HRG moves into Mauritius
IBL Travel has joined the HRG stable as its partner in Mauritius.
The new signing brings the number of HRG operations in Africa to 12.
IBL Travel, part of the IBL Group, was set up in1989.
Its clients include the CIEL Group, Maersk (Mauritius), the Palmar Group and the UN Development Programme.
David Radcliffe, HRG's ceo, said: "Local knowledge is crucial when delivering a worldwide service. The specialism and expertise that our new partner in Mauritius can provide is an added bonus for HRG's clients."
Arup looks to Heathrow-Paris rail link
Engineering consultants Arup is looking into the possibility of a high speed London Heathrow-Paris rail link.
Arup's scheme would see the existing line, used by Eurostar for its services to Paris and Brussels extended west to Paddington and then onto the airport.
From there it could be further extended to Birmingham and north west England.
The project, which has no government backing,
Mark Bostock, a consultant at Arup's, said: "There is total logic in seeing how Heathrow can be connected to the national and international rail network.
"This is fundamental to the sustainable development of the airport and would be a significant step in shifting passengers from road to rail.
"What this plan brings is connectivity - not only bringing the north and the Midlands on to the international high-speed rail network, but also bringing Heathrow within two and half hours of central Paris."
ITP signs up new partner
Another African partner has joined the International Travel Partnership (ITP), the global consortium of business travel management companies (TMCs).
The new addition is Passagegold Travel Agency based in Lagos, Nigeria.
It is the 15th new partner to join ITP this year, and the fourth, after Egypt, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, to join since July.
It brings the number of ITP partner countries to 28 and becomes the partnership's second TMC in Africa along with South Africa.
Josephine Anyanwu, managing director of Passagegold, founded the agency in 1996 after working 20 years with KLM – Royal Dutch Airlines.
Ian Epps, director of partnership relations with ITP, said: "Passagegold has experience with multinational corporate customers and we are very pleased that it has decided to join the ITP Network.
"Nigeria is a constantly growing market and it is important for our network partners and customers that we have a strong and experienced partner there."
MPI sets up in South Africa
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) has teamed up with the South African Association for the Conference Industry (SAACI) to form the MPI Southern African Chapter. It is MPI's first move into the African continent.
Bruce MacMillan, MPI's president and ceo, said: "Through our alliance we not only wish to help elevate the South African industry's access to knowledge and best practices but also to connect our 23,000 community members to the remarkable experiences that make South Africa a unique global meeting and event destination."
Alitalia wants bids in this week
Troubled Italian carrier Alitalia has set a deadline of December 6 for non-binding offers. The short list of potential bidders include Air France-KLM, Lufthansa and Air One.
A third potential buyer, Russian carrier Aeroflot pulled out.
Alitalia also said its net debt at the end of October was €1,182m which was a slight deterioration on its position at the end of September when it was €1,171m in the red.
Etihad targets marine market
Etihad Airways said it had teamed up with marine specialists International Airline Services to target global marine market.
The national carrier of the United Arab Emirates said the partnership aimed to offer tailor-made services for this specialist market, including a "one-stop-shop" for companies and their TMCs.
Adrian Parkes, Etihad's vp sales, said: "The marine market is a global and expanding market which Etihad believes it is well positioned to tap into.
"We have gone to great lengths to understand the unique needs of this highly specialist market segment and, by linking up with IAS, we believe we have developed an unbeatable product which will prove extremely popular with marine workers."
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