Aerospace Diary

by  Neelam Mathews  -  July 28, 2015, 9:00 AM Pix-Neelam Mathews The United Nations World Tourism Organization ( UNWTO ) plans a so-called aviation Silk Road initiative for the integration of Central Asia and surrounding regions into a cohesive trading belt. The aviation route at first will include northern, northwest and central China, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, eastern parts of Turkey, southwest Russia, Armenia and Georgia. The Silk Road or Silk Route–an ancient network of trade routes that connected the West and East by merchants and pilgrims from China and India to the Mediterranean Sea—inspired the name of the initiative to promote open skies in the region. “ Embracing open skies is vital for the region if the concept has to be successful,” said Alla Peressolova, head of the Silk Road program of the  UNWTO . “Building a coh...

Neelam Mathews April 2, 2015 Pegasus Asia, born out of Turkey’s Pegasus Airlines’ partnership with Kyrgyz airline Air Manas, is expanding with new routes and increased frequencies. The latest feather in the Bishkek-based airline now includes twice-weekly scheduled flights to Delhi. Kazakhsthan based Air Astana already runs five services a week to Delhi. The aim of Pegasus Asia is to make Bishkek a hub for Central Asia said a spokesperson, by making it a transit point for onward travel to Europe, the Middle East, Russia and the Far East. Having launched the first Bishkek-Istanbul flights on March 21, it runs daily flights between Bishkek Manas International Airport and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport. Passengers can now connect from Delhi to Istanbul via Bishkek with fares starting at just £156, said the spokesperson. The carrier’s connections to Central Asian destinations will provide a respite to Indian students and businessmen heading to Osh in Kyrgyzstan...