KARACHI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Wednesday issued a schedule for special international flights to repatriate thousands of Pakistanis stranded in different countries due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ARY News reported. According to the PIA spokesperson, the national carrier will continue its flight operation from April 15 to April 19. The PIA will operate nine special flights between the period. Sharing details of the next phase of the relief operation, he said a flight from Islamabad to Toronto is planned for Wednesday followed by two more from Islamabad to Manchester on April 17 and 18 consecutively. The PIA will operate…
Author: holidayweekly
MANAMA: Gulf Air, the national carrier of the Kingdom of Bahrain, in response to the global outbreak of the Novel Coronavirus COVID-19 has introduced a bundle of ‘golden principles’ to maintain health and safety of its valued passengers and crew members. These principles come in addition to what the airline has carried out since late February when the outbreak has emerged regionally and globally and will continue to be reviewed when necessary and reassessed on a regular basis. The golden principles of existing and newly introduced practices are: Modifying seating arrangement: Gulf Air will maintain distances on-board between all passengers…
ISLAMABAD: National Tourism Coordination Board (NTCB) has recently formed a national committee to develop a strategy and action plan to ensure quick recovery of tourism sector in the post Covid-19 scenario. The first virtual meeting of this committee was held on 13th April. The meeting was chaired by Mr. Aftab Rana, member National Tourism Coordination Board and attended by 9 other members including Mrs. Midhat Shahzad, Secretary Tourism AJK government, Mr. Asifullah, Secretary Tourism, Gilgit-Baltistan, Mr. Intikhab Alam, Managing Director PTDC, Mr. Junaid Khan, Managing Director Tourism Corporation of KP , Mr. Maqsood Ul Mulk, President PATO, Mr. Naeem Shareef,…
MIAMI: To address expanding global travel restrictions and provide peace of mind in guest travel planning, Royal Caribbean Group is extending its Cruise with Confidence cancellation policy through September 1, 2020. The updated policy enhances planning flexibility by allowing cancellations up to 48 hours prior to sailing for any reason. Guests will receive a full credit for their fare, usable on any future sailing of choice in 2020 or 2021. “Guests are reacting positively to our Cruise with Confidence policy,” says company chairman and CEO Richard Fain, “because it enables them to make informed decisions and to better manage complicated…
KARACHI: Taking cognizance of the need to implement robust protocols in the current COVID-19 environment and in continuation to the measures taken by Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority to prevent the spread of COVfD-19 in Pakistan, subject Standard Operating Procedures have been approved by the Competent Authority, for domestic private aircraft flight operations restricted between Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad airports only. The Standard Operating Procedures will come into immediate effect and full compliance with the instructions contained therein shall be ensured by all Private Aircraft Operators. An undertaking assuring full compliance in letter and spirit with the instructions of the SOPs…
MIAMI: Carnival Corporation has seen a sharp rise in its share price following a decision by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia to take a significant stake in the company. The sovereign wealth fund snapped up 8.2 per cent of the cruise giant, or 43,508,895 shares of common stock. Shares jumped 17 per cent, to $10 a piece, after weeks of decline as the coronavirus pandemic continues to decimate the tourism industry. Carnival Corporation is, however, still down by more than 70 per cent since the beginning of the year. The sudden drop in business has forced Carnival to…
NEW DELHI: IATA Agents Association of India has urged the Centre to introduce a bailout package for the travel and tourism industry. The sector had contributed 9.2 per cent of the GDP in India and now due to the Covid-19 crisis, it is passing through a very critical phase, said Biji Eapen, National President of the IATA Agents Association of India. Quoting reports, he said 75 million jobs are at immediate risk in the global travel and tourism, of which 9 million would be from India. Currently, the travel and tourism businesses in India are forced to lay off their…
WASHINGTON: The Unites States Centres for Disease Control & Prevention have extended a ‘no sail order’ for 100 days, or until health bodies declare the Covid-19 pandemic over. The move effectively bars cruise lines from boarding passengers or return to sailing schedules in the near future.Around 100 cruise ships in the Atlantic, Pacific or Gulf of Mexico must now remain idle, either in port or wallowing at anchor.Those ships currently have nearly 80,000 crew aboard. Cruise ship lines have voluntarily suspended most operations, leaving a small number of ships left at sea with passengers aboard. Many have struggled to find…
Lufthansa has made permanent changes to its structure in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.According to an assessment from the German flag-carrier, it will take several months until the global travel restrictions are completely lifted and years until the worldwide demand for air travel returns to pre-crisis levels. Based on this evaluation, the executive board has decided to implement further extensive measures to reduce the capacity of flight operations and administration long term.The decisions will affect almost all flight operations across the group. At Lufthansa, six Airbus A380s and seven A340-600s, as well as five Boeing 747-400s, will be permanently…
MADRID: The United Nations World Tourism Organisation has launched a new campaign in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, TravelTomorrow. The phrase will become the common thread that runs through the response to the current crisis, highlighting the enduring values of tourism. Discovering different cultures, practicing solidarity and respect, caring for the environment, continuing to learn, fostering decent work, development and sustainability and generating new opportunities for all. These are the core values of tourism advocated by the World Tourism Organisation and thus constitute the main pillars of the #TravelTomorrow campaign. The hashtag encapsulates this message of solidarity and hope, through…