Category: Round Up

Saudi Arabia has announced that domestic flights throughout the kingdom would resume from Sunday. As the COVID-19 crisis eases, the suspension of flights will be lifted in stages to include all domestic destinations within two weeks. The Saudi Arabian General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said, “We have completed operational preparations to gradually lift the suspension of domestic flights, in order to ensure a safe travel journey for travellers through Saudi airports while taking all necessary health measures.” The resumption of flights will take place in stages. The first stage includes 11 airports in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam, Medinah, Qassim, Abha, ... Read more

The Karnataka government on Thursday said it has asked for restrictions on the number of flights from five states, namely Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. There is no ban on flights from these states, the government clarified. In a press release late on Thursday evening, the government said, “The state government has requested the Civil Aviation Ministry to reduce the number of flights, emanating from Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan to Karnataka, in view of the high number of Covid-19 cases prevalent there.” The minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs, J C Madhuswamy, has ... Read more

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has joined the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in issuing a new joint statement on the need to ensure ‘key worker’ designations for the millions of skilled personnel now maintaining essential global air and sea trade capacities. “Our three organizations seek to ensure that seafarers, marine personnel, fishing vessel personnel, offshore energy sector personnel, aviation personnel, air cargo supply chain personnel, service provider personnel at airports and ports are designated as ‘key workers’, regardless of nationality, to exempt them from travel restrictions, to ensure their access to emergency medical treatment ... Read more

Representatives from the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) met Union Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel on Wednesday, to apprise him of the acute distress faced by the industry. The delegation urged the minister for financial support to tour operators so that they are not forced to close down their business, IATO said in a statement. The tour operators are not in a position to pay salaries to their staff since there is no business and they are under acute financial stress, it added. IATO has also asked for special collateral free and interest free long-term loans (5-10 years) to ... Read more

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has urged mall owners across the country to waive off rentals during the lock-down period and renegotiate commercial terms going forward. NRAI has written to mall owners to urgently resolve commercial concerns of food and beverage retailers, whose business has been hit very hard by the pandemic. “The mandated lock-down has forced us to shut shop and prevent the malls to allow entry to our guests, staff or suppliers. This is a clear case of force majeure and therefore all charges of rentals or common area maintenance for the duration of the lock-down ... Read more

Majority of air travellers are concerned about the environment on an airplane than in an airport, an informal survey has revealed. The survey conducted by aerospace technology firm Honeywell, involving more than 700 frequent business and personal air travel passengers, indicated the types of guidelines and health-related equipment passengers may be looking for while flying during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The anonymous online survey showed that a majority of travellers (72%) were more concerned with the environment on an airplane than in an airport (28%). Nearly 60% of respondents cited social distancing as their top priority during travel, while ... Read more

The Union Tourism Ministry has extended the validity of certification of hotels and the travel agents, tour operators, adventure tour operators, domestic tour operators and tourist transport operators till June 30. According to a note issued to this effect on Tuesday, the ministry said, “The decision was taken considering the current situation when the hospitality industry is going through a very difficult time in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown that has severely impacted the accommodation sector. Validity of approval or certifications of hotels and other accommodation units whose project approvals and classification have expired are deemed to ... Read more

Any comeback by the beleaguered airline industry will extend into 2023, according to new data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). IATA estimates that passenger traffic won’t rebound to pre-crisis levels until at least 2023. It expects that global passenger demand in 2021 will be 24% below 2019 levels and 32% lower than the forecast the association made in October 2019. The new data is based on a slower opening of economies and relaxation of travel restrictions. Lockdowns and shelter-in-place orders could return if the virus comes back strong in the fall and winter with a second wave, ... Read more

Embankments in the Sundarban delta — a UNESCO world heritage site — have been breached by the surge whipped up by cyclone Amphan which has inundated several kilometres of the islands. The sea-level rise in the delta, which is much higher than average global sea-level rise, will contribute to migration from the region. For around 40 lakh people of the Sundarbans, livelihoods like agriculture, fishing and wildlife tourism are the most predominant, apart from being migrant labourers. The Sunderbans is a mangrove area in the delta formed by the confluence of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers in the Bay ... Read more

The Kerala government has released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for domestic airline travel. The government has asked all the returnees to register themselves on the ‘COVID-19 Jagratha’ portal after obtaining a flight ticket to get a travel permit. The travel permit will then be issued along with a QR Code on the registered mobile number and email. The same will have to be presented to the airline staff before the boarding passes are given. If more than one passenger travel on a single ticket, details of all persons need to be entered by anyone in the group using ‘add ... Read more

Ever since the World Health organisation has declared COVID-19 as a pandemic, Kerala has been taking all measures to contain the outbreak through strict surveillance and infection control measures. In order to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID among the drivers and passengers the following advisory is issued: Drivers & crew The drivers and crew (conductors, cleaners and helpers) should wear three-layer masks at all times during travel and while in public places. Drivers and crew shall wash hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer frequently, especially before and after getting in and out of the vehicle. ... Read more

The American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) has announced a new collaboration with Google to expand the industry’s efforts to meet the continued demand from first responders and healthcare workers for accommodation in hotel rooms. This joint effort comes two months after the launch of American Hotel & Lodging Association’s (AHLA) ‘Hospitality for Hope’ an initiative designed to match emergency and healthcare workers who require temporary housing in hotels during this unprecedented health crisis. More than 17,000 properties across the country volunteered to serve their communities and participate in the programme. The initiative was designed to boost collaboration between the ... Read more

Indian skies opened up for domestic passenger services from today after a hiatus of two months due to coronavirus-induced lockdown across India. Indigo’s Delhi-Pune and Mumbai-Patna flights were among the first to take off. Most of the states in India have given a go ahead for flight services from Monday. The two distinct exceptions are Andhra Pradesh and West Bengal. Andhra Pradesh will resume flights from May 26 and West Bengal from May 28. Maharashtra had earlier said that it will allow only few flights each day from Mumbai airport. But on Sunday, the state said it will allow 25 ... Read more

US National Parks is in a structured reopening phase after the coronavirus outbreak shuttered the areas. Although wildlife was certainly enjoying the freedom to roam uninhibited, there is now a plan to restore visitor access. The US Travel Association said providing visitor access to these parks, was a welcome move. Association President and CEO Roger Dow said, “The phased reopening of national parks is a welcome sign that the country is taking further steps toward a reopening strategy that focuses on caution and safety, but begins to unshackle the devastated US travel economy. “Polling data shows that six in 10 ... Read more

India will try to restart a good number of international flights before August, civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri has said. “I can’t put a date on it (restarting international flights). But if somebody says can it be done by August or September, my response would be why not earlier, depending on the situation.” “I am fully hopeful that before August or September, we will try to start a good percentage of international civil aviation operations, if not complete international operations,” he said. “We must have a more ambitious goal. Why not start them by mid-June or June-end or in ... Read more