WASHINGTON: The government of India has agreed to allow U.S. air carriers to resume passenger services in the U.S.-India market starting July 23, the U.S. Transportation Department said on Friday, July 17. The Indian government, citing the coronavirus, had banned all scheduled services, prompting the U.S. Transportation Department in June to accuse India of engaging in “unfair and discriminatory practices” on charter air carriers serving India. The Transportation Department said it was withdrawing an order it had issued requiring Indian air carriers to apply for authorization prior to conducting charter flights, and said it had approved an Air India application…
Author: holidayweekly
SYDNEY: Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways expects a first-half net loss of $1.3 billion, including impairment charges on 16 planes, the airline said on Friday, July 17, as the coronavirus pandemic crushed travel demand. Earlier, the airline had flagged a “substantial” first-half loss and that it had burned through cash of $322 million to $386 million each month since February. The first-half loss estimate compares to a profit of $173 billion profit in the first half of 2019, before widespread anti-government protests and the virus withered demand.
LONDON: British Airways will retire its entire fleet of Boeing 747 aircraft in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. As the flag-carrier seeks to shrink in size to meet falling demand for travel, all 31 planes are expected to leave the fleet in the coming months. BA is currently the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The airline had planned to retire the 747 by 2024, but the process has been accelerated. Alex Cruz, British Airways Chief Executive, said: “This is not how we wanted or expected to have to say goodbye to our incredible fleet of…
BRUSSELS: The European Commission has approved a bailout package of €3.4 billion ($3.84 billion) to Dutch airline KLM to provide urgent liquidity to the company in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. The measures were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework adopted by the Commission on March 19, 2020. The aid measure will take the form of a State guarantee on loans provided by a consortium of banks and a subordinated loan to the company by the Dutch State. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “KLM plays a key role for the Dutch economy in…
LONDON: United Airlines has introduced one of the first touchless check-in experience of any airline at London Heathrow Airport, allowing customers to check-in without touching the check-in kiosk, even if they are checking luggage. The touchless check-in journey begins on the United app, where customers can check in for their flight, add bags and pay any applicable fees. At the airport, customers can use the kiosks to scan their boarding passes from their mobile device or printed copy and any luggage tags associated with the reservation will print immediately. The introduction of this technology is just one element of the…
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan visited Hazara to inaugurate construction work on the roads in the three tourist spots in the division on Friday, July 17. “The inauguration of construction work on the three roads in the tourist resorts envisages the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s keen interest in the promotion of tourism to generate revenue and create employment opportunities for the youth in the province,” said an official statement on Thursday. Chief Minister Mahmood Khan visited Kaghan Valley where he inaugurated the construction work on the roads leading to three scenic valleys,…
LONDON: Taking place from October 30 to November 5, London Travel Week will be returning to play a pivotal role in the recovery of the global travel and tourism industry. London Travel Week will bring together industry events that will celebrate the future of travel and provide attendees with the first chance to meet in this way since the Covid-19 pandemic. The event and its partners will be following every health and safety guideline laid out by the UK Government and ensuring the highest standards are followed to make sure all visitors have an exceptional and safe experience this year.…
KYIV: Dubai-based airline flydubai landed in Kyiv’s Boryspil International Airport (KBP) in Ukraine on July 8, marking the start of scheduled services following the lifting of flight restrictions that were implemented in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Jeyhun Efendi, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations for flydubai, said: “We would like to thank the authorities and members of the travel industry for their involvement in supporting the resumption of our scheduled flights to Kyiv. These combined efforts have enabled Kyiv to be one of the first destinations to open on our network and we look forward to bringing more passengers to…
KARACHI: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Tuesday, July 14, cleared the licences of 18 Pakistani pilots working for SalamAir after Oman’s civil aviation requested for the verification and clearance of the Pakistani pilots. The names of the pilots cleared by the CAA Pakistan are Captain Fawad Shahab, Sheikh Saifullah, Mohammad Bilal Malik, Mohammad Javed, and Mohammad Rashid. Moreover, the licences of Captain Muhammad Athar Iqbal, Muhammad Asif, Farhan Khan, Babar Sultan, Farrukh Bhatti, Sajjad Malik were also cleared, whereas, Captain Zia-ul-Haq, Natasha Sultan, Abbas Rizvi, Omar Jafar, and 3 other captains received clearances from the authority. Separately, the CAA…
ISLAMABAD: While Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations to Europe remain suspended, Turkish Airline has offered its services to transport Pakistani fruit and vegetable exports to other countries. According to fruit and vegetable exporters, the Turkish airlines will charge lower freight charges for transporting of Pakistani fruits and vegetables to England, Germany and other western countries and has assured that it will facilitate the promotion of Pakistani fruit and vegetable exports. Earlier the European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) imposed a six month ban on PIA’s flight operations to Europe after the statement of the aviation minister that around 262…