Mediterranean cruise operator Celestyal has cancelled all cruises until next spring. The cruise line, which was one of the first to suspend cruise operations in mid-March, said it wouldn’t resume sailings until March 2021. Chief commercial officer Leslie Peden said: “Given the prevailing uncertainty regarding travel restrictions through the balance of our operating season from our largest international source markets, coupled with the continuing discussions at European Union level regarding the enhanced health protocols that will apply to cruise operations, we made the difficult but prudent decision to postpone resuming cruise operations until the scheduled start of our normal spring…
Author: holidayweekly
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is proudly announcing that it will resume its direct Abu Dhabi and Dubai flights with scheduled operations starting from 5 July 2020. Gulf Air has been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates since 1954 and both Abu Dhabi and Dubai have always been key successful routes within the Gulf Air’s network. The airline currently flies to and from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila, Athens, Cairo and several destinations in Pakistan and with the addition of Abu Dhabi and Dubai services, Gulf Air will…
NEW YORK: Norwegian Air Shuttle canceled orders for 97 Boeing jets, the largest cancellation by a single Boeing customer since the grounding of the 737 Max 15 months ago. But the canceled orders were due to Norwegian’s financial problems, not the problems with the jet. The Max had its first test flight by FAA pilots Monday, June 29, one of the final steps it will need before it is approved to carry passengers again. There was a time that Norwegian, one of the world’s largest discount carriers, was one of Boeing’s major customers. It was the first European airline to…
GENEVA: The world’s tourism sector could lose at least $1.2 trillion, or 1.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP), having been placed at a standstill for nearly four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, UNCTAD said in a new report. [huge_it_slider id=”557″] The UN’s trade and development body warned that the loss could rise to $2.2 trillion or 2.8% of the world’s GDP if the break in international tourism lasts for eight months, in line with the expected decline in tourism as projected by the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). UNCTAD estimates losses in the most pessimistic scenario, a…
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, will resume its direct Athens and Cairo flights with scheduled operations starting from 01 July 2020. Gulf Air has been operating direct flights between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt and the Hellenic Republic since 1974 and 1980 respectively. Both destinations are key within the Gulf Air’s network and are popular amongst the airline’s points in the Mediterranean and North African region. The airline currently flies to and from London, Paris, Frankfurt, Manila and Pakistan. Being one of the few airlines that continued operations in…
BEIJING: China’s tourism industry saw a steady recovery during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, with travel rebounding to about 50 percent of last year’s level. The recovery came despite a spike in coronavirus cases in Beijing, which bodes well for China’s consumption market. There has also been a shift in the behavior of Chinese tourists, who now opt to make reservations before making trips amid epidemic prevention efforts. Also, short-distance and high-end trips gained in popularity among Chinese tourists during the three-day holidays. China received 48.81 million visitors during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holidays, which is 50.9 percent of…
ISLAMABAD: The European Union Air Safety Agency (EASA) on Tuesday suspended Pakistan International Airlines` authorization to operate to the EU member states for a period of six months effective from Wednesday (today) July 1, with the right to appeal against the decision. Following the EU line of action, the UK Civil Aviation Agency has also suspended PIA flight operations from three major airports, Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester. The UN Department of Safety and Security (UNDSS) has also removed PIA from its `Recommended List`, and advised the United Nations staff in Pakistan not to travel on any Pakistan-registered airlines. Earlier…
GENEVA: Pakistan’s civil aviation authority has found that some 150 of PIA’s 434 pilots have “dubious licences”, the airline said Irregularities found in pilot licences at Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) represent a “serious lapse” in safety controls, global airlines body, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Thursday, June 26, after the carrier grounded one third of its pilots. “We are following reports from Pakistan regarding fake pilot licences, which are concerning and represent a serious lapse in the licensing and safety oversight by the aviation regulator,” an IATA spokesman said, adding that the organisation was seeking more information.…
LONDON: UK overseas summer holidays are to be given the green light, with the Government set to announce it is relaxing its quarantine rules. The existing rules will be replaced by a traffic light system that will see countries allocated a green, amber or red label, depending on the level of coronavirus in the destination. Only those passengers arriving back from red category countries will have to self-isolate for 14 days, but all travellers will have to give an address where they plan to stay on their return. More details will be made available on Monday, June 30. The official…
WASHINTON: NASA wants you to help put the loo in lunar, so it’s offering $35,000 in prizes to design a toilet that can be used on the moon. The top prize is $20,000 and the second and third place winners will get $10,000 and $5,000. The deadline for submitting the designs is August 17 and the winners will be announced in October. The space agency has set an ambitious goal of sending astronauts back to the moon by 2024 and the crew will obviously have to go to the bathroom during the mission. NASA may adapt the toilet design for…