Travel News

(Bloomberg) -- Seychelles has seen a pickup in tourism after vaccinating a bigger proportion of its population against the coronavirus than any other nation.

The number of visitors to the Indian Ocean island archipelago plummeted 92% to 6,785 in the first quarter as international travel ground to a near-halt. Seychelles has since reopened its borders and several airlines have resumed flights. The country saw a recent surge in Covid-19 infections, although it abated this week.

The tourism numbers “are not pre-Covid numbers but it is a significant improvement,” Naadir Hassan, the minister of finance, economic planning and trade, said in an interview on Thursday. While the government banned intermingling of households and sporting events in response to the increased virus caseload, the minister said the economy couldn’t cope with another border closure regardless of whether there was another surge.

“When we close down our main sector, that is tourism, is impacted,” Hassan said. “That means we do not have revenues coming in, impacting immediately our exchange rate, and the government will not be able to sustain its economy.”

Read more: Seychelles Covid Outbreak Eases, Booster Shot Considered

Plummeting tourism revenues have placed the government’s finances under severe strain. That will require it to be more disciplined in its spending and significantly reduce support for Air Seychelles Ltd., the Seychelles Public Transport Corporation and other state entities, according to the minister.

The fiscal deficit is projected to fall to 15.3% of gross domestic product this year from 18% in 2020, the budget released in February showed. Seychelles is currently in talks with the International Monetary Fund about providing budgetary support.

The nation’s debt equates to about 100% of its gross domestic product. It owed 18.1 billion rupees ($1.1 billion) at the end of last year, just over half of it to external creditors.

The government plans to reorganize its debt, replacing some domestic loans with more external financing, a move it hopes will bring down its interest bill, Hassan said.

Read more: Seychelles Sees 2021 Budget Deficit Narrowing

By Kelvin Osa-Okunbor

Lagos-based airline, Green Africa, is set to commence ticket sales via its website – greenafrica.com ahead of flight operations following pre-sales approvals from the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

It said to mark the milestone, its first set of flyers to book tickets on greenafrica.com will enjoy 10per cent off the value of tickets as at booking time, adding that the offer applies across all products- Saver, ClassicTM and FlexTM.

Speaking on the initiative, Founder/Chief Executive Officer of Green Africa, Babawande Afolabi said: “This is a pivotal milestone on this journey, and we are delighted that the Green Africa vision is becoming a reality. We look forward to serving our customer and building Green Africa at scale.”

The carrier explained that two ATR 72-600 aircraft (with registrations 5N-GAE and 5N-GAA) have been received with a third aircraft (5N-GAD) expected soon.

Subsequently, commercial flights to and from Lagos (LOS) connecting Akure (AKR), Ilorin (ILR), Abuja (ABV), Owerri (QOW), Port Harcourt (PHC) and Enugu (ENU) are scheduled to commence from June 24th, 2021.

Ahead of ticket sales, a virtual general “Flyer Info Session” is planned to provide adequate knowledge about the value airline’s operations, differentiated core and travel extra offerings as a value carrier and the experiences customers should expect onboard. This info session will be anchored by senior members of the Team.

The special offer is in addition to the low fare product offerings in comparison to the current air travel ticket prices in the market and valid for purchases made before the first flight on June 24th.To enjoy the “Flyer Special Offer”, customers are to visit greenafrica.com to join the Flyer Community and claim their unique Flyer number. Unique special offer codes will be delivered to their valid email addresses ahead of the booking website reveal planned for May 25th, 2021 by 12 noon WAT.

China doesn't want to see an asset that they don't control or track to become the currency of the realm. The country recently released a digital Yuan, which allows the country to track every transaction from every user on this centralized blockchain, controlled by the government. China wants to ensure that they are not taken out of the currency loop. Some are saying this new crypto-Yuan is the biggest threat to the West.

More than 20 countries have wholly or partially lifted travel restrictions for vaccine passport holders ahead of the summer travels. International carriers have applauded the growing number of countries making data and “evidence-driven” decisions to open their borders to vaccinated travellers, urging more countries to fall in line.

Among the countries that now accept vaccinated travellers are: British Virgin Islands, Croatia, Ecuador, Georgia, Greece, Island, Israel, Seychelles, and lately, Germany. Varying local conditions, however, apply.

The vaccine passport – in the form of certificates or digital cards testifying to the low-risk status of their holders – promises to reopen the world and perhaps return lives to normal. But its subtle compulsory vaccination for all air travellers raises fundamental questions of a more divided and discriminatory world.

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Specifically, vaccine passport policy draws the line between those that have taken the jab and those that have not; between vaccinated-rich countries and poor ones like Nigeria that have barely kick-started vaccination, therefore, disenfranchising the unvaccinated and poor countries from international travel and tourism.

Airlines, under the aegis of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), supported unrestricted access to travel for vaccinated travellers.

And where vaccination is not possible, they sought access to quarantine-free travel should be provided through COVID-19 testing strategies based on widely available, free-of-charge tests.

Germany is among the latest countries to make quarantine alleviations for vaccinated travellers. Vaccinated travellers are no longer subject to quarantine measures (except certain high-risk countries). Germany has also removed quarantine requirements for travellers with a negative COVID-19 test result.

The German government decision followed a review of scientific advice from the world-renowned Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which concluded that vaccinated travellers are no longer significant in the spread of the disease and do not pose a major risk to the German population.

Specifically, it stated that vaccination reduces the risk of COVID-19 transmission to levels below the risk from a false negative rapid antigen test.

The implementation of this policy aligns Germany with recommendations from both the European Commission and the European Parliament, based on similar scientific advice from the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC).

In its interim guidance on the benefits of full vaccination, the ECDC said that “based on the limited evidence available, the likelihood of an infected vaccinated person transmitting the disease is currently assessed to be very low.”

Similar conclusions are being reached on the other side of the Atlantic. In the U.S., the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC) has noted that “with a 90 per cent effective vaccine, pre-travel testing, post-travel testing, and seven-day self-quarantine provide minimal additional benefit.”

IATA’s Director-General, Willie Walsh, yesterday, said a safe opening of borders to international travel is the goal, and scientific evidence and data such as that presented by RKI, ECDC and U.S. CDC should be the basis for the decision-making needed to achieve that.

“There is increasing scientific evidence that vaccination is not only protecting people but also dramatically reducing the risk of COVID-19 transmission. This is bringing us closer to a world where vaccination and testing enable the freedom to travel without quarantine.

“Germany and, at least 20, other countries have already taken an important step forward in re-opening their borders to vaccinated travelers. These are the best practice examples for others to quickly follow,” Walsh said.

According to the U.S. CDC, alleviations from COVID-19 restrictions are a powerful motivator for vaccination, particularly in communities where vaccine hesitancy is prevalent.

This is an additional and important benefit of restriction-free travel for those vaccinated. IATA polling indicates that 81 per cent of international travellers are willing to get vaccinated to be able to travel.

Moreover, 74 per cent of people in the same poll agreed that those vaccinated should be able to travel by air without restrictions. The decisions of increasing numbers of countries to accept vaccinated travellers without quarantine measures add pressure for a digital solution to manage vaccine certificates and COVID-19 test results.

Paper-based processes could lead to extremely long processing times at check-in and border control. They also open the door to fraud. Digital vaccine/test certificates, coupled with passenger apps such as the IATA Travel Pass, will be needed to manage travel health credentials efficiently and securely in the restart.

“A gap is opening up between countries responding to scientific evidence, and those exhibiting a lack of preparation or excessive caution in reopening borders. Countries that seize the opportunity offered by the increasing numbers of vaccinated travelers can protect their populations and reap an economic reward,” said Walsh.

BY  Chinedu Eze 

Incidents of bird strike have become a source of concern to airline operators who fear that if not checked it may result to a major accident.

To this end, the airlines have called on the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to urgently curtail the movement of birds around the airports and flight paths on takeoff. A bird strike is a collision between an airborne animal (usually birds or bats) and an aircraft.

While airstrikes are categorised as natural phenomenon that could be controlled using environmental techniques, it however becomes worrisome when bird strike occurs frequently, thereby distorting flight schedules and threatening air safety. For instance, early this week, in less than 48 hours, two aircraft belonging to Aero Contractors and Max Air suffered bird strike, damaging the engine blades and causing pilots to make air return.

The Emir of Kano, Aminu Ado Bayero and 139 other passengers onboard Max Air flight that took off from the Aminu Kano International Airport (AKIA), Kano Tuesday, were hit by a bird, which forced one of the two-engine aircraft to malfunction, prompting the pilot to return to base.

Eyewitness account said the attack caused a big bang on the aircraft and the passengers were petrified with fear, as many went into bouts of prayer, not knowing what actually happened to the aircraft.

Operating with only one engine while gaining altitude on take, the aircraft was jolted, made heavy noise and vibrated in the air, as the pilot dexterously stabilised it and headed back to Kano airport to land.

Report also indicated that the pilot-in-command later informed the passengers about the nature of the incident and returned to base to disembark the passengers. In the same vein, on May 17, 2021, Aero Contractors’ Port Harcourt-Abuja flight returned to Port Harcourt after one of the engines of the aircraft was hit by a bird few minutes after takeoff.

Similarly, on March 21, 2021, a Lagos-bound Aero Contractors flight returned to Kano after one of the engines of the aircraft was hit by bird during takeoff. The aircraft, with over 100 passengers onboard, made an air return to base barely 15 minutes after takeoff. The flight, N2142, had de¬parted the airport at 9:30a.m, but returned to base about 09:45.

To the Chief Operating Officer of Dana Air, Obi Mbanuzuo, frequent bird strike has become a source of worry to airlines. He called on FAAN to urge its wild life department to do everything possible to curtail the movement of birds around the airport.

He said that Dana Air pilots have been urged to carefully monitor possibility of bird strike before taking off, keeping themselves abreast of bird flocks in communication with air traffic controllers. The Managing Director of Aero Contractors, Captain Mahmoud Abdullahi told THISDAY that the frequency of the bird strike has reached a worrisome level that something urgent must be done.

“This is getting too much. The wild life and hazard people in FAAN has to improve in their job. This has happened to us and has happened to Max Air in Kano. The damage is costing us too much. FAAN has to do something about this. These birds come up when they cut grasses and stir the insects and the bird will fly around looking for the insects to feed on.

“The frequency of the bird strike incidents sends a wrong signal about air operations, especially as many passengers don’t really understand what it is; what they know is that something is wrong with the aircraft and this is not good for the airlines. Bird strike is a natural phenomenon. It happens all over the world. Everyone knows the Hudson Miracle when a flight picked birds and landed on the river and everyone was saved,” the Aero Managing Director said.

The General Manager, Public Affairs, FAAN, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu told THISDAY that the agency has been cutting grasses at the airport to make sure that the birds were no more attracted to the airports.

“We are carrying intensive grass cutting exercise. It has been a long time we have not seen birds and suddenly they started coming to the airports. Some of the things we do include the use of Pyrotechnics (screamer siren and Banger) for dispersal of birds through shooting into the air.

“We use propane cannon, which is dispersal of bird through explosive sound device that uses propane gas. We also use chemical dispersal against birds mostly from standing water and phoenix bird wailers, which is an automated voice sound device installed by the runway to prevent birds from the runway,” she explained.

A new scheduled service is now available for the fast transport of goods from Munich to Istanbul as well as to many Asian destinations as Turkish Airlines Cargo has launched its first weekly cargo service from Bavaria to the Bosporus.

The Turkish carrier is operating Airbus A330F freighters on its new cargo route. The new service has already been well received by Bavaria’s business community and logistics companies. The inaugural flights to and fro Istanbul were already fully booked with 50 tons of freight on each flight.

The companies based in Munich Airport’s catchment area include numerous successful global players and market leaders from the automotive, electronics, medical technology, biotechnology and aerospace sectors, who rely on efficient transport routes to destinations all over the world.

“I see an enormous potential for demand here and could well imagine that Turkish Airlines will soon expand its cargo service with additional frequencies. “Against the backdrop of the ongoing crisis in aviation, this route opening is an important sign of confidence in Munich as an airfreight location, now more than ever,” explained Jost Lammers, CEO of Munich Airport, who personally welcomed the crew of the inaugural flight to the cargo apron.

Nigeria’s latest airline, Green Africa on Thursday announced the commencement of sales of its tickets preparatory to the start of its scheduled flight operations.

It said ticket sales via its website greenafrica.com is coming at the heel of  pre-sales approvals granted the carrier by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

A breakdown of the flight schedule indicates that commercial flights into Akure, Ilorin, Abuja, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Enugu from the airline base in Lagos are scheduled to commence from June 24th, 2021.

It said two ATR 72-600 aircraft (with registrations 5N-GAE and 5N-GAA) have arrived the country while a third aircraft with (5N-GAD) registration is being expected.

“To mark this major milestone, our first set of gFlyers to book tickets on greenafrica.com will enjoy 10% off the value of tickets as at booking time.” Green Africa told journalists.

Speaking on the plan to commence the “gFlyer Special Offer” flight ticket sales, Babawande Afolabi, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Green Africa said, “This is a pivotal milestone on this journey, and we are delighted that the Green Africa vision is becoming a reality. We look forward to serving our customer and building Green Africa at scale.”

By Oyin Adekunle

Reports just coming in say an aircraft belonging to the Nigeria Airforce has crashed in kaduna. Eight persons were reported to be on board including

the Chief of Army Staff Ibrahim Attahiru.

In a statement, the Nigerian Air Force confirmed that there was an accident involving one of its aircraft in Kaduna but no details were revealed.

Edward Gabkwet, the force’s Director of Public Relations and Information released a terse statement – “An air crash involving a @NigAirForce aircraft occurred this evening near the Kaduna International Airport. The immediate cause of the crash is still being ascertained. More details to follow soon”

Attahiru was appointed Chief of Army Staff on January 26, 2021.

Born on 10th August 1966 in Doka, Kaduna North Local Government Area, Kaduna State, he graduated from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

He commenced cadets training in January 1984 and was commissioned into the rank of Second Lieutenant in December 1986 as an Infantry Officer. He holds a Masters degree in Strategic Management and Policy Studies from the Nigerian Defence Academy.

General Attahiru has held several appointments on the staff, instructional and in command during his military career. He had a tour of duty with the United Nations in Sierra leone as a Military Observer, where he facilitated United Kingdom military engagement, Operation BARASS in September 2000.

He was an Operation Officer and later Company Commander in NIBATT 19 ECOMOG Operations in Liberia. Also, he had the unique privilege of having commanded with distinction all through the chain of command in the Nigerian Army.

May 21 (Reuters) - American Airlines said on Friday that travel technology firm Sabre Corp had a technical issue that impacted multiple carriers, including its own.

American Airlines said the technical issue had been resolved.

Virgin Australia, which also uses Sabre's technology for air bookings, said in a tweet earlier on Friday its flights were impacted by a global system outage, which was affecting its check-in and boarding systems. (https://bit.ly/3wokLcl) (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Ramakrishnan M.)

LONDON, May 21 (Reuters) - Virgin Atlantic said on Friday it expected to resume flights from Britain to Israel on Monday following the ceasefire in the region, but said it would keep the route under constant review.

Airlines including Virgin, British Airways and others had cancelled flights to Israel following the outbreak of violence this month.

"We very much welcome the news that a ceasefire has been agreed," a spokesman said.

"Our London Heathrow - Tel Aviv services remain under constant review and based on the current outlook we expect to operate flight VS453 on Monday 24th May and the return leg VS454 from Tel Aviv to London Heathrow on Tuesday 25th May." (Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)