The Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) board has named Mr Nicholas Bodo, a Ministry of Transport executive, as the acting Director-General after a court blocked the appointment of Emile Nguza Arao on abuse of office and financial misappropriation allegations.

Mr Bodo, currently the Director of Air Services at the Transport ministry takes over pending the hearing of a suit filed by a lobby, Sheria Mtaani, challenging the appointment of Mr Arao.

Transport Cabinet Secretary James Macharia last month appointed Mr Arao for a period of three years.

He was supposed to take over from Mr Gilbert Kibe, who exits the State Corporation today after serving for two three-year terms.

“They have been forced to appoint Mr Bodo as the acting director-general of KCAA until the case is determined,’’ a top source familiar with the details told the Business Daily yesterday.

Mr Kibe will be leaving KCAA after serving a two-year term at the authority that is mandated with the management, regulation and operation of a safe, secure and efficient air transport system in Kenya.

Mr Arao formerly headed the East African Civil Aviation Safety and Security Oversight Agency (EAC-Cassoa).

He has been battling allegations of incompetence and misuse of finances at Cassoa after the East African Legislative Assembly, in an audit report, fingered him over poor management of finances and recommended he be personally held accountable.

The assembly accused Arao of presiding over questionable and excessive administrative and consultancy expenses, payments of staff education allowances, travel costs and issues of improper running of the body.

But the petitioners Sheria Mtaaani and Shadrack Wamboi moved to the Employment and Labour Relations Court in Nakuru and obtained orders on March 17 blocking Mr Arao from taking up the job.

But Mr Rao has dismissed the petitioner’s prayers arguing that his case is based on unfounded allegations.

He says that if there was massive pilferage of massive funds, mismanagement, wastage, or theft, the audited financial statement and management letter would have led to a qualification of the accounts and this has not happened.

Source: Business Daily

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on April 20, 2022 that its Zero Tolerance Policy against unruly passengers will be made permanent.

The FAA implemented the policy on January 13, 2021, after seeing an increase in unruly passenger incidents in airports and on flights. Under the policy, the FAA issues fines to passengers for unruly behavior instead of warning letters or counseling.  

In November 2021, the number of incidents reached over 5,000. It was enough for the Department of Justice (DOJ) to direct US attorneys to prioritize the prosecution of airline passengers who have committed federal crimes aboard aircraft.

According to the FAA, the Zero Tolerance policy, combined with the agency’s public awareness campaign, has helped reduce the incident rate by more than 60%. The FAA said it will continue to work with its airline, labor, airport and security and law enforcement partners to help drive down the number of incidents.   

“Behaving dangerously on a plane will cost you; that’s a promise,” Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen said in a statement. 

“Unsafe behavior simply does not fly and keeping our Zero Tolerance policy will help us continue making progress to prevent and punish this behavior.”   

One of the key issues resulting in unruly behavior over the past year has been mask-wearing on board aircraft. However, a federal judge this week voided the mask mandate on public transport. 

Source: Aerotime Hub

Travel chaos is an inevitable consequence of almost every holiday. During some holidays, the impact on the travel industry is minimal, but during others, it can be far more disruptive.  

This year, however, holidaymakers have already seen their Easter plans thrown into disarray. With warnings of further travel disruptions still to come, Easter 2022 could possibly be one of the most disruptive periods to date, with record traffic numbers, staff shortages and COVID-related absences all adding to the chaos.  

Usually, flight cancellations during the Easter holiday season are caused by one specific reason, rather than multiple events. For example, in 2021 the Easter period coincided with Delta Airlines (DAL), one of the largest American carriers, facing crew shortages due to several factors, including staff members reporting side effect following their COVID-19 vaccinations. Other airlines, particularly in Europe, managed to avoid the same fate, and the wave of flight cancellations were specific to Delta.  

In 2019, cancellations in Europe were largely confined to Spain, as the country faced widespread strike action by airport employees. In the US, severe storms disrupted schedules in multiple states, resulting in more than 1000 cancellations across the Eastern coast, while the remainder of the US was unaffected.  

2018 saw one of the worst Easters in aviation for decades, as travel in Europe was paralyzed by Eurocontrol system failures. In the US, a cyclone, dubbed ‘nor’easter’, led to thousands of cancelations during the week before the festive weekend. 

Unprecedented chaos  

In 2022, however, it seems that many of these factors have combined to cause unprecedented chaos. And with the Easter weekend just a few days away, many European countries have already been reporting a surge in cancellations unlike anything the industry has experienced before.  

In the United Kingdom, airports have been impacted by a spike in COVID-related absences, resulting in delays and cancellations. The disruption is showing little sign of coming under control before the Easter weekend, as British Airways and easyJet, the nation’s two largest carriers, continue to suffer as a result of staff shortages and the resulting disruptions.  

Additionally, many popular holiday destinations, such as Spain and Malta, have scaled back restrictions ahead of the Easter break. Since then, Spain announced that it would be expanding its public transport schedules to cope with the increased demand, as well as the possible spillover of the chaos seen at UK airports.  

However, Spain and Portugal are still reeling from the aftermath of historic storms, with disruption expected to last for weeks to come.  

Strike action, standstills and staff shortages  

The outcome of strike action looms larger still with airport staff in at least five European countries, many of which are considered major travel destinations, having organized or announced strikes in the days leading up to Easter.  

A union strike by Italy’s air traffic control (ATC) workers is expected to have minimal effect on travel due to its short duration and preemptive measures to mitigate its impact, implemented by Spanish authorities. Similarly, unprecedented walkouts of German airport workers, which resulted in thousands of flights cancellations during the last week, appear to have led to agreements and a return to schedule. However, German airports have still reported a shortage of workers, warning that the numbers are inadequate to manage the surge in travelers during the Easter period.  

However, the impact of strike action by air traffic controllers in Poland is expected to be far greater. Conflict between ATC workers and the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency (PANSA) has resulted in staff shortages across the country’s airports leading to an unprecedented number of flight delays and cancellations. Alongside an increase in travel associated with the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions and the wider effect of the war in Ukraine, the ongoing strike action has prompted Poland’s Civil Aviation Authority to issue a warning to passengers that the difficulties could continue.  

In Portugal, airport security companies, alongside baggage handlers from at least one major airport, called for strikes leading up to Easter. Similarly, an indefinite strike notice was issued by a Belgian trade union to Ryanair management in Dublin on behalf of the Belgium-based cabin crew of the low-cost airline. Lastly, Heathrow cargo handlers have also threatened to strike, a development that could bring air transportation in the UK to a near standstill. 

Trade unions across Europe say the strikes are a response to major blunders in post-pandemic policy and planning that has resulted in airports being understaffed and employees overworked and underpaid. If true, this could be as devastating as the pandemic itself, at least in the short term. 

However, it is too early to tell if these factors will result in the worst Easter in the history of air travel. But, so far, the signs suggest that it could well be the case, as thousands of travelers face the possibility of spending a significant part of their Easter break stranded in European airports.

Source: Aerotime Hub

Manchester Airports Group has significantly increased the number of active jobs available on its career pages, with open positions increasing from 65 in December to 110 in February, according to GlobalData. However, the leading data and analytics company notes that only 36 positions were closed in this period – an ominous sign of things to come with international trips set to dramatically increase in April.

The peak season for holidays in the UK is fast approaching. According to GlobalData, total domestic and outbound visits in August from the UK are projected to be more than double the total number of visits in April. If staff shortages are not addressed by the peak of the summer season in airports such as Manchester Airport and London Stansted Airport, the impact could be calamitous for the UK’s airport and airline sectors, and the wider tourism industry.

Ralph Hollister, Travel and Tourism Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Staff shortages could remain a problem for several months as airports scramble to match employment levels with demand. When travel came to a standstill during the pandemic, many airport employees left their positions to work in other industries. Stories of unruly passengers, often long commute times, and job uncertainty, as seen with COVID-19, could be off-putting for many currently seeking work.”

The coming months will be challenging for UK airports and airlines. A lack of staff in key positions could create an array of knock-on impacts, including missed flights, cancelations, and negative traveler sentiment, all of which could prolong recovery.

Hollister adds: “A lack of employees in key roles, such as those involving security, are key contributors to the long queues causing flights to be missed and passenger experiences to turn sour. It’s now up to airport companies to improve their recruitment strategies and make working in an airport an attractive proposition However, lengthy vetting procedures and training processes involved for these positions means the issue with long queues will not vanish overnight.”

Source: Breaking Travel News

The world is “largely open for travel” as countries relax their Covid-19 restrictions, according to the latest survey by airlines association IATA. Although significant regional differences still exist.

Research found that 25 of the top 50 countries for air travel, representing around 38 per cent of 2019 passenger numbers, were now open to fully vaccinated travellers without any quarantine or testing requirements – an increase from 18 markets who were in the same position in mid-February.

While 38 of the top 50 countries now had no quarantine regimes for vaccinated passengers – up from 28 countries a month ago.

In Europe, 18 out of the top 20 aviation markets currently have no quarantine requirements in place for vaccinated passengers, while in the Asia Pacific region, only six of 16 countries do not require quarantine for vaccinated travellers.

IATA added that travel in Asia “remains heavily compromised” due to Covid restrictions. Although some countries in the region, such as India and Malaysia, have recently announced a relaxation of their Covid entry rules.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, added: “The world is largely open for travel. As population immunity grows, more governments are managing Covid-19 through surveillance, as they do for other endemic viruses. 

“That is great news for a growing number of destinations that will receive a much-needed economic boost from the upcoming Easter and northern summer travel seasons.

“Asia is the outlier. Hopefully recent relaxations including Australia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan and the Philippines are paving the way towards restoring the freedom to travel that is more broadly enjoyed in other parts of the world.”

Source: BTN

According to a recently published report, inbound trips via air travel in East Africa, are set to surpass pre-pandemic levels by 8.8% in 2024. The industry analysts found that projected growth in air travel will be due to investment in airport infrastructure and East Africa’s global reputation for being one of the world’s best ecotourism and wildlife destinations.

The forecast builds on air travel’s substantial rise between 2009 and 2019. During this period, inbound air travel trips in East Africa increased at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 7.1%.

Despite the pandemic, East Africa is still globally recognized as one of the world’s leading tourism destinations. The region includes destinations such as Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Rwanda, amongst others. The destination witnessed a surge in inbound air travel in 2021 due to the easing of travel restrictions.

Based on what we have seen so far, inbound air arrivals will increase by 163% Year-over-Year (YoY) in 2021. This makes East Africa one of the fastest recovering regions globally for inbound air travel. Continued investment in airline partnerships and infrastructure is a major reason for this and they have become vital for connecting regional areas to the rest of the world.

The relationships established through codeshares and airline partnerships have been vital to East Africa’s tourism development success over the last decade. Many airlines will continue to make strategic connections with other airlines operating in the region, including legacy carriers such as Kenya Airways and low-cost carriers such as Mango Air and Fastjet.

Established carriers such as British Airways, Emirates and South African Airlines have deep partnerships with East African air carriers, helping connect them to desirable, high-spending source markets.

With new entrants in the market such as Ugandan Air looking to make strategic partnerships with global carriers, many destinations within the East Africa region will continue to become accessible to a worldwide market. Further developments within airport infrastructure will also be a key factor.

The Tourism Construction Project Database reports new airports are being constructed in Kigali and Rwanda, as well as a planned expansion to SSR International, Mauritius and $2.5 billion worth of nationwide airport upgrades across Uganda.

Source: E-Turbo New

European Union member countries agreed today that they should further facilitate tourist travel into the 27-nation bloc for people who are vaccinated against the coronavirus or have recovered from COVID-19.

The European Council is recommending that EU nations next month lift all testing and quarantine requirements for people who received vaccines authorized in the EU or approved by the World Health Organization.

Individuals who received the last dose of their primary vaccination series at least 14 days and no more than 270 days before arrival, or who have received a booster dose, would be eligible along with those who recovered from COVID-19 within 180 days of travel.

The EU’s executive commission welcomed the non-binding guidance, which also makes clear that no test or additional requirements should be applied to children under 6 who are traveling with an adult.

“The updates will further facilitate travel from outside the EU into the EU, and take into account the evolution of the pandemic, the increasing vaccination uptake worldwide and the administration of booster doses,” the European Commission said.

Travelers who received vaccines that were approved by WHO but are not authorized for use in the EU may still be asked to present a negative PCR test or to quarantine, the European Council said.

So far, the EU has authorized the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson and Novavax.

Source: Tribune Chronical

Ukraine announced the closure of its airspace for civil aviation on February 24, 2022, after Russia launched an invasion of the country. Several civilian airports, including Kyiv-Boryspil International Airport, were attacked.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure announced the closure of airspace citing “a high-security risk” in a statement on its website. 

Commercial flights were also canceled in Russian cities located near Ukraine or on the shores of the Black Sea, including Rostov-on-the-Don, and Sochi.

In a surprise speech on Russian television early on February 24, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would carry out a “special military operation” in the separatist region of Donbas, eastern Ukraine. Hours later, attacks were reported all around Ukraine, including in Kyiv. The Ukrainian border guard reported a ground invasion from Belarus, 235 kilometers north of Ukraine’s capital.

In Kyiv, the first reports of explosions came from Boryspil International Airport (KBP), the country’s main airport. Unconfirmed footage shared on social media shows the airport burning.

“The airport is closed, all passengers at the airport have been evacuated, and the runway is blocked,” Boryspil International Airport reported on its Facebook page.

The Russian Defense Ministry, quoted by Russian news agencies, reported having destroyed the military airbases and the air defense installations of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised air operators to “exercise extreme caution and avoid using the airspace within 100 nautical miles [185 kilometers – ed. note] of the Bielorussian and Russia-Ukraine border.”

Source: Aerotime hub

Another day — another border reopens.      

In the past two weeks, a slew of countries announced plans to reopen or relax border restrictions. These include places that have maintained some of the strictest pandemic-related border controls in the world. 

The announcements come on the heels of a record-setting period of global infections. According to the World Health Organization, Covid-19 cases hit a new peak worldwide in late January, with more than 4 million cases registered in a single day. 

However, many countries are signaling that they can’t economically afford — or are no longer willing — to stay closed.

The pervasiveness of the omicron variant, which started spreading in countries — both open and closed — late last year, led people to question the utility of locked border policies.

In addition, more than half (54%) of the world’s population is now vaccinated, according to Our World in Data. Medical treatments can successfully thwart and treat severe infections. And, many experts are now “cautiously optimistic” — as top American medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci has stated — that a new phase of the pandemic may be within reach.

Australia

Arguably the biggest announcement of the past week came Monday, when Australia declared plans to reopen to vaccinated travelers from Feb. 21.

The news signaled the end to “Fortress Australia,” a moniker applied to the country’s controversial closed border policy that locked out foreigners and citizens alike.

The economic toll of Australia’s insular border policy was highlighted in January, when soon after backpackers were granted permission to enter, Prime Minister Scott Morrison pledged to refund some $350 in visa fees to those who moved swiftly. As it turned out, the about-face toward “working holiday maker” visa holders was part of an effort to reduce severe labor shortages.

Darryl Newby, co-founder of the Melbourne-based travel company Welcome to Travel, said the pandemic “not only affected the travel sector but every single industry” in Australia.

Pressure mounted when Covid infections skyrocketed in December, leaving an open question as to the purpose of keeping vaccinated and tested travelers locked out.

“Negative sentiment,” which began showing up in market research, may have been another factor, according to The Sydney Morning Herald. The article quoted Tourism Australia Managing Director Phillipa Harrison as saying the country went from being “envied” to “ridiculed” over its border policies, with some fearing lasting damage to Australia’s touristic appeal.

The state of Western Australia, home to Perth, is not reopening to either foreigners or Australian tourists yet. It scrapped plans to reopen amid a rise in Covid cases in January.

New Zealand

Another so-called “fortress” announced plans to welcome back vaccinated international visitors.

Unlike Australia, New Zealand last week outlined a five-step phased reopening plan that won’t allow international travelers to enter until July, at the earliest. Vaccinated travelers must also self-isolate for 10 days upon arrival.

With some exceptions, the plan first welcomes citizens and residents to enter later this month, if they are traveling from Australia. Citizens and residents coming from other places, plus eligible workers, can enter in mid-March, followed by some visa holders and students in mid-April.

Vaccinated travelers from Australia and those from countries who don’t need visas — including those from Canada, the United States, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, Chile, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates — can enter from July. Others will be allowed to visit starting in October.

Philippines

After closing its borders in March 2020, the Philippines announced plans to reopen today to vaccinated travelers from more than 150 countries and territories.  

The country suspended its color-coded country classification program in favor of opening to vaccinated travelers who test negative via a PCR test. Facility-based quarantines were also replaced with a requirement to self-monitor for seven days.

Covid cases in the Philippines peaked last month, with more than 300,000 daily cases at one point. Cases dropped as quickly as they rose, with 3,543 confirmed cases in the past 24 hours as at Feb. 10, according to the WHO.

Despite the surge, the Philippines’ Department of Tourism indicated the decision to reopen was related to economic hardship and, possibly, to match the policies of other Southeast Asian countries.

“The Department sees this as a welcome development that will contribute significantly to job restoration … and in the reopening of businesses that have earlier shut down during the pandemic,″ said Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat in an article on the department’s website. “We are confident that we will be able to keep pace with our ASEAN neighbors who have already made similar strides to reopen to foreign tourists.”

Bali 

Despite rising infections, Bali, Indonesia, opened to vaccinated international travelers last week.

“It is known that currently the positivity rate is already above the WHO standard of 5% … the number of people who are checked and tested on a daily basis has also increased significantly,” according to a news release published on Jan. 31 on the country’s Coordinating Ministry for Maritime and Investment Affairs office.

Yet the decision to reopen to international travelers — which has been postponed in the past — was made to “re-invigorate Bali’s economy,” according to the website. 

Travelers face a five-day quarantine requirement, though they can isolate in one of 66 hotels, which include many of the island’s well-known luxurious resorts, such as The Mulia Resort and Villa and The St. Regis Bali Resort.

Bali, however, isn’t reopening to foreign tourists for the first time. It opened last October to travelers from 19 countries. Yet few people turned up due, in part, to a lack of international flights and the island’s stringent entrance requirements.   

Malaysia

Malaysia’s National Recovery Council on Tuesday recommended that the country reopen to international travelers as early as March 1, according to Reuters.

Travelers are not expected to have to quarantine on arrival, similar to tourism policies enacted by Thailand and Singapore.

Nearly 98% of Malaysia’s adult population is vaccinated, according to the country’s Ministry of Health, with more than two-thirds using vaccines produced by Pfizer or AstraZeneca, and one-third on the Chinese-made Sinovac vaccine.

Malaysia may be on its way toward an omicron-induced case peak. A steep uptick in daily cases began two weeks ago and has yet to decline.

Relaxing travel restrictions

Countries that are already open to international travelers are moving to further relax entrance requirements.

Though Europe is the regional leader in new Covid cases according to the WHO, countries such as Greece, France, Portugal, Sweden and Norway have announced plans to drop incoming test requirements for vaccinated travelers — though some apply only to EU residents.

Last week, the islands of Puerto Rico and Aruba enacted similar measures.

Other places are moving in the opposite direction. After shuttering bars and banning some incoming flights in late January, Hong Kong this week imposed new restrictions, including limiting public gatherings to two people. The restrictions are causing citywide food shortages, inflated prices and a rising public anger, according to The Guardian.  

China also reinstituted strict measures ahead of the Winter Olympic Games, with lockdowns affecting some 20 million people in January, according to the Associated Press.   

Though both relaxed border restrictions, the Philippines and Bali also announced heightened local restrictions this year.

Source: CNBC Travel

The Immigration Department has silently extended the December 31, 2021 deadline for the phasing out of the old generation passport.

The Interior Ministry on February 4, 2021, extended the deadline to December 31, citing the Covid-19 pandemic that forced the Immigration department to scale down its operations.

In its statement announcing the extension of the process to phase out the old passport, the ministry said the extension would be the last and advised Kenyans to acquire the electronic passport to avoid travelling inconveniences.

The Interior Ministry said starting January 1 this year, the old dark blue passport would be null and void, and no Kenyan would be able to travel internationally without a valid EAC biometric e-passport.

However, responding to queries on the status of the old passports, Immigration Director-General Alexander Muteshi indicated the old passports will continue being in use.

“EAC changed the deadline for all EAC countries to November 2022,” Muteshi said in a message.

Kenya is rolling out the e-passport as part of the binding commitment by the EAC to move to the new biometric e-passport.

The decision to have the e-passport was arrived at during the 17th Ordinary Summit of the EAC Heads of State.

The issuance of the e-passport was to start by January 1, 2017, to phase out the current machine-readable East African and national passports from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018.

When this failed — due to lack of preparedness — the 35th EAC Council of Ministers directed member states to start issuance of the e-passport by January 31, 2018.

According to the East African Community, the new passport is expected to boost the free movement of people across the region and it will be in line with the implementation of the Common Market Protocol, which guarantees the right to move freely between EAC member countries.

Article 9 of the protocol on travel documents provides that, “A citizen of a partner state who wishes to travel to another Partner State shall use a valid common standard travel document; 2. The partner states which have agreed to use machine‐readable and electronic national identity cards as travel documents may do so”.

The partner states that have agreed to use machine‐readable and electronic national identity cards shall work out modalities for the implementation of the aforementioned provision two.

Source: The Star