AS PART of its strategy to strengthen its Asia-Pacific presence, Emirates welcomed its first permanent Airbus A380 flight at Changi Airport’s Terminal One on Saturday, officially bringing the number of destinations served by its double-decker aircraft to 21.

With the addition of the A380 services, Emirates’ total capacity across its four daily services between Singapore and Dubai has now increased from 1,142 to 1,659 seats. The airline operated a two-week A380 ad hoc service on the route between September 8 and 21.

Nick Rees, Emirates’ manager for Singapore and Brunei, said that the extension of the A380’s services to the Far East plays a crucial part in the Middle Eastern carrier’s carefully calibrated plan to expand its presence across the Asia-Pacific, as it primes itself for its joint venture with Qantas.

“Over the years, we’ve seen strong demand on the Dubai-Singapore route, and Emirates has been boosting its flight services on this route progressively. Singapore is a prominent aviation hub in the region and naturally, it made sense to base an A380 here, which of course permits us to connect more Asian travellers to Dubai and beyond,” he said. Rees expects the load factor for the Singapore-Dubai A380 route to vary between 80 and well over 90 per cent depending on the season.

When queried about how the proposed collaboration with Qantas, scheduled for an early 2013 start date, would impact Emirates’ expansion plans in the region, Rees replied that the airline would continue to focus on developing connections between key Asia-Pacific cities and Dubai.

“There’s so much growth happening within Asia and the Pacific, especially within the longhaul segment. Both inbound and outbound traffic within the region are on an upward trajectory. China and Indonesia are still largely untapped, and we hope to be able to make further inroads into these markets,” he said.

The new service offers First and Business class passengers access to an onboard lounge serving a wide selection of snacks and beverages. First class passengers have the added luxury of shower spas and private suites.

ACCORDING to a source within India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation, Jet Airways is set to sell 24 per cent of its stake to Etihad Airways in a deal valued at Rs1,600 crore (US$292.2 million) and expected to close by March 2013.

The deal follows reports speculating that the airlines would enter such an arrangement. Jet Airways and Etihad Airways, already in a codesharing agreement, are expected to share technical know-how and slots as part of the deal. The sale will also allow Jet Airways to optimise the use of its 100-strong fleet.

“The deal will help Etihad Airways extend its reach in India and infuse liquidity in Jet Airways. The new entity will also pose stiff competition to other major players operating in the Middle Eastern market, including Air India and Emirates,” said Arun Anand, managing director, Midtown Travels.

In September, the Indian government began allowing foreign carriers to buy stakes of up to 49 per cent in Indian carriers. The move is welcome relief to Indian airlines, which have been bleeding because of high operating costs.

Etihad Airways acquired a four per cent stake in Virgin Australia for close to US$35.6 million in June, and had raised its stake in Air Berlin to 30 per cent in the past. It has also bought a 40 per cent share in Air Seychelles.

SENTOSA’S Underwater World Singapore is keeping mum about future plans even after the opening of Resorts World Sentosa’s Marine Life Park, with its only response being slashing of ticket prices.

Between December 1 and 31, all visitors to the attraction,  which is operated by the Haw Par Group, will pay a flat price of S$15 (US$12.30) per person ­– a rate last seen in the 1990s. Currently, an adult pays S$25.90, while a senior citizen pays S$20.80 and a child pays S$17.60. As part of the promotion, every paying adult can bring a senior citizen or a child in free of charge.

When questioned by TTG Asia e-Daily about the attraction’s long-term strategy, a spokesperson reiterated in an e-mail: “Our primary objective is to offer value to our customers and we have been, and we are likely to continue rolling out promotions that will allow both tourists and locals to experience Underwater World as part of their holistic island journey. Visitors can also look forward to attractive price promotions during special periods.”

Hong Thai Travel Services’ assistant general manager for inbound tours, Tony Aw, revealed that he had asked the attraction as early as 2010 about its future plans, but was not given a satisfactory reply.

He said: “I am afraid Underwater World is going to lose out substantially, as visitors will undoubtedly flock to the Marine Life Park despite the higher admission prices because of its novelty and its sheer size.”

Helen Goh, director of marketing (inbound), Vacation DMC remarked that Underwater World had been overshadowed by the Marine Life Park, which she felt offered visitors more activities.

She said:” My guess is that (Underwater World) will continue to resort to discounting to pull in visitors for the time being. But of course, this is unsustainable in the long term.”

THE Royale Bintang Hotels & Resorts Group is readying the launch of two properties, one each in Penang and Cherating.

The 180-key, five-storey Royale Bintang Penang will open in Weld Quay in July 2013, while the 101-key Royale Bintang Villa Cherating is scheduled to debut in mid-2015.

“Targeted at business travellers, (The Royale Bintang Penang) will have a ballroom with a seating capacity of 400 pax in banquet style, four meeting rooms and complimentary Wi-Fi throughout the hotel,” said Mokhtar Khir, director of operations of Boustead Hotels & Resorts, which manages The Royale Bintang Hotels & Resorts Group.

“(The Royale Bintang Villa Cherating) will be located on a hill, with great views of the Cherating sea and its own private beach. We are targeting the leisure market, especially Europeans and Singaporeans for this property,” he added.

Meanwhile, The Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, the group’s five-star flagship property, “is doing well,” said Mokhtar, adding that the average occupancy of this hotel is approximately 65 per cent this year.

While there are no plans to expand overseas, the group is looking at venturing into the three-star hotel segment to cater to the domestic market and aims to have a three-star property in every state in Malaysia within the next five years, Mokhtar revealed.

GARUDA Indonesia has ramped up its Jakarta-Bangkok services from twice to thrice daily from December 1 amid improving economic situations in both countries.

Garuda’s vice president corporate communications, Pujobroto, said: “Thailand’s economy has increased by 3.6 per cent this year and is expected to rise by up to four per cent next year.”

According to the data from Indonesia’s Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, arrivals from Thailand are set to reach 105,900 this year and are projected to increase to 120,000 next year, Pujobroto said.

Meanwhile, the number of Indonesian arrivals to Thailand is expected to reach 265,200 this year and is likely to grow to 286,000 next year, he added.

Garuda currently serves the Jakarta-Bangkok route with Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 162 seats in two classes. The new GA864 flight leaves Jakarta at 16.20 to arrive in Bangkok at 20.10, while the return GA865 flight leaves Bangkok at 06.35, arriving in Jakarta at 10.10.

BRITISH Airways kicked off its latest longhaul route to South Korea, flying to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport today.

“With the arrival of flight BA17 this morning and our proud return to South Korea, we celebrate a milestone in our commitment to increasing our presence in Asia,” said Jamie Cassidy, British Airways area general manager, Middle East and Asia Pacific. “The Republic of Korea is increasingly both a cultural and economic giant and a market with huge potential.”

BA17 and BA18 will operate six times a week non-stop between London Heathrow and Seoul Incheon. This marks the airline’s return to South Korea after 14 years.

ACCOR has implemented an Optimum Service Standards programme for its hotels to better cater to the growing number of Russian and Chinese tourists visiting Thailand.

These service standard training programmes educate front-line hotel staff about the cultural backgrounds of visitors and therefore helps them to meet customer expectations. The training includes basic information about the countries, basic greetings, and cultural dos and don’ts.

They also integrate changes in some of the hotels’ hardware, such as offering Russian and Chinese welcome booklets and translated menus, as well as providing lists of common questions and phrases at the front office, concierge and other areas to help staff assist guests with their requests.

Patrick Basset, senior vice president of Accor Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and the Philippines said: “Accor hotels in Thailand have experienced significant growth in Russian and Chinese business, especially in Pattaya and Phuket, where the Russian market has nearly doubled in just two years.”

He added that all hotels with at least 10 per cent of guests from Russia or China in a given month are encouraged to send all front-line staff for training.

Currently, all 18 hotels in Thailand eligible for the Chinese Service Standards training have participated in the programme, whereas three hotels have gone through the Russian Service Standards training, with another 10 hotels scheduled.

SHANGRI-LA Hotels and Resorts officially opened its 337-room hotel in Haikou on Hainan Island last week.

Located adjacent to the Hainan International Exhibition Centre, Shangri-La Hotel, Haikou offers a total of 2,400m²  of meeting and conference space. It also has a 986m² pillar-free ballroom, one of the largest among the city’s hotels.

The hotel also has dining options such as Shang Palace, which serves Cantonese cuisine and Hainan specialties, an Italian seafood restaurant and a café featuring chef-manned cooking stations and an array of international dishes. There are also recreational facilities like natural hot spring pools, a tennis court, a gym and a spa.

The property is owned by Universe Holdings Group and managed by Shangri-La International Hotel Management.

Shangri-La Hotel, Haikou is offering an opening package through March 31, 2013 that starts from RMB1,350 (US$217) a night and includes a stay in a Deluxe Sea View Room, daily buffet breakfast for two and a RMB500 F&B credit. It is subject to a two-night minimum stay and a 15 per cent tax and service charge.

ETIHAD Airways is increasing services to the Indian subcontinent by launching daily services to Kozhikode and Colombo from January 1 and 2, 2013 respectively.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline currently operates thrice-weekly flights to Kozhikode and four weekly flights to Colombo. The additional services on both sectors will be operated on Airbus A320 aircraft fitted with 16 Pearl business class seats.

James Hogan, president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said: “India and Sri Lanka are important destinations for us due to strong local demand and growing traffic beyond Abu Dhabi to many key destinations across our global network. Kozhikode and Colombo are fast-growing cities that serve as major business and trade hubs with many of their inhabitants working in the Gulf region.”

Joy Peter, director, Intersight Tours India, said: “Since Air India withdrew several flights from south Indian cities to the Gulf, there has been a severe dearth of seats on these sectors that are normally in high demand. Etihad’s increased seat capacity will rationalise fares and also alleviate the demand effectively. These flights will also connect to Jeddah, Johannesburg, Milan and Toronto, allowing us to plan better itineraries.”