FastJet manages to raise more funding from US financial markets
FASTJET CONTINUES TO CHARM INVESTORS FOR MORE MONEY Reports confirmed by an aviation source in the UK speak of FastJet having secured additional loan funding worth over 24 million US Dollars from the US based Bergen Global Opportunity Fund, injecting more working capital into the company which is faced with potential liabilities as a result […]
Brussels Airlines readies for Washington launch
BRUSSELS AIRLINES CRANKS UP WASHINGTON ROUTE PROMOTION After stirring up the market a few weeks ago when Brussels Airlines launched their new cabin product across the 4 East African Community countries the airline is flying to at present, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi, is the airline’s sales team now working the market ahead of the […]
Hamad International in Doha getting ready for opening on April 01
QATAR AIRWAYS CONFIRMS MOVE TO NEW AIRPORT BY END YEAR Information received from sources at Qatar Airways confirms that the soft opening of the new international airport in Doha, Hamad International and to be known in airline circles as HIA, is still set for the 01st of April, when the first of 10 airlines will […]
Airports of Mauritius opens new A380 suitable parking bay just hours before Emirates’ arrival
AIRPORTS OF MAURITIUS INAUGURATE PART OF NEW FACILITIES AS A380 VISITS Air Mauritius’ flight MK 053 was the first to arrive at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport on Tuesday this week to use the new parking facilities now in place, part of a greater refurbishment and modernization of the island’s main international airport. One […]
Sauti za Busara #10 – A Roundup
Do not reply to this email address. If you would like to get in touch please use busara Sauti za Busara 2013 Photo highlights Movers & Shakers Media Coverage Audience Survey Thanks to Donors & Sponsors Contact us Like us on facebook English / Kiswahili Sauti za Busara 2013 Top “It was a weekend that […]
Seized African Grey Parrots returned to Uganda for release
UWEC RECEIVES 32 AFRICAN GREY PARROTS RESCUED IN EUROPE A shipment of the now increasingly rare African Grey Parrots to Europe, initially numbering 108 birds – according to figures at hand from a source at UWEC in Entebbe – ended up in tragedy for the feathered beauties when only 32 survived and were returned to […]
NEMA halts all projects in the greater Amboseli ecosystem for a year
NEMA SUSPENDS ALL PROJECTS IN THE AMBOSELI AREA FOR A YEAR The conservation fraternity in Kenya welcomed the news that NEMA, the National Environmental Management Authority in Nairobi, has issued an order to halt any developments in the greater Amboseli ecosystem, allowing for greater study of the impact of some of the proposed mega projects […]
Seychellois student takes top honours in Shannon’s graduate class
STA STUDENT TAKES SHANNON’S TOP RANKING The first ever group of Seychellois students, who recently completed their degree course at the Shannon College of Hotel Management, did the archipelago proud as Ms. Rose-May Payette walked off with the top ranking and scooped the prize for ‘Best Student’ overall in her academic year. 13 Seychellois students […]
Annual Murchisons Fishing Competition ends with 10.000 USD raised
MURCHISONS FISHING TOURNAMENT RAISES 10.000 US DOLLARS The annual Murchisons Falls Invitational Fishing Tournament, which was held last week, bringing together some 50 competitors in over 20 boats, produced some fine fishing results but also, once again, raised much needed funds for conservation. Over 10.000 US Dollars was raised from sponsorships, which will now go […]
Condor announces more Mombasa flights for next winter season
CONDOR ANNOUNCES MORE MOMBASA FLIGHTS FOR COMING WINTER SEASON Condor, the German leisure airline owned by Thomas Cook, has used the just concluded ITB in Berlin to announce added flights from Germany and Austria to Mombasa, commencing on 24 and 25 December 2013 respectively. Besides their ‘regular’ services the airline will operated a B767-300 from […]
New record for Seychelles as 289 KG Blue Marlin caught off Remire Island
289 KG BLUE MARLIN CAUGHT OFF REMIRE ISLAND A group of Russian tourists going out for some deep sea fishing would not have dreamed about the good fortunes they were about to encounter, as they set out with MY Sea Stream of Marine Charters recently, captained by Graham Gower. Caught off the Remire Island, […]
Serena Hotels bag more awards
SERENA BAGS MORE AWARDS Serena Hotels Tanzania recently received a recognition award from the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) for its continued compliance record with the Fund, presented by Second Vice President of Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Ambassador Seif Ali Iddi at Mount Meru Hotel in Arusha during the official opening of the Third NSSF […]
British Airways moves to 8 flights a week come May
BRITISH AIRWAYS SET TO ADD AN 8TH FLIGHT TO NAIROBI FROM MAY Information from Nairobi speaks of British Airways moving from daily flights to 8 flights per week, commencing in May this year, an intriguing development considering the airline has just dropped Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam from the schedule after decades of uninterrupted […]
KWS seizes more blood ivory as CITES struggles for common anti poaching positions
KWS CONFISCATES BLOOD IVORY AFTER SHOOTOUT WITH POACHERS Reports from Nairobi reached this correspondent late yesterday of a shootout between poachers and KWS security personnel near Kitui, outside the boundaries of Tsavo East National Park, which led to the confiscation of tusks and ivory pieces weighing nearly 100 kilogramms, a motor cycle used to transport […]
UTA gets new leadership as Byaruhanga elected President
UGANDA TOURISM ASSOCIATION GETS NEW LEADERSHIP Information received over the weekend, albeit sketchy, speak of Herbert Byaruhanga, founder of the Uganda Safari Guide Association and the Uganda Bird Guide Association, having been elected to the office of President of the Uganda Tourism Association, apex body for the various tourism trade associations in Uganda. Herbert Byaruhanga […]
Emirates’s Tim Clark hopes to bring the A380 daily to Mauritius
EMIRATES’ ONE OFF A 380 VISIT TO MAURITIUS PRECURSER TO REGULAR FLIGHTS? The Mauritius tourism industry may well have reasons to smile, after Emirates’ President Tim Clark indicated on the sidelines of the world’s largest tourism trade show, the ITB in Berlin, that he would like to see the giant Airbus A380 operate one of […]
Seychelles ranked best Indian Ocean island performer by World Economic Forum
WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM RANKS SEYCHELLES TOP OF INDIAN OCEAN ISLANDS The lastest rankings of the World Economic Forum has put the Seychelles in place 38 and named the archipelago the Number One in the region, ahead of other island nations like Mauritius, which only managed to make it to number 58 in the region, down […]
Kenya’s hospitality sector expects swift recovery after elections blues is over
TOURISM GURUS EXPECT SWIFT RECOVERY AFTER PEACEFUL ELECTIONS IN KENYA While the ‘who is who’ of Kenya’s tourism industry is wrapping up their participation in the world’s greatest tourism fair, ITB Berlin, have a number of them expressed their confidence that the depressed room occupancies, as a result of the elections being held back home, […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean region, Second edition March 2013
AVIATION, TOURISM AND CONSERVATION NEWS from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands. A weekly roundup of breaking news, reports, travel stories and opinions by Prof. Dr. Wolfgang H. Thome You can get your daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on www.facebook.com/WolfgangHThome where the articles also ‘cross load’ or […]
Kenya’s IEBC announces election winner
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON – KENYATTA BECOMES KENYA’S FOURTH PRESIDENT The declaration of the final results in the presidential elections in Kenya has just been made, at shortly after 14.40 pm on Saturday, March 09th of 2013, 5 days after the landmark elections on Monday. The trend visible since the early provisional results were announced […]
CITES fingers China, Vietnam, Thailand and Tanzania among others
TANZANIA LISTED ALONGSIDE CHINA, VIETNAM AND THAILAND FOR IVORY SANCTIONS It was learned overnight through communications from sources attending the CITES Conference in Bangkok / Thailand that the global anger and outrage over the steady flow of blood ivory from Africa to Asia is now finally turning into some action, as CITES has threatened China, […]
Air Seychelles turns the corner with a million US Dollar profit
AIR SEYCHELLES TURNS A MILLION DOLLAR PROFIT Air Seychelles CEO Cramer Ball used the opportunity, when President James Alix Michel officially commissioned the national airline’s second Airbus A330-200 earlier in the week, to announce the airline’s financial results had dramatically improved, turning a million US Dollar profit, compared to the life threatening losses the airline […]
Laurier Hotel & Restaurant on Praslin suffers fire damage
PRASLIN HOTEL FIRE PUT OUT WITH HELP OF AIRPORT FIRE BRIGADE Information was received from the Seychellois island of Praslin, that an accidental fire, caused reportedly by a neighbour of the Laurier Hotel who carelessly burned rubbish in his back yard, seriously damaged 6 of the hotel’s cottages. As luck in this misfortune had it […]
FastJet now runs to English courts in dispute with Fly540
The ‘as seen through other eyes’ contributions continue with this piece found at ATW Online. Readers can make up their own minds, and those disgruntled ones whose feathers I apparently keep ruffling, perhaps you start your own blog where you can make your views known, not that I will read it. Fastjet turns to UK […]
Where did the money for the slot sales in Heathrow go, asks Sudan’s Bashir
SUDAN AIRWAYS LOSS OF HEATHROW SLOTS PROMPTS UPROAR IN KHARTOUM Sudanese regime leader Bashir was quoted in local media reports in Khartoum, demanding the slots previously held by Sudan Airways at London’s Heathrow airport to be either returned to the airline or else the airline be given the money from the apparent sale of these […]
Mauritius tourism minister given party leash over Desvaux sacking
MAURITIUS TOURISM MINISTER GETS THE PARTY STICK WHILE AT ITB Information from Port Louis indicates that while the Mauritius Tourism Minister Michael Sik Yuen is out of country to attend the world’s leading tourism fair, ITB in Berlin, at the home front dark clouds are now hanging over him as his party has installed a […]
SCAA installs new DVOR system at Praslin Airport
NEW AIR NAVIGATION EQUIPMENT GOES OPERATIONAL ON PRASLIN Seychelles second airport on the island of Praslin, destination for dozens of flights from the main island of Mahe every week by twin engined turboprob aircraft, has now received brand new navigation equipment, which recently went operational, identical to new equipment also now in use at the […]
Air Seychelles adds second A330-200 to fleet, ready to launch Hong Kong flights
A330-200 ‘VALLEE DE MAI’ MAKES MAIDEN ARRIVAL AT MAHE INTERNATIONAL All eyes went skyward on the Seychelles’ main island of Mahe yesterday around 13.30 local time as Air Seychelles’ second Airbus A330-200, named Vallee de Mai after the most visited tourism site on the islands, overflew the island from several directions before finally landing at […]
Kenya Airways set to fly to Livingstone / Zambia from June
KENYA AIRWAYS TO COMMENCE FLIGHTS TO LIVINGSTONE News are coming out of Nairobi that The Pride of Africa will launch flights to Livingstone / Zambia in June, then routing on to Harare / Zimbabwe. The available schedule information pegs the operations between 02nd of June until initially 25th October, but if successful might extend further […]
Seychelles population for the first time ever moves above 90.000
SEYCHELLES TOTAL POPULATION NOW TOUCHES 91.000 The Seychelles’ last population census figures released a few days ago confirmed that the overall population now stands at nearly 91.000, a figure small in global comparison where most towns are larger than the archipelago’s entire population. Victoria, one of the world’s smallest capital cities, often appears to visitors […]
