WASHINGTON: The United States’ land borders with Canada and Mexico are expected to remain closed to non-essential travel until Dec. 21 at the earliest amid a rising number of U.S. coronavirus cases, a Homeland Security Department official told. The current restrictions expire on Saturday, November 21 and the three countries are expected to approve another 30-day extension, the official said on Wednesday. The United States leads the world in COVID-19 cases and deaths. The restrictions were first put in place in March to control the spread of COVID-19. Canada’s CTV News also reported that the travel restrictions in place at…
Author: holidayweekly
WASHINGTON: The US Federal Aviation Administration today, November 18, issued an order that paves the way for the Boeing 737 MAX to return to commercial service. The plane, the best-selling jet in Boeing’s fleet, was grounded in March 2019 after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. It was discovered that a safety feature meant to stop the plane from climbing too fast and stalling had improperly forced the nose of the plane down, causing the crashes. The FAA action is only the first step in allowing 59 airlines which own the 387 grounded planes to fly them as part…
Transport minister Grant Shapps has signed a deal with the US to ensure that transatlantic flights to and from the UK will continue from 1 January when Britain’s transition agreement with the EU comes to an end. The air services agreement will replace the existing EU-US deal, which will no longer apply to the UK from 2021. Mr Shapps described the agreement, which was also signed by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and transportation secretary Elaine Chao as ‘just one of many steps we’re taking as we move towards a bright new future at the end of the transition…
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has added twice-weekly service to the Indian cities of Chennai and Hyderabad with service set to start on November 19. Flights to and from both cities will be operated on Thursdays and Saturdays. These schedules are confirmed until 31 December, 2020. Additional information is available at omanair.com, the airline’s offices and travel agents. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing…
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Tuesday approved to handover five more rest houses to the provincial tourism authority for the promotion of tourism in the province. The KP government had earlier decided to hand over all 169 government rest houses in the province to the tourism authority so as to provide better accommodation to national and foreign tourists. Under this policy, several government rest houses at various tourist destinations have already been handed over to the tourism authorities. According to Chief Minister’s Information Adviser Kamran Bangash, the provincial cabinet has approved the outsourcing and online booking of five…
DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced to resume flights to Phuket, Thailand, from 4 December 2020. The resumption of services to the country’s largest island is part of the airline’s effort to rebuild its network in the Asia-Pacific region. Services to this holiday island will be operated by the modern, Boeing 777-300ER, offering 42 flatbed seats in business class and 312 seats in economy class. The airline currently operates 14-weekly flights between Bangkok and Doha. As one of the only global airlines to have maintained a significant schedule throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, the airline is uniquely positioned to monitor trends in…
Pre-departure airport testing could lead to more than 100 million travelers being falsely identified as having Covid, according to an IATA expert. Speaking at CAPA Live event, Thomas Pellegrin, Senior Principal, IATA consulting, said, “False positives and false negatives carry serious implications for air travel. When a false positive happens, we incorrectly inform a healthy traveller they may be infected which is stressful at best, but will also require a re-test to confirm diagnosis at additional cost and time. It also means they may have to delay and cancel plans. “When a false negative happens, this incorrectly lets an infected…
ANKARA: As almost whole Europe has refused entry to the inbound tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists veered toward Turkey, a country of vast attractions with its cuisine, natural wonders, and high-quality ski slopes. Hit hard by the coronavirus during the summer season, Turkey hopes to offset the fallout in the tourism sector with a boom in pre-bookings for the winter season. Popular for its heavenly seas and velvety sand under the bright sun along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, Turkey also offers an unforgettable winter experience with its ski resorts covered with fluffy snow. Among eight ski resorts…
MADRID: Ambassadors to Spain from the region of Europe gathered for a high-level meeting with the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The virtual meeting with Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili focused on the timely and responsible restart of tourism across the continent. Ambassadors act as a bridge between the Secretariat of the United Nations specialized agency in Madrid and their home countries. Mr. Pololikashvili who himself served as Ambassador of Georgia to Spain before taking up the leadership of UNWTO highlighted the important role that diplomats must play in coordinating efforts to lift restrictions on travel and to restore confidence…
KARACHI: International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has appointed Mr. Asim Irshad as their Ambassador in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the next two years. A press note from the office of “The Secretary General International Human Rights Commission” says that “Sir Rafal Marcin Wasik” was pleased to appoint and designate Mr. Asim Irshad as an official Ambassador. Ambassador at Large and Advisor UN Affairs IHRC Mr. Mohsin Durrani proposed him to designate for the appointment.