A gold pocket watch recovered from the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic fetched a staggering £1.2 million ($1.46&nbsp;million), setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia sales.

The watch, once owned by businessman John Jacob Astor who died&nbsp;with the ship in 1912 at 47, was acquired by a private collector in the US at Henry Aldridge &amp; Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, during an auction on Saturday.

This breaks the previous record of £1.1 million&nbsp;paid for a violin played during the Titanic's sinking, also sold by the same auction house in 2013.

A representative for the auction house mentioned that the £1.2 million ($1.46&nbsp;million)&nbsp;price tag for the pocket watch covered all fees and taxes borne by the purchaser.

Similarly, the case for the violin was also sold at the same auction for £360,000, inclusive of fees and taxes.

Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge expressed to the PA news agency that the prices achieved for the Titanic memorabilia during the sale were&nbsp;“absolutely incredible”.

He said: “They reflect not only the importance of the artefacts themselves and their rarity but they also show the enduring appeal and fascination with the Titanic story.

“112 years later, we are still talking about the ship and the passengers and the crew. The thing with the Titanic story, it’s effectively a large ship hits an iceberg with a tragic loss of life, but more importantly is 2,200 stories," he added.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/titanic-floating-door-prop-sold-for-staggering-718750-at-auction-704578">Also read |&nbsp;‘Titanic’ floating door prop sold for staggering $718,750 at auction</a>

Rather than trying to get on another lifeboat, John Jacob Astor, who was from a wealthy family, was last seen chatting and smoking. A week later, his body was found in the ocean, along with his fancy gold pocket watch.

Aldridge said: “Astor is well known as the richest passenger [on] board the RMS Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87m – equivalent to several billion dollars today.

“At 11.40pm on 14 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and started to take on water," he said.

“At first, Astor did not believe the ship was in any serious danger, but later it was apparent she was sinking and the captain had started an evacuation after midnight, so he helped his wife into lifeboat 4,” he added.&nbsp;

Madeleine Astor lived through the disaster, and her husband's body was found close to where the Titanic sank on April 22nd.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/dinner-menu-for-first-class-passengers-onboard-titanic-sold-for-103000-658185">Also read |&nbsp;Dinner menu for first-class passengers onboard Titanic auctioned for $103,000</a>

Vincent Astor, John Jacob Astor's son, passed the watch to William Dobbyn, the son of his father's executive secretary.

Also watch |&nbsp;Titanic: Kate Winslet's iconic coat made of pink wool up for auction

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/titanic-kate-winslets-iconic-coat-made-of-pink-wool-up-for-auction-wion-newspoint-625262/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

(With inputs from agencies)

A gold pocket watch recovered from the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic fetched a staggering £1.2 million ($1.46 million), setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia sales.

A gold pocket watch recovered from the wealthiest passenger aboard the Titanic fetched a staggering £1.2 million ($1.46 million), setting a new record for Titanic memorabilia sales. The watch, once owned by businessman John Jacob Astor who died with the ship in 1912 at 47, was acquired by a private collector in the US at Henry Aldridge & Son in Devizes, Wiltshire, during an auction on Saturday. This breaks the previous record of £1.1 million paid for a violin played during the Titanic's sinking, also sold by the same auction house in 2013. A representative for the auction house mentioned that the £1.2 million ($1.46 million) price tag for the pocket watch covered all fees and taxes borne by the purchaser. Similarly, the case for the violin was also sold at the same auction for £360,000, inclusive of fees and taxes. Auctioneer Andrew Aldridge expressed to the PA news agency that the prices achieved for the Titanic memorabilia during the sale were “absolutely incredible”. He said: “They reflect not only the importance of the artefacts themselves and their rarity but they also show the enduring appeal and fascination with the Titanic story. “112 years later, we are still talking about the ship and the passengers and the crew. The thing with the Titanic story, it’s effectively a large ship hits an iceberg with a tragic loss of life, but more importantly is 2,200 stories," he added. Also read | ‘Titanic’ floating door prop sold for staggering $718,750 at auction Rather than trying to get on another lifeboat, John Jacob Astor, who was from a wealthy family, was last seen chatting and smoking. A week later, his body was found in the ocean, along with his fancy gold pocket watch. Aldridge said: “Astor is well known as the richest passenger [on] board the RMS Titanic and was thought to be among the richest people in the world at that time, with a net worth of roughly $87m – equivalent to several billion dollars today. “At 11.40pm on 14 April 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg and started to take on water," he said. “At first, Astor did not believe the ship was in any serious danger, but later it was apparent she was sinking and the captain had started an evacuation after midnight, so he helped his wife into lifeboat 4,” he added. Madeleine Astor lived through the disaster, and her husband's body was found close to where the Titanic sank on April 22nd. Also read | Dinner menu for first-class passengers onboard Titanic auctioned for $103,000 Vincent Astor, John Jacob Astor's son, passed the watch to William Dobbyn, the son of his father's executive secretary. Also watch | Titanic: Kate Winslet's iconic coat made of pink wool up for auction (With inputs from agencies)

Titanic's wealthiest passenger's gold pocket watch sells for record $1.46mn

For the first time since its establishment, 92 flights were operated at Srinagar International Airport on Tuesday, the authorities said on Wednesday.

For the past two days, the tourist traffic in the airport has been witnessing an all-time high.

On Monday, 90 flights were operated at the Srinagar International Airport. The total number of passengers on that day was the highest ever with 15,014 passengers landing and departing from the airport. On Tuesday,&nbsp;13,538 passengers arrived and departed from the airport.&nbsp;

The buoyancy in the influx of tourists is noteworthy considering that&nbsp;the airport,&nbsp;by its design, can only handle less than 7,000 passengers per day.

Also, the month of March has seen the maximum number of tourists arrivals in Kashmir Valley, breaking a 10-year record.

The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department has been promoting Kashmir tourism across the country and has organised many spring festivals in the coming days.&nbsp;

“We have handled 45 arriving flights with 7,824 passengers and 45 departing flights with 7,190 passengers on March 28. A total of 90 flights with 15,014 passengers makes it the busiest day in our history. And this is only the beginning of the summer schedule,” said Director of Srinagar International Airport, Kuldeep Singh.&nbsp;

The Srinagar airport authority at present has nine parking slots and six more are being added. In total, 15 parking stands will be available for the planes.

For the first time since its establishment, 92 flights were operated at Srinagar International Airport on Tuesday, the authorities said on Wednesday. For the past two days, the tourist traffic in the airport has been witnessing an all-time high.

For the first time since its establishment, 92 flights were operated at Srinagar International Airport on Tuesday, the authorities said on Wednesday. For the past two days, the tourist traffic in the airport has been witnessing an all-time high. On Monday, 90 flights were operated at the Srinagar International Airport. The total number of passengers on that day was the highest ever with 15,014 passengers landing and departing from the airport. On Tuesday, 13,538 passengers arrived and departed from the airport. The buoyancy in the influx of tourists is noteworthy considering that the airport, by its design, can only handle less than 7,000 passengers per day. Also, the month of March has seen the maximum number of tourists arrivals in Kashmir Valley, breaking a 10-year record. The Jammu and Kashmir tourism department has been promoting Kashmir tourism across the country and has organised many spring festivals in the coming days. “We have handled 45 arriving flights with 7,824 passengers and 45 departing flights with 7,190 passengers on March 28. A total of 90 flights with 15,014 passengers makes it the busiest day in our history. And this is only the beginning of the summer schedule,” said Director of Srinagar International Airport, Kuldeep Singh. The Srinagar airport authority at present has nine parking slots and six more are being added. In total, 15 parking stands will be available for the planes.

Srinagar airport breaks all records, handles 92 flights in a day for the first time ever

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Titanic's wealthiest passenger's gold pocket watch sells for record $1.46mn

Srinagar airport breaks all records, handles 92 flights in a day for the first time ever