Peach Aviation will become the country’s first airline to allow customers to pay directly for tickets using bitcoin. Peach is seeking to ride the still surging tide of tourist arrivals from China and South Korea and play on a fascination with bitcoin in Japan that has given rise to a series of marketing gimmicks. The announcement follows changes to Japanese regulation earlier this year that legitimise the bitcoin crypto currency as a form of fund settlement and open the way to what the government hopes will be broader domestic investment in financial technology and innovation. The country’s formal recognition of bitcoin is also a necessary first step in efforts to control something it associates with money laundering and other crime, according to analysts of the bitcoin phenomenon. Peach’s embrace of bitcoin, announced on Monday, follows similar decisions elsewhere in the world. The crypto currency has been accepted for several years as payment at airBaltic, the Latvian low-cost carrier, and Lot, the Polish carrier. However, a number of plans by online retailers and travel agents to accept payments in the virtual currency have often stalled or failed altogether soon after being announced.<br/>
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State-owned Air Namibia has won approval to fly into the US and hopes to generate revenues through its codesharing agreements, the government-run daily New Era reported Monday. The newspaper quoted the loss-making carrier's acting managing director, Mandi Samson, saying the airline received its foreign air carrier permit in April. Until now, South African Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Egypt Air, Moroccan Royal Air Maroc and Cape Verde's TACV airline have been the only African airlines holding the right to fly passengers in and out of the United States, the paper said. Samson also said the national airline was awaiting government approvals for new routes within Africa, according to New Era. She gave no further details on the possible new routes and did not say when Air Namibia would introduce US flights. Finance Minister Calle Schlettwein has proposed Air Namibia terminate the loss-making Windhoek-Frankfurt route to save costs. Officials say the airline loses 30 million Namibian dollars ($2.27m) annually on the route. Other government officials have expressed concerns that scrapping its only international route would hurt tourism, Namibia's second biggest economic sector after mining.<br/>
Kenyan budget carrier Jambojet expects government approval this month to start flying to destinations outside the country, and will lease more planes to start the flights in the next two years, its CE said Monday. The airline, fully owned by national carrier Kenya Airways , was established in 2014 to cater to local travellers by offering low-cost fares of as little as 3,200 shillings ($30.99) one way. Jambojet, which carried 600,000 passengers last year using a fleet of Boeing 737s and Bombardier Q-400 planes, will consider possible international destinations after it gets approval, CEO Willem Hondius said. "We have a long list of routes we could operate," he said, adding they could operate flights jointly with Kenya Airways or target destinations that the parent airline does not serve. Jambojet offers no frills flights to popular destinations such as the coastal city of Mombasa. It charges for extras like drinks and food.<br/>
Air Busan has completed the construction of its new heaquarters, becoming the first South Korean low-cost carrier to have its own office structure. The Busan-based budget carrier, affiliated with Asiana Airlines, held a ceremony Monday, marking the completion of its headquarters comprised of nine-story and four-story buildings on a 3,394-square-meter site near Gimhae International Airport. The construction, which cost 50 billion won ($44m), began in August 2015. "Our headquarters marks Air Busan's remarkable success over the past decade," company CEO Han Tae-geun said. "We will leap forward for the next 10 years to become Asia's leading carrier." So far, the firm's 350 employees are scattered across the Busan metropolitan area. But they will move and all work together at the new building, a company official said.<br/>
Pakistani authorities found 20 kg of heroin on a Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight bound for London on Monday during a search at Islamabad airport, a spokesman for the national carrier said. Heroin has been found on PIA flights at least three times since August last year, including last week at London's Heathrow Airport. Airline spokesman Mashhood Tajwar said in a statement authorities had planned on Monday to search four aircraft. "From one of the aircraft destined for Islamabad-London PK785, 20 kg heroin was recovered," he said. After the search, the flight was cleared for takeoff and further investigations were going on, Tajwar said. "PIA has taken a stern action to keep its fleet free from any effort of smuggling narcotics or other contraband," he said.<br/>
Florida-based ultra-low-cost-carrier Spirit Airlines will begin nonstop service from Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) and Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Cancun International Airport beginning Nov. 9. Spirit VP-network planning Mark Kopczak said, “These new flights expand our presence in Cancun and bring our first international routes to Baltimore/Washington and Chicago.” Spirit currently operates daily service to Cancun from Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale and Houston. The addition of BWI and ORD brings Spirit’s nonstop service to Cancun to six flights daily.<br/>