BANGKOK: The Pacific Asia Travel Association is calling upon all industry stakeholders from both the public and private sector to work more closely together towards the recovery of the travel and tourism industry. “Covid-19 is the greatest single crisis in the history of travel and tourism. “Now, more than ever, the industry needs to work together to provide a coordinated, unified and transparent path forward towards recovery. “A fractured approach will leave our industry forfeiting many issues to health and security authorities, and the implications can be disastrous,” said PATA chief executive, Mario Hardy He added: “While the current pandemic…
Author: holidayweekly
RAWALPINDI: Good news for Britain bound passengers from Pakistan. The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will partially resume its flights to the United Kingdom from Aug 14 with a hired plane. [huge_it_slider id=”565″] PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez said on Wednesday, August 5, that Alternate arrangements have successfully been implemented by PIA to restore its Flight Operations to UK consequent to the recent suspension. An agreement has been finalised with a Portuguese company to operate PIA flights. PIA would operate flights with an Airbus A330, having a seating capacity of more than 300 passengers. PK call sign and slots will be used…
KARACHI: As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect both individuals and whole countries in varying degrees, aviation sector has more responsibilities than ever before. Therefore, Turkish Airlines continues its commitment to help preventing the spread of Covid-19 with precautions at every level from mandatory testing to aircraft disinfection. Within that framework, starting from 8 August 2020, Turkish Airlines passengers departing from Pakistan will have to present their PCR test result during their check-in. For the test results to be accepted during check-in, they must be made 96 hours prior to the related flight in the testing centres approved by Turkish…
LONDON: Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US after telling a UK court that it would run out of money before the end of September unless creditors approve a £1.2 billion rescue deal. The airline is seeking protection from its creditors under Chapter 15 of the US bankruptcy code, which allows a foreign company to shield assets in the country. In its court filing in New York on Tuesday, Virgin Atlantic said it had negotiated a deal with stakeholders ‘for a consensual recapitalization’ that will get debt off its balance sheet and ‘immediately position it for sustainable…
DUBAI: Dubai-based international airline Emirates has announced that it will deploy its iconic A380 aircraft to Guangzhou from August 8, 2020. The airline has also restarted its A380 operations to Amsterdam and Cairo this week, and introduced a second daily A380 service to London Heathrow, serving market demand and offering customers more travel options. Emirates has so far resumed A380 services to five cities and it will gradually expand the deployment of this popular aircraft in line with demand and operational approvals. Customers can currently fly the Emirates A380 daily to Amsterdam, four times a week to Cairo, twice daily…
NEW JERSEY: Wyndham Hotels & Resorts will require guests to wear face coverings, President and CEO Geoff Ballotti said during the company’s second-quarter earnings call. The new requirement comes on the heels of updated guidelines from the American Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA), and follows similar announcements from Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, InterContinental Hotels Group and others. Effective August 10, 2020, face coverings will be required for guests and staff in indoor public spaces at across its 19 brands, including La Quinta, Days Inn, and Super 8. “We all must play a role in slowing the spread of COVID-19,” Ballott…
ISLAMABAD: British Airways has announced that it would restart flights to Pakistan after novel coronavirus cases gradually began declining in the South Asian country. In a statement issued by the British High Commission in the capital Islamabad, the airline said that resumed direct flights would take off three times a week between Heathrow Airport and Islamabad. The first flight will land in Islamabad on August 14. The airline will take extra precautionary measures for the safety of its crew and passengers. “Today’s announcement is another important step in reconnecting the trade ties and people-to-people ties between the UK and Pakistan,”…
KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to partially restore flight operations for the United Kingdom (UK). The PIA flights will be partially restored from August 14 and passengers would be able to travel via direct flights to London, Manchester, and Birmingham. According to details, the national flag carrier has hired planes from European companies along with foreign pilots to facilitate the passengers. The decision was taken after fares for UK flights from private airlines saw an unprecedented hike in the wake of the ban on national flag carrier’s flight operation. The fares are likely to return to normal…
BRUSSELS: 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, setting out deep concerns over their failure to implement coherent and science-based 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 organizations, are inconsistent with the principles laid out by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre…
HANOI: Low cost carrier Pacific Airlines and Sabre Corporation, the leading software and technology company that powers the global travel industry, today announced a strategic new agreement in a deal which further cements Sabre’s strength in the Vietnamese aviation market as well as its long-standing and valued relationship with Vietnam Airlines Group. Under the new deal, Pacific Airlines will adopt the Sabre Passenger Service System (PSS) as it moves forward with ambitious plans to play a key role, along with national carrier parent company Vietnam Airlines Group, in the recovery and future growth of APAC’s travel and tourism industry post…