More news. Stories on...2 New airlines, Royal Brunei, Jakata Airport and Concorde.

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Brunei's national carrier, Royal Brunei Airlines (RBA) is to increase its fleet and reach new destinations, Communications Minister Pehin Dato Awang Haji Zakaria said on Friday night.

RBA will inaugurate new services to Auckland, Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney and Ho Chi Minh City between now and 2005 and it will start non-stop flights between Frankfurt and Bangkok, and between London and Brunei this year and next.

The minister was speaking at RBA's Gala Awards And Strategic Plan Launch Night on Friday night.

The key recommendations of the Strategic Plan require RBA to increase its fleet size from 10 aircraft by the year 2013.

The fleet make up will change from eight Boeing 767-300 and Boeing 757-200 aircraft in the year 2003 to new narrow-bodied aircraft and six new wide-bodied aircraft by the year 2013.

Touching on the current Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) crisis the minister remarked that in recent weeks, Asian airlines were facing an even greater challenge than the September 11 debacle.

The outbreak of the deadly Sars, in many parts of Asia Pacific, has adversely affected travel and tourism in the region forcing many airlines to cut back and cancel flights because of declining traffic.

The minister added that Asian airlines faced a drastic drop in earnings as demand for holiday and business travel forced airlines to cut flights across the region.

There was also the presentation of awards for employees who had served for 20 and 25 years and presentations of tokens of appreciation and merit awards, retiree and captaincy awards.

The ceremony was held at the International Convention Centre in Berakas.

http://www.brudirect.com/DailyInfo/News/Archive/Apr03/270403/nite01.htm
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Injuries in Jakarta airport bombing

A bomb explosion at Jakarta airport has left at least six people injured, police say.

The blast happened at a fast-food restaurant in the F2 domestic departures area, shattering glass panels and leaving casualties covered in blood.

A local television report put the number of injured at 11.

Detective Chief Erwin Mappaseng said it was "clearly caused by a home-made bomb, of a low explosive type". No one had yet admitted causing the explosion.

"This was meant to terrorise people," Mr Mappaseng said.

"If people are scared, then these people have achieved their goal. We're asking people not to panic and to remain calm."

Power cut

Dede, a food stall worker in the airport, said there was a brief power cut in the terminal minutes before the blast.

"Then I heard a loud explosion," he said.

Other witnesses said that windows shattered, and debris was thrown across the terminal building.

One of the victims is reported to be seriously injured and has undergone surgery. Another is said to be a 12-year-old girl.

There are reports that a bag, which may have contained the device, was left under a chair in the area between the Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurant and check-in desks for Garuda, the Indonesian national carrier.

The airport remains open and flights are departing.

Terror trials

The blast comes three days after a bomb exploded outside the United Nations mission in central Jakarta. There were no injuries.

On Wednesday, Abu Bakar Ba'asyir, alleged leader of the Islamic militant group Jemaah Islamiyah, went on trial for treason linked to a number of fatal bombings.

His group is said to want to establish a hardline Islamic state across much of Southeast Asia.

Last week, police announced they had arrested 18 suspected Jemaah Islamiyah members in connection with the Bali bombings in October 2002.

Next month sees trials of some suspects behind the attack, which killed more than 200 people, mostly foreign holidaymakers.

A blast at a McDonald's restaurant in Sulawesi late last year killed three people.

Like McDonald's, KFC is an American-owned restaurant chain.

Top security minister Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said there could be a connection with the trials of terror suspects, and asked Indonesians to remain vigilant.

"We cannot afford to relax our alertness," he told the French news agency AFP.

"Do not only rely on the police - there should be a national movement to continue preventing these acts of terrorism."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/2979221.stm
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COLLECTORS WANT A PIECE OF CONCORDE

British Airways say hundreds of museum curators, collectors and bargain hunters have been in touch with requests to buy Concorde mementoes.

British Airways, together with Concorde's co-owners Air France, recently decided to ground the luxury plane for good by the end of this year. The companies blamed a fall in profits in recent years, not helped by the crash of a Concorde plane near Paris in 2000.

Collectors have shown an interest in buying the aircraft's seats, toilets and entire planes, said a BA spokesman.

He told the AFP news agency "We've been overwhelmed by the public response pending retirement of Concorde. Our chief executive (Rod Eddington) alone has received more than 250 letters in the first week, 250 ideas of how to celebrate Concorde," he said. The mail "fattens each day" and ranges from serious requests to offers to purchase one of BA's seven supersonic aircraft, he added.

Museums, tourist offices, and wealthy collectors are behind these offers. One buyer would like to add the plane to his private collection, another would like to fit out the interior and turn it into a restaurant.

There has been some speculation over the fate of the seven remaining planes. One could end its career in a new terminal under construction at Heathrow airport, the Financial Times newspaper has suggested. Another could reside at Washington's famed Air and Space Museum, it claims. Many smaller collectors are just interested in a piece of the famous craft - right down to the cutlery used on board.

The BA spokesman said "Concorde is a unique aircraft. Everyone who's flown her or sees her take off is enthralled by her. So it's not a surprise to us that people want certain bits and pieces in order to have a piece of history as it were," he said.

http://www.airlinequality.com/news/concorde.htm
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New Airline 1
Plans for Air Gumbo simmering

Planes painted to look like a giant bowl of gumbo -- crawfish included -- could be taking to south Louisiana skies and venturing west to Houston by the end of this year.

Lafayette businessman Ralston Champagnie has announced plans to launch Air Gumbo, a medium-size airline with hub operations in New Orleans and its headquarters in Lafayette.

Air Gumbo's fleet would consist of seven Boeing 737s. The planes would be painted so the forward part of the aircraft is a pale blue and the back looks like a bowl of gumbo, including a giant red crawfish, onions, sausage and red peppers.

The airline would be a low-fare, low-cost and no-frills service that would first serve Louisiana cities and Houston, then branch out to the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, Champagnie said.

"We are waiting on the war now and looking for funding," said Champagnie, a native of Jamaica who has lived in Lafayette for 20 years. "I feel that we will be up and running by the end of the year."

The plans call for up to 1,000 employees by the second year of operation, with most of the workers in New Orleans.

The 47-year-old businessman said getting the necessary Federal Aviation Administration approval and negotiations with the airports involved for landing rights should take about nine months.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/travel/jump/1858408
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New Airlne 2

Serviceair.

This new cargo airline will start up this year using 3 747-200F's.

http://www.serviceair.ca/
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AND NOW FOR YOU BRANIFF FANS IF ANY?

Check out this site! http://www.braniffinternational.com/

Original post

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 7,536

About time RB did something.....imo it can develop itself as a very useful hub un S.E.Asia like SIN, plus RB has no short of money.