Uncategorized

KARACHI: Last week PIA Sales and Marketing team visited Polani’s Group Chairman’s office. Seen here in the picture Convener FPCCI Aviation Committee, Vice-Chairman TAAP & Polani’s Group Chairman Muhammad Yahya Polani Presenting a Souvenir to Mr. Ali Tahir, Chief Commercial Officer of Pakistan International Airline (PIA). Director Polani Group Khizar Polani, Saad Polani, Aftab Moin, Mansoor Ahmed, & Siraj Qazi General Manager Pax Sales PIA, Mr. Faisal Kharal District Manager PIA Karachi, Raheel Khan, Passenger Sales Manager PIA and Mehmood Hamid are also seen in the Picture.

KARACHI: Mr. Ali Tahir, Chief Commercial Officer PIA along with Mr. Siraj Qazi, General Manager Pax Sales, Mr. Faisal Kharal, District Manager PIA Karachi and Mr. Raheel Khan Passenger Sales Manager Karachi visited Bukhari Group Chairman Office  last Week.

Sardar Muhammad Rafiq Khan, Chairman Bukhari Group along with Sardar Zubair Hussain, Group- CEO, Sayed Muhammad Tariq- Group COO and other team members warmly greeted the distinguish guests upon their arrival at the office. 

The visit was a part of PIA new marketing and sales support efforts to improve the business in prevail difficult circumstances. 

After refreshments, Mr. Muhammad Rafiq Khan, Group Chairman Bukharis as per the tradition of giving utmost respect by Bukhari Group, honored the guests with traditional gift of Sindhi caps and Ajraks.

BRUSSELS: The European Union’s (EU) domestic tourism has recovered faster than foreign tourism after most countries started easing their Covid-19 restrictions by June, official figures have revealed.

In a report on Friday, the EU’s statistical office Eurostat said during the early part of 2020, the tourism industry suffered as a result of travel restrictions implemented in response to the pandemic.

Tourist numbers dropped sharply during March and April 2020, when compared with the same period a year earlier. Since June 2020, most EU countries have begun to ease travel restrictions.

However, other restrictions related to Covid-19 have remained in place, such as tourists having to quarantine on return from some foreign destinations.

These have prompted a preference for domestic tourism, which has recovered more quickly than incoming tourism.

After a drop of 93 per cent in April 2020 compared with the same month of the previous year, by July 2020, domestic tourism in the EU almost returned to the level of the previous year.

In July 2020, nights spent by EU residents in tourist accommodation inside their own country were only 22 per cent lower than in July 2019, while nights spent by non-residents were 64 per cent less than the previous year.

According to the UN World Tourism Organization, the EU saw 66 per cent less international tourist arrivals year-on-year in the first half of 2020.

Although the EU interior borders were reopened in the summer to spur the EU-wide tourist industry with precautionary measures taken, the exterior borders have remained been closed to the world.

KARACHI: Faysal Bank in partnership with Hashoo Group has invited Overseas Pakistanis to open their Faysal Islami Roshan Digital Account. When maintaining a minimum deposit in their account, customers will be able to avail exclusive discounts at Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts and Hotel One properties across Pakistan.

In Phase one, customers may avail exclusive packages at all Hotel One and Pearl-Continental Resorts in Muzaffarabad, Gwadar, Bhurban, and Malam Jabba, with access to all Pearl-Continental and Marriott city hotels to be included soon after.

Hashoo Group is the leading owner and operator of hotels in Pakistan, running Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Hotels, and the Hotel One in the country, whereas Faysal Bank Limited is amongst the most significant and progressive Islamic banks in Pakistan’s banking industry offering a wide range of Sharia compliant banking and investment solutions.

In this connection, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Hashoo Group and Faysal Bank Limited at Pearl-Continental Hotel Karachi on Monday, 26th October 2020.

At the MoU signing ceremony, Hashoo Group Deputy Chairman and CEO Mr. Murtaza Hashwani, expressed: “Working in line with the government’s mission to promote tourism – be it domestic, or international, we are pleased to collaborate with Faysal Bank Limited and offer their Pakistani clientele abroad a unique opportunity to explore the natural beauty and warm hospitality that our country is recognised for.”

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr. Yousaf Hussain, President & CEO – Faysal Bank Limited, said, “Faysal Bank is fully committed towards the State Bank led national cause of promoting the Roshan Digital Accounts. Through Faysal Islami’s Roshan Digital Accounts, Overseas Pakistanis can now easily avail a range of Shariah compliant banking and investment solutions such as Islamic Naya Pakistan Certificates with only a few clicks on their mobiles or computer while in the comfort of their homes. By joining hands with Hashoo Group we are happy to collaborate and promote fantastic deals to our Overseas Pakistani customers, so when they visit their homeland, they can explore and enjoy some of Pakistan’s top tourist attractions with ease, comfort and affordable rates that no one else is offering.”

This collaboration aims to make travel and tourism to some of Pakistan’s most exciting destinations more accessible for both individuals and families among Overseas Pakistanis and Faysal Bank Limited customers when they return to their native country.

JAKARTA: National flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has unveiled a new livery depicting an intricately-designed face mask on the nose of one of its Boeing 737-800NG aircraft.

The airline had previously painted a blue surgical mask livery on one of its Airbus A330-900 Neo craft, as part of a campaign encouraging people to keep their masks on during the pandemic.

Garuda Indonesia promotes a culture of mask-wearing by painting a face mask livery on its plane

The new mask livery was designed by Indonesian creator, Jailani, the winner of the first phase of Garuda’s Fly Your Design Through the Sky competition which took place from October 1-9.

Themed Indonesia Pride, the livery design showcases the country’s cultural and natural richness, depicted by illustrations of Balinese Barong, a temple, alongside a Komodo dragon, the icon of Indonesian fauna.

Garuda Indonesia president and CEO Irfan Setiaputra said the Fly Your Design Through The Sky competition is aimed at encouraging active participation in raising public awareness on the importance of mask-wearing amid this pandemic, through the designing of face mask livery that will be gradually painted on four of the carrier’s Airbus planes.

The competition will be held throughout this month, with the four winners to be announced in stages through October till November 9.

SINGAPORE: Princess Cruises, a world-leading international premium cruise line, has confirmed the official transfer of Golden Princess and the accelerated transition of Star Princess to P&O Cruises Australia.

Previously announced in 2018, the two vessels will now debut as Pacific Adventure (Golden Princess) and Pacific Encounter (Star Princess) anticipated to sail in 2021.

“Golden Princess and Star Princess have sailed all over the world, creating lifelong memories for the millions of guests who sailed upon these beloved cruise ships,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises president.

“We know their wonderful legacy will continue under sister brand P&O Cruises Australia, which has become so well-known for delivering unforgettable cruise holidays for Aussies and Kiwis to some of the most idyllic destinations in the South Pacific.”  

Golden Princess first joined the fleet in  May 2001 with her sister  ship Star Princess setting sail the following year in January 2002. Both Golden Princess and Star Princess played an instrumental role in the evolution of Princess.

The ships offered guests plenty of opportunities to customize their vacation experience through an unstructured approach called Personal Choice Cruising. One of the key elements of this program was Princess innovative Personal Choice Dining, which was the only dining program in the industry at the time to give passengers freedom to dine where, when and with whom they wish.

Passengers could choose between Anytime Dining, where they could dine in one of the main dining rooms when and with whom they want, and Traditional Dining with an assigned dining time, tablemates and wait staff. Both ships were also amongst the first to feature the line’s popular Lotus Spa and Fitness Centers. 

In addition, all guests enjoyed the special privacy afforded by the ships’ more than 710 balcony staterooms, a Princess trademark. Throughout the years, both ships were modernized with signature features Princess is known for, including Movies Under the Stars, The Sanctuary adults-only retreat, the Piazza, and specialty restaurants Sabatini’s and Crown Grill. 

Guests with bookings will be notified, and along with their travel advisors, and will receive information on how to book another Princess Cruise when operations resume, a company statement said, noting that guests who prefer a refund will be accommodated

KARACHI: As of the global pandemic, current year exposed the world with unforeseen challenges and likewise, the travel trade suffered upfront. But with every challenge, comes new opportunity. With leisure travel still struggling amidst restrictions, it became only a matter of realization to explore and contribute to the traditionally rich Domestic Tourism Sector of Pakistan.

[huge_it_slider id=”586″]

Focusing the same, Bukhari Group started collaboration with Sindh Tourism Development Corporation (STDC) for the development and promotion of Domestic tours highlighting the rich Culture and heritage of Sindh. For this, Chairman Bukhari Group Sardar Mohammad Rafiq Khan along with team shared his views with the Honorable Minister of Sindh for Culture, Tourism and Antiquities Syed Sardar Ali Shah in a high-level meeting held in Karachi, to jointly work in order to promote the rich cultural sites all over the province.

Taking the initiative, Bukhari Group has recently arranged the Maiden Trip of 2 Days /1 Night to Nagarparkar “The City called Deserted Beauty of Sindh” managed by its dedicated tours department ‘Bukhari Holidays’, taking group of 34.

The Amazing trip commenced from Bukhari Holidays office in Karachi, powered by equally fitting transport branded under Bukhari Holidays and STDC themes. The group reached Nagarparker by checking in at very well established Rooplo Kohli Resort. In the night, the group enjoyed live BBQ dinner with folk music set out with heart touching ambience at bonfire. The sightseeing included Ramapir Mandir surrounded by free roaming eye-catching peacocks, followed by trip to Bhodesar Masjid, Dam Lake and Jen Temple. The visitors also set out for witnessing the legendary folktale to the Marvi Well and Marvi Museum. The journey back to Karachi commenced in the evening.

Bukhari Holidays has plans to organize such group tours on weekly basis to all the major historical and cultural sites of Sindh. For this, Bukhari Holidays urges all travel trade partners to step forward and work in collaboration in order to boast the unexplored potential which the rich cultural and historical domestic travel sector of Sindh holds

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and Ryanair have signed an agreement under which the former will provide its Boeing-777 aircraft to the latter to operate cargo flights between Urumqi and Pakistan.

PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez said on Saturday that PIA has cut down its flight operations because of travel restrictions brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic, leaving many of its aircraft idle.

The PIA has therefore converted its Boeing-777 passenger aircraft into a cargo plane and leased it to Ryanair.

Mr. Hafeez said the aircraft has the capacity to carry 52 tons of cargo; the plane will fly this route for four consecutive months.

Pakistan will export dried fruit, including pine nuts, to China using this aircraft, he added.

He further added that the PIA is entering into strategic partnerships like other airlines in the crisis-hit aviation industry.

DOHA: Qatar Airways has taken delivery today of three more Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The development reaffirms its position as the largest operator of Airbus A350 aircraft in the world, with 52 in its fleet.

The new planes will operate on strategic long-haul routes to Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Qatar Airways Group chief executive, Akbar Al Baker, said: “As one of the only airlines to continue taking delivery of new aircraft at this time, our strategic investment in modern, fuel-efficient twin-engine aircraft has enabled us to continue flying.

“Environmentally conscious passengers can travel with the reassurance that Qatar Airways continuously monitors the market to assess both passenger and cargo demand to ensure it operates the most efficient aircraft on each route.

“Rather than being forced to fly oversized aircraft due to limited aircraft options, reducing the flexibility for passengers to travel when they want, Qatar Airways has a variety of sustainable aircraft it can choose from to offer more flights with the right capacity in each market.

“Passengers can also rely on our airline operate an honest schedule of flights with our mixed fleet giving us the ability to maintain services, and upgrade or downgrade aircraft size depending on passenger demand.”

Al Baker added, due to the impact of Covid-19 on travel demand, Qatar Airways would continue to keep its Airbus A380 fleet grounded, arguing it is not “commercially or environmentally justifiable” to operate such a large aircraft.

NEW YORK: American Airlines has reported third-quarter revenue of $3.2 billion, down 73 per cent year-over-year on a 59 per cent year-over-year reduction in total available seat miles. The US giant confirmed a pre-tax loss of $3.1 billion for the three-month period. Excluding net special items, the third-quarter pre-tax loss stood at $3.6 billion.

“During the third quarter, we took action to reduce our costs, strengthen our financial position, and ensure our customers return to travel with confidence,” said American Airlines chief executive, Doug Parker.

“The American Airlines team is doing a remarkable job taking care of our customers and each other during the most challenging time in our industry’s history.”

He added: “We have a long road ahead and our team remains fully engaged and focused not just on managing through the pandemic, but on making sure we are prepared for when demand returns.

“We are confident that the continued efforts of our team and the actions we have taken will drive customer confidence and strengthen our company for the future.”

American ended the third quarter with approximately $13.6 billion of total available liquidity.

In addition, in October, the company increased its loan capacity by $2 billion through the Cares Act loan program to $7.5 billion.

With this increase, the third-quarter pro forma liquidity balance at American was approximately $15.6 billion.