Page 5 - Air Travel

Govt employees can now avail air travel on LTC, Centre issues notice

The central government has issued new guidelines for the Leave Travel Concession (LTC) availed by employees, which will now include air tickets

Recovery tracker: Workplace visits up 26%, vehicle registrations 2%

Fewer flights and air passengers in the latest week compared to the previous one

British Airways trims more than 10,000 Heathrow flights; Gatwick ends cap

Mixed signals are emerging about travel in Europe heading into the winter season. British Airways is cutting more than 10,000 short-haul flights in and out of London's Heathrow Airport through March, while nearby Gatwick Airport is ending its limits on the number of daily flights. Major European airports have been chaotic this summer as people eager to travel after two years of COVID-19 restrictions ran up against staffing shortages, leading to long lines, baggage delays and flight cancellations. Airports like Heathrow, Amsterdam's Schiphol and Gatwick capped how many passengers could fly each day or the number of flights to ease the travel mayhem over the past few months. Gatwick said Monday that it wasn't renewing its daily flight limits, while Heathrow, Britain's largest airport, decided last week to extend its daily cap of 100,000 passengers through the end of October. Heathrow's extension led British Airways to cancel 629 round-trip short-haul flights over the next two ...

Dubai airport sees air travel surge, expects FIFA World Cup boost: CEO

Dubai International Airport saw a surge in passengers over the first half of 2022 as pandemic restrictions eased and the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar will further boost traffic to the city-state's second airfield, its chief executive said Wednesday. Paul Griffiths, who oversees the world's busiest airport for international travel, told The Associated Press that the airport handled 160% more traffic over the past six months compared to the same period last year, part of an air travel rebound around the world. The nearly 28 million people who traveled through the airport over the past six months represent some 70% of the airport's pre-pandemic levels, even as Dubai's key source market of China remains closed due to severe pandemic restrictions. Griffiths said he expects the airport's traffic to return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of next year. It's a very, very welcome surge of traffic, Griffiths said. The first World Cup in the Middle East, he added, will send foreign socce

London's Heathrow airport says passenger cap has eased travel chaos

The cap has cut down on last-minute flight cancellations and improved baggage delivery and on-time planes, Heathrow said in a statement.

Foreign tourist arrivals pick up, but still a long way behind 2019 levels

Govt spells out two-pronged strategy to improve numbers; but industry warns of low interest in India

Refund not vouchers: US proposes to improve policies for air passengers

The Transportation Department is proposing to require airlines to offer passengers a refund if their flight schedule is changed significantly or the airline makes major changes to their itinerary

London's Heathrow airport imposes capacity cap of 100,000 passengers a day

Forecasts show that the airport would have to handle as many as 104,000 passengers a day over the summer, the airport said.

China opens up air travel after 2-yr Covid ban, services to India in limbo

China has started permitting international flights after a two-year ban due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but there is no word yet on the resumption of air services to India

China's easing Covid curbs spark travel inquiry surge, and caution

Unexpected moves mark a significant easing of rigid curbs that have severely curtailed travel and battered China's economy, although tough measures remain in place including a scarcity of intl flights

Govt asks employees to opt for lowest air fare, book 21-days in advance

The Finance Ministry has asked government employees to opt for 'cheapest fare available' on their entitled travel class and book air tickets at least three weeks prior to their date of travel for tours and LTC, as it looks to cut down on unnecessary expenditure. The Ministry further said that employees should book only one ticket for each leg of intended travel, make bookings even if approval of the tour programme is under process and also avoid "unnecessary cancellations". Government employees are currently required to purchase air tickets only from three authorised travel agents -- Balmer Lawrie & Co, Ashok Travel & Tours and IRCTC. Any booking made within less than 72 hours of intended travel on tour or any cancellation made less than 24 hours before intended travel will require the submission of self-declared justification by the employee, as per the modified instructions regarding booking of air tickets on the government account. "Employees are to choose flights having ...

Int'l air passenger traffic to India to hit 80-85% of pre-Covid level: Icra

The volume of such travellers has already touched 72 per cent of the pre-Covid level in May

EU lifts mask requirement for air travel from next week as pandemic ebbs

The European Union will no longer require masks to be worn at airports and on planes starting next week amid the easing of coronavirus restrictions across the bloc, authorities said Wednesday.

Aviation industry, passengers confused by Covid restrictions: UK Lawmakers

"This resulted in a severe economic deficit for the aviation sector. Thousands of people lost their jobs. Many more could not visit their loved ones," Huw Merriman, who chairs the committee, added

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

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

Global air travel rebounds as Indians resume visiting Southeast Asia

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

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

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

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

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

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

To release policy to incentivise small aircraft and helicopter operations

Chinese air travel faces mass cancellations after plane crash: Report

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