Travel News

BY Sodiq Oyeleke with agency report

Saudi Arabia has barred travellers from Nigeria and other countries from performing 2021 Hajj over coronavirus concerns.

This is as Saudi Arabia announced Saturday it will allow 60,000 vaccinated residents of the kingdom to perform the annual hajj.

The hajj ministry said this year’s pilgrimage would be “open for nationals and residents of the kingdom, limited to 60,000 pilgrims”, according to the official Saudi Press Agency.

With this, travellers from Nigeria have been barred from performing hajj for the second time in a row.

Last year, the kingdom also hosted downscaled hajj amid the coronavirus pandemic, preventing thousands of Nigerian pilgrims from participating.

The pilgrimage, scheduled to be held at the end of July, would be limited to those who have been vaccinated and are below 65 years of age with no chronic illnesses, it said.

The hajj – a must for able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime — typically packs millions of pilgrims into congested religious sites and could be a major source of contagion.

Only up to 10,000 Muslims took part in last year, a far cry from the 2.5 million who participated in the five-day annual pilgrimage in 2019.

In a relaxation of coronavirus curbs last October, Saudi Arabia opened the Grand Mosque for prayers for the first time in seven months and partially resumed the all-year-round umrah pilgrimage.

The limit on umrah pilgrims is 20,000 a day, with a total of 60,000 worshippers allowed to perform daily prayers at the mosque.

The umrah usually attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. Authorities said the umrah would be allowed to return to full capacity once the threat of the pandemic has abated.

The revered Black Stone in the Kaaba – which is customary but not mandatory to touch during the pilgrimage – remains out of reach.

“In light of what the whole world is witnessing with the coronavirus pandemic… and the emergence of new variants, the relevant authorities have continued to monitor the global health situation,” the hajj ministry said Saturday.

“Considering the large crowds that perform hajj, spending long periods of time in multiple and specific places… required the highest levels of health precautions,” it added in the statement carried by SPA.

A scaled-down hajj represents a major loss of revenue for the kingdom, already reeling from the twin shocks of the virus-induced slowdown and a plunge in oil prices.

The hajj and the year-round umrah pilgrimages together rake in some $12 billion (10.3 billion euros) annually.

Last year, the foreign press were barred from the hajj, usually a huge global media event.

Saudi Arabia has so far recorded more than 460,000 coronavirus infections, including 7,536 deaths.

The health ministry says it has administered more than 15 million coronavirus vaccine doses, in a country with a population of over 34 million.

Hosting the hajj is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers, for whom the custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites is their most powerful source of political legitimacy.

But a series of deadly disasters over the years, including a 2015 stampede that killed up to 2,300 worshippers, has prompted criticism of the kingdom’s management of the pilgrimage.

Heathrow’s passenger numbers are languishing at 90% below pre-pandemic levels, the UK’s busiest airport said.

Just 675,000 people travelled through the west London airport last month, compared with 6,769,000 in May 2019.

Chief executive John Holland-Kaye said: “With the G7 starting today, ministers have a chance to kick-start the green global recovery by agreeing how to resume international travel safely and setting a mandate for sustainable aviation fuels (SAFs) that will decarbonise aviation.

“This is the time for them to show global leadership.”

Heathrow criticised “ministers’ refusal to provide transparency” on the data behind decision on the green travel list.

It urged the Government to “rely on the science and restart travel to low-risk countries like the US” at the next review later this month.

SAFs are produced using materials other than crude oil, and produces around 70% less carbon emissions.

They are more expensive than traditional fuel, but it is hoped technological advances will reduce costs.

Heathrow took its first delivery of SAF last week, but stated that “the right Government policies” are needed to build confidence in demand.

It wants world leaders at the G7 to commit to requiring 10% SAF use by 2030, growing to at least 50% by 2050, with incentives similar to those use to kick start other low-carbon projects.

by James Pearson

With over 210 million people, Nigeria is overwhelmingly Africa’s most populous country and the world’s seventh-largest. It had 4.63 million international passengers in 2019, its highest to date. In a week next month, seven airlines will fly long-haul from Nigeria with 11 bookable routes. Emirates will be the largest carrier with service to both Lagos and Abuja.

Just over one-quarter (26%) of Nigeria’s air passengers flew internationally in 2019, an examination of data from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria reveals. There were some 4.63 million international passengers, the highest year to date in what has been a tumultuous decade.

Seven long-haul airlines

Nigeria has seven airlines with bookable long-haul service in the week beginning July 12th, as follows, with ‘long-haul’ here meaning 3,000 miles or more. No Nigerian airline features, although Air Peace was due to operate a twice-weekly Lagos-Sharjah service using its sole B777-200ER, but it isn’t available for booking. It is quite a contrast to Ethiopian Airlines.

1. Emirates: 9,900 round-trip seats
2. Qatar Airways: 8,600
3. Lufthansa: 7,100
4. Delta: 5,100
5. British Airways: 4,100
6. Virgin Atlantic Airways: 3,700
7. KLM: 2,700

Emirates is Nigeria’s largest long-haul airline this summer week. This is the result of 14-weekly departures services by the B777-300ER in a three-class layout. Qatar Airways, meanwhile, also has 14-weekly, of which three continue from Lagos to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, before returning to Doha via Lagos. Delta, meanwhile, serves the US 12-weekly.

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

11 bookable long-haul routes

There are 11 bookable long-haul routes in this particular week, as shown below, involving three Nigerian cities (Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt). It is obviously hugely about Lagos, Africa’s largest city, which has nearly nine in ten of the country’s international seats (86%). 

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1. British Airways: Lagos-London Heathrow; seven-weekly departures; B777-300ER
2. Delta: Lagos-Atlanta; seven-weekly; A330-200
3. Delta: Lagos-New York JFK; four-weekly; A330-200
4. Emirates: Lagos-Dubai; seven-weekly; B777-300ER
5. Emirates: Abuja-Dubai; seven-weekly; B777-300ER
6. Lufthansa: Lagos-Frankfurt; six-weekly; A330-300
7. Lufthansa: Port Harcourt-Abuja-Frankfurt; seven-weekly; A330-300 (via Abuja in both directions)
8. KLM: Lagos-Amsterdam; five-weekly; A330-200/-300
9. Qatar Airways: Lagos-Doha; 11-weekly by the B787-8 (terminating in Lagos)
10. Qatar Airways: Abuja-Lagos-Doha; three-weekly; B787-8 (via Lagos in both directions)
11. Virgin Atlantic: Lagos-Heathrow; seven-weekly; A330-300

Delta’s Lagos operation

Delta inaugurated Atlanta-Lagos in 2007 using the B767-300ER. It was followed in 2010 by JFK, although the route operated for just three months, an examination of Ciricum’s data shows. Lagos-JFK returned in 2018, and both it and Atlanta are now served using 234-seat A330-200s, equipped with 34 Delta One seats.

Looking back to 2019, Delta had an 86% seat load factor (SLF) to JFK while it was 88% to Atlanta, according to the US’ T-100. Of course, the one measure that really matters is passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM), but SLF is nonetheless insightful to a point.

Approximately 81,000 round-trip passengers transited Atlanta, a hub that Simple Flying explored in March, with Baltimore the largest market, based on booking data from OAG Traffic Analyzer. Maryland has the US’ second-largest population of Nigerian Americans, after Texas, which is suggested below.

1. Baltimore
2. Dallas Fort Worth
3. Washington Dulles
4. Toronto
5. Houston
6. Chicago O’Hare
7. Los Angeles
8. Philadelphia
9. JFK
10. Orlando

Saudi Arabia has said it will limit registration for this year’s Hajj pilgrimage to citizens and residents of the Kingdom.

The Saudi government hinged its decision on the coronavirus pandemic, adding that a total of 60,000 pilgrims who are citizens and residents will be allowed to perform the pilgrimage this year.

By this announcement, Nigerians and other intending pilgrims from other countries will not be participating in this year’s Hajj.

A statement by the Ministries of Health and Hajj Saturday said the decision was “based on the Kingdom’s constant keenness to enable the guests and visitors at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque to perform the rituals of Hajj and Umrah.”

Noting that, “The Kingdom puts human health and safety first,” the ministry said those wishing to perform Hajj must be free of any chronic diseases, and to be within the ages from 18 to 65 years for those vaccinated against the virus according to the Kingdom’s vaccination measures.

Saudi authorities also said Hajj pilgrims should be fully vaccinated, or those who took one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at least 14 days before, or those who are vaccinated after recovering from coronavirus infection.

Arab News noted that a deputy to the Hajj minister said that Saudi Arabia found great understanding from Muslim countries over the decision to limit this year’s pilgrimage participants.

The Organization of Islamic Cooperation has welcomed Saudi Arabia’s decision to limit Hajj2021 to pilgrims from within the Kingdom.

BY  Chinedu Eze 

The cabin crew members of Air Peace on Tuesday foiled an attempt by a man and a woman to traffic two babies at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Terminal 2, Lagos. According to the statement by the spokesperson of the airline, Stanley Olisa, who revealed that Air Peace’s Passenger Service Executives and Security Personnel became suspicious when the two adults, travelling to Asaba, were being checked-in at the counter.

“On June 7, 2021, at MMA2, around 12:00 hours, a man and a woman, carrying two babies, approached our counter for check-in. Our Passenger Service Executive, being suspicious of the duo’s behaviour, questioned them about the babies. They said the babies belonged to them and were travelling to Asaba,” he added.

Olisa narrated that as the suspicion intensified, the two adults, who hinted that the babies were three months old each, were further questioned by another counter attendant and a security personnel but they gave a different narrative.

“The two adults gave conflicting explanations to different staff- that the babies were being taken to United Kingdom to unite them with their parents and later they said they were sending the babies to Zimbabwe for adoption,” he added, while also commending the staff for preventing the crime. Upon further questioning, Olisa said the adults confessed that they were not the parents of the babies.

Consequently, Air Peace’s Security Unit took both of them to the MMA2 Police Station where they admitted they were agents who trafficked children for adoption.

The Police said they would transfer the case to the National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) for further investigation and action.

It can be recalled that Air Peace crew recently prevented two child trafficking schemes in June 2018, on a Lagos–Banjul flight and in January 2019 on a Lagos-Port Harcourt flight respectively.

(Bloomberg) -- Daily U.S. air travelers exceeded 2 million for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic began, reaching almost three-quarters of the volume recorded on the same day in 2019, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

TSA officials screened 2,028,961 people at airport security checkpoints on Friday, which was 1.5 million more than on June 11, 2020 and 74% of the number on the same day two years ago, the agency said in a statement.

Air travel rebounded as the U.S. vaccination campaign took off and unleashed a wave of pent-up demand. The surge has pushed up airfares for the peak summer travel season as flight schedules remain lighter than before the pandemic.

TSA screened an average of 2 million to 2.5 million travelers per day before Covid-19 hit. Screening volume at U.S. airports reached a low on 87,354 on April 13, 2020.

(Bloomberg) -- Blue Origin raised $28 million by auctioning a seat to accompany founder Jeff Bezos on a July 20 rocket ride –- the first time the company will carry people to space.

The identity of the winner won’t be revealed for a few weeks, Blue Origin said Saturday. The day’s live auction followed weeks of online bidding with more than 7,000 submissions from people in 159 countries. Bezos’s brother, Mark, will also make the trip.

The 11-minute excursion from Van Horn, Texas, will carry as many as six passengers. Blue Origin hasn’t yet revealed who else will be aboard the New Shepard spacecraft. The automated flight will be the company’s 16th but first with humans aboard.

Blue Origin is vying with Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies and Richard Branson-backed Virgin Galactic Holdings Inc. to offer trips to space to a small number of wealthy tourists. Bezos has compared space tourism to the barnstormers whose stunt flying helped fuel public fascination in the early days of aviation and made planes a common mode of transportation.

Passengers aboard New Shepard, named for pioneering astronaut Alan Shepard, must be:

• Between 5 feet (1.52 meters) and 6 feet, 4 inches tall, weighing 110 pounds-223 pounds (50-100 kilograms).
• Able to climb the seven flights on the launch tower in less than 90 seconds and sit strapped in the vehicle for as long as 90 minutes without access to a lavatory.
• Able to withstand gravitational forces of as much as 5.5 times the person’s normal weight during descent and 3 times the weight for as long as two minutes on ascent.

Passengers were advised to consult a medical professional about medical conditions and their ability to fly on New Shepard. Customers also must provide informed consent, acknowledging the various risks of flying to space.

SpaceX already ferries astronauts to the International Space Station for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Both SpaceX and Virgin Galactic are preparing to fly nongovernment customers.

Blue Origin will donate the auction proceeds to its Club for the Future foundation, which aims to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, technology and mathematics.

Bezos, who spends about $1 billion a year to fund Blue Origin, has been slowly selling off his stake in Amazon.com Inc. to invest in his space endeavors. He will step down as chief executive officer of Amazon on July 5, with Andy Jassy assuming the role.

Travellers have been left stranded in cities in the UK and Ireland and nearly 500 jobs are at risk after a regional Irish airline announced it was going into liquidation.

Aer Lingus said a number of regional flights had been cancelled after the operator, Stobart Air, ended its contract with the Irish airline.

The announcement, which comes after Stobart Air failed to find a buyer and ceased trading, affects several flights from Dublin and Belfast airports to UK cities.

An Aer Lingus statement said it had been notified late on Friday that Stobart was terminating its franchise agreement with immediate effect.

The statement said: “Stobart Air referred to the continuing impact of the pandemic, which has resulted in almost no flying since March 2020. Stobart Air has ceased trading and is now in the process of appointing a liquidator.

“Aer Lingus apologises to customers for the inconvenience caused by the cancellation at such short notice of all flights operated by Stobart Air.”

The airline said it was communicating with customers to advise them of their options in terms of rebooking or requesting a refund.

The announcement affects flights from Dublin to Kerry, Donegal, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Newquay. Flights from Belfast to Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford, Exeter and East Midlands airports have also been cancelled.

Aer Lingus flights to Heathrow are not affected.

A spokesperson for Belfast City airport said it was working with Aer Lingus to ensure the routes affected would be operating again as soon as possible.

A spokesperson for Stobart Air said: “It is with great regret and sadness that Stobart Air can confirm that the board is in the process of appointing a liquidator to the business and the airline is to cease operations with immediate effect.”

The airline apologised to its customers for the inconvenience caused at short notice and said all 480 staff had been informed.

The spokesperson said: “Last April, Stobart Air announced that a new owner had been identified. However, it has emerged that the funding to support this transaction is no longer in place and the new owner is now unable to conclude the transaction.

“Given the continued impact of the pandemic which has virtually halted air travel … and in the absence of any alternative purchasers or sources of funding, the board of Stobart Air must take the necessary, unavoidable and difficult decision to seek to appoint a liquidator.”

Customers who have booked flights are advised not go to the airport and to check the Aer Lingus website.

BY Kwan Wei Kevin Tan

People wearing protective masks stand in line outside a mandatory Covid-19 test site set up at a housing block in the Hougang district of Singapore, on Saturday, May 22, 2021. Singapore is stepping up mandatory testing across the island-nation for Covid-19 as new and unlinked infections rise in the local community. The government is conducting tests for all residents of the housing block after some positive coronavirus cases were found there. , Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) -- Singaporean authorities detected 19 new locally-transmitted coronavirus cases, the highest since June 3, due to an increase in testing amid a phased loosening of restrictions this week.

Two cases were untraceable while 17 cases were linked to earlier infections, government data showed on Monday. Of the new infections detected today, one was discovered in a foreign worker dormitory. Six imported cases were already under quarantine.

On June 3, 35 coronavirus cases were detected, with just one infection unlinked.

Over the weekend, a spike in cases prompted the Ministry of Health to close a shopping mall and food center temporarily after several infections were detected in those locations. Aside from cleaning operations, staff and tenants will be undergoing Covid-19 testing.

The increase in cases comes after Singapore’s government decided to ease some of the restrictions imposed in mid-May following an outbreak. Starting today, group sizes have been raised to five from two persons. If cases remain under control, the authorities will allow dining-in at restaurants and fitness classes from June 21.

BY  Adveith Nair, Bloomberg News

(Bloomberg) --

The U.K. has been removed from Abu Dhabi’s ‘Green List,’ meaning travelers from the country will now need to quarantine on arrival in the Middle Eastern city.

The oil-rich capital of the United Arab Emirates updated the list on Sunday to remove Britain and Tajikistan and add Malta, The National newspaper reported. Passengers traveling to the U.K. from the UAE have been required to self-isolate since the start of the year.

The move comes as coronavirus cases rise in the U.K. The number of confirmed infections of the delta strain, first identified in India, has tripled in a week to 42,323. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is now less hopeful he will be able to lift England’s restrictions as planned on June 21.

Britain and the UAE have among the world’s fastest vaccine programs, but both countries have seen cases rise over the past month.