Search alerts

Following the recent reopening of US borders for Brits, British Airways’ first transatlantic flight from Gatwick took off earlier bound for Tampa, Florida. The airline’s services to Tampa will operate three times a week. British Airways will also resume flights from Gatwick to popular family holiday-hotspot Orlando on Friday. This is the first time the airline has operated to these destinations, and to the US from Gatwick, since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in March last year. British Airways is planning on operating to 23 US airports this winter, more than any other transatlantic carrier, with 246 flights a week from January.

Finnair will start flying between Helsinki and Bergen and Tromsø in Norway on December 14th. The routes will be operated by Norwegian regional airline Widerøe, and the flights are sold and marketed by Finnair. “We are pleased to restart our services to Bergen and Tromsø,” said Ole Orvér, chief commercial officer at Finnair.

Emirates has confirmed it will retrofit 105 of its wide-body aircraft with its premium economy product, in addition to other cabin enhancements. The 18-month retrofit programme, scheduled to begin at the end of 2022, will be entirely conducted at Emirates’ engineering centre in Dubai. It will see 52 Emirates A380s and 53 Boeing 777s fitted with the new cabin class. The airline is also considering installing a brand-new business class product on its Boeing 777 aircraft, with customised seats in a one-two-one layout.

Travellers from central Sydney and Melbourne will be allowed into South Australia when borders open on Tuesday, but travellers from local government areas with vaccination rates lower than 90 per cent will be prevented from attending high-risk settings like aged care and major events, like the Adelaide Ashes test. The SA Premier Steven Marshall says fully vaccinated travellers from every Victorian and New South Wales local government area will be permitted to travel, except for Byron Bay, which is yet to hit a vaccination rate of 80 per cent. Those travelling from New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT will be required to have a COVID test in the 72 hours prior to arrival in SA, and must undergo a daily symptom check for 14 days via a phone app. Those who travel from a local government area with a vaccination rate of less than 90 per cent will also have to undergo tests within 24 hours of arrival in SA, and again on days 6 and 13.

El Salvador removed all entry requirements relating to COVID-19 on Wednesday, November 17. This means travellers to the Central American country no longer have to provide evidence of vaccination or negative COVID tests to enter. Despite the relaxation of the rules, the government is still recommending but not mandating that individuals get vaccinated, wear masks, and test when returning to and leaving the country.

Emirates Airline has announced intentions to launch daily flights between Dubai and Tel Aviv, with service beginning on December 6. Emirates will give more alternatives for travellers to and from Tel Aviv through Dubai with the launch of services in only a few weeks, according to Adnan Kazim, Emirates Airline’s Chief Commercial Officer. Emirates had already been operating in Israel through its low-cost flyDubai budget airline, which currently operates four weekly flights between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

Victoria is on its way to becoming one of the most vaccinated places in the world, with nearly all remaining restrictions to be lifted statewide for fully vaccinated people from 11:59pm tonight. With Victoria set to hit the 90 per cent double dose milestone for eligible people in the coming days, the Acting Chief Health Officer has determined that almost all remaining restrictions in Victoria will ease from tonight – reaching Phase D of the National Plan. From this coming weekend, fully vaccinated Victorians can hit the dance floor once again, there’ll be no limits in the home and no caps or density limits for cafés and restaurants. The vaccinated economy will remain, as will masks in some high risk settings – as both are important in reducing risk as we get back to normal. All indoor and outdoor events with less than 30,000 fully vaccinated attendees will be able to proceed with no special approval and outdoor events with 30,000 or more will only need to publish their COVIDSafe Plan. From 11:59pm tonight, the vast majority of people who come into contact with a confirmed positive case outside their home won’t have to self-quarantine. These contacts will be required to get a standard (PCR) test and isolate until they get a negative result. In addition to isolation changes for contacts, people who have COVID-19 will be required to isolate for 10 days, instead of 14 days.

South Australia has closed its border to the Northern Territory in response to a growing cluster which has emerged in the Top End communities of Katherine and Robinson River. Only South Australian residents are allowed to enter the state from the Northern Territory after police issued a new directive late on Wednesday night. Travellers who have been in the Katherine local government area since November 10 will be allowed to return home but they must be double vaccinated and quarantine at home for seven days. Unvaccinated people will be forced into hotel quarantine for 14 days.

West Australia has tightened its border restrictions with Northern Territory as it battles a fresh outbreak which has now grown to 11 cases. Authorities have elevated the Northern Territory to “low-risk”, with only fully vaccinated travellers allowed into Western Australia. They must also go into self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. Anyone who arrived into West Australia from the Northern Territory since November 10 and has been to any of the exposure sites must get tested and self-isolate for 14 days.

Greater Katherine and the remote community of Robinson River have both entered a three-day lockdown after two people tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. The lockdowns, which started at 6pm on Monday (15 November 2021), are due to lift at 6pm on Thursday.

The lockdown for Greater Katherine has been extended. It will run until 6pm on Monday, November 22, taking it to seven days total.

Fully vaccinated international travellers arriving in Rwanda no longer need to quarantine at designated hotels while waiting for PCR test results. Proof of full vaccination is required to avoid quarantine, and travellers who cannot provide such proof, as well as unvaccinated travellers, must self-isolate in a designated quarantine hotel until they receive a negative PCR test result. All travellers, regardless of vaccination status, must arrive in Rwanda with negative PCR test results received within 72 hours of departure.

Mr Gunner says all wastewater testing results for the region have come back negative, and CCTV vision has led authorities to downgrade a number of close contact sites to casual sites. A mask mandate will remain in place until 5:00pm on Friday (12 November) afternoon, with people in the Greater Darwin and Katherine regions required to wear a mask when they can’t physically distance from others.

Since France introduced its health passport, travellers entering the country from outside the EU had to convert their vaccine passports into a format compatible with the French system. The government will introduce another system whereby travellers must pay for their QR code. Anyone vaccinated outside the EU, Schengen zone, or the UK must use the new system to use the French health passport, or they will be unable to enter cafés, theatres, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions, or use long-distance train travel. Travellers can now only receive their codes through physically visiting and presenting their passport and vaccination certificate at French pharmacies. Previously, travellers had to apply online or by email in advance to obtain their code. The pharmacies will issue a QR code, which travellers can scan into the French TousAntiCovid app to create their health pass for up to 36 Euros.

Travellers will have to fill out an Affidavit of Migration and show proof that they have insurance that covers COVID-19 to enter Argentina as the country opens to fully vaccinated travellers. Eligible travellers must also show proof of a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours of entering the country, according to Travel and Leisure.

Today Air New Zealand has announced there are additional requirements for domestic travel along with updates on flexibility and their fast bag service. For travel from mid-December 2021, all customers aged 12 years and over will be asked to present proof of either full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test before checking in to their domestic flights - providing customers with an extra layer of protection. Key points to note on the Air New Zealand vaccine policy: The initial period of this Air New Zealand vaccine pass policy will be 14 December 2021 - 31 March 2022. All vaccines and tests approved by the New Zealand Government will be accepted. Customers who are not fully vaccinated will be able to provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test taken within 72 hours before departure – from either free community testing or their GP. A digital solution will make it as easy as possible. Customers can show proof of vaccination (or exemption) by uploading their QR code from the Government’s My Vaccine Pass. This can be done at check-in via our website, mobile app or at the kiosk. If customers don’t check in online before arriving at the airport, they can present their printed My Vaccine Pass at the airport or kiosk. Customers who have a negative test result taken within 72 hours before departure can present either the free community text message result or doctor’s letter at a check-in counter. Downloading the Air New Zealand mobile app will make the connection of your booking details and vaccination status seamless. Customer flexibility: The following flexibility applies for customers ticketed with domestic travel within New Zealand, for travel between 14 December 2021 and 31 March 2022, for tickets issued on or before 9 November 2021.Customers who are unable to provide proof of full vaccination or a negative Covid-19 test before their flight or who no longer wish to travel whilst this temporary policy is in place, are able to hold their ticket in credit. Updates to Fast Bag service: Effective from today, eligible customers who meet the Fast Bag requirements, and request a Fast Bag at the check-in kiosk will have a Fast Bag designator automatically printed on their tag, for them to attach and drop at bag drop themselves. We hope this provides peace of mind and clarity around the steps our industry are taking to allow a safe and free summer. Please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Japan will ease restrictions on fully vaccinated business travellers from today 8 November. There have been no updates as to when it will allow international tourists to return. Arrivals will only have to self-isolate for three days, rather than the current 10-day quarantine period if they can provide proof of their vaccination status.

On 8 November, the US will ease restrictions that effectively halted tourism and non-essential travel from 33 countries, including the UK, most of Europe and China. Now all visitors with a WHO-approved vaccination (which includes AstraZeneca) will be allowed to visit the US. Visitors with passports from any country where fewer than 10% of the country’s population has been vaccinated will also be allowed.

The lockout in Darwin has been extended by 24 hours and has now been scheduled to end at midnight on Tuesday, 9 November 2021, as the Northern Territory records another day of zero local cases. The Katherine lockout was lifted as of 5pm on Monday, 8 November 2021.

NSW and Victoria have reopened the border between the states, allowing free movement between the two states after more than six months of travel restrictions. Under the new arrangement which came into effect at 11.59pm Thursday, fully vaccinated travellers (including workers entering Victoria from a green zone) will not be required to be tested or undertake quarantine. However, travellers will still required to obtain a permit from Service Victoria before they arrive to prove they are not infectious or required to isolate as a close contact. In a joint statement on Thursday, premiers Dominic Perrottet and Daniel Andrews said: “With Covid-19 case numbers coming down and high vaccination rates continuing to rise in both states, NSW and Victoria are normalising living with the virus.” Victorian health authorities also declared that from 11:59pm on Thursday the ACT and all remaining “orange zone areas” in NSW will become “green zones” under the state’s travel permit system. There are no requirements for fully vaccinated Victorians entering NSW, unless they have attended a location of high concern in Victoria. In addition, a Victorian who is over the age of 16 and not fully vaccinated is not allowed to enter NSW for recreation or a holiday. Residents entering Victoria must still comply with any vaccination requirements in place.