Perth Airport Working With Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders
Posted July 14, 2009 , add a commentPerth Airport this week hosted an historic
partnership agreement signing ceremony with the Traditional Owners of the land on which Perth Airport is located.
The ceremony, officiated by Hon. Dr Kim Hames
MLA, Western Australia’s Deputy Premier; Minister for Health &
Minister for Indigenous Affairs included a Welcome to Country by a
local elder, along with traditional dancers and a didgeridoo
player.
The agreement brings Perth Airport together with
the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders.
Under the agreement, the Traditional Owners and Aboriginal Elders commit to active engagement and participation
in Perth Airport’s decision making and will provide land
management expertise to assist in land management activities.
Local Noongar experts will also assist with cultural education.
A steering committee, on which Noongar representatives will sit,
will be established and will be responsible for directing the
use of grants and sponsorships provided by Perth Airport to
benefit the local Aboriginal community.
An annual schedule of
events to celebrate and enhance awareness of Aboriginal
heritage and culture at Perth Airport will also be developed and
will include tertiary scholarships to the value of A$5,000 per
year for three years along with an investment of A$20,000 to
sponsor projects to benefit the local community.
Perth Airport
CEO Brad Geatches said. “Perth Airport and the Aboriginal
Elders have made significant contributions to working forums,
which has lead to an agreement which has been built upon trust
and closely reflects Perth Airport’s corporate objectives and
values. The signing of this document is not a culmination of
this work, but rather the start of a new chapter that I’m sure all
those involved are proud of.”
The Minister for Indigenous
Affairs echoed Mr Geatches comments, “This commitment represents
the best of reconciliation initiatives and is an action of
respect and of desire to pursue a shared path.”
Throughout NAIDOC Week 2009, Perth Airport
is also handing out commemorative postcards to arriving
international passengers which explain the importance of the Perth
Airport land to the local Aboriginal people.
The Noongar
people are the traditional owners of the land where Perth Airport
is situated. Prior to European settlement the land at Perth
Airport was an important place in the lives of the Noongar
people. According to local elders, the proximity to the Swan River
and the system of wetlands around the Munday Swamp provided
important sources of food. The area is acknowledged as an
important meeting place and continues to have spiritual and
archaeological significance.
Perth Airport has set aside more
than 300 hectares of airport land for preservation and
conservation. This area includes a number of important
Aboriginal sites, including Munday Swamp.
Etihad Airways and American Airlines sign Codeshare Agreement
Posted , add a commentEtihad Airways and American Airlines are hoping
to receive regulatory approval from the US government for a
proposed new codeshare agreement.
The codeshare agreement will further extend the
two airlines’ global networks by providing access between Abu
Dhabi and key cities in the United States including Washington,
Los Angeles, San Francisco and Houston which have previously been
unavailable to Etihad customers.
Etihad Airways
will place its ‘EY’ code on a number of transatlantic services
operated by the US carrier between Europe and the United States,
as well as selected domestic services operated by American
Airlines beyond New York and Chicago.
In turn
American Airlines will place its own ‘AA’ code on services
operated by Etihad Airways between Abu Dhabi and New York (JFK),
Chicago (ORD), Paris (CDG), Dublin, Frankfurt, Manchester and
Milan (MXP).
James Hogan, Etihad Airways’ Chief
Executive, said, “The United States represents a key market for
Etihad and one in which we are keen to grow further, both through
the addition of new routes of our own, such as Chicago, and
through close cooperation with other well-established airlines
such as American Airlines.”
The American Airlines domestic routes within the US
covered by the new codeshare arrangement will initially include
flights between New York (JFK) and Washington, Los Angeles and San
Francisco as well as flights between Chicago and Washington, Los
Angeles, San Francisco and Houston.
The
transatlantic services include American Airlines flights between:
Paris (CDG) and Boston, Chicago, Miami; Dublin and Chicago;
Frankfurt and Dallas/Fort Worth; Manchester and Chicago; and Milan
and New York (JFK).
Subject to gaining US
government regulatory approval, the new codeshare agreement is
expected to come into effect to coincide with the launch by Etihad
of its new service to Chicago at the beginning of September, 2009.
Once the codeshare agreement is in place, customers
transferring between the two carriers will be able to purchase a
single ticket for their journey and enjoy the convenience of being
able to check in their luggage to their ultimate destination.
Etihad Airways currently flies to two destinations in
North America: New York (JFK) and Toronto in Canada. The airline
will begin flights to Chicago from Wednesday 2 September, 2009.
The route will be served initially three times a week and will
increase to daily flights from Thursday 1 October, 2009.
American Airlines currently flies transatlantic services
from New York to Barcelona, Brussels, Milan, London, Paris, Rome
and Zurich; Chicago to Brussels, Dublin, Frankfurt, London,
Manchester, Moscow, New Delhi, Paris and Rome; Miami to London,
Madrid and Paris; Dallas/Fort Worth to London, Madrid, Paris and
Frankfurt; Los Angeles to London; and Raleigh/Durham to London.
MSC Cruises’ New Flagship - Splendida - to be Christened on Sunday
Posted , add a commentMSC Cruises’ impressive new flagship MSC
Splendida will be christened in suitably splendid style by screen
legend Sophia Loren on Sunday 12 July 2009, in Barcelona (Spain).
The arrival of MSC Splendida brings the number of
ships in the MSC Cruises fleet to ten. She and sister ship MSC
Fantasia, launched in Naples last December, are the largest ships
ever built by a European ship owner. Each capable of carrying
3,959 passengers, these “floating cities” are 333m long, 66.8m
tall and weigh 137,936 metric tons.
Featuring a
performance by Flamenco dance troupe Los Vivancos and a
spectacular display of Castells, the Catalan tradition of human
towers, the evening’s entertainment will also include a special
concert by world famous tenor Jos? Carreras. Performing in his
hometown, the Maestro will be accompanied by the 60 musicians of
the Orquestra Simf?nica del Vall?s.
Completing the
colourful ceremony will be a parade of the ships’ officers and, of
course, the traditional cutting of the ribbon by the godmother of
the MSC Cruises fleet, Sophia Loren.
Air France’s First A380 to Seat 538 in Three Class Layout
Posted , add a commentAir France’s first Airbus A380 this week moved a
step closer to delivery. The aircraft, which has just been
painted with the airline’s new livery in Hamburg, will start
operating a daily Paris-Charles de Gaulle - New York-JFK route in
November 2009.
Air France is the first European airline to
offer its customers the comfort of the Airbus A380 super jumbo, and the first
airline to offer transatlantic flights between Europe and America
on this new very wide-bodied aircraft.
On board Air France’s first A380, there will be three cabin
classes capable of seating a total of 538 passengers: 80 in the Affaires
cabin and 106 in Voyageur (economy) on the upper deck, 9 in the
Premi?re cabin and 343 in Voyageur on the main deck.
Equipped with four GP7200 engines specially
designed by Engine Alliance, the Air France A380 will carry passengers over a maximum distance of 13,000 kms.
“The A380, particularly well-suited to the
current economic context, will enable Air France to offer its
customers an even better quality of service whilst at the same
time limiting costs. This aircraft is also in line with Air
France’s aim to reduce its carbon emissions. We are looking
forward to welcoming the A380 into our fleet,” said Pierre-Henri Gourgeon, CEO of Air France.
Air France has 12 Airbus A380s on order, four of
which are scheduled to start operating in winter 2009 and spring 2010.
Depending on configuration, the A380 could, if
an airline desired, seat an absolute maximum of just over 800
passengers.
Rezidor to Enter Brazil with Hotel Missoni Ilha de Caja?ba
Posted , add a commentThe Rezidor Hotel Group has signed the fifth
Hotel Missoni in the world. The Hotel Missoni Ilha de Caja?ba,
Brazil, will feature 118 guest
rooms and suites and 32 villas. It is scheduled to open
in early 2012.
The first Hotel Missoni opened in
Edinburgh last month and further properties are scheduled to
open in Kuwait, Cape Town and Oman.
Hotel Missoni is developed in
co-operation with the iconic Italian fashion house
Missoni as a new and distinctively different kind of
lifestyle hotel.
“I’m delighted to add another unique Hotel Missoni to our
portfolio with the interior design once again being led by Rosita
Missoni herself,” said Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor.
“At the same time I’m proud to enter a new country – Brazil is the
59th nation where Rezidor is present and the first country outside
our core region Europe, Middle East and Africa.”
Hotel Missoni Ilha de Caja?ba will be part of a
luxurious, eco-friendly resort development on the island of
Caja?ba, within the Bahia de Todos os Santos (All Saints’ Bay).
It
is located 40 km from the international airport and the city of
Salvador, which has been Brazil’s first capital city and is today
the capital city of Bahia – a beautiful tropical region also know
as “Heart of Brazil”.
Besides 118
rooms including 48 suites, Hotel Missoni will offer two
restaurants including the signature Missoni Cucina and a Bar
Missoni too.
Additionally, 32 luxurious Missoni villas with golf
and sea views will be operated by the hotel.
Leisure facilities
will include a private beach and swimming pool.
Guests will also
have access to the island’s other facilities which will comprise a
signature golf course, five other luxury hotels, a conference
centre, sports centre, a marina, spas, retail shops, water sports
and yacht club, and a heliport.