The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has called on governments to adopt “simple, predictable and practical” measures to safely facilitate the ramping-up of international travel as borders re-open.

Specifically, the trade body urged governments to focus on simplified health protocols, digital solutions to process health credentials and Covid-19 measures proportionate to risk levels.

The vision to address the complexity is outlined in the newly released policy paper.

“As governments are establishing processes to re-open borders, in line with what they agreed in the ministerial declaration of the ICAO High Level Conference of Covid-19, the blueprint will help them with good practices and practical considerations.

“Over the next months we need to move from individual border openings to the restoration of a global air transport network that can reconnect communities and facilitate economic recovery,” said Conrad Clifford, IATA deputy director general.

The document aims to facilitate the efficient ramping-up of global connectivity.

“We must have processes in place to safely and efficiently manage the ramping-up of international travel as borders re-open.

“With over 18 months of pandemic operational experience and traveller feedback we know that a laser-focus on simplicity, predictability and practicality is essential.

“That is not the reality today.

“Over 100,000 Covid-19 related measures have been implemented by governments worldwide.

“This complexity is a barrier to global mobility that is exacerbated by the inconsistencies these measures have created among states,” said Clifford.

Key recommendations include the removal of all travel barriers (including quarantine and testing) for those fully vaccinated with a WHO-approved vaccine.

The management of travel health credentials (vaccination or testing certificates) should also be handled digitally, IATA argued, enabling travellers to complete the process in advance so that they can arrive at the airport ready-to-travel.

This will facilitate automated check-in processes, reducing airport queuing and wait-times.

“Travel is important – pre-pandemic some 88 million livelihoods were directly connected to aviation.

“And the inability to travel freely by air has impacted the quality of life for billions of people.

“We know that travellers feel confident with the implementation of the Covid-19 safety measures.

“But they have clearly told us that the current travel experience needs to improve with better information, simpler processing and digital solutions,” concluded Clifford.

Source: Breaking Travel News

A Purchasing Managers’ Index compiled by IHS Markit rose to 55.7 in October from 53.3 in September, above the 50-mark separating growth from contraction and signalling a significant expansion in the Gulf country’s non-oil private sector. The increase was driven by faster increase in output and new orders. 

“The Expo 2020 finally began in the UAE at the start of October and brought a highly welcome upsurge in growth across the non-oil private sector,” said David Owen, economist at IHS Markit. “The key test for the UAE economy will be whether this initial uplift in demand from the Expo can be sustained over the coming months.”

Dubai Resets After Covid-Ravaged Year With $7 Billion Expo

After a year’s delay, Dubai is hoping Expo attracts enough tourists to help solidify a nascent economic recovery. According to IHS, the event drove sales last month in multiple sectors, including tourism. 

New orders growth was substantial, driven by an increase in demand from Expo.

Companies increased output levels to the most since July 2019 as the loosening of Covid-19 restrictions helped boost activity.

Employment figures showed only subdued growth despite increasing pressure on business capacity.

Purchase costs saw a slight uptick, while staff costs dropped for the first time since early this year. That led to overall expenses rising at the slowest pace in five months.

Optimism about future activity among firms was the strongest in more than a year.

In neighbouring Saudi Arabia, business conditions continued to improve as new orders rose amid a recovery in local demand. While IHS Markit’s PMI survey fell to 57.7 from 58.6 in September, this was still the second-highest recorded since the start of the pandemic.

Purchasing activity rose at the fastest pace in three months as both input buying and inventories expanded. Job creation also increased, though the rate of growth was marginal. 

Source: Hindustan Times

JERUSALEM, Nov 26 (Reuters) – Israel on Friday imposed a travel ban on most African states, after reporting cases of a new and potentially vaccine-resistant coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett widened a banannounced on Thursday on the entry of foreigners from seven African countries and travel to them.

“We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency,” he said, adding that the B.1.1.529 variant had “arrived at a very complicated time”, coinciding with the Hanukkah vacation when children, mostly unvaccinated, are out of school.

Bennett said a few cases had been reported in Israel, including at least person who had already received a vaccine booster shot.

“That doesn’t mean the vaccines are no good (against the new variant). It might mean they are effective to a certain degree,” said Bennett, who met Israeli health experts before the travel edicts were announced.

Under the broader restrictions, all African nations, except those in North Africa, were added to Israel’s “red list” of high-risk countries.

Other authorities including in the EU and Britain also reacted with alarm to the new variant, while the World Health Organisation (WHO)cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions, favouring a “risk-based and scientific approach”. 

Bennett told journalists a national lockdown was not an option at the moment, though Israel’s coronavirus panel of experts would reconvene on Saturday night to discuss possible additional measures.

Israel has recorded 1.3 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and more than 8,000 fatalities since the pandemic began.

Around 43% of Israel’s population of 9.4 million have received three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Source: Reuters

Rwanda will effective Sunday, November 28, reinstate the mandatory 24-hour quarantine for all arriving passengers as officials move to control potential entry and spread of the new deadly Covid-19 variant detected in Southern Africa.

The health ministry announced Friday that the government would soon issue additional measures in a bid “to limit the spread of the new variant and protect gains made so far in managing the Covid-19 pandemic and reopening the economy.”

“The health ministry is reinstating the obligatory 24-hour quarantine in designated hotels at own expense for all persons arriving into Rwanda effective Sunday, November 28 , 2021 at noon,” reads the statement in part. It further calls on members of the public, including vaccinated people to strictly observe Covid-19 preventive measures.

Months of the Covid-19 lull that enabled lifting of almost all restrictions on movement, gatherings and near full reopening of economic activities had seen fully vaccinated travellers no longer required to quarantine at hotels on arrival in Rwanda.

A PCR test for all arriving passengers was, however, required.

Arriving and departing passengers at Kigali International airport equally present a negative PCR test taken with 72 hours prior to departure.

With over 3.1 million people fully vaccinated and 5.9 million people jabbed with the first shot as at Friday, November 26, the number of people who got the full doses of Covid-19 vaccine represent 21 percent.

Rwandan government recently extended the mass vaccination campaign to teens under eighteen years in a bid to further accelerate the uptake of the jab.

The country has not detected any case of the new variant to date but officials remain on high alert. The national carrier RwandAir flies to South Africa which is among the countries where the variant was first detected.

Rwanda recorded eight new Covid-19 cases Friday out of 12,065 tests conducted.  More than 115 new cases were confirmed in 84,028 tests taken over the last seven days with the positivity rate remaining below one per cent.  The country recorded only two Covid-19 linked deaths over the past week.

Health minister Daniel Ngamije said existing diagnostic capacity using PCR testing was up to task to detect the new Covid-19 variant, therefore won’t require infrastructure upgrades.

Source: The East African

South Africa on Friday slammed as “rushed” Britain’s travel ban from six southern African countries, following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant with a large number of mutations.

Just hours after scientists in South Africa announced they had detected a new variant, Britain said all flights from South Africa and its neighbours Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana would be prohibited starting 1200 GMT on Friday.

“Whilst South Africa respects the right of all countries to take the necessary precautionary measures to protect their citizens, the UK’s decision to temporarily ban South Africans from entering the UK seems to have been rushed as even the World Health Organization is yet to advise on the next steps,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Friday.

The ministry said it would speak to the UK government to try persuade it to reconsider its decision.

South Africa has in recent days experienced a surge in infections — recording 2,465 new infections in a 24-hour cycle on Thursday — nearly double the previous day’s tally.

Scientists blamed the spike in infections on the variant, which goes by the scientific label B.1.1.529.

The number of fatalities shot to 114 on Thursday from 22 the previous day, in Africa’s hardest-hit country.

In the meantime, Britain, which has been among the hardest hit by Covid-19, recorded more than 47,000 positive cases in a 24-hour period to Thursday.

South Africa was hoping for increased tourist numbers during its southern hemisphere summer and year-end festive season after the UK removed it from its “red list” in October, which had forced travellers into a pricey hotel quarantine on their arrival in Britain.

“Our immediate concern is the damage that this decision will cause to both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries,” bemoaned South Africa’s international relations and cooperation minister Naledi Pandor.

Source: AFP

Kenya has not banned travel to southern Africa but its Ministry of Health says it will carefully screen people arriving from South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong for the new COVID variant discovered in South Africa.

The Kenyan government directs passengers arriving from southern African countries to take the COVID test before being allowed into the country.

South Africa and Botswana have reported a new variant in their countries that scientists say is highly transmittable and vaccine resistant.

Kenya’s Director General for Health Patrick Amoth told VOA his country is on high alert to combat the new variant.

“We are working to ensure that our surveillance system is top-notch and looking specifically at people coming from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong to put them through a robust surveillance system,” said Amoth. “We insist on having you fully vaccinated before you come to the country. And you also need to have a negative PCR test taken 96 hours before your arrival in the country.”

This week, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta traveled to South Africa, where he signed deals to boost trade and economic cooperation between the two countries,

To combat the spread of the virus in the population, the East African nation launched a ten-day mass vaccination campaign Friday. Kenya has vaccinated at least 6.5 million people.

Amoth says they have enough vaccines to inoculate even more.

“It’s part of the ongoing vaccination process and we wanted to scale up in view of the events that are happening in Europe and the rest of the world,” said Amoth. “So to ensure we reach herd immunity and the entire population is protected and now we have more vaccines available we thought to be able to scale up so that we can be able to reach more people.”

Amoth expressed confidence that more Kenyans will get vaccinated.

“For example, yesterday we vaccinated close to 111,000 people from the previous daily rate of about 50,000-60,000,” said Amoth. “So Kenyans are enthusiastic to be able to take the vaccine and also now this emerging information we believe will sway the public opinion towards going for the vaccine instead of vaccine hesitancy.”

Kenya has a policy of not providing government services to unvaccinated people as a way of encouraging them to get inoculated. Kenya hopes to vaccinate 10 million people by the end of the year.

Source: VOA

Hundreds of passengers from South Africa were being held at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam on Friday after the Netherlands imposed new travel restrictions amid concerns over an aggressive mutation of the novel coronavirus.

The European Union and other major destinations, including the United States and Canada, have moved to block flights from African countries following the discovery of the Omicron variant, echoing previous emergency responses that triggered a global freeze on travel.

Two flights from South Africa, one from Cape Town and one from Johannesburg, landed Friday late morning local time at Schiphol, an airport spokesman said. The passengers had to remain on board the flight while a separate, secure location in the airport was being located and are waiting to be tested, he said.

The spokesman estimated the two flights were carrying between 400 and 600 passengers between them. Given the large number of travelers involved, “it will take time to test everyone,” he said.

The new strain has so far been detected in South Africa, Botswana, and in two travelers quarantining in Hong Kong. A case has also been reported in Belgium.

European Union states have agreed to introduce temporary restrictions on all travel into the EU from southern Africa over the new coronavirus variant, the bloc said Friday. The countries concerned are Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, EU Commission spokesman Eric Mamer said.

Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi starting Monday, administration officials told CNN.

Biden told the press he had “decided we’re going to be cautious” about the variant. “We don’t know a lot about the variant except that it is a big concern and seems to spread rapidly,” he said.

Canada will be “banning the entry of foreign nationals… that have traveled through southern Africa in the last 14 days,” due to the Omicron variant, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos told a press conference on Friday.

Anyone who has traveled through southern Africa in the last 14 days should get a Covid-19 test and quarantine until they get a negative test result, said Duclos. The countries include South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Eswatini, he said.

“Canadians and permanent residents and those with a right of entry into Canada will be tested on arrival, [and] they will quarantine until they get the result of a negative test,” according to Duclos.

The United Kingdom, Japan, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan are also among those imposing restrictions on flights and travelers from southern African nations in light of the new variant.

The World Health Organization announced Friday it had designated the newly identified variant, B.1.1.529, as a variant of concern, named Omicron.

While only dozens of cases have been identified so far, news of the variant, which has around double the amount of mutations as the Delta variant, is already sparking fears around the world.

On Friday, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) warned against travel bans, stressing such restrictions are “not a long-term solution” when it comes to managing coronavirus variants.

“Governments are responding to the risks of the new coronavirus variant in emergency mode causing fear among the traveling public. As quickly as possible we must use the experience of the last two years to move to a coordinated data-driven approach that finds safe alternatives to border closures and quarantine,” said IATA Director General Willie Walsh in a statement.

Tourism fears

The cascade of closures began late Thursday as the UK announced it would be temporarily suspending flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini, with Health Secretary Sajid Javid describing the variant as the “worst ever” strain of the virus.

The move prompted the South African government to issue a statement describing the UK’s decision as “rushed,” and expressed concern about the damage it would cause to “both the tourism industries and businesses of both countries.”

In the hours since, Japan has tightened border controls for travelers from the same six countries, bringing in a 10-day quarantine beginning 12 a.m. November 27.

Meanwhile, Germany planned to declare South Africa a “virus variant area” from Friday night, which will mean airlines may only enter from the country to repatriate German citizens.

Fellow EU nations Austria, France, Italy, the Netherlands and Malta have all announced imminent entry bans to all travelers who’ve entered South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini in the past two weeks.

KLM said passengers will only be allowed on flights from South Africa to the Netherlands if they comply with the entry restrictions imposed by the Dutch government.

The entry ban does not apply to people with Dutch passports, EU citizens, Schengen Area residents, medical emergency staff, airline staff and people traveling under exceptional circumstances, such as family emergencies.

French Health Minister Olivier Véran said the “rapid” circulation of the variant in South Africa “means that it’s probably contagious or very contagious,” justifying France’s precautionary stance.

After Belgium reported one person recently arrived from Egypt had tested positive for B.1.1.529, France said it was “reinforcing” control at its border with Belgium.

Singapore has opted to ban all non-residents from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe from entering, while nationals and permanent residents returning from any of these countries will be required to serve a 10-day stay home notice (SHN). Malaysia and the Philippines have taken similar steps.

Dubai will restrict travelers originating from or transiting from the same seven African countries starting Monday until further notice, Emirates airline said, citing Dubai’s Covid-19 Command and Control Center.

Outbound passenger flights from Dubai to the countries listed are permitted, however, the Emirates statement said.

Saudi Arabia on Friday announced a temporary suspension of flights to and from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini, and urged both citizens and residents to avoid travel to the region until further notice.

Meanwhile, Jordan has announced any Jordanians arriving from several countries including South Africa will have to go into government quarantine for 14 days, according to a report Friday by Jordanian public broadcaster Al Mamlaka TV.

Non-Jordanians traveling from South Africa, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Botswana will only be allowed entry if they spend 14 days outside those countries in a third country, Al Mamlaka TV said, citing the country’s Interior Ministry. The new measures will go into effect Sunday.

Turkey has issued a travel ban from five African countries — Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe — as of Friday night, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca said on Twitter.

The developments have led to speculation that strict curbs on travel brought in at the start of the pandemic could be on their way back.

The trade group representing major US airlines said it has “many unanswered questions” about the Biden administration’s travel restrictions.

“We remain in communication with the US government as specifics remain unknown at this time and there are many unanswered questions,” Airlines for America spokesman Carter Yang said. “Amid this rapidly evolving situation, it is critical that US government decisions regarding international travel restrictions and requirements be rooted in science.”

Delta Air Lines said it will not stop service to and from South Africa. United Airlines said it will not scale back its service to Johannesburg and will restart its route to Cape Town next week as planned.

Source: CNN Travel

Air Tanzania has announced plans to launch direct flights to Nairobi, Bujumbura and Lubumbashi in November this year.

The airline says it will operate two daily flights from Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam to Nairobi, with effect from 26th November 2021.

The airline will then start flying to Burundi starting from 8th November 8, in addition to operating three flights a week to Ndola in Zambia and the eastern DR Congo city of Lubumbashi, respectively, starting 18th November 2021.

Air Tanzania is the flag carrier airline of Tanzania, based in Dar es Salaam with its hub at Julius Nyerere International Airport. It currently operates 12 domestic routes, namely Zanzibar, Arusha, Kilimanjaro, Mwanza, Geita, Bukoba, Kigoma, Mpanda, Mbeya, Tabora, Dodoma, and Songea.

Internationally, the airline flies to Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Comoros, India, and China.

The airline recently acquired two Airbus A220-300 aircraft with a capacity of 132 passengers and take-off weight of 68.9 tonnes, raising its fleet of A220s to four, and boosting its plan to introduce more international routes.

The Tanzanian government has ordered four new planes to boost its national carrier’s capability in Africa and abroad.

On Tuesday, at the 2021 Dubai Airshow, Boeing and Tanzania announced an order of a 787-8 Dreamliner, a 767-300 Freighter and two 737 MAX jets.

The airplanes, valued at more than $726 million at list prices, will be operated by Air Tanzania.

The planes will help expand service from the country to new markets across Africa, Asia and Europe.

“Our flagship 787 Dreamliner is popular with our passengers, providing unrivalled in-flight comfort and ultra-efficiency for our long-haul growth,” said Air Tanzania CEO Ladislaus Matindi.

Mr Matindi said the introduction of the 737 MAX and 767 Freighter will give Air Tanzania exceptional capability and flexibility to meet passenger and cargo demand within Africa and beyond.

Based in Dar es Salaam, the carrier will expand its current fleet of 787s, leveraging the new 737s for its regional network and the 767 Freighter to capitalise on Africa’s burgeoning cargo demand.

Boeing senior vice president of Commercial Sales & Marketing, Ihssane Mounir, said the procurement of the four airplanes will boost air travel for the Tanzanian national carrier.

“Africa is the third fastest-growing region worldwide for air travel, and Air Tanzania is well-positioned to increase connectivity and expand tourism throughout Tanzania. We are honoured that Air Tanzania has chosen Boeing for its fleet modernisation programme by adding an additional 787 and introducing the 737 MAX and the 767 Freighter into its expanding network,” Mr Mounir said.

Boeing’s 2021 Commercial Market Outlook forecasts that, by 2040, Africa’s airlines will require 1,030 new airplanes valued at $160 billion and aftermarket services such as manufacturing and repair worth $235 billion, supporting growth in air travel and economies across the continent.

Boeing’s heritage in Africa began more than 75 years ago, with more than 60 airline customers operating as many as 500 Boeing airplanes.

Boeing has an office in Johannesburg, South Africa, in addition to field service representatives supporting commercial customers across the continent.

As a leading global aerospace company, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries.

As a top US exporter, the company leverages the talents of a global supplier base to advance economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing’s diverse team is committed to innovating for the future and living the company’s core values of safety, quality and integrity.

Source: The East African

The global aviation industry is showing signs of recovery as more countries open their borders with an increase in the rate of vaccinations, giving hope to the sector that was hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic.

International Air Travel Association (IATA) says the sector recorded an 18 percent growth in September when compared with the previous month, coming as good news to the sector.

Major economies across the world including the US, India, China and a host of European countries have opened up their borders to tourists.

Last month, the US announced that it had started allowing fully vaccinated tourists following months of restriction, with India following suit this week.

“Air travel picked up in September, after a slight deterioration in the previous month,” said IATA.

“Vaccination rates have been rising around the world, albeit slowly. Nearly half of the global population has received at least one vaccine dose as of October, but large differences remain across advanced and emerging markets,” the agency added.

The latest developments in key demand drivers and travel bookings indicate that air travel recovery will continue, although any significant improvement looks unlikely before the year-end, according to IATA.

According to Kenya’s Ministry of Health, a total of 5,997,816 vaccines had so far been administered across the country as of Sunday. Of these, 3,887,459 are partially vaccinated while those fully vaccinated are 2,110,357.

The relaxation of Covid-19 protocols has seen Kenya Airways ramp up its frequencies to a number of countries in the last couple of weeks.

For instance, the airline has increased flights to Ethiopia from four to seven a week, DRC from five previously to eight, Dare salaam and Entebbe from 14 to 16.

“All this (increase in frequencies) is occasioned by demand increase due to relaxation of travel restrictions by many countries,” said KQ.

The national carrier has so far resumed flights to India and UK with increased frequencies to London after Kenya was removed from the red list, which had barred travellers from Kenya to go to Britain.

The government announced last week that Kenya’s aviation market had picked up by 90 percent as the sector is recording a steady growth in air travel following the effects of Covid-19 that slowed down the industry.

Principal Secretary for Transport Joseph Njoroge said the sector is now recording an improvement in traffic and the aviation industry has begun the process of recovery.

“In Kenya our domestic market is vibrant and we are at 90 percent compared to the levels in 2019. International traffic has also picked up to 71 percent,” said Mr Njoroge.

Freight business, however, has been growing faster than the passenger segment of aviation due to high demand for cargo with Africa recording the highest growth globally in September.

Data from IATA indicates that Africa recorded a 34.6 percent growth in the review period to mark a ninth consecutive increment on month to month.

The volumes, according to IATA, are 20 percent above the pre-crisis 2019 levels but have been trending sideways for the past six months.

All the regions across the world saw their cargo volumes increase, an indicator that the aviation sector is now more dependent on cargo in the wake of dwindling number of passengers seeking air travel.

Source: Business Daily