Author: holidayweekly

World Travel Awards, the global initiative to recognize and reward excellence in travel and tourism – has opened voting for the Europe categories of its 2022 programme. Voting runs until 8 August 2022. Travel industry professionals, the media and consumers worldwide are invited to cast their votes for travel brands that they consider to be the very best in the world. The nominee gaining the most votes in a category will be named as the winner. The winners will be unveiled at WTA’s Europe Gala Ceremony 2022, which will take place at the new Hilton Mallorca Galatzo, Spain on 1st…

Three additional Princess Cruises ships are returning to service welcoming guests back onboard – Crown Princess, Island Princess and Royal Princess. This milestone marks a total of 12 ships, 80 percent of the fleet, that will have resumed cruising since July 2021. Island Princess departed Ft. Lauderdale on April 27 on a Panama Canal cruise; Royal Princess sailed from Vancouver on May 2 for the popular “Voyage of the Glaciers” Alaska season; and Crown Princess is scheduled to depart Seattle on May 7 for a summer program of Inside Passage Alaska cruises. “We’re so excited to have three more Princess…

GENEVA: Middle Eastern airlines’ traffic rose 245.8% in March compared to March 2021, a progress compared to the 218.2% rise in February 2022, versus the same month in 2021, as global air travel stays put on recovery mode. Middle Eastern March capacity rose 96.6% versus the year-ago period, and load factor climbed 31.1 percentage points to 72.1%, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which announced passenger data for March 2022. Impacts from the conflict in Ukraine on air travel demand were quite limited overall while Omicron-related effects continued to be confined largely to Asian domestic markets. Total traffic…

DUBAI: Emirates landed in Bali for the first time since the suspension of flights in 2020 due to the pandemic. Emirates flight EK398 landed in Denpasar International Airport on 1 May, and was welcomed by a spectacular water cannon salute to inaugurate the airline’s return. The operating cabin crew of the flight and the passengers were welcomed at the airport with the traditional jogged bumbung dance performance, which reflected Bali’s unique culture and rich heritage, followed by a cake cutting ceremony in attendance of representatives from DPS Airport. The resumption of Emirates’ services to Bali, comes with the easing of…

NEW DELHI: India has suspended tourist visas issued to Chinese nationals. This information has been shared by the global airline body, International Air Transport Association (IATA) with its member carriers. India has taken this step after China had reportedly blocked the entry of around 22,000 Indian students studying in the Chinese universities. They are unable to attend their physical classes due to Chinese entry restrictions. For two years the Indian students had been taking online classes as physical classes were not taking place. But now when the university campuses are back with the physical classroom teaching they are finding it…

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian-based regional airline, Malindo Air, has been rebranded as Batik Air and will commence business under the new identity on April 28. The rebranding exercise is in line with the Lion Group’s goal to establish a common identity for the full service airlines within the group. With this approval in place, Batik Air will conduct improved business for seamless transfers, leveraging Kuala Lumpur International Airport as a transit hub for the Lion Group of Airlines. “With the rebranding exercise and the reopening of the borders taking place in the region, we are very excited for the opportunities presented…

As part of its ongoing 50th birthday celebration, Carnival Cruise Line is introducing The Golden Jubilee, which will celebrate the 50-year history of America’s Cruise Line, on its newest ship Carnival Celebration debuting this November. The new bar and lounge will be part of the ship’s final, to-be-announced zone and will highlight Carnival’s evolution of ships over the last 50 years, weaving its past with its present and looking to the future. The announcement was made today at the Seatrade Cruise Global Conference in Miami. The Golden Jubilee, on Deck 6, in the same location as The Brass Magnolia on…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has inducted another Airbus-320, a narrow body 170-seater aircraft, into its fleet that would help the national flag carrier in expanding flight operations and extending improved facilities to passengers. The leased airbus, built four years ago, is one of the four aircraft selected by the PIA management, PIA spokesman Abdullah Hafeez Khan said in a news release here on Friday. He said the three remaining aircraft would also be arriving in Pakistan in a few months. He expressed confidence that the induction of new planes in the PIA’s fleet would help improve scheduled operations of…

ISLAMABAD: After completing his three-year term, Air Marshal (retd) Arshad Malik bade a farewell to Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and confirmed a spokesperson for the national flag carrier on Monday. Taking to Twitter, the PIA spokesperson said: “Arshad Malik completes his tenure as CEO PIA. In his video message, he reflects upon his journey and experiences during his time on the post, and bids farewell with a wish for a great and prosperous future for PIA and Pakistan.” The airline sources said that Air Marshal Aamir Hayat has been appointed as acting CEO of the PIA. On October 11, 2018, …

ISTANBUL: Turkish Airlines has used a special design adorned with leaves on its Airbus 321 type TC-JSU tail numbered aircraft which was used on its environmentalist fuel operation. The airline operated its first flight with the new themed aircraft to Stockholm with the TK1795 flight. In line with the effort to lead towards widespread use of environmentally friendly fuel, the flight which used biofuel during its operation was also undertaken with the zero-waste principle. Apart from providing information on the sustainability actions with the Green Class concept of this first flight, the flag carrier also took new environmentally conscious actions…