Search alerts

The Dubai-based airline has announced amendments to their COVID-19 PCR testing protocols for passengers travelling to, via and from Dubai International Airport. Included within the amendments is the update that COVID-19 PCR testing is no longer required for all transiting passengers unless the passenger destination country requires it, OR for those transiting from a select group of countries. Full information can be found on the airline website.

The airline has announced a partnership with 'Vault Health' which will allow them offer passengers travelling to Hawaii from the U.S. mainland a mail-in home COVID-19 saliva test. The test is to be performed using saliva collected during a Zoom-enabled video supervised test visit with a supervisor, and is claimed to be fast and efficient, allowing passengers to adhere to the 72 hour eligible testing window prior to departure.

The airline has announced that from 23 October, subject to government approval, it will begin one flight per week from Helsinki to Nanjing, China; the service is set to continue until at least 21 March 2021.

Air India announced that it will start operating additional flights from New Delhi to Sydney with limited seats between 10-14 October, amid the Indian central government's 'Unlock 5' phase.

The airline has streamlined its flight schedule for the winter season in response to reduced customer demand, however has planned to increase frequencies from Spring 2021. From 25 October, 2020 to 31 March 2021, Finnair will serve 45 domestic and European destinations with reduced weekly frequencies on almost all routes.

The airline has announced that following guidance from the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA), new requirements will apply to all international passengers travelling to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 5 October. Passengers will now be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result obtained a maximum of 96 hours before departure. The result should be uploaded on a dedicated app/web portal; passengers must download the 'PASS TRACK' app from Google Play or Apple store and enter their personal details. Only disabled passengers, those less than 12 years old or high level international delegates are exempt from this policy.

The Dubai-based airline has introduced self-check-in and bag drop kiosks at Terminal 3 of Dubai International Airport. The service is now available to customers travelling to all destinations except the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong due to additional requirements imposed by the respective countries. The 16 new self-service bag drop machines and eight self-service kiosks complement the existing desks manned by Emirates check-in agents and aim to reduce waiting time for customers during peak periods. More self-services facilities are planned to be added in the coming months.

The airline has become the latest to offer complimentary COVID-19 cover for their passengers' medical and quarantine related expenses. The policy is available to all passengers with tickets issued from 1 October onwards and provides 24/7 COVID-19 assistance, COVID-19 emergency medical assistance up to 120,000 EUROS, quarantine accommodation costs up to 100 EURO per day, and repatriation costs.

The airline has announced a first-of-its-kind agreement with select Caribbean governments to directly offer COVID-19 tests prior to travel; the scheme will begin next month in Miami International Airport in collaboration with Jamaica, and will initially be open only to Jamaican residents. If the pilot proves successful, however, the airline hopes to expand availability to all passengers flying from select U.S. airports to around 20 participating Caribbean nations and associate nations.

The airline has published updates to their flight schedules and pledged to keep Switzerland connected with the world throughout the winter, despite strict quarantine restrictions. Among additions to their short haul services will be Munich and Wroclaw, Poland from the end of October; Luxembourg, Birmingham, London City and Nuremberg from February 2021 and Graz from March 2021.

Administrators in charge of South African Airways (SAA) have said that they have suspended all operations and put the state-owned airline under “care and maintenance” until funding for a restructuring plan is found. It is understood that all existing cargo and repatriation flights will be undertaken but no new ones will be accepted.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it has updated its 'OK to board' approval process for some passengers travelling to Iraq; all non-Iraqi nationals travelling to the country will now require this approval for travel using all visa types. The documents required are the passenger booking reference, passport copy and visa copy, and the approval can be obtained at check-in.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will shortly resume services to Entebbe, Uganda from 1 October and Muscat, Oman from 2 October; this will bring the total airline network globally to 94 cities. The Entebbe service will operate three weekly flights, and the flight from Dubai to Muscat will operate twice per week. Both routes will be served by a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

Muscat-based Oman Air will resume flights to 18 cities in 12 countries, including the UAE and Qatar by 1 October; this will include two scheduled flights per week to Dubai and Doha, according to an announcement by the airline on Twitter. All flights will depart and arrive on Sundays and Thursdays and will run until at least 24 October initially.

The Japanese airline yesterday, 28 September, released an updated flight schedule announcing that it will resume flights to Singapore and Bangkok in November, in addition to increasing frequency on other international routes; among them, twice-weekly services will fly from Tokyo Haneda to Sydney, Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam and Manila in the Philippines. One flight per week will also operate from Tokyo Haneda to London.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that passengers due to depart from Dubai on their services can access a reduced COVID-19 PCR testing price of AED 150; this is available at the American Hospital Dubai Media City Clinic, the American Hospital Al Barsha Clinic and the American Hospital Al Khawanij Clinic (opening soon). Home or office testing is also available and test results will be available within 48 hours. Passengers must present a valid ticket/boarding pass and ID to take the COVID-19 PCR test at these rates.

The Ethiopian national airline has announced that, in conjunction with the re-opening of South Africa's borders from 1 October, it will resume commercial passenger flights to and from Johannesburg and Cape Town. A full list of operational flights across the airline's route network can be viewed on their website.

The airline has announced that it will begin to offer drive-thru COVID-19 testing in some U.S. gateway airports; initially it is partnering with a supplier to do so in Los Angeles and San Francisco, with more locations to come. Hawaiian Airlines have said the COVID-19 PCR tests will be shallow nasal-swab tests, a 'gold standard' screening that meets state guidelines; the tests will be $90 (USD) for results within 36 hours and $150 (USD) for day-of-travel express service.

The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to South Africa, coinciding with the re-opening of the country's borders on 1 October; passengers services to the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town will resume from 1 October, to be followed by services to Durban from 4 October. The flights are still currently subject to final government approval.

The airline has announced that it will operate four weekly flights to Accra, Ghana via Lagos from 29 September, the fourth new destination launched by the national carrier of the State of Qatar since the start of the pandemic. The Accra service will be operated by the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft featuring 22 seats in business class and 232 seats in economy class.