Category: Aviation

Leading international online travel services provider Trip.com has announced a strategic partnership with AirAsia.com, counted as ASEAN region’s fastest growing travel and lifestyle e-commerce platform.  The strategic partnership will see Trip.com Group and AirAsia.com collaborate on a range of popular products and services available on both digital platforms, including cooperation in the areas of transit information for connecting flights, membership benefits and product marketing, to deliver an enhanced and streamlined experience for travellers. The cooperation is expected to generate synergies for both digital platforms, and is a joint initiative to spur greater demand for international travel by providing travellers with an ... Read more

Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy in the United States as the global airline industry reels from the coronavirus pandemic. The company, which is based in the United Kingdom, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York on Tuesday, CNN has reported. Virgin Atlantic hasn’t been immune from the airline industry’s pandemic problems. In July, the company received a £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) rescue deal to keep the airline solvent just days before it was due to resume passenger flights. The carrier said that the recapitalization plan would be deployed over 18 months and has the support of shareholders, new investors ... Read more

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the UAE, has launched an innovative new protective wear for First and Business class guests. As part of its new health and hygiene programme, Etihad Wellness, premium passengers will receive a snood style face mask for use throughout their journey and beyond. The soft reusable snood has been treated with MicrobeBARRIER™ fabric treatment, a broad spectrum antimicrobial treatment, laboratory tested and proven to reduce the presence of germs in fabrics. With this long-lasting protective layer, the snoods are washable and reusable, making them environmentally friendly. Travellers can choose to wear the snood around their ... Read more

SpiceJet has secured slots at Heathrow Airport in London to operate flights effective September 1. This is presently under the air bubble arrangement between India and UK and effective up to the end of summer schedule i.e. October 23. A slot allows an airline to land and depart at a particular airport, at a designated time. SpiceJet is the first low-cost airline from India to get this facility in Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world. This follows the low-cost airline getting the rights to operate flights to the UK. In a statement in July, SpiceJet had said, ... Read more

India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued fresh guidelines for international arrivals. These guidelines will be operational from 00.01 hours, 8th August 2020) Before Planning for Travel: i. All travellers should submit self-declaration form on the online portal (www.newdelhiairport.in) at least 72 hours before the scheduled travel. ii. They should also give an undertaking on the portal that they would undergo mandatory quarantine for 14 days i.e. 7 days paid institutional quarantine at their own cost, followed by 7 days isolation at home with self-monitoring of health. iii. Only for compelling reasons/ cases of human distress such as ... Read more

Kenya Airways resumed international flights on Saturday, heading to about 30 destinations for the first time since the routes were suspended in March due to the coronavirus, Reuters has reported. The carrier, in which Air France KLM holds a small stake, resumed domestic flights in mid-July after the government cleared local air travel. “We announced we are starting with 27 destinations, we increased it to 30 just following demand,” Allan Kilavuka, the airline’s chief executive officer, said during a ceremony ahead of seeing off a flight to London. He said for the rest of the year the airline expected demand ... Read more

Ryanair has initiated legal proceedings against Ireland, questioning the legality of travel restrictions that have kept a quarantine policy in place for all but 15 countries. The Irish carrier, Europe’s largest budget airline, said it is challenging what it described as the Irish government’s “ineffective” green list of countries, for which a 14-day quarantine requirement does not apply, Reuters reports. Ireland has taken a more cautious approach to reopening its economy and skies than many European countries. The green list, announced on July 22, contained some popular destinations Ryanair flies to, such as Italy and Greece, but not others including ... Read more

Travellers arriving at airports in the UAE could be among the first passengers in the world to undergo Covid-19 detection by police dogs. K9 sniffer dogs have been stationed at airports across the country to help detect traces of the coronavirus from passenger samples, according to a report by The National. Specially trained dogs at Dubai International Airport are working to track possible infections using swabs gathered from arriving passengers. “An area was dedicated to detect Covid-19 using K9 police dogs at Dubai International Airport,” said Major Salah Al Mazrooei from Dubai Police. “Samples are taken in collaboration with partners ... Read more

Europe’s airline and airport associations have written to Prime Ministers, Transport, Health and Home Affairs Ministers across the European Union, Schengen and the UK, stating their concerns over their failure to implement coherent and scientific approaches to travel restrictions. The letter, sent jointly from Airports Council International Europe (ACI Europe), Airlines for Europe (A4E) and the International Air Transport Association (IATA), is highly critical of the introduction of new restrictions relating to selected countries. Many of these restrictions, state the organisations, are inconsistent with the principles laid out by the World Health Organization(WHO) and theEuropean Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). The aviation sector has been dealt a ... Read more

Air India has announced 12 additional flights from August 18-30 to Canada and Vancouver from Delhi under the 5th phase of the Vande Bharat Mission. Bookings for the flights are now open on the airline’s official website or booking offices. As India is set to begin the fifth phase, more bilateral air bubbles are expected to be announced with more countries. The fourth phase of the Vande Bharat Mission brought back as much as 2.5 lakh Indians from 53 countries around the world. Under phase 4, a total of 1,197 flights have been scheduled so far, including 945 international flights ... Read more

Kuwait’s international airport will resume commercial flights to 20 countries from August 1. The resumption will be carried out in a three-stage re-opening, five months after it suspended operations due to the coronavirus pandemic. Flights will initially cover eight countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Lebanon; six in Europe, including the UK, Germany and Switzerland; five in Asia, including Sri Lanka, Pakistan, India and the Philippines; and to Ethiopia as the lone African destination, Kuwait’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement. The government’s three-stage re-opening took into account the importance of ... Read more

India’s aviation regulator DGCA on Friday extended the suspension of scheduled international flights to and from the country till August 31. However, this restriction will not apply to international cargo operations and flights specifically approved by the DGCA. “The government has decided to extend the suspension on the scheduled international commercial passenger services to/ from India up to 2359 hours IST of 31st August,” the DGCA said in a statement.  DGCA, on July 3 had extended the ban on international flights until July 31 after it was suspended till July 15. According to senior government officials, the ban was extended ... Read more

Delta is continuing to make it easier for customers to book, change or cancel their travel plans, and to fly comfortably with more space for safer travel. Effective July 30: We’re extending our change-fee waiver to new flights purchased through August 31. We’re offering the ability to rebook travel for up to two years for customers who purchased flights prior to April 17, 2020, that are pending travel through the end of year. We’re implementing automatic seat blocks through at least September 30, which will automatically block seats adjacent to those selected by a customer once a reservation is complete ... Read more

Flight bookings from India to Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah will resume from today, Air India has announced. The airline has opened bookings for India-UAE flights on the departure leg of the repatriation flights under the Vande Bharat Mission. The bookings will be open till August 15. Bookings are however open for residence visa holders with ICA or GDRFA approval and a valid Covid-19 PCR test report in the printed form, from a government-approved laboratory. The airline has notified passengers not to travel with expired ICA or GDRFA approvals. Only resident permit passengers with stamped passport copy can book tickets ... Read more

Flagging off the first helicopter service by Pawan Hans in Uttarakhand under the UDAN-RCS scheme, Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the launch of the heli-service will support tourism in the region. Commencement of the new heli services will enhance the aerial connectivity between hilly regions in Uttarakhand and bring down the average travel time to 20-25 minutes. This will also assist the Char Dham Yatra pilgrims. Char Dham is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India comprising Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram. Pawan Hans Ltd will operate thrice-weekly helicopter services on this route. Viability Gap Funding (VGF) is ... Read more