Wego, an online travel marketplace in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, announced it has signed a definitive agreement with Flipkart to acquire Cleartrip’s Middle East business. This transaction also includes the sale of Flyin.com and a technology co-operation agreement between Wego and Flipkart. The boards of directors of Wego and Flipkart have approved the transaction which is expected to close in the second half of 2022, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals. Cleartrip is a pioneer of online travel in India. It expanded organically into the Middle East in 2010 and acquired Riyadh-based Flyin.com in…
Author: Prasenjit Chakraborty
Regular international flights are likely to resume from March 15 and will follow the standard operating procedures effective at Indian airports for foreign arrivals and departure, government sources said. Given the consistent decline in Covid cases, a decision on resuming scheduled international flights has almost been arrived at by the Civil Aviation Ministry following consultation with the Health Ministry, they said. However, no official announcement has been made by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation so far. “Regular International flights is likely to resume from March 15. The Guidelines for International Arrivals, which came into effect from February 14, will…
The number of daily air passengers is expected to cross pre-COVID levels in the next two months, said Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, Civil Aviation Minister. He also urged states to reduce tax on jet fuel to boost the country’s aviation sector. During the pre-COVID times, domestic airlines carried around 4 lakh passengers per day and the number began climbing up after second wave but again declined after the emergence of Omicron infections late last year. Scindia said capacity and fare caps were put in place to make sure that there was a “little bit of an insulated environment in…
One of the co-founders of Indian airline IndiGo, Rakesh Gangwal, has resigned from the board, its parent company Interglobe Aviation said in an exchange filing on Friday. Gangwal, a non-executive, non-independent director intends to slowly cut his stake in the company over the next five years, the filing said. “I’ve been a long-term shareholder in the company for more than 15 years and it’s only natural to someday think about diversifying one’s holding. Accordingly, my current intention is to slowly reduce my stake in the company over the next 5 plus years,” he stated in a letter. Though, Gangwal hinted…
In a virtual meeting with Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing director, SpiceJet , the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI) raised its concerns and discussed the ambiguity around the airline’s future and that of the Indian aviation sector, SpiceJet’s plan for 2022, launch of new flights and destinations and details on airline’s logistics arm SpiceXpress apart from issued faced by association members. During the discussion, Jyoti Mayal, President, TAAI shared her concerns on the continued challenges faced by the travel & tourism and aviation sectors, which are massively hit by the pandemic. “While many airlines globally closed their operations, it…
The water taxi services connecting the twin cities, Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, first of its kind in India, was flagged off by Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal in the presence of Chief Minister Udhav Thackeray, yesterday. The services will commence the Domestic Cruise Terminal (DCT) and will connect the nearby locations at Nerul, Belapur, Elephanta island and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). Addressing the gathering, Sonowal lauded the Mumbai Maritime Board and Central & State agencies for completion of the projects which bring benefits to the citizens, boost tourism and opens avenues for employment generation. “Sagarmala Programme has undertaken a…
Göbeklitepe, one of the world’s most important Neolithic Age settlements in Turkey, hosted 567,453 people in 2021, reaching the highest number of visitors in its modern history. The site has been inundated by local and foreign tourists since 2018, when it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List and became accessible to visitors. Göbeklitepe is expected to draw even more visitors in 2022. Located 15 kilometres northeast of Şanlıurfa, near Örencik village, Göbeklitepe has attracted local and foreign visitors since its discovery. Göbeklitepe was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2018, and the findings at the site…
Madhya Pradesh will soon introduce sky diving in the state which will be available in Bhopal and Ujjain. “A sky diving camp is going to be organized on 1st and 2nd March in Bhopal and 3rd to 6th March in Ujjain in collaboration with Pioneer Flying Academy, Aligarh, for the first time in the state,” said Shiv Shekhar Shukla, Principal Secretary Tourism and Culture and Managing Director, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Board. The camps will be put up near Raja Bhoj Airport in Bhopal and Airstrip in Ujjain. The fee for sky diving is INR 31,270. Tourists will be able to…
Canada will ease entry for fully vaccinated international travellers starting on February 28 as Covid-19 cases decline, allowing a rapid antigen test for travellers instead of a molecular one, officials said. The new measures, which include random testing for vaccinated travellers entering Canada, were announced by federal government ministers. Canada will monitor conditions with an eye on dropping coronavirus testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians who make short trips – less than 72 hours – abroad, usually to the United States, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said. “These changes are possible not only because we have passed the peak of Omicron,…
BLADE India has added Hampi as its third route in Karnataka. It will begin weekly by-the-seat services between Bengaluru – Hampi starting February 18th, 2022. Bookings for the same are open. Travel from Bengaluru to Hampi takes 7 hours by road which will now be significantly reduced to a 1.2 hour flight. This enables travellers to spend more time exploring the ruins of Hampi rather than spending half a day on travelling. Travellers flying into the city can board the flight from Jakkur vertiport, 20 minutes away from Kempegowda International Airport. Prices per person one way between Bengaluru to Hampi…
