• Middle East
      • South Africa

          PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Selected Middle East flights from 20-28 August to be diverted to Cebu

          The airline has said that select Middle East flights from 20-28 August will transit at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport rather than Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will include departures from Dubai, Qatar's Doha and Dammam in Saudi Arabia. Information on what these means for passengers, and requirements for pre-registering with Cebu Airport for those on affected flights, can be found on the airline's website.
          Middle East
          Philippines
          Airline
          Philippine Airlines
          Business

          QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline increases network to 550 weekly flights to 85 destinations

          The middle eastern airline has published its latest schedule updates, whereby it’s been announced that its network will now be re-built to more than 550 weekly flights to over 85 destinations; this includes the increasing of frequencies to a number of destinations across Asia and the resumption of routes to the U.S., Australia, New Zealand, Kenya and the UK.
          Middle East
          Airline
          Qatar Airways
          Business
          Leisure

          AIRLINK: South African regional airline adds five new routes and increases flight frequency

          Airlink has announced that it has now re-introduced five flight routes and increased its frequency on services between Cape Town and both George and Port Elizabeth, following the easing of COVID-19 restrictions in South Africa to level two. Re-Introduced routes include those between Johannesburg and Pietermaritzburg, Mthatha, Hoedspruit and Skukuza; also included are services from Cape Town to Upington.
          South Africa
          Airline
          Airlink
          Business
          Leisure

          LEBANON: Country orders a two week shutdown from 21 August

          The country's government has announced that from 21 August it will order a two week shutdown across the country and enforce an overnight curfew, after a rise in COVID-19 infections. The decision will also allow provision for the clearing of rubble, making repairs and distributing aid in neighbourhoods that were damaged in the 4 August explosion in Beirut. The airport will though remain open, with travellers still required to take a COVID-19 PCR test before boarding.
          Middle East
          Borders
          Business
          Leisure

          EMIRATES: Airline to resume flights to Warsaw, Poland from 4 September 2020

          The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume passenger flights to Warsaw, Poland from 4 September starting with twice-a-week services, and increasing to three-a-week from 7 October. The resumption of flights to Warsaw will expand Emirates’ current network to 75 cities in September, offering travellers in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific connections via Dubai to the Polish capital.
          Middle East
          Poland
          South Africa
          Airline
          Emirates
          Business
          Leisure

          SUN INTERNATIONAL: South African hotel and entertainment brand releases re-opening dates

          The South African hotel and entertainment brand has announced that with inter-provincial borders within the country now open and restrictions on alcohol now lifted, its hotels will also begin to-reopen for guests; Sun International has accordingly published the re-opening dates of each property along with the answers to many frequently asked questions. All hotels now bear the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) safe stamp of approval, verifying that the COVID-19 health and safety protocols they have in place meet international benchmarks.
          South Africa
          Hotel
          Resort
          Sun International
          Leisure

          SOUTH AFRICA: Country to move to downgraded COVID-19 alert level two

          South Africa will be downgraded to enter COVID-19 alert level two as of midnight, 17 August, whereby all restrictions on inter-provincial travel will be lifted. Accommodation, hospitality venues and tours will also be permitted according to approved protocols to ensure social distancing. South Africa's borders though remain closed, with no international travel taking place with the exception of repatriation flights in and out of the country. Meanwhile, a national state of disaster has been extended by a further month, until 15 September 2020.
          South Africa
          Borders
          Business
          Leisure

          QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline to resume daily flights to London Gatwick Airport from 20 August 2020

          The airline has said that it will resume daily flights to the UK's London Gatwick Airport from 20 August, in a move which will see its UK network expand to 45 weekly flights to four gateways. UK passengers will now be able to connect via the airline's Doha hub to over 40 destinations in Africa, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East.
          Middle East
          United Kingdom
          Airline
          Qatar Airways
          Business
          Leisure

          NH HOTEL GROUP: Cape Town's ‘The Lord Charles’ hotel to close

          Multi-national hotel group NH Hotels has announced that their landmark property ‘The Lord Charles’ hotel in Cape Town's Somerset West is to close its doors at the end of August. Although the closure comes in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has devastated the South African tourism industry, it appears from the statement by NH Hotels that the decision to shut the hotel was taken prior to the lockdown.
          South Africa
          Hotel
          NH Hotels
          Business
          Leisure

          EMIRATES: Airline to operate one-off flight to Clark, Philippines on 19 August 2020

          The Dubai-based airline has said that it will operate a one-off passenger flight on it's flagship Airbus A380 aircraft to Clark in the Philippines on 19 August; the special flight will help to meet the demand for flights to and from the Philippines, especially serving passengers from metro Manila and the surrounding Luzon areas and beyond.
          Middle East
          Philippines
          Airline
          Borders
          Emirates
          Business
          Leisure

          EMIRATES: Airline to resume flights to three further destinations by 1 September 2020

          The Dubai-based airline has announced it will resume passenger services to Birmingham from 1 September, Cebu from 20 August, and Houston from 23 August. This will bring the airline’s network to 74 destinations, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its hub.
          Middle East
          South Africa
          United Kingdom
          United States of America
          Airline
          Emirates
          Business
          Leisure

          SANPARKS: South Africa's Kruger National Park to open some camps from 14 August 2020

          Following the announcement by the country's minister of tourism that intra-provincial travel will now be open to South African nationals, South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that Kruger National Park (KNP) will partially open some of its camps for accommodation from 14 August. Further information on the camps to be re-opened in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces can be found on the SANParks website.
          South Africa
          Hotel
          Tours
          Business
          Leisure

          CITY LODGE HOTEL GROUP: South African hotel brand launches remote working solution

          South African hotel brand City Lodge Hotel Group has launched a remote working solution that it hopes will solve the difficulties faced its guests who otherwise work from busy households during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dubbed '#YourPrivateOffice', guests can book a room to work in for several hours a day at a special rate that is inclusive of tea and coffee-making facilities, secure parking, fast and reliable WiFi and air conditioning.
          South Africa
          Hotel
          City Lodge Hotel Group
          Business

          QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline to resume four weekly flights to Lisbon from 14 August 2020

          The airline has announced that it is set to resume four weekly flights to Lisbon, Portugal from 14 August on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner, offering 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy. This will see the airline’s European network expand to 225 weekly flights to 33 destinations.
          Middle East
          Portugal
          Airline
          Qatar Airways
          Business
          Leisure

          PHILIPPINE AIRLINES: Selected international flights from 13-15 August to be diverted to Cebu

          The airline has said that select flights from 13-15 August will transit at Cebu's Mactan-Cebu International Airport rather than Manila's Ninoy Aquino International Airport. This will include departures from Dubai, Qatar's Doha and Singapore. Information on what these means for passengers, and requirements for pre-registering with Cebu Airport for those on affected flights, can be found on the airline's website.
          Middle East
          Philippines
          Singapore
          Airline
          Philippine Airlines
          Business
          Leisure

          HONG KONG: Increased entry requirements for some arrivals from 10 August 2020

          The government of Hong Kong has confirmed that from 10 August, arriving passengers who have visited or transited through Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, South Africa or the United States will be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure. They will also require proof of the credibility of the testing facility, and proof of a hotel room reservation in Hong Kong for at least 14 days from the day of arrival.
          Bangladesh
          Hong Kong
          India
          Indonesia
          Kazakhstan
          Pakistan
          Philippines
          South Africa
          United States of America
          Borders
          Business
          Leisure

          EMIRATES: Airline resumes flights to five cities in Pakistan from 10 August 2020

          The Dubai-based airline is increasing its passenger flights to five cities in Pakistan from today, 10 August, bringing its total network connectivity to over 70 destinations worldwide. As of 16 August there will be 53 weekly flights to Pakistan on their Boeing 777-300 aircraft.
          Middle East
          Pakistan
          Airline
          Emirates
          Business
          Leisure

          QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline mandates COVID-19 PCR pre-testing for some passengers from 13 August 2020

          The airline has announced that from 13 August it will require passengers travelling from select countries to provide a negative COVID-19 RT-PCR test result at check-in, taken a maximum of 72 hours prior to departure at an approved laboratory; a completed consent form must also be presented. The new restriction will initially be applicable to arrivals from Armenia, Bangladesh, Brazil, India, Iran, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Russia and Sri Lanka. It is also applicable to Erbil International Airport (EBL) in Iraq.
          Armenia
          Bangladesh
          Brazil
          India
          Middle East
          Pakistan
          Philippines
          Russia
          Sri Lanka
          Airline
          Qatar Airways
          Business
          Leisure

          QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline to resume flights to Australia's Adelaide on 16 August 2020

          The airline has announced that it will be resuming two flights per week to the Australian city of Adelaide from 16 August, which will be its fifth Australian destination; this will make it the only international airline to service this number of Australian destinations, which will account for a total of 23 weekly passenger flights.
          Australia
          Middle East
          Airline
          Qatar Airways
          Business
          Leisure

          UNITED AIRLINES: Airline extends 'Global Services' status for members until January 2022

          The U.S. airline has announced that it has extended 'Global Services' status for its current members through to 31 January 2022. United had previously also extended 'MileagePlus' status for members at the Premier 1K level and below through to the same date.
          Australia
          Canada
          New Zealand
          South Africa
          United Kingdom
          United States of America
          Airline
          United Airlines
          Business
          Leisure