, promoted by Karanpal Singh.

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Goa paves way for implementation of tourism masterplan, forms board, dissolves 3 allied panels

With the constitution of the Goa Tourism Board (GTB), three committees that held sway over the Ministry — the state-level promotion and marketing committee, the high-powered monitoring committee, and the state-level permission committee — now stand dissolved. All important decisions pertaining to Goa as a tourist destination will henceforth be taken by the 19-member board, paving the way for earnest implementation of the tourism masterplan. Up until the constitution of the tourism board, the state-level promotion and marketing committee decided marketing strategies, including what international trade fairs and road shows Goa should participate in. The high power monitoring committee, headed by the Chief Minister, cleared tourism infrastructure projects, and the state-level permission committee was tasked with advising the government over big-ticket tourism events proposed to be held in Goa. An industry observer said that although the state-level permission committee was formed to facilitate the processing of applications pertaining to big events such as electronic dance music festivals, approvals took months to obtain. The GTB has been vested with powers to facilitate clearances, lay down guidelines, procedures and standards for organising events, and to accord approval for major and minor events. It shall constitute sub-committees to accord permissions for tourism-related events such as music shows, music festivals, concerts, night bazaars, beach weddings, tourism exhibitions, meetings, incentives, conventions and exhibitions (MICE), and tourism events across the state. “We want an end to the delays. The ‘yes’ or ‘no’ should be communicated within a few days. Organisers should not be kept waiting for months. We expect the GTB to be prompt,” the industry observer said. Presently, organisers have to approach various authorities to get permissions even after the tourism department gives its approval for a particular event. A member of the Travel and Tourism Association of Goa said that although the government has long been talking of a single-window clearance system, stakeholders were yet to see any development on this front. “With the tourism board coming into force, we hope that no more organisers are made to run from pillar to post for permissions,” the member said. The GTB has the Chief Minister as Chairperson and Tourism Minister as coChairperson. Besides officials of the tourism ministry and industry representatives, it will also comprise four subject matter experts and an environmental expert having at least 10 years of experience in environmental science and sustainable development. The board will meet every three months and even lay down rules regulating its own procedures. Interestingly, there is also a provision that the board may decide to allot a specific event or activity to the Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) for execution, while the execution of events and activities under the promotion and marketing segment shall be carried out by the tourism department. An industry member told TOI on the condition of anonymity that the clause involving the GTDC in execution of certain events and activities, and the tourism department for promotions and marketing would not only leave scope for duplication of work but would also complicate matters. “Indirectly, it provide a chance for interference, wherein one could push an agenda that may have earlier been vetoed by the tourism board,” the industry member said.

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Norwegian Cruise Line unveils 2024 deployment, releases the most itineraries for sale in its history

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has opened for sale the most itineraries at once in its history, unveiling sailings from 35 departure ports – including brandnew NCL homeports in Haifa, Israel and La Romana, Dominican Republic. The announcement includes Australia and New Zealand cruises, as well as cruises within Northern Europe, the Mediterranean, Alaska and the Caribbean through to October 2024, while Hawaii's inter-island 7-day voyages are now open up to December 2025. European highlights include a unique festive season sailing to Italy, Spain and Croatia departing December 2023 on Norwegian Epic; an 11-day Grand Mediterranean sailing on Norwegian Escape which includes a midnight departure from Ibiza; and a late-night departure from Santorini on Norwegian Pearl’s 7-day roundtrip voyage from Trieste. “We are proud to be able to provide our guests with an even greater selection of sailings and the best value at sea to help them plan an unforgettable cruise vacation,” said Harry Sommer, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line. “So many travellers have been looking to make up for lost time and now we’re providing them with unique itineraries to check off those bucket-list destinations they may have longed for over the last year and a half. These port-rich itineraries allow our guests more time to explore unique destinations like a local and indulge in the cultural experiences around them,” he expressed.

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Kashmir witnesses highest-ever tourist footfall in 7 years

A total of 1,27,605 tourists visited Kashmir in November this year which is more than all the figures in the month in the past seven years, according to the Jammu and Kashmir government officials. The officials are planning to organise various festivals for the Winter season in the mountain Union Territory. According to the official, 6,327 tourists had visited Kashmir in November 2020 which is way lesser than the current figure of nearly 1,27,000. Speaking to ANI, Director, Tourism Kashmir, Dr GN Itoo said, "On the direction of the LG, we conducted some of the iconic festivals like houseboat festival, the Sufi festival in which the national level celebrities had participated and also literary festival because of which a buzz was created at the national as well as the international level. So the tourists from all over the world preferred visiting Kashmir. Almost 1,27,000 tourists have visited in November and almost 93,000 tourists have visited in October. It is the first time in the past 7 years, that tourists in such large number have turned up in October and November." Itoo further said that this is the result of a vigorous campaign including the roadshows in the country to promote tourism in Kashmir along with other measures to attract the tourists after the second wave of COVID-19. "The department has started a vigorous promotional campaign after the first wave of COVID-19. We have conducted almost 21 roadshows within the country. When the second wave hit the country, we vaccinated all the members of the tour and travel fraternity as a confidence-building measure," he said. Talking about the future plans of the government for the Winter season after attracting a record number of tourists in the Autumn season, the Director said that they are planning to celebrate International Mountain Day and Christmas in a big way. "We have planned some initiatives for the winter season. We have International Mountain Day on December 11. It will be celebrated in a big way because mountain tourism is also a big attraction in Kashmir. We have planned snow carnivals during Christmas and New Year. So we expect that more tourists will visit then," he said. Speaking to ANI, a tourist at the Dal Lake, Neeta, calling Kashmir heaven said that people should visit Kashmir at least once in a lifetime. "I found it to be more beautiful than what I had heard. It was a surprise for me, I did not know that we are visiting Kashmir. It is an awesome experience and I will explain it to others when I return to Jaipur and suggest them to visit Kashmir at least once. It is indeed a heaven," she said. Talking about the hospitality of the people of Kashmir, the visitor said that the behaviour of the people was cooperative. Another tourist, Sunil who visited Kashmir for the second time in the autumn season said, "The weather is really nice, we do not have such weather at our place. We visited here in January as well and witnessed the snowfall, it was really mesmerizing. The people are very cooperative, and the food is delicious as well. I would like to tell people to visit Kashmir at least once in a lifetime." A first time visitor in Kashmir, Sanchita said, "It is my first visit to Kashmir and it is beautiful. The locals are really helpful and supportive. They are really sweet people. I would recommend people to visit Kashmir, as we have heard that it is a heaven on Earth, it indeed is. I am really excited to see more places here." Speaking to ANI, Professor of School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Jammu, Parikshit Manhas lauded the efforts of the government in reviving the tourism in Kashmir and suggested involving the professionals in the strategy building for taking the tourism in the Union Territory to newer heights. "The way that the government made efforts to revive tourism after the second wave of COVID-19, the revenue of Jammu and Kashmir is dependent on tourism. All the problems have not been solved but the efforts have been put in. The figures are the representation of such efforts. If the government involves the professionals in the strategy building, then I think our tourism will reach newer highest," he said.

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Airlines told to keep data on travellers from Southern Africa

Federal health officials are requiring airlines to gather contact-tracing information on passengers heading to the US who have been in Southern Africa in the previous two weeks. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that it issued the latest requirement "to prevent the importation and spread of a communicable disease of public health importance." The directive follows President Joe Biden's order that bars most foreign nationals from entering the US if they have been in southern Africa, where the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was first reported. The ban does not apply to American citizens or permanent US residents who have been in those countries, although they must show evidence of a negative test for Covid-19. Under the CDC order, which was obtained by The Associated Press, airlines will be required to keep information on those passengers for 30 days and give it to the CDC within 24 hours of a request by the health agency. The information includes a passenger's full name and date of birth, where they will be staying in the US, an email address they check regularly, and main and secondary phone numbers. Airlines will also have to provide the passenger's flight number, the departure and arrival cities, and their seat number. The directive, which started with flights on Monday, covers travellers who have recently been in Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa or Zimbabwe. So far, United Airlines is maintaining its schedule of five flights a week between Newark, New Jersey, and Johannesburg, South Africa, and planned to resume flights to Cape Town on Wednesday. A spokeswoman said United was following all government requirements for international travel including contact-tracing information. Delta Air Lines flies three times a week between its home in Atlanta and Johannesburg and, like United, says it has no plans to alter its schedule. A spokesman said Delta will comply with all CDC directives.

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