With international travel set to resume following the ban on international travel at the start of South Africa’s Covid-19 lockdown in March, all systems are in place – all the Airports Company South Africa is waiting for is the list of countries from which visitors will be allowed.

https://spkt.io/a/1059308 Cape Town International Airport is ready to resume international travel, says the CEO of Airports Company South Africa (Acsa), Mpumi Mpofu. During lockdown, the airport’s income had been “decimated”, she said. With international travel resuming in October, things are looking up. 

Mpofu spoke to Daily Maverick as Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula inspected the airport’s readiness to accept international travellers.

“From the 1st [of October] onwards, we can only grow,” said Mpofu, adding that apart from waiting for the list of countries from which visitors are allowed to travel, “we are good to go”. There have been applications from airlines to land in South Africa, but the airlines were also waiting for the approved list of countries of origin. 

Mpofu said SA airports had been “decimated” and it could take up to five years to recover the income lost during the Covid-19 lockdown.  

Mpofu told Daily Maverick about the future of the airport and how Covid-19 affected these plans: 

“If there’s a lesson we’ve learnt from Covid, it is that airports are exciting places but they need not be passenger revenue related – and that’s exactly the diversification strategy we’re going to be taking forward so that we continue to be financially viable.” 

Cape Town International Airport, along with OR Tambo and King Shaka International, will be the only SA airports allowed to accept foreign travellers when international travel resumes on 1 October, said President Cyril Ramaphosa this month. Following Ramaphosa’s announcement, Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma said other ministers would be announcing the new regulations. 

According to a media advisory sent out this week, Mbalula was supposed to announce new travel regulations and directives while doing an inspection of the airport’s facilities. This was his third visit to airports – he had previously visited OR Tambo and King Shaka to inspect their readiness. 

Despite being an hour late for the briefing, Mbalula did not announce new regulations, but only inspected the airport’s facilities. When pressed for information on the regulations, he would only say that the department was “looking at” opening up more train lines, including the resumption of long-distance services and increasing load capacity for long-distance taxi operations. 

He said that the department was “looking at every country from Dubai… next week we’ll announce that”. The Department of Transport is working with the departments of health, home affairs, and international relations and cooperation to determine the countries from which travellers would be allowed. 

When asked about the new regulations, Mbalula said: “Before the 1st of October you’ll know.” 

During the inspection, Mpofu told Daily Maverick the airport is expecting 180,000 visitors on 820 flights during October. 

Two initiatives announced by the airport were the introduction of thermal scanners that can detect passengers with high temperatures when they pass through scanning stations, and converting into an e-system, which will ease the travelling system for travellers. 

After being taken on a tour of the airport’s thermal detectors, screening sections and sanitizing stations, Mbalula declared the airport ready to accept international travel. 

Mbalula is expected to reveal the new travel regulations next week, before international travel reopens on 1 October. 

Source: https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-09-25-cape-town-international-airport-is-ready-for-international-visitors/

Uganda Airlines will resume scheduled flight operations effective 01st of October, now that the airport reopening date has finally been confirmed.

Nairobi, Dar es Salaam, Juba and Mogadishu will be the first four destinations the airline will fly to, using their CRJ900 aircraft.

According to information received from the airline will a second tier of destinations see the resumption of flights at a later stage, among those being Mombasa, Bujumbura, Kilimanjaro and Zanzibar.

The airline at the same time also confirmed that their pre-pandemic planned launch of flights to Johannesburg, Kinshasa and Lusaka remains on target too and an announcement is expected in due course about the dates when these additional destinations will be served.

Ahead of the resumption of flights has the airline put strict health and safety protocols into place to give passengers the confidence to fly again.

Meanwhile has a source close to Uganda Airlines also confirmed that the first Airbus A330-800Neo is due for delivery before the end of the year.

This signals clear intent to also launch intercontinental services soon after the first of two such ordered aircraft has been put into service – unlike neighbours RwandAir which, according to reliably sources from Kigali has cancelled the delivery of their order for two brand new Airbus A300Neo’s as well as two Boeing B737MAX.

Uganda Airlines plans to first serve such long haul destinations with the new Airbus A330-800Neo aircraft with flights to London but also plans to launch services to China and Dubai before eying further expansion.

Source: ATC News https://atcnews.org/2020/09/21/ugandaairlines-publishes-flight-schedule-effective-01st-october/

Ethiopian Airlines Group has announced the resumption of its flight services to Victoria Falls, African’s most spectacular natural site effective 06 October,2020.

Esteemed Customers are kindly informed that Facemasks will be mandatory for travel and are requested to satisfy destination entry requirements such as PCR COVID-19 Clearance certificate issued by the recognized facility within 48 hours from the date of departure, in line with WHO guidelines. Up to date destination entry requirements can be found on our website using the link https://www.ethiopianairlines.com/aa/travel-updates

As countries continue to open their borders and relax travel restrictions, Ethiopian is ready to increase frequencies to accommodate the demand by focusing on the wellbeing of customers and staff. Ethiopian is happy to welcome back business and leisure travelers to these destinations.

Source: https://voyagesafriq.com/2020/09/24/ethiopian-set-for-a-return-to-victoria-falls-on-oct-6/

The much-anticipated Dubai Expo 2020 will now run from October 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022 due to the impact of the Coronavirus.

The expo had been scheduled to run from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021 but was moved to a later date due to the highly contagious virus that has disrupted lives and negatively impacted the economy globally.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) Minister of State for International Cooperation Director General and Expo 2020 Dubai Bureau Ms Reem Al Hashimy said, “At the Expo we know we need to deliver better than what was planned before. We have the chance to respond to how our world has changed. And so, we must seek new definitions of success. We must create an opportunity for the world to come together, not just physically but also virtually. We must achieve tangible positive outcomes. We must inform wisely and inspire utterly, a world that deserves better than it has today.”

She further said, “We continue to make strong progress as we prepare for a new Expo that will reunite the world in 2021, with far-reaching precautionary measures allowing us to keep all event preparations on track while ensuring the health, safety and wellbeing of everyone working throughout the COVID-19 crisis,”.

She expressed optimism at resumption and on the deeper impact that the new World Expo will have at shaping a better post pandemic world. “we look forward to harnessing that power of collaboration and innovation, helping us emerge from this crisis stronger than ever,” the Minister of State said.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has welcomed the move by Tanzania to lift the ban on Kenyan flight operators into their country.

KATA Chief Executive Officer Ms. Agnes Mucuha stated that the lifting of the ban is great news to travel agents and their clients.

“We are excited at the lifting of the ban on flights to Tanzania. Our passengers were greatly affected as they had to suddenly cancel pre made travel plans which were greatly anticipated after the lifting of the international travel restrictions imposed due to Covid-19. Now passengers willing to travel to Tanzania can book their travel through their trusted and certified KATA Travel Agent,” she said.

The ban was lifted after the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority issued a circular indicating the removal of the required 14 days of mandatory quarantine for arriving passengers from Tanzania.

On August 26, 2020, the Tanzanian aviation authority banned three Kenyan airlines- The Air Kenya Express, Fly 540 and Safarilink Aviation- from flying into Tanzania in retaliation to Kenya issuing the directive on mandatory Covid-19 quarantine.

The Director General, Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority Mr Hamza Johari said, “ In view of that (the lifting of the mandatory quarantine) and on a reciprocal basis, the United Republic of Tanzania has now lifted suspension for all Kenyan Operators namely Kenya Airways, Fly 540 Limited, Safarilink Aviation and Air Kenya Express Limited”.

“The resumption of flights for all Kenyan operators is with immediate effect and the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority has been informed accordingly,” He added.

Mr. Johari said that Tanzania will always strive to adhere to the fundamental principles of Chicago Convention 1944 and Bilateral Air Services Agreement between the two states.

In July, Tanzania banned Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways from flying in in retaliation against Kenya’s move to remove Tanzania from a list of countries that had been allowed to resume travel into Kenya after the resumption of international flights from August.

With the current global pandemic there is one topic that seems to dominate the travel industry: security. When considering travel bookings, passengers want to see their personal health as well as their financial investment protected. Now more than ever, travellers are sceptical towards flying and especially sensitive towards buying tickets of airlines that they fear might eventually file for bankruptcy.

Hahn Air has the solution that offers confidence and reassurance in these uncertain times. The German airline, which specialises in providing distribution and ticketing solutions to travel agencies and airlines, introduced its insolvency protection Securtix^® in 2010. This is a comprehensive compensation in case of insolvency of the operating partner carrier. Best of all, this is a free benefit that travel agents and passengers can take advantage of, when they issue any of Hahn Air’s partners on the HR-169 document. Since its introduction, Hahn Air has already issued over 42 million insolvency-safe tickets through travel agencies across 190 markets.

How does it work? In case a passenger with an HR-169 ticket is affected by the insolvency of any of Hahn Air’s over 350 partner airlines, Hahn Air and its partner Swiss Re International SE vouch for a full refund of the unused part of the ticket including taxes.

Additionally, Hahn Air offers protection for stranded passengers and guarantees to reimburse costs that might arise in such an event. This includes the difference between the original ticket price and the costs for a new ticket in the amount of up to € 125, costs for meals and hotel accommodation in the amount of up to € 75 as well as extra expenses like transfers and phone calls in the amount of up to  € 50. To claim this kind of reimbursement the insolvency must have occurred within 24 hours before departure or during a trip where the customer has already used at least one coupon. 

Hahn Air’s Vice President Agency Distribution Kimberley Long said “We want to offer that peace of mind when travel agents and respectively passengers use our services. We have been offering this comprehensive insolvency protection for over 10 years now and we are proud that Securtix^® has proven to be a valuable service for our more than 100,000 travel agency partners and their clients.”

More information about Hahn Air can be found at www.hahnair.com.

Regional low-cost carrier Jambojet has launched non-scheduled/charter flights in a move to diversify revenue streams following the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The operator is seeking for a rebound from the depressed operational environment occasioned by the previous suspension of all passenger flights on both its domestic and regional routes.

“Due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a shift in consumer needs. Consumers now, more than ever, want privacy, convenience and their safety and wellbeing assured,” said Jambojet’s Acting Managing Director Karanja Ndegwa.

Jambojet says it is currently deploying a mere 55 per cent of its capacity on its scheduled flights leaving it with spare volume allowing the potential operation of charter services.

For instance, the carrier is only running five out of its available fleet of six.

“We keep matching demand to the capacity we have. This is to ensure we don’t hurt as a carrier,” added Ndegwa.

The launch of the chartered flights allows clients to make bookings on non-scheduled routes with pricing being centrally determined by distance covered.

The flights can be deployed to and from any part of the world pending requisite approvals by local regulators with a full-payload allowing flights of between three to four hours while the charter accommodates a maximum of 78 passengers per flight.

Jambojet estimates it has lost up to Ksh.1.2 billion in revenues from the suspension of passenger flights between March and mid-July.

The airline is however hopeful of a near term rebound including the return of its flights to Entebbe and Kigali.

“Any business in the transport space was affected be it low-costs or legacy operators. We have lost almost 80 per cent of our revenues. However, you can easily dust down and pick up the pieces as a regional carrier that you would as an international operator,” said Jambojet’s Head of Sales and Marketing Titus Oboogi.

The low-cost carrier has continued to innovate its way around the pandemic including the recent launch of direct flights that do not require stopping at its main terminus in Nairobi following approval by mother company Kenya Airways.

Source: https://citizentv.co.ke/business/jambojet-launches-charter-flights-move-supplement-operations-345053/

Over recent weeks, a growing number of destinations have started to open up again to international tourists. UNWTO reports that, as of early September, 53% of destinations had eased travel restrictions. Nevertheless, many governments remain cautious, and this latest report shows that the lockdowns introduced during the first half of the year have had a massive impact on international tourism. The sharp and sudden fall in arrivals has placed millions of jobs and businesses at risk.

Counting the economic cost

According to UNWTO, the massive drop in international travel demand over the period January-June 2020 translates into a loss of 440 million international arrivals and about US$ 460 billion in export revenues from international tourism. This is around five times the loss in international tourism receipts recorded in 2009 amid the global economic and financial crisis.

UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili said: “The latest World Tourism Barometer shows the deep impact this pandemic is having on tourism, a sector upon which millions of people depend for their livelihoods. However, safe and responsible international travel is now possible in many parts of the world, and it is imperative that governments work closely with the private sector to get global tourism moving again. Coordinated action is key.”

All global regions hit hard

Despite the gradual reopening of many destinations since the second half of May, the anticipated improvement in international tourism numbers during the peak summer season in the Northern Hemisphere did not materialize. Europe was the second-hardest hit of all global regions, with a 66% decline in tourist arrivals in the first half of 2020. The Americas (-55%), Africa and the Middle East (both -57%) also suffered. However, Asia and the Pacific, the first region to feel the impact of COVID-19 on tourism, was the hardest hit, with a 72% fall in tourists for the six-month period.

At the sub-regional level, North-East Asia (-83%) and Southern Mediterranean Europe (-72%) suffered the largest declines. All world regions and sub-regions recorded declines of more than 50% in arrivals in January-June 2020. The contraction of international demand is also reflected in double-digit declines in international tourism expenditure among large markets. Major outbound markets such as the United States and China continue to be at a standstill, though some markets such as France and Germany have shown some improvement in June. 

Looking ahead, it seems likely that reduced travel demand and consumer confidence will continue to impact results for the rest of the year. In May, UNWTO outlined three possible scenarios, pointing to declines of 58% to 78% in international tourist arrivals in 2020. Current trends through August point to a drop in demand closer to 70% (Scenario 2), especially now as some destinations re-introduce restrictions on travel.

The extension of the scenarios to 2021 point to a change in trend next year, based on the assumptions of a gradual and linear lifting of travel restrictions, the availability of a vaccine or treatment and a return of traveller confidence. Nonetheless, despite this, the return to 2019 levels in terms of tourist arrivals would take between 2½ to 4 years.

Source: https://www.unwto.org/news/international-tourist-numbers-down-65-in-first-half-of-2020-unwto-reports

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on the government of Canada to relax its stringent travel restrictions and allow air travel within, to and from the country to return to a semblance of normalcy.

The international aviation trade organization says on 14 September that blanket testing for the coronavirus could be a good alternative to the current measures, which require 14-day quarantines for most inbound passengers, be they visitors, citizens or permanent residents.

“‘There are alternatives to the quarantine measures currently in place that can both keep Canadians safe as well as revive the economy, “IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac says. “The ICAO multi-layered approach is one. The work that Air Canada and WestJet are doing on testing adds another dimension.”

”It is critical that the government of Canada act on these before the economic and social damages become permanent and the public health consequences of mass unemployment become even more apparent,’’ he adds.

In March, the country imposed some of the strictest lockdown and shelter-in-place measures in the world in order to stop the spread of the highly-contagious virus. Six months on, many of those measures are still in place, angering travel companies, passenger carriers and related industries, and hindering the country’s travel sector from returning to normal operations.

Canadian customers are also wary of the contracting the coronavirus, and are still not returning to air travel in significant numbers.

IATA estimates that about 410,000 jobs and some C$39 billion ($29.6 million) of Canada’s gross domestic product are at risk because of the rules. It adds that 3.2% of the country’s GDP, or 633,000 jobs, are supported by the air transport sector and foreign tourists arriving in the country.

Canada effectively sealed off the longest peaceful border in the world, between the USA and Canada, for non-essential travel in March. That border crossing ban remains in effect and has been extended several times. Barring a further extension, it is now is due to expire in a week, on 21 September.

Air Canada, based in Montreal, has repeatedly blasted the government of Canada for its draconian travel restrictions. Chief executive Calin Rovinescu has harshly criticised the government for the extension of the measures which, coupled with already fragile demand, have prevented it and its Canadian peers from getting back to any semblance of normal business operations.

The legacy carrier in July posted a stunning C$1.8 billion loss during the pandemic-ravaged second quarter, during which it transported just 4% of the number of passengers it carried during the same period one year ago, in what Rovinescu calls “an impossible operating environment”.

Last week, Montreal-based vacation specialist Air Transat said that since the country is still keeping a tight rein on travel between provinces and beyond its borders, the government should step in to offer financial aid to the travel companies who are suffering as a result.

“With Canada maintaining some of the most stringent border restrictions and still requiring quarantine for people returning from abroad, it’s time for the government to provide targeted support for the airline sector to ensure the existence of a competitive industry in Canada over the long term,” Transat said on 10 September.

Calgary-based WestJet says on 14 September that it is reinstating some flights to the USA from early October, after the border is expected to be opened. The airline released an updated schedule that is, it says, “designed to get Canadians to and from key destinations while supporting the economic recovery of Canada through continued domestic flying”.

Source: https://www.flightglobal.com/networks/iata-encourages-canada-to-relax-travel-restrictions/140164.article

Travel Associations have called upon the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to formulate a policy that will guarantee a refund for cancelled travel during the COVID-19 period.

Travel Associations worldwide who attended a virtual forum organised by the United Federation of Travel Agents (UFTAA) agreed that the refund policies by airlines have been a challenge for passengers and travel agents.

The Kenya Association of Travel Agents (KATA) has been very vocal in demanding for refunds from airlines. The calls headed by KATA Chairman Mr. Mohammed Wanyoike and CEO Ms Agnes Mucuha have been relentless especially due to the negative effects to the economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the forum, it emerged that while some airlines had started making refunds, others offered vouchers serving as Credit Notes which will take time to realise.

Majority of the presentations by associations that were made during the forum urged IATA strongly to come up with a policy that safeguards monies of travel agents and passengers during such disasters or market situations.

“It is unfair and that hundreds of thousands of passengers and thousands of agents across the world have been put to unprecedented challenges by the Airlines when refunds were sought for flights that were cancelled, during the last five months” said several leaders during the forum held on August 31, 2020.

UFTAA’s Mid-Year Forum 2020 was attended by over 180 delegates from across the world.

Their presentations offered outstanding learning content for the industry stake-holders to capture the various situations that exist in different parts of the world. There was a focus on the trends as well as plans initiated to overcome the challenges posed by the most negative COVID-19 impact.

It was projected by some speakers that it would take a couple of years for the travel & tourism business to bounce back to the pre COVID numbers. It was important that what is initiated during this transition period has to be well planned.

UFTAA President Mr. Sunir Kumar R detailed the various initiatives UFTAA had taken up in their debates with IATA and Airlines to bridge the gap between the “crisis and relief”. For over 4 Months UFTAA actively represented the associations and their members to help address the challenges posed. Vice President & Chairman of Air Matters, Mr. Yossi Fatael, presented a lucid picture of the evolving situation and the trends that one must keep an eye on.

In view of the most enthusiastic response witnessed from the world of Travel & Tourism Industry leaders and stakeholders at this forum, UFTAA Board decided in favour of a second UFTAA Mid-Year Forum 2020 to be held virtually during September 2020. The Part 2 of UFTAA Forum will offer extensive interaction opportunity and learning from best practices that are prevalent, globally, for the benefit of its Associations and their members.

By Caroline Rwenji, Kenya Association of Travel Agents