Brussels Airlines plans non stop Mombasa service from November
BRUSSELS AIRLINES TO ADD MOMBASA TO GROWING AFRICAN ROUTE NETWORK The Brussels Airlines Country Manager for Kenya, Pierre Declerk, has confirmed that the airline intends to add a nonstop service from Brussels to Mombasa this November, then routing back to the European and Belgian capital city via Nairobi. The planned connection will bring another scheduled […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, First edition August 2012
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 […]
La Digue prepares for the annual ‘Feast of Assumption’
LA DIGUE IN THE SPOTLIGHT AS ISLAND PREPARES FOR ASSUMPTION FESTIVAL The Seychelles third largest island, La Digue, a personal favourite of this correspondent for its laid back attitude and unique way of life, is preparing for the Feast of Assumption, when the Catholic faithful from the archipelago are joined by hundreds of tourists to […]
Air Tanzania does it again – but not in a good way
AIR TANZANIAS TROUBLES CONTINUE Only weeks after making full mouthed statements when the company brought in a leased B737-500 – a move by the way immediately questioned by aviation analysts as this Boeing type is no longer considered a state of the art aircraft -have news emerged from Dar es Salaam that Air Tanzania had […]
Rwanda’s safari guides awarded their ratings following May examinations
RWANDAS TOUR AND SAFARI GUIDES GET PROFESSIONAL RATINGS The efforts to inject professionalism into Rwandas tourism industry, supported by government via the Rwanda Development Board, the Private Sector Federations tourism chamber and the Rwanda Tours and Travel Association RTTA have born fruits when late last week 25 guides out of 30 who sat for exams […]
Emirates introduces the A380 on the route to Amsterdam
EMIRATES INTRODUCES THE A380 ON THE AMSTERDAM ROUTE A regular source at the Emirates office in Kampala has confirmed that the airline is now deploying the worlds largest passenger aircraft on the route between Dubai and Amsterdam, making the Dutch city the 19th A380 destination now being served by Dubais award winning airline. Emirates flies […]
Kampala Aero Club adds classic 1954 De Havilland Super Chipmunk to their acrobatics fleet
WILD SKIES OVER KAJJANSI RELAOADED VERSION 3.0 The skies over Kajjansi just got wilder, when news broke that the Kampala Aero Club and Flight Training Centre now operates a third aircraft dedicated purely to acrobatic flying. Besides the classic single seat Jungmeister, owned and lovingly maintained by Capt. Howard Davenport, the Aeroclub also has an […]
Seychelles announces bid for membership in UNSC for 2017 / 2018
SEYCHELLES GET AFRICAN UNION NOD TO BID FOR 2017/18 UN SECURITY COUNCIL SEAT The Seychelles have started their campaign to be elected to the UN Security Council as a non permanent member for the years 2017 and 2018, after being cleared by the African Union as a continental candidate. The tiny Indian Ocean country has […]
Insider updates from the Creole Island Paradise of the Seychelles – Another World
International Elephant Conference scheduled for July 2013 in Kwa-Zulu Natal’s Zulu Nyala Lodge
INTERNATIONAL ELEPHANT CONFERENCE PLANNED FOR JULY 2013 AT ZULU NYALA LODGE An international elephant conference has been convened to discuss the plight, and future on the continent of Africa, of the remaining elephant herds, which are increasingly endangered and pushed into ever smaller habitats with ancient migration routes being cut off by fenced farms, ranched […]
Rwanda’s tourism industry continues to perform above average with 11 percent growth for first half of 2012
RWANDAS TOURISM REVENUES GROW BY 11 PERCENT TO REACH NEW HALF YEAR RECORD Tourism continues to perform way above average for Rwandas economy, with a reported 11 percent rise in revenues generated for the first six months of 2012, up from the previous year by nearly 13 million US Dollars to 128.3 million US Dollars, […]
More bad news for Fly 540 as Lufthansa Technik files suit against them
MORE BAD NEWS FOR FLY 540 AS LUFTHANSA TECHNIK SUES THEM TOO Join the queue comes to mind when news emerged in Nairobi overnight that Lufthansa Technik has sued Fly 540 over an unpaid bill for the repair of an aircraft engine. The suit was brought before the High Court in Nairobi, where another suit […]
Leopard Beach Resort re-opening tentatively put to 12th December
LEOPARD BEACH RESORT AND SPA REBUILING ON COURSE FOR MID DECEMBER REOPENING The management of the Chui, as the Leopard Beach Resort and Spa is fondly referred to by friends and aficionados, has confirmed that the present rebuilding of parts of the resort damaged by a fire two months ago, is one course for a […]
Fly 540 plane comes off runway at Eldoret
FLY 540 PLANE VEERS OFF RUNWAY IN ELDORET Reports from Kenya speak of a runway incident at Eldorets International Airport yesterday morning, when a Fly 540 plane reportedly veered off the runway, fortunately not injuring any of the passengers on board, all of whom escaped a potential tragedy by a whisker. Kenyas Civil Aviation Authority […]
Emirates set to open a sales office in Mombasa
EMIRATES TO OPEN MOMBASA OFFICE Information was received from a regular source in Kenya that Emirates, Dubais award winning national airline, intends to set up an office in Mombasa to tap into the increasingly important market from the Kenyan coast. It could not be established if the planned start of scheduled flights by Gulf rival […]
AFRAA aims to improve scheduling alignment between member airlines
AFRAA AIMS AT SCHEDULING ALIGNMENTS The Nairobi based African Airlines Association has recently met with several member airlines to discuss a greater alignment of the respective schedules, aimed at improving connectivity for passengers travelling across the African continent. Working in partnership with international service provider Sabre, AFRAA brought amongst others Kenya Airways, RwandAir and South […]
Kenya’s new Lamu port project gets underway in earnest with first tenders available for bidding now
LAPSSET GOES INTO TENDER STAGE AS COMPETING RAIL/PORT LINKS RACE INTENSIFIES The announcement earlier in the week that the Kenyan government had, through the Kenya Ports Authority, issued invitations to tender for the design and construction of the first three berths of the planned new deep sea harbour of Lamu, has thrown the gauntlet down […]
KTDC Board in limbo following court challenge by sacked predecessors
MUTOKO APPOINTMENT AS KTDC CHAIR CHALLENGED IN COURT BY PREDECESSOR (File photo) Ms. Caroline Mutoko, appointed last weekend as chairperson of the Kenya Tourist Development Corporation by President Kibaki, and other members of the KTDC board, appointed by the Kenyan minister of tourism at the same time, will have to wait a little longer to […]
D’Arros island becomes the Seychelles’ latest protected nature reserve
D ARROS ISLAND BECOMES A NATURE RESERVE The Creole Island Paradise of the Seychelles is once again living up to its billing as one of the worlds most committed green countries when the announcement was made yesterday that DArros Island was to be declared a nature reserve. The islands owners, a locally incorporated company, will […]
Kenya’s Court of Appeal confirms March 04 election date
GENERAL ELECTIONS SET FOR 04TH MARCH 2013 FOLLOWING APPEALS COURT DECISION Kenyas Court of Appeal yesterday upheld an earlier ruling by the High Court and affirmed, that the next general and presidential elections will indeed now be held on the 04th of March 2013. The election date has long been speculative but the judges, inspite […]
Tanzania set to clear all buildings inside the 60 metre shoreline
TANZANIA SET TO CLEAR ALL BUILDINGS INSIDE THE 60 METRE SHORELINE LIMIT Information has come to light that the Tanzanian government seems set to implement a ban on coast line construction and has pledged the removal of all buildings, houses and apparently even resorts, which reach inside the 60 metre distance of the high water […]
WildPlaces Africa moves offices in Kampala
WILDPLACES AFRICA MOVE TO NEW PREMISES The Uganda Safari Company and sister organization WildPlaces have moved their offices in Kampala to a new location in the suburb of Bugolobi. WildPlaces comprises the Semliki Safari Camp, the Apoka Lodge in Kidepo Valley National Park, the award winning Clouds at Nkuringo / Bwindi National Park and the […]
5th Annual e-Tourism Summit set for Cape Town in September
5TH ANNUAL E-TOURISM AFRICA SUMMIT SET FOR CAPE TOWN] South African Tourism and Cape Town Tourism are the main sponsors for the upcoming 5th Annual e-Tourism Summit, which will take place this year at the southern end of the African continent between 13th and 14th of September at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Economic […]
Kenya set to re-negotiate up to 13 Bilateral Air Service Agreements
KENYA TO RENEGOTIATE KEY BILATERAL AIR SERVICE AGREEMENTS The Seychelles, Mauritius and South Sudan are three of as many as 13 countries Kenya intends to review and revise bilateral air service agreements, in short BASAs, which regulate air traffic between states. Governed under BASAs are amongst other issues the number of frequencies designated airlines from […]
Africa’s equatorial belt forests get added oversight and hopefully greater protection
CONGOS FORESTS GET WIDER OVERSIGHT The often reckless destruction and unsustainable felling of tropical hard wood trees in the sprawling forests of the DR Congo has at last received the attention from the African Union it long deserved under the COMIFAC initiative, the English translation being the Central Africa Forests Commission. Increased deforestation in the […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and the Indian Ocean islands, Fourth edition July 2012
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 […]
Mauritius’ occupancy levels continue to worry resort operators and hotel owners
POOR OCCUPANCIES BY MAURITIUS RESORTS PROMPT RENEWED CALLS FOR CHANGE The recent announcement by the chairman of the Mauritius small hotels association Mr. Bissoon Mungroo, that occupancies amongst member hotels were now at a record low of in average less than 40 percent, constituting a significant drop compared to the previous years performance, sent shockwaves […]
Kampala Aero Club goes carbon neutral in a first for Uganda’s aviation industry
KAMPALA AERO CLUB CERTIFIED AS CARBON NEUTRAL The Kampala Aero Club and Flight Training Centre, in short KAFTC, has recently accomplished another first for Uganda, when the company for formally certified as carbon neutral by the Uganda Carbon Bureau, covering all the companys flight and ground operations. Claims by UCBs press release of a first […]
Magical Kenya Travel Trade Fair 2012 set for September 28 – 30
KENYA TOURIST BOARD SET FOR END SEPTEMBER MAGICAL KENYA FAIR September 28 30 are the dates to mark in the calendar when Kenyas Tourism Board will once again host their Magical Kenya Travel Trade Fair to showcase the countrys attractions to the international market. Following a highly successful inaugural edition last year, the 2012 event […]
Kilimanjaro International attracts new interest after Qatar Airways inaugural flight
ADDITIONAL AIRLINES EYE KILIMANJARO AFTER QATAR AIRWAYS ENTRY Airline sources in Tanzania have indicated fresh interest by airlines in flying to Kilimanjaro International Airport following the successful market entry by Qatar Airways on the 25th of July. We know that Emirates and Turkish have been sniffing around after it was made public that QR will […]
