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BRITISH AIRWAYS INKS CODESHARE AGREEMENT WITH INDIA'S INDIGO

From 12 October, eight IndiGo services be available as codeshare options – including Heathrow-Amritsar via New Delhi and Heathrow-Goa via Mumbai. New options out of Heathrow include Thiruvananthapuram via Mumbai, Rajkot (Hirasar) via Mumbai and Vadodara via Mumbai. It means BA customers travelling on these routes will be able to do so on a single ticket. “This step to provide seamless connectivity will not only support trade and commerce between the two countries but also offer convenient travel options to students and tourists,” said IndiGo senior vice-president for network planning and revenue management Abhijit Dasgupta. “With burgeoning demand for international travel, we will continue to enhance international connectivity and remain committed to our promise of providing on-time, affordable, courteous, and hassle-free travel experiences to our customers." The announcement comes as the number of BA flights to the country has now exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with 56 services a week available to the likes of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

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Air India has entered into a codeshare agreement with AIX Connect (formerly known as Air Asia India)

Air India has entered into a codeshare agreement with AIX Connect (formerly known as Air Asia India). Air India will add its ‘AI’ designator code to over 100 flights a day operated by AIX Connect on 21 routes. More routes under the codeshare agreement will be added progressively. Bookings for the codeshare flights are being opened across points of sale, for travel starting 27 September 2023. The codeshare implementation enables Air India guests to connect seamlessly on AIX Connect’s route network to and from over 80 points across Air India’s extensive domestic and international network. The scope of the agreement between the two airlines enables guests to receive their boarding passes at the first point of departure for all the travel sectors on a single ticket, and have their baggage checked-in through to their final destinations. Guests connecting from international to domestic flights will, however, need to clear customs at the first point of entry in India, in line with government regulations. AIX Connect will honour the free baggage allowance mentioned on tickets issued by Air India. Air India guests connecting to flights operated by AIX Connect will also be able to enjoy complimentary meals on board. With the implementation of the codeshare agreement, Air India has expanded its domestic route network to 4 new destinations in India, namely Bagdogra, Bhubaneswar, Ranchi, and Surat, in addition to the common destinations between the two airlines’ route networks. Customers from these originating cities will be able to connect to Air India’s wide international network over hubs at Delhi and Mumbai. The codeshare agreement also enables AIX Connect to leverage Air India’s global distribution network, via the airline’s direct channels as well as its global travel agency network. AIX Connect is a 100 per cent subsidiary of Air India, which is in the process of being integrated with Air India Express (another 100 per cent subsidiary of Air India) to ultimately form a single low-cost carrier within the Tata group’s airline business.

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Jharkhand a preferred stop for religious tourism, says official

Jharkhand is becoming a preferred travel destination for religious tourism due to its unique topography and different kinds of religious places. The state also has potential for adventure tourism. Road and infrastructure in Jharkhand are better compared to other states. Spiritualism has always been India’s strength and Jharkhand has a lot to offer to tourists in terms of spirituality as there are different kinds of religious places in the state, said tourism development corporation general manager Alok Prasad. Tourism development corporation general manager Alok Prasad said Jharkhand is gradually becoming a preferred travel destination due to its unique topography (HT Photo) Tourism development corporation general manager Alok Prasad said Jharkhand is gradually becoming a preferred travel destination due to its unique topography (HT Photo) Prasad who was speaking during a seminar on ‘Fuelling Innovation in Jharkhand Tourism’ — as a part of the Hindustan Times Tourism Conclave — also discussed the safety aspect for inbound tourists saying that they now “feel safe”while visiting the state and it is gradually becoming a “preferred travel destination due to its unique topography”. “The tourists feel safe visiting the state and there are no hindrances. Jharkhand is gradually becoming a preferred travel destination due to its unique topography... and for religious tourism”. “Under the Centre’s Prasad (Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive) scheme in the state, religious tourism has prospered. There are different kinds of religious places in Jharkhand... for Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. For Jainism, it (the state) is considered one of the most important places not just in India but the world. Religious tourists are the most popular kind of tourists in Jharkhand,” he said.

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PM flags off nine Vande Bharat Express trains

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off nine Vande Bharat trains today via video conferencing. These new Vande Bharat trains are a step towards realising the Prime Minister’s vision of improving connectivity across the country and providing world-class facilities to rail passengers. The new trains that were flagged off are: Udaipur – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express Hyderabad –Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express Vijayawada – Chennai (via Renigunta) Vande Bharat Express Patna – Howrah Vande Bharat Express Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express Rourkela – Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express Ranchi – Howrah Vande Bharat Express Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express Speaking on the occasion the Prime Minister called the flag off of nine Vande Bharat Trains an unprecedented occasion of modern connectivity in the country. “This speed and scale of infrastructure development in the country is exactly matching the aspirations of 140 crore Indians,” he said. The Prime Minister said that the trains that started today are more modern and comfortable. He said these Vande Bharat Trains are symbols of a new enthusiasm of new India. He expressed delight about the growing craze of Vande Bharat as he informed that more than one crore eleven lakh passengers have travelled in Vande Bharat trains. The Prime Minister informed that 25 Vande Bharat trains are serving people in different states and union territories. Nine more Vande Bharat are being added to that today and, he said “Day is not far when Vande Bharat will connect every part of the country”. He also noted Vande Bharat’s utility for the people who wish to save time and perform same-day travel. He also highlighted increased tourism in the places connected by Vande Bharat leading to increased economic activities. Prime Minister Modi underlined the atmosphere of hope and confidence in the country as every citizen is feeling proud of the achievements of the country. He mentioned the historic successes of Chandrayaan 3 and Aditya L1. Similarly, G20 success has showcased India’s strength of Democracy, Demography and Diversity, he said. He also mentioned the Narishakti Vandan Act as a decisive moment for pushing women-led development. In this regard, he mentioned that many railway stations are being run by women functionaries. The Prime Minister said that a confident India is working on the needs of its present and future simultaneously. He listed PM Gatishakti Masterplan for seamless coordination in infrastructure development and the New Logistics policy for reduction in transportation and export-related charges. He also talked about multimodal connectivity as one mode of transport should support other modes. Stressing the importance of railways in the lives of common citizens, the Prime Minister lamented the neglect of this important sector in the earlier times. Elaborating on the efforts of the current government for the transformation of Indian Railways the Prime Minister informed about the increased budget as this year’s budget for railway is 8 times the rail budget of 2014. “Similarly, work is going on for doubling, electrification and new routes,” he added. The Prime Minister emphasized that “an India on the path of being developed will now have to modernize its railway stations as well”. With this thinking in mind, for the first time, a campaign for the development and modernization of railway stations has been started in India. Today, a record number of foot-over bridges, lifts and escalators are being constructed in the country for the convenience of railway passengers. Just a few days ago, the work of redevelopment of more than 500 major stations in the country was started. These new stations built during the Amrit Kaal will be called Amrit Bharat Stations, the Prime Minister said. “These stations will become the identity of the new Bharat in the coming days,” he added. The Prime Minister expressed happiness that the Railways has started celebrating the ‘Sthapna Diwas’ day of the establishment of the railway station and mentioned the celebrations at Coimbatore, Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Mumbai. Coimbatore Railway station has completed 150 years. “Now this tradition of celebrating the birthday of railway stations will be expanded further and more and more people will be involved in it,” he said. The Prime Minister said that the country has made the vision of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat a medium of Sankal se Siddhi. “To achieve the goal of a developed India by 2047, development of every state and the people of every state is necessary”, PM Modi emphasized. He said that selfish thinking of concentrating railway development in the state of the railway minister has damaged the country a lot and now we simply cannot afford to keep any state backward. “We have to move ahead with a vision of Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas,” he said. Addressing the hard-working Railways employees, the Prime Minister asked them to make every journey memorable for the passengers. “Every employee of the Railways has to remain constantly sensitive towards Ease of Travel and to provide a good experience to the passengers”, the Prime Minister requested. The Prime Minister said that every citizen has noticed the new standards of cleanliness of railways. He asked everyone to get involved in the proposed Swachhta Abhiyan at 10 am on 1st October to pay tribute to Mahatma Gandhi. He also asked everyone to rededicate themselves to the purchase of khadi and swadeshi products and be more vocal for locals during the time from 2nd October to 31st October, Jayanti of Sardar Patel “I am confident that the changes taking place at every level in Indian Railways and society will prove to be an important step towards a developed India,” the Prime Minister said concluding his remarks. Governors, Chief Ministers, Ministers, Members of Parliament and Union Minister Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw were among those present on the occasion. These nine trains will boost connectivity across eleven states namely Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, West Bengal, Kerala, Odisha, Jharkhand and Gujarat. These Vande Bharat trains will be the fastest trains along the routes of their operation and will help save considerable time for the passengers. As compared to the current fastest train along the route, Rourkela- Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express and Kasaragod – Thiruvananthapuram Vande Bharat Express will be faster by about 3 hours; Hyderabad – Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express by more than 2.5 hours; Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express by more than 2 hours; Ranchi – Howrah Vande Bharat Express, Patna – Howrah Vande Bharat Express and Jamnagar-Ahmedabad Vande Bharat Express by about 1 hour; and Udaipur – Jaipur Vande Bharat Express by about half an hour. In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to improve the connectivity of important religious places across the country, Rourkela- Bhubaneswar – Puri Vande Bharat Express and Tirunelveli-Madurai- Chennai Vande Bharat Express will connect important religious towns of Puri and Madurai. Also, the Vijayawada – Chennai Vande Bharat Express will operate via the Renigunta route and will provide connectivity to the Tirupati Pilgrimage centre. The introduction of these Vande Bharat trains will herald a new standard of rail service in the country. These trains, equipped with world-class amenities and advanced safety features, including Kavach technology, will be a key step towards providing modern, speedy and comfortable means of travel to common people, professionals, businessmen, the student community and tourists.

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Outbound travel witnesses a 22 per cent hike

India emerged as the largest source market for outbound travellers in Asia in 2022, registering a 190 per cent y-o-y rise in outbound travel. Indians are emerging as big globetrotters and outbound travel is seen crossing even pre-Covid levels. As many as 22,32,313 Indian nationals departed on oubound travel in July 2023 as compared to 18,30,798 in July 2022, registering a growth of 22 per cent. At the same time in 2019, 21,80,437 Indians departed on outbound travel. Departures during January-July, 2023 stood at 1,54,41,150 as compared to 1,11,92,191 in the same period in 2022, registering a growth of 37.9 per cent.

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Vietjet to launch more services to India; Tiruchirappalli-Ho Chi Minh City flight likely to start in November

As Vietnam is largely becoming an emerging tourism destination for Indian travellers, Vietjet, the country's largest private carrier, is getting ready to tap this growing interest by expanding its service to India connecting more cities. A new route connecting Tiruchirappalli (Tamil Nadu) and Ho Chi Minh City is expected to be launched this November, airline authorities said. Direct flight services from Kerala's Kochi to Ho Chi Minh City had already been launched by the private carrier from Cochin International Airport in August.From November, Vietjet is expected to launch a new route connecting Tiruchirappalli and Ho Chi Minh City and we have plans to have an initial frequency of three return flights per week, in order to meet rising demand from travellers in both countries," the official, who doesn't want to be named, said. Vietjet would like to eventually expand its services to all capital cities in India, he said.The official was speaking in Ho Chi Minh City during a recent interaction with a select media delegation from India. Explaining reasons for their plan to increase its connectivity, he said Vietnam is an emerging tourism destination for Indian travellers, while many Vietnamese are also very curious to explore one of oldest civilisations in Asia.

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