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Tag: india

  • Air Asia X to stop flights from Mumbai

    Air Asia X to stop flights from Mumbai

    Malaysian budget carrier AirAsia has decided to pull out its flights from Mumbai to Kuala Lumpur from April 30.

    AirAsia India spokesperson saying passengers booked on the sector after April 29 will be allowed to either re-route through other destinations, get a credit refund, change the travel date or get a full refund.

    The Mumbai-Kuala Lumpur flight has been popular with tourists to Malaysia and Bali, where Air Asia has excellent connections. If you were planning your South Asia summer holiday, you still have three good options from Mumbai. The following airlines operate non-stop flights:

    Malindo Air flies to to Kuala Lumpur from Mumbai every day, with a flight duration of 5 hours and 20 minutes. Book your tickets here.

    Malaysia Airlines also has daily non-stop flights between Mumbai and Kuala Lumpur. Book tickets here.

    Jet Airways flights, operated by Malaysia Airlines as a part of codeshare, will also take you to Kuala Lumpur in just 5 hours 20 minutes. Book here.

    Other primary carriers that will get you there with 1 short stop along the way include Singapore Airlines, Air India, Emirates, Etihad, Cathay Pacific and Sri Lankan Airlines, to name a few.

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  • India bank hack ‘similar’ to US$81m Bangladesh central bank heist

    India bank hack ‘similar’ to US$81m Bangladesh central bank heist

    Hackers who tried to steal nearly US$2 million from India’s City Union Bank this month used tactics similar to those employed in the unsolved cyber heist of US$81 million from Bangladesh’s central bank in 2016, City’s CEO said on Monday (Feb 19).

    The unknown hackers disabled the City printer connected to global payments platform SWIFT on Feb 6, preventing the bank from receiving acknowledgement messages for three fraudulent payment instruction sent that evening until the next morning.

    “Nobody suspected that it was an attack and thought it was a systemic network failure,” N Kamakodi said on phone. “The system department people, everybody assembled, analysed the problem, rebooted, they closed shop only around 10.00pm to 10.30pm.”

    The next morning, bank officials managed to reconcile the previous day’s transactions and found out “three transactions which were not originated from our bank”.

    The bank had been able block only one of the transfers worth US$500,000, while attempts were under way to retrieve the rest, he said. It first disclosed the heist on Saturday.

    In the case of Bangladesh Bank, hackers infected the system with malware that disabled the SWIFT printer. Bank officials in Dhaka initially assumed there was simply a printer problem.

    The hackers stole the money from Bangladesh Bank’s account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York using fraudulent orders on SWIFT. The money was sent to accounts at Manila-based Rizal Commercial Banking Corp and then disappeared into the casino industry in the Philippines.

    Nearly two years later, there is no word on who was responsible and Bangladesh Bank has been able to retrieve only about US$15 million, mostly from a Manila junket operator.

    “We definitely see similarities between the Bangladesh case, and the similarities are being factored into the investigation,” Kamakodi said.

    City Union, a small private lender based in south India, said the three money transfer instructions were sent via correspondent banks to accounts in Dubai, Turkey and China.

    He said SWIFT was helping it investigate the matter, and that the hack happened despite the bank adding new security measures days before.

    “It’s a cat and mouse game,” he said.

    SWIFT said it did not comment on individual customers or entities.

    Russia’s central bank said last week that unknown hackers stole 339.5 million roubles (US$6 million) in an attack via the SWIFT international payments messaging system in Russia last year.

     

  • AirAsia India plans to add up to 70 planes to its fleet in 5 years

    AirAsia India plans to add up to 70 planes to its fleet in 5 years

    Low-cost carrier AirAsia India plans to add up to 70 aircraft to its fleet over the next 4-5 years as it seeks to aggressively expand services, domestic market share, and network, a top executive at the firm said in an interview.

    “We are expanding aggressively and aiming to be among the top three in the low-cost carrier (LCC) segment once we have inducted 60-70 aircraft in our fleet,” AirAsia India chief executive Amar Abrol said.

    The airline, a joint venture between Malaysia’s AirAsia Bhd and India’s Tata Sons, expects to double its revenue to Rs1,200 crore in 2017, and take it to Rs1,800 crore in 2018, Abrol added.

    During the year ended 31 December 2016, the company narrowed its losses to Rs140.32 crore from Rs181.70 crore in the previous year, according to data available with the Registrar of Companies (RoC).

    AirAsia India’s financial year starts from 1 January and it is yet to disclose numbers for the Indian operations during the year ended 31 December 2017.

    A significant number of the 70 aircraft that the airline plans to add are likely to be purchased, while the rest will be leased. Like its parent AirAsia Bhd, AirAsia India has an all-Airbus fleet and will place the aircraft order through its parent to get favourable prices.

    “All aircraft orders will be done at the group level, where commitments have been made to purchase aircraft from Airbus over a period of time,” Abrol said.

    “We draw best practices from our parent, AirAsia Bhd, and also take advantage of economies of scale while placing orders for aircraft,” Abrol said, adding that there is a significant cost advantage with the parent, which already owns a significant fleet, negotiating with lessors and aircraft manufacturers for its subsidiary.

    Abrol did not share any estimate of the investment the company plans to make on aircraft acquisition.

    An industry expert who spoke on condition of anonymity pegged the size of AirAsia India’s order to Airbus at $3 billion.

    For a no-frills airline like AirAsia India to reach the market leadership position, the company either needs to be the leader in the revenue segment or be the top company in keeping costs down—both are not in AirAsia’s favour right now, according to a sector analyst.

    “The biggest challenge faced by AirAsia India is that they don’t have good slots at major Indian airports. As a result, they find it difficult to compete with bigger airlines in the no-frills space. They should aggressively expand their regional markets, as they could miss out on growth if they fail to get good slots at some of the major regional hubs. They also need to check their costs, as it is higher than some of its competitors and bring it down from the current levels. Otherwise the path for AirAsia India to break even is a difficult one,” the analyst said, requesting anonymity.

    “Getting to profitability is absolutely essential for us but not at the cost of stalling expansion,” Abrol said. “We are investing heavily on people, infrastructure, aircraft, and expansion.” He expects AirAsia India to break even by January-March 2019.

    A consultant said that he does not expect the airline to grow in double digits or even high single digits in 2018-19.

    “Rising fuel prices are a huge challenge for airlines and are expected to affect low-cost carriers adversely. We don’t expect the airline to grow in double digits or high single digits in FY19,” Peeyush Naidu, partner, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP, said.

    AirAsia India has also expressed the intent to go for an initial public offering to meet its investment requirements. But, according to Abrol, the company has not appointed a banker to start the process and a decision to that effect will come from the board.

    AirAsia India, which had a market share of 3.7% in 2017, up from 1.7% in 2015, carried 43.23 lakh passengers in calendar year 2017, according to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data.

    The LLC segment in India was led by Interglobe Aviation-run IndiGo, which registered a 39.6% market share, and carried 4.64 crore passengers. Other no-frills airlines like SpiceJet (12.8%) and GoAir (9.1%) carried 41.12 lakh and 29.38 lakh passengers, respectively during the same period.

  • Asia gold demand picks up as prices fall

    Asia gold demand picks up as prices fall

    Physical gold demand in Asia picked up towards the end of the week, as a pullback in prices spurred purchases ahead of the Lunar New Year in China and the wedding season in India.

    Spot gold has declined about 1% so far this week and was headed for a second straight weekly drop due to a recovery in the dollar. 

    “Retail buyers are comfortable with the current price range,” said Aditya Pethe, a director at Waman Hari Pethe Jewellers in Mumbai. Local gold prices have declined more than 2% since rising to Rs30,720 per 10 gram last week, the highest since November 9, 2016.

    Dealers were charging a premium of up to $1.5 an ounce yesterday over official domestic prices, down from $2 last week. The domestic price includes a 10% import tax.

    “Demand is not great but the market is still in premium due to limited supplies. Imports were lower last month,” said a Mumbai-based dealer with a private bank. India’s gold imports in January dropped 37% from a year earlier to their lowest in 17 months as buyers postponed purchases in expectation of a cut in the import tax.

    Gold demand in India is likely to remain below its 10-year average for a third year in 2018 as higher taxes and new transparency rules on purchases may cap last year’s rebound in buying, the World Gold Council said on Tuesday.

    In top consumer China, premiums rose to $9-$10 an ounce from $6-$8 last week as demand picked up after prices fell later in the week, traders said.

    In Hong Kong, premiums remained unchanged from last week at between 60 cents and $1 an ounce. Demand in Southeast Asia remained strong ahead of the Chinese New Year that starts from February 16, as dealers stocked up in anticipation of strained supply during the festival week when gold refineries and businesses will be on holidays.

    “Supply-wise, we see some issues… That’s why the market is getting squeezed a bit and premiums are a little higher now,” said Brian Lan, managing director at dealer GoldSilver Central in Singapore.

    “Dealers generally try to get in more inventory during this period to at least get through the one tight week during the Chinese New Year.”

    Premiums for the precious metal in Singapore were slightly higher this week at between 80 cents and $1 an ounce, compared with 60-80 cents last week.

    “There’s no shortage of gold or anything, but it’s because of the festival season and the production schedule,” said Lan.

    In Japan, gold was sold at par after being on discount for the past few weeks, according to a Tokyo-based trader.

    India’s gold imports in January dropped 37% from a year earlier to their lowest in 17 months as buyers postponed purchases in expectation of a cut in the
    import tax.

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  • Turnover soars 94 per cent for H&M India

    Turnover soars 94 per cent for H&M India

    With store openings and competitive pricing, H&M India has upped its turnover 94.5 per cent in India for the year to the end of November.

    The Swedish fast-fashion retailer’s turnover reached INR955 crore (US$148 million) for the 12 months.

    Its growth follows it opening more stores in India, taking the count from 15 to 27. It entered small markets such as Coimbatore, Indore and Raipur, as well as adding outlets in Mumbai and the Delhi-National Capital Region, where it has had a presence since 2015.

    In its earning release, H&M says it plans to launch an e-store later in India this year.

    Meanwhile, Inditex-owned Zara crossed INR1000 crore in sales last year, seven years after arriving in India, and last year opened an e-commerce portal.

    But H&M is confident its low-priced apparel and wide variety will help it win in India. “I think our business concept is working,” says country manager Janne Einola.

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  • AirAsia bullish on India market

    AirAsia bullish on India market

    Low-cost, long-haul carrier AirAsia X Bhd, which has started operating its Kuala Lumpur-Jaipur route, is hoping toincrease its services in and out of India, a market in which it sees potential.

    “We would love to put a lot more flights if regulators allow us to. Right now we are having trouble getting slots into India, with a lot of Malaysian carriers going into India as opposed to Indian carriers coming into Malaysia. That is the challenge,” said AirAsia Bhd executive chairman and AirAsia X group CEO Datuk Kamarudin Meranun.

    On top of that, he said, AirAsia X is looking to increase the frequency of the Kuala Lumpur-Jaipur route to daily from the current four times a week.

    With a potential annual seat capacity of over 156,800 seats, it is eyeing a load factor of 75-80% for the route this year.

    AirAsia X chairman Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz (fourth from left), Kamarudin (second from left), airline executives and other dignitaries, flanked by cabin crew, celebrating the successful inaugural flight to Jaipur from Kuala Lumpur.

    Kamarudin was speaking at the inaugural flight celebration ceremony. The Kuala Lumpur-Jaipur route is the second direct flight service connecting India and Malaysia offered by AirAsia X after the launch of the Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi direct service in February 2016.

    The Jaipur-Kuala Lumpur service brings the total weekly flights connecting India to Malaysia under AirAsia group to 110 times with a total capacity of 22,755 seats.

    AirAsia X Malaysia has carried over 184,000 passengers in and out of India since the introduction of the Kuala Lumpur-New Delhi route.

    AirAsia group, which comprises AirAsia X and short-haul arm AirAsia, currently serves a total of 19 cities.

    Recently, AirAsia Bhd group CEO Tan Sri Tony Fernandes was quoted as saying that the group is looking to buy Boeing 787s to expand the fleet of its long-haul unit.

    On this, Kamarudin said it is “still under discussion”.

    “At this stage I think it’s premature to talk about it. We are evaluating from a technical aspect and pricing and all those. To confirm it is premature.”

  • Heidi Klum Intimate Solutions is now available in India

    Heidi Klum Intimate Solutions is now available in India

    International Top Model, Heidi Klum Intimate Solutions are available in India exclusively on The Clothing Rental, This collection answers your need to feel effortlessly comfortable every day. The Clothing Rental has got the rights to sell Heidi Klum Intimate Solutions.

    Celebrities and Top Models often wear stunning outfits that are always under the microscope, the world watches in awe as they walk down the red carpet in their effortless chic gowns. Stylist’s best kept secret solutions such as the Dressing Tape: a double-sided tape that sticks on to the garment and the skin while holding a strapless dress, deep neckline or a low back dress in place.  Similarly a low back cannot afford to show the inner garment causing a blunder in press.

    Heidi Klum Intimate Solutions offers multiple options such as the Low Back Converter that can be hooked on to existing bra and lower the back neckline by couple of inches, the wing bra that sticks to the sides or the deep plunge that can be stuck on with a plunge in the front.

    The Clothing Rental, India’s first portal to rent and retail, started in 2005, The Clothing Rental has been a secret destination for the film and media industry professionals. A favorite of top stylists, celebrities and fashionistas The Clothing Rental has dressed the best names in the country with its fashion forward merchandise.

    While the price range of the solutions falls between INR 800 to INR 2800, thus making the international fashion affordable and easily available.

    According to Shilpa Bhatia, Founder, The Clothing Rental, “We cater to top stylists in the country who are dressing up some of the best names in the world, they have a constant need for such merchandise. Bringing it closer to home and offering a much needed variety. The packaging is super cute in glossy hot pink and the pricing is similar to what you would pay on your trip abroad.”

    Tips on purchasing these Intimate Solutions

    1 – Lower Back Converter – When wearing a deep-neck dress, opt for a lower back converter which will make the straps invisible.

    2 – Wing Bra – While wearing a backless dress always opt for a Wing Bra, which is a backless and a strapless bra with clear adhesive wings that are adjustable. It Includes one set of adhesive wing tape that can be reused by simply saving the protectors.

    3 – Plunge Bra – This type of bra is a must-have for low cut tops and push-up padding for added contour, thus making it a perfect option for plunging necklines. It is adorned with attachable straps, u-shaped plunging neckline and contour cups with underwire support.

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  • AdParlor closes down Indian offices and moves staffs

    AdParlor closes down Indian offices and moves staffs

    Digital consultancy AdParlor has restructured its South Asian operation after shutting down offices in India.

    The global firm previously had two bases in Delhi and Mumbai to service its telecommunications clients Airtel and the Axiata owned-Robi and Dialog.

    However, in a bid to bring a ” localised presence” to the telcos’ South Asian markets, AdParlor has now decentralised its India hub and moved operations out into Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The Indian office have since been removed from the company’s website, while the new bases have still to be added at the time of publication.

    According to AdParlor Asia chief executive officer Matt Sutton, all 10 staff from India have either been redeployed to the new markets or will stay to maintain unspecified “shared services”.

    A spokesman for AdParlor added: “AdParlor Asia Pacific confirms that the organisation has decentralised its operations from India to South Asia – with localised presence in Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh now set up in order to service our clients in as seamless a manner as possible, bringing our teams closer to our clients’ businesses in those markets.

    “The South Asian operations were previously set-up in India to support our clients in those neighbouring countries. We will be investing further in those markets throughout 2018.

    “The talent and expertise we have in the market will be redeployed within the AdParlor Asia Pacific business in the South East Asian region, whilst shared services will continue to be managed out of India. We are also committed to investing in these markets and are nurturing digital talent there with an open headcount of 30.”

    AdParlor’s parent company AdKnowledge has been part of a joint venture with the Malaysian telco giant Axiata in Asia since 2016.

    A year ago, Axiata completed a major merger with the Indian-based Bharti in Bangladesh, bringing AdParlor’s three clients together under one umbrella in the market.

    According to Sutton, the Asia operation currently has a 30-strong “open headcount” and is growing across the region.

    However, last year, following the departure of AdKnowledge’s chief revenue officer Damien Lavin, the company also said it had an “open headcount” of 45 people across the markets.

    Currently, the company has offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, Philippines and Taiwan.

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  • Single-brand retailers now easier to enter India

    Single-brand retailers now easier to enter India

    Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has removed the need for a federal approval of foreign single-brand retailers entering India.

    He has also relaxed the rule mandating 30 per cent local sourcing giving companies five years to reach the threshold.

    The surprise moves will speed the launch of at least 10 foreign brands believed to have applications in processing at present, including Uniqlo parent Fast Retailing and Tesla, according to a report in the Times of India. Fast Retailing had lodged an application to open Uniqlo stores last November, and Tesla has been in talks with government officials.

    “There are around 10 applications under single-brand retail trading and these will be positively impacted once the amendments in the FDI policy are notified,” Suresh Prabhu, Commerce and Industry Minister said without revealing brand names.

    Apple may be another foreign company to benefit from the about-face. The US tech giant had a previous application to enter the country via its own Apple stores declined because it could not meet local content requirements.

    Foreign brands have long been frustrated by Indian government restrictions on single-brand retailers, which were effectively designed to protect the ‘unorganised’ domestic retail sector, dominated by ma-and-pa retailers.

    Modi is trying to stimulate the Indian economy by relaxing foreign investment rules in a number of sectors, even allowing overseas companies to take a stake in the national carrier Air India.

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  • Idea Q3 revenue falls 25% from MTR cut “body blow”

    Idea Q3 revenue falls 25% from MTR cut “body blow”

    India’s Idea Cellular has reported a steep 24.9% decline in Q3 revenue and a surge in net losses as a result of the “body blow” from regulator Trai in the form of a mobile termination charge cut.

    Revenue for the quarter fell to 65.1 billion rupees ($1.02 billion), and the operator’s standalone net loss climbed 182.3% to 13.52 billion from 4.78 billion a year earlier.

    The decision by regulator Trai to reduce mobile termination rates from 0.14 rupees to 0.06 rupees per minute resulted in a steep 57% decline in interconnection usage charge rates, which Idea said negatively impacted revenue for the quarter by 8.2 billion rupees.

    “The new domestic MTC rate and recently announced drop in ‘International mobile termination’ settlement charges effective 1st February, 2018 from 53 paisa (0.53 rupees) to 30 paisa per minute, remains a body blow to all operators and reduces investable funds for the critical ‘Digital India’ program,” Idea said in its quarterly report.

    “The international IUC rate drop only benefits the foreign operators, with no commensurate benefit to Indian consumers but with significant foreign exchange and revenue loss to the Indian exchequer.”

    Idea also blamed ongoing “unrelenting rate pressure on voice and mobile data services as high ARPU consumers migrate to unlimited voice bundled data plans.”

    Despite its financial woes, Idea said that the company had managed to accrue 7.5 million net customer additions for the quarter due in part to a large influx of subscribers porting to the company from operators exiting the market in India’s wave of consolidation.

    This took Idea’s total customer base past the 200 million milestone for the first time to 203 million.

    The adoption of unlimited voice bundled data plans also led to an explosion in voice volumes for the quarter, with voice minutes of use growing 10.8% sequentially. Data usage per data subscriber also surged to 4.74GB per month during the quarter, from just 703MB a year earlier.

    Idea said it is in the final stages of the approval process for its planned merger with Vodafone India, which is expected to close in the first half of the year. The proposed $23 billion merger would create India’s largest operator by subscribers with around 400 million customers.

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  • Siam Makro to open 15 stores in India

    Siam Makro to open 15 stores in India

    Thailand conglomerate Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group plans to invest Rs1000 crore (US$157 million) over the next five years to open Siam Makro wholesale stores in India.

    Siam Makro, the company’s retail arm, will open 15 wholesale cash-and-carry stores in India, starting with Delhi-NCR, over the next three years under a new brand, Lots Wholesale Solutions.

    “India and the US are the two priority markets for us for future growth,” says MD Tanit Chearavanont of CP Wholesale India.

    The company hopes to open its first two stores, each covering more than 50,000sqft (4600sqm) in NCR by the end of the second quarter.

    CP Group has cash-and-carry businesses in Thailand, China, Cambodia and Myanmar. It has 123 Makro cash-and-carry outlets in Thailand, and 60 outlets in China under the brand Lotus.

    “We bring with us 28 years of experience in serving various business-to-business customers, such as hotels, restaurants and cafes, traders and service customers, through different cash-and-carry formats, large and small,” says Chearavanont. Hotels, restaurants and cafes, which account for about 28 per cent of the company’s business in Thailand, are seen as the largest segment in India as well.

    CP Group, which entered India in 2016 through CP Foods, its agro-industrial and food unit, is looking at making India its innovation hub for technology and digitisation, says Chearavanont.

    CP Wholesale India director (development and expansion) Sameer Singh says the company will look at competitive pricing to take on existing wholesalers in India. “We are also working on possible limited-period credit for customers. We are in discussions with banking institutions to finalise a strategy.” added Singh.

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  • WAFL to open 80 stores in India

    WAFL to open 80 stores in India

    Hong Kong-headquartered waffle chain WAFL has opened its first stores in India as it continues an international franchise roll-out program.

    The company now operates 53 stores outside Hong Kong, although the Indian stores are the first in another Asian market, with most trading in Europe.

    WAFL’s first Indian store opened in SDA Market in Delhi and two more followed in the cities of Bangalore and Surat.

    The company says it plans to open about 80 stores across India by the end of this year, mostly smaller outlets of 200-250sqft with a seating capacity ranging from eight to 16 people.

    The WAFL menu includes sweet and savoury waffles meals and waffle-cone soft-serve ice cream – but they’re not all sugar-laden indulgences.

    Rajeev Chawla, executive partner of WAFL India says consumers are more health conscious now and have caught up with the fast-paced life.

    “So through our QSR we want to serve deliciously healthy food, to help them maintain their health-conscious need. We are positive that the Indian market will like our products and we are eyeing pan-India expansion.”

  • New shopping centre in India combines contemporary architecture with traditional styles

    New shopping centre in India combines contemporary architecture with traditional styles

    A shopping mall designed by international consultant Broadway Malyan has opened in India. The firm was appointed by Prestige Group to design the interior fit-out and exterior façade of Forum Mall, Mysuru.

     

    The shopping mall comprises 54,000 sqm of space, and is home to over 150 local and international brands, with big names such as H&M, Nike, Levi’s and Apple all taking space within the mall. It also includes a hypermarket and department stores, and leisure needs are catered for through the inclusion of a multiplex, gaming arcade and range of restaurants and cafes.

     

    The interior design was inspired by local culture, including celebrations such as the Dussehra and Holi festivals, landmarks such as Mysore Palace, and textures and materials including Mysore Peta, Sarees and Jali Stonework. These design references have been merged with a modern style to create a unique retail environment.

     

    Ankit Kamboj, associate director at Broadway Malyan, said: “Our challenge was to combine cultural elements with a contemporary, clean architectural style. The balance is important; both aspects should complement rather than detract from each other.

     

    “By designing the façade and interiors we have been able to ensure that the same design approach is followed throughout to create a strong identity for the mall.

     

    “Significant growth is expected in the retail sector in the city and Forum Mall looks set to capitalise on this by offering a new type of retail and lifestyle destination for local residents to enjoy.”

     

    The interior design is underpinned by simple, white plaster on a number of core surfaces such as the ceilings, main pillars and escalators. By using this neutral approach, the featured elements stand out more. Depth and texture is added to the design the ways in which various materials, patterns and light is used.

     Kolam drawings, which is a style specific to the south of India, are printed over floors, glass balustrades and pavements to add further distinction and also help with wayfinding by highlighting key areas such as the entrances, lifts and public squares.

    Prestige Group is one of the leading developers in India with a range of landmark developments throughout the country. As well as retail schemes, they deliver residential, commercial and hospitality projects. Retail is one of Broadway Malyan’s core areas of expertise, and the firm is currently providing advice for a number of projects throughout India, from small, niche retail projects through to large malls and out of town shopping destinations.

  • AirAsia India Introduces New Routes

    AirAsia India Introduces New Routes

    AirAsia India has announced new flights connecting Chennai with Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar. AirAsia India will start operations on the new flights from February 24, 2018, according to the airline’s website – airasia.com. The move comes over two years after the airline had discontinued operations from Chennai. AirAsia India is offering promotional flight tickets starting at an all-inclusive Rs. 1,299 on the new flights connecting Chennai, according to its website. Bookings for the flights connecting Chennai with Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar are open till January 21, 2018. The fares are applicable on travel till January 31, 2019, the airline noted.

    AirAsia India detailed its promotional fares on the new flights connecting Chennai with Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar:
    airasia chennai offer airasia website
    AirAsia India will fly five times a day in and out of Chennai to Bengaluru and Bhubaneswar, news agency Press Trust of India reported citing a release by the airline on January 15. Bengaluru-based AirAsia India also announced induction of another Airbus A320 into its fleet, raising its size to 15, the agency reported.

    A search on the AirAsia India bookings portal on Wednesday showed tickets for a flight from Bengaluru to Chennai in February-end were available from Rs. 2,799.

    Here are five things to know about the AirAsia India offer on flights connecting Chennai:

    All fares are quoted for single journeys (one-way) and valid for new purchases only, according to the AirAsia website. The fare includes airport taxes (except for selected airports where airport tax is collected at the point of departure), it noted.

    The fares are only available for online bookings at www.airasia.com, according to the airline.Without divulging the total number of seats offered under the scheme, AirAsia India said: “Seats are limited and may not be available on all flights.”

    A non-refundable processing fee is applicable for payments via credit/debit/charge cards, AirAsia India mentioned.

    Changes to flights and dates are permitted subject to change fees, and changes to name are not permitted, according to AirAsia India.

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  • Teletalk and Robi sign network sharing deal

    Teletalk and Robi sign network sharing deal

    Bangladesh operators Teletalk and Robi Axiata have arranged to share network sites across the country to improve the network experience for their respective customers.

    The two operators have signed an agreement on the network sharing deal at a meeting this week attended by company executives including Robi CEO Mahtab Uddin Ahmed and Teletalk managing director Kazi Md Golam Kuddus.

    The agreement is also aimed at accelerating the 4G network rollout process once LTE licenses are awarded to mobile operators.

    Bangladesh’s 4G auction is scheduled to take part in February, and is expected to draw participation from the two operators as well as Grameenphone and Banglalink.

    CityCell, which recently had its operations suspended as a result of failure to pay required license and related fees, has also raised the prospect of participating in the auction in order to re-enter the market.

    The auction will encompass spectrum in the 2100-MHz, 1800-MHz and 900-MHz bands. The deadline for applying to take place is January 14 and the auction will be held on February 14. Operators will need to deploy a 4G network nationwide within 36 months as part of the auction terms.

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