Yesterday, WestJet, together with TELUS, trialed Trusted Boarding, a touchless process that uses safe and secure facial verification technology to verify travelers’ identity prior to boarding a flight. The trial was the first-of-its-kind in Canada and took place at the YYC Calgary International Airport.  “The travel experience is evolving to include many touchless processes and WestJet is innovating to ensure our guests’ travel journey improves to become more seamless and efficient, while prioritizing safety above all,” said Stuart McDonald, Executive Vice-President and Chief Information Officer. “The Trusted Boarding trial is a union between technology and WestJet that would in the future help our agents and our guests with contactless document validation.”  WestJet‘s Trusted Boarding trial demonstrated that the responsible use of biometric boarding technology provides sufficient document validation and prevents non-authorized individuals from boarding an aircraft. Trial guests boarded WestJet flight 8901 through facial verification with their digital identity wallet on Embross’ Canadian made biometric hardware and boarding application at Gate 88. The trial marked the first step towards the implementation of the technology as WestJet works with the Government of Canada to seek full approval for its use as a safe and secure alternative for future WestJet boarding at Canadian airports.  “As air travel gradually reopens, the passenger experience continues to evolve. Our groundbreaking, built in Canada solution allows travelers to enjoy a secure, touchless identity verification experience, while ensuring they are able to maintain control of their personal data,” said Ibrahim Gedeon, Chief Technology Officer, TELUS. “This level of control establishes and increases consumer trust by addressing privacy, security, and ethical data risks from the start, while providing transparency to customers.” Trusted Boarding supports a more digital Canada using Canadian innovation. It employs a self-sovereign identity ecosystem (the creation of unique, private and secure connections between two trusted parties) through a TELUS-provisioned digital identity wallet in a smartphone application for IOS and Android. It provides contactless document validation, where a facial verification scan is matched with a traveler’s documentation that has been uploaded to the app prior to boarding. Importantly, the app ensures users retain control of their personal information at all times, meaning they can securely share their verified personal credentials and revoke access when the data is no longer needed. The identity platform was developed by one37 and document integrity validation is provided by Oaro, ensuring the solution follows all data protection and privacy regulations covered under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

The East African Community (EAC) has launched the EAC Regional and Domestic Tourism Media Campaign set to publicize national and regional tourist attraction sites and services, aiming to stimulate and develop intra-regional travel. Launched this week, the “Tembea Nyumbani”, or “Visit Home” campaign seeks to attract East African citizens to travel in their own countries, then around the region, in an effort to revive domestic and regional tourism across the East African region, amid the COVID -19 pandemic. The campaign is set to run for three weeks, from December 1, 2021. It is part of implementation of the EAC Tourism Marketing Strategy and EAC Recovery Plan supported by German Development Agency, GIZ. EAC Secretariat launched the campaign at its headquarters in Northern Tanzania tourist city of Arusha. Tourism contributes significantly to the economies of EAC Partner States and pre-pandemic, contributed 10 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), 17% export earnings and 7% in jobs creation. COVID-19 pandemic saw the sector affected negatively with international tourism arrivals in East Africa dropping by about 67.7%, to an estimated 2.25 million arrivals in 2020 compared to 6.98 million in 2019. EAC Secretary General Dr. Peter Mathuki had encouraged tourism private sector players to extend affordable packages to East Africans so as to entice them into taking advantage of the holiday offers available during the upcoming festive season. “With preferential entry fees and rates now extended to EAC citizens, it is timely for East Africans to explore the diverse cultures, take on adventure safaris and visit exotic beaches amongst other opportunities the region has to offer”, Dr. Mathuki said during the media launch held at the EAC headquarters in Arusha mid-this week. Dr. Mathuki further noted that EAC has developed an EAC Pass that integrates and validates COVID-19 tests and vaccination certificates for EAC Partner States to ease travel across the region. The Tembea Nyumbani campaign is being undertaken by the EAC in collaboration with the East African Tourism Platform that represents the tourism businesses across the region.  Through the campaign, hoteliers and other tourism service providers are being encouraged to promote affordable packages to the EAC citizens. On his part, EAC Director in charge of Productive Sectors, Mr. Jean Baptiste Havugimana noted that the EAC is making strides in ensuring the Single Tourist Visa is adopted by all EAC Partner States. “The Sectoral Council on Tourism and Wildlife Management during their Extra-ordinary meeting held in July this year had recommended that the Secretariat to convene a multisectoral meeting comprising key sectors such as Tourism and Wildlife, Immigration and Security to develop a framework for introduction of the Single Tourist Visa by all the Partner States,” he said. Mr. Havugimana noted that the meeting will be convened in early 2022, adding that once fully adopted the Visa will ease travel by foreign tourists across the entire region. Further, EAC Principal Tourism Officer, Mr. Simon Kiarie, noted that EAC projects that with aggressive tourism efforts both at the regional and national levels; the region will be able to receive about 4 million tourists in next year.  “The tourism sector’s recovery has been on an upward trajectory and we expect that by the year 2024, we will receive about 7 million tourists compared to 2.25 million tourists recorded in 2020”, he noted.

Air Astana will resume flights from Almaty to New Delhi, the capital of India, on 16th December 2021, with three services a week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Departure from Almaty on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays is scheduled for 07:50 and arrival in New Delhi at 11:10, with return flight at 12:20 and arrival in Almaty at 16:40. All times local, with a flight time of 3 hours and 50 minutes in each direction. Air Astana offers convenient connections for passengers travelling from Kyiv, Bishkek, Istanbul, Tbilisi and Baku. Travel Information / Entry Requirements All passengers travelling to New Delhi including children need to fill in New Delhi airport online form. Passengers over 5 years of age additionally need to upload results of PCR test with a negative result obtained within 72 hours before arrival. Prior to boarding on departure and again after arrival, passengers will undergo a thermometric test procedure. In the case of any symptoms of coronavirus being detected, passengers will be sent to a medical facility. Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated passengers are required to take a COVID-19 test on arrival and repeat it at the end of a seven-day home quarantine period. Fully vaccinated passengers are exempted from PCR test on arrival and from home quarantine. Air Astana Air Astana is the flag carrier of Kazakhstan, based in Almaty. It operates scheduled, domestic and international services on 64 routes from its main hub, Almaty International Airport, and from its secondary hub, Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport.

Heads of product and directors of the island’s travel trade companies came together for refresher training sessions on the destination’s selling points, COVID-19 health entry requirements, stay conditions for travelers, as well as a brief on product developments within the destination since the re-opening of the Seychelles border. The sessions, conducted by Bernadette Honore, Tourism Seychelles’ Senior Marketing Executive in La Réunion, aimed to build up momentum and interest among the French department’s travel trade decision makers as well as building up confidence in the destination ahead of the flights to Seychelles next month. “Throughout this pandemic, we have been continuously updating travel trade professionals on the destination, especially in regard to the COVID-19 health regulations and stay conditions for travelers.  Having a one-to-one contact with La Réunion travel trade’s decision makers helps to rebuild the relationships, which our business entails, and mostly importantly, to instill their confidence to sell. Travel trade professionals are key partners in increasing airline load factors. Gaining their commitment to restart sales to Seychelles at this point in time is crucial for the destination and a rebound of visitor traffic from La Réunion to Seychelles,” said Ms. Honore. Air Austral representatives were also present during the two sessions, showcasing the airline’s new fleet of aircraft assigned to regional routes including Seychelles and encouraging the professionals present to push sales to the Seychelles. Both sessions were animated with questions, especially about the health and entry requirements and stay conditions for travelers. At the end of the sessions, La Réunion’s travel trade professionals expressed their satisfaction with having received adequate information to not only pass on to their clientèle, but most importantly, give them the reassurance to travel to Seychelles. The training sessions are part of marketing activities organized by Tourism Seychelles in Réunion. Televised spots will also be aired. The resumption of flights on December 19 will also provide opportunities for residents of the sister Vanilla Island to travel to Seychelles to join cruise vessels sailing within the archipelago’s waters and to explore the Inner and Outer Islands. To note that 5,791 visitors from La Réunion visited the Seychelles in 2019 prior to the pandemic.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited Orlando International Airport in Florida Wednesday and met with aviation leaders to discuss implementing aircraft flight scheduling technology developed by the agency that will soon improve dependability for passengers – which is especially important during peak travel times like the Thanksgiving holiday.  In September, the technology that was tested during NASA’s Airspace Technology Demonstration 2 (ATD-2) was transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Large airports across the country – including Orlando International – will soon implement the technology. Nelson discussed the technology transfer with Greater Orlando Aviation Authority CEO Phil Brown. “NASA’s partnership with the FAA is constantly delivering for the American people, improving the efficiency of the commercial airline industry for the environment and passengers across the country,” Nelson said. “Our flight scheduling technology, which makes it possible for personnel to better coordinate the movements of aircraft while they’re at the airport, will soon help ensure more passengers get off the ground and home for the holidays faster and more efficiently than ever before.” NASA and the FAA completed nearly four years of surface operations research and testing to calculate gate pushbacks through time-based metering at busy hub airports, so that planes can roll directly to the runway to take off and avoid excessive taxi and hold times, reducing fuel use, emissions, and passenger delays.  “As we deploy this software, the travel experience gets better for passengers all the while aviation’s emissions decrease. It’s a win-win,” said FAA Administrator Steve Dickson. “NASA remains a critical partner in the FAA’s efforts to build a sustainable aviation system.” The FAA plans to deploy NASA’s surface metering technology initially to 27 airports, including Orlando International, as part of a larger investment in airport surface management technology called the Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program. Improved efficiency and shifting departure wait time from the taxiway to the gate saves fuel, reduces emissions, and gives airlines and passengers more flexibility in the period prior to leaving the gate.   “The anticipated rollout of the updated TFDM in 2023 aligns with our projections for returning to pre-pandemic passenger traffic the same year,” Brown said. “These updates should result in a smoother experience for the traveling public and enhance ‘The Orlando Experience’ we strive to offer every day at our world-class airport.” NASA’s ATD-2 team first put their aircraft scheduling technology to the test with real-world users in September 2017 at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport. By September 2021, the integrated arrival and departure system (IADS) tools had saved more than 1 million gallons of jet fuel. Those savings were made possible by reducing jet engine run time, which also decreases maintenance costs and saved airlines an estimated nearly $1.4 million in flight crew costs. Overall, passengers were spared 933 hours in flight delays and saved an estimated $4.5 million in value of time.

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the world’s first full-scale mission to test technology for defending Earth against potential asteroid or comet hazards, launched Wednesday at 1:21 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Just one part of NASA‘s larger planetary defense strategy, DART – built and managed by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland – will impact a known asteroid that is not a threat to Earth. Its goal is to slightly change the asteroid’s motion in a way that can be accurately measured using ground-based telescopes. DART will show that a spacecraft can autonomously navigate to a target asteroid and intentionally collide with it – a method of deflection called kinetic impact. The test will provide important data to help better prepare for an asteroid that might pose an impact hazard to Earth, should one ever be discovered. LICIACube, a CubeSat riding with DART provided by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), will be released prior to DART’s impact to capture images of the impact and the resulting cloud of ejected matter. Roughly four years after DART’s impact, ESA’s (European Space Agency) Hera project will conduct detailed surveys of both asteroids, with particular focus on the crater left by DART’s collision and a precise determination of Dimorphos’ mass. “DART is turning science fiction into science fact and is a testament to NASA’s proactivity and innovation for the benefit of all,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “In addition to all the ways NASA studies our universe and our home planet, we’re also working to protect that home, and this test will help prove out one viable way to protect our planet from a hazardous asteroid should one ever be discovered that is headed toward Earth.” At 2:17 a.m., DART separated from the second stage of the rocket. Minutes later, mission operators received the first spacecraft telemetry data and started the process of orienting the spacecraft to a safe position for deploying its solar arrays. About two hours later, the spacecraft completed the successful unfurling of its two, 28-foot-long, roll-out solar arrays. They will power both the spacecraft and NASA’s Evolutionary Xenon Thruster – Commercial ion engine, one of several technologies being tested on DART for future application on space missions.

Singapore’s VTL with India will start with six designated flights daily from Chennai, Delhi, and Mumbai. Applications for vaccinated travel passes for short term and long-term pass holders from India will start from November 29. “Taking such a step-in time of Covid prevalence is indeed a bold move which will not only strengthen the relations between the two countries but will also work as a revival of tourism sector. I strongly feel that more commercial flights are needed to revive inbound tourism to India,” she further quoted. Airlines can also operate non-VTL flights between the two countries, although passengers on non-VTL flights will be subjected to the prevailing public health requirements. “We at TAAI have been in constant dialogue with the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India. The opening of the skies for international commercial passenger routes highlighting our concerns on ease of doing business,” commented Jay Bhatia, Vice President, TAAI. Taking positive efforts, TAAI Southern Region in association with the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) organized a travel webinar earlier this year in July which witnessed a large participation. “Such productive decisions are always welcomed by tourism sector and travel associations as the good part of the economy is dependent on travel and tourism. Economy everywhere needs a good revival especially after Covid trauma,” said Bettaiah Lokesh, Hon Secretary General, TAAI. “Travel agents continue to be acknowledged as one stop solutions for customers, guiding and professionally managing all aspects of domestic and/or international travel which now includes complying with Covid requirements of departing and arriving at destinations,” said Shreeram Patel, Hon Treasurer, TAAI as he also extended his thanks to the authorities of both the countries.

Tourism Australia is excited to be welcoming back travelers from South Korea to Australia, following today’s announcement that Australia is reopening its borders to quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated South Korean citizens from 1 December. The announcement is part of Australia‘s phased re-opening to international travel and builds on quarantine free travel arrangement with Singapore, which came into effect on 21 November. “The announcement today enabling fully vaccinated travelers from South Korea to travel to Australia from 1 December is an exciting and significant next step in rebuilding international visitation from this key tourism market,” Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison said. “Australia has long been a popular outbound destination for travelers from South Korea, with 280,000 travelling to our country pre-COVID, and we are really excited that we will have the opportunity to welcome visitors from this important travel market once again. “With the reopening of travel from South Korea, Tourism Australia will soon be kicking off dedicated marketing activity to urge travelers to come and enjoy all the incredible tourism experiences that await them in Australia,” Ms Harrison said.

Unical Aviation Inc. announced today it has appointed Sharon Green as the company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective December 1. Ms. Green will replace Platinum Equity Managing Director Dori Konig, who is serving as Unical‘s interim CEO. Platinum Equity acquired Unical in August. “This appointment is another important step in commitment to invest in Unical’s success and further strengthen its position in the global aerospace aftermarket,” said Mr. Konig. “Sharon is a proven leader who knows the industry and its customers, and has an exceptional track record for generating results. Her unique combination of management skill and sector expertise make her the ideal fit for Unical‘s next chapter of growth.” Most recently, Ms. Green served as Chief Executive Officer for GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) Materials business, a premier distributor of airframe and engine components. Ms. Green joined GE in 2007 and went on to serve as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer at GECAS. She previously served as Chief Financial Officer for The Memphis Group. “I’m thrilled to join Unical at such an exciting time for the company and the industry,” said Ms. Green. “Unical has a well-deserved reputation as a trusted partner to aviation customers around the world. As air passenger traffic continues to rebound and the air cargo market continues to grow, Unical has an extraordinary opportunity to build on its success and reach even greater heights.” Founded in 1990 and headquartered in City of Industry, CA, Unical Aviation Inc. has more than 350 employees and supplies aircraft parts and components to over 2,100 aviation customers around the globe through a network of dedicated facilities in the United States, Europe and Asia. With more than 85 million parts and over 1.3 million unique airframe and engine part numbers in stock, Unical is one of the largest suppliers of new and used serviceable material for the global aerospace industry. The company sources, re-certifies and resells aircraft parts to commercial airlines, cargo operators, aircraft lessors, and aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) businesses. Unical is vertically integrated with its repair stations, providing a competitive advantage with quick to market service. Ms. Green earned a Bachelor of Accountancy from University of Mississippi and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from Christian Brothers University.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) called on governments to adopt simple, predictable and practical measures to safely and efficiently facilitate the ramping-up of international travel as borders re-open. Specifically, IATA urged governments to focus on three key areas: Simplified health protocolsDigital solutions to process health credentialsCOVID-19 measures proportionate to risk levels with a continuous review process The industry’s vision to address the complexity is outlined in the newly released policy paper: From Restart to Recovery: A Blueprint for Simplifying Travel.  “As governments are establishing processes to re-open borders, in line with what they agreed in the Ministerial Declaration of the ICAO High Level Conference of COVID-19, the Blueprint will help them with good practices and practical considerations. Over the next months we need to move from individual border openings to the restoration of a global air transport network that can reconnect communities and facilitate economic recovery,” said Conrad Clifford, IATA’s Deputy Director General. The Blueprint aims to facilitate the efficient ramping-up of global connectivity. “We must have processes in place to safely and efficiently manage the ramping-up of international travel as borders re-open. With over 18 months of pandemic operational experience and traveler feedback we know that a laser-focus on simplicity, predictability and practicality is essential. That is not the reality today. Over 100,000 COVID-19 related measures have been implemented by governments worldwide. This complexity is a barrier to global mobility that is exacerbated by the inconsistencies these measures have created among states,” said Clifford. Focus Areas Simplified health protocols: The aim must be protocols that are simple, consistent, and predictable.  Key recommendations include: Remove all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine.Enable quarantine-free travel for non-vaccinated travelers with a negative pre-departure antigen test result. These recommendations are supported by public opinion research of travelers which revealed that: 80% believe that vaccinated people should be able to travel freely81% believe that testing before travel is an acceptable alternative to vaccination73% believe that quarantine is not necessary for vaccinated travelers

He noted that since the reopening of Jamaica’s borders to international travel in June 2020, “this is the highest number of visitors to arrive at the Sangster International Airport in any single day since COVID-19 devastated the tourism industry worldwide and grounded international flights.” Minister Bartlett said airlines have been showing renewed interest in flying to Jamaica and last week, in the wake of the Government lifting some COVID-related restrictions for visitors, the numbers have been rising steadily. “We are not yet into the traditional high season but there is an eagerness by travelers to get away from their restricted environments of the past 18 months and the fact that Jamaica has not lost its appeal, we are seeing the bookings moving upwards at a welcome rate,” the tourism minister said. Regarding airlines, new gateways to Jamaica are being added to the existing slate. Since the beginning of November, Jamaica has welcomed United States (US)-based Frontier Airlines, which commenced flights from Atlanta, Georgia, and Orlando, Florida; Eurowings Discover coming out of Frankfurt, Germany; American Airlines’ new service out of Philadelphia; and the return of Air Transat out of Canada. Meanwhile, Regional Director of Tourism at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB), Odette Dyer noted there is growing interest among travel agents about Jamaica’s preparedness in the wake of COVID-19. “We had some large familiarization groups last week, coinciding with several on-island activities, including the Jamaica Invitational Pro-Am in Montego Bay, so they were able to leave knowing that we are fully prepared,” she said.

Within the framework of the 45th edition of the Tianguis Turístico México 2021, the Guatemalan company TAG Airlines announced its new air route that will connect Guatemala City with Mérida, Yucatán, in a direct flight that will begin operations in the first quarter of 2022 with four weekly frequencies and attractive competitive rates. “We appreciate the trust of the authorities of the state of Yucatan, and TAG Airlines have the objective of advancing in the strengthening of air connectivity with all the states that make up the Maya World region, and Yucatan is, without a doubt, a strategic destination,” said Julio Gamero, CEO of TAG Airlines. In the company of Marcela Toriello, President of the Board of Directors of TAG Airlines, Gamero said: “today we will endorse tag airlines’ commitment to promoting the development of the aviation and tourism industry, which are two important engines for the economic growth of our towns, while thanking mayor Renan Barrera for his role as facilitator of this new route.” The governor of the State of Yucatan, Mauricio Vila, celebrated the upcoming start of operations of TAG Airlines in the state, and said that the joint work will result in the Yucatan and Guatemala doing well. He stressed that this new air route will contribute to strengthening the ties of unity between the two peoples, as well as the economic development of the Mayan World region. For his part, the mayor of Mérida, Renan Barrera Concha, said that the arrival of TAG Airlines in the Yucatecan capital is one of the good news that the sector expected, especially within the framework of the Tianguis Turístico Mérida 2021. He said that air connectivity will undoubtedly encourage the development of tourism and business. Yucatan offers the leisure and business traveler important attractions, among which the cosmopolitan city of Merida, the archaeological zone of Chichen Itza (considered one of the wonders of the world), Valladolid, Izamal, in addition to its great cultural, natural and gastronomic wealth. Meanwhile, Guatemala, as the heart of the Mayan world, offers a wide diversity of cultural and commercial attractions, and represents the main gateway to the Central American region. TAG Airlines is a 100 percent Guatemalan company that for 50 years has maintained a firm commitment to air connectivity and development. It currently operates 27 daily flights in Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Belize and Mexico, with a modern fleet of more than 20 aircraft. TAG Airlines recently began operations in Mexico, with air routes connecting Guatemala City with Cancun and Tapachula, as well as the route between Cancun and the city of Flores, in the Petén region.

Air Canada announced today that it has significantly increased cargo capacity into and out of Vancouver between November 21 and 30 from its hubs in Toronto, Montreal and Calgary as it works to ensure that the vital economic supply chain links in British Columbia are maintained following the impacts of last week’s flooding. In total, Air Canada is adding 586 tons of cargo capacity, representing 3,223 cubic meters to support B.C.’s economic supply chain and the needs of its communities. The additional capacity is equivalent in weight to approximately 860 adult moose. “The economic supply chain is vital, and to help support the urgent transport of goods into and out of British Columbia, we have increased capacity to our YVR hub by using the flexibility of Air Canada‘s fleet to reschedule 28 passenger flights from narrow-body aircraft to be operated with wide-body Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Boeing 777, and Airbus A330-300 aircraft. These changes will allow an additional 282 tons of goods to be moved across the country on our scheduled passenger flights,” said Jason Berry, Vice President, Cargo, at Air Canada. “Additionally, Air Canada Cargo will operate an additional 13 all-cargo flights between our Toronto, Montreal and Calgary cargo hubs and YVR using widebody aircraft, providing approximately 304 tons of additional capacity. These aircraft will help move mail and perishables such as seafood, as well as automotive parts and other industrial goods,” concluded Mr. Berry. Air Canada is also working with its regional partner Jazz Aviation to provide additional regional cargo capacity by temporarily converting an Air Canada Express De Havilland Dash 8-400 from its normal passenger configuration into a special freighter configuration. This Dash 8-400 Simplified Package Freighter operated by Jazz can carry a total of 18,000 lbs. (8,165 kg) of cargo and will be deployed to transport critical goods, as well as consumer and industrial goods and will be in service as early as this week. Last week, as the impact of the devastating floods became apparent, Air Canada quickly added capacity to the Air Canada Cargo network by substituting larger widebody aircraft on 14 passenger flights into Vancouver. In addition to the extra cargo capacity, Air Canada had also increased the number of seats available for customers in Kelowna and Kamloops since November 17, adding approximately 1,500 seats into both communities by utilizing larger aircraft on routes. This enabled people affected by the highway closures to fly into and out from these airports, and through the cargo capacity of these passenger aircraft, also allowed for the important transport of emergency medical supplies into these regions. Air Canada continues to monitor the situation in British Columbia very closely and will adjust its passenger and cargo schedule accordingly.

Vietnam’s holiday island of Phu Quoc welcomed more than 200 fully vaccinated tourists from South Korea today. South Korean visitors are the first foreign tourists to Vietnam since the country shut its borders closed almost two years ago to stop the spread of the coronavirus infections. Vietnam closed its borders in March of 2020, shortly after confirming its first reported COVID-19 infection case. Since then, Vietnam allowed only several international flights a week with foreign experts, diplomats and returning Vietnamese nationals. Those international arrivals must undergo a 14-day quarantine in designated hotels or government-run facilities. Today, the fully vaccinated South Korean tourists were tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, and once the negative results are returned, they can enjoy all tourist activities on the island without a mandatory 14-day quarantine. South Korean visitors will be able to freely enjoy sightseeing, shopping and entertainment events that require vaccine certificates. According to Vietnam’s Health Ministry, all staff members working in the island’s service facilities and 99% of Phu Quoc’s adult residents have been fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus. The island is also planning to vaccinate children aged 12 to 17 next month. Vietnam is the latest country in Asia to join Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia in reopening their borders to fully vaccinated foreign visitors. Thailand was the first has started to allow the limited number of fully vaccinated foreign visitors to Phuket island before expanding to other areas, including Bangkok, starting from November 1. The Indonesian tourist island of Bali opened to arrivals last month with some restrictions including testing and a five-day hotel quarantine. Malaysia opened up Langkawi island under a pilot ‘COVID-19 bubble’ program.

 After careful appraisal of ongoing passenger volumes, SAA is adjusting its flight schedules to accommodate passenger requirements.  The airline will remove from the schedule its daily return service to Maputo in Mozambique. The decision is effective from December 1, 2021, and passengers holding tickets will be accommodated on codeshare flights operated by Mozambique Airlines, TM (LAM).  SAA’s Interim Executive Commercial Simon Newton-Smith says, “When SAA resumed operations at the end of September, we committed to constantly monitor passenger volumes and revenue on all routes. Demand on this service has not met expectations and for the time being, this change is in line with our strategy of being a transparent management and fiscally responsible.”  Newton-Smith says taking upon two new routes, to Lagos in Nigeria and Mauritius has been encouraging and new services to other destinations are also being considered for 2022.  Other adjustments being made for the December ’21 and January ’22 holiday season, are due to the expected slow demand on traditionally non-travel days, as customers spend their time with families and friends.  Return flights to Accra in Ghana have been adjusted and will not operate on 25th December 2021 and 1st January 2022. Kinshasa, DRC flights have been adjusted and will not operate on 24th December 2021 and 31st December 2021. All Passengers will be accommodated on the next available SAA flights.  SAA had operated 4 days a week to Lusaka from September to 30 November 2021. SAA had scheduled additional frequencies to fly 7 days a week from December, however further adjustments were made to the schedule to operate 5 days a week from the 1st of December. Affected passengers will be accommodated on the next available SAA flights.  Notes Newton-Smith, “No airline likes to cancel flights but we are committed to success and sustainability of our airline, whilst we meet our valued customer requirements. We apologize to customers for any inconvenience and full assistance will be provided to all customers holding an SAA ticket on flights that are withdrawn from the schedule.  Customers should refer to issuing offices for assistance.” Passengers who no longer wish to travel may cancel their booking and are able to receive a full refund (inclusive of taxes) or opt for the credit voucher which will be offered to the original form of payment.  Newton-Smith says customers who have booked through a travel agent should contact them directly and if tickets were brought online or through the SAA call center customers can contact SAA Trade Support via e-mail at [email protected] Customers who booked through an overseas SAA call center should contact their local SAA office. 

Africans will never forget the crash of Boeing 737 Max in Ethiopia and how the Western media rushed to blame Ethiopian pilots! Today Boeing is confirmed to be the guilty party, and the tone in the media has changed. Today the United States is warning pilots about Addis Ababa International Airport to be unsafe because of the TPLF TerroristGroup firepower! No armed group can march into Addis Ababa! There is no armed group able to do so. This and many other messages are flooding social media channels. The fact remains the United States is warning pilots that planes operating at one of Africa’s busiest airports could be “directly or indirectly exposed to ground weapons fire and/or surface-to-air missiles” as Ethiopia’s war nears the capital, Addis Ababa. Ethiopians are at the edge due to the United States warnings and America’s warning for Americans to leave the country. The message is: Don’t use Ethiopian Airlines. Tweets say the aim is for America to cripple the Ethiopian economy. This is undeclared war by the USA!!! The Federal Aviation Administration advisory issued Wednesday cites the “ongoing clashes” between Ethiopian forces and fighters from the northern Tigray region, which have killed thousands of people in a year of the war. The U.S. this week urged its citizens in Ethiopia to “leave now,” saying there should be no expectation of an Afghanistan-style evacuation. Diplomatic efforts to stop the fighting have met resistance, but Kenya’s president told visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday that Ethiopia’s prime minister in a meeting on Sunday gave the impression he was ready to consider several proposals to ease tensions and reduce violence, a senior State Department official said. In the meantime tweets from Ethiopia are demanding for the US to stop scaring people, claiming Addis Ababa is safe. Other tweets are suggesting for the Addis Ababa-based African Union to pack up and move to another African country. African Tourism Board Chairman Cuthbert Ncube said: “I flew on Ethiopian through Addis Ababa several times in the last few days and met with airline officials.” There is no imminent danger, and Ethiopian Airlines’ leadership should be trusted in their decision to operate the airline safely.” “I hope a further escalation of the civil conflict can be avoided”

Starting on December 12, 2021, South African Airways (SAA) will add another important continental route to its network with a three-times a week flight fromJohannesburg to Lagos in Nigeria. SAA has been flying to Nigeria for the past 23 years and the resumption of the service is a welcome addition to its growing network on the African continent. “This specific destination takes SAA into one of the biggest travel markets in Africa and we’re delighted that we are again able to resume operations, providing a link between Africa’s two biggest economies,” said Thomas Kgokolo, Interim CEO of South African Airways. The relaunch of service between Johannesburg and Lagos is part of SAA’s gradual growth strategy, having resumed full operations in September on the domestic South Africa and regional Africa routes. “Our intention is to continue to develop our route network driven by passenger demand and revenue potential. We are constantly evaluating opportunities in the local, regional and international markets,” adds Kgokolo. Not only does the new Johannesburg-Lagos route function as a key commercial and economic link between the two countries but will also service the burgeoning tourism market in both countries. SAA will continue in partnership with South African Tourism to promote the country in Nigeria with the expectation that it will generate more visitors now that international pandemic travel restrictions are being revised.

As of today, travelers can enjoy year-round, nonstop service between Mineta San José International Airport (SJC) and Palm Springs international Airport (PSP), thanks to  Alaska Airlines. The daily flights depart Mineta San José at 8:10 a.m., arriving in Palm Springs just before 9:30 a.m., daily. For those in Palm Springs, the daily flight to San José departs at 10:10 a.m. “Nonstop service to Palm Springs has been a top-requested route for several years,” said John Aitken, SJC Director of Aviation. “This link between Silicon Valley and Coachella Valley is an incredibly exciting sign of recovery, and both regions will benefit from the convenient, daily service.” “Securing nonstop service to San José has been a priority for Palm Springs International Airport,” said Ulises Aguirre, Executive Director of Aviation for the City of Palm Springs. “San José, along with the rest of Bay Area, is a top destination for residents and businesses in the Coachella Valley and we’re thankful to Alaska Airlines for connecting PSP to SJC.” The 80-minute flight operates aboard an Embraer 175 aircraft, with 76 seats; 12 in business and 64 in economy. Launch of service kicks off the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, which begins today, with Mineta San José International expecting 400,000 travelers through next weekend. 

Two US T-38C Talon supersonic training jets were involved in ‘an aircraft accident’ on the runway of the Laughlin Air Force Base, located near Del Rio, Texas near the US-Mexico border, around 10am local time today. According to a statement from Laughlin AFB, one pilot has been killed and two others were injured during a runway ‘mishap.’ One pilot died on the scene. Another was taken to the Val Verde Regional Medical Center in Del Rio, treated and released. The third pilot involved in the ‘accident’ is in critical condition, and was evacuated to the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. Their names are being withheld pending the notification of their next of kin. “Losing teammates is unbelievably painful and it is with a heavy heart I express my sincere condolences,” said Colonel Craig Prather, commander of the 47th Flying Training Wing. “Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with our pilots involved in this mishap and their families.” The twin-engine Northrop T-38 is the world’s first supersonic training jet, and has been in service with the US Air Force since 1959. It is scheduled for replacement by the Boeing T-7 Red Hawk starting in 2023.

CMA CGM Group and Airbus have signed a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the purchase of four A350F freighter aircraft. The order, which is subject to finalization in the coming weeks, will lift CMA CGM’s total Airbus fleet to nine aircraft, including five A330-200F. The aircraft will be operated by CMA CGM AIR CARGO, the recently launched air cargo activity of CMA CGM Group. “We are proud to welcome CMA CGM AIR CARGO in the group of operators for the A350F and we are equally pleased to support the company’s future strategic development,” said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. ”The A350F will fit seamlessly into the carrier’s existing fleet of Airbus freighters. Thanks to its composite airframe and latest technology engines, it will bring unbeatable efficiency in terms of fuel burn, economics and CO₂  emissions, empowering the long-term sustainable growth of the Group.” Scherer adds: “Having an early endorsement by such an international cargo powerhouse as the CMA CGM Group is very gratifying.” The A350F is based on the world’s most modern long range leader, the A350. The aircraft features a large main deck cargo door and a fuselage length optimized for cargo operations. Over 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials resulting in a 30t lighter take-off weight, generating an at least 20% lower fuel burn over its current closest competitor. With a 109t payload capability (+3t payload/ 11% more volume than its competition), the A350F serves all cargo markets (Express, general cargo, special cargo…) and is in the large freighter category the only new generation freighter aircraft ready for the enhanced 2027 ICAO CO₂ emissions standards.

The daily Alaska Airlines flights depart Mineta San José at 8:10 a.m., arriving in Palm Springs just before 9:30 a.m., daily. For those in Palm Springs, the daily flight to San José departs at 10:10 a.m. “Nonstop service to Palm Springs has been a top-requested route for several years,” said John Aitken, SJC Director of Aviation. “This link between Silicon Valley and Coachella Valley is an incredibly exciting sign of recovery, and both regions will benefit from the convenient, daily service.” “Securing nonstop service to San José has been a priority for Palm Springs International Airport,” said Ulises Aguirre, Executive Director of Aviation for the City of Palm Springs. “San José, along with the rest of Bay Area, is a top destination for residents and businesses in the Coachella Valley and we’re thankful to Alaska for connecting PSP to SJC.” The 80-minute flight operates aboard an Embraer 175 aircraft, with 76 seats; 12 in business and 64 in the economy. The launch of the service kicks off the busy Thanksgiving holiday period, which begins today, with Mineta San José International expecting 400,000 travelers through next weekend.  SJC offers the following to help travelers de-stress at the Airport this holiday season: New Online Parking Reservations are available at flysanjose.com/parkingNew Kids’ Zoom Zone near Gate 25New Trader Vick’s Restaurant in Terminal BLive Guitarists are Strolling the Terminals through 11/25Airport Ambassadors in the Terminals to provide traveler assistance “The Lounge at SJC” is openSunflower Lanyard Program (for travelers w hidden disabilities) Those traveling this holiday season are reminded to wear a face-covering at the Airport and aboard aircraft. SJC recommends arriving at least two hours ahead of flight time to allow for parking, ticketing, and screening, and to check with airlines for any flight changes. Travelers departing from SJC can plan ahead and save money by booking airport parking online. To reserve Airport Parking online and see real-time parking availability, visit  flysanjose.com/parking. SJC: Transforming How Silicon Valley TravelsMineta San José International Airport (SJC) is Silicon Valley’s airport, a self-supporting enterprise owned and operated by the City of San Jose. The airport, now in its 71st year, served nearly 15.7 million passengers in 2019, with nonstop service across North America and to Europe and Asia. For more airport information, visit https://www.flysanjose.com.

If you’re looking for a new international destination to escape to – with an unbeatable mix of beaches, adventures and heritage that’s not too far away from the West Coast – it’s time to consider sun-splashed Belize. To make that trip planning easier, Alaska Airlines began nonstop service today to Belize City from Seattle (SEA) and Los Angeles (LAX). From Belize’s capital city, the sky’s the limit for exploration and fun. Given the strong demand for flights to Belize and building on our prior announcement of seasonal service in the winter, Alaska Airlines now intends to fly the Los Angeles-Belize City route year-round. “For nearly two decades the Belizean market has been on our radar. We’re thrilled to now be inaugurating service from both Seattle and Los Angeles,” said Brett Catlin, vice president of network and alliances at Alaska Airlines. “Belize offers terrific family-friendly, eco-conscious possibilities – from iconic islands to lush jungles and ancient sites. And it’s closer than you might think: From L.A., it’s only a five-hour flight, and from Seattle it’s six hours.” “In addition to attracting greater business investment and human capital, this new flight will also spur tourism which is essential for Belize‘s prosperity. It comes at a very opportune time as it further boosts the industry’s recovery efforts,” noted Hon. Anthony Mahler, Minister of Tourism & Diaspora Relations. “We therefore value our partnership with Alaska Airlines in providing such a vital connectivity for travelers from the West Coast interested in reinvigorating themselves and relaxing in our tropical jewel while immersing in a rich, unique cultural experience.” Alaska’s service to Belize operates four times a week between Los Angeles and Belize City (BZE) and twice weekly between Seattle and Belize City – just in time for the holiday season. StartsEndsCity PairDepartsArrivesFrequencyAircraftNov. 19Year-roundLAX – BZE11:00 a.m.5:30 p.m.M, W, F, Sa737-800Nov. 20Year-roundBZE – LAX10:00 a.m.1:30 p.m.T, Th, Sa, Su737-800Nov. 19May 21SEA – BZE8:30 a.m.4:35 p.m.F, Sa737-800Nov. 20May 22BZE – SEA11:00 a.m.3:55 p.m.Sa, Su737-800

Qatar Airways’ inaugural flight from Doha to Almaty in Kazakhstan landed at Almaty International Airport on Friday, 19 November 2021, marking the launch of the airline’s newest gateway in Central Asia. Operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, flight QR0391 was welcomed with an opening ceremony attended by Qatar Ambassador to Kazakhstan, His Excellency Mr. Abdulaziz Sultan Al-Rumaihi; Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Eastern Regions, Mr. Marwan Koleilat; Chairman of Aviation Committee of Kazakhstan, Mr. Talgat Lastayev; President of Almaty International Airport, Mr. Alp Er Tunga Ersoy and a host of airport and government officials from Kazakhstan. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “We are delighted to launch direct services to Almaty, which reflects the close relationship between the State of Qatar and Kazakhstan. Almaty is continuing to grow in popularity with our passengers for both business and leisure purposes, attracting travelers who wish to enjoy its rich culture, cuisine and natural scenery. “This important new gateway will provide enhanced connectivity to both business and leisure travelers, and will help connect passengers from Kazakhstan to our extensive global network of more than 140 destinations worldwide.” President of Almaty International Airport, Mr. Alp Er Tunga Ersoy, said: ““We are very happy to welcome the first passenger flight from Doha by Qatar Airways which is one the 5-star airlines in the world. Citizens of Kazakhstan will enjoy using high-level service quality on board and can discover more than 140 destinations. Besides, we believe that this route will help to develop the relationship between the two countries not only in tourism but also economic and culture. I would like to extend my gratitude to the management of Qatar Airways for their effort to open this route during the COVID-19 pandemic.” The new direct services to Almaty will be operated by an Airbus A320 aircraft, featuring 12 seats in Business Class and 120 seats in Economy Class. As well as enjoying the award-winning in-flight service on board, passengers travelling to Kazakhstan will also have access to Oryx One, Qatar Airways’ in-flight entertainment system, offering the latest blockbuster movies, TV box sets, music, games and much more.

Brussels Airlines accelerated and intensified in 2020 its transformation plan Reboot Plus, in order to pave the way for a future-proof company that is able to face the competition, with a sound and healthy cost structure.After the restructuring, the company started the second phase of its Reboot Plus plan: the build-up and improvement phase.The Belgian company is transforming to become a healthy, profitable airline that offers perspectives to its customers, partners and employees. Today, Brussels Airlines (www.BrusselsAirlines.com) presents a new brand identity, confirming its position in the market as Belgium’s home carrier and the Africa expert of the Lufthansa Group. Updated colors, a new logo and aircraft livery are the visual token of the airline’s new chapter, stating its readiness for future challenges and reemphasizing on the importance of the Belgian brand. A chapter with a strong focus on customer experience, reliability and sustainability while keeping a competitive cost-structure. As a consequence of the COVID-19 crisis, Brussels Airlines accelerated and intensified in 2020 its transformation plan Reboot Plus, in order to pave the way for a future-proof company that is able to face the competition, with a sound and healthy cost structure.    After the restructuring, the company started the second phase of its Reboot Plus plan: the build-up and improvement phase. Brussels Airlines now turns its attention to the future with strategic investments in an improved customer experience, new technologies, digitization, new ways of working, and the development of its employees. The Belgian company is transforming to become a healthy, profitable airline that offers perspectives to its customers, partners and employees; an airline with a constant focus on the environment and the reduction of its ecological footprint. A New Brussels Airlines. “We want to clearly mark the start of the New Brussels Airlines. For our customers, who deserve the best, but also for our employees, who are committed to the transformation that we’re pushing forward and to which they contribute every day. That is why today we present the visual translation of our new start. With this new brand identity, we are ready to show our customers, our employees, our partners and all other stakeholders that we are turning a page. As one of the four Lufthansa Group network airlines, we are building the way towards a promising future.  We see this new brand identity as a symbol of confidence in our company – re-emphasizing our identity as Belgium’s home carrier.” – Peter Gerber, CEO of Brussels Airlines.

Heathrow teams up with Microsoft, UK Border Force CITES and Smiths Detection to deploy the world’s first artificial intelligence system that spots and aims to stop wildlife trafficking through airports.Project SEEKER was demonstrated to HRH The Duke of Cambridge at an event in Microsoft’s UK headquarters today.Following the pioneering trials at Heathrow, Microsoft calls for global transport hubs to use the system to help combat the $23bn illegal wildlife trafficking industry. Heathrow has teamed up with Microsoft to trial the world’s first artificial intelligence system to combat illegal wildlife trafficking. ‘Project SEEKER’ detects animal trafficking in cargo and baggage passing through the airport by scanning up to 250,000 bags a day. It recorded a 70%+ successful detection rate and was particularly effective at identifying ivory items such as tusks and horns. By identifying more trafficked items and earlier, authorities have more time, scope and information to pursue criminal traffickers and combat the $23bn illegal wildlife trafficking industry. In addition to Microsoft, Project SEEKER has been developed in partnership with UK Border Force and Smiths Detection and is supported by the Royal Foundation. Microsoft developers have taught Project SEEKER to identify animals or products such illegal products used in medicines, and trials at Heathrow have demonstrated the algorithm can be trained on any species in just two months. The technology automatically alerts security and Border Force officers when it detects an illegal wildlife item in a cargo or baggage scanner, and objects seized can then be used as evidence in criminal proceedings against smugglers.   The Duke of Cambridge visited Microsoft‘s headquarters to hear about the potential of this technology as part of his work with The Royal Foundation’s United for Wildlife program. To support the development of this new technology, the Project SEEKER team was able to benefit from United for Wildlife’s global network of expertise on the illegal wildlife trade. In addition, United for Wildlife will be working with its partner organizations in the transport sector to support the global roll out of the SEEKER capability. Jonathan Coen, Director of Security at Heathrow Airport, said: “Project SEEKER and our partnership with Microsoft and Smiths Detection will keep us one step ahead of traffickers, by exploring new technology that will help us protect the world’s most precious wildlife. We now need to see more transport hubs deploy this innovative system, if we are to take meaningful action on a global scale against this illegal industry.” United for Wildlife aims to make it impossible for traffickers to transport, finance or profit from illegal wildlife products by building crucial relationships between the transport and finance sectors, Non-governmental organizations and law enforcement agencies and encouraging the sharing of information and best practice between these stakeholders. United for Wildlife has been working with organizations like Microsoft to raise awareness of technology that can support efforts to disrupt the criminal trade of wildlife products globally.

The help alliance is the central pillar of the Lufthansa Group’s social commitment.As an internationally operating company and part of the German and international community, the Lufthansa Group assumes responsibility for current social challenges beyond its actual business activities.The non-profit limited liability company supports numerous projects around the world that provide young people in particular with access to education and enable them to lead self-determined lives. help alliance, the aid organization of Lufthansa Group, and Mastercard are looking forward to this year’s RTL Donation Marathon, which will take place on November 18 and 19, 2021. Viewers can already donate from tomorrow for the joint aid project “First-class pre-school education for children” in the township of Capricorn in Cape Town, South Africa, and thus support the construction of the new iThemba pre-school. Since 2019, the strong partnership of help alliance, Mastercard and “RTL – We help children” has been collaborating with celebrity patron Beatrice Egli to give children from the township access to quality education and thus free them from the downward spiral of poverty, unemployment and crime. So that the youngest children can soon learn side by side with the primary school children, the joint project is now being expanded: with the donations from this year’s RTL Donation Marathon, the new building for the preschool is now also to be constructed on the grounds of the iThemba primary school. “With our project, we want to bring hope (“iThemba” in Zulu) into the lives of the children – through access to quality pre-school education for the youngest children in the township. The need for pre-school places is very high there, which is why the pre-school on the existing premises has by far reached its capacity limits. With the support of “RTL – We help children” and Mastercard, it will be possible to build a new preschool building and thus make early education possible for a total of 140 disadvantaged children,” says Susanne French, Lufthansa Purser, help alliance advisory board member and volunteer iThemba project coordinator. Peter Bakenecker, President Central Europe at Mastercard, is also looking forward to the next joint project milestone and is thrilled that the expansion of the primary school, which was initiated in 2019, was successfully completed this summer despite Corona restrictions: “The fact that the construction work on the iThemba Primary School was completed on time despite the difficult conditions shows how much drive and energy is being put into the work on site. We are all the more pleased to continue to be part of the joint project and thus create a place of refuge and a perspective for the little ones”. The iThemba education project in Cape Town was founded 15 years ago with the iThemba Pre School as a kindergarten and preschool to offer educational opportunities for disadvantaged children from socially disadvantaged families. The pre-school has always focused on a holistic approach and teaches social skills in addition to Mathematics and English language lessons. Everyday school life and learning together teach respectful interaction and have a positive effect on the children and their environment. Every euro donated in the RTL Donation Marathon will go towards the realization of the new preschool building without a cent deduction, so that in future the preschool and primary school children in Capricorn will be able to learn on the same ground.

WestJet’s new non-stop route from YYC to London Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, is welcomed by those looking to access the world’s premier financial and business center and those eager for a direct connection to explore London’s culture and landmarks. Heathrow is a critical access point for business and leisure travelers and will be of great benefit to investors and tourists .Air access is key to Alberta’s economic recovery and growth of the tourism industry. WestJet today announced it will add non-stop service to London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) beginning early Spring 2022. As WestJet continues to increase global connectivity from Western Canada, the addition of non-stop service between Calgary and London-Heathrow signals confidence in the recovery of business and leisure travel between both destinations. “As the airline with the most flights from Alberta, this is an important recovery milestone as we forge new connections between Canada and one of the world’s most sought after global hubs,” said John Weatherill, WestJet Chief Commercial Officer. “We continue to strengthen our network, offering more options for business and leisure travelers and these investments will expedite our industry’s recovery while ensuring Western Canada builds back from the pandemic more connected than ever before.” As confidence in business and leisure travel continues to rise, WestJet‘s newest route will operate this spring on the airline’s 787 Dreamliner. WestJet’s 787 service features the airline’s Business Cabin including lie-flat pods, dining on demand and elevated Premium and Economy Cabin options. “We are committed to the expansion of our global hub in Calgary and supporting the recovery of many sectors who rely on travel and tourism,” continued Weatherill. “As the airline with the most non-stop European destinations from YYC, we are looking forward to guests benefitting from more options and increased connectivity for travel between Canada and the UK.” With the addition of Heathrow to WestJet’s network this spring, WestJet will connect Calgary to 77 non-stop destinations throughout the year.  WestJet will also continue to offer non-stop flights between Calgary, Vancouver, Toronto and Halifax to London, Gatwick. Additional network details for travel between Calgary and London-Heathrow including frequency, timing and introductory pricing will be available, and for sale, in the coming weeks.

Qatar Airways welcomed the ultra-modern, fuel efficient jet to Doha International Airport.The 777-9 builds on the passenger-preferred and market-leading 777 and 787 Dreamliner families.The aircraft will remain in Qatar before returning to Seattle’s Boeing Field to continue its rigorous test program. Qatar Airways today showcased its role as a global launch customer for the latest generation Boeing 777-9 aircraft after welcoming the ultra-modern, fuel efficient jet to Doha International Airport (DIA). A host of VIP guests joined Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, to share in the arrival of the aircraft, which will remain in Qatar before returning to Seattle’s Boeing Field to continue its rigorous test program. The aircraft, which is anticipated to join the award-winning airline’s fleet in the near future, will be the world’s largest and most efficient twin-engine jet, delivering 20 percent lower fuel consumption and emissions than previous generation aircraft. Key technologies enabling this efficiency are its new carbon-fiber composite wing, new engines and natural laminar flow nacelles. Boeing 777-9 builds on the passenger-preferred and market-leading 777 and 787 Dreamliner families to deliver the flight experience of the future. Passengers and crew alike will enjoy a more comfortable cabin altitude, better humidity, a smoother ride, a wider cabin, larger windows and a spacious architecture. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “It was back in 2013 that Qatar Airways Group initially announced its planned investment in the Boeing’s latest generation aircraft. “After visiting the Boeing factory in Everett, Washington in September 2018, we had the opportunity to view the 777-9 up close in person, but today marks the first chance for the airline and our esteemed VIP guests to witness our significant commitment to this incredible aircraft here in Qatar as it arrives for the first time. “We are tremendously proud to be a global launch customer for this industry-leading product, and to be able to showcase our commitment towards continuing to support our thriving global network with a fleet that includes the youngest, most technologically-advanced and efficient twin-engine aircraft in the world.”  Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, Mr. Stan Deal, said:  “We are honored by Qatar Airways’ enduring commitment to the 777-9 and to the partnership and innovation it represents. With its unprecedented improvement in fuel efficiency and emissions and new levels of comfort, we look forward to seeing the 777-9 delight Qatar Airway’s passengers for many years to come.”

SITA’s biometric-enabled kiosks and baggage messaging services transform Frankfurt Airport.SITA’s TS6 check-in kiosks allow passengers to check in quickly and obtain bag tags for later self-bag drop services.The kiosks work in concert with SITA Flex and offer passengers a unified user experience across multiple airlines. SITA, the technology provider for the air transport industry, has announced a large-scale technology deployment at Frankfurt Airport to enhance the passenger experience and increase the airport’s operational efficiency. The deployment features the installation of 87 biometric-enabled SITA TS6 Kiosks and is expected to be completed later this year. SITA‘s versatile TS6 check-in kiosks allow passengers to check in quickly and obtain bag tags for later self-bag drop services. The kiosks work in concert with SITA Flex and offer passengers a unified user experience across multiple airlines, increasing ease of use while also reducing physical touchpoints. Passengers remain in control of their self-service options, from check-in to self-bag drop via the intuitive biometric-enabled kiosk. The new SITA TS6 kiosk was the winner of the 2021 IF Design award for the slick, sustainable, and adaptive design, which can be customized to fit with the airport’s brand design and specific customer needs. The modular design also means enhancements and modifications can be made without replacing the entire kiosk, bringing added cost efficiency and sustainability benefits.  SITA’s TS6 Kiosk can be used for check-in and bag tagging paving the way for a completely touchless, mobile passenger journey. The deployment at Frankfurt Airport represents SITA’s largest implementation in Europe. Dr. Pierre-Dominique Prümm, Executive Director Aviation & Infrastructure at Fraport,  said: “Offering passengers innovative, safer, and smarter ways to travel while also ensuring we have resilient and efficient airport operations is vital as our industry recovers from the impact of the pandemic. SITA supports us in achieving this ambition, and we look forward to welcoming more passengers back to the skies.” Sergio Colella, President, Europe, SITA, said: “We’re proud to continue supporting leading airports such as Frankfurt in their recovery from the impact of the pandemic. Technology holds the keys to unlocking smarter and safer travel for all, recouping revenues lost during the past 18 months, and ensuring flexible operations that can adapt to the unforeseen circumstances of tomorrow. A more robust and sustainable air transport industry will benefit passengers, economies, and jobs.”

UK Royal Air Force F-35 combat aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea earlier today.The pilot was safely rescued and returned to the aircraft carrier.Earlier in November, the UK took delivery of three F-35 stealth fighters, at a cost of £100 million ($135 million) apiece. British Ministry of Defense (MoD) issued a statement, announcing that a Royal Air Force (RAF) F-35 combat aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea today. The pilot of the jet has managed to safely eject from the plane before the crash. The pilot was safely rescued and returned to the aircraft carrier and an investigation has been launched into the incident. According to the MoD statement, a “British F-35 pilot from HMS Queen Elizabeth ejected during routine flying operations in the Mediterranean this morning.” “It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time,” the ministry added. Today’s F-35 crash is the first incident reported for the UK’s flagship aircraft carrier, HMS Queen Elizabeth. Earlier in November, the UK took delivery of three F-35 stealth fighters, at a cost of £100 million ($135 million) apiece, bringing the total number in the country’s fleet to 24. The British government has ordered six more jets, which are set to arrive next year, and seven that are due in 2023, with the aim of having 48 active F-35s by 2025. HMS Queen Elizabeth – the UK’s flagship aircraft carrier – had eight UK F-35s on board, as well as 10 American F-35s. It recently returned to Europe after spending more than seven months on its maiden voyage through the South China Sea and into the Indo-Pacific region. The Ministry of Defence has not yet recovered the plane, which is believed to have crashed into the sea at 10am GMT on Wednesday, and no other aircraft were involved in the incident. Despite the launch of an investigation, all remaining F-35s and training flights are continuing uninterrupted.

Middle East Airlines will use the solution for its entire fleet.The Beirut based airline is operating an all-Airbus fleet comprising A320 and A330 Family aircraft.Airbus’ SHM saves airlines time and cost associated with unscheduled maintenance. Middle East Airlines (MEA) has signed an agreement to join the community of Skywise Health Monitoring (SHM) users. The long standing Airbus customer will be the 50th airline using this innovative tool to optimize the maintenance of its fleets. SHM will support the airline’s maintenance and engineering teams by enabling real-time management of aircraft events and troubleshooting.  Using the Skywise aviation data platform, SHM collates and centralizes alerts, flight-deck effects, maintenance messages etc., prioritizes them, correlates any faults with the relevant troubleshooting procedures. It also highlights operational impacts, provides the maintenance history of the system (from the logbook and MIS information collected through Skywise Core and stored in the data lake), allowing effective tracking of the alerts. Additionally, it can help airlines anticipate and provision for tools and parts’ to be available closest to the aircraft. MEA will use the solution for its entire fleet. The Beirut based airline is operating an all-Airbus fleet comprising A320 and A330 Family aircraft. Airbus’ SHM saves airlines time and cost associated with unscheduled maintenance. SHM also Interfaces with Skywise Predictive Maintenance (SPM) and Skywise Reliability (SR) to provide an integrated user experience. Additionally, it is ready to harness powerful capabilities of the new on-board Flight Operations and Maintenance Exchanger (“FOMAX”) data router – which can capture and record over 24,000 real-time aircraft parameters for subsequent analysis.

Air Tanzania announced an order for a 787-8 Dreamliner, a 767-300 Freighter and two 737 MAX jets.The order, valued at more than $726 million at list prices, was previously unidentified on the Boeing Orders and Deliveries website.Air Tanzania will expand its current fleet of 787s, leveraging the new 737s for its regional network and the 767 Freighter to capitalize on Africa’s burgeoning cargo demand. Boeing and the United Republic of Tanzania today announced an order for a 787-8 Dreamliner, a 767-300 Freighter and two 737 MAX jets at the 2021 Dubai Airshow. The airplanes will be operated by Air Tanzania, the national flag-carrier of Tanzania, to expand service from the country to new markets across Africa, Asia and Europe. The order, valued at more than $726 million at list prices, was previously unidentified on the Boeing Orders and Deliveries website. “Our flagship 787 Dreamliner is popular with our passengers, providing unrivalled in-flight comfort and ultra-efficiency for our long-haul growth,” said Air Tanzania CEO Ladislaus Matindi.” Adding to our 787 fleet, the introduction of the 737 MAX and 767 Freighter will give Air Tanzania exceptional capability and flexibility to meet passenger and cargo demand within Africa and beyond.” Based in Dar es Salaam, the carrier will expand its current fleet of 787s, leveraging the new 737s for its regional network and the 767 Freighter to capitalize on Africa’s burgeoning cargo demand. “Africa is the third fastest-growing region worldwide for air travel, and Air Tanzania is well-positioned to increase connectivity and expand tourism throughout Tanzania,” said Ihssane Mounir, Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing. “We are honored that Air Tanzania has chosen Boeing for its fleet modernization program by adding an additional 787 and introducing the 737 MAX and the 767 Freighter into its expanding network.” Boeing‘s 2021 Commercial Market Outlook forecasts that, by 2040, Africa’s airlines will require 1,030 new airplanes valued at $160 billion and aftermarket services such as manufacturing and repair worth $235 billion, supporting growth in air travel and economies across the continent.

Jazeera Airways is pleased to extend its long-term relationship with Airbus further with this significant new order.The latest agreement will add an additional 28 Airbus aircraft to Jazeera Airways all-Airbus fleet.By taking both A320neo and A321 neo options Jazeera Airways will have great flexibility to extend its network to medium and longer haul destinations from Kuwait. Airbus has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Jazeera Airways, the Kuwait-based carrier, for 20 A320neos and eight A321neos. The MoU was signed by Rohit Ramachandran, Jazeera Airways Chief Executive Officer and Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. Marwan Boodai, Chairman Jazeera Airways said, “Jazeera Airways is pleased to extend its long-term relationship with Airbus further with this significant new order. We will effectively double our current fleet size to 35 aircraft by 2026. The airline has pulled out of the pandemic strongly in Q3 with a return to profitability.  We have exciting expansion plans ahead, which will further boost our contribution to the Kuwait economy and in particular the travel sector.”  “We are proud to extend our partnership with Jazeera Airways through this latest agreement which will add an additional 28 Airbus aircraft to its all Airbus fleet”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer, and Head of Airbus International. “The A320neo Family is without doubt the best platform to support Jazeera Airways’ growth plans. This is the perfect illustration of how Airbus helps escort the growth of its successful customers.” Rohit Ramachandran, CEO Jazeera Airways added, “By taking both A320neo and A321 neo options we will have great flexibility to extend our network to medium and longer haul destinations from Kuwait, offering passengers more choice to travel and enjoy popular destinations as much as underserved ones”. Jazeera Airways commenced operations in 2005 and has since emerged as a leading carrier in the region. It is operating regionally and internationally serving Middle East, Europe and Asia’s top destinations from its home base Kuwait. The Kuwaiti airline supports the country’s 2035 vision to further economic expansion and transformation into a commercial hub.  The A320neo Family incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines, Sharklets and aerodynamics, which together deliver 20% in fuel savings and CO2 reduction compared to previous generation Airbus aircraft. The A320neo Family has received more than 7,400 orders from over 120 customers.

Ibom Air currently flies to Uyo, Abuja, Calabar, Enugu, Lagos, and Port Harcourt using two A220s.The purchase of the new A220s will enable the airline to continue on its growth path, offering new routes across not just Nigeria, but to the west African region and to Africa at large.Airbus A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market. Akwa Ibom state government owned airline in Nigeria, Ibom Air has signed a firm order for ten (10) A220s at the Dubai Airshow. The signing was done by Mfon Udom, the chief Executive Officer of Ibom Air, and Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International in the presence of the Akwa Ibom state Governor, Mr. Udom Gabriel Emmanuel. Nigeria, with the largest population in Africa and the largest GDP, offers substantial growth potential in both domestic and regional travel. The A220 is therefore the ideal choice for a full range of services from very short-haul segments to intra-continental air routes. “It gives me great pleasure to be here to announce Ibom Air’s order for 10 Airbus A220s”, said Mfon Udom, CEO of Ibom Air. “As an organization, we at Ibom Air are delighted with the steep growth we have achieved in just over two and a half years since we commenced operations, a growth chiefly driven by the massive embrace of our product and brand by the Nigerian domestic flying public. The addition of the A220 to our fleet will support our growth strategy and boost operational efficiency. It will also offer our passengers more space and enhanced cabin experience, as a value add for choosing us.” “The A220 will allow us to increase the number of annual passengers through Akwa Ibom Airport, in Uyo, thus bringing more first-time visitors and business travelers to the region. These efforts reflect our commitment to supporting local commerce and making a positive contribution to socio-economic growth in Akwa Ibom state and Nigeria.” said the Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Mr. Udom Emmanuel. Ibom Air currently operates two A220s. The airline flies to Uyo, Abuja, Calabar, Enugu, Lagos, and Port Harcourt. The purchase of the new A220s will enable the airline to continue on its growth path, offering new routes across not just Nigeria, but to the west African region and to Africa at large. “We are thrilled to add Ibom Air as a new Airbus customer. The A220 is ideally suited to Nigeria’s aviation needs, providing operational flexibility to grow the business by responding to demand for increased passenger services. Through this investment, Ibom Air is underscoring its ambition for regional and in due course, international connectivity and operational efficiency.”, said Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. The A220 is the only aircraft purpose-built for the 100-150 seat market; it delivers unbeatable fuel efficiency and a wide body comfort experience in a single-aisle cabin, with extra wide seats, more leg room and onboard connectivity for entertainment and communication. By the end of October 2021, the A220 had accumulated 643 firm orders.

Russia increases frequencies to Vietnam, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan from December 1.The number of flights to Baku, Azerbaijan from Moscow, Russia will grow to 14 per week.It will be possible to fly three times a week from Zhukovsky airport to Nur-Sultan, Alma-Ata and Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Russia’s anti-coronavirus crisis center announced today that the Russian Federation will increase the frequency of scheduled flights to Italy, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Vietnam starting from December 1, 2021. Flights to Rome from Zhukovsky airport will be operating twice a week and from Moscow to Vietnamese cities of Ho Chi Minh City and Nha Trang also twice a week. Russian authorities also allowed to launch one flight per week from Zhukovsky to Bishkek and Osh in Kyrgyzstan, as well as one flight per week to Issyk-Kul from each Russian airport open for international air traffic. The number of flights to Baku from Moscow will grow to 14 per week, and from the airports of other cities open for international flights – up to two per week. It will be also possible to fly three times a week from Zhukovsky airport to Kazakhstan’s Nur-Sultan, Alma-Ata and Shymkent, from the Russian airports in Yekaterinburg, Krasnodar, Sochi, Orenburg and Mineralnye Vody – to Nur-Sultan and Alma-Ata (one flights per week). Also, flights with the same frequency are allowed between Nur-Sultan and Krasnoyarsk, as well as Alma-Ata and St. Petersburg, Omsk, Ufa and Rostov-on-Don. The crisis center also allowed one flight per week from Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan to Aktobe, from St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Rostov-on-Don – to Aktau, from St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, Krasnodar and Sochi – to Atyrau. Additional routes also include Moscow – Ust-Kamenogorsk, St. Petersburg – Petropavlovsk and Rostov-on-Don – Karaganda (one flight per week).

From its hubs in Munich and Frankfurt alone, Lufthansa is offering more than 120 additional flights with a capacity of 25,000 seats during the Christmas period. In the US, New York and destinations in the state of Florida are booked particularly often.With planning air travelers should consider in each case the appropriate current entry and quarantine regulations. The airlines of the Lufthansa Group (Lufthansa, Swiss, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Eurowings) are offering around 80,000 additional seats on 440 extra flights for the upcoming holiday season and New Year. The airlines are now responding to the weeks-long increase in demand for flights during the Holiday vacations by resuming destinations and increasing the frequency of existing connections or deploying larger aircraft. From its hubs in Munich and Frankfurt alone, Lufthansa is offering more than 120 additional flights with a capacity of 25,000 seats during the Christmas period.  In the U.S., New York and destinations in the state of Florida are booked particularly often. In Europe, destinations on the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands, Portugal and other sunny destinations in the Mediterranean region as well as Scandinavia are in particularly high demand. In addition to these destinations, the snow-sure ski resorts in Lapland (northern Finland) are back on the flight schedule. Thus one reaches over the holiday season and New Year from Frankfurt Ivalo and Kuusamo as well as from Munich Kittilä in Lappland and Tromsö in Norway – Northern Light inclusive. All flights are immediately bookable. With planning air travelers should consider in each case the appropriate current entry and quarantine regulations.  Travelers can make a personal contribution to climate protection and make their air travel CO2 neutral. In addition to the option of offsetting the flight via high-quality climate projects, Lufthansa guests can already fly with sustainable fuel today. The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have integrated the options into the booking process. Frequent flyers can find them in the Miles & More app.

Many skilled ground handling employees have left the industry and are not coming back. Two key tools for ground handlers are the IATA Ground Operations Manual (IGOM) and the IATA Safety Audit for Ground Operations (ISAGO).Digitalization can drive process improvements that will be critical to improving both sustainability and productivity.  The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is focusing on standards, digitalization and addressing the skilled labor shortage to build resilience and ensure long-term sustainability post pandemic for ground handling activities.  “There will be challenges as ground handling operations ramp up to meet growing demand as the aviation industry’s recovery from COVID-19 progresses. Overcoming labor shortages, ensuring safety with strict adherence to global standards and digitalization and modernization will be critical to achieving a scalable restart,” said Monika Mejstrikova, IATA’s Director of Ground Operations, speaking at the 33rd IATA Ground Handling Conference (IGHC), which opened in Prague today. Labor Ground handling providers are facing severe skills shortages and challenges in retaining and recruiting staff.  “Many skilled employees have left the industry and are not coming back. And recruiting, training and accrediting new staff can take up to six months. So, it is critical that we retain current staff and find more efficient ways of onboarding new personnel,” said Mejstrikova, who also outlined a number of priority solutions. To retain skilled staff, governments should include ground handlers in wage subsidy programs To speed up training processes, the use of competency-based training, assessments and online training formats should be increased, and training requirements harmonized  To increase the efficiency of staff utilization, a training passport should be developed that would mutually recognize skills across ground handlers, airlines and/or airports

Having increased connections across Canada and beyond through Edmonton International Airport is vital for the region.The airline’s growth will see Swoop’s flight capacity in Alberta’s capital increase 76% compared to pre-pandemic levels.Swoop expansion supporting the creation of 140 additional direct and spin-off jobs and an anticipated $120 million of economic output activity in 2022. Today, Swoop, a Canadian ultra-low fare airline, reaffirmed its commitment to the Edmonton Metropolitan Region with the announcement of new service to one U.S. and eight domestic destinations from its Western Canadian base. The airline’s significant new investments were celebrated this morning alongside the unveiling of Swoop’s newest aircraft, which will fly with the name #Edmonton. The airline’s growth will see Swoop‘s flight capacity in Alberta’s capital increase 76% compared to pre-pandemic levels, supporting the creation of 140 additional direct and spin-off jobs and an anticipated $120M of economic output activity in 2022. “This is a major milestone for Swoop as we underscore our commitment to leading the way for ultra-low fare air travel in Canada and reaffirm our position as the airline with the most destinations from Edmonton,” said Charles Duncan, President of Swoop. “With a strong focus on growth and Edmonton as our partner, we will continue to provide our travelers with more non-stop flights and ultra-low fares while supporting the recovery of Canada’s travel and tourism economy.” The addition of eight new Canadian destinations to Swoop’s summer schedule will see non-stop service from Edmonton to Charlottetown, Comox, Halifax, Kelowna, Moncton, Ottawa, Regina and Saskatoon. Swoop will be the first carrier to bring non-stop connectivity from Edmonton International Airport to Charlottetown and Moncton and the airline’s summer schedule will also see the restoration of service to London, Ont.  Beginning December 16, Swoop’s trans-border presence is growing from Edmonton with the addition of new service to Palm Springs. The scheduled non-stop service to Palm Springs will operate twice weekly.

Etihad Airways has signed multiple partnership and collaboration agreements at the 2021 Dubai Airshow.The first of Etihad’s A350’s, launched today at the Dubai Airshow as the “Sustainability50”, carries a unique “UAE50”.Etihad’s work with Boeing, GE, Airbus and Rolls Royce supports the strategic objectives to achieve a 20% reduction in emissions intensity in its passenger fleet by 2025, cut 2019 net emissions by 50% by 2035, and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Etihad Airways has signed multiple partnership and collaboration agreements with the aviation industry’s top manufactures, suppliers and stakeholders at the 2021 Dubai Airshow, bringing aviation’s leading organizations together under its strategic sustainability program to drive decarbonization creating the industry’s most comprehensive multi-organizational partnership to reduce CO2 emissions globally. The airline’s sustainability program, which to date has been focused on the airline’s fleet of GEnX powered Boeing 787’s under the Greenliner Program, will now be complimented by a similar program focused on maximizing the opportunities presented by the inclusion of the Rolls Royce XWB powered Airbus A350 fleet. The first of Etihad’s A350’s, launched today at the Dubai Airshow as the “Sustainability50”, carries a unique “UAE50” livery in recognition of the 50th anniversary of the federation of the UAE and the airline’s commitment to the 2050 target of net-zero carbon emissions. Etihad’s work with partners including Boeing, GE, Airbus and Rolls Royce supports the organization’s strategic objectives to achieve a 20% reduction in emissions intensity in its passenger fleet by 2025, cut 2019 net emissions by 50% by 2035, and reach net zero emissions by 2050. Speaking at Dubai Airshow, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, acknowledged the uniting of these industry players for decarbonation is a unique and important step forward for the industry: “There’s no silver bullet for this one, no obvious single act that will provide a solution. It’s going to require the combination and the sum of many different organizations and governments working together for small, incremental improvements. “Governments and regulators must help the industry to drive innovation for long-term solutions to decarbonizing aviation. Support is needed for development of affordable and sufficient supply of sustainable fuels. Optimizing flight paths on the busiest routes in the world would prevent untold amounts of Co2 from being pumped into the atmosphere. There is a big opportunity here that doesn’t require any new technology to implement and could be implemented today if there was a will.

Fully reopen and resume visitor visa processing at U.S embassies and consulates.Ensure Customs and Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration officers are adequately resourced.Pass the Restoring Brand USA Act to provide emergency relief funding to Brand USA, the United States’ destination marketing organization. Days after the U.S. reopened its land and air borders to vaccinated international visitors, U.S. Travel released its biannual forecast which shows an uneven recovery for the international inbound and business travel segments, while domestic leisure travel has returned to near pre-pandemic levels. The forecast, based on analysis from Tourism Economics, projects that domestic leisure travel will continue to drive the U.S. travel industry’s recovery in the near term. This segment is projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and beyond. Domestic business travel spending is expected to reach 76% of 2019 levels in 2022 while the segment is not expected to fully recover until 2024. International inbound travel spending is forecasted to reach 72% of 2019 levels in 2022. The segment is not expected to fully recover until 2024 or 2025. While the experts see much reason for optimism on the horizon, their forecast reveals that travel’s recovery is uneven with much work ahead to ensure all segments reach pre-pandemic levels. The experts believe that the U.S. can implement smart, effective policies that bring back international visitors more quickly and spur business and professional travel to accelerate an economic and jobs rebound. Policies needed to accelerate the travel industry’s recovery: Fully reopen and resume visitor visa processing at U.S embassies and consulates Pass the Restoring Brand USA Act to provide emergency relief funding to Brand USA, the United States’ destination marketing organization Enact temporary tax credits to restore demand for in-person professional meetings and events Stabilizing policies can help ensure a more even recovery as US aims to restore the itself as the top destination in the world for global travelers.

Israel gives entry clearance to visitors vaccinated with Russian-made COVID-19 vaccine.Tourists fully vaccinated with Sputnik V will be allowed to enter Israel starting December 1.The Russian vaccine itself has been recognized by Israel from November 15, 2021. Israel’s Health and Tourism Ministries and the office of the Israeli Prime Minister issued a joint statement today, announcing that the visitors from the Russian Federation, who have received two shots of the Russian-made Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine, will be allowed to enter the country starting December 1. “Technical and legal issues have been discovered in the existing entry procedure for foreign tourists, which means that it will be possible for tourists vaccinated with Sputnik V to come to Israel starting December 1, 2021. By then, system synchronization will be established, legal formulations and obligations have been completed, and the entry mechanism will work without problems in order to take care of the health of both Israeli citizens and tourists, providing them with comfortable conditions and a pleasant travel experience. We made the decision that Israel will officially recognize the Russian Sputnik V vaccine on November 15, 2021,” the statement said. “Two weeks ago, Israel opened its doors to tourists vaccinated with WHO-recognized vaccines. In light of the successful vaccination of the Israeli population with a third dose and a low incidence of disease, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, together with Minister of Health Nitzan Horowitz and Minister of Tourism Yoel Razvozov made a decision to remove additional restrictions and open borders for tourists vaccinated with Sputnik V and who received a positive antibody test,” the statement said. Since March 2020, Israel has been virtually closed to tourism. Entry into the country was only possible for returning citizens or foreigners who received special permission. Since May, as part of a pilot program, several organized foreign travel groups have been admitted to the country, fully vaccinated with US-approved drugs. The Israeli Ministry of Tourism announced in April that it considers July 1 as a possible date for the start of admission to the country of vaccinated tourists from a number of states on an individual basis, but the implementation of these plans was postponed several times due to the epidemic situation. On November 1, Israel opened its borders for the first time in 20 months for foreign tourists vaccinated no more than six months ago with WHO-approved drugs, subject to a number of conditions for the number of vaccines and boosters received. Foreigners who meet these conditions must do swab tests 72 hours before departure and be isolated at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel until a negative result is obtained. In order to be allowed into Israel, foreigners within 14 days prior to entry “cannot be in a country belonging to the red zone, for the threat of the spread of coronavirus,” the Health Ministry said earlier.

Owens Thomsen will come from Banque Lombard Odier, where she has served as Head of Global Trends and Sustainability.Owens Thomsen holds a PhD in International Economics from The Graduate Institute in Geneva and an MBA equivalent from the University of Gothenburg in International Economics and Business.Holding US, UK and Swiss nationalities, she has worked in the UK, France and Switzerland and is fluent in Swedish, English and French. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Marie Owens Thomsen will join the Association as its Chief Economist effective 4 January 2022. Owens Thomsen will come from Banque Lombard Odier, where she has served as Head of Global Trends and Sustainability since 2020. Prior to that she was the long-time Global Head of Investment Intelligence (2011-2020) at Indosuez Wealth Management. Additionally, she has served in Chief Economist and related roles for Merrill Lynch, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and HSBC. Her varied career also includes entrepreneurship and market development activities. “Marie’s work on macro-economic issues with a focus on sustainability will prepare her to address aviation’s top issues—namely recovery from COVID-19 and sustainability. Coming from outside the aviation sector, she will bring valuable new insights and perspectives. And I am confident that she will carry on IATA’s reputation for objective reporting and analysis that is essential for explaining aviation’s contribution to the global economy and advocating for the polices airlines need to be successful,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “I am joining IATA to contribute to the aviation sector which has been a formidable long-term driver of economic growth. I’ll do this with a research approach that identifies causal factors for critical issues and their high-priority solutions. This is important as aviation begins the recovery from COVID-19 and continues the journey to net zero emissions. I look forward to a future where aviation can flourish within a sustainable global economy,” said Owens Thomsen. Owens Thomsen holds a PhD in International Economics from The Graduate Institute in Geneva and an MBA equivalent from the University of Gothenburg in International Economics and Business. Holding US, UK and Swiss nationalities, she has worked in the UK, France and Switzerland and is fluent in Swedish, English and French. Owens Thomsen succeeds Brian Pearce who retired from IATA earlier this year after serving as Chief Economist since 2004.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced the results of its 2021 Global Passenger Survey (GPS), which delivered two main conclusions:Passengers want to use biometric identification if it expedites travel processes.Passengers want to spend less time queuing.   “Passengers have spoken and want technology to work harder, so they spend less time ‘being processed’ or standing in queues. And they are willing to use biometric data if it delivers this result. Before traffic ramps up, we have a window of opportunity to ensure a smooth return to travel post-pandemic and deliver long-term efficiency improvements for passengers, airlines, airports, and governments,” said Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety, and Security.  Biometric Identification 73% of passengers are willing to share their biometric data to improve airport processes (up from 46% in 2019). 88% will share immigration information prior to departure for expedited processing. Just over a third of passengers (36%) have experienced the use of biometric data when traveling. Of these, 86% were satisfied with the experience.  Data protection remains a key issue with 56% indicating concern about data breaches. And passengers want clarity on who their data is being shared with (52%) and how it is used/processed (51%).  Queuing 55% of passengers identified queuing at boarding as a top area for improvement. 41% of passengers identified queuing at security screening as a top priority for improvement.38% of passenger identified queuing time at border control / immigration as a top area for improvement.   The greatest wait increases are at check-in and border control (emigration and immigration) where travel health credentials are being checked mainly as paper documents.  This exceeds the time that passengers want to spend on processes at the airport. The survey found that: 85% of passengers want to spend less than 45 mins on processes at the airport if they are traveling with only hand luggage.90% of passengers want to spend less than one hour on processes at the airport when traveling with a checked bag.  Solutions IATA, working with industry stakeholders, has two mature programs which can support a successful ramping-up of aviation post-pandemic and provide travelers with the expedited experience they are demanding. IATA Travel Pass is a solution to manage the complex myriad of travel health credentials that governments require.  The app offers a safe and secure way for travelers to check the requirements for their journey, receive test results and scan their vaccine certificates, verify that these meet the destination and transit requirements and share these effortlessly with health officials and airlines prior to departure and using e-gates. This will reduce queuing and congestion for document checks—to the benefit of travelers, airlines, airports and governments. One ID is an initiative that is helping transition industry towards a day when passengers can move from curb to gate using a single biometric travel token such as a face, fingerprint or iris scan. Airlines are strongly behind the initiative. The priority now is ensuring there is regulation in place to support the vision of a paperless travel experience. One ID will not only make processes more efficient for passengers, but also allow governments to utilize valuable resources more effectively. “We cannot just revert to how things were in 2019 and expect our customers to be satisfied. Pre-pandemic we were preparing to take self-service to the next level with One ID. The crisis makes its twin-promises of efficiency and cost-savings even more urgent. And we absolutely need technologies like IATA Travel Pass to re-enable self-service or the recovery will be overwhelmed by paper document checks. The GPS results are yet another proof point that change is needed,” said Careen. About the GPSGPS results are based on 13,579 responses from 186 countries. The survey provides insight into what passengers would like from their air travel experience. Visit this link to access the complete analysis.

Emirates and Gulf Air have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a deeper commercial cooperation between both carriers.The MoU will set the framework between both carriers to establish a potential codeshare cooperation across the networks of each airline, extending reciprocal loyalty benefits on Emirates’ Skywards and Gulf Air’s Falconflyer. Discussions are also underway to initiate cargo cooperation.  Signed on the first day of the Dubai Airshow, the MoU will mark the beginning of closer ties between the two airlines. The MoU was signed by Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline and Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Captain Waleed AlAlawi. The signing ceremony was also attended by members of each airline’s executive management teams. Customers traveling on Emirates and Gulf Air’s operated flights can book single-ticket travel with competitive fares, and one-stop baggage check-in to their final destinations. Emirates will initially place its “EK” marketed code on Gulf Air operated flights between Bahrain and Dubai, and reciprocally, Gulf Air will add its “GF” marketed code to Emirates routes. Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates Airline said: “We are pleased to partner with Gulf Air on developing this codeshare agreement, which will give customers significantly enhanced choices, convenient schedules, and flexibility to connect between Dubai and Bahrain, and beyond to cities in our extensive long-haul network. We believe that our new partnership will bring real benefits to our customers and business, and today’s agreement is a positive step in our cooperation, and we are on the way to further strengthen our relationship in the future.” During the event, Gulf Air’s Acting Chief Executive Officer said: “This will be a remarkable partnership between one of the first airlines in the Gulf region and one of the biggest carriers in the world. We’re proud to explore opportunities with Emirates to expand our reach and at the same time extend our boutique services to Emirates’ passengers when flying on our network. Gulf Air and Emirates operate multiple flights between Bahrain and Dubai and this agreement will provide passengers with more choices beyond our hubs.”Once the codeshare is activated, customers will be able to book their travel with both airlines on emirates.com and gulfair.com, through online travel agencies as well as with local travel agents.

Demand for air transport will continue to grow, driven by GDP, rising middle class and desire to explore and connect.Continued improvements in fleet efficiency, sustainable fuels, operations and propulsion technologies will enable the sector’s 2050 net-zero objective.Need for over 550,000 new pilots and over 710,000 highly skilled technicians over the next 20 years. In the next 20 years, Airbus forecasts demand for air transport to progressively shift from fleet growth to the accelerated retirement of older, less fuel-efficient aircraft, resulting in a need for some 39,000 new-build passenger and freighter aircraft, 15,250 of these for replacement. As a consequence, by 2040 the vast majority of commercial aircraft in operation will be of the latest generation, up from some 13% today, considerably improving the CO2 efficiency of the world’s commercial aircraft fleets. The economic benefits of aviation extend beyond the sector, contributing around 4% to annual global GDP and sustaining some 90 million jobs worldwide. While having lost nearly two years of growth over the COVID period, passenger traffic has demonstrated its resilience and is set to reconnect to an annual growth of 3.9% per year, driven by expanding economies and commerce around the globe including tourism. The middle classes, who are the likeliest to fly, will grow in number by two billion people to 63% of the world’s population. The fastest traffic growth will be in Asia with domestic China becoming the largest market. The demand for new aircraft will include around 29,700 Small aircraft like the A220 and A320 Families, as well as about 5,300 in the Medium aircraft category such as the A321XLR and the A330neo. In the Large segment, covered by the A350, a need for some 4,000 deliveries  is expected by 2040.  Cargo demand, boosted by e-commerce, is driven by an expected growth in express freight of 4.7% per year and a general cargo (representing about 75% of the market) growth of 2.7%.  Overall, over the next 20 years there will be a need for some 2,440 freighters, of which 880 will be new-build.  In line with growth, ever more efficient aircraft operations globally increase the need for commercial aviation services – including maintenance, training, upgrades, flight operations, dismantling and recycling. This growth is on track at Airbus’ pre-pandemic forecast levels reaching a cumulative value of around $4.8Tn in the next 20 years. While continuing through a COVID-related downdip of some 20% over the 2020-2025 period, the services market is rebounding, triggering a need for some 550,000+ new pilots and 710,000+ highly skilled technicians over the next 20 years. While maintenance will remain the leading services segment, flight, ground operations and sustainable services are also expected to grow significantly.   “As economies and air transport mature, we see demand increasingly driven by replacement rather than growth. Replacement being today’s most significant driver for decarbonization.  The world is expecting more sustainable flying and this will be made possible in the short-term by the introduction of most modern airplanes,” said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Airbus International. “Powering these new, efficient aircraft with Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) is the next big lever. We pride ourselves that all our aircraft  – the A220, A320neo Family, the A330neo and the A350 – are already certified to fly with a blend of 50% SAF, set to rise to 100% by 2030 – before making ZEROe our next reality from 2035 onwards.” The global aviation industry has already achieved huge efficiency gains, as shown by the 53% decline in aviation’s global CO2 emissions since 1990. Airbus’ product range supports at least a 20% CO2 efficiency gain over previous-generation aircraft. In view of further ongoing innovations, product developments, operational improvements as well as market based options, Airbus is supporting the air transport sector’s target to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

All German loans and Silent Participations, including interest, have now been repaid respectively terminated. Under this condition, ESF has undertaken to sell its stake in Deutsche Lufthansa AG amounting to approx. 14 percent of the share capital by October 2023 at the latest.The German government’s package originally provided measures and loans totaling up to 9 billion euros, of which the company has drawn down a total of around 3.8 billion euros. On Friday, Deutsche Lufthansa AG repaid or cancelled all remaining government Stabilization funds from the Federal Republic of Germany. The repayment was made much earlier than originally planned. This was made possible primarily by the rising demand for air travel, the fast restructuring and transformation of the Lufthansa Group and the capital markets’ confidence in the company. This means that this morning, the Silent Participation II of the Economic Stabilization Fund of the Federal Republic of Germany (ESF) amounting to 1 billion euros was repaid in full. After the company had already repaid Silent Participation I in October, of which only 1.5 billion euros were drawn, the unused and remaining part has now been terminated too. Last February, the company had already repaid a KfW loan of 1 billion euros earlier than expected. This means that all German loans and Silent Participations, including interest, have now been repaid respectively terminated. Under this condition, ESF has undertaken to sell its stake in Deutsche Lufthansa AG amounting to approx. 14 percent of the share capital by October 2023 at the latest. Carsten Spohr, CEO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “On behalf of all Lufthansa employees, I would like to thank the German government and the German taxpayers. In the most serious financial crisis in our company’s history, they have given us a perspective for the future. This has enabled us to save more than 100,000 jobs. We are proud that we were able to keep our promise earlier than expected and repay the German financial aid. I would like to thank our employees for their great commitment and especially our customers who have remained loyal to us in these challenging times. Lufthansa was able to rely on Germany and Germany can rely on Lufthansa. Many challenges remain. Our ambition is to strengthen our position among the world’s leading airline groups. To this end, we will consistently continue the restructuring and transformation of the company. Remco Steenbergen, CFO of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, says: “Above all, I would like to thank our investors for their trust in our company. Without them such a quick exit from the Silent Participations would not have been possible. This trust is an obligation for us to consistently continue on the path we have taken to restructure and transform the Group. We are determined to further strengthen our balance sheet, increase our profitability and generate attractive capital returns. Our financial targets published in June show this very clearly. We are convinced that we will create sustainable value for our shareholders.” In June 2020, the shareholders of Deutsche Lufthansa AG cleared the way for the Stabilization measures of the Economic Stabilization Fund (ESF) of the Federal Republic of Germany. The German government’s package originally provided measures and loans totaling up to 9 billion euros, of which the company has drawn down a total of around 3.8 billion euros. This includes around 306 million euros with which the ESF built up its shareholding in Deutsche Lufthansa AG. To refinance existing liabilities and the government Stabilization packages, the company has taken various debt and equity financing measures since autumn 2020. In doing so, it benefited from the steadily growing confidence of the financial markets in the future prospects of the Lufthansa Group. In November 2020, the company made a “comeback” on the capital markets with a convertible bond with a total volume of 600 million euros and a corporate bond of 1 billion euros. In February 2021, Deutsche Lufthansa AG again successfully issued a bond for 1.6 billion euros. Another bond placement followed in July 2021 in the amount of 1 billion euros. In October 2021, the company successfully completed a capital increase. The gross proceeds from the capital increase amounted to 2.2 billion euros. Finally, on 9 November 2021, the Lufthansa Group was again successfully active on the financial market and issued a bond in the amount of 1.5 billion euros.

FlyersRights.org continues its litigation, supported by independent aviation safety experts.The goal of the FlyersRights litigation is to to compel the FAA to release the MAX fix details and flight testing. FlyersRights.org litigation against Boeing will be one of the few ways to achieve truth and accountability for the 737 MAX crashes. Boeing has settled its civil cases with all but two of the families of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 MAX crash on March 10, 2019. The ET302 crash, along with the Lion Air Flight 610 crash, just over four months prior, claimed the lives of 357 people.   FlyersRights.org, however, continues its litigation, supported by independent safety experts, to compel the FAA to release the MAX fix details and flight testing. The FAA, at Boeing’s behest, has kept secret all data related to the MAX under a claim of trade secrets, notwithstanding Boeing’s and the FAA’s multiple promises of full transparency. Boeing has admitted liability for compensatory damages caused by the Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crash, and the victims’ families may pursue compensatory damages in Illinois. However, the agreement bars punitive damages, damages that would have punished Boeing for egregious conduct and would deter Boeing and others from such behavior in the future.  “This settlement means that the FlyersRights.org litigation against Boeing will be one of the few ways to achieve truth and accountability for the 737 MAX crashes,” noted Paul Hudson, President of FlyersRights.org. “By avoiding discovery and depositions in these civil cases in addition to having avoided criminal trials and significant fines in its agreements with the federal government, Boeing so far has escaped with merely a slap on the wrist relative to the size of the company and the magnitude of its wrongdoing.” Notably, Boeing hopes to be able to avoid depositions of CEO David Calhoun, former CEO Dennis Muilenburg, and other employees. Boeing agreed to a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice in January 2021, paying $244 million in fines but admitting no guilt.

According to a recent survey of United’s business customers, nearly 20% say they expect travel to meetings and conferences will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2022.Between October 27 and November 9, searches on United website for flights to Las Vegas during CES 2022 were up 70% compared to the prior two-week period. United Airlines is adding about 80% of the capacity it did for CES in 2020, demonstrating that business travel is on the rebound. In response to feedback from its business customers and an uptick in demand, United Airlines is expanding its schedule to make it easier for CES 2022 attendees to join the in-person show in Las Vegas. The airline is adding 14 new direct flights in early January between Las Vegas and San Jose, Calif., Boston, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando, and is also adding 30 flights from its hub airports in San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, and Washington D.C./Dulles. This represents a capacity increase of 37% compared to its usual January schedule to Las Vegas. “The return of in-person conferences and events is a very positive sign in the pandemic recovery, and United is uniquely positioned to capitalize on this increase in demand,” said Ankit Gupta, senior vice president of Domestic Planning and United Express. “We’re adding about 80% of the capacity we did for CES in 2020, demonstrating that business travel is on the rebound and our customers are eager to reunite with clients and colleagues.” Between October 27 and November 9, searches on United Airlines website for flights to Las Vegas during CES 2022 were up 70% compared to the prior two-week period. And according to a recent survey of United’s business customers, nearly 20% say they expect travel to meetings and conferences will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2022. United Airlines will fly 81 flights into Las Vegas during the peak arrival days of January 3-4, and 109 flights on the peak departure days of January 8-10. New flights include: 8 direct flights from San Jose, California6 direct flights from Fort Lauderdale, Boston and Orlando15 additional flights from San Francisco, and 9 flights on a larger aircraft8 additional flights from Los Angeles, and 4 flights on a larger aircraft5 additional flights from Washington D.C./Dulles2 additional flights from New York/Newark