Page 5 - Air Travel

Pre-departure Covid tests not needed for vaccinated travellers to Singapore

This is a change from the present rule, which states that long-term pass holders aged between 13 and 17 can travel into Singapore even if they are not fully vaccinated

Global air travel rebounds as Indians resume visiting Southeast Asia

China, which is still clinging onto its zero COVID strategy and experiencing significant lockdowns in its major cities, is expected to see deterioration in its domestic air travel market in March

Recovery tracker: Retail and recreation visits go up, shows data

Fewer passengers on flights, vehicle registrations lag 2019 by a wider margin than before

Don't go to Kashmir, 10 km of India-Pak border, says new US travel advisory

The US in a new travel advisory urged its citizens to exercise "increased caution" while travelling to India and advised them not to travel to Jammu and Kashmir and within 10 km of the India-Pak borde

Govt to release new policy framework to deepen air connectivity in country

To release policy to incentivise small aircraft and helicopter operations

Chinese air travel faces mass cancellations after plane crash: Report

The cancellations come after a Boeing 737-800 NG operated by China Eastern Airlines nosedived out of the sky and crashed in Guangxi province on Monday afternoon

Domestic air traffic up 20% sequentially to 7.69 million in February

Airlines saw a sharp rebound in traffic with the decline of Covid cases and easing of restrictions

Korean Air suspends routes to Russia until April due to Ukraine crisis

Korean Air announced on the 15th that it will temporarily halt the operation of passenger flights to Moscow and Vladivostok and cargo planes that transit in Moscow until the end of April

UK govt o remove all remaining Covid restrictions on international travel

The UK government will remove all remaining Covid restrictions on international travel for all passengers from Friday onwards, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps announced.

Soaring crude oil price makes air travel dear

The price of jet fuel hit an all-time high last week after a fifth round of increase this year. The airline industry decided to pass on the burden to fliers with a hike of about 20% in airfares.

Air fares on a high as travel picks up, aviation turbine fuel price spikes

The government has set minimum and maximum fares for domestic flights and these are applicable for up to a fortnight

Global air passenger numbers to exceed pre-COVID level in 2024: IATA

The total number of air passengers in the world will reach the four-billion mark in 2024, exceeding the 2019 pre-Covid level by three per cent, global airlines body IATA said on Wednesday. In 2021, overall traveller numbers were 47 per cent of the pre-COVID level, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) mentioned. "This is expected to improve to 83 per cent in 2022, 94 per cent in 2023, 103 per cent in 2024 and 111 per cent in 2025," it added. IATA's Director General Willie Walsh said the trajectory for the recovery in passenger numbers from COVID-19 was not changed by the Omicron variant. "People want to travel. And when travel restrictions are lifted, they return to the skies," he noted. There is still a long way to go to reach a normal state of affairs, but the forecast for the evolution in passenger numbers gives good reason to be optimistic," Walsh stated. IATA represents some 290 airlines comprising 83 per cent of global air traffic.

With Covid-19 cases on the wane, countries start relaxing travel norms

Travel firms pin hopes on a robust spring and summer season after two years of closure

Travel sector hails new health norms, urges restart of normal int'l flights

Says govt move will boost consumer confidence and accelerate revival of travel, tourism and hospitality sectors as well as economy at large

Vistara seeing signs of recovery, optimistic about future: CEO Vinod Kannan

The receding impact of Covid's third wave has buoyed full-service carrier Vistara's demand outlook

S Korea air traffic rose 10.8% in 2021 while international travel declined

South Korea's air traffic rose 10.8 per cent last year on increased domestic flights but international travel continued to falter amid the Covid-19 pandemic, data showed

Domestic air travellers should carry only one handbag: CISF

CISF cited issues of congestion at pre-embarkation security checkpoints at airports due to passengers carrying 2-3 hand baggages

DGCA extends suspension of international passenger flights till Feb 28

The suspension of scheduled international passenger flights in the country has been extended till February 28, aviation regulator DGCA said on Wednesday. Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23, 2020. However, special passenger flights have been operating between India and approximately 40 countries since July 2020 under air bubble arrangements formed with them. In a circular on Wednesday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated: "The competent authority has decided to extend the suspension of scheduled international commercial passenger services to/from India till 2359 hrs IST of February 28, 2022." This restriction shall not apply to international all-cargo operations and flight specifically approved by the DGCA, it mentioned. Fights under air bubble arrangement will not be affected, it noted. The DGCA had on November 26, 2021 announced that India will resume scheduled international passenger flights from December 15

Air India to curtail or revise US flights due to 5G internet deployment

Air India said on Tuesday it will curtail or revise its flights to the US due to deployment of 5G internet there from January 19. US aviation regulator Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had on January 14 said that 5G interference with the aircraft's radio altimeter could prevent engine and braking systems from transitioning to landing mode, which could prevent an aircraft from stopping on the runway. Therefore, a group of US-based airlines said on Monday in a letter to FAA that that 5G internet deployment could cause catastrophic aviation crisis. The group comprises airlines such as United Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and FedEx. Apart from Air India, United Airlines and American Airlines are the other two carriers that operate flights between India and the US. The airlines group said that 5G should be implemented everywhere in the US except within two miles of airport runways of affected airports. Air India tweeted on Tuesday: Due to deployment of 5G communicat

Qantas to cut Q3 capacity by about a third as Covid-19 cases rise

Qantas Airways Ltd has pared about a third of planned domestic and international capacity in the March quarter to better match travel demand after a rise in Covid-19 infections