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The middle eastern airline is set to further increase its network in the coming month; among the highlights, in mid-October Qatar will resume flights to Seychelles and Windhoek, Namibia. The airline will also increase frequencies to Clark International Airport and Manila in the Philippines; Copenhagen, Denmark; Dhaka, Bangladesh; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, UK and Stockholm, Sweden.

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have signalled their intentions to start making rapid COVID-19 antigen tests available to passengers from October, and may consider opening dedicated test centres at airports in the U.S. and Canada. Although rapid antigen tests are thought to be less accurate than PCR testing, they are able to yield results within around 15 minutes.

The country's government has announced that from 1 October, borders will be open to returning Mauritian nationals, residents and also foreign tourists travelling to Mauritius for long stays. Passengers will have to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test a maximum of five days prior to arrival, and will be subject to a 14-day quarantine on arrival at an establishment approved by the authorities. Further information can be found on the Tourism Mauritius portal.

The country's government has announced that Zambia's borders are now open to foreign nationals; however, it should be noted that travellers arriving with a visitor visa or applying for a visitor visa on arrival for non-essential purposes will not be permitted entry at this time. Entry to Zambia through non-tourist visas or permits is subject to approval following a health screening at the port of entry, and arrivals will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained no more than 14 days prior to arrival. Arrivals are also subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine, testing, and regular monitoring at their residence or preferred place of stay.

The country's government has confirmed that South Africa will move into COVID-19 alert level one on 21 September, and international travel will resume from 1 October; international travel within Africa will be permitted, however travel outside the continent will depend on the assessed risk of each country. International business travel from countries deemed 'high-risk' may though be allowed with government approval. Effective from October 1, all travellers will be required to present a valid certificate of a negative COVID-19 test obtained a maximum of 72 hours before the date of travel. Travellers who fail to present proof of a negative test will be required to quarantine at their own cost.

The government of Namibia has said that it will resume international travel from 18 September as it ends a six-month long state of emergency, which came to an end at midnight on 17 September. From 18 September, travelling in and out of areas including the capital of Windhoek, and the surrounding towns of Okahandja and Rehoboth, will also be permitted.

The government of Madagascar has announced that the popular tourism destination of the island of Nosy Be will resume international travel from 1 October. All arriving passengers must present a return air ticket and may not travel outside of the island; a negative COVID-19 (PCR and/or serology) test result is required for entry, health screening procedures are in place at airports and a 14-day mandatory quarantine is required. Complimentary COVID-19 testing is though reportedly to be provided at the airport on arrival.

The government of Israel is to impose a new national lockdown to contain the spread of COVID-19, with tough restrictions coming into effect from 18 September. The country's second lockdown will last for at least three weeks.

The national carrier of Oman has confirmed that it will return to operating scheduled flights to 16 cities in 12 countries from 1 October. The airline will connect Oman's capital Muscat with London, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Cairo, Mumbai, Delhi, Kochi, Dubai, Doha, Dar Es Salaam, Zanzibar, Kuala Lumpur, Manila, Lahore and Islamabad, with more destinations to be added soon.

The national airline of Qatar has confirmed that it will resume flights to Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria, from 10 September. The four-times weekly service to Africa’s largest city will be operated by Qatar Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy. With the addition of Lagos, Qatar Airways’ network in Africa will expand to 10 destinations served by 44 weekly flights.

Jordan will resume regular international flights on 8 September, following a shutdown of nearly six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Queen Alia International Airport in Jordan's capital of Amman will initially handle just six flights per day, and arriving passengers will need proof of a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within 72 hours of travel, followed by a further mandatory test on arrival. Arrivals will be subject to between one and two weeks of self-isolation or state quarantine depending on the severity of the pandemic in their country of origin. A total of 43 countries will be allowed to enter Jordan for tourism, classified into three categories based on the scale of the COVID-19 outbreak within their own borders.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline is now offering COVID-19 insurance cover as part of their Global Wellness program; the cover is included with every Etihad ticket travelling between 7 September and 31 December, for the first 31 days of a passenger’s trip.

The country has resumed international flights with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and the Maldives according to a Russian government order published today. Three flights per week are reportedly authorised to Cairo, as well as two flights per week to Dubai and the Maldives.

The middle-eastern airline has announced that during September it will resume flights to Houston, Kathmandu, Mogadishu, Philadelphia and Sialkot; this will mean that Qatar Airways will from mid-September offer over 650 weekly flights to 85 destinations, which it says will provide flexible travel options to more global destinations than any other airline.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume flights to Accra, Ghana and Abidjan, Ivory Coast from 6 September; this will bring Emirates’ total number of destinations within Africa to 11, with 81 passenger destinations worldwide. The flights from Dubai to Accra and Abidjan will be linked services, operating three times a week on an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The Abu Dhabi-based airline has said that it will now offer complimentary COVID-19 PCR testing 48 hours prior to departure for passengers originating from XNB bus terminal in Dubai, who are due to transfer to Abu Dhabi International Airport before travelling on to 46 destinations. The current operating times are from 10.00-15.00 (local time) each day, and the facility is located at Etihad's Dubai Office at Mazaya Center on Dubai's Sheikh Zayed Road. Passengers must present a valid passport and a copy of their ticket.

The Dubai-based airline has from today, 1 September, resumed passenger flights to Bangkok, Thailand; this resumption has expanded Emirates’ current network to 78 cities in September, offering travellers in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific convenient connections via Dubai to the popular Thai destination. Flights between Dubai and Bangkok will be operated with an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft offering seats in first, business and economy class.

The government of the United Arab Emirates has said that all residents holding a Dubai-issued residency visa will be required to gain approval from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreign Affairs (GDRFA) before they are eligible to return to the country via any UAE airport. Approvals can be obtained via a dedicated government portal.

Emirates and flydubai have announced that passengers of both airlines can once again access a wider range of travel options around the world, connecting seamlessly through Dubai through their reactivated code share partnership. Emirates customers can now travel on codeshare flights to over 30 destinations on flydubai, while flydubai customers have over 70 destinations they can travel to on Emirates.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger services to Conakry in Guinea and Dakar in Senegal from 3 September, taking the total number of cities in Africa served by Emirates to eight; the total network will subsequently grow to 77 cities. Flights from Dubai to Conakry and Dakar will be linked services, operating twice weekly, utilising an Emirates Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.