Travel News

BY  Joseph Olaoluwa

Air France and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines have announced the resumption of flight operations into Abuja and Lagos from December 7.

The airline in a statement on Monday said passengers could now fly Air France and KLM from Nigeria (Abuja and Lagos) to Paris and Amsterdam, with the possibility of transfer to other European and North Atlantic destinations.

The airline advised customers to check the entry and travel requirements for their destinations in line with travel restrictions and governmental authorisations.

General Manager Air France KLM Nigeria and Ghana, Michel Colleau, was quoted to have said, “Flights to and from Lagos and Abuja will be operated in strict compliance with the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority and international health protocols, adhering to the highest standards of health and hygiene.”

Travellers were also assured of safety on their travels.

Air France and KLM were on November 17 approved to operate international flights into Nigeria by the Federal Government.

“But for whatever reason it is clear from the summit that after 45 years of membership they are not willing – unless there is some fundamental change of approach – to offer this country the same terms as Canada.

“And so with high hearts and complete confidence we will prepare to embrace the alternative.

“And we will prosper mightily as an independent free trading nation, controlling our own borders, our fisheries, and setting our own laws.”

At the ETOA event, Mr Jenkins noted that initially there will be no change to the rules for EU citizens entering the UK.

He said: “Vice-versa won’t really be too much of a problem, because the UK has made it clear that they’re not going to change procedure at all.

“There is an irony in taking back control and then imposing no new controls.”

Last month the home secretary, Priti Patel, said: "When the transition period ends, we will have control of our borders and will deliver our new firmer and fairer points based immigration system.

“Our firm and fair approach will treat people from every part of the world equally.”

From October 2021, all EU visitors to the UK will require a passport rather than a national identity card.

ETOA represents 1,200 tour operators and suppliers from more than 50 countries, who in a normal year deliver more than £10bn in business.

Countries needing calling visas are Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Israel, Liberia, Nigeria, North Korea, and Somalia

BY  Erric Permana and Pizaro Gozali Idrus  

JAKARTA, Indonesia 

Indonesia will resume accepting visa applications from residents of eight countries that require a “calling visa” for entry starting Monday.

The countries needing calling visas are Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Israel, Liberia, Nigeria, North Korea, and Somalia.

A calling visa country is considered to have a certain level of vulnerability in terms of ideological, political, economic, social, cultural, defense, or immigration aspects.

Guarantors of applicants from the eight countries can submit their requests through www.visa-online.imigration.go.id.

Visa department spokesman Arvin Gumilang said the service has been resumed following temporary suspension due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have reopened the eVisa service for family reunions, business investments, and work purposes,” said Arvin in a written statement Wednesday.

Applications for visas from countries that lack diplomatic relations with Indonesia will be submitted through Indonesian representatives in Bangkok and Singapore.

However, they can only enter Indonesia through immigration checkpoints at Soekarno Hatta Airport in Jakarta or Ngurah Rai Airport in Bali.

Foreign policy analyst Dewi Fortuna Anwar said there is nothing new about accepting visa applications from Israeli residents because the policy has been in place for some time.

She said many products from Israel, especially from the defense and security sector, can enter Indonesia.

“Indonesia and Israel do not have diplomatic ties and we should remain consistent in supporting the Palestinian cause,” Dewi told Anadolu Agency.

*Writing by Maria Elisa Hospita from Anadolu Agency's Indonesian-language service in Jakarta

by  Qin Xie

Lufthansa is trialling new sleeper seats for economy class passengers with a view to rolling them out across a number of intercontinental routes.

The new seating concept, named “Sleeper’s Row”, is being tested on long haul flights between Frankfurt and Sao Paulo from 18 November until an as-yet unconfirmed date in mid December.

Essentially, passengers already flying on the route are given the option of upgrading their economy experience by booking an entire row of three or four seats for themselves, either at check-in or at the gate.

Available on flights LH506 and LH507 only, the upgrades will cost €220 or US$260 one-way, with payment made by credit card.

The seats will be for their private use for the duration of the flight and, because it depends on how bus the flight is, no advance reservation is possible.

As part of the service, the passenger will receive a soft topper mattress, cushion and blanket.

They will also receive priority boarding, meaning they can board the plane with business class passengers and settle into their row ahead of other economy passengers.

The airline said that depending on customer feedback they will be looking at rolling out the concept across more intercontinental destinations on the Lufthansa Group network.

Lufthansa is far from the only airline offering a lie-flat option in economy.

Air New Zealand was the first to offer it, launching the concept back in 2010.

The Economy Skycouch allowed an entire row of seats to be transformed into a couch that could be shared with another adult or even a young family.

It has since been copied by a number of different airlines around the world, including Air France’s budget subsidiary, Joon, and Thomas Cook before their collapse.

BY  Helen Coffey

Deutsche Bahn (DB) has announced it will launch a hydrogen train and accompanying gas station by 2024, in a system set to save 330 tons of carbon emissions in one year.

The German rail company has said it will run a comprehensive year-long trial of the new system, which will replace a diesel engine running between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim in the southwest state of Baden-Württemberg.

DB is converting one of its maintenance workshops so that the hydrogen train can be serviced there, alongside developing a new type of filling station that means it will be just as quick to refuel as a diesel train, taking just 15 minutes.

Siemens Mobility is responsible for building the new train, while the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI) is providing the funding.

The hydrogen train should initially be able to run for 600km before needing to be refuelled, roughly equivalent to the distance between London and Edinburgh. Its top speed will be 160km/h.

The move is part of DB’s pledge to run a carbon neutral operation by 2050, which requires the company to phase out its use of diesel engines.

“The fact that we are producing the hydrogen on site from green electricity and will refuel the train as quickly as a diesel train shows that the climate-friendly transport turnaround is possible,” said Professor Sabina Jeschke, DB board member for digitization and technology.

“We have to bring fossil fuel consumption to zero. This is the only way for DB to be climate neutral in 2050. Then we will not run a single vehicle with conventional diesel.”

Hydrogen propulsion is an “emission-free and advanced form of propulsion for trains that enables the decarbonisation of rail transport and makes a significant contribution to achieving our climate goal,“ according to Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

In hydrogen propulsion, the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen generates electrical energy and, as a waste product, water.

The hydrogen will be generated by electrolysis in a mobile filling station, where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen.

The hydrogen will be compressed and stored in a storage facility.

During the hydrogen train’s trial year, about 120,000km of scheduled rail journeys are currently planned.

BY  Helen Coffey

Five airlines are rolling out new digital health “passports” to make travel easier in the era of coronavirus.

Covid-free travellers will be able to use the “CommonPass”, as it is known, to certify they have received a negative test prior to travel.

United Airlines, Lufthansa, Virgin Atlantic, Swiss International Air Lines and JetBlue have all signed up for the scheme, which was created by Swiss non-profit foundation The Commons Project in collaboration with the World Economic Forum.

In various countries, including the UK from 15 December, international arrivals can cut quarantine time or eliminate it completely by presenting a negative PCR test result obtained within a certain timeframe.

The idea behind the CommonPass was to allow travellers to securely carry their Covid-19 test result in a standardised format that is instantly recognisable to border officials at the country they’re entering.

The CommonPass Framework, meanwhile, gives countries greater transparency and control when it comes to assessing the health status of arrivals.

“Without the ability to trust Covid-19 tests – and eventually vaccine records – across international borders, many countries will feel compelled to retain full travel bans and mandatory quarantines for as long as the pandemic persists,” said Dr Bradley Perkins, chief medical officer of The Commons Project and former chief strategy and innovation officer at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“With trusted individual health data, countries can implement more nuanced health screening requirements for entry.”

Participating airlines aren’t initially making the pass mandatory, but have indicated it will be a key component in restoring customer confidence and safe air travel, alongside reliable testing.

Cruise lines, hotel chains and shipping companies are also in consultation with the scheme on how they might use the CommonPass, according to Paul Meyer, chief executive of The Commons Project, reports the Financial Times.

Longer term, the plan is to also use the pass for proof of vaccination where necessary.

It follows the Qantas CEO’s announcement that the airline will demand that international air passengers have had the coronavirus vaccine before they fly.

The Australian flag carrier’s chief, Alan Joyce, said he expected the measure to become a prerequisite for future travel.

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say that, for international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they get on the aircraft,” he told the Australian programme A Current Affair.

"Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see with Covid-19 and the market but certainly, for international visitors coming out [of Australia] and people leaving the country, we think that's a necessity."

By Osagie Otabor, Akure

Police in Ondo State have arraigned one Olayiwola Taofik before a Magistrate’s Court in Akure for allegedly defrauding one Godwin Olayeni the sum of N25m.

Taofik was said to have fraudulently obtained the sum of N24, 750 million from one Olayemi Godwin under the pretence of procurement of visa documents for his wife and two children.

A-two-count charge of stealing and fraud was preferred against Taofik but he pleaded not guilty to the charges.

ADVERTISEMENT

Police Prosecutor, Inspector Adeoye Adesegun, informed the court that the accused committed the offence between June 2018 and December 2019, at Orita-Obele Estate Akure, in the Akure Magisterial District.

Inspector Adesegun said Taofik fraudulently collected the money from the complainant and converted it to his personal use.

He said the offences contravened sections 383, 418 and punishable under sections 390(9) and 419 of the Criminal Code, Cap 37 Vol 1, Laws of Ondo State Nigeria 2006.

Presiding Magistrate, Mr. Olanipekun Mayomi, admitted the accused to N1m bail with two sureties in like sum.

He said the sureties must be residents within the court’s jurisdiction.

The case was adjourned to December 14, 2020 for hearing.

BY  Joseph Olaoluwa

Emirates airlines has announced that it will provide travellers a multi-risk travel cover worth $500,000 on top of its current COVID-19 cover.

In a statement by the airline, the new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover will automatically apply to all Emirates tickets purchased from December 1, and extend to Emirates codeshare flights operated by partner airlines, as long as the ticket number starts with 176.

Emirates Chairman and Chief Executive, Ahmed bin Al Maktoum was quoted as saying, “Emirates was the first airline to offer complimentary global COVID-19 cover for travellers back in July, and the response from our customers has been tremendously encouraging.

“We have not rested on our laurels and instead continued to look at how we can offer our customers an even better proposition. We are very pleased to be able to now provide this new multi-risk travel insurance and COVID-19 cover, which is another industry first, to all our customers.”

He added, “We aim to give our customers even more confidence in making their travel plans this winter and moving into 2021 by the launch of this feature.”

Highlights of the coverage include out-of-country emergency medical expenses and evacuation up to $500,000, valid for COVID-19 (contracted during the trip) and other medical emergencies while travelling abroad.

It also involves trip cancellation up to $7,500 for non-refundable costs if the traveller or a relative (as defined in the policy) is unable to travel because they are diagnosed with COVID-19 before the scheduled trip departure date, or for other named reasons – similar to other comprehensive travel cover products.

BY  Joseph Olaoluwa

Air Peace has scheduled December for the commencement of an inaugural flight into Jamaica.

It also explained that regional flights would commence into Accra, Banjul, Freetown, Dakar, Monrovia, Dubai, Johannesburg the same month.

This disclosure was made by the Chief Operating Officer of the airline, Mrs Toyin Olajide, who lamented the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on its operations.

She said, “COVID-19 affected airlines everywhere in different ways. In our case, we had several aircraft out on C-check maintenance abroad before the pandemic.

“These aircraft were supposed to have since come back one after another but because of lockdown in those countries since February, the maintenance facilities shut down, too.”

“The Nigerian C-check regime is driven by the calendar, which implies that every aircraft has a timeframe they must go for mandatory checks, usually between 18-24 months,” Olajide explained.

The Air Peace boss noted that the serviced planes would be back next week, adding that three brand new aircraft would be ready in December.

By David Shepardson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House is considering rescinding entry bans for most non-U.S. citizens who recently were in Brazil, Britain, Ireland and 26 other European countries, five U.S. and airline officials told Reuters.

The Trump administration imposed the bans in a bid to contain the novel coronavirus pandemic. It is not considering lifting separate entry bans on most non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in China or Iran, the officials said.

The plan has won the backing of White House coronavirus task-force members, public health and other federal agencies, the people briefed on the matter said, but President Donald Trump has not made a final decision and the timing remains uncertain.

The White House, Department of Homeland Security and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not comment.

Many administration officials argue the restrictions no longer make sense given that most countries around the world are not subject to the entry ban. They contend lifting the restrictions would be a boost to struggling U.S. airlines, which have seen international travel fall by 70%, according to airline industry data.

Trump may still opt not to lift the restrictions, given the high number of coronavirus infections in Europe. One potential hurdle is the fact that European countries are not likely to immediately allow most Americans to resume visits, officials said.

The European countries that are subject to the U.S. entry restrictions include the 26 members of the Schengen area that allow travel across open borders.

The U.S. restrictions barring most visitors from Europe have been in place since mid-March, while the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May. Trump implemented the first ban on most non-U.S. visitors from China on Jan. 31 and then added Iran in February.

The restrictions bar entry of most non-U.S. residents who have been in those countries in the previous 14 days, but the U.S. State Department has been granting some “national interest exceptions” to allow travelers from Europe related to “humanitarian travel, public health response, and national security.”

The United States has also approved exceptions for some European business travelers, investors, academics, students and journalists.

Nearly all of Europe still bans most U.S. travelers from visiting, while Britain and Ireland allow American visits but require two-weeks quarantine upon arrival. Brazil allows U.S. travelers.

On Saturday, the CDC issued new travel and testing recommendations for international air travelers recommending they “get tested with a viral test 1-3 days before their flight to reduce spread during travel. Travelers should get tested 3-5 days after travel and stay home for 7 days.”

Airlines for America, a group representing American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines Holdings and others, on Tuesday noted it has “been advocating for the federal government to set a national standard on testing in order to lift travel restrictions.”

In a statement to Reuters, the group called the CDC guidance a step in the right direction, adding that they hoped it would be “followed by a recognition that testing can be used to safely reopen borders without quarantines.”

Some airlines and officials think testing could be the key to widely resuming international travel. The United States has held talks with several countries about the possibility of passenger testing programs between pairs of major cities.

Asked about the prospects of travel restrictions being lifted, a U.S. Transportation Department spokesman said “the department stands ready to support the safe resumption of international flights to and from the U.S.”

“Conversations are ongoing between the federal government, international partners, and industry stakeholders on these matters.”

In September, the CDC ended enhanced screening of some international passengers for the coronavirus and dropped requirements that travelers coming from those countries arrive at 15 designated U.S. airports that had been imposed at the start of the beginning of the outbreak.

Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Robert Birsel