Alhind Tours and Travels Perumbavoor

08/10/2013

Qatar Airways named 'Best Middle East Airline' at Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards

Qatar Airways has been voted 'Best Middle East Airline' by readers of Business Traveller Asia Pacific in China for the fourth consecutive year at the recently held 22nd Business Traveller Asia Pacific Awards in Hong Kong, stated a release.

The awards, which are given in 56 categories, are the highest honour given by Business Traveller readers to travel and hospitality service providers. Readers of the publication, amongst the region’s most frequent travellers, participated in the survey, conducted by Ipsos from April to June, 2013 to determine the winners, added the release.

Jared Lee, Country Manager, Greater China, Qatar Airways, who accepted the award on behalf of the airline said, “It is a great pleasure to accept this award on behalf of Qatar Airways from such an important travel publication. The airline is pleased with this recognition from its readers.”

Commenting on the honour, Akbar Al Baker, CEO, Qatar Airways, said “We are pleased to be recognised by our passengers for the products and services that we offer, not only in China but throughout our network. To be voted 'the Best Airline in the Middle East' by our customers is a great honour. And for that we thank our passengers in this region for their vote of confidence and will continue to give our customers increased options as they travel, whether it is for business or leisure.”

“Over the last ten years, our services to Hong Kong and mainland China have been on a steady incline. Just last month we launched our sixth destination, Chengdu, and are already looking towards further expansion. In the next few months we look forward to adding even more routes to our international network of over 130 destinations as well as increasing the capacity on existing sectors”, said Al Baker, elaborating on the airline's future plans.

24/09/2013

100 airports to connect small cities by 2020: Prime Minister of India

Small destinations in the country will have air connectivity with a network of more than 100 airports planned to meet the expected passenger load capacity of 30 crore by 2020, Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India said on Saturday after laying the foundation stone for the development of the first such airport in Kishangarh town in Rajasthan's Ajmer district. The Kishangarh airport is scheduled to be operational by 2016. “An ambitious scheme to develop a network of 100 smaller airports in the country is being implemented. Focus earlier was on developing airports in metro cities and now more than 100 airports will be set up in small towns and cities," Singh said.

“This will enhance air connectivity in the country. Kishangarh airport will be the first project under this scheme," he said, adding that it will also meet requirement of increasing passenger load which is expected to be around 30 crores by 2020.

The Prime Minister said the Kishangarh airport, to be set up at an estimated cost of 161 crore in first phase, will accelerate economic activities and growth in the area. “Ajmer is a noted tourist destination having famous dargah of Sufi saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti and Brahma temple in Pushkar town. Besides, the region is known for industries including that of marble and the new project of airport will push economic growth," he said.

Singh said that passenger load has increased significantly and the trend would continue. “The number of air passengers was 16 crore last year and it is estimated to be increased by 30 crore by the end of 2020.We will have to put more efforts to meet the requirement and both the government and private sectors need to make heavy investment for this,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Ajit Singh, Minister for Civil Aviation, highlighted the importance of air connectivity in smaller destinations and said that his Ministry was now working in this direction. “There are small airports in several cities but lack services. We now plan to start services at such airports in order to enhance connectivity,” the minister said.

The civil airport at Kishangarh to be set by the Airports Authority of India (AAI), in the town will have 2,000-mtr-long runway and a capacity to handle 150 passengers. The terminal building has been planned on modular concept with modern facilities. There will be six check-in counters, one security check unit and parking capacity for 125 cars. Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister, Government of Rajasthan, Sachin Pilot, Minister of State for Corporate Affairs, Government of India, were also present on the occasion.

23/09/2013

Official inauguration of our Perumbavoor Branch

We are indeed glad to inform you that the official inauguration of our Perumbavoor Branch will be held on Thursday, the 3rd October 2013 by the Muncipal Chairman of Perumbavoor muncipality Shri K.M.A Salam.
Your gracious presence is solicited on this happy occasion and to make it a great success.

19/09/2013

Boeing test flies first 787-9 Dreamliner

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, for the first time, took to the skies yesterday, beginning a comprehensive flight-test programme, leading to certification and delivery in mid-2014, as per a release. With this, the newest member of the 787 family completed a five-hour, 16-minute flight, taking off from Paine Field in Everett, Washington, at 11:02 a.m. local time and landing at 4:18 p.m. at Seattle’s Boeing Field.

“The first flight marks a significant milestone for our team, including our partners. We are tremendously proud to have our customers fly the 787-9 and look forward to delivery of the first airplane to Air New Zealand next year,” said Ray Conner, Commercial Airplanes President and CEO, Boeing.

During the flight, 787-9 Senior Project Pilot Mike Bryan and 787 Chief Pilot Randy Neville departed to the North, reaching an altitude of 20,400 feet (6,218 meters) and an airspeed of 250 knots, or about 288 miles (463 kilometers) per hour, customary for a first flight. While they tested the airplane’s systems and structures, onboard equipment transmitted real-time data to a flight-test team on the ground in Seattle. “We accomplished a lot in this flight, and it went really well,” said Bryan. “The 787-9 is a great jet and we wanted to just keep on flying,” he added.
Powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines, the first 787-9 will be joined in flight test by two additional airplanes, one of which will feature General Electric GEnx engines. Those airplanes are in the final stages of assembly in Boeing’s Everett factory. Over the coming months, the fleet will be subjected to a variety of tests and conditions to demonstrate the safety and reliability of the airplane’s design.

The 787-9 will complement and extend the 787 family, offering airlines the ability to grow routes first opened with the 787-8. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet over the 787-8, the 787-9 will carry 40 more passengers an additional 300 nautical miles (555 kilometers), with the same exceptional environmental performance — 20 per cent less fuel use and 20 per cent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes. The 787-9 leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering the features passengers prefer such as large, dimmable windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Boeing is on track to deliver the 787-9 to launch customer Air New Zealand in mid-2014. Twenty-five customers from around the world have ordered 388 787-9s, accounting for 40 per cent of all 787 orders.

18/09/2013

AirAsia offers 1mn free tickets for booking till September 22, 2013


As part of celebrating 200 million customers, AirAsia is offering one million free seats from Kuala Lumpur to domestic and international destinations, as per a release. Tickets can booked online at www.airasia.com and via AirAsia’s mobile applications on iPhone, Android devices, Blackberry10, and the mobile site mobile.airasia.com from today (0001hrs GMT+8) to September 22, 2013 (2359hrs GMT+8).

AirAsia is also offering promotional fares in conjunction with the free seats campaign with all taxes inclusive fares from as low as Rs 5,000 from Chennai to Kuala Lumpur; Rs 3,820 from Chennai to Bangkok; Rs 4,000 from Kochi/Tiruchirappalli to Kuala Lumpur; Rs 6,000 from Bengaluru to Kuala Lumpur; Rs 5,000 from Kolkata to Kuala Lumpur; Rs 3,320 from Kolkata to Bangkok.

Domestic destinations from Kuala Lumpur such as Penang, Langkawi, Johor Bahru, Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Alor Setar and Kota Kinabalu are included in the free seats; while Intra-East Malaysia routes such as Kota Kinabalu – Miri, Sandakan, Tawau and Kuching; as well as from Kuching – Kota Kinabalu, Bintulu, Miri, Sibu and Singapore are also included. Among the international destinations featured for free seats include Singapore, Brunei, Hat Yai, among others.

Apart from the free seats, AirAsia is also offering promotional seats with base fares from as low as Rs 1,413 one way, including applicable taxes and fees from Kuala Lumpur to destinations such as Bandung, Medan, Jakarta, etc. The travel period for this campaign is January 7 to August 5, 2014.

Siegtraund Teh, Group Chief Commercial Officer, AirAsia said, “We celebrated our 100 millionth guest flown in October 2010, and it is unbelievable that we have doubled that number in barely three years. Surpassing that 200 million guests’ milestone is a proud moment and we would like to thank all our guests for their support towards the AirAsia mission of ‘Now Everyone Can Fly’. We hope all our guests will enjoy the free seats & ultra-low fare seats that we are offering and take advantage of the additional frequencies & new routes that we have added to our network which spans across 85 destinations in 20 countries.”

AirAsia X, the long-haul low-fare affiliate of AirAsia is also offering long-haul Fly-Thru promotional deals in conjunction with the free seats campaign. The fares start from as low as Rs 9,659 from Chennaito China (Chengdu, Hangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai) andRs 9,399 from Kochito Korea (Busan, Seoul), Rs 10,099 from Chennai to Taiwan (Taipei), Rs 9,839 from Kochi to Japan (Osaka, Tokyo), Rs 11,269 from Kochi to Gold Coast , Rs 10,639 from Kochi to Melbourne and Rs 9,969 from Kochi to Perth.

Azran Osman-Rani, CEO, AirAsia X, said, “Guests are able to take advantage of this promotion and plan their trip to multiple destinations from our long-haul destinations to destinations across the AirAsia Group network. With the convenience of our Fly-Thru flights, guests from our long-haul destinations such as Australia, China, Korea, Japan, Nepal and Taiwan may connect seamlessly to over 85 destinations leveraging on AirAsia’s low cost carrier network.”

14/09/2013

Happy and prosperous Onam Greetings

10/09/2013

Next Umrah Will be Start on Dec 2013 Booking Started

Alhind Umrah 2014

10/09/2013

SriLankan Airlines to increase flights from India


SriLankan Airlines is set to increase its weekly flights from India from 48 to 60 till the year end by adding new destinations, the airline has said, the PTI reported. Asia, particularly India, is a very important destination for the airline and it gives top priority to the region, Nishantha Wickremasinghe, Chairman, SriLankan Airlines said. Wickremasinghe said, “We now fly 48 flights a week from India and they will go up to 60 in 2014 and peak with 70 flights by 2015.

“Travellers come to Colombo for onward connection to West Asia and Far East as we plan to make Colombo an important hub. We cover most of the cities in India. For instance we fly four times a day from Chennai to Colombo and once a day from Madurai, Tiruchirappalli and Kochi and also from Delhi and Mumbai with near full capacity on every flight. We also operate flights to Bodh Gaya and Varanasi to cater to Buddhist passengers,” he added.

10/09/2013

Alhind Umrah 2014

05/09/2013

Etihad Airways offers ‘Flying Nanny’ service for families on long-haul flights

Etihad Airways has introduced 'Flying Nanny' service on its long-haul flights, as per a TravelMole report. It is an in-flight childcare assistance programme for families. Identified by a bright orange apron, the Flying Nanny provides a 'helping hand' to families and unaccompanied minors.

During the past two months, 300 cabin crew members of Etihad Airways have completed enhanced training for the role. Another 200 Flying Nannies will be working on Etihad Airways’ long-haul flights by the end of 2013. The course includes in-depth training, focusing on child psychology and sociology, "enabling the Flying Nannies to identify different types of behaviour and developmental stages that children go through and how to appreciate the perspective and needs of travelling families", the airline said.

The Flying Nanny will also inform families transiting at Abu Dhabi airport about the various baby changing and child facilities at the airport, as well as advising them of the children's play area in the premium lounges and at Gate 32 in Terminal 3

30/08/2013

Visa-on-arrival boost for Kerala Tourism: Oommen Chandy
Thiruvananthapuram,

The introduction of tourist visa-on-arrival (T-VoA) facility at Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi airports will help attract more foreign visitors to the state, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy said Wednesday.

T-VoA is currently available for citizens of 11 countries -- Cambodia, Finland, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Luxembourg, Myanmar, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam.

T-VoA allows tourists from these nations to request for a visa upon their arrival at either of the two airports. The fee is 60 US dollars and the visa is valid for up to 30 days. It will be issued twice a year and is for those coming for recreation, sightseeing and meeting friends or relatives.

Those applying should not have a residence or occupation in India. They should have a passport with a minimum validity of six months and produce proof of confirmed hotel booking and return tickets when applying for T-VoA.

Chandy reviewed the arrangements at the special T-VoA counter Wednesday.

The facility at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport became operational Aug 15.

T-VoA was rolled out in the first phase in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai airports. The facility is also available at Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Tourist arrivals from Japan were up 56 per cent in the past five years to 11,440 in 2012 while arrivals from Finland more than doubled over the period to 5,160 last year.

Tourist arrivals from New Zealand, Philippines and Singapore have also gone up between 75 and 90 per cent since 2008.

"The VoA facility has been a long-standing demand from Kerala Tourism and now we intend to take full advantage of it," said Tourism Minister A.P. Anil Kumar.

He added: "The Department of Tourism will take the campaign to these countries. We will take part in travel fairs and present our road shows to tell people there how convenient visiting Kerala is."

The minister said: "The scheme will help Kerala Tourism achieve target of 30 lakh foreign tourists by 2021."

Kerala saw 789,698 foreign tourist arrivals in 2012 while foreign exchange earnings touched Rs.4,548 crore.