AirAsia to deploy 84 more flights this CNY

AirAsia to deploy 84 more flights this CNY

There’s good news for travellers with more flights servicing selected domestic and international routes ahead of the Chinese New Year festive period.

AirAsia Berhad will deploy an additional 84 flights from Jan 25 to Feb 1.

“We would like to encourage travellers to book their flights early for the upcoming festive season,” said AirAsia’s head of commercial Spencer Lee in a statement.

“These flights will have an added capacity of 15,000 seats to facilitate the high demand of air travel during that period.”

Among the routes are from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore, Penang, Sibu and Tawau, as well as from Penang to Singapore and from Johor Baru to Miri and Sibu.

“Whether it’s a family reunion or a quick getaway, we hope that these additional flights with everyday low fares will help everyone to have a memorable Chinese New Year celebration,” Lee added.

Travellers are advised to book their flights early at airasia.com or through the airline’s mobile app on the iPhone and android devices. For more information, follow AirAsia on Twitter (twitter.com/AirAsia) and Facebook (facebook.com/AirAsia).

~News courtesy of The Star~

Existing Indian Rs 500 & Rs 1000 notes abolished

Existing Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes taken out of circulation

In battle against black money, PM Narendra Modi has announced to the nation that the current Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes are invalid and that RBI will come out with new Rs 500 and Rs 2000 notes soon.

~News courtesy of Times of India~

Tigerair to come under Scoot brand name

Tigerair to come under Scoot brand name

By the end of next year, the Tigerair brand will cease to exist. Instead, it will come under Scoot - its sister budget airline under the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group.

The integration is expected to happen between mid and end of 2017. The two carriers will also operate under a single licence by the end of next year, Budget Aviation Holdings, which owns and manages both airlines, said on Friday (Nov 4).

The integration will encompass flight scheduling and connections, as well as touchpoint integration for guests including a common website, contact centre and check-in counters.

SIA CEO and Budget Aviation chairman Goh Choon Phong said that both airlines have made "good progress" in their integration since the establishment of Budget Aviation in May.

“The integration has already led to commercial and operational synergies between Scoot and Tigerair that are providing growth opportunities for both airlines, an example being Scoot’s plan to launch its first European service to Athens next year," he said.

"Following a review, we have determined that the logical next step is to pursue a common operating licence and common brand identity to enable a more seamless travel experience for customers,” added Mr Goh.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

酷航虎航合一 将采“酷航”品牌 虎航走入历史

酷航虎航合一 将采“酷航”品牌 虎航走入历史



虎航即将走入历史。（档案照）

酷航（Scoot）和虎航（Tiger）这两个品牌将合二为一，成为酷航。两家廉价航空公司的整合，估计将在明年下半年完成，届时虎航将走入历史。

这两家公司都是新加坡航空公司旗下的廉航业者，目前由廉价航空控股（Budget Aviation Holding）负责管理。

整合可提高公司收入

廉价航空控股总裁李立兴昨天在记者会上指出，这项整合将可减少两家公司开支，同时提高它们的收入。

他强调，整合将不影响员工利益，也不会造成大规模裁员。

李立兴说：“酷航与虎航合为一个品牌后，并不会有任何冗员。事实上，我们正展开一些招聘活动来扩大公司队伍，以配合公司业务下来的迅速增长。

新航在2011年成立酷航，去年它提出全面收购虎航，并在今年2月完成收购。随后，新航在5月成立控股公司，拥有及管理这两家廉价航空公司。这也造成市场揣测，两家公司的业务最终将合并，酷航和虎航这两个品牌也将合二为一。

酷航经营的主要是中长程航线，虎航则主要覆盖亚洲区域。

新航总裁兼廉价航空控股主席吴俊鹏昨天表示，自廉价航空控股在5月成立以来，两家廉航子公司在整合上取得良好进展。

他说：“整合已为酷航和虎航带来商业和操作的协同作用，让它们有更多的增长机会，例如酷航正计划在明年推出到雅典的航线，这将是该公司首个欧洲航线服务。”

吴俊鹏表示，新航集团仅成立控股公司来管理两家公司，无法完全发挥整合优势。经过检讨后，集团决定将两家公司在共同经营执照和单一品牌下运作，为乘客带来更好的旅程体验。

除了同一个经营执照下运作，酷航与虎航的整合还包括航班调整和连接、为客户提供服务的网站、联系中心和办理登机手续的柜台等。

问及为何选择保留酷航品牌，而非虎航，李立兴解释说，廉价航空控股进行的一项调查显示，乘客对酷航的安全性、旅程体验、登机服务效率的满意度更高。有鉴于此，控股认为酷航体验似乎能更好地吸引和留住乘客，而决定保留酷航这个品牌。

随着酷航与虎航进一步整合成为单一品牌，李立兴相信，它们的收入预料会增加。

根据新航前天发布的业绩，酷航和虎航第二季营运盈利由亏转盈，分别报500万元和300万元，为新航集团带来盈利贡献。

酷航和虎航分别拥有12架和23架客机。目前在亚太地区16个国家有59个航点。

李立兴透露，酷航与虎航本财年内将增添六架客机。他也表示，除了雅典航线，公司计划明年中推出下一个长途廉价航线。

他说；“两家公司整合后，开支会因规模效应而减少，但这毕竟是有限的。反而是在收入方面，我们对整合为单一品牌所取得的收入增长更充满信心。”

~联合早报~

AirAsia CEO: Build LCCT in Penang

AirAsia CEO: Build LCCT in Penang

Penang should have a low-cost carrier terminal (LCCT), said AirAsia Berhad chief executive officer Aireen Omar.

“Ideally, we would like to see a dedicated LCCT in Penang, because then we can easily build that connectivity and link it to all the destinations that we have already established.

“The Penang International Airport is becoming quite congested. There are a lot of opportunities to grow and build more connectivity into Penang but unfortunately there is infrastructure constraint,” she told reporters after her speech at the World Tourism Conference 2016 at E&O Hotel Penang yesterday.

She also said that the country’s aviation industry looks promising.

“The Government is now realising that the returns from the aviation industry is far larger than any other industry in the economy.

“The contribution to the economy is 12 times multiplied.

“It is not just about aerospace or aviation industry, but it is also about tourism and all other industries that fit into it as well.

“Aviation industry definitely benefits tourism and tourism is one of the fastest ways to build the current account balance for any country.”

Aireen also said that the group was looking at introducing new routes to Langkawi by next year.

“Next year we will create a hub in Langkawi and place two aircraft there, as we want more international connectivity in Langkawi.

YTL Group of Companies managing director Tan Sri Dr Francis Yeoh, who was among the other speakers at the conference, said that culture is one of the important assets in promoting tourism.

“People will go to a tourism destination as long as the culture and the experience is real.

“We cannot ‘fake’ culture. Either we have it or we don’t have it.

“If we have it, we have to preserve it,” he said.

~News courtesy of The Star~

新加坡樟宜机场T4 明年下半年投入运作

樟宜机场T4　明年下半年投入运作



樟宜机场第四搭客大厦外部看来似乎已完工，但到明年下半年才会投入运作。（《海峡时报》）

樟宜机场第四搭客大厦预计年底建成，新大厦将有大量自动化与自助服务，因此下来需要进行系统与器材测试，到明年下半年才会投入运作。

《海峡时报》报道，樟宜机场第四搭客大厦（Terminal 4，简称T4）外部已完工，新道路、大桥及68米高的控制塔也已建成。经过两年多的工程，T4外的多层停车场、户外德士等候区与巴士终站，也接近完工。

据估计，T4的整体工程预料年底完工。但樟宜机场集团发言人指出，T4明年下半年才会开幕。

T4与其他三个搭客大厦将有许多不同之处，包括有大量自助服务与乘客登记、为行李标签、通关及登机的自动化选项。乘客也会在一个中央安检室接受检查，而不是在登机前的候机室才接受安检。

《新明日报》

KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail projected to start around 2026

KL-Singapore High-Speed Rail projected to start around 2026

The High-Speed Rail (HSR) line linking Singapore and Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur (KL) is expected to start operations around 2026. This was announced at a joint press conference on Tuesday (July 19) after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the neighbouring countries.

The signing ceremony, witnessed by Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak, comes ahead of a legally binding bilateral agreement that will be inked by the end of this year.

Construction of the HSR is scheduled to take place from 2018 to 2025, followed by testing, commissioning and finally kick-off for the revenue service a year later.



The HSR line will run for 350km, with 335km in Malaysia and 15km in Singapore, and on two tracks going in opposite directions. It will comprise eight stops in total: Singapore, Iskandar Puteri, Batu Pahat, Muar, Ayer Keroh, Seremban, Putrajaya and KL.

Existing train services take up to 11 hours to journey between Singapore and KL. However, with the line able to reach top speeds of 300km/h, travel time between KL and Singapore is expected to drop to around 90 minutes - excluding clearance at customs, immigration and quarantine (CIQ). There are, however, plans to co-locate CIQ checkpoints at Singapore, KL and Iskandar Puteri to facilitate “seamless travel”.

This means, for instance, that at the Jurong East terminus, one would be able to clear Singaporean immigration and a few steps later, Malaysian immigration before boarding the train, reaching KL and stepping out into the city centre itself.

Travel time for the HSR between Singapore and Iskandar Puteri in Johor Bahru is expected to take around 10 to 15 minutes.

Both governments agreed that each will take responsibility for developing, constructing and maintaining civil infrastructure and stations within their own countries - MyHSR Corporation for Malaysia and the Land Transport Authority for Singapore.



“COMPETITIVE” FARES

It was also announced that two train operating companies will be appointed to run the HSR service. An international operator will handle the express service between the Singapore terminus at Jurong East and the KL end at the upcoming Bandar Malaysia development. The same operator will also oversee a cross-border shuttle service between Singapore and Iskandar Puteri.

Another operator will run the domestic service within Malaysia. The express service will have scheduling and operational priority over a domestic line servicing the six stops in Malaysia between Singapore and KL.

The HSR trains are expected to be 10 cars long, with the capacity for up to 100 passengers per car.

Fare will be set commercially by the operators and “competitive with airfares”, said Singapore authorities.

A separate private entity will design, build, finance and maintain the trains as well as rail assets, like trackwork, communications, signalling and power. It will also allocate and control track access. Depots and maintenance facilities will be located in Malaysia.

The Singapore and Malaysian governments will build and fund infrastructure work such as viaducts, tunnels and stations within their territories. Both governments also agreed to form a bilateral committee comprising representatives from both sides to manage and regulate aspects of the project which might impact the cross-border services.

TENDER PROCESS WILL BE "FAIR AND TRANSPARENT"

Speaking at the signing of the MoU, PM Lee noted that the tender process is one issue that has to be discussed by Singapore and Malaysia. He said: "This is one of the items which has to be settled and has to be discussed between the two sides, to how the project is going to be structured, to how the tenders will be called, what's the sequence in which they're going to be called, what does each package consist of, and then how will the tenders be evaluated."

Mr Najib said: "Because this project has attracted so much international interest, it is incumbent upon us to make sure that the process will be a very fair, transparent, objective process. But we are both committed to ensuring that this will happen because the image and integrity of both countries will be at stake. So you can be rest assured that the process will be carried out in the fairest possible way."

Malaysia’s Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Abdul Rahman Dahlan said: “We are committed to making sure that this project comes to its conclusion. As far as I’m concerned, and as both Prime Ministers mentioned ... it will be an open, transparent and fair tender process.”

He mentioned that he had personally seen several companies that had shown some interest, including companies from China, Japan and European countries.

Mr Abdul Rahman added that the pricing for trips on the HSR would be affected by the bids for the project even though it would likely be benchmarked against airfares. "I believe it will be market-driven."

When asked about the cost-sharing arrangement between Singapore and Malaysia, Mr Abdul Rahman pointed out that much of the track will be in Malaysia, with more than 300km in Malaysia and about 15km in Singapore.

“But we’re not looking at the length, we’re looking at the cost. Of course, building 15km underground in Singapore would probably cost as much. So it will be an equitable, fair percentage for both countries,” he said. However, he added that he was not at at liberty to disclose the exact percentages until the bilateral agreement is concluded.

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Grab announces new Singapore-JB ride-sharing

Grab announces new Singapore-JB ride-sharing service



Commuters travelling between Singapore and Johor Baru can soon make use of a new cross-border ride-sharing service.

The GrabHitch Johor Baru-Singapore Inter-Country Service will be available from next Monday (June 20), Grab said in a media release on Monday (June 13).

Passengers, who can pre-book rides between seven days and 30 minutes in advance, will be matched with drivers based on similar pick-up and drop-off locations.

A trip between City Square shopping centre in Johor Baru and Woodlands starts from RM9 (S$3) per person, and passengers can opt to pay either in cash or by credit card.

Fares are aimed at offsetting the driver's cost of petrol, and rides will be charged in the currency of the country from which the passenger starts his trip.

The new service is an extension of the carpooling platform, GrabHitch, which was launched last November (2015).

"The high cost of travelling, frequent congestion and lack of point-to-point transportation between Johor Baru and Singapore are compelling reasons for us to introduce the GrabHitch JB-SG service," said GrabHitch head Ngiam Xin Wei.

The Causeway and Second Link are among the busiest land checkpoints in the world, with an estimated 400,000 crossings in both directions daily.

~Straits Times/Asia News Network~

S'pore, Myanmar agree on visa-free travel

S'pore, Myanmar agree on visa-free travel

PM Lee and Myanmar State Counsellor Suu Kyi witnessed the exchange of the diplomatic notes on the visa exemption yesterday. Under the agreement, both countries will grant an exemption of visa to each other's citizens for a stay of not longer than 30 days, and subject to prevailing entry requirements from Dec 1.

FROM Dec 1, Singaporeans travelling to Myanmar for short trips will no longer need to apply for a visa.

Myanmar nationals visiting Singapore will also not have to apply for a Singapore visa under a 30-day visa exemption announced yesterday.

The two countries exchanged diplomatic notes on the visa exemption yesterday, on the first day of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's official visit to Myanmar.

PM Lee and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi witnessed the exchange of the diplomatic notes between Singapore's Ambassador to Myanmar, Robert Chua, and Myanmar's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Kyaw Tin.

Under the agreement, both countries will grant an exemption of visa to each other's citizens for a stay of not longer than 30 days, and subject to prevailing entry requirements.

The arrangement applies to those holding ordinary passports, and will be implemented by both sides on Dec 1.

The announcement of the visa exemption is part of a growing relationship between both countries.

Earlier, PM Lee called on President Htin Kyaw at the presidential palace, where he received a ceremonial welcome. He also met Ms Suu Kyi.

The number of Myanmar tourists visiting Singapore has grown steadily in recent years. Annual visitor arrivals from Myanmar to Singapore rose by 12 per cent from 2011 to last year, an increase of 3 per cent every year.

Last year, 105,452 Myanmar tourists visited Singapore. They spent an average of $2,811 per person per trip.

Meanwhile, 45,125 tourists from Singapore visited Myanmar last year, according to the Myanmar Ministry of Hotel and Tourism.

There are also now more weekly flights between Singapore and Myanmar's two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay. The number of flights a week increased from 44 to 49 from January to May this year.

At the closed-door meetings, PM Lee congratulated President Htin Kyaw and Ms Suu Kyi on their successful elections.

He said Singapore continues to support Myanmar's development, including by sharing expertise in relevant fields.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement yesterday that officials from Myanmar have been invited to visit Singapore for further discussions on education policy and the development of hawker centres.

PM Lee also updated Ms Suu Kyi on the progress of the Singapore-Myanmar Vocational Training Institute, and the offer of internships in Singapore to its top students.

During the meeting, the leaders underscored the strong ties between both countries and updated each other on the various commemorative events planned this year to mark the 50th anniversary of bilateral relations, including high-level reciprocal visits.

They discussed ways to strengthen economic ties, by updating the Avoidance of Double Taxation Agreement and working towards starting discussion on a bilateral investment treaty.

They also exchanged views on how tourist flows between both countries could be strengthened through more air links.

~News courtesy of My Paper~

World’s best airport for fourth straight year

Changi Airport voted world’s best airport for fourth straight year

Changi Airport has been voted the World’s Best Airport for the fourth year in a row, according to an annual global survey of air travellers.

This is the seventh time in 16 years that the airport has picked up the title at the World Airport Awards. The airport was also awarded Best Airport for Leisure Amenities.

The awards are based on a Skytrax survey of 13.25 million travellers across 106 nationalities, and included 550 airports worldwide.

Coming in second place was South Korea’s Incheon International Airport, followed by Munich Airport and Tokyo International Airport (Haneda). In fifth place was the Hong Kong International Airport, followed by Chubu Centrair Nagoya and Zurich Airport. London’s Heathrow Airport, Kansai International Airport and Hamad International Airport took the eighth, ninth and 10th spots, respectively.

"To be voted by customers as the world's best airport four years in succession is a most remarkable achievement for Changi Airport Singapore, and is clear testament to the airport's popularity amongst air travellers,” said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted.

Changi Airport Group CEO Lee Seow Hiang said: "We do not take this recognition for granted; it is the extraordinary effort and commitment of the entire airport community that drives Changi’s success. We thank our passengers and partners alike for their continued support and confidence in us."

~News courtesy of Channel News Asia~

Happy New Year