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Amadeus Agrees to Buy Accentures Million830 Navitaire for $

Amadeus IT Holding SA agreed to buy Accenture Plcs Navitaire for $830 million as the flight-bookings provider

seeks to add products that target low-cost airlines. The deal will be completed by the end of 2015 and as

many as 550 Navitaire employees will be transfered to

Amadeus, according to a statement. Amadeus said its

own offerings largely target full-service carriers and that

it intends to market and sell the two product portfolios

separately and will continue to invest in both platforms. This transaction will give us the ability to serve all airlines with technology that can enable them to drive

new revenues and contain their costs, Amadeus Chief Executive Officer and President Luis Maroto, said in the

statement. Amadeuss main business is under pressure after Deutsche Lufthansa AG last month said it will impose a

16-euro ($17.71) charge on external reservations.

Lufthansas levy means that travel bookers like Amadeus would either pass on the charge or absorb the cost,

which would reduce profit margins. Accenture will also provide Amadeus with infrastructure

outsourcing as well as research and development

services, according to the statement.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-07-

02/amadeus-agrees-to-buy-accenture-s-navitaire-for-

830-million

12 Qatar Airways increases frequency to Destinations

(MENAFN - Gulf Times) Qatar Airways has announced

network frequency increases to multiple destinations

across its global network. The national airline is adding frequencies to Dubai (the

UAE), Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), Peshawar (Pakistan), Kuala

Lumpur (Malaysia), Belgrade (Serbia), Sofia (Bulgaria),

Asmara (Eritrea), Djibouti (Djibouti), Najaf (Iraq), Luxor

(Egypt), Salalah (Oman) and Zanzibar (Tanzania). The increases in frequency will provide business and

leisure travellers to and from these destinations with "more

flexibility and greater choice" to connect onto Qatar

Airways' global network covering Europe, the Middle East,

Africa, Asia Pacific, North America and South America,

according to a statement. From July 16, Qatar Airways will increase its frequency on

the Doha-Dubai route with one additional daily flight, taking

its capacity up to 15 services a day to Dubai International

Airport (DXB), which also takes the total frequency to DXB

and DWC to 19 flights a day. Dubai has the highest

frequency in the airline's route network and the popular Gulf

destination is currently served 126 times a week.

http://menafn.com/1094267736/Qatar-Airways-

increases-frequency-to-12-destinations

Flights to destinations in the Middle East have also increased with an additional daily

flight during Ramadan to Jeddah. From June 18, services to Jeddah have risen from

double-daily to triple-daily flights. The third daily flight to Jeddah is being operated with an all-premium first class service.

The Airbus A319 aircraft is fitted with an all-first class, single-aisle, 2-2 seating

configuration with 40 seats. Qatar Airways will also strengthen its commitment to Pakistan, the statement notes. After

the recent announcement to launch flights to three new destinations (Sialkot, Faisalabad

and Multan), the airline is expanding further in Pakistan with Peshawar moving from

three weekly flights to daily flights effective from October 1. Kuala Lumpur, which is currently served 21 times a week, will have three additional

flights from tomorrow until August 29, helping supplement busy travel demands during

the summer season. The Sofia-Belgrade linked route, which is currently served with five flights a week, will

see an increase to daily flights when it adds two more flights from tomorrow. Starting today, Qatar Airways will initially operate five weekly flights to Zanzibar via

Kilimanjaro, and commencing October 1, the airline will offer an additional two weekly

flights - making it a daily operation to Zanzibar. Out of the daily flights from October,

passengers will be able to fly non-stop to Zanzibar three times a week and on a linked

flight via Kilimanjaro four times a week. Expansion in Africa includes one additional weekly flight to both Asmara and Djibouti

from today and July 3, respectively. Service to Luxor will increase with one more weekly

flight effective from November 1 to March 20, 2016. Najaf will be operated with two additional weekly flights from July 15, taking its frequency

to 10 weekly flights. From September 18, four additional weekly flights will be launched

to Najaf, making it a double-daily operation. In addition, Qatar Airways will operate three more weekly flights to Salalah from October

6.

Highlights of the frequency upgrades Dubai (DXB & DWC): To increase from 126 flights a week to

133 (19 daily flights), from July 16 Jeddah: 14 flights a week to 21, from June 18

Peshawar: Three flights a week to daily, from October 1

Kuala Lumpur: 21 flights a week to 24, from tomorrow until

August 29 Sofia-Belgrade: Five flights a week to daily, from tomorrow

Zanzibar: Five flights a week to daily, from October 1

Asmara: Three flights a week to four, from today

Djibouti: Three flights a week to four, from July 3

Luxor: Four flights a week to five, from November 1 until

March 20, 2016 Najaf: Eight flights a week to 10 from July 15, and from 10

flights a week to double-daily from September 18 Salalah: Eight flights a week to 11, from October 6

Ethiopian Airlines touches down at Cape Town International Airlines, the largest airline in Africa, touched down at Cape Town

International Airport for its inaugural flight to the city on Tuesday

night. The Ethiopia-Cape Town schedule will operate six times a week.

With this new route, the airline will also operate a direct flight to

Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, three times a week. Ethiopian Airlines is one of the fastest-growing and most

profitable airlines in Africa. Last year, the International Air

Transport Association, a trade association representing the

airline industry worldwide, ranked Ethiopian Airlines as the

largest airline in Africa in terms of revenue and profit. Western Cape economic opportunities MEC Alan Winde said on

Wednesday that the decision by Ethiopian Airlines to introduce

direct flights to Cape Town showed the airline had confidence in

the city as a world-class business and leisure destination. "Improved air access is linked to increased jobs and growth in

our tourism and conferencing industry. That is why we have

developed an air access strategy which outlines the benefits of

further direct routes between Cape Town and strategic

destinations. New routes into Africa are a focus of our air access

strategy," Mr Winde said. The Western Capes department of economic development and tourism has developed an air access strategy in partnership with

Wesgro, the City of Cape Town and Airports Company SA.

Wesgro is the provinces official trade and investment promotion agency. The goal of the strategy is to create direct links between

the Western Cape and other parts of the world, which is expected

to have a positive effect on tourist arrivals. Wesgro CEO Tim Harris welcomed the new route. He said the

Cape Town city region had the potential to become an economic

hub for Africa, but this required building much better

connectivity with the rest of the continent.

http://www.bdlive.co.za/business/transport/2015/07/01/

ethiopian-airlines-touches-down-at-cape-town-

international

United Airlines buys stake in biofuels Company

today signaled its belief that biofuels will be a United Airlines

major factor in the future of the airline industry. The Chicago-

based airline said it has made a $30 million equity investment

Fulcrum based alternative fuels developer -in United States

, a company that converts municipal solid waste BioEnergy

into low-cast aviation biofuel. United said its investment marks the single largest by a U.S.-

based airline in alternative fuels. Additionally, United and Fulcrum have agreed to consider

developing up to five projects located near United hub airports

that could potentially produce up to 180 million gallons of fuel

per year. , United's general counsel: "We know Brett HartNoted

alternative fuels is an emerging industry that is vital to the

future of aviation, and this is just one of our initiatives to help

make those fuels salable and scalable. It's a smart move for

our company as biofuels have the potential to hedge against

future oil price volatility and carbon regulations." United (NYSE: UAL) has a long-term agreement with Fulcrum

that will allow the carrier to purchase at least 90 million

gallons of sustainable aviation fuel a year subject to availability for a minimum of 10 years at a cost that is competitive with conventional jet full. Fulcrum's technology converts household trash into

renewable jet fuel. Fulcrum's renewable jet fuel is expected to

provide a greater than 80 percent reduction in carbon

emissions when compared to conventional jet fuel. Fulcrum expects its first alternative fuels plant to begin

commercial operation in 2017.

http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2015/06/30/un

ited-airlines-buys-stake-in-biofuels-company.html

Update: airport strike called off A STRIKE by air traffic controllers has been confirmed for tomorrow and

Friday after negotiations broke down. The civil aviation authority, DGAC, is expected shortly to make an

announcement asking airlines to preventively reduce their flights during the last strikes, in April 40% of flights were cut.

If you are concerned, your ticket should be refunded, however extra

compensation will probably not be available as strikes are considered

extraordinary circumstances beyond the airlines control. The strikes are going ahead just as the first families are heading for July

holidays and Transport Minister Alain Vidalies said there will be serious consequences on air transport, both national and European.

It will cause major problems to passengers in this period of holiday departures, he told journalists.

The government says talks broke down after 25 hours of discussions, notably

over the amount of a bonus to be paid related to trials of a new organisation

plan for the controllers work. An offer of 2,500 per worker was considered insufficient by the unions. The strikes are over working conditions and pay.

Union meetings are being held today and the strikers say there is a strong likelihood that a further strike will be held.

If your flight is cancelled, apart from a refund, your rights under EU law

include alternative transport to your destination at the earliest opportunity or

rebooking at a later date of your choice, subject to seat availability.

http://connexionfrance.com/flights-air-traffic-strike-cancellation-

Vidalies-17077-view-article.html

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