Air India officially handed over to Tatas as disinvestment process completes, new board takes charge

 Amidst anticipation of likely handover by weekend, the government has announced that national carrier Air India has been officially handed over to the TATA Group of Companies with the strategic disinvestment process concluding on Thursday afternoon it received INR 2,700 crore Talace Pvt Ltd. The Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) under the Ministry of Finance announcing the development said that 100 per cent shares of Air India are now transferred to Talace, a wholly-owned subsidiary of TATA Sons.

With this, Talace also gets full management control as the new board of Air India, led by the strategic partner takes charge of the airline. The ailing, debtridden carrier has received INR 1.10 lakh crore by way of cash support and loan guarantees by the government to keep it afloat.

TATAs on October 8, 2021 had won the bid to acquire the national carrier with the winning bid of INR 18,000 crore - out of which INR 15,300 crore are for Air India's existing debt and INR 2,700 crore to be paid as cash to the government. On October 11, 2021, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued to the Tata Group confirming the government's willingness to sell its 100 per cent stake in the airline. On October 25, the Centre signed the share purchase agreement for the deal.

With the acquisition process now complete, the Tata Group has got access to a fleet of 117 wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, and 24 narrow-body aircraft of Air India Express. Besides, it will get control of 4,400 domestic and 1,800 international landing, and parking slots at domestic airports. While this is Centre's first privatisation since 2003-04, Air India has now got three airlines in its kitty, with majority share in Air India India and a joint venture with Singapore Airlines for another full-service carrier Vistara.

Out of the total debt of Air India, a majority portion has been transferred to a special purpose vehicle, AIAHL, which will also manage all the land and buildings belonging to the airline, which are not part of the deal with TATAs. The airline started suffering heavy losses every year, close to INR 20 crore a day, post its merger with Indian Airlines in 2007-08.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3491/Air-India-officially-handed-over-to-Tatas-as-disinvestment-process-completes-new-board-takes-charge

Thailand plans to impose tourist fee from April

 Bangkok: Thailand is planning to collect a 300 baht ($9) fee from foreign tourist from April to develop attractions and cover accident insurance for foreigners unable to pay costs themselves, senior officials said on Wednesday.

Thailand, one of Asia's most popular travel destinations, has been badly hit by a pandemic-induced tourism slump, with about 200,000 arrivals last year, compared to nearly 40 million in 2019.

Recent efforts to revive the sector have been complicated by the rapid global spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

"Part of the fee will be used to take care of tourists," Tourism Authority of Thailand governor Yuthasak Supasorn told Reuters.

"We've encountered times when insurance didn't have coverage for tourists ... which became our burden to take care of them," he said, adding that funds would also be used to upgrade tourism infrastructure.

The fee adds to a list of requirements for foreign tourists seeking entry to Thailand, which include pre-payment for COVID-19 tests, hotel accommodation or quarantine, and having insurance with COVID-19 treatment coverage of at least $50,000.

Thailand waived its strict quarantine measures in November in place of a "Test & Go" scheme for vaccinated visitors, but suspended that late last month over concerns about the spread of the Omicron variant.

The new fee will be priced in with airline tickets and is part of the government's sustainable tourism plans, government spokesman Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana said.

Thailand expects between 5 and 15 million foreign arrivals this year, depending on policies in place in its main tourism markets, Thanakorn said.

Foreign tourists are expected to generate 800 billion Thai baht ($23.97 billion) this year, he said.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3494/Thailand-plans-to-impose-tourist-fee-from-April

Museum in memory of Netaji opens in Madhya Pradesh

 Visitors to Madhya Pradesh will now get a chance to visit Central Jail Jabalpur where Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had once been imprisoned. On the occasion of Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary, his barracks at Jabalpur jail were opened for public viewing.

About the museum in Jabalpur, MP chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, said that two days a week – on Saturdays and Sundays - from 10 am to 2.30 pm, the general public would be able to visit the chamber of Subhash Chandra Bose, where he was imprisoned.

Visitors would be allowed to enter the museum and the prison cell of Netaji free of charge. Just as the Cellular Jail in Andaman and Nicobar has been developed as a Veer Savarkar Memorial, similarly the museum of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Jail of Jabalpur would be developed as a Prerak Sthal. Among these, items such as Netaji’s clothes, shackles worn by him, his handwritten letters and inscriptions related to his jail visit have been given the form of a museum.

A passage has been constructed to reach the barracks of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The facility to access this room has been developed by making a new route other than the main gate in the prison. In this passage, colorful flowers have been planted on both sides. In this regard, with the initiative of the Madhya Pradesh government, this will be the first Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose museum in the state and the second in the country.

A museum has been established in New Delhi in the memory of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose since 2019. There will also be a reception room for visitors in the Subhash Ward. The jail administration has prepared a documentary film, which focuses on Netaji’s sacrifice and life’s struggle. In collaboration with the Public Works Department, the artists and laborers in the prison have done the renovation work of Subhash Ward and the decoration of the premises.

At present, in view of Covid infection, the visitors have been instructed to bring their IDs along with following the necessary protocol. Along with this, they have been requested to follow the necessary safety rules.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3481/Museum-in-memory-of-Netaji-opens-in-Madhya-Pradesh

Wagah-Attari like beating retreat ceremony to start at 3 border posts in Rajasthan: BSF

 Tourists visiting the Indo-Pak border districts Jaisalmer and Bikaner in Rajasthan will soon be able to watch the Wagha-Attari border like a beating retreat without the participation of Pakistani soldiers. The initiative will commence in the form of Beating the Retreat ceremony at BSF's IB post at Babliyan from next month and would then be extended to Bikaner's Sanchu and Khajuwala border posts, BSF IG (Rajasthan Frontier) Pankaj Goomar said on Tuesday.

He said every citizen of the country wishes to visit the international border and keeping this in mind, the BSF has been working on a model to develop tourism at the border posts.

"For this, a stadium with a seating capacity of 2,000 visitors has already been built at Babliyan post. In the beginning, we would start holding a Beating the Retreat event like Atari border here from next month," he said.

Pakistan, however, will not have any participation in the event like the WagahAttari border for now as the Pakistani post is two km away from the border in Jaisalmer. The BSF has taken this initiative in association with the state government. While fulfilling the wishes of the citizens to have a glimpse like the Wagah-Attari Indo-Pak border, this initiative is also aimed at instilling a sense of patriotism in the visitors

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3482/Wagah-Attari-like-beating-retreat-ceremony-to-start-at-3-border-posts-in-Rajasthan-BSF

Choice Hotels Opens Comfort Inn Kaikaluru

 Choice Hotels India has announced the opening of the Comfort Inn Kaikaluru in Andhra Pradesh. This is the first internationally branded hotel in the city of Kaikaluru. The city is famed for aquaculture and offers a range of tourist attractions including a bird sanctuary, Kolleru Lake, temples, and other places of religious significance.

Vilas Pawar, CEO, Choice Hotels India, said, “We are delighted to announce the opening of Comfort Inn Kailaluru – the first internationally branded hotel in the city. Our brand has the endeavor of offering an international experience with world-class facilities at the best value proposition. Ideal location and unmatched facilities make it a vital asset in our portfolio”.

Bala Murali Krishna Kamineni, Promoter of Comfort Inn Kaikaluru, a proprietor in aquaculture & aquafeed manufacturing under Deepak Nexgen Feeds Pvt. Ltd., and handling real estate projects in Vijaywada, said “We are proud to associate with Choice Hotels India. Being the first branded hotel in the city, we have got the opportunity to offer an international experience to the people of Kaikaluru. The hotel has received a warm response from the locals and is the preferred address for social gatherings and business meetings for people in and around the city”.

Comfort Inn Kaikaluru also features modern banqueting facilities to hold extensive meetings & conferences facilities and cater to intimate social gatherings.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3489/Choice-Hotels-Opens-Comfort-Inn-Kaikaluru

Jammu-Srinagar NH reopens for vehicles after remaining closed for 30 hours

 Jammu-Srinagar national highway reopened on Sunday after remaining closed for over 30 hours due to landslides and shooting stones triggered by heavy rains, officials said.

Even as the weather improved since Sunday evening, the highway restoration was delayed after a loaded truck was stuck in a heavy mudslide at Pantihal area of Ramban district. The thoroughfare remained shut on Sunday after wet weather triggered mudslides and shooting stones at several places.

The highway was closed early Saturday after a massive landslide blocked the highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, near Cafetaria Morh besides shooting stones from the hillocks overlooking the arterial road between Maroog and Ramsu in Ramban district.

Dozens of stranded trucks were also allowed to move from Kashmir to Jammu," Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Traffic, Shabir Ahmad Malik told PTI.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3464/Jammu-Srinagar-NH-reopens-for-vehicles-after-remaining-closed-for-30-hours

REDMI NOTE 11S LAUNCHES IN INDIA ON FEBRUARY 9

 The global markets and India are looking closely to Xiaomi to see the unveiling of the Redmi Note 11 series. The company will introduce devices that are slightly different to those released in China. We expect smartphones such as the Redmi Note 11 4G, Redmi Note 11 Pro 4G, Redmi Note 11 5G, and Note 11 Pro 5G. However, there is also a Redmi Note 11S. This variant passed through multiple certifications in recent times. Now, Redmi India has officially confirmed that the Note 11S is coming on February 9. This handset will pack a 108 MP primary camera and will carry a MediaTek Dimensity SoC.

REDMI NOTE 11S AND OTHER REDMI NOTE 11 SMARTPHONES DETAILS

According to the rumors, the Note 11S will bring an 8 MP ultrawide camera and a 2 MP macro unit. There will be at least three configurations. The basic one will sport 6 GB of RAM and 64 GB of Internal Storage. The intermediary option will bring 6 GB with 128 GB of Internal Storage. The more advanced version will swap the RAM capacity to 8 GB. Of course, we can also expect some sort of virtual RAM extension. After all, this has been a trend among smartphone makers. The handset will also pack an AMOLED display with up to a 90 Hz refresh rate. As usual, this may be a punch-hole display. The selfie snapper should be anything between 13 MP and 16 MP.

Apparently, Xiaomi will be hosting an online event in the coming days to reveal some of its global Redmi Note 11 smartphones. According to early reports, there will be a smartphone with an Helio G96 SoC, AMOLED display with a 120 Hz refresh rate. There will also be another variant with the Snapdragon 680 SoC. Finally, the rumors also suggest a particular variant with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 695G SoC which brings 5G connectivity. These devices will have micro SD card slots and should come with at least 33 W fast charging and up to 67 W charging. The battery capacity will be at 5,000 mAh.

All the smartphones will run Android 11-based MIUI 13 straight of the box. Therefore, the Note 11S may not be an exception in this regard.

REDMI NOTE 12 SERIES COMING WITH SNAPDRAGON 7 GEN 1

In related news, a couple of Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones had details leaked by the popular tipster Digital Chat Station. According to him, Xiaomi will unveil the Redmi Note 12 series later this year, and at least of the smartphones will bring the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. This unreleased Qualcomm chipset will be the first Gen-tier replacement for the SD7xx series and should give the Redmi Note 12 series unprecedented power.

Air India likely to be handed over to Tata group by weekend

 Air India is likely to be handed over to the Tata group by the end of this week, senior government officials said on Monday. After a competitive bidding process, the government had on October 8 last year sold Air India to Talace Private Limited - a subsidiary of the Tata group's holding company - for INR 18,000 crore.

Following that, on October 11, a Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued to the Tata group confirming the government's willingness to sell its 100 percent stake in the airline. On October 25, the Centre signed the share purchase agreement (SPA) for this deal.

Officials said on Monday that the remaining formalities regarding this deal are expected to be completed in the next few days and the airline will be handed over to the Tata group by the end of this week.

As a part of the deal, the Tata group will also be handed over Air India Express and a 50 per cent stake in ground handling arm Air India SATS. Tatas had on October 8 beat the INR 15,100-crore offer by a consortium led by SpiceJet promoter Ajay Singh and the reserve price of INR 12,906 crore set by the government for the sale of its 100 per cent stake in the loss-making carrier.

While this will be the first privatisation since 2003-04, Air India will be the third airline brand in the Tatas' stable - it holds a majority interest in AirAsia India and Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines Ltd.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3467/Air-India-likely-to-be-handed-over-to-Tata-group-by-weekend

World's safest low-cost airlines 2022 revealed

 AirlineRatings.com has revealed its top 20 safest airlines for 2022.

While Air New Zealand nabbed the top spot, Etihad Airways came in at second place. Emirates also ranked in the top 20.

AirlineRatings was launched in June 2013 and judges the safety credentials of 385 airlines, taking into consideration elements such as crashes over five years; serious incidents over two years; audits from the aviation industry's governing bodies and lead associations; fleet age; and Covid-19 protocols.

Also appearing in the top 20 are Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, SAS, Qantas, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific, Hawaiian Airlines, American Airlines, Lufthansa/Swiss Group, Finnair, Air France-KLM Group, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Qatar Airways.

“Our top 20 safest airlines 2022 are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence and the launching of new more advanced aircraft like the Airbus A350 and Boeing 787,” says Geoffrey Thomas, editor in chief of AirlineRatings.com.

“However all airlines have incidents every day, and many are aircraft or engine manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. It is the way the flight crew handles these incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one.”

Thomas cites Air New Zealand’s constantly high safety standards and the care it has shown for its flight crews as reasons for its ranking at the top of the 2022 safety list.

“Air New Zealand has won countless awards and has a firm focus on safety and its customers. Over the past 18 months, Covid-19 has brought yet another new dimension to the challenges. Air New Zealand has excelled across the broad safety spectrum, never losing sight of the smallest detail while caring for its flight crews who have worked under significant stress.”

AirlineRatings.com's top 20 safest airlines for 2022:
Air New Zealand
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways
Singapore Airlines
TAP Air Portugal
SAS
Qantas
Alaska Airlines
EVA Air
Virgin Australia/Atlantic
Cathay Pacific
Hawaiian Airlines
American Airlines
Lufthansa/Swiss Group
Finnair
Air France-KLM Group
British Airways
Delta Air Lines
United Airlines
Emirates
In a separate ranking by the Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre, Emirates was named the world’s safest airline in the world. The carrier ranked first among 25 global airlines, with a risk index of 95.05 per cent in a JACDEC survey carried out for aviation magazine Aero International.

JACDEC ranks the safety credentials of the 100 biggest airlines in the world, based on revenue passenger kilometres.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3405/World-s-safest-low-cost-airlines-2022-revealed

UK’s newest airline Hans Airways to launch scheduled flights to India this year

Hans Airways, UK’s newest hybrid, long-haul airline venture, is preparing to launch scheduled international flights to India later this year after it secured its first aircraft after signing a Letter of Intent (LoI) for an Airbus A330-200 (MSN 950) in the first week of January 2022.

The aircraft has been operating with a leading European airline since 2008, configured in a two-cabin layout, which Hans Airways will operate with 275 economy and 24 premium economy seats.

Hans Airways’ senior management has identified a high demand for regular secondary city air links between the UK and India, drawing on its CEO’s considerable experience instigating a series of charter flights for Monarch Airlines and FlyJet.

UK base in Birmingham Hans Airways has applied to the UK Civil Aviation Authority for its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) in March 2020 and is hopeful of obtaining the status in time to start revenue service this summer. The airline will operate in secondary cities in India from Birmingham Airport.

Its application for an Operating Licence and Route Licence has already been published by the UK CAA. Financial support for the airline has come, inter alia, from the Indian community in the UK.

Commenting on the development, Satnam Saini, CEO, Hans Airways, said, “We are delighted to have achieved this very important milestone in our twoyear journey. Our scheduled operations centre on the Airbus A330, a popular and spacious long-haul widebody, excellent for cargo too, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped us to ratify this agreement at the start of the new year.”

Pilot and cabin crew training commences

The first set of flight crew (four pilots and cabin crew) commenced their first day of training from January 3 in Crawley, UK with Hans Airways’ flight training partner IAGO Flight Training and L3 Harris Commercial Aviation for the simulator. The recruits were welcomed by Saini, investor Kirpal Singh Jass, and Nathan Burkitt, the airline’s Director of Flight Operations and Crew Training. The A330 will be re-registered as G-KJAS, adopting the surname of one of Hans Airways’ principal early investors, who have believed in its community airline model since the project was conceived in 2019.

Loyalty programme

The airline said it is also working on a loyalty programme which will be known as HAPEEI (Hans Airways Passengers Environment Education Initiative) and it will reward passengers with all the regular benefits of a frequent flyer programme and with a strong emphasis on corporate social responsibility, create opportunities to donate to children’s educational charities in India or conservation and water preservation projects. The airline also intends to have a close working relationship with travel agencies and travel management companies.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3407

Goa tops the list of favourite destinations for Indian travellers

 New Delhi: A majority of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations instead of international ones this year with Goa topping the bucket list followed by Manali.

OYO Travelopedia, the annual consumer survey by OYO to study travel intent and expectations among its user base across some of its core markets, including India, Indonesia and Europe, took responses of nearly 3,000 people in December 2021.

As per the survey, 61 per cent of Indians would prefer to go local and explore domestic destinations, while 25 per cent would like to try international as well as domestic trips in 2022.

Despite the excitement to travel, 80 per cent of respondents said safety continues to be a key concern amid the pandemic and the arrival of booster dose would give them the reassurance to travel.

As far as the favourite destination is concerned, Goa topped a third of the respondents' 2022 bucket lists, it said.

"This is followed by Manali, Dubai, Shimla and Kerala," hospitality chain OYO said adding other international destinations on Indian travellers' bucket list include Maldives, Paris, Bali and Switzerland.

When it comes to travel partners, 37 per cent of the respondents said they would like to travel with their spouses or partners. On the other hand, 19 per cent said they would "love to take that much awaited vacation with close friends", while 16 per cent opted for a family vacation, and another 12 per cent preferred solo backpacking.

"A good 16 per cent of respondents said they would like it all!," the survey said. According to OYO Travelopedia, in Indonesia, Bali emerged as the favourite destination for 2022, while in Europe, a majority of respondents opted for Bornholm, the Danish island in the Baltic Sea.

A vast majority of people in the Netherlands said they would love to travel to Austria this year.

rehanshienterprises.com/news/3385/Goa-tops-the-list-of-favourite-destinations-for-Indian-travellers

REALME BUDS AIR 3 DESIGN, SPECIFICATIONS & EXPECTED PRICE TIPPED

 The Realme Buds Air 3 TWS earbuds’ awe-inspiring design and key specifications have surfaced online ahead of launch. Realme brought its true wireless earphones dubbed the Realme Buds Air 2 into the market nearly a year ago. Now, the Shenzhen-based tech company seems to be prepping to launch a Realme Buds Air 2 successor in India. Earlier this month, a report by MySmartPrice suggested that the Realme Buds Air 3 TWS earbuds’ India launch is around the corner.

Regrettably, the report did not divulge the exact launch date. Nevertheless, it is no secret that Realme is gearing up to breathe new life into its TWS range by launching new TWS earbuds since some vital information about the upcoming buds has been leaked. Aside from that, Realme would understandably want to cash in on the Realme Buds Air 2 TWS earbuds’ success. To recall, the Buds Air 2 was the most affordable TWS to offer ANC (active noise cancellation) at launch. It will be interesting to see if the Buds Air 3 adopts the same pricing strategy, In the meantime, let’s check out the Realme Buds Air 3 design and leaked specifications

REALME BUDS AIR 3 DESIGN & EXPECTED SPECIFICATIONS

The upcoming Realme Buds Air 3 is likely to retain the outward appearance of its predecessor, the Buds Air 2. Furthermore, the earbuds will feature a triple-microphone array to facilitate the active noise cancellation feature. The three microphones will come with Transparency Mode support as well. Aside from that, new earbuds will come with a noticeably smaller charging case. There will be app-based testing to ensure a fully customized user experience.

In addition to that, the users will have the option of further customizing their overall listening experience as per their preferences. There will be a Dual Device Connection, which will come in handy for connecting the device to two different devices at the same time. Also, it will enable users to toggle between the two connected devices with just a tap. Furthermore, the Realme Buds Air 3 will deliver low latency game mode for an unparalleled gaming experience.

WHAT ELSE TO EXPECT

Much to the delight of bass heads, the earbuds will offer a Bass Boost+ mode. Moreover, the Buds Air 3 will support in-ear detection like the Buds Air and Buds Air 2. This feature ensures that the music playback automatically pauses when the earbuds are removed from the ears. Without ANC turned on, the Buds Air 3 will offer a battery life of up to 30 hours (with the case). Also, it features a Type-C charging port.

XIAOMI FOLDABLE PHONE TO BE POWERED BY THE SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 1 CHIP

 The upcoming Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone will reportedly pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor under the hood. Xiaomi fans have been waiting with bated breath to get their hands on the Chinese tech giant’s maiden foldable smartphone. While nothing is set in stone yet, a vital piece of information about the purported handset has popped up online. The latest leak divulges the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone’s key specifications.

If rumors making the rounds online are anything to go by, Xiaomi is gearing up to go toe-to-toe with Samsung. The South Korean tech giant’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 recently took the foldable device segment by storm. In a new development, some partial specifications of the upcoming Xiaomi foldable device have been leaked. Aside from that, the phone’s design details have surfaced on the web. Moreover, these leaks show that Xiaomi is not shying away from adopting bolder designs even for its flagship devices.

XIAOMI FOLDABLE PHONE TO PACK QUALCOMM SNAPDRAGON 8 GEN 1

The latest leaked Xiaomi Foldable Phone’s specifications come from a reputed leaker Digital Chat Station. Furthermore, the leaked details suggest that the device will be the Xiaomi Mix Flip. However, regardless of the moniker the phone will be carrying, its key hardware details have made appearance online. According to a Weibo post by DCS, the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor. It is worth mentioning here that the newly launched Motorola Razr packs the same processor.

Aside from that, the phone’s internal, folded OLED display will reportedly deliver a high refresh rate of 120Hz. According to a report by 9To5Google, Xiaomi has launched its latest 12-series smartphones with the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and 120W fast charging support. Aside from that, the Xiaomi 12 series smartphones boast an impressive array of other features and top-notch specs. Also, offering a 120Hz refresh on a folding screen is particularly notable, given that the iPhone 14 will reportedly not be offering the same refresh rate.

OTHER LEAKED DETAILS & EXPECTED PRICE

In addition to a slew of other details are available in the latest leak. For instance, the leak includes Xiaomi Foldable Phone’s camera specs. The foldable handset will reportedly house a 50MP camera with an f/1.5 aperture lens. If this speculation turns out to be true, the foldable phone will be capable of capturing really good photos. Aside from that, pricing details about the handset are now available. The information suggest that the phone will cost like any other “normal” flagship. Last year, a report indicated that the Xiaomi Foldable Phone could go official on March 29.

However, it is still unclear whether this information is about the Xiaomi Foldable Phone or another smartphone from one of its competitors. Nevertheless, the Xiaomi Foldable Smartphone could retail for less than $1000. This is quite a reasonable price tag to carry, especially compared to the prices of the Samsung Galaxy S22 or the iPhone 14, which aren’t easy on the pocketbook. Also, it will be interesting to see whether Xiaomi will launch its maiden foldable handset outside China.