JORDAN: Country to resume regular international flights from 8 September 2020

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.
Middle East
Borders
Business
Leisure

SINGAPORE AIRLINES: Updated flight schedules published for September, October and November 2020

The airline, along with partner carrier SilkAir, has published its latest schedule update for flights in September, October and November 2020. Among the updates are reinstated flights to three destinations including Phnom Penh, Cambodia and Taipei, Taiwan. The airlines have said that following these resumptions, by the end of November flight capacity will have reached 11% of pre-COVID-19 levels.
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
Singapore
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States of America
Airline
Singapore Airlines
SilkAir
Business
Leisure

ETIHAD: Airline launches COVID-19 global insurance cover for all passengers

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.
Australia
Canada
Middle East
New Zealand
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States of America
Airline
Etihad Airways
Business
Leisure

EMIRATES: Airline to resume flights to two additional African cities from 6 September 2020

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.
Ghana
Ivory Coast
Middle East
South Africa
Airline
Emirates
Business
Leisure

RUSSIA: Country resumes international flights with three additional countries

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.
Egypt
Maldives
Middle East
Russia
Borders
Business
Leisure

QATAR AIRWAYS: Airline to resume flights to five additional destinations in September 2020

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.
Middle East
Somalia
United States of America
Airline
Qatar Airways
Business
Leisure

SOUTH AFRICA: International arrivals now permitted to self-isolate at a nominated location

The government of South Africa has said that eligible international arrivals to the country are now permitted to self-isolate at a place of their choosing, provided that it complies with government criteria. An application must be submitted 72 hours before the date of intended travel; otherwise, arrivals will be quarantined for 10 days in a state appointed facility. More information can be found in the latest Department of Health guidelines.
South Africa
Borders
Business
Leisure

EMIRATES: Airline reactivates partnership with carrier flydubai to offer increased connectivity

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.
Middle East
Airline
Business

THE BLUE TRAIN: South African luxury train journey set to resume operations

South Africa's iconic luxury train journey on board The Blue Train will be resuming services for private charters from September 2020, the provider has announced; the move coincides with COVID-19 restrictions within the country being adjusted down to level two. Leisure travel will also resume with a full schedule from 1 November, and passengers will benefit from strict and thorough COVID-19 hygiene protocols.
South Africa
Rail
Leisure

ETIHAD: Airline to offer free COVID-19 testing for some passengers transferring from XNB bus terminal in Dubai

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.
Middle East
United Kingdom
Airline
Etihad Airways
Business

EMIRATES: Airline resumes flights to Bangkok from 1 September 2020

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.
Middle East
Thailand
Airline
Emirates
Business
Leisure

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Returning Dubai residents to require GDRFA approval

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.
Middle East
Borders
Business

EUROPCAR: Car hire provider closes some regional branches in South Africa

Car hire provider Europcar has announced that due to the impact of COVID-19 on the travel and tourism sector and the resulting reduction in demand, a number of smaller regional branches within South Africa have been closed. A complete summary of the branches that are remaining open in the country, along with their operating hours, can be found on Europcar's website.
South Africa
Car
Europcar
Business
Leisure

EMIRATES: Airline to resume flights to two additional African cities from 3 September 2020

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.
Guinea
Middle East
Senegal
Airline
Emirates
Business
Leisure

SUN INTERNATIONAL: South African resort Sun City to re-open from 2 September 2020

Sun City’s hotels and casino, located in South Africa's north-west at the border of Pilanesberg National Park, is due to re-open from 2 September, according to a notice on the resort's website. The Valley of the Waves and Sun Central, adjoining entertainment centres with retailers and restaurants, will though remain closed until further notice. Only hotel residents, MVG members and guests with confirmed golf bookings will be allowed to enter the resort, which will adhere to strict COVID-19 health protocols including hand sanitising, temperature checks, the completion of medical screening questionnaires and the wearing of a mask at all times.
South Africa
Hotel
Resort
Business
Leisure

VIRGIN ATLANTIC: Airline introduces complimentary COVID-19 global cover

The airline has introduced their new COVID-19 cover policy, which provides free insurance for new and existing customers on flights booked for departures up until 31 March 2021, should they fall ill or experience difficulties due to COVID-19. As well as covering applicable medical costs incurred as a result of the virus, Virgin will also incur costs in the event that a passenger is denied boarding due to COVID-19-related reasons, or is unexpectedly quarantined upon arrival in their destination.
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States of America
Airline
Virgin Atlantic
Business
Leisure

EMIRATES: Airline resumes U.S. flights to Houston, Texas

The Dubai-based airline has how resumed flights to Houston, Texas taking its flight network in the U.S. to six cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington DC. In the total the airline's reinstated network is shortly due to increase to over 74 destinations, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its hub in Dubai.
Middle East
United States of America
Airline
Emirates
Business
Leisure

LUFTHANSA GROUP: Airlines to increase restrictions on face masks from 1 September 2020

The airlines of the Lufthansa Group have announced that they are restricting the exceptions from the obligation to wear a mask on board their flights from 1 September, when an exemption from the obligation to wear a mask during the flight for medical reasons will only be possible if a medical certificate is presented on a form provided by the airline. Passengers can download the document from the airlines' websites. In addition, passengers who are unable to wear a mask during the flight must present a negative COVID-19 test result, which is not older than 48 hours at the scheduled start of the journey.
Australia
Austria
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Middle East
New Zealand
Norway
Sweden
United Kingdom
United States of America
Airline
Lufthansa
Austrian Airlines
SWISS Air Lines
Brussels Airlines
Air Dolomiti
Business
Leisure

VIRGIN ATLANTIC: Airline to award tier points for rewards flights from 1 September 2020

The airline has announced that from 1 September it will award tier points on every flight, including redemption bookings; passengers will receive the same number of points as they would when booking using cash, making it easier to progress to Gold and Silver status.
Australia
Canada
New Zealand
South Africa
United Kingdom
United States of America
Airline
Virgin Atlantic
Business
Leisure

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL: Marriott Bonvoy launches triple points incentive for event bookings

Marriott International has announced that, in an effort to boost event, meetings and groups bookings and assure customer confidence post-COVID-19, eligible bookings made for events held by 31 March 2021 will receive triple Marriott Bonvoy points. In addition, customers will receive 5% off master-billed group rooms, one complimentary delegate or room in every 10 paid delegates or rooms for groups between 10-100 people, and a signing bonus of 5,000 points at participating hotels across Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Middle East
South Africa
United Kingdom
Event
Hotel
Marriott
Business