MEGA Maldives is planning to hike frequencies to Beijing and Shanghai, and will be adding three more aircraft to its fleet this year.

The charter airline launched operations last January using a single Boeing 767-300ER plane with 252 seats, and took delivery last month of its second 767-300ER, which is configured with 24 business-class and 233 economy-class seats.

“We have the capacity to add two more aircraft this year, in addition to the two we already have,” Mega Maldives CEO George Weinmann told TTG Asia e-Daily during a recent interview in Male.

Mega Maldives also serves Hong Kong, Seoul (Incheon) and Chongqing, operating six to eight flights to each destination every month.

“We are looking to fly to Japan, and (in the) long term to Australia,” said Weinmann.

China is the Maldives’ largest source market—contributing 198,000 visitors in 2011, a 67-per cent jump over the year before.

Weinmann said: “We think we are part of this growth (in Chinese inbound traffic). The challenge is to make this a repeat market. We are already starting to see repeat customers. It’s a small percentage of the total, but it’s important to cultivate this segment.”

OVOLO Group, a Hongkong-based hotel and serviced apartment owner and operator, will open its first overseas property in Melbourne, Australia in third quarter 2012.

The company has forked out A$11.7 million (US$12.6 million) to acquire Somerset Gordon Heights Melbourne from Ascott.

After a refurbishment, the property will feature a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units, as well as penthouses with balconies. There will be 43 units in total.

“Melbourne was identified as the (site for our) first (overseas) property due to the trendy nature of the city, which fits in well with Ovolo’s branding,” said Ovolo Gorup general manager of business development & marketing, Gaurang Jhunjhnuwala. “We are looking to grow into (other) main cities (in Australia) in coming years.”

A timeline has not yet been determined for further expansion within Australia, he added.

Ovolo Group, founded in 2002, has a portfolio of six hotels and serviced residences on Hong Kong Island and West Kowloon, as well as a serviced office property, Izi.

THAILAND is reconsidering its open-door policy for international visitors after it was established that the three Iranians accused of planning an attack on Israeli diplomats in Bangkok had spent time in Pattaya prior to visiting the capital.

Even though the country receives 12 million overseas visitors and more than US$25 billion (S$32 billion) in tourism evenue each year, lax visa and law enforcement policies have been blamed for an influx of criminals, and now, terrorists.

Last week’s scuppered bomb plot forced Thai authorities to recognise that the country was a target for international terrorist networks, and prompted the tourism ministry to shelve a plan that would have allowed nationals of Middle Eastern countries to avail of visas on arrival.

Instead, immigration authorities have since been ordered to be more vigilant when conducting background checks on potential visitors, especially those from countries that might be considered breeding grounds for terrorist activity.

AIR Australia was placed into voluntary administration earlier today after creditors discovered the airline had insufficient funds to cover basic operational expenses.

The carrier, which operates scheduled services to Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Derby and Port Hedland, and to international destinations such as Denpasar (Indonesia), Phuket (Thailand) and Hawaii, has been forced to suspended all services indefinitely, leaving about 4,000 passengers stranded without flights.

Qantas and Jetstar are offering fares to stranded passengers at the same price as their Air Australia tickets, while Virgin Australia said it would offer discounted tickets to passengers stuck in Denpasar, according to a report in ABC News.

These passengers were earlier asked to make their own alternative travel arrangements.