The UK government has announced a new plan to address travel disruption in the aviation industry. The 22-point plan aims to avoid a repeat of the problems seen across UK airports over the past few months.

UK tackles aviation travel disruption

In response to the severe travel disruption across the UK this year, particularly over the busy Easter period, the UK government has launched a series of measures to support the aviation industry and passengers.

The joint initiative from the Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) aims to “minimize disruption in the aviation sector and protect passengers if it does happen.”

Staff shortages and rising travel demand caught many airlines and airports unaware, leading to long delays and thousands of canceled flights.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said,

“The 22 measures we’ve published today set out what we’re doing to support the industry. It’s now on airports and airlines to commit to running the flights they’ve promised or cancel them with plenty of time to spare, so we can avoid the kind of scenes we saw at Easter and half-term.”

The 22-point plan

As laid out on the UK government website, the 22-point plan is split into three broad categories – industry support, passenger support, and recruitment and training support.

Key takeaways from the plan include:

Industry Support

• New regulations on airport slots, including an “amnesty” to hand back slots that can’t be fulfilled.
• Weekly committees, including a Strategic Risk Group and Summer Resilience Group.
• Weekly updates on schedule viability to ensure airline schedules can be fulfilled.

Passenger Support

• A new Aviation Passenger Charter offering guidance on the rights and responsibilities of an air passenger.
• Reviewing current airline practices on passenger care, compensation and legal responsibility.
• Strengthening consumer protection, including expanding the CAA’s enforcement powers and written warnings to airports and airlines.

Recruitment and Training Support

• Legal changes to enable airlines and airports to train and deploy staff more quickly.
• Building partnerships with colleges and universities to attract interest in aviation.
• Launching the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme (AGOSS) backed by £161 million in grants.

Aviation Minister Robert Courts said,

“The action we’ve taken to support airlines and airports isn’t just about minimizing disruption this summer, but helping the sector recruit the staff it needs for the long term. I look forward to continuing to support them in this effort where we can.”

Consumer group Which? responds

In June, Simple Flying reported on UK consumer rights group Which? warning that the government’s proposals on passenger compensation will weaken passenger rights.

Which? has responded to the government’s new 22-point plan, reiterating its belief that the CAA should be granted the power to directly fine airlines.

Rocio Concha, Which? Director of Policy and Advocacy, said,

“The shameful scenes at UK airports show why passengers need their rights to be strengthened and enforced by a strong regulator and compensation regime. The government should give the CAA powers to fine airlines directly when they flout the law, and drop plans to cut passenger compensation for delayed and cancelled domestic flights.”

Source: Simple Flying

Passengers have complained of queues and “total chaos” at Heathrow after the airport asked airlines to remove 30 flights from Thursday’s schedule.

The UK’s largest airport asked airlines to cut the flights because it was expecting more passenger numbers than it can currently cope with.

Some passengers did not know that their flights were cancelled until they arrived at the airport.

Heathrow said the cancellations were necessary for safety.

Travel writer and broadcaster Andy Mossack tweeted that there was “total chaos” and “zero customer service” at the airport on Thursday morning.

Mr Mossack, who was due to fly to Geneva at 08:25am, told the BBC he was told of the cancellation via an email about 6.00am which he didn’t see until he arrived at the airport.

“There are no flights to Geneva until Sunday or Monday. So I’ve had to come home”.

Terminal 5 was “awful… there were hundreds of people there. Some sleeping on the floor”.

Another passenger tweeted that terminal 5 was a “disgraceful shambles” after he arrived on Thursday morning to find his flight cancelled.

PA reported that one passenger, Andrew Douglas, said he had spent four hours in queues to find out at check-in that his flight had been cancelled with no prior notifications.

Other travellers complained of poor customer service and a lack of help when trying to rebook their flights.

A Heathrow spokesman said: “We will work with airlines to get affected passengers rebooked onto other flights outside of the peak so that as many as possible can get away, and we apologise for the impact this has on travel plans.

“We are working hard to ensure everyone has a smooth journey through Heathrow this summer, and the most important thing is to make sure that all service providers at the airport have enough resources to meet demand.”

A spokesman from British Airways, one of the airlines affected, said: “As a result of Heathrow’s requirement for all airlines to reduce their schedules, we’ve made a small number of cancellations.”

The airline said it was in contact with affected customers to “apologise, advise them of their consumer rights and offer them alternative options, including a refund or rebooking.”

Virgin Atlantic said one of their Heathrow to New York return services had been cut in each direction, while Air France, KLM, American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Lufthansa, Aer Lingus, Brussels Airlines and Air Canada are also affected.

Meanwhile, the government is calling on the industry to run “realistic” summer schedules and alert passengers to any flight changes as “early as possible” to minimise disruption.

“It’s now on airports and airlines to commit to running the flights they’ve promised or cancel them with plenty of time to spare so we can avoid the kind of scenes we saw at Easter and half term,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.

Among the 22 measures the Department for Transport introduced on Thursday is a plan to give airlines a short window to hand back plane parking slots for the rest of the summer season.

This is aimed to help manage capacity at the busiest airports.

Earlier this month, around 5,000 people were hit by Heathrow cancellations because of technical issues affecting baggage.

Before that, tens of thousands of passengers had been affected by disruption at UK airports and flight cancellations during the week of the Platinum Jubilee and half-term holidays.

The disruption was caused by several factors, but staff shortages have left the aviation industry struggling to cope with resurgent demand.

Last week when Heathrow made a similar move, it was for a different reason – because of the knock-on impact of a technical problem with baggage.

This time, it’s linked to staffing; it realised more passengers were going to come through the airport the next morning than it has capacity for right now.

But why was the decision only announced on the afternoon of the day before?

The airport says it’s seeing increasing numbers of last-minute bookings following cancellations or disruption at other airports – and this is pushing up passenger demand. Thirteen percent more passengers were booked to fly today than Thursday last week.

Heathrow says it’s constantly talking to airlines, working with them to make sure the right amount of airline, airport and ground handling resources are in place to cope with the number of flights operating.

Gatwick has already announced it’s limiting flight numbers for July and August. Heathrow hasn’t done that, but points out that since Gatwick’s announcement, the government has announced a one-off “amnesty” on airport slot rules, and airlines are expected to use this to cut more flights to try to make schedules more resilient.

Source: BBC

Machine readable passports have finally been phased out and will no longer be recognised as valid travel documents in Rwanda.

According to an official announcement from the Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration (DGIE), the development took effect from June 28, 2022.

“The Directorate General of Immigration and Emigration would like to remind the general public that the Rwanda Machine Readable Passport (old passport) has been phased out and ceased to be recognised as a travel document with effect from June 28,” the announcement read.

All Rwandans who wish to travel to countries where a passport is needed, are required to have the new Rwanda East Africa Passport (EAC) e-Passport.

However, returning citizens with valid Machine-Readable Passports will be allowed to return to Rwanda.

In June 2019, the DGIE started the issuance of the e-Passports, a move that other East African countries including Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have also embarked on.

An agreement between EAC member states targets that machine-readable passports are phased out within two years from the date of issuing of the first e-Passports.

In this respect, Rwanda’s first deadline for the phase-out was June 27 last year.

However, with the global Covid-19 pandemic that led to lockdowns in several countries, the Rwandan Communities Abroad could not travel to the nearest Embassy to provide biometric data due to travel restrictions.

As a result, Rwanda extended the phase-out deadline for one year, until June 27, 2022.

In an earlier interview with The New Times, Lynder Nkuranga, the Director General of the DGIE highlighted some of the advantages of the e-Passport, including the fact that it raises the level of trust for Rwandans traveling since it is considered as the world standard travel document.

“Countries can authenticate and confirm the issuing authority of the e-Passport. E-Passport forgery is close to zero because of the embedded chip that contains biometric data of the bearer,” she said.

She referred to the e-Passport as a secure digital travel document that can be digitally verified by other countries.

“The portrait and names written on the chip can be verified to confirm that the holder of the passport is the person whom he or she claims to be.”

The document is also looked at as a step forward in the fight against cross-border crimes including terrorism since it uses advanced technology that ensures that travel documents are used by the legitimate persons and authorities.

Rwandans abroad can apply for both the national identity cards and e-Passports via the Irembo portal.

The development assists Rwandans living in foreign countries to get their East African e-Passports.

The applicants’ biometric data is captured from the nearest Rwandan Embassy and be used for the processing of both ID card and e-Passport.

How much does it cost?

There are several categories of e-Passports. An ordinary one for minors valid for two-years costs Rwf25,000, while that of 5 years (with 50 pages) costs Rwf75,000.

An ordinary 10-year passport with 66 pages, costs Rwf100,000, a service passport with a 5-year validity costs Rwf15,000, and a diplomatic passport costs Rwf50,000.

Source: New Times Rwanda

Twelve African countries have collectively blocked airlines from repatriating US$1 billion to their home countries, and Africa is responsible for 67% of airlines’ blocked funds globally. One country stands out – as of May 2022, Nigeria was hanging onto $450 million in funds belonging to foreign airlines, and one of the consequences is flights to that country cost six or seven times more than flights to comparable flights. And the amount Nigeria is holding onto is increasing weekly.

IATA wants to resolve the issue of blocked funds

Speaking at IATA 2022 in Doha, Kamil Alawadhi, IATA’s Regional Vice President for Africa and the Middle East, said resolving the issue of blocked funds was a key priority for IATA. Nigeria is the biggest economy in Africa and the world’s tenth-largest oil exporter with a population exceeding 200 million – it’s not a market many airlines can easily ignore.

Qatar Airways, Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, Emirates, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Turkish Airlines number among the high-profile foreign airlines flying into Nigeria. While they pocket the fares sold to passengers in markets outside Nigeria, collecting monies from fares sold to passengers in Nigeria is a trickier issue. Emirates boss Tim Clark has previously highlighted the issues his airline faces regarding Nigeria’s recalcitrance.

Mr Alawadh says ongoing problems with blocked funds are extremely damaging to the airline industry. “This is sad to see that one country almost contributes about 25% of global funds. Some countries have reasons you can understand for not releasing our cash, political reasons, and economic reasons, but releasing blocked funds has been one of our priorities.”

Africa accounts for the lion’s share of global blocked funds

Elsewhere in Africa, Zimbabwe is holding onto around $100 million, Algeria about $96 million, Eritrea has around $79 million belonging to foreign carriers, and Ethiopia is retaining about $75 million. Mr Alawdh says IATA doesn’t always know the exact reasons why Nigeria and other countries retain funds belonging to foreign airlines. Still, he does say it is often a question of priorities set by governments and central banks. When there is a limited pool of capital, including hard currencies, to go around, there is tough competition for what money is available.

Some countries are incrementally working to pay down amounts owed – a development IATA welcomes. Other nations like Nigeria, where the problem is escalating, are tougher to deal with. IATA’s Regional Vice President says there are multiple consequences for the airline industry. Individual airlines are out of pocket. Consequently, fares on flights to Nigeria are exponentially high to cover that portion of tickets the airlines where the airlines cannot pocket the revenue.

Kamil Alawadhi is optimistic about resolving the blocked funds problem

Retaining money belonging to airlines also discourages other airlines from serving the market, reduces connectivity, and reduces options for passengers.

“It’s been a hectic ride with Nigeria,” says Mr Alawadh. He says he’s met with the Nigerian Vice President over the matter and adds there’s awareness at the top levels of Government there that they need to address the issue. “You keep chipping away and telling them that this will damage the country down the road.”

IATA’s man in Africa and the Middle East says he’s concluded two rounds of talks with the Nigerian Government and that the third round is soon to start. Kamil Alawadhi is relatively optimistic about a solution to the long-running problem, but he cannot say how soon it will be resolved.

Source: Simple Flying

Kenya Airways’ (KQ) Fahari Aviation and EVE UAM have signed a letter of intent for an order of up to 40 electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles.    

The agreement involves joint studies to develop and scale the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market in Kenya and a business model for cargo drone operations, Kenya Airways said in its statement. Deliveries are expected to start in 2026. 

“Urban air mobility is the future of transport, and we are honoured to be the champions of this in the region,” said Allan Kilavuka, group managing director and chief executive officer, Kenya Airways. 

Fahari Aviation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenya Airways focusing on the application of drone technology in training, operations, and traffic management. Fahari aims to develop maintenance distribution and design, and production of drones. 

“The journey to realize the dream of eVTOL vehicles in Kenya is on course and the partnership with EVE UAM, is a key achievement for us as part of the strategy to adopt new technologies as a growth strategy for the sustainable development of Africa,” Kilavuka added.  

EVTOL aircraft is a new technology that uses electricity to hover, take-off, and land vertically, making it easier to move within cities while avoiding traffic jams. 

Commenting on the partnership with Fahari Aviation, Andre Stein, co-CEO of Eve said: “This is a new chapter of the Eve and Fahari Aviation partnership to strengthen both companies’ commitment to establishing the foundations that will sustainably support the ecosystem for urban air mobility in Kenya.” 

“Last year, we announced a collaboration to develop operational models for Fahari Aviation’s key markets, and today’s announcement confirms that it is evolving successfully,” Stein added. 

Kenya Airways subsidiaries diversify into cargo operations 

Regional low-cost airline, Jambojet, a brand of Kenya Airways, diversified into cargo operations in February 2022.  

Dubbed Kenya’s first low-cost airline, the carrier committed its Dash 8-400 passenger aircraft to operate cargo services to eight destinations within Kenya – Nairobi, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, Mombasa, Malindi, Ukunda, Lamu, and Goma in Eastern DRC. 

Jambojet Managing Director and CEO, Karanja Ndegwa said that with the introduction of cargo operations, the airline can focus on connectivity for the region’s coastal destinations. 

Source: Aerotime Hub

Dubai’s successful tourism rebound continues to inspire global tourism recovery with the city welcoming 6.17 million international overnight visitors from January to May 2022, a 197 per cent year-on-year (YoY) increase from the same five-month period in 2021, which saw the destination attracting just over two million international travellers.

The latest tourism data was revealed by Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) at its first ‘City Briefing’ for 2022, a bi-annual event that provides an in-depth industry outlook to stakeholders and partners, and discusses future strategies to further reinforce the city’s position as a global hub for business, investment, talent and tourism. The event was attended by more than 1,200 key executives from across the tourism ecosystem including aviation, travel, hospitality and retail sectors.

His Excellency Helal Saeed Almarri, Director General, Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism (DET) commented: “The remarkable vision and leadership of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, have always been an inspiration to us all, and this is reflected in the city’s continued success, as we focus on enhancing its position as a global hub for economy and tourism. We are building on the massive momentum generated by the hugely successful Expo 2020 to drive growth across all our tourism pillars from cultural to culinary experiences, while working towards achieving the ambitious goal of making Dubai the most visited destination and the city of the future that will be the best place in the world to live and work.

“As we look ahead to the remainder of 2022 and beyond, we will harness the key elements that have ensured the industry’s steady growth year after year since we reopened to international visitors in 2020 – providing an unparalleled diverse destination offering that offers unique value and memorable experiences for our guests. This can only happen with the support of our stakeholders, and we are counting on them to continue playing a pivotal role in facilitating growth, as well as restoring confidence and trust among travellers in Dubai as a safe destination,” HE Helal Almarri added.

The new tourism figures from DET show that overall, Dubai hotels maintained an average occupancy level of 76 per cent from January to May 2022 compared to 62 per cent during the corresponding period in 2021. According to data from hotel management analytics firm STR, Dubai ranked No.1 globally in hotel occupancy, ahead of other international destinations including New York (61 per cent), London (60 per cent) and Paris (57 per cent), for the January-April 2022 period.

Issam Kazim, CEO, Dubai Corporation for Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DCTCM), opened the day’s programme by providing an overview of the industry with a detailed presentation that featured valuable visitor and marketing insights, in addition to an update on the communications activities that are underway across key international markets that include a novel campaign designed to encourage more families and global travellers to select the city for their summer vacation.  The ‘Stay More, Pay Less’ campaign is a citywide initiative supported by over 60 hotels and resorts, providing outstanding value to international travellers this summer. The promotion provides guests an amazing offer – stay for seven nights at participating hotels and resorts and pay for only five nights or stay for five nights and pay for only three nights stay.

Issam Kazim, CEO of DCTCM, commented: “Our constant dialogue with stakeholders and partners is crucial in ensuring that we are all aligned with the collective efforts being made under the guidance of our visionary leadership to ensure the city stays at the forefront of the world’s leading travel destinations. Our collaboration with stakeholders also provides them an opportunity to take advantage of our diverse campaigns and activities that are designed to sustain Dubai’s global appeal and keep the city top-of-mind as a must-visit destination. Dubai’s positive performance is also testament to the city’s resilience and the success of our recovery strategy. As we strive to leverage a robust domestic market and the growing international visitation, we are confident that the summer season will serve as an ideal launchpad to further accelerate momentum across the industry.”

He also briefed participants on the global campaigns, which have captivated audiences all over the world and shone a light on the city and all of Dubai’s attractions- from Dubai Presents, the thrilling campaign, which highlights ‘must visit’ attractions across the city through trailers featuring Hollywood and Bollywood stars, to Dubai being selected as the No.1 Global Destination in Tripadvisor Travellers Choice Awards 2022. The event also highlighted the drive to position Dubai as a global gastronomy hub that has received a strong boost with the launch of MICHELIN Guide Dubai and the arrival of renowned fine-dining food critique brand Gault&Millau, both important additions to the city’s fast evolving gastronomy scene. 

With its multifaceted offering, Dubai remains a popular destination, further validating the successful global campaigns run by DET throughout the year. Since Q4 2021, there have been over 200 million searches for travel to Dubai, and in May 2022 searches and bookings for the destination reached almost pre-pandemic levels.

Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE) presented key highlights of Dubai’s Retail Calendar 2022, packed with iconic citywide festivals, events, activations and experiences including the much-awaited Dubai Summer Surprises, the region’s biggest summer festival which is celebrating its 25th edition this year, from 1 July to 4 September, 2022, as well as next month’s Eid in Dubai – Eid Al Adha celebrations and the Dubai Fitness Challenge, which kicks off in October.

“With our unbeatable summer proposition, Dubai offers more value than any comparable destination with its world class infrastructure, the vast scope of its events and entertainment centres and hassle-free entry process, making it the summer destination of choice for families. Besides, our continuous collaboration with stakeholders and partners has paved the way for Dubai to offer a unique holiday package, allowing families, residents and visitors to avail themselves of innovative promotions, incentives and diverse deals this summer in Dubai,” Ahmed Al Khaja, CEO of DFRE, said.

Source: Breaking Travel News

Expedia Group has been busy shedding non-core brands and trying to simplify operations, so why did it just expand a travel agent affiliate program from North America into 21 new countries in the Caribbean, 16 in Europe, 13 in Latin America, and three in the Middle East?

The company announced the expansion of its longtime Travel Agent Affiliate Program Tuesday. From 15,000 travel agencies in the program in 2011, to more than 35,000 today, the program isn’t exactly shattering growth records. Expedia’s affiliate program counts more than 100,000 agents, the company said.

But while leisure travel agency bookings aren’t likely financially material for the $15 billion company — its market cap has dropped off a cliff since February — Expedia Group’s business to business segment is.

The Expedia Travel Agent Affiliate Program is part of the company’s business-to-business segment, which generated close to $1.5 billion in 2021 revenue. And Expedia Group CEO Peter Kern sees expanding its affiliate business, which includes not only leisure travel agencies but also travel management companies, airlines, retailers and banks, as a key strategic priority.

The affiliate business seems to be a much larger one for Expedia Group than for Booking Holdings, which is trying to play catch-up, and recently began powering a T-Mobile travel portal.

As part of its announcement, Expedia Group said it has become an American Society of Travel Advisors Silver Level Proud Partner. Expedia has been an ASTA premium member, which currently requires a $2,000 annual fee, since 2000. But joining the Silver Level Proud Partner tier means ASTA also treats Expedia as it would a supplier, and the company would spend around $40,000 annually to market to U.S. travel advisors, an ASTA spokesperson said.

Expedia announced several promotional and limited-time offers, including higher commissions on select hotels, for affiliate program members in Canada, Europe, UK, Mexico and the U.S., as well as the ability for U.S. travel advisors to offer 15 percent discounts on hotels worldwide from July 6 to August 7.

Travel agencies that belong to the Expedia affiliate program can book vacation rentals, hotels, flights, packages, car rentals and activities. They can even — in a way — earn commissions on airline bookings, which tend to come with zero commissions. If Expedia affiliates book a vacation package that includes a flight they’ll get a commission on the entire trip cost, including the flight.

It remains to be seen whether leisure travel agents will be big business for Expedia, but the company has enough confidence in the idea to expand the program into 53 new markets.

Source: Skift