Français »
German "
Search
November 3, 2024

More articles from the category

November 3, 2024

Winter holiday trends: More and more Czechs spend the holidays abroad

Amely Mizzi 3 November 2024 08:36

A clear trend has emerged in the Czech Republic in recent years: more and more Czechs are no longer spending Christmas and New Year in their own country, but prefer sunny beaches and exotic destinations abroad. The increased demand for winter travel is particularly evident in the sales figures of the Dovolena.cz portal, which is operated by Student Agency Travel. The portal recorded a 27% increase in sales compared to the previous year. This development is partly due to the extended Christmas holidays, which offer Czech families a better opportunity to fit travel into the winter holidays. Czech travel destinations in winter While the classic summer holiday destinations such as Egypt and Spain remain popular, Czech holidaymakers are increasingly drawn to warmer climes in winter too. Destinations such as the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives, Thailand, Cuba, Mauritius, Oman and Cape Verde are particularly popular. A growing interest in exotic travel destinations is clearly evident, which indicates the increasing travel experience and the desire for new cultural experiences. The decision to spend Christmas or New Year in warm places is also made easier by the increasing availability of package deals for winter holiday destinations, which do not overstretch the budget of many holidaymakers. However, the average prices vary considerably. A holiday in Egypt, which is one of the cheapest destinations, costs on average about 21.600 CZK per person (approx. 880 euros). In contrast, stays in exotic destinations such as the Dominican Republic or the Maldives are significantly more expensive and range between 44.000 and 55.000 CZK (approx. 1.780 to 2.220 euros). A week in Spain, which is also one of the

Continue reading "

Budapest Airport with new winter destinations

Amely Mizzi 3 November 2024 07:33

Budapest Airport, part of the global Vinci airport network, has announced a significant expansion of its routes for the coming 2024/25 winter season. With ten new connections and a total of 8,6 million available seats, the hub is reaching an unprecedented capacity - an increase of almost 20 percent compared to the same period last year. This marks a historic high and underlines the airport's growing importance as a European hub. The new destinations reflect a diverse offering that is attractive to both business and leisure travelers. Among the outstanding new additions is an easyJet route to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, which responds to strong demand between the French capital and Budapest with four flights a week. Thanks to Air France, which already offers 21 weekly flights to Paris, Budapest has become one of the most important hubs for French destinations. Overall, capacity on connections between France and Hungary increased by a remarkable 38 percent. In addition to the expansion into France, the airport is also expanding its Italian offering, which now exceeds the number of connections to the United Kingdom. A total of 13 Italian cities are now served, including popular holiday destinations such as Genoa and Salerno. This route is served by Wizz Air, which has also opened new connections to Marrakesh, Memmingen, Girona and Gran Canaria to expand the portfolio of city break destinations. Ryanair is adding Toulouse and Warsaw-Modlin to the route network, thus expanding the connection to major European cities. The connections to Marrakesh and Gran Canaria are particularly noteworthy, as they offer Hungarian travellers a warm climate and an exotic flair in winter. Marrakesh, on

Continue reading "

Paradise Bay Hotel: Hard-working staff, but best view of ferry boats

Jan Gruber 3 November 2024 06:38

The Paradise Bay Hotel, located at the northern end of Malta, raises high expectations. Nestled in the Maltese coastal landscape, the hotel sits on a headland between the Paradise Bay of the same name and the Cirkewwa ferry, which regularly crosses to the sister island of Gozo. From the hotel balcony you can look out over the deep blue water and the rugged coastline, and you almost get the impression that you have landed in a peaceful and secluded oasis. However, this first impression only partially holds up to the everyday life of the hotel and the surrounding area. Location with advantages and disadvantages The Paradise Bay Hotel cannot deny that its location is one of its biggest attractions. With the ferry to Gozo right outside the door and some of Malta's most famous sights relatively close, it seems to be an ideal starting point for exploration. It is also possible to take the scheduled boats to the island of Comino and explore the Blue Lagoon or Santa Maria Bay, for example. However, the tourist buses and ferries, which arrive and depart continuously, create a permanent background noise. The traffic on the adjacent main road, which is essential for accessibility, often creates an unwanted background noise. Anyone looking for peace and quiet will be disappointed here. Especially in the early morning hours and in the afternoon and evening, when commuters are travelling to/from Gozo, there can even be long traffic jams right in front of the hotel. The ferries, on the other hand, with the exception of the Nikolaos, are hardly noticeable, as they are rather quiet in direct comparison to the road traffic. The hotel itself has the potential to be a

Continue reading "

Air Astana: Flight attendant and pilot training according to EASA standards

Jan Gruber 3 November 2024 05:34

The Kazakh airline Air Astana was founded in 2001 with the aim of bringing European aviation standards to Kazakhstan. From the beginning, the airline has relied exclusively on aircraft manufactured in Western countries. Initially, numerous training courses had to be completed abroad. This also includes pilot and flight attendant training. For some time now, Astana has had the appropriate training equipment, which also has EASA approval. This has a decisive advantage for pilots with European licenses, as they can now complete their simulator training in Kazakhstan. Previously, they had to go abroad. For the time being, this only applies to Airbus A320 pilots, as Boeing 767 training continues to be carried out outside Kazakhstan. The Embraer 190-E2 aircraft type is a discontinued model at Air Astana anyway, which is why they are no longer purchasing their own simulator for it. In 2019, Air Astana brought together the previously separate training and further education opportunities under the internal umbrella brand "Air Astana Academy". This has locations in Almaty and Astana. A full-flight simulator is currently only available in Astana. In Almaty there are other training opportunities for pilots and flight attendants, including "normal" simulators. B767 crews train in Frankfurt, A320 crews in Kazakhstan The training for the flying personnel who work on the A320 series is carried out entirely in-house. Those who work on the long-haul Boeing 767 model use the opportunities at Lufthansa Flight Training in Frankfurt am Main. This will also change in the future, because as the Boeing 787-9 is introduced into the fleet, Air Astana will also upgrade its crew training accordingly.

Continue reading "

Almaty Airport: Portrait of Kazakhstan's most important hub

Jan Gruber 3 November 2024 04:36

Almaty International Airport (IATA: ALA), located approximately 15 kilometers northeast of Almaty city center, is Kazakhstan's main air hub and plays a central role in international and regional air traffic in Central Asia. The airport, which has grown in importance in recent years due to its strategic location and extensive modernization, is considered a crucial location for business and leisure traffic between Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The city of Almaty, formerly the capital and still the economic and cultural center of Kazakhstan, benefits considerably from the expanded transport connections and increased capacity of the airport. A growing hub in Central Asia Almaty International receives around six million passengers annually, making it Kazakhstan's busiest airport. The airport offers connections to numerous international destinations, including major cities in Russia, China, Turkey and Europe. Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines and Lufthansa are some of the international airlines that regularly fly to Almaty. In addition, the airport plays a central role for the national airline Air Astana, which operates one of its main hubs here and serves many of the international routes. Historical development and modernization Originally established as a small, military-used aviation center, the airport quickly developed into an international airport with Kazakhstan's independence in 1991. In view of growing passenger numbers, the airport has been extensively modernized in recent years. In 2020, ADP and TAV Airports Holding from Turkey, in cooperation with the Kazakh company Kazakhstan Infrastructure Fund, acquired the airport and invested significantly in its infrastructure. These investments aim to increase the airport's capacity,

Continue reading "

Navigation

Visit us on

Facebook f X-twitter Instagram LinkedIn Youtube Telegram rss Threads, Google Hm-mail-open Wordpress
login logo

Aviation.Direct is published with love in and