MONTREAL: Over 1,000 participants registered for the four-day ICAO Stocktaking Seminar on aviation in-sector CO₂ emissions reductions, which launched on September 9. In her opening remarks to the virtual event, ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu emphasized how ICAO had been very active in developing resources to help countries respond and recover from COVID-19’s devastating effects on global connectivity, and that one of the key principles established to help the network ‘build back better’ post-pandemic was to “Ensure Sustainability”. “This event, therefore, should be seen as a testimony to the fact that, despite this downturn, governments and ICAO are committed…
Author: holidayweekly
PESHAWAR: A senior official said on Tuesday that one-window service was being set up to facilitate all the stakeholders related to tourism industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “Beside other walks of life, the coronavirus has also badly affected the tourism industry in our province,” Abid Majeed, the Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Tourism Department said while speaking at the final phase of special training on implementing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and safety measures against coronavirus and raising awareness about the viral disease here. The Directorate of Tourist Services (DTS), a wing of the Tourism Department and the World Bank funded Khyber Pakhtunkhwa…
KARACHI: Emirates reveals that it has returned over AED 5 billion (US$ 1.4 billion) in COVID-19 related travel refunds to date, making strong and steady progress on its commitment to customers to complete pending refunds. More than 1.4 million refunds requests have been completed since March, representing 90% of the airline’s backlog. This includes all requests received from customers around the world up until the end of June, save for a few cases which require further manual review. Since the pandemic hit, Emirates has invested additional resources to ramp up its processing capability. The airline also continues to work with…
MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of Oman, will return to scheduled service on October 1 with flights to 16 cities in 12 countries. The airline will connect Muscat with London, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dubai, Doha, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lahore and Islamabad, with more destinations to be added in the near future. Flights to India are subject to Indian authorities lifting restrictions for scheduled international passenger flights, Oman Air said. Scheduled service will also connect Muscat and Khasab, Oman, it said. Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety programme throughout all elements of…
ABU DHABI: Etihad Airways will offer passengers Covid-19 insurance as part of Etihad Wellness, a new health and hygiene programme. Guests who are diagnosed with Covid-19 during their trip will not have to worry about medical expenses or quarantine costs when they fly. Duncan Bureau, senior vice president sales and distribution, Etihad Airways, said: “The safety, health, and wellbeing of our guests and employees is our top priority, during and beyond the flight. “The introduction of global Covid-19 insurance, in partnership with AXA, builds on stringent measures already in place as part of our Etihad Wellness programme, championed by our…
MADRID: The 2020 edition of World Tourism Day will celebrate the unique role that tourism plays in providing opportunities outside of big cities and preserving cultural and natural heritage all around the world. Celebrated on 27 September with the theme of “Tourism and Rural Development”, this year’s international day of observation comes at a critical moment, as countries around the world look to tourism to drive recovery, including in rural communities where the sector is a leading employer and economic pillar. The 2020 edition also comes as governments look to the sector to drive recovery from the effects of the…
LONDON: A U.K. court has signed off on Virgin Atlantic’s restructuring plan, paving the way for the troubled carrier to “emerge from the Covid-19 crisis a sustainably profitable airline.” The £1.2 billion ($1.6 billion) plan gives Virgin Atlantic breathing room for 18 months to restructure its operations. The carrier plans to realize £280 million in annual costs savings and to reduce its fleet capital expenditure by £880 million over the next five years. The carrier also announced today that it is cutting another 1,150 jobs and will provide the option for 600 cabin-crew employees to take voluntary separation packages. The…
KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Friday, September 4, announced that the fares for domestic flights have further been reduced. According to a PIA spokesperson, reduced fares have been introduced for flights between Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad. As per the new package announced for flights between Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore, the airline has fixed Rs7,400 for the one-way ticket along with 20 kilogrammes cargo weight, whereas, Rs13,500 would be charged for the two-way ticket from the passenger travelling to the aforesaid route along with 20kg cargo weight. Meanwhile, Rs8,400 will be charged for a one-way ticket along with 35kg…
LONDON: Virgin Atlantic is pleased to announce it will be launching flights to Pakistan in December 2020. [huge_it_slider id=”571″] Operating three new routes from London Heathrow to Lahore, London Heathrow to Islamabad, as well as from Manchester to Islamabad; these direct flights and new services will go on sale in September 2020 subject to applicable regulatory approvals, and will boast Virgin Atlantic’s Upper Class, Premium and Economy Light, Classic and Delight offering. Pakistan has the seventh largest diaspora in the world and the new services aim to respond to the large, fast-growing demand to visit friends and relatives (VFR) from…
LONDON: Adventures Overland, an expedition company has announced the “most epic bus journey in the world”. How would you feel about becoming part of the longest bus journey in the world spanning two continents, 18 countries and covering a distance of 20,000 kilometres in 70 days? The ‘Bus to London’ will be the first-ever hop-on/hop-off bus service between India and the United Kingdom. In this one-of-a-kind road-trip, you will get to explore thousands of pagodas in Myanmar, meet rare species of Giant Pandas in Chengdu and will get to hike the Great Wall of China. Not only all this, but…