Indian Formula One Effect – Hotel Rooms Gets Costlier!

With Indian Grand Prix just around the corner, demand for hotel rooms in the area has gone up pushing up the room costs!  Sports aficionados who were slow in making bookings for flights to India and hotels will be a disappointed lot as the tariffs for guest rooms will have big effect on their pockets now, in case they decide to book them.

The second edition of the Indian Grand Prix will take place in the Buddha International Circuit (BIC), a racing circuit that is built very close to the India’s capital city, New Delhi, which is a popular holiday destination that remains on the priority list of holiday makers taking flights to the country.

Media reports tell that most of the luxury properties and some budget accommodation alternatives in the region have witnessed a great rise in the bookings, as heaps of tourists are descending upon the shores of India for the event.

The F1 event was a huge success in the 2011, when heaps of foreign racing enthusiasts grabbed flights tickets to the country. The 2012 Indian Grand Prix, to be held in October 26 to 28, promises to be even better and is enticing many to look for India bound flights this time too.

Authorities expect that around 100,000 spectators will come to watch the race, with a good potion of them being foreigners who are in India or are taking flights to the country.

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More Airlines to Begin India Flights Connecting to Kolkata

Foreign tourists taking flights to India connecting Kolkata have a reason to smile as four foreign carriers are likely to begin flight services to this Indian city. 

Turkish Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Flydubai and Xiamen Airlines are in talks with Civil Aviation Ministry of India and are trying to negotiate for flight services to the new airport in Kolkata.

Malaysia Airlines started flights to Kolkata in 2005-06 but drew back its services owing to route restructuring programme. Besides, Turkish Airlines, the national carrier of Turkey, Xiaman, the first private-owned operator of China and Flydubai, the low cost air carrier of Dubai, are keen on beginning flights to one of the largest metropolises of India.

Foreign travellers have myriads of flight options as many carriers, including international as well as operators in India, are already offering flights to the Indian city.

Recently, Qatar Airways and Silk Air commenced Kolkata-bound India flights. On the other hand, Dragon Air, the subsidiary of Cathay Pacific, is another carrier that will start flights from the India metropolis to Hong Kong from November.

Travellers from Gulf, tourists from UK, rest of the Europe and Far East are likely to benefit from the development. They will be able to choose from a plethora of connecting flights for a seamless connectivity to India and that too at extremely reasonable prices.

All the four international carriers have already surveyed the traffic potential and are confident of high load factor.

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Mumbai’s Travel Tourism Fair Turns Out To Be a Major Hit

Travel & Tourism Fair (TTF), India’s major tourism show recently concluded successfully with a record attendance of more than 11,000 visitors. The 100th edition of the event held from September 7 to 9, 2012 in Mumbai witnessed 150 participants, from both domestic and international players.

This tourism fair has helped to increase the demand of flights to India. TTF saw representation from 21 Indian states and 6 countries from across the globe.

Indian states of Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep and Kerala also organised interesting cultural presentations to encourage more tourists to look for flights tickets to India to get a slice of country’s diverse cultures and traditions during the upcoming holiday season.  

Some of the key global players that participated in the fest were UK, Bhutan, China, Dubai, Japan and Maldives. These participating countries showcased their offerings in an endeavour to tempt Indian travellers to look for international flights to their country for leisurely breaks and business purposes.

UK led the team of international participants as the feature country. The nation conducted workshops to brief tour operators about the attractions of Great Britain, that are hugely responsible for pushing enquiries on flights tickets to the country.

TTF has long been one of India’s biggest travel events. With interesting exhibits, attractive packages and other lucrative options, the event has long been one of the favourites for both local and out-of-state visitors tempting them to look for India bound flights.

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More Foreign Tourists Opting for India’s Visa on Arrival

A good number of foreign travellers taking flights to India are now opting for the Visa on Arrival (VoA) scheme for tourism purposes. The country reported an impressive growth of 90.2 percent in the count of global vacationers availing the facility in August 2012.

In August 2012, a total number of 1750 tourists took advantage of VoAs as compared to 920 VoAs during the month in 2011.

The period of January-August 2012 also saw a rise of 25.3 percent as compared to the same period in 2011. 7,514 VoA were issued to foreign tourists travelling on flights to various destinations in India in 2011, whereas the figure rose to 9412 in 2012. 

India airports ranking for the numbers of Visa on Arrival issued include Delhi on top with 5489, followed by Mumbai with 1981 while 1365 foreign holidaymakers booked flights to Chennai.

Japanese citizens who took flights to the different cities of the country were issued the maximum number of VoAs in the month of August, followed by Philippines and Indonesia.

In a bid to lure more global vacationers to take flights, the Government of India introduced the Visa on Arrival scheme in January 2010. Initially it was offered to nationals of 5 countries - Finland, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Singapore, visiting for tourism purposes. In January 2011, it was extended to tourists from Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Philippines, Laos and Myanmar.

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Maldivian to Begin New Direct Flights to India

Foreign vacationers taking flights to India and looking for direct flights connecting onwards to Maldives will soon be able to enjoy alternatives with Maldivian.  The airline is beginning direct flight to two major cities of India. 

The national air carrier of the popular Indian Ocean destination is commencing flights to Mumbai and Chennai from November 2012. It will ply aircraft A320 on these routes and offer 14 seats in the business class and 138 in the economy class for catering to the affluent passengers as well as budget travellers.

The airline will fly three flights per week. The direct flight services to India connecting Mumbai will run on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday while flights to Chennai will operate alternatively on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Initially Maldivian will operate flights from Male to Mumbai thrice a week and depending on the traffic it will enhance the flight frequency to five days a week. The airline is also planning to start direct flight services to Delhi, the capital of India starting next year. 

Both India and Maldives are top holiday destinations that lure hordes of holidaymakers every year. Apart from serving the natives, the new flights services are also going to prove beneficial for foreign vacationers, especially those looking for multi stop flights on two centre holiday to Maldives and India.

The launch of these new flights to two popular metropolises of India is likely to further strengthen airline’s presence in the country and it will provide wide-network to foreign holidaymakers.

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Luxury Back On Tracks! India’s Palace on Wheels Starts Season

In good news for sybarites booking flights to India, the country’s train of luxuries is back on tracks! India’s highly popular luxury train - The Palace on Wheels (POW) – has rolled on its first commercial journey for the year 2012-2013. The maiden trip on the luxury wheels was flagged off on 5th September from New Delhi to Rajasthan.

54 tourists who took India bound flights from all corners of the world became a part of the maiden journey of the plush coaches.

A venture of the RTDC (Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation), Palace on Wheels remains a highly popular attraction among heaps of loaded vacationers who take flights to India to uncover its many glittering gems. The itinerary for the season is Delhi-Jaipur-Sawai Madhopur-Chittorgarh-Udaipur-Jaisalmer-Jodhpur-Bharatpur-Agra-Delhi. Each of the destinations covered in the trip is highly popular and tempt travellers to seek flights to the country. Even the highly famed ‘Golden Triangle’ tourist circuit is being incorporated in the itinerary. Agra’s Taj Mahal is also a part of the attraction, much to the delight of those booking flights to witness one the most iconic structures!

POW will kick off its voyage every Wednesday for the seven-day trip between the months of September, 2012 to April, 2013. In 34 rounds during the period, more than 3,000 passengers are expected to be treated with lavish spread of world-class facilities on the train. The luxury train includes Royal “Spa” and “gym”. Its 23 coaches boast 14 Saloon's, One Spa Coach, two Restaurant known as “Maharaja” and “Maharani” and one Reception/Bar.

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Southall Travel Agents – Popular for Cheap Tickets to India

Southall, the popular West London town, has one of the largest concentrations of South Asian populace outside of the Indian sub-continent. Given this fact, Southall has seen mushrooming of countless travel agents and undoubtedly takes the cake when it comes to travel agents in the UK who specialise in travel to India and destinations around India.

If you live in Southall or anywhere else the UK for that matter, and plan to book cheap flights to India or rest of South Asia, you stand a better chance to net cheap flights tickets as well as package deals with travel agents in Southall.

Southall Travel Agents Popularity: Certain Southall travel agents are exceedingly popular among the inhabitants for flights and holidays to India and its neighboring countries. Once small businesses, these agents have made it big owing to their long experience dealing in India flights which has made them not only the first choice of travellers to India but also of many airlines for whom they act as consolidators now. Cheap Ticket is one travel agency that enjoys huge popularity among not just the inhabitants of Southall, but countless others from all across the country who look for cheap flights to India and other Asian destinations. Air Ticket is another travel agent in Southall that enjoys an enviable reputation of being one of the most recognised names for India flight tickets in the industry.

Specialist Advice: Procuring cheap flights and holiday deals to any destination becomes a lot easier if the travel agents selling flight tickets have good exposure to those destinations. Most Southall Travel agents not only have good understanding of India and rest of South Asian destinations but also boast strategic business links in the form of local supplier networks. Holiday makers often consult travel agents not only to book cheap flights tickets but also for seeking reliable destination related advice and information. Southall air travel agents can help vacationers with both - cheap flights tickets and holidays as well as the most effective destination advice and travel tips to India and other South Asian getaways.

Summary: Travel agents in Southall, United Kingdom, are among the top choices for those booking cheap flights to South Asia. The London suburb’s soaring popularity is mainly owing to high density of inhabitants from South Asia, especially India.

Enjoy Kerala’s Splendour With Hop-on Hop-off Boats

Foreign vacationers taking flights to India and desirous of exploring the magnificence of Kerala’s hot holiday hub of Kochi can now take advantage of hop-on hop-off boats.

In a bid to lessen the woes of tourists suffering from constant traffic jams, the state’s tourism department is introducing hop-on hop-off boat service in Kochi and a water taxi service from Alappuzha, another popular holiday destination in the South Indian state. 

A fleet of five to seven boats with a capacity of 20-30 passengers will be plied. Marine Drive, Bolgatty Palace, Vypeen and Mattanchery will be the initial stopovers on the route, most of which are popular among those taking India bound flights.

Besides, a water taxi service with capacity of 4 to 6 passengers will be also be operated. Connecting the three major destinations of the state – Kochi, Alappuzha and Kumarakom, it will offer maximum flexibility to vacationers travelling on India bound flights.

In addition to this, authorities are also coming up with heritage cruises that will connect the heritage destination at Thalassery and Fort Kochi, a popular attraction among holidaymakers hopping on flights to Kerala.

The cruise will cover the renowned attractions of India like Kappad in city of Calicut, Beypur (ancient port town and part of Calicut) and Kanyakumari, a beautiful town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The recently introduced services will definitely spell a gala time for tourists who take India flights tickets looking forward to revel in Kerala’s tourist trappings especially its backwater charms. Besides ensuring convenient travel, it will double up the joy of sightseeing.

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Southall – A Hub of Travel Agents for Holidays to India

Southall, the vivacious district of West London is home to the largest concentration of South Asians outside the Indian sub-continent. Revered as “little India”, it depicts assorted facets of Asian flavours, especially India. With lively shopping scene and eateries, Southall is a well-developed commercialized district. 

Travel Agents in Southall – Reliable & In Abundance

A good number of businesses in Southall are run by people of Asia. Travel agents are the most prominent among the businesses in Southall that are operated by owners of non-British origin. Southall Broadway – the heart and soul of the district is strewn with countless travel agencies that dole out extremely cheap flight tickets and holiday deals. 

With an immense understanding about Asian destinations and great business connections with local suppliers, these travel agents in Southall are fully capable of doling out dirt-free deals on flights. What’s more, most of these travel agents are bonded with ATOL and are ABTA and IATA members and promise greater financial protection. 

It comes as no surprise that these travel agents enjoy huge popularity among Britons as well as other inhabitants of Southall who look for cheap flights to Asian destinations. Infact, they have gained high reputation among those from India who look for personalised services and cheap flights.

India Might Extend Visa-on-Arrival to 10 More Nations

India may very soon offer tourist Visa-on-Arrival (VoA) to nationals of 10 more countries taking flights to the country. The tourism authorities are in the final stages of meetings and consultations to offer tourist VoA to the nations.

It is a common belief that T-VoA adds to the tourism industry of the country offering it as more vacationers get attracted in booking flights. Since the introduction of this service to 11 nations, India has become increasingly popular destination among thousands taking flights to India from these regions.

Indeed, favourable visa on arrival policies for more foreign nationals may spell a boost in the number for foreign holidaymakers on flights to the nation. In fact, it may very well assist Indian Government to realise its target of increasing the international tourist footfall manifold by 2016.

Germany, France and Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) could be among the 10 nations that could be provided VoA facility.

As of now, nationals of 11 countries on India bound flights can enjoy visa on arrival facilities. These countries include Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, Myanmar, Finland, Luxembourg and New Zealand.

T-VoA is issued for up to 30 days and is restricted for recreation, sightseeing or meeting friends in the country. Also, foreign nationals on India bound flights who choose to get this facility must have a passport with minimum six-month validity and must not have a residence or occupation in the nation.

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Udaipur Film Festival – Reason to Take Flights to India

India is offering yet another reason for film buffs to take flights to the country! Popular holiday destination, Udaipur is all set to host the Udaipur International Film Festival (UIFF) on September 15 and 16, 2012.

The festival is expected to encourage the exchange of information, ideas and social and cultural ethos between India and other nations. It really makes sense to look for flights to India as people who will be there at the fest will be part of an initiative that is sure to take the world of cinema by storm!

UIFF will feature around 47 documentaries, motion pictures, short flicks and docudramas from around 21 nations to entertain and enrich film buffs taking flights to India connecting the city during the event.

Organizers have also planned to host scriptwriting workshops, open house forums, etc during the event so that keen filmgoers on Udaipur-bound flights may get an insight into various facets involved in filmmaking.

It is believed that renowned filmmakers and actors from all across the globe will descend down upon the city to discuss various facets of national and international cinema during the two day festival.

With thought-provoking movies, workshops and open house forums, the first edition of UIFF is all set to become the perfect excuse for movie lovers to book their flights to India connecting the city.

Udaipur remains a much sought after holiday spot among European and other foreign tourists. The place tempts with its glowing heritage and historical monuments.

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India May Soon Host FIM World Motocross Championship

Foreign tourists who are often to be seen in a lookout for flights to India for trips to Goa will be able to enjoy adrenaline pumping racing event as the destination is all set to host FIM World Motocross championship in few years from now.

India’s premier beach destination, Goa is looking forward to host the popular event in a bid to boost the number of tourists on international flights to India. This two-wheeler racing sport is conducted on confined off-roads and in four different categories — 450cc, 250cc, 650cc and open category for women.

A delegation from Indian state recently visited Matterley Basin, the historic venue of Motocross, to meet the promoters of the championship and officials of FIM to get their consent to host the races in the India.

Experts believe that if everything falls in place, Goa may soon become a popular hub for not only beach lovers but also for sports freaks spending on flights tickets to witness the adrenaline pumping world championship event. Tourism officials would hope that after the roaring success of the Formula 1 event that registered surging passenger traffic on flights to Delhi, Goa would propel the demand for flights to India amongst sports fans.

Over the last few decades, Goa’s sports tourism has been all about water sports - windsurfing, water-skiing, parasailing and the likes. However, the FIM Motocross World Championship may become the next big thing in terms of sports tourism for those on flights to the country!

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Kerala-Lavish Backwater Tours with a Mite of Astrology

Leisure travellers taking flights to India connecting Kerala have a reason to rejoice as the renowned backwater experience will be punctuated with sumptuosity and astrological tours.

In an attempt to lure domestic and international travellers to look for India bound flights, the tourism authorities in the popular city of Kochi, are now contemplating to begin backwater rides in a luxury boat for promoting the well-known spiritual tourism.

The authorities are looking forward to ply a luxury boat that can accommodate about 20 passengers. These tours will commence in a month or two.

The lavish trips will start from Poothotta in Kochi to Piravom in Kottayam, another renowned city.

During the sail, the boat will stop at Pazhoor Padippura Mana, an ancient Indian temple utterly famous for its astrological significance. Foreign vacationers hopping on flights to India and visiting the place can meet the eminent astrologers who predict the future after spreading the conch shells on a block.

The astrology tourism in Kochi is attracting a good number of foreign tourists grabbing flights to India. Many travellers visit the city to meet the astrologers and get an insight into their futures and have solutions for better tomorrow.

The recently introduced deluxe boat tours will definitely spell a gala time for leisure holidaymakers who take flights to India willing to sample Kerala’s enthralling delights. In addition, the combo of backwater tourism and astrology is sure to attract more foreign visitors interested in this distinctive traditional Indian system.

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Air Travel With Indian Carriers Get Pricier

International flyers looking to book flights to India with carriers based in India will be required to shell out more. India’s national airline, Air India has decided to jack up fuel surcharge on both domestic and international flight operations. The decision has come following the 7.6% hike in aviation turbine fuel (ATF) prices. Other carriers based in India have followed suit or expected to do so.

Last week, Air India hiked the surcharge for international flights by USD15 (Rs 840) for a one-way ticket and by USD30 (Rs 1,680) for return tickets. For domestic flights operations, the surcharge has been increased by INR150 for flights of upto 1,000 km and by INR250 on longer domestic flights.

Jet Airways, one of India’s largest airlines and its subsidiary JetKonnect have also increased the fuel surcharge on all domestic flights, said a company statement. On most international flights taking off from India, a one-way surcharge of $15 will also be levied. Some international routes would be exempted from the fuel surcharge but it wasn’t made clear which ones.

SpiceJet, a leading budget carrier in India known for offering cheap flight deals, has also put it across that the airline is in no condition to absorb the recent hike in ATF costs and it has to pass on the burden to the flyers.

Indian carriers have been demanding reduction in tariffs and have even got permission from the government to import ATF directly.

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Malaysia Airlines Begins Daytime Flights to India

British travellers looking for daytime flights between India and Malaysia will certainly be a happy lot as Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has launched new daytime flights connecting South India’s popular city of Chennai with Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur (KL).

Malaysia’s national carrier, Malaysia Airlines started operating four new weekly daylight flights between the destinations from 1 September 2012. The new flights are being operated on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and are complementing its current daily night-time flights services to India from KL.

As per airline’s press release, Flight MH182 is departing KL at 09:35 hours and arriving in Chennai, India at 10:45 hours. The return flight is leaving Chennai at 11:45hours and landing in KL at 18:15 hours.

The airline has deployed B737-800 aircraft to operate its newly launched daytime flights to India. With the addition of new flights, passengers will now have an added option of 1280 seats on the route apart from the existing capacity of 3206 seats with A330-200 on daily evening flights to India

Apart from offering flexibility to leisure travellers on India-Malaysia route, the new flights will particularly be beneficial for corporate travellers who are often to be seen in a look out for day flight services in order to attend to their urgent businesses or meetings.

The airline plans to enhance the frequency of its newly launched flights to India to twice daily with a choice of morning and evening departures by 5 January 2013 to cater to the increasing travel demand on the route, says the airline press release.

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Air India Express Launches More Gulf flights

Air India Express (AIE), a low-cost unit of Air India, country’s national airline, has launched new additional flights to the Gulf region. AIE, highly popular among flyers for doling out cheap flight ticket options, is all set to put a smile on the faces of passengers who look for economical alternatives between South India and prominent Gulf destinations.

Between September 17 and October 27, the airline is going to add approximately 130 additional flights between India’s popular tourist centres of Mangalore, Kochi, Kozhikode and Thiruvanthapuram and destinations in the Gulf. The carrier’s press release conveys that the move is taken to clear the vacation crowd from India to the Gulf.

The low-cost airline will operate Flight IX 343/344 on the Kozhikode-Dubai-Kozhikode sector on all Sundays, while IX 363/348 will operate on the Kozhikode-Abu Dhabi-Kozhikode sector on all Thursdays. Kozhikode-Dammam-Kozhikode sector will be operated by Flight IX 381/382 daily.

Flyers can grab Flight IX 419/4522 on the Kochi-Abu Dhabi-Kochi route that will run on Mondays and Saturdays. On all Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays Flight IX 4199/452 will run on Kochi-Dubai-Kochi segment.

AIE’s news release further states that IX 537/5388 will be plied on Thiruvanthapuram-Abu Dhabi-Thiruvanthapuram sector on all Fridays. Flight IX 5377/538 will be operated on all Thursdays and Saturdays on Thiruvanthapuram-Dubai-Thiruvanthapuram route.

IX 535/536 will run on Thiruvanthapuram-Sharjah-Thiruvanthapuram segment on all Mondays and Wednesdays.

Further, Flight IX 817/818 will ply on all Saturdays on the Mangalore-Abu Dhabi-Muscat-Mangalore sector, and IX 383/384 will run on Mangalore-Dubai-Mangalore route on Mondays.

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Sri Lankan Airlines May Launch Flights to More Indian Cities

Travellers looking for hopping flights to Sri Lanka connecting at India’s popular cities will soon have added options made available to them by the SriLankan Airlines.

In a bid to tap the increasing travel demand between Sri Lanka and South India, the state-owned carrier is planning to add flights to a destination in South India. The airline is mulling over Hyderabad or Visakhapatnam for its new flights.

India’s princely city of Nizams is famous for its rich Islamic heritage that finely concords with modern glitz and glitter. South India’s glittering gem, Visakhapatnam is perhaps one city that needs no introduction in the world tourism market. Famous for its beautiful coast, Visakhapatnam packs in enough charm to please its visitors.

It would be interesting to see which destination the airline picks for its newest flights to India, although industry experts believe that Visakhapatnam stands a higher chance.

SriLankan Airlines had recently enhanced its weekly flights frequency between Trivandrum in South India and Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. The airline introduced three additional weekly flights services on the route from August 30, 2012. Earlier, the carrier operated seven flights between the destinations. With its expansion on India-Sri Lanka sector, it seems as if SriLankan Airlines is simply leaving no stone unturned to spare a smile to its passengers.

The tear drop island in the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka has long been on the radar of international holidaymakers who often look for flights with stopover at India’s popular cities. And Sri Lanka’s national carrier is all set to become one of the most preferred choices of airlines offering flights between India and Sri Lanka.

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Air India Looks At Star Alliance With Starry-Eyes!

If wishes were horses, beggars would fly, and if Air India had its wish, Star Alliance would offer a membership invite to the carrier! If may be a crude way of putting things across but reports floating in the Indian media hint at the same.

India’s Economic Times (a leading financial daily) reports that country’s state-run carrier is still hopeful of landing a spot with one of the world’s most prestigious airline groups, Star Alliance even as the group overlooked the application a year ago.

AI, a popular option among those taking outbound and inbound flights to India, is strongly pursuing a membership with the Lufthansa-led grouping.

Reports say that Jet Airways has also applied with the government for permission to join the group that has Singapore Airlines, SWISS and Air China as its members. However, this isn’t discouraging AI from keeping hopes high.

In Economic Times’ report, AI’s Chairman and Managing Director Rohit Nandan was found advocating for the cause and emphasising that AI is “as good as any of its members,”

For travellers, it would surely be great news in case Air India manages to breakthrough. A host of services and conveniences would be available to them in case they seek flights with the Indian carrier. Seamless flights transfers and the availability of facilities at airports are other incentives waiting for travellers picking flights if and when AI becomes a member of the group.

Star Alliance network offers more than 21,200 daily flights in 193 countries, and is likely to append to AI’s passenger traffic on flights.

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Delhi Film Festival to Attract Tourists on Flights to India

Cinema enthusiasts planning to hop on India bound flights to Delhi in the month of December will get a chance to immerse in the entertaining world of films as the date for eagerly awaited, first edition of Delhi International Film Festival (DIFF) has been announced. The event is all set to take place from December 21, 2012 to December 27, 2012.

With around 150 world films from around 70 nations like UK, France, Israel and Brazil to be showed, organizers are hopeful of tempting huge number of film fanatics from different parts of the globe to book flights to India and be a part of this astounding week-long event.

DIFF will feature classical cinema from India and overseas across 10 sections. The Retrospective, Tributes and Homage sections will showcase movies of some of the legendary movie makers and actors.

The special section called the NRI Cinema featuring 15 thought-provoking flicks by non-resident Indians from all across the globe may very well become the key highlight for movie fans on flights to the city.

The festival will also host an art exhibition that will showcase excellent artworks, appealing to those taking India bound flights.

The first ever edition of DIFF is just around the corner and it is time for every film buff to pack bags and hop on one of those India bound flights to Delhi. However, all of those who want to avoid soaring airfares on flights to India must book as soon as possible as the festival kicks off in December.

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Popular Delhi Book Fair 2012 to Close on Sunday

Flights to Delhi are particularly popular amongst those sightseers who wish to get a slice of this famous momentous city that simply tempts with its unique cultural parade of old-world charms. However, every year hundreds of bibliophiles board flights to this Indian city to partake in one of country’s most eagerly awaited exposition, Delhi Book Fair (DBF).

The 18th of DBF started on September 1 and is set to conclude on September 9, 2012 in India’s capital city of Delhi. One of India’s leading literary events, DBF has long been a catalyst for pushing enquiries from book lovers and publishers on flights to India connecting to the city.

The event started with a record attendance from bibliophiles on flights to Delhi, domestic as well as overseas. DBF 2012 is playing host to around 253 publishers - both regional and international. Publishers from India, France, US, UK, Russia, Germany, China and Pakistan have participated in the event.

The event features around 600 stalls in a bid to encourage more booklovers on flights to India to get a slice of literary works from around the borders. With eBooks as its theme, DBF 2012 has witnessed participation from a number of Indian and foreign e-publishers. The event also features a huge variety of eBooks to tap the new age bibliophiles who arrived here on flights to India.

The efforts put in to make the event a success seem to have paid off well so far. The fair closes on Sunday and expects hordes of book lovers to be a part of it over the weekend.

Visitors who have managed to land in the city on flights to India while the exposition has been on also have the opportunity to participate in knowledge packed seminars throwing light on e-publishing.

Annually held since 1995, DBF has been a vital platform for lesser-known authors and publishers from worldwide.

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Wait Over! Air India Gets First 787 Dreamliner

Finally the wait is over for Air India and also for those hundreds of keen flyers who wanted to experience the charm of the world’s most fuel efficient aircraft! India’s national airline took the delivery of its first 787 Dreamliner on Thursday, bringing cheers to the country’s aviation industry.

The carrier took the delivery of the aircraft at Boeing Co's final assembly plant in Charleston, South Carolina. The plane is scheduled to be flown into New Delhi on Friday. Altogether, the state-run carrier has ordered 27 aircraft.

AI’s Chairman & Managing Director, Rohit Nandan was elated with the development and said 787 will enable Air India to start new flights routes and offer the finest set of in-flight services for passengers taking flights with the operator.

AI’s Dreamliner will be featuring 18 business class seats and 238 economy class seats, catering flyers on both end of the spectrum.

Dreamliner has taken the centre-stage in the global aviation industry since its launch years back. The plane is made of lightweight carbon fibre materials and is lighter compared to other similarly sized planes. This allows the airplane to operate long-haul flights, enabling airlines to open new flight routes.

Media report suggests that AI is likely to ply 787 for running direct flights between India and Australia. It has also been hinted that the first B 787 will be plied on flights to London from India, a highly popular route among travellers that usually witnesses heavy traffic.

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Cathay Pacific Launches New Flights On India-Hong Kong Route

British travellers looking forward to book flights to Hong Kong for business and leisure travel with an en route stopover at India will very soon be able to sample an incredible slice of stimulating cultural experiences at Hyderabad.

Hong Kong’s flag carrier, Cathay Pacific is all set to introduce its new direct flight to India connecting Hyderabad and Hong Kong. The airline will start operating on its new route from December 2012.

The airline plans to operate the route four times a week with A330-300 aircraft that will feature 44 business class and 267 economy class seats. The higher number of economy class seats will ensure that budget travellers who are often to be seen in a look out for relatively cheap flight tickets with the popular full service carrier are a happy lot.

Airline’s first flight to India connecting Hyderabad from Hong Kong will arrive at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport on December 01, 2012.

Hyderabad will be Cathay Pacific’s sixth destination in the country. The carrier already offers flights to India connecting Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai while its fully-owned subsidiary, Dragonair operates flights to Bangalore and is all set to start flights to India connecting Kolkata from November 2, 2012.

With the airline’s new flights to Hyderabad, its total frequency of flights to India will increase to 46 flights per week.

Hyderabad is not only a popular holiday destination that attracts Britons but the city has also emerged as country’s major technological hub.

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AirAsia to Add More Weekly Flights to India from Malaysia

British travellers who are often to be seen in a look out for cheap flights to Kuala Lumpur via India will certainly be a happy lot as AirAsia is all set up to introduce additional weekly flights connecting South India’s popular city, Trichy to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia’s popular low-cost airline, AirAsia has announced to enhance its weekly flight services between Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) and Trichy (India) from October 15, 2012. The carrier plans to operate four additional flights connecting the destinations.

The additional weekly flights will be available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursday and Saturdays every week.

The airline’s increased weekly flight frequency will complement the daily flight services between the destinations.

AirAsia’s India bound flights (AK1235) will depart from Kuala Lumpur at 2.45 pm and will arrive in Trichy (India) at 4.00 pm. The return flight (AK1236) will depart Trichy (India) at 4.30 pm and will arrive in Kuala Lumpur at 11.00 pm.

Besides, the airline has also launched a special promotional scheme to delight its passengers. Under this scheme, the airline is offering promotional all-inclusive fares on one way between the destinations.

The promotional fares are available only if booked online. Those interested in availing the special promotional fares may visit airline’s official website, www.airasia.com. The promotional fares are available for booking from August 29 until September 9, 2012 for travel dates between September 4 and November 2012.

News Reference