Bombardier sells 5 CSeries plus 5 more options to PrivateAir of Switzerland, announces deal at Bahrain Air Show
BOMBARDIER SELLS 5 CSERIES AND 5 OPTIONS Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier announced on day two of the Bahrain Air Show 2012 that they sold 5 CSeries aircraft to Swiss company PrivatAir which also took a further 5 options on the state of the art jet. With a development time frame of 5 years Bombardier avoided […]
Airbus announces delivery of 5.000th A 320 at Bahrain Air Show
AIRBUS DELIVERS 5.000TH A 320 AIRCRAFT (Picture courtesy of Airbus) Airbus Industries has announced at the Bahrain Air Show just now that they have delivered the 5.000th aircraft of the hugely successful A 320 family today to Middle East Airlines, with the aircraft now enroute to Beirut for the official handover ceremony to the buyer. […]
BIAS 2012 – Reflections of Day One
BIAS 2012 DAY ONE (King Hamad seen leaving the Gulf Air pavilion following the official opening of the Bahrain Air Show 2012) Following the official opening of the Bahrain Air Show 2012 by His Majesty King Hamad, and his official visit to each and every exhibitors chalet, did the show go on the road or […]
BIAS 2012, day one is dawning
BIAS 2012 DAY ONE IS DAWNING The Bahrain International Airshows second edition goes underway today and has according to local media reports been sold out for the 50.000+ spectator capacity set aside every day. Running over three days the worlds leading aircraft manufacturers and suppliers or aviation equipment are showcasing their latest and newest, with […]
Heading to BIAS 2012 and to the Kingdom of Bahrain
HEADING FOR BIAS 2012 WHERE SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL GAINED A NEW DIMENSION The often said words, Small is Beautiful gained a new meaning for me as I headed to Bahrain on Gulf Air, ahead of the Bahrain International Air Show 2012 I was going to attend. Cruising at 39.000 feet above sea level on board […]
Ethiopian aviation news – ET denounces Lebanese air accident investigation report
ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES DENOUNCE LEBANESE CRASH REPORT Following the fatal crash of an Ethiopian Airlines B737-800 shortly after taking off from Beirut on 25th January 2010 was the accident investigation report finally published, but not without further controversy, which has apparently marked the entire period of the enquiry. Ethiopian sources from Addis Ababa had, on repeated […]
Blue Panorama gives ‘Valentine Gift’ to the Italian market, announcing nonstop flights to Seychelles as of 14th February
VALENTINES GIFT FOR ITALIAN SEYCHELLES FANS Italians will be able to take their Valentine to the Seychelles on a new nonstop service when it was confirmed overnight that Italys Blue Panorama Airline will commence operations from Milan via Rome to Mahe on the 14th of February this year, following an agreement between the two countries […]
Tanzania conservation news – Corridor of Destruction reloaded
TANGA MUSOMA RAILWAY SEEKS INVESTORS The new railway line between Tanga, one of the lesser Indian Ocean ports of Tanzania, and Musoma on Lake Victoria, where a new port is due to be build at a cost of approximately 80 million US Dollars at current prices, will have a branch line to Lake Natron to […]
Mauritius tourism news – MTPA signs deal with Emirates to expand global visibility
EMIRATES SIGNS DEAL WITH MAURITIUS Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority has signed an extensive deal with Emirates, the national airline of Dubai, to globally promote Mauritius holidays and bring passengers to the island on one of the presently 11 flights the airline operates from Dubai. The two partners will engage in a range of marketing and […]
Mauritius tourism news – MTPA to lead 15 member strong delegation to India’s SATTE
MTPA TO ATTEND SATTE IN NEW DEHLI The Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority has announced that they will participate in the forthcoming SATTE, Indias biggest tourism trade fair for professionals meeting professionals. International participation is significant in the event and with the close trade ties Mauritius has with India, MTPA found it paramount to be present […]
Rwanda aviation breaking news – RwandAir gets new Chairman and Board
RWANDAIR GETS NEW BOARD CHAIRMAN The Rwandan national airline, aspiring to fly high in the region and on the continent, has just seen a new board of directors appointed, which brings some added expertise to the carriers top decision making organ. Mr. Girma Wake, formerly serving 37 years with Ethiopian Airlines and 15 of those […]
Tanzania tourism news – 5 billion Shilling plan to boost tourism
5 BILLION PLAN FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT LAUNCHED IN DAR The government in Dar es Salaam has yesterday launched an ambitious 5 year tourism development plan, thought to cost them a cool 5 billion Shillings over the time span. The new outlook aims at developing beach tourism, in comparison to Kenya largely underdeveloped as yet inspite […]
Kenya tourism news – First charter from Korea arrives in Nairobi
KOREAN FLIES IN 120 TOURISTS In another first has Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Sunday received a plane load of Korean tourists, flown into the country by Korean Airlines. Korea, as are other Far and South Asian countries, have been identified by the Kenya Tourist Board as a potentially rich emerging market but has been […]
Seychelles news update – Private sector stakeholders convened for SHTA extraordinary meeting
SEYCHELLES PRIVATE SECTOR UNITES TO FACE CHALLENGES OF 2012 Stakeholders in the Seychelles tourism industry held an extraordinary meeting of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association last weekend, aimed to discuss the industrys challenges for the new year. A range of issues were according to information received from Victoria, the Seychelles capital city, discussed amongst […]
Seychelles aviation news – Air Seychelles publishes new summer schedules
NEW SUMMER TIMETABLE FOR AIR SEYCHELLES NOW AVAILABLE Air Seychelles has published their latest time table for international services, available via their website on www.airseychelles.com/media/products/downloads/81/Regional%20summer%20timetable%202012.pdf Following the withdrawal of all European and Asian services at the end of 2011 and in early 2012, the remaining destinations for Air Seychelles now are Mauritius and Johannesburg, where […]
Weekly roundup of news from Eastern Africa and from the Indian Ocean islands, Third edition January 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 Get daily breaking news updates instantly via Twitter by following @whthome, join me on Facebook where the articles also cross load or read the daily […]
Kenya aviation breaking news – Lonrho / Stelios consortium take over Fly 540
LONRHO / STELIOS TAKE OVER FLY 540 It was learned over the weekend that a new ownership has emerged at Fly 540 Aviation, when Lonrho with their new partner Sir Stelios compelled the other existing shareholders to sell – in the face of whatever evidence they were confronted with – taking full control of East […]
East African aviation – The battle of the skies continues with another twist of the tail
THE BATTLE OF THE SKIES CONTINUES, LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY The proverbial knives are out between fast riser RwandAir and our local quasi national airline Air Uganda, over flights to and from Kigali. The erstwhile code share arrangement, talked about here repeatedly in the past, had been hollowed out when the aim to have an early […]
Rwanda breaking news: Rwanda’s own Felix Ndagijimana appointed to head the Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre
RWANDAN APPOINTED TO HEAD GORILLA RESEARCH ORGANIZATION The Karisoke Gorilla Research Centre has just announced that they have appointed the first ever Rwandan national, Mr. Felix Ndagijimana, as its new director. Felix will take over from Katie Fawcett, who has been holding the position for some time. Karisoke, founded in 1967, is the legacy of […]
Sea Life Seychelles hits the news stands on the archipelago
SEALIFE SEYCHELLES HITS THE NEWS STANDS ACROSS THE ISLANDS The start of 2012 also saw the inaugural edition of Sealife Seychelles being launched in Victoria and across the main islands, a new publication dedicated to highlighting and promoting ocean based activities for tourists. The new magazines editor, Arnold Chetty, had this to say: The primary […]
Seychelles tourism industry stands united, ready for the challenges of 2012
SHTA CHAIRMAN VOICES TOURISM TRADES CONCERNS OVER 2012 Louis DOffay, long serving chairman of the Seychelles Hospitality and Tourism Association, has over the weekend voiced his members concerns over what they felt would be a tough 2012, considering the withdrawal of all European services by Air Seychelles. Stating that all members of SHTA must and […]
AFRAA joins growing chorus condemning the EU Emission Trading Scheme
AFRAA JOINS CHINESE AND AMERICAN AIRLINES TO OPPOSE THE EUS EMISSION SCHEME Although several key African airlines have complied with the EU Emission Trading Scheme, and at a very substantial cost that is, AFRAA has now taken up the matter once again with a public statement issued from the associations office in Nairobi, opposing the […]
Uganda aviation news – SN set to upgrade cabin layout, improve comfort levels
BRUSSELS AIRLINES ANNOUNCES CABIN UPGRADE It was learned over the weekend from a regular source in Kampala that the Belgian national airline is planning to upgrade their entire A330 fleet, presently comprising 6 aircraft, to a new standard. The first such retrofitted aircraft will be deployed on the upcoming route to New York, but all […]
Uganda aviation news – Qatar Airways flights to Madrid now use Terminal 4
QATAR AIRWAYS SWITCHES TERMINALS IN MADRID Travellers to Spain have been notified that Qatar Airways, the 5 star airline, will be switching terminals at Madrids Baraja International Airport, from presently Terminal 1 to their new location in Terminal 4. The move will be effective Monday 16th January and is aimed to improve service levels. Ground […]
Uganda conservation breaking news – Another rhino baby is born at Ziwa
UPDATE – NEW RHINO BABY CONFIRMED TO BE ANOTHER GIRL! MOTHER IS KORI, ORIGINALLY FROM THE SOLIO GAME RESERVE IN KENYA AND FATHER IS TALEO, ALSO ORIGINALLY FROM SOLIO. IT IS A RHINO FEST AT ZIWA Within a week after reporting that Bella had a […]
New talks on the use of the Nile waters raise hope on lasting agreement
MULTILATERAL TALKS ON NILE WATERS UNDERWAY (Map source by WikiMedia) Egypt and the Sudan (Khartoum) have reportedly started talks with the government in Addis Ababa over a planned major dam and power station on the Blue Nile near the border between Ethiopia and Sudan. The project, fiercely opposed by the former Mubarak regime, had raised […]
Kenya news – Briatore’s luxury resort expansion raises controvery
BRIATORES RESORT PLANS MEET LOCAL OPPOSITION Flavio Briatores plans for expanding his billionaires resort in Malindi met with local opposition when boat and beach business operators protested at the public beach of the construction site, preventing contractors to put up a fence which could have cut off access to the beach in contravention of existing […]
Episodes from my hikes across the Congo Nile Trail
WHERE THE CONGO NILE TRAIL CROSSES PATHS WITH LOCAL CHARITY (The Bumba Base Camp, operated by Father Patrick) A few weeks ago, while traversing sections of the Congo Nile Trail, the effects tourists can have on local needs became quite apparent. First, the visit to the L Esperance orphanage, one of the 8 base […]
Kenya aviation news – Lack of second runway at JKIA sees operations halted for repairs and maintenance
RUNWAY REPAIRS DELAY FLIGHTS IN AND OUT OF JKIA The stark reality of past failures to look and plan ahead in good time has once again come home to roost for the Kenya Airports Authority and all the airlines operating from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last night, when due to urgent repairs and maintenance of […]
Kenya tourism news – Western Kenya gets greater exposure
LAKE VICTORIA TOURISM ASSOCIATION PRESENTS NEW CONCEPTS (Rusinga Island Camp on Lake Victoria, tranquil and serene pictures courtesy of www.rusinga.com) A new tourism masterplan for Western Kenya has been unveiled earlier in the week in Nairobi, aimed at first showcasing the regions attractions and then bringing visitors, Kenyans and wagenis alike to this hitherto under […]
