Quo Vadis Seychelles tourism in 2015?
ARE THE GLOVES FINALLY COMING OFF OVER THE BUDGET DEBATE IN THE SEYCHELLES? (Posted 09th January 2015) Is there trouble brewing in paradise, threatening the previously quit solid alliance presented to the outside world between public and private sector? Recent spats, taken to the newspapers and on to social media platforms suggest that certainly have […]
RwandAir’s Entebbe to Nairobi flights postponed – blame heaped on Kenyan regulators
KENYA’S CAA BLAMED FOR DELAY IN RWANDAIR FLIGHTS TO NAIROBI (Posted 09th January 2015) There appears to be growing anger directed against the Kenyan aviation regulators, not just from Tanzania where Fastjet continues to twiddle their thumbs. Fastjet, for several months now, is waiting to have their application to fly from Dar es Salaam to […]
Qatar Airways confirms continued interest in Mombasa flights but needs traffic rights first
QATAR AIRWAYS REMAIN KEEN ON MOMBASA (Posted 08th January 2015) (From left to right: Mr. Didier Evrard, Mr. Akbar Al Baker and Mr. Eric Schultz) The press conference yesterday at the Premium Terminal of the old airport in Doha saw Qatar Airways’ Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, together with the Airbus Executive Vice President […]
Another Kenyan airline joins the battle for the Entebbe route
FLY SAX ALSO JOINS THE BATTLE FOR THE ENTEBBE – NAIROBI ROUTE (Posted 08th January 2015) Kenya’s FlySax has confirmed that they will launch double daily flights between Nairobi and Entebbe effective 09th of January. This move comes days before RwandAir plans to also launch double daily flights from Entebbe to Nairobi under a fifth […]
No 312 Wildlife Trade News 7th January 2015
Even while on the road, bad news don’t stop coming in … Your daily dose of news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… EXPOSED: Shocking trade in baby orangutans being bred as playthings for the Russian super-rich for £24,000 each. extract: And the endangered creatures are not just being reared […]
Global aviation media assembles in Doha for the Airbus A350XWB launch
NO HALF MEASURES FOR QATAR AIRWAYS’ LAUNCH OF THE AIRBUS A350XWB (Posted 06th January 2015) The mention ‘Not to off load’ on my ticket sounded reassuring after checking in on line for my flight to Doha, where Qatar Airways will tomorrow launch their latest acquisition, the state of the art Airbus A350XWB. The system had […]
Global aviation media assembles in Doha for the Airbus A350XWB launch
NO HALF MEASURES FOR QATAR AIRWAYS’ LAUNCH OF THE AIRBUS A350XWB (Posted 06th January 2015) The mention ‘Not to off load’ on my ticket sounded reassuring after checking in on line for my flight to Doha, where Qatar Airways will tomorrow launch their latest acquisition, the state of the art Airbus A350XWB. The system had […]
No 311 Wildlife Trade News 6th January 2015
Bad news don’t stop just because one travels … Here comes your daily dose … in the spotlight today …………………… U.S. Ivory Regulation: A Q&A with Craig Hoover, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service http://www.natlawreview.com/article/us-ivory-regulation-qa-craig-hoover-us-fish-wildlife-service Chinese complicit in ivory poaching and elephant deaths. So are Americans. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2014/0910/Chinese-complicit-in-ivory-poaching-and-elephant-deaths.-So-are-Americans (NA COMMENT: Could this explain why China is not […]
More flights and lower fares for Entebbe – Nairobi route as RwandAir set to launch
RWANDAIR SET FOR ENTEBBE – NAIROBI LAUNCH ON 10TH JANUARY (Posted 06th January 2015) RwandAir, fast becoming Uganda’s ‘adopted’ airline after the demise of Air Uganda, has confirmed that they will launch flights on the route from Entebbe to Nairobi on the 10th of January, i.e. this coming Saturday. RwandAir was granted 5th freedom rights […]
Jambojet gets regional route rights from KCAA – prepare for the battle of the skies in East Africa
JAMBOJET GETS REGIONAL ROUTE RIGHTS (Posted 06th January 2015) Kenya’s Civil Aviation Authority has reportedly granted Jambojet an initial one year license to fly from Nairobi into the wider Eastern African region. A regular aviation source in Nairobi confirmed that besides Entebbe was Jambojet also granted rights to fly to Juba, Kigali, Bujumbura and Addis […]
No 310 Wildlife Trade News 5th January 2015
New Year, same old problems … Your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes in the spotlight today …………………… Zim elephant tragedy unfolds extract: Australian Hank Jenkin, a former top official from Cites, which regulates the global trade in endangered species, was recruited as a consultant by wealthy businessmen and the […]
Kenya Airways on course to receive more B787 Dreamliners
THREE MORE DREAMLINERS TO JOIN KENYA AIRWAYS FLEET THIS YEAR (Posted 05th January 2015) A source close to Kenya Airways has over the weekend confirmed that the airline will take delivery of three more Boeing B787-8 Dreamliners as planned. The airline had a few weeks ago announced major losses for the first half of their […]
Zanzibar’s main airport gets new apron and taxiway
ZANZIBAR PRESIDENT CUTS RIBBON TO INAUGURATE COMPLETED PARTS OF AIRPORT EXPANSION (Posted 05th January 2015) Yesterday saw the official inauguration of the completed works on Zanzibar’s main airport on the island of Unguja, ‘Abeid Amani Karume International Airport’ as it is now known. Zanzibar’s President Ali Mohamed Shein did the honours to cut the ceremonial […]
New anti travel advisories come down hard on Burundi after renewed fighting
RENEWED VIOLENCE THREATENS BURUNDI’S TOURISM GAINS (Posted 05th January 2015) Ongoing political disputes over the eligibility under the Arusha agreements of Burundi’s President Nkurunziza to stand for a third term in the upcoming June elections and the outbreak of renewed violence last week have cast doubts over the immediate and medium term future of the […]
Breaking Aviation News – Skilled pilots avert disaster after landing gear failure
PILOTS DO A STERLING JOB IN BRINGING A CRIPPLED FOKKER 50 DOWN SAFELY (Posted 04th January 2015) Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport stared disaster in the face when one of the landing gears of a twin engine turboprop aircraft failed to come down and lock in the critical phase prior to landing. The cockpit crew […]
Service on the ground and in the air must be at par to succeed!
‘SAVOIR VIVRE’ IN THE AIR AND ON THE GROUND (Posted 04th January 2015) Airport lounges, especially the better ones, are today the icing on the cake of travel. Premium passengers of course do look at on-time performance, safety records, the goodies of a decent frequent flyer programme and especially on the ground priority handling at […]
WMA communities reject TANAPA move on extra park fees
NEW TANAPA RULES ON PARK ENTRIES SEEN AS ‘DECLARATION OF WAR’ ON COMMUNITIES (Posted 04th January 2015) ‘Our national park managers are just too greedy. They are greedy for power to extend their control over the community based WMA’s [Wildlife Management Areas] and they are greedy for money. If they begin to charge tourists another […]
No 309 Wildlife Trade News 3rd January 2015
No let up in the new year either … your daily dose of bad news about poaching, wildlife and environmental crimes … in the spotlight today …………………… Elephant sale sparks firestorm in Zimbabwe. extract: "We are expecting at least one million signatures from around the world," Task Force Chairman Johnny Rodrigues told the Anadolu Agency. […]
Competitive Cooperation – one way to attract more business for the East African region
CREATIVE PACKAGING IS ONE OF THE KEY ANSWERS TO GET MORE BUSINESS (Posted 03rd January 2015) When in Tanzania last month opportunity soon arose to meet some tourism stakeholders to discuss business in general and business across the borders in particular. Speaking off the record did several of those spoken to express their misgivings that […]
High Court halts another airport concession
KAA’S CONCESSION AGREEMENTS REMAIN DOGGED BY CONTROVERSY (Posted 03rd January 2015) The High Court in Nairobi has halted the award of yet another concession agreement, this time for the provision of fast food services at the new Terminal 1A. Once again has an unsuccessful company taken their grievance and disappointment to court, promptly described as […]
Park Hyatt Zanzibar – a new 5 star resort hotel
PARK HYATT ZANZIBAR SET FOR MARCH OPENING (Posted 03rd January 2015) The 67 rooms and suites Park Hyatt Zanzibar will very likely be open by March this year, bringing another 5 star branded resort hotel to the island of Unguja. Located directly at the beach in the Shangani area of the island will the new […]
Big, bigger, Selous … the world’s largest game reserve
BIG GAME – BIG WILDERNESS – BIG RIVER MAKE THE MAGIC OF THE SELOUS (Posted 03rd January 2015) When the phone in the tent rang just minutes before the time for the afternoon game-drive, I knew in advance what the conversation would be about. Not long after arriving at the Selous Luxury Camp of Serena […]
New Year’s Day Cessna crash has lucky ending
PILOT ESCAPES EMERGENCY LANDING WITHOUT INJURIES (Posted 02nd January 2015) The pilot of a Cessna C206F Stationair had a lucky escape, when, after making an emergency landing in a maizefield near Kamengo, Mpigi District, the aircraft overturned and came to a halt upside down. The plane, registration number 5X-WTA, was enroute from the Mweya airstrip […]
Happy New Year from Reunion
REUNION – READY FOR 2015 (Posted 01st January 2015) Reunion asked the right question to their French compatriots on the European mainland yesterday evening: ‘What if you spent celebrating New Year three hours ahead of anyone else? It takes no time machine but only a flight to Reunion …’ not even rubbing in the summer […]
More trouble for Air Tanzania as pilots fail to report to work
AIR TANZANIA PILOTS FAIL TO REPORT ON DUTY STRANDING HUNDREDS (Posted 01st January 2015) Reports from Dar es Salaam claim that a number of pilots of Air Tanzania, the ailing national airline, have failed over the past few days to turn up for duty, leaving aircraft on the ground and several hundred passengers stranded. The […]
Seychelles narrowly beat 2014 arrivals to set new visitor record
ANOTHER ARRIVAL RECORD SET AS THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT IN VICTORIA (Posted 01st January 2015) The Seychelles, founder member and key driver of the Vanilla Island organization, has done it again. An unbroken streak of setting new arrival records since 2009 has been maintained, narrowly though going by reports coming in from the capital Victoria. […]
Northern Corridor Cooperation paves way for new flights
RWANDAIR SET TO LAUNCH NEW FLIGHTS OUT OF ENTEBBE (Posted 01st January 2015) RwandAir will be delighted with the outcome of a last minute MoU signed yesterday in Kampala between Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda, which paved the way for the airline operationalizing 5th freedom rights on the route from Entebbe via Nairobi to Juba […]
No 307 Wildlife Trade News 31st December 2014
No Happy New Year for the world’s wildlife, forests and oceans … the final dose of bad news of 2014 Please note: For newsletter subscription and circulation details see message at the end of this newsletter. in the spotlight today …………………… Zimbabwe: Jumbo Population Down 40 Percent http://allafrica.com/stories/201412300559.html Experts in Zimbabwe claim the elephant population […]
Six confirmed dead after an Antonov 26 crashes in Eastern Congo
CONGO CRASH IN UVIRA MOUNTAINS CLAIMS 6 LIVES (Posted 31st December 2014) Grapevine rumours, that an Antonov 26, reportedly belonging to Air Sirin, crashed in the Uvira Mountains in Eastern Congo, proved correct when late yesterday confirmation was received from an aviation source in Goma. The aircraft, with at least 6 onboard, including crew, had […]
Nairobi’s hotel sector remains vibrant
LOCAL HOTEL GROUP ANNOUNCES EXPANSION IN NAIROBI (Posted 31st December 2014) The hospitality market in Nairobi remains vibrant, inspite of the challenges the country is facing with lower tourism arrivals. First out of the starting blocks in 2015, probably as early as Easter, will be the new Radisson Blu by Carlson Rezidor but other hotels […]
