MOSCOW: It has been confirmed that fans who travelled to the FIFA World Cup this year can re-visit Russia without a visa until December 31, 2018. Russian president Vladimir Putin made the announcement in July, but it was confirmed yesterday by the Foreign Office. It said that the offer of visa-less travel until the end of this year was open to all FIFA World Cup Russia Fan ID holders. They are advised to contact the Russian Embassy for further information. According to the announcement yesterday, fans with valid ID cards will be able to avoid the complicated visa application process,…
Author: holidayweekly
RIYADH: First, the kingdom announced that it had expelled Canada’s ambassador to the kingdom and frozen all new trade and investment transactions. Now, Saudi Arabia’s state airline has announced the suspension of its direct flights to Canada, starting August 13. The airline has announced an immediate suspension of reservations on its flights to Toronto and the suspension of all flights to and from Toronto from August 13, said a report in Saudi Press Agency, citing an official statement from the airline. The airline said it would cover cancellation fees, find alternative flights and issue refunds to passengers set to fly…
MUSCAT: National carrier Oman Air is continuing its expansion across Europe by extending its codeshare agreement with Lufthansa. Under the expanded codeshare deal, passengers can now travel on Oman Air flights from Muscat International Airport and connect to Madrid, Brussels, Vienna and Prague from Lufthansa’s Frankfurt and Munich hubs. The agreement offers travellers even better connectivity and an extended range of services between Muscat and Europe. Guests of both airlines will benefit from the greater convenience and the agreement is the latest step in developing closer links between Oman Air and Lufthansa, both of which share a commitment to deliver…
LONDON: Britain’s Rolls-Royce sank into the red in the first half after taking another big hit from expensive repairs to its Trent 1000 engine, it said on Thursday, 2 August. The group, which recently axed 4,600 jobs, also faced turbulence from restructuring costs and the weaker value of the Brexit-hit pound. Rolls suffered a loss after taxation of £962 million ($1.26 billion) in the six months to the end of June, it said in a results statement. That contrasted with a net profit of £1.17 billion in the same part of 2017. The company, whose products power Airbus and Boeing…
LONDON: Transport technology provider Trapeze Group has deployed its Real Time Passenger Information (RTPI) system to help improve operations and reduce passenger stress at London’s Heathrow Airport. The RTPI system provides travellers’ information for both airside and landside shuttle services across the airport, assisting service providers to improve schedule efficiency and improve communication with passengers. Trapeze Group account manager Matthew Newman said: “Without accurate, real-time information, waiting in an airport car park for a bus transfer can leave passengers worrying that they won’t make their connection. “The value of the system is already clear. Data screens are accurate and real-time…
DUBAI: The number of British tourists visiting Dubai fell by 7% in the first five months of this year compared with the same period of 2017. Of the destination’s top 20 source markets, Dubai saw growth from only China, Russia and Germany in the five months to May 2018. Its total international visitor numbers were down 100,000 to 7.16 million. From the UK, there were 43,000 fewer guests than at the same time last year. However, the UK remained Dubai’s third largest market. India remains the largest. China, which is the fourth biggest, grew by 9% to 401,000 and Russia,…
MANAMA: Gulf Air, Bahrain’s national carrier, is in the midst of a drive to further engage its workforce and encourage two way dialogue. Spearheaded by the airline’s Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Captain Waleed Abdulhameed Al Alawi, staff from across Gulf Air divisions are regularly interacting with the airline’s executive management team, learning more about the national carrier’s vision and business strategy, their role in delivering on the airline’s growth and future successes while also having many available platforms for idea exchange and insight sharing. Captain Al Alawi said: “With regular, interactive meetings with members of the Gulf Air family we…
DUBAI: Emirates celebrated 10 years of A380 operations on Tuesday, 1 August. Since its first A380 flight to New York on August 1, 2008, the airline has carried more than 105 million passengers and clocked in more than 1.5 billion kilometres on 115,000 flights, equivalent to 39,000 trips around the globe. The airline has also served over 120 million meals on the A380 since 2008 and has 1,500 flight deck crew and over 20,000 cabin crew specially trained to operate its A380 fleet. Emirates is the world’ largest operator of the A380 aircraft, with 104 double-decker aircraft flying to 49…
BERLIN: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has signed an agreement with aircraft engine maker CFM International to increase competition in the maintenance, repair and overhaul services (MRO) market for engines manufactured by the latter. As part of the deal, CFM has adopted a set of ‘Conduct Policies’ to offer additional opportunities to third-party engine components and MRO services providers of CFM’s CFM56 and the new LEAP series engines. CFM has also agreed to allow the use of non-CFM parts or repairs by any licensee of the CFM Engine Shop Manual. It will also grant airlines and third-party overhaul facilities…
KARACHI: Pearl Continental Hotel organized their annual summer swimming classes for children who wanted to learn the best exercise for their physical health, mental enjoyment and fun under the guidance of professional swimming instructors at the most well maintained pool in town. [huge_it_slider id=”272″] The children learnt the values of their Head, Heart, Hands and Health. The swimming classes offered an excellent experience to children as it provided them with an opportunity to learn swimming and make friends, discover new interests and create memories of a fun filled summer holidays. On the very successful conclusion of the classes, children were…