Qatar Airways begins Goa services

DOHA: Qatar Airways continues its expansion into India with the launch of its second route within one week, to the idyllic beach holiday destination of Goa. The new non-stop Doha-Goa route capitalizes on the start of the winter holiday season with the destination particularly popular with holidaymakers from across Europe, with convenient connecting flights. The carrier claims to be the first full-service long-haul scheduled international airline flying to Goa. It is using an Airbus A320 in a two-class configuration of 12 seats in Business and 132 seats in Economy on the route. Together with the launch of services to the northern Indian city of Amritsar two weeks ago, the Goa route takes the airline’s capacity across the country to 64 flights a week spread across 10 cities. Meanwhile, a Qatar Airways aircraft recently completed the world’s first commercial passenger flight powered by a fuel made from natural gas. The historic journey from London Gatwick to Doha took over six hours and was operated with an Airbus A340-600 aircraft using Rolls-Royce Trent 556 engines. The fuel, as an alternative to conventional oil-based kerosene, will contribute to diversification of aviation fuel supply. It also burns with lower sulphur dioxide and particulate emissions than pure conventional oil-based kerosene, making it attractive for improving local air quality at busy airports.

nasair offers ‘unbeatable’ Winter Promotional Fares

RIYADH: nasair, Saudi Arabia’s budget carrier, is offering “unbeatable” fares on all reservations made between Oct. 18 and Nov. 15, with effective travel dates up to March 29. More than 50,000 tickets will be available during this promotion at SR49 for all domestic and international flights. The carrier claims to have achieved more than 50 percent growth in the first nine months of 2009 with its young fleet and punctuality alongside the extension of its domestic and international routes. Nasair, owned by National Air Services (NAS Holding Co.), was launched in February 2007 as the first low cost carrier in the Kingdom.

Rocco Fort Collection announces first Cairo hotel

CAIRO: The Egyptian General Company for Tourism and Hotels (EGOTH) has appointed luxury hotel group, The Rocco Forte Collection, to manage The Shepheard Hotel in Cairo as a five-star property within their renowned brand after assisting in its full renovation. The hotel is owned by EGOTH, a subsidiary of The Holding Company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema, HOTAC, one of the region’s largest hotel-owning companies that already works with several other leading hotel brands. The company’s plans are in place to convert the 279-room Shepheard Hotel, located along the famous Nile River in the heart of bustling downtown Cairo, to a full-fledged Rocco Forte Collection Hotel after its extensive renovation, said Aly Abdel Aziz, chairman of the Holding Company for Tourism, Hotels and Cinema, HOTAC. The Shepheard Hotel was founded by an Englishman called Samuel Shepheard Hotel in 1841 and became the leading hotel in Cairo for much of the 20th Century. The original hotel was destroyed by fire twice, in 1891 and 1952, and then rebuilt on the banks of the Nile in 1957 where it remains operating today. The Rocco Forte Collection team will take on temporary management of The Shepheard Hotel as of November, running it outside of its main brand. The hotel will then close for total refurbishment and renovations.