Page 6 - Air Travel

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

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

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

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

UK govt o remove all remaining Covid restrictions on international travel

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

Soaring crude oil price makes air travel dear

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Domestic air travellers should carry only one handbag: CISF

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

DGCA extends suspension of international passenger flights till Feb 28

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

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

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

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

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

Delta to Omicron: Looking back at Covid-19 pandemic's journey in 2021

With omicron presenting another challenge, the country is working to be better prepared this time around.

14-day quarantine for international arrivals who test positive in Karnataka

Amid the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state, the Karnataka government on Thursday ordered 14 days quarantine for international passengers who test positive at airports

UK lifts pre-arrival Covid-19 test rule for overseas travelers

UK continues to record very high daily infections

US flight cancellations ease a bit but disruptions still running high

Clearing weather over much of the eastern United States raised hopes that air-travel disruptions will ease after a dreadful start to the new year. By early Tuesday evening on the East Coast, airlines had scrubbed about 1,500 flights for the day. That's a very high number but well below Monday's disruptions, which included more than 3,200 cancelled flights. Southwest Airlines cancelled about 400 flights, or 12% of its schedule Tuesday. Airlines had already cancelled nearly 500 US flights for Wednesday, according to FlightAware. The number of cancelled flights began rising Dec 24, and several airlines blamed it on crew shortages due to the spreading omicron variant of COVID-19. Over the weekend, the sickouts were compounded by winter storms that swept across the country. About 2,700 US flights were cancelled on Saturday and a similar number were grounded Sunday. Thousands more were delayed. In all, about 20,000 US flights have been cancelled since Christmas Eve, according to FlightA

'Make contingency plans': US warns Americans traveling abroad amid Covid

The United States has warned Americans travelling abroad to make "contingency plans" as countries around the globe grapple with rising numbers of Covid-19 cases spurred by the omicron variant.

Designated quarantine facilities for international flyers in Delhi

International passengers testing positive for Covid upon arrival at the Delhi airport will have to isolate at designated paid and free facilities, the state government said