Author Archives: Juergen T Steinmetz

Korean Visitors Love Guam and GVB welcomes T’way passengers with a song Aviation Feature, Aviation News

The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) and A.B. Won Pat International Airport Authority (GIAA) welcomed the first flight from Seoul, South Korea in 2021 late Saturday night.The B737-800 aircraft arrived from Seoul, Korea, and brought 52 passengers to the island.The flight was operated by T’way, the first airline carrier to resume regular air service once a week that began July 31st.
Tourism leaders from the Guam Visitors Bureau along with a smiling local singer and his guitar welcomed tourists arriving on a T’way flight from Seoul to Guam on Saturday.

Guam is a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. It’s distinguished by tropical beaches, Chamorro villages, and ancient latte-stone pillars. Guam’s WWII significance is on view at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, whose sites include Asan Beach, a former battlefield. The island’s Spanish colonial heritage is evident in Fort Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, atop a bluff in Umatac.

T’way Air Co., Ltd., formerly Hansung Airlines, is a South Korean low-cost airline based in Seongsu-dong, Seongdong-gu, Seoul. In 2018, it is the third-largest Korean low-cost carrier in the international market, carried 2.9 million domestic passengers and 4.2 million international passengers. 
More airlines have committed to direct flights from Korea to Guam through the month of August. Korean Air will then resume air service the following week on August 6th with weekly air service. Jin Air will also begin twice-weekly flights starting August 3rd and August 6th. 
“We are excited our Korean carriers are resuming service to Guam. Their commitment is another step forward in the recovery of Guam’s tourism industry and an opportunity to display our Håfa Adai spirit,” said GVB President & CEO Carl T.C. Gutierrez. “We are continuing to work hard with our travel trade and tourism partners to showcase our CHamoru culture and elevate the overall Destination Guam experience.”

Schedule of Korea Flights for the Month of August:
AirlineArrivalTimeAircraft/Seat CapacityFlight No.Frequencyt’wayJuly 31, 2021 (first flight)August 7, 14, 21, 28, 202111:40 PMB737-800/189 seatsTW3011x weeklyKorean AirAugust 6, 13, 20, 27, 20211:00 AMB777-300ER/ 277 seatsKE1111x weeklyJin AirAugust 3, 6, 10, 13, 17, 20, 24, 27, 31, 20212:45 PMB737-800/189 seatsLJ641LJ7712x weekly
The Guam Visitors Bureau (GVB) has also planned an arrival greeting service to welcome the resuming flights throughout the month. The combined flights are anticipated to provide an estimated 3,754 seats to Guam through the end of August. More than 600 seats have been sold so far.
Guam is slowly trying to get back to become America’s Tourism Destination in the East Pacific Ocean.

Travel to the UAE, including Dubai, India, and 14 other countries comes with severe penalties for Saudis Aviation Feature, Aviation News

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a country of 35,393,638 people. As of today,522,108 Saudis had caught COVID-19 and 8200 died.Saudi Arabia is in place 126 in the world in regards to the most hit countries in the world by COVID and number 118 in regards to the death rate. Neigboring UAE and 15 other countries are on the no travel red list designed for Saudi Citizens with severe penalties in place for violators.
Currently, 11,379 Saudi Arabians are infected by COVID-19 and 1,406 cases are serious hospitalizations.
Last week the Kingdom registered 8,824 new cases, up from 8,324 for the previous week, which is a 6% increase. 85 people passed, compared to 95 the week before, which is an 11% decrease.

20% of Saudi Arabian Citizens are fully vaccinated with having received both shots, another 33% received the first doses.
Neighboring United Arab Emirates has 69% of its people fully vaccinated and an additional 8.5% had received the first dose.
The United States in comparison has 49% vaccinated with 7.8% additional having received the first shot.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia however has the UAE on its red-list making travel to the Emirates a criminal offense.
Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, Turkey, Armenia, Ethiopia, Somalia, Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Belarus, India, and Vietnam are also on the Saudi red list
Any Saudi Citizen caught traveling to any of the red list countries is facing still penalties including a three-year travel ban.

The ministry called on citizens against traveling directly or indirectly to the red-list countries where the pandemic has not yet been controlled and there is a surge in cases of mutated strains of coronavirus.
It also urged citizens to exercise caution and stay away from areas where instability prevails or the virus is spreading, and take all precautionary measures regardless of their destination.
It also urged citizens to exercise caution and stay away from areas where instability prevails or the virus is spreading, and take all precautionary measures regardless of their destination.
Saudi Arabia is currently heavily investing in building its travel and tourism industry and in supporting the world with billions of Dollars supporting the tourism sector.
UNWTO, WTTC, The Tourism Resilience, and Crisis Management Center all opened offices in the Kingdom. When the world of tourism needed help, Saudi answered the call, putting the Kingdom in the seat of a global leader of this sector.
Also, the travels and tourism industry in the GCC nations has witnessed massive growth over the past few years.
The Saudi Chapter of the World Tourism Network has launched the Saudi Tourism Group initiative.

IATA questions the need for expensive PCR Tests Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Regulations are conflicting and confusing. Arriving in the United States means an inexpensive and often free antigen test is fine while continuing to Hawaii, the many times more expensive PCR test is required.The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments to take action to address the high cost of COVID-19 tests in many jurisdictions and urged flexibility in permitting the use of cost-effective antigen tests as an alternative to more expensive PCR tests. IATA also recommended governments adopt recent World Health Organization (WHO) guidance to consider exempting vaccinated travelers from testing requirements. 
According to IATA’s most recent traveler survey, 86% of respondents are willing to get tested. But 70% also believe that the cost of testing is a significant barrier to travel, while 78% believe governments should bear the cost of mandatory testing. 
“IATA supports COVID-19 testing as a pathway to reopening borders to international travel. But our support is not unconditional. In addition to being reliable, testing needs to be easily accessible, affordable, and appropriate to the risk level. Too many governments, however, are falling short on some or all of these. The cost of testing varies widely between jurisdictions, with little relation to the actual cost of conducting the test. The UK is the poster child for governments failing to adequately manage to test.

At best it is expensive, at worst extortionate. And in either case, it is a scandal that the government is charging VAT,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director-General.
The new generation of rapid tests costs less than $10 per test. Provided a confirmatory rRT-PCR test is administered for positive test results, WHO guidance sees Ag-RDT antigen testing as an acceptable alternative to PCR. And, where testing is a mandatory requirement, the WHO’s International Health Regulations (IHRs) state that neither passengers nor carriers should bear the cost of testing.
Testing also needs to be appropriate to the threat level. For example, in the UK, the latest National Health Service data on testing arriving travelers show that more than 1.37 million tests were conducted on arrivals from so-called Amber countries. Just 1% tested positive over four months. Meanwhile, nearly three times that number of positive cases are being detected in the general population daily.

“Data from the UK government confirms that international travelers pose little to no risk of importing COVID-19 compared to existing levels of infection in the country. At the very least, therefore, the UK government should follow WHO guidance and accept antigen tests that are fast, affordable, and effective, with a confirmatory PCR test for those who test positive. This could be a pathway for enabling even unvaccinated people to access to travel,” Walsh said.
Restarting international travel is vital to supporting the 46 million travel and tourism jobs around the world that rely on aviation. “Our latest survey confirms that the high cost of testing will bear heavily on the shape of the travel recovery. It makes little sense for governments to take steps to reopen borders if those steps make the cost of travel prohibitive to most people. We need a restart that is affordable for all,” said Walsh.

Skyward Express Passenger Plane crashed in Kenya Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Skyward Express Passenger Plane crashed in Kenya 1

A regional passenger plan operated by Skyward Express crash landed in Kenya this afternoon.Accoring to the Kenya Civil Aviation Administration all passengers escaped from the plane. No casulties are reportedThe plane crash landed at a KKenya military base in Elwak, in the remote province Mandera
The small passenger aircraft operated by Nairobi-based s regional airline Skyward Express was able to crash land in Boru Hache near the Kenya- Somali – Ethiopian border.
The aircraft appears to be a Dash8- Q 300

Mandera is the capital of Mandera County in the former North Eastern Province of Kenya. It is situated at around 3°55′N 41°50′E, near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia.
Skyward Express, is a private airline operating in Kenya. It serves local destinations, from its two operations bases at Wilson Airport for passengers and Jomo Kenyatta International Airport for cargo. Both airports are located in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital city.
The airline maintains its headquarters at Wilson Airport, within Nairobi, Kenya’s largest city and the country’s capital. Wilson Airport is located approximately 5 kilometers (3 mi), by road, southwest of the city center.

The airline maintains a private building at Wilson Airport, for the exclusive use of Skyward Express staff and clients. The building is “equipped with a modern cafeteria”, among other amenities.
Skyward Express was established in 2013, by two pilots; one of whom serves as the chairman of the airline, while the other serves as its managing director. Skyward Express inherited some equipment and some routes from the defunct Skyward International Aviation.
With the cessation of service by Skyward International Aviation, the two licensed pilots, Mohamed Abdi and Issack Somow started Skyward Express and began commercial operations in 2013. Initially, the airline offered passenger charter and cargo service between Nairobi, Kenya, and destinations in neighboring Somalia. These services included the shipment of miraa from Nairobi to Somalia.

With the acquisition of more aircraft, the airline has expanded and diversified its passenger and cargo service to include more destinations and frequencies to oil-rich northwestern Kenyan counties and the coastal tourist attractions.

U.S. Justice Corrupted? B737 Max Victims had no chance against Boeing Aviation Feature, Aviation News

346 people died in 2019 in two Boeing 737 MAX crashes flying on Ethiopian Airlines in Ethiopia and earlier on a Lyon Air flight in Indonesia. A criminal trial against Boeing was was settled earlier this year with a deferred prosecution agreement, and it shows now why.Boeing is a Seattle-based aircraft manufacturing company with a corporate headquarter in Chicago, Illinois. Why would a criminal complaint against Boeing adjudicated in Ft. Worth, Texas? Boeing defense law firm Kirkland & Ellis made a sweet deal with the leading US Procecutor Erin Nealy Cox. Months after this Erin Nealy Cox quit her prominent government job and joined Kirkland & Ellis raising suspicion of a cooked procesution.
The criminal Boeing case was meant to bring justice to the 346 families of those that died in the Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes. The result of this Texas trial was that no senior Boeing executive was charged.
On January 7 this year eTurboNews published an article by Paul Hudson, head of the airline consumer rights group Flyers Rights. He wrote: Boeing charged with 737 Max fraud conspiracy, to pay over $2.5 billion in fines.

A report published today in the Corporate Crime Reporter revealed the details of this arrangement pointing out that the lead attorney prosecuting the case for the US Justice Department, former US Attorney Erin Nealy Cox joined the same law firm Boeing had hired to defend against the high profile case she prosecuted.
Filing the case against Boeing in Ft. Worth, Texas was surprising from the beginning since Texas had no connection to any of this.
According to the report, the case was settled with a deferred prosecution agreement. This was an agreement the Columbia Law Professor John Coffee at the time called — “one of the worst deferred prosecution agreements I have seen.”

The Crime Reporter published a response from Michael Stumo and Nadia Milleon, who lost their 24-year-old daughter in the Ethiopian Airline crash.
“We were outraged that the Department of Justice prosecutors cut a sweetheart deal with Boeing which let (former Boeing CEO) Dennis Muilenberg and the Boeing executives and board members off the hook for their criminal negligence and fraud which caused the death of Samya while they enriched themselves,” Stumo and Milleron said in a statement in response to the news. “We were confused about why the Northern District of Texas was chosen by the Justice Department given that none of the criminal behavior had anything to do with that district. Was it a compliant judge that Boeing favored? Was it compliant prosecutors that knew Boeing’s criminal defense team? This is shocking new information.”
Paul Hudson of the consumer group Flyers Rights told eTurboNews the case “is an example of the revolving door where thousands of ex-government employees go to work for parties they regulated as government officers. But the revolving door is not supposed to be a conveyor belt.”

Hudson concluded: “If a chief federal prosecutor joins a criminal defendant party or its defense firm shortly after representing the US government in a related criminal matter, it raises both appearance concerns and ethical issues,”

Transfer in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai: Airline Passengers choice is clear Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Transfer in Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai: Airline Passengers choice is clear 2

Qatar Airways, Etihad and Emirates are globally competing for passengers changing planes in their transit hub Doha in Qatar, Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE.In the battle to be the pre-eminent travel hub in the Middle East, the latest research, which has the world’s freshest and most comprehensive fight booking data, reveals that in the first half of 2021, Doha seized and consolidated a lead over Dubai. In the period 1st January to 30th June, the volume of air tickets issued for travel via Doha was 18% higher than it was through Dubai; and that relationship looks set to continue. Current bookings for the second half of the year through Doha are 17% higher than through Dubai.
At the start of the year, air traffic through Doha was at 77% of Dubai; but it quickly reached 100% for the first time during the week commencing 27th January.

The major factor driving the trend was the lifting, in January, of the blockade of flights to and from Qatar, which was imposed in June 2017 by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, who accused Qatar of sponsoring terrorism – an accusation strongly denied by Qatar. As soon as it was imposed, the blockade had an immediate negative impact on flights to and from Doha. For example, Qatar Airways was forced to drop 18 destinations from its network. In addition, various flights through Doha suffered extended journey times, as planes had to make detours to avoid blockading counties’ air space. The destination and its major carrier, Qatar Airways, did not respond to the blockade by cutting back; instead, it opened 24 new routes to utilize what would otherwise have been idle aircraft.

Since January 2021, five routes, Cairo, Dammam, Dubai, Jeddah, and Riyadh, to/from Doha have been reopened and traffic on other routes has grown. The reinstated routes which have made the most substantial relative contribution to visitor arrivals are Dammam to Doha, reaching 30% of pre-blockade arrivals in the first half of 2017, and Dubai to Doha, 21%. In addition, new connections with Seattle, San Francisco, and Abidjan, were established in December 2020, January 2021, and June 2021 respectively.
The major existing routes which have shown the strongest growth compared to pre-pandemic levels (H1 2021 vs H1 2019), by a total number of passengers arriving in Qatar, are: Sao Paulo, up 137%, Kyiv, up by 53%, Dhaka, up 29% and Stockholm, up 6.7%. There have also been notable increases in seat capacity between Doha and Johannesburg, up 25%, Male, up 21%, and Lahore up 19%.
A deeper analysis of seat capacity shows that in the coming quarter, Q3 2021, seat capacity between Doha and its neighbors in the Middle East will be only 5.6% less than pre-pandemic levels and the majority, 51.7%, of it is allocated to reinstated routes to/from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The last major factor, which has given Qatar an edge over Dubai, has been its reaction to the pandemic. During the height of the COVID-19 crisis, many routes in and out of Doha remained operational, with the result that Doha became a major hub for repatriation flights – most notably to Johannesburg and Montreal.
A comparison of market share during the first half of 2021, against the first half of 2019, reveals that Doha has substantially improved its position against Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Currently, hub traffic is divided 33% Doha, 30% Dubai, 9% Abu Dhabi; previously, it was 21% Doha, 44% Dubai, 13% Abu Dhabi.

Olivier Ponti, VP Insights, ForwardKeys commented: “Without the blockade, which encouraged the establishment of new routes as a strategy to replace lost traffic, perhaps we would not have seen Doha charging past Dubai. So, it seems that the seeds of Doha’s relative success were, ironically, sown by the adverse actions of its neighbors. However, one needs to bear in mind that flights through the Middle East during H1 2021 were still 81% below pre-pandemic levels. So, as the recovery gathers pace, the picture could change significantly.”

Flights that are still operating on Bangkok Airways Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Flights that are still operating on Bangkok Airways 3

Bangkok – Samui (roundtrip) 2 flights per day Sealed routes flights between Bangkok and Samui, that will accommodate international transit passengers (3 flights per day) Samui – Phuket (roundtrip) 4 flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), these flights will be available from 16 July 2021 onwards 
Last week it was reported that Bangkok, the Bangkok, the City of Angels is under another COVID-19 surge.
Today Bangkok Airways reacted and canceled the following domestic flights:

1. Bangkok – Chiang Mai (roundtrip)  2. Bangkok – Phuket (roundtrip) 3. Bangkok – Sukhothai (roundtrip) 4. Bangkok – Lampang (roundtrip) 5. Bangkok – Trat (roundtrip)  
Samui – Singapore (roundtrip) 3 flights per week (Monday, Thursday, and Sunday), these flights will be available from 1 August 2021 onwards.
Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Passengers who are scheduled to travel before 31 July 2021 can have fees waived for rebooking or alternatively may request a refund in the form of a travel voucher to be used for future ticketing. Passengers can make any necessary changes up to 24 hours prior to their flight. More information can be seen at www.bangkokair.com/travel-voucher (terms and conditions apply). 
Passengers who wish to amend their travels with no new specified travel date (open ticket) can submit their request via https://forms.office.com/r/WjcEEfQX2L within 24 hours prior to the proposed departure date. The airline will use information provided via such form in order to further accommodate passengers.   
Passengers can contact the airline via the following channels; 

Passengers who booked their tickets through travel agencies are advised to directly contact their agents for further arrangements. 
Moreover, the airline encourages passengers to check announcements, orders, and travel procedures, for each destination prior to travel from the related authorities such as: 
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)   
http://www.moicovid.com/ข้อมูลสำคัญ-จังหวัด/ 
Airports of Thailand www.airportthai.co.th/en/ Department of Airports www.facebook.com/DepartmentOfAirports/ 

Flights that are still operating on Bangkok Airways Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Flights that are still operating on Bangkok Airways 4

Bangkok – Samui (roundtrip) 2 flights per day Sealed routes flights between Bangkok and Samui, that will accommodate international transit passengers (3 flights per day) Samui – Phuket (roundtrip) 4 flights per week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday), these flights will be available from 16 July 2021 onwards 
Last week it was reported that Bangkok, the Bangkok, the City of Angels is under another COVID-19 surge.
Today Bangkok Airways reacted and canceled the following domestic flights:

1. Bangkok – Chiang Mai (roundtrip)  2. Bangkok – Phuket (roundtrip) 3. Bangkok – Sukhothai (roundtrip) 4. Bangkok – Lampang (roundtrip) 5. Bangkok – Trat (roundtrip)  
Samui – Singapore (roundtrip) 3 flights per week (Monday, Thursday, and Sunday), these flights will be available from 1 August 2021 onwards.
Bangkok Airways Public Company Limited is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Singapore, and Vietnam. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport.

Passengers who are scheduled to travel before 31 July 2021 can have fees waived for rebooking or alternatively may request a refund in the form of a travel voucher to be used for future ticketing. Passengers can make any necessary changes up to 24 hours prior to their flight. More information can be seen at www.bangkokair.com/travel-voucher (terms and conditions apply). 
Passengers who wish to amend their travels with no new specified travel date (open ticket) can submit their request via https://forms.office.com/r/WjcEEfQX2L within 24 hours prior to the proposed departure date. The airline will use information provided via such form in order to further accommodate passengers.   
Passengers can contact the airline via the following channels; 

Passengers who booked their tickets through travel agencies are advised to directly contact their agents for further arrangements. 
Moreover, the airline encourages passengers to check announcements, orders, and travel procedures, for each destination prior to travel from the related authorities such as: 
The Centre for COVID-19 Situation Administration (CCSA)   
http://www.moicovid.com/ข้อมูลสำคัญ-จังหวัด/ 
Airports of Thailand www.airportthai.co.th/en/ Department of Airports www.facebook.com/DepartmentOfAirports/ 

Port Moresby Declaration on Regional Aviation Safety and Security endorsed Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Ministers responsible for civil aviation and senior aviation officials from 14 Pacific Islands States convened virtually this week to endorse the Port Moresby Declaration formalising their shared commitments to progressing important Pacific regional aviation matters through a new enhanced collaboration framework.The Regional Aviation Ministers Meeting (RAMM), hosted by the Papua New Guinea government on Wednesday, 30 June, resulted in Pacific Forum Member States endorsed the Port Moresby Declaration on Aviation Safety and Security.The Port Moresby Declaration provides a range of strategic priorities and actions to respond to the critical challenges regarding aviation safety and security performance facing Forum Members, who have been seriously impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ministerial Meeting was the first such high-level regional aviation meeting since the initiation of the Pacific Civil Aviation Safety and Security Treaty (PICASST) in 2004.
Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, French Polynesia, Kiribati, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu attended the RAMM.

Forum Member Countries welcomed the participation of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) Secretary General, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Secretary General, and senior officials from CROP agencies including the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP), and South Pacific Community (SPC). The meeting was also attended by government officials form the United States of america and Singapore, as well as officials from the World Bank, and the Airlines of the South Pacific Association.
RAMM Chair and Papua New Guinea Minister for Civil Aviation, the Honourable Sekie Agisa said:“The Port Moresby Declaration is a considerable achievement which formally builds on previous commitments and gives renewed focus to implementing a holistic and collaborative regional approach to achieving sustainable aviation safety and security.”
“Although faced with many challenges, the message is clear, through collaboration and commitments, our region can achieve strengthened aviation safety and security compliance,” he said.

The Declaration demonstrates Pacific governments commitments to creating a way forward for strengthened aviation safety and security. Safe and secure aviation is recognised as an essential requirement to enabling connectivity and sustainable development in the Pacific.
Secretary General of the PIFS, Mr. Henry Puna said:“We need to shift our thinking and our approach from ‘business as usual’ and start to explore new and innovative approaches to create a more safe, secure and sustainable aviation sector for our region; and one which promotes the spirit of the Blue Pacific while respecting national jurisdictions and development aspirations.”
“The prioritization of aviation in Pacific States is critical to assure the local levels of ICAO compliance which will ultimately restore this region’s significant aviation’s benefits,” commented ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu, “and it’s my hope that the Port Moresby Declaration will suitably emphasize the importance of air transport to national and regional recoveries to Pacific States.”

Another significant milestone was achieved with the endorsement of the Framework for Aviation in the Pacific which will enhance regional collaboration through the development of a 10-year Pacific Regional Aviation Strategy.
The Strategy will create a pathway to the long term safe and sustainable development of the aviation system to deliver the vision for a harmonised, collaborative and connected Pacific aviation system that supports safe, secure, and sustainable aviation in all Pacific States.
The Pacific Regional Aviation Strategy will focus on COVID-19 recovery and long-term sustainable development of the Pacific aviation system including strengthening Member States’ regulatory oversight capability, capacity, and effectiveness.
It was also agreed that the PICASST will be amended to better address the current needs of the region to enable a wider scope of collaborative activities, and leverage opportunities including a stronger Pacific voice in the international aviation system.
Ministers also agreed to strengthening the multi-functional regional aviation organisation to address aviation issues and opportunities as a key regional priority.
In that regard, Ministers recognised the improved performance of the regional aviation organisation, the Pacific Aviation Safety Office (PASO). They agreed to strengthen PASO with appropriate and sustainable resourcing to ensure it continues to deliver enhanced aviation safety and security services to all Member States as an important part of the response to the ICAO Pacific Small Island Developing States Study.
Ministers agreed to the Cooks Islands hosting the next RAMM in 2022, before the next ICAO Assembly, to monitor progress and consider the amended PICASST, Regional Pacific Aviation Strategy, and sustainable funding arrangements to support enhanced regional collaboration and a strengthened multi-functional regional aviation organisation.

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk 5

Flying in the Russian Far East from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana may have been deadly for 23 passengers and 6 crew mebers of an Kamchatka Airlines passenger plane.The AN-26 stopped communication before landing and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.Emergency services are on the scene looking for survivors in bad weather.
Russian rescue ships are currently in the rough sea of the Western Pacific Ocean Tuesday afternoon for survivors on this Kamchatsky Airlines flight. Signals from the black box had been located.
Among the 29 people on boards were 2 children. The weather conditions are extremely difficult in the region and may have contributed to the crash.

The local government said that the aircraft had a valid certificate of airworthiness and the crew had passed a pre-flight inspection.
A criminal case was initiated on violation of traffic safety rules and aircraft operationThe airline has not yet confirmed the crash
Kamchatka Airlines is a Russian carrier based at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport. The carrier previously operated charter services with a fleet of turboprop and narrow-body equipment.  

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk 3
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Its population is 179,780. The city is widely known simply as Petropavlovsk. The adjective Kamchatsky was added to the official name in 1924.
The city has a magnificent setting on Avacha Bay and is overlooked by two giant volcanoes and surrounded by a long line of snow-capped mountains.
More news on plane crashes on eTurboNews

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk 6

Flying in the Russian Far East from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to Palana may have been deadly for 23 passengers and 6 crew mebers of an Kamchatka Airlines passenger plane.The AN-26 stopped communication before landing and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.Emergency services are on the scene looking for survivors in bad weather.
Russian rescue ships are currently in the rough sea of the Western Pacific Ocean Tuesday afternoon for survivors on this Kamchatsky Airlines flight. Signals from the black box had been located.
Among the 29 people on boards were 2 children. The weather conditions are extremely difficult in the region and may have contributed to the crash.

The local government said that the aircraft had a valid certificate of airworthiness and the crew had passed a pre-flight inspection.
A criminal case was initiated on violation of traffic safety rules and aircraft operationThe airline has not yet confirmed the crash
Kamchatka Airlines is a Russian carrier based at Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky Airport. The carrier previously operated charter services with a fleet of turboprop and narrow-body equipment.  

Passenger plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean when trying to land in Petropavlovsk 3
Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy is a city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Its population is 179,780. The city is widely known simply as Petropavlovsk. The adjective Kamchatsky was added to the official name in 1924.
The city has a magnificent setting on Avacha Bay and is overlooked by two giant volcanoes and surrounded by a long line of snow-capped mountains.
More news on plane crashes on eTurboNews

Saudia, Emirates, Etihad Airways flights to Jamaica – a Tourism Revolution? Aviation Feature, Aviation News

Saudia, Emirates, Etihad Airways flights to Jamaica – a Tourism Revolution? 7

Jamaica could become the aviation hub for the Caribbean connecting to new markets that include the United Arab Emirates, or Saudi Arabia.The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia already became a global tourism hot spot. With a little help, Jamaica could be on its way to become the center for Caribbean Tourism.Saudi Arabia has the money and connections. Jamaica is seen as a global tourism trend setter. A new winning partnership is in the making, and perhaps on fast track.
A revolution Bob Marley style may have done the magic. A new era of a tourism opportunity just started in Jamaica, when the Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia HE Ahmed Al Khateeb was seen with his host, the Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, HE Edmund Bartlett. Both ministers were wearing a baseball hat indicating a “Revolution.”
A Travel and Tourism revolution, Bob Marley style? Saudi and Jamaica Minister of Tourism have a vision.
Saudi Arabia has become the hot spot for global tourism. UNWTO opened a regional headquarter in Saudi Arabia , so did WTTC and the Global Resilience & Crisis Management Center may follow.

Known for always thinking out of the box and having a global mindset the Minister of Tourism for Jamaica, the Hon. Edmund Bartlett was seen all smiling when he met with his Excellency Ahmed Al Khateeb the Minister of Tourism for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The Saudi minister was in Jamaica for the recently concluded 66th regional meeting of the World Tourism Organization.
This was an opportunity to discuss the possibility of an air link between the Caribbean and the Gulf region. Such an air link would be an opportunity for Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean to establish a never before seen opportunity to connect the Middle East, India, Africa, Asia with direct air links to the Caribbean. Jamaica could become the airline hub with feeder flights from other Caribbean countries to connect.
This would not only generate new markets for the Caribbean, but also increase connectivity between island nations.

Barlett said about his meeting with the Saudi Minister: “We talked about air connectivity and how to link the Middle East, the Asian market, and the areas within that side of the world. We talked about mega airlines that are in those areas. Particularly Etihad, Emirates and Saudi Arabian Airlines.”
As a result the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Jamaica signed an agreement of intend. This was reported by eTurboNews on Friday.
A drink (no alcohol)
“The agreement that Minister Al Khateeb will bring to the table are those major airline partners, while I will be responsible for coordinating with the countries that are cooperating with us in the multi-destination tourism framework, to enable a Hub. Having such a hub in Jamaica traffic can move from the Middle East and come into our area and have a distribution from one country to the next,” he added.

Bartlett thinks this possible multi-destination approach is critical to the development of tourism in the region and will broaden the market to create the critical mass that is needed to attract larger airlines and major tour operators to become interested in Jamaica and the region.
It’s not only about air connectivity from gateways in the UAE, or Saudi Arabia to Jamaica. It’s the feeder flight opportunities from India, Africa, Central and South East Asia via the Gulf gateway to the Caribbean without having to worry about strict U.S. visa policies.
Jamaica could become the tourism and global business hub for the Caribbean region.
“For us, this is a game-changer in the making because small countries like Jamaica will never have the capacity to have large airlines like Emirates Airlines or Saudia coming to us with direct flights. However, we can benefit from these airlines coming into the Caribbean space, landing here in Jamaica but having distribution to other countries in the region,” he explained.
A wining team and a final dance
Al Khateeb, was also firm on strengthening connectivity between the Middle East and the Caribbean.
The Saudi Minister said in Jamaica: “We discussed with my colleagues very critical topics and we are in support of creating bridges between the Middle East and the Caribbean. I thank Minister Bartlett for this opportunity and look forward to expanding the corporation for expanding the Middle East and the Caribbean,” he said.
Both ministers also discussed other areas of possible collaboration, including human capital development, community tourism and building resilience within the region.
Bartlett explained: “One of the key areas that we discussed was the development of resilience and crisis management, as well as sustainability as critical pillars on which the recovery of tourism must be predicated. But more so, the importance of building capacity within countries that have tourism as the driver of their economies – countries that are weakly resourced and vulnerable to disruptions. We are going to see collaboration in the building out of the resilience centre here in Jamaica and the resilience centre that is in Saudi Arabia,” said Bartlett.
Currently there is no timeline on these ideas, but certainly tourism is moving forward in Jamaica and beyond – and it may not only be with North American and UK visitors only.