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The Dubai-based airline has announced that it will resume daily flights to Istanbul, Turkey from 21 December via the EK121 and EK122 flight numbers. The addition of Istanbul expands Emirates’ European network to 31 destinations.

The airline has announced that it is the latest carrier to provide free COVID-19 insurance cover for passengers who test positive for the virus while travelling. The policies are provided by Allianz Travel and cover medical costs relating to a positive diagnosis, as well as isolation and additional travel costs. The cover applies to all passengers on Japan Airlines (JAL) marketed and operated flights for travel between 23 December 2020 and 30 June 2021, and is valid for 31 days from the first leg of the journey.

The airline has now resumed services to London Gatwick Airport, operating three flights per week from its Doha hub. The resumption means the carrier is now offering 55 flights a week in total from London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports during December. The airline also resumes flights from Doha to the Seychelles from today, 15 December.

The country's government has announced that it will increase COVID-19 lockdown restrictions over the Christmas period, as the number of deaths and infections from COVID-19 reaches record levels; the measures will run from 16 December to at least 10 January, and include the closure of non-essential shops and schools. The region of Bavaria is also extending a night-time curfew. With immediate effect, German authorities are requiring passengers entering the country from any country or region with increased risk of COVID-19 infection to register online. Use the following link for online registration: https://www.einreiseanmeldung.de/.

Airport representatives have announced that Terminal 4, one of four within the airport, will remain closed until the end of 2021; London Heathrow Airport posted an 88% fall in passenger numbers in November due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has reported updated information for arrivals of all nationalities to Greece; after 06.00 (local time) on 18 December, in addition to a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained a maximum of 72 hours prior to arrival and completion of a passenger locator form, travellers will also be required to complete a rapid COVID-19 test on arrival and to self-isolate for 10 days. National measures and restrictions within Greece have also been extended until at least 7 January.

The country’s government has announced that it will introduce a night-time curfew, in addition to delaying the re-opening of cultural venues, in response to a rise in cases of COVID-19. A stay-at-home order will be lifted on 15 December as planned, and then a daily 20.00-06.00 (local time) curfew requirement will begin and will not be waived over the festive period. Museums, cinemas, theatres and sports venues will also remain closed for an additional three weeks.

The UK’s chief medical officer has said that from 00.01 (GMT) on Monday 14 December, the mandatory self-isolation period for passengers arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from a country which is NOT on the ‘travel corridor’ list of the respective nations will be reduced from 14 days to 10 days. Importantly, the guidance released today also states that the amendment will apply to all those who are currently self-isolating in the UK, including those who commenced self-isolation before 14 December.

The country’s government has announced a slight reduction in restrictions on arrival quarantine, meaning that travellers can now self-isolate for 10 days at a place of their choosing pending certain conditions being met, rather than the current requirement to do so in a designated hotel at their own cost.

The UK government has announced that from 04.00 (GMT) on Saturday 12 December, anyone arriving or returning from Spain's Canary Islands to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland will be required to self-isolate. However, anyone arriving or returning to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland from the Botswana or Saudi Arabia will not be required to self-isolate, as the nations have been granted a travel corridor.

We previously reported that the countrys’ governments planned that from today, 10 December, all cross-border rail services would be stopped between Italy and Switzerland due to rail staff not having the capacity to carry out COVID-19 safety checks mandated by the Italian government. However, in an update later released it was stated that this move was confirmed as being reversed, and trains will no longer be halted; services are now expected to gradually return to ‘normal’ volume within the next few days.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) has published important information for passengers travelling to Italy. Firstly, from 10 December the country’s COVID-19 pre-testing requirements will apply to arrivals from all European countries; the testing window will also be reduced from 72 hours to 48 hours prior to travel. However, secondly from 21 December until 6 January, all arrivals must self-isolate for 14 days regardless of nationality or testing fulfillment. A curfew 22.00 to 05.00 (local time) will also be in place.

The country’s government has announced the extension of current nationwide COVID-19 restrictions until March 2021. In addition, further lockdown measures were announced yesterday, 7 December, which will simultaneously be in place until 3 January 2021; the new measures include the closure of restaurants, museums, cinemas and other cultural institutions from 9 December in 38 of 98 municipalities.

The airline has announced a second European flight route on which passengers can be tested for COVID-19 to become exempt from a quarantine requirement; from 15 December a four-times weekly transatlantic service from Atlanta to Amsterdam will operate the program, which is very similar to the program launched on flights between Atlanta and Rome from 19 December.

The government of Greece has extended its current COVID-19 lockdown until 7 January, and has also added further restrictive measures. Starting on 18 December, Greece will now mandate a further, rapid COVID-19 antigen test upon arrival as well as a 10-day quarantine for all passengers - nationals and non-nationals alike; this is in addition to the requirement that arrivals must bring a negative COVID-19 PCR test result with them to permit entry. With the extension of the lockdown until January 7, inter-regional travel will also continue to be restricted. Tourists and residents in Greece must send an SMS to 13033 and select their corresponding essential activity before leaving their hotel property or home.

The hotel group has announced a new COVID-19 ‘test and rest’ initiative at the Sofitel London Heathrow and Sofitel London Gatwick. From a cost of around £179 per person based on single occupancy, passengers receive a one-night stay plus a fully certified COVID-19 PCR saliva test; when the test is submitted to reception by 20.00, an overnight result is then received by the morning via a dedicated mobile app.

The airline has announced that free of charge COVID-19 insurance will be automatically applied to flights booked from today, 7 December, through to 28 February 2021; the policy will cover medical expenses related to a COVID-19 diagnosis.

The southern German region of Bavaria announced yesterday, 6 December, that it will impose tougher COVID-19 restrictions upon its residents from 9 December through to 5 January 2021. Anyone within the region will only be able to leave their homes for valid reasons such as work, to visit a doctor or for exercise; shops and schools, however, will remain open. The move follows the recent news that Bavaria has recorded the country's highest COVID-19 death toll.

The airline has said that it will begin to offer COVID-19 tested flights to Atlanta in the U.S., with passengers receiving one test five days before their flight, a second test shortly before the flight and a third test after landing. U.S. and EU passengers travelling inbound to Amsterdam from the U.S. will be able to skip a five-day quarantine on arrival if testing negative on all three stages. The flights will run four times per week from 15 December, with more expected providing that the pilot is successful.

The UK government has released further guidelines today, 4 December, on an announcement made yesterday by the country's transport secretary; from 04.00 (local time) on 5 December, certain categories of business travellers, journalists, elite sportpersons, performing arts professionals and television production crew will be exempt from a mandatory 14-day self-isolation requirement on arrival in England, if arriving from a country not on the country's 'travel corridor' list. In the update released today, the eligible business traveller categories were revealed as primarily being for those of a 'director' level or above with activity in the UK related to creating or saving more than 50 UK jobs, or related to transactions of over £100 million (GBP). Meanwhile, from 15 December all passengers arriving in England from countries not featured on the government’s 'travel corridor' list will also have the option of taking a COVID-19 test after five days of self-isolation, with a negative result releasing them from the need to isolate for the full 14-day period.