DUBAI: Emirates will axe charges for changing flight bookings as the Gulf carrier bids to reassure customers weighing travel plans against coronavirus uncertainty. Aviation continued to grapple with the Covid-19 outbreak on Thursday with airline Lufthansa and aircraft manufacturer Airbus amongst those pondering cuts as the crisis continued. Airline Emirates told Irish travel agents that it would not charge passengers change or ticket reissue fees on flights booked from Thursday March 5th to the last day of the month. The Dubai-based airline’s move means that if anyone who books flights during that time subsequently changes the travel date the airline…
Author: holidayweekly
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka will host the 32nd Joint Meeting of UN World Tourism Organization’s Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the UNWTO Commission for South Asia from 29th June to 01st July 2020 in Colombo and Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority is currently in the process of organizing the conference. The theme of the Conference is “Contemporary Challenges and Tourism Revitalization” aimed at discussing how to revitalize tourism in response to the times of crisis and share effective crisis management tools and examples for the tourism sector and its industries. Approximately 150 foreign delegates representing member states are…
ISLAMABAD: The relocation process of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Head Office to Islamabad is very much on and different departments are being shifted to the Federal Capital one after another. While its framework plan has been sent to Prime Minister Imran Khan for final approval. According to the Aviation Division sources, the PIA Head Office is being shifted to Benazir Bhutto International Airport’s terminal building. The sources said each detail of relocating the head office from Karachi to Islamabad has been finalized. They lauded the role of CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik in shifting of the PIA Head…
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will induct five more aircraft into its fleet by the end of the year, Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said on Tuesday. During an informal interaction with the press at the Aviation Division, Mr Khan said that PIA’s losses have decreased considerably due to improved management. Aviation Secretary Hassan Nasir Jamy and Senior Joint Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar were also present. Mr Khan said that the segregation of functions within the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) into two divisions —commercial (airport services) and regulatory — was in process and would be completed by March 31.…
QUETTA: Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan says development of airports is among the top priorities of the government to increase regional connectivity and to bring direct economic benefits to various areas of the country. The Minister, along with Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, on Wednesday, March 4, performed the groundbreaking of a new runway at Quetta International Airport. Speaking on the occasion, he said that the Quetta airport handled half a million passengers annually with 38 flights every week, so the new runway would enhance flight operations and the airport would now be able to handle 1.6m passengers annually.He…
DUBAI: Emirates Group has seen a “measurable slowdown” in business due to the coronavirus outbreak and has asked staff to take paid and unpaid leave, according to a report. Emirates Group, a state-owned holding company that counts Emirates airline among its assets, had more than 100,000 employees, including more than 21,000 cabin crew and 4,000 pilots, at end-March 2019, the end of its last financial year. “A particular challenge for us right now is dealing with the impact of the COVID-19,” the email to staff said, using the name of the disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, adding: We’ve seen…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has saidthat every possible effort should be made for the timely completion of privatization programme, which has been facing delays because of unfavorable situations. “Inter-ministerial coordination will further be improved for a robust privatization programme,” he said while presiding over a meeting held to review the development regarding privatization of different government and private properties. “This year, the privatization programme for the seven entities and 27 properties of government lands will be completed,” the secretary said. He told the premier that the seven transactions will be completed by May and June. “There are advices to…
RIYADH: Riyadh Travel Fair 2020, which was scheduled to take place later this month, has been postponed to September as part of precautionary measures against the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). The ongoing coronavirus crisis hit Saudi Arabia earlier this week with the first case of an infected individual recorded. Saudi authorities were quick to act, quarantining 70 people who were in contact with that individual. Many other precautionary measures have also been taken by the Saudi authorities prior to this and continue to be implemented. After consultation with government authorities, partners and travel industry experts around the world, a…
MUSCAT: In recognition of consumers’ growing concerns about air travel during this time of global uncertainty, Oman Air has introduced its new flight-booking policy, which is designed specifically to address our guests’ needs or desires to change their travel plans. The flag carrier has removed change fees for all tickets purchased from now through till May 31. The waiver applies to all tickets, all fare types and all destinations – for travel through October 31. This new policy reflects the national carrier’s commitment to serving its guests at all times, particularly during the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Oman Air’s…
His ship may have been to hell and back, becoming a floating coronavirus-infected prison for passengers quarantined at port in Japan, but when the captain of the Diamond Princess cruise ship became the last person aboard to finally step onto dry land, he looked entirely unruffled by the experience. If it weren’t for the mask on his face, Gennaro Arma, striding purposefully along the dockside in full uniform with hat underarm, might easily have been stepping down from an uneventful trip shuttling passenger from one vacation destination to another. But those who know him best say the steadfast calm Arma…