AER LINGUS TALKS ON DUBAI VISA PROBLEM - The Irish Times says the first non-US long haul route operated by Aer Lingus has run into problems over the availability of visas for travellers flying from Dubai to Ireland.
The paper says the route, which was expected to carry 70,000 passengers in the first year, is heavily dependent on traffic into Ireland from Dubai and the surrounding region.
Because Dubai in the United Arab Emirates is outside the EU, travellers are required to have a visa. However the nearest Irish embassy capable of issuing them is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, some 866 kilometres away. Irish diplomatic representation for the United Arab Emirates is handled by the embassy in Saudi Arabia.
The Irish Times says that while Aer Lingus reports a large volume of queries about the route, travellers are reluctant to send passports and visa applications to another country. But the Government is adamant that standard visa and vetting procedures be followed. The paper quotes a spokesman for the airline as saying talks were 'ongoing' between Aer Lingus and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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LUFTHANSA LOOKS AT MORE IRISH ROUTES - The Irish Independent reports that Lufthansa, which carried 178,000 passengers on its Dublin-Frankfurt route last year, is planning to expand its Irish service significantly.
The paper says the airline expects to add a new service to Munich, possibly as early as this summer, and is considering adding a new route to Hamburg. Lufthansa, which carried 51.3 million passengers last year and made an operating profit of €550m, is one of the most successful airlines in the world. It employs over 1,800 people in Ireland, mostly in areas unrelated to its Dublin route.
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€18m FOR SPANISH HOTSPOT FIRM - The Financial Times says Google, internet phone company Skype and leading venture capitalists have invested in a new user-run network of wi-fi hotspots, which they hope will become the biggest in the world by the end of the year.
Google, Skype, Index Ventures and Sequoia Capital are to announce €18m in first-round funding for Madrid-based Fon to build on its growing global band of 'foneros'.
Foneros are users of the service and known as either 'Bill', 'Linus' or 'Alien'. Bill members - after Bill Gates - download secure software from Fon that turns their home wi-fi network into a hotspot anyone within its range can use to connect to the internet for a fee.
Linus members - after Linus Torvalds, creator of the free Linux software - allow their hotspots and bandwidth to be shared for free and can use any other members’ without charge. Aliens pay to connect to the Fon network and do not share their own networks. Fon and Bills will share the revenues earned from Aliens and other Bills.
The service went live in November and has registered 3,000 users in 53 countries in two months.
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ROW OVER HEATHROW FUEL 'RATIONS' - The Guardian reports that international airlines are preparing for a showdown with BAA over 'discrimination' in the way fuel is being rationed at Heathrow airport, where a shortage has caused disruption since the December explosion at Buncefield oil depot.
The paper says American Airlines has introduced a £3 levy on every ticket for its 16 daily flights in and out of Heathrow to make up for costs of $20,000 a day which it says it is incurring as a result of the shortage.
The Guardian says foreign airlines are furious that BAA is allowing British aircraft to fill up with more fuel at Heathrow than it will provide for visiting carriers. The explosion at Buncefield, Hertfordshire, was the biggest industrial fire in peacetime Europe. The depot was one of four sources for fuel at Heathrow, with a pipeline providing seven million litres a day - about 35% of the airport's overall supply.
