Travel News

Ethiopian Airlines said it has finalized preparations for the launch of Zambia’s National Carrier in a joint venture with Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC).

Daily Trust reports that stakeholders have expressed concerns over what they called the secrecy surrounding the intending shareholders of the Nigerian national carrier. 

But Ethiopian Airlines, which also helped in setting up Asky disclosed that it has 45 percent stake in the joint venture while Industrial Development Corporation Limited (IDC) retains 55 percent for the Zambia national carrier.

>span class="s1">The new Zambia Airways (ZN) is to join African Sky with its initial domestic flight from Lusaka to Ndola on 1st December 2021 and it will operate at a frequency of six and five times a week to Ndola and Livingstone, respectively.

Other domestic routes to Mfuwe and Solwezi will follow before introducing regional destinations, to Johannesburg and Harare, to its network within the first quarter of 2022.

Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines, Mr. Tewolde GebreMariam, said, “The strategic equity partnership in the launching of Zambia’s national carrier is part of our Vision 2025 multiple hub strategy in Africa.

“Ethiopian is committed to its growth plan in collaboration with African carriers and the new Zambia Airways will serve as a strong hub in Central and Southern Africa availing domestic, regional and eventually international air connectivity for passengers and cargo to the major destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia, which will enhance the socio-economic integration and tourism industry in Zambia and the region”

Through its multiple hubs strategies in Africa, Ethiopian currently operates hubs in Lomé(Togo) with ASKY Airlines, Malawian in Lilongwe (Malawi), Tchadia in N’Djamena (Chad) and Ethiopian Mozambique in Maputo (Mozambique) while having the already acquired stakes in Guinea’s and Democratic Republic of Congo’s national carriers.

(Bloomberg) -- Israel’s Tel Aviv has leapfrogged Hong Kong and Singapore to become the world’s most expensive city to live in, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).

The Israeli city climbed from fifth place last year to top the Worldwide Cost of Living 2021 report for the first time, pushing Paris down to joint second place with Singapore. Zurich and Hong Kong rounded out the top five. 

The soaring shekel and price increases for goods including groceries and transport were the main factors in Tel Aviv taking the top spot, according to the EIU.

It said prices for goods and services studied across cities had risen 3.5% year-on-year in local currency terms, compared with 1.9% last year. The inflation rate was the fastest recorded for the past five years. Cost increases were biggest for transport as higher oil prices boosted the price of unleaded petrol by 21%.

Other key findings in the study include:

• Rome saw the biggest drop in the ranking from 32nd to 48th place
• Tehran leaped from 79th to 29th place after the reimposition of U.S. sanctions on Iran
• Hong Kong had the most expensive petrol prices, at $2.50 per liter
• Branded cigarette prices went up 6.7% on average
• The Syrian capital of Damascus remains the world’s cheapest city

Upasana Dutt, head of worldwide cost of living at EIU, said in a statement: “Although most economies across the world are now recovering as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out, many major cities are still seeing spikes in cases, leading to social restrictions. These have disrupted the supply of goods, leading to shortages and higher prices.

“Over the coming year, we expect to see the cost of living rise further in many cities as wages increase in many sectors. However, we are also expecting central banks to raise interest rates, cautiously, to stem inflation. So the price increases should start to moderate from this year’s level.”

The Worldwide Cost of Living is a twice-yearly survey conducted by EIU that compares more than 400 individual prices across 200 products and services in 173 cities.

The federal government will introduce a series of new restrictions at Canada's borders in response to the Omicron variant, including requiring that all air travellers coming into Canada from outside of the U.S. be tested and isolate upon arrival. 

Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos announced on Tuesday that all air travellers arriving in Canada from all countries except the U.S. will have to be tested for COVID-19 upon arrival, regardless of whether they are vaccinated. Travellers will then have to quarantine until they receive a negative test result.

Previously, travellers were required to provide a negative PCR test up to 72-hours before departing for Canada. That requirement will still be in place, in addition to the new testing requirement upon arrival in Canada. 

The reintroduction of travel restrictions comes shortly after Canada confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant. The first two infections were recorded in Ottawa on Sunday. As of Tuesday afternoon, cases of the new variant had been reported in Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and B.C.  

The government also announced on Tuesday that it is adding three countries to the previous list of African nations facing a travel ban. Canada will now bar entry to foreign nationals who have travelled through Egypt, Malawi and Nigeria, expanding the number of countries facing such a ban to 10. The government first banned the entry of foreign nationals who had travelled from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe on Friday. 

Duclos also said the federal government will meet with provincial and territorial ministers later today to prepare for a possible extension of the testing and quarantine requirements on air and land travel from the U.S. 

Concerns about the Omicron variant, which was first reported in South Africa on Nov. 24, have led to a reintroduction of travel restrictions around the world. The World Health Organization said Friday that the variant has "a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning", but it is not clear at this point whether it causes severe illness or increased transmissibility, as do other variants such as Delta. 

When asked whether the government would consider implementing a blanket travel ban restricting the entry of all foreign nationals, Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino said the government will monitor the situation closely and make "whatever decisions are necessary."

"The government will never hesitate to put in place protections that are necessary to protect Canadians from the virus," Mendicino said.

"That includes putting in place travel restrictions, including those that are transiting through the listed countries, three of which we are adding today."

Alicja Siekierska is a senior reporter at Yahoo Finance Canada. Follow her on Twitter @alicjawithaj.

By AnneClaire Stapleton and Nimi Princewill, CNN

(CNN)Africa's most populous nation is on high alert as three people in the country have the newly identified coronavirus variant Omicron, a statement from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed.

The test results "were positive for this variant in three persons with history of travel to South Africa. These cases were recent arrivals in the country in the past week," the statement said.
"The NCDC assumes Omicron is widespread globally given the increasing number of countries reporting this variant. Therefore, it is a matter of when, not if, we will identify more cases."

Nigeria's travel advisory has been updated and now requires travelers to the country to pre-book a day 2 and day 7 PCR test and present a negative COVID-19 test result, which must be done two days before departure.

"Pre-booking and payment for all day 2 and day 7 COVID-19 PCR tests are prerequisites for travel," the new travel requirement states.
These are the first known cases of the Omicron variant in Nigeria, the statement said.

Canada also added Nigeria to a list of countries with entry prohibitions, other countries added include Egypt and Malawi.
Foreign nationals who have been in any of these nations within the previous 14 days were barred from entry to Canada, according to the new border measures, which are in addition to the southern African countries already on the prohibited list.

Five cases of the variant confirmed in Canada had travel history from Nigeria, Canadian health officials said.
Indonesia had earlier banned the arrival of foreigners who have visited Nigeria, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique and Eswatini within the last 14 days, while requiring a compulsory 14-day quarantine for citizens who had spent time in those countries.

(Bloomberg) --

Travelers are waiting longer to book airline tickets, making it harder for carriers to gauge near-term demand, according to European discounter Wizz Air Holdings Plc. 

The comments from Wizz President Robert Carey on Wednesday show a trend seen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic being heightened by the new omicron variant. Passengers are assessing whether they will be able to travel amid new border closures, he said at the World Aviation Festival in London. 

“Customers are booking closer and closer in,” Carey said. “Every week it feels like it gets one day closer to departure.” 

Omicron has taken less than a week to throw a steady travel recovery into question, giving aviation investors flashbacks to the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. For now, carriers including EasyJet Plc have said they’re seeing a softening of demand through year-end, while others such as JetBlue Airways Corp. focused on the massive U.S. market haven’t seen a major dent. 

With governments tightening borders daily, airline executives are grasping to understand the ramifications -- even as scientists search for answers about the risk caused by the variant.

“The latest round of government restrictions across the world have been uncoordinated and inconsistent, and that’s made Christmas travel more complicated for both airlines and passengers,” said former British Airways Chief Executive Officer Alex Cruz. While carriers “can quickly adapt to knee-jerk reactions, it is still a blow to the recovery which was just getting underway.”

Airline stocks have seesawed since late last week on developments tied to omicron, with European airlines such as Air France-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and British Airways IAG SA rising on Wednesday with the broader market as traders assessed the latest news. 

The setback to international air travel is poised to deepen with the U.S., Europe and Japan all signaling tighter borders.

Japan asked airlines to stop new inbound bookings for the month of December. Travel on previously purchased tickets can go ahead, pending developments with omicron. 

The U.S. is poised to require arrivals show a negative Covid test taken within one day of departure instead of the current three days, and the European Union will ask governments to review travel rules daily to stop the variant’s spread, Bloomberg reported. 

Japan’s Airlines Suspend New Inbound Bookings for December

White House Plans to Tighten Travel Rules Over Omicron Threat

EU to Propose Daily Review of Travel Rules to Tackle Omicron

Omicron Curbs From Japan to Spain Wreak Havoc on Air Travel

“It’s too early to say at this point whether we’ve seen an impact or not,” JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said in a Bloomberg TV interview from the event. With the U.S. coming off of a busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend, flying and booking remain robust, he said. 

However, Hayes added, JetBlue has seen greater interest in flexible products like tickets that come with no change or cancel fees, as well as travel insurance. 

The New York-based discount operator is seeing longer wait times on telephone lines and is looking to hire hundreds of people to address it, he said. 

United Arab Emirates carrier – Emirates – said on Thursday that it will resume its passenger operations between Dubai and Nigeria from December 5, 2021.

The airline said it will operate to and from its Nigerian gateways with daily flights, providing travellers from Nigeria convenient access to Dubai – a popular holiday and business destination.

The new move, it was learnt, is a sequel to the resolution of its row with Nigeria on suspension of flights.

In a statement, the carrier said throughout the pandemic it has been updating passengers with industry-leading health and safety measures at every point of the travel journey as well as helping communities reconnect faster in facilitating economic recovery.

The airline said it also been working hard to provide up to date, comprehensive travel information to passengers as well as speeding up processes on the ground through digital verification for Covid-19 via the IATA Travel Pass, as well as touchless check-in and biometrics processing.

The carrier said Covid-19 PCR tests are mandatory for all inbound passengers arriving to Dubai, including UAE citizens, residents and tourists, irrespective of the country they are coming from.

The statement reads:” Travellers coming from Nigeria must hold a negative Covid-19 PCR test certificate for a test taken no more than 72 hours before departure.

“Additionally, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has specified designated laboratories for passengers departing Nigeria and travellers must obtain their certificate from one of the labs listed here to be accepted on the flight. Travellers coming from Nigeria will also need to take another Covid-19 PCR test on arrival at Dubai International Airport.

“Passengers flying to Nigeria have to meet the requirements of their destination.”

KEY POINTS

• The Biden administration is tightening travel rules to and within the U.S., requiring all in-bound international passengers to test for Covid within 24 hours of departure.
• It’s also extending its mask requirement on all domestic flights and public transportation through March 18.
• The changes are part of a broader plan to bolster its arsenal of tools in the nation’s fight against the virus as the world enters its third year of the pandemic. 

US President Joe Biden speaks about the Covid-19 vaccine shots administered in the US in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, DC, February 25, 2021. Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images

The Biden administration is tightening travel rules to and within the U.S., requiring all in-bound international passengers to test for Covid within 24 hours of departure and extending its mask requirement on all domestic flights and public transportation through March 18.

The changes were announced Thursday as part of a broader plan to bolster the nation’s arsenal of tools in its fight against the virus as the world enters its third year of the pandemic. 

The plan is also the latest move by the Biden administration to stem the spread of the new, highly mutated omicron Covid-19 variant, which was first reported to WHO by South Africa a week ago. At least 23 countries have identified omicron cases so far, and that number is expected to rise in the coming days and weeks, the WHO said Wednesday. 

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The U.S. joined that list after confirming its first case of the variant in Northern California on Wednesday. 

The tightened pre-departure testing protocols will apply to all in-bound international travelers regardless of vaccination status and will begin as early as next week, senior administration officials told reporters during a press call late Wednesday. Previously, the U.S. required proof of a negative Covid test taken within 72 hours of departure, though this was tightened to only vaccinated travelers last month. Unvaccinated travelers had to have a negative Covid test within one day of departure.

“Our doctors believe tightening testing requirements for pre-departure will help catch more cases, potential cases of people who may be positive and inside the country,” a senior administration official said. “And so now is the right time to do it. And we can implement it very quickly.”

The mask mandate, which was originally supposed to expire in January, requires masking while on buses, trains, planes and transportation hubs such as indoor bus terminals and airports. Fines will remain doubled from their initial levels for noncompliance with the requirement, starting at $500, and going up to $3,000 for repeat offenders.

Vaccine mandates

The Biden administration’s new plan also urges businesses to “move forward expeditiously” with requiring workers to get vaccinated or tested weekly, according to the plan. Such protocols are “especially important” given the new omicron variant, the plan added. 

“We’re asking businesses to step forward and do what’s right to protect our workers, our communities — to put in place some sort of vaccination requirement or testing requirements for the workplace,” a senior administration official said during the call. 

The administration had given businesses with 100 or more employees until Jan. 4 to ensure their staff are either vaccinated against Covid-19, or submit a negative test weekly before entering the workplace. Unvaccinated employees were also supposed to start wearing masks indoors at the workplace on Dec. 5.

However, the Occupational Safety and Health administration suspended enforcement and implementation of the requirements earlier this month, after the U.S. Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit halted the policy pending review. 

More than two dozen lawsuits have been filed to overturn the Biden policy. But labor unions are asking the courts to expand the requirements to cover smaller businesses and protect more workers.

Home Covid tests

The Biden administration’s winter Covid plan also includes more free at-home tests.

More than 150 million Americans with private insurance will be able to get reimbursed for their at-home tests, according to the plan. Those without private insurance will be able to access at-home tests through community sites such as health centers and rural clinics.

The plan also aims to bolster outreach efforts to get more people vaccinated, ensure the “quitable distribution of Covid -19 treatments to vulnerable populations and launch over 60 rapid response teams to states to help combat the virus.

“While this new variant is a cause for concern, it is not a cause for panic,” a senior administration said. “We have the tools we need to confront this variant and keep making progress in our fight against the virus.”

Last week, Biden ordered precautionary air travel restrictions from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. He did not indicate how long the bans, which took effect Monday, will remain in place. 

Those restrictions came into effect three weeks after the U.S. lifted a blanket ban on visitors from more than 30 countries, including the U.K., India, Brazil and South Africa, replacing them with vaccination requirements for tourists. Other countries implemented new travel restrictions last week, sending airline and other travel stocks tumbling.

The president on Monday also said his administration is working with vaccine manufacturers Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson to develop contingency plans for additional vaccines or boosters tailored to protect against the new variant. 

He is directing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the CDC to use the “fastest process available without cutting any corners” to approve such potential vaccines. 

Current Covid-19 vaccines on the market are believed to provide some protection against omicron, Biden said Monday, adding that booster shots “strengthen that protection significantly.” 

On Wednesday, Fauci noted the profile of the variant suggests its mutations could reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines. However, more data is still needed, he added. 

Omicron has more than 30 mutations to the spike protein alone. Some of the mutations are associated with higher transmission and a decrease in antibody protection, according to the WHO. 

By Chidi Ugwu

ABUJA – Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) has said flight operations are expected to be disrupted in some northern states including Maiduguri, Nguru, Potiskum, Dutse, Gombe, Yola, Bauchi, Katsina and Kano, following dust in suspension.

In its Weather Alert issued on December 1, 2021at 1410LT Local Time, the Central Forecast Office (CFO) of NiMET warned that the dust would lead to reduction in horizontal visibility to less than 1000m.

The agency, therefore, advised that airline operators are required to collect their flight folders and adhere to regulations, especially at aerodromes in the Northern parts of the country, while people with a respiratory ailments should take caution and reduce their outdoor activities.

“The dust is expected to be transported into Nigeria within the next 6hrs from the time of issue of this alert, it will further deteriorate the horizontal visibility over most parts of the North to 4000-2000m, a localized reduction in visibility to less than 1000m is expected in places like Maiduguri, Nguru, Potiskum, Dutse, Gombe, Yola, Bauchi, Katsina and Kano.

“Flight operations are expected to be disrupted; therefore, airline operators are required to collect their flight folders and adhere to regulations, especially at aerodromes in the Northern parts of the country.

“Road users are advised to drive slowly and carefully due to poor visibility during this period.

“People with a respiratory ailment should take caution and reduce their outdoor activities.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency will continue to monitor the weather and keep you updated” reads the statement in parts.

LAGOS – United Airlines has inaugurated its new nonstop service between its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport and Murtala Muhammed International Airport with the arrival of the first flight into Lagos on December 1.

With three weekly flights, United is the first and only airline serving Washington DC nonstop from Lagos.

The flight is operated with state-of-the-art Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, featuring United’s award-winning United PolarisSM business class cabin and United Premium PlusSM premium economy seats.

The new service marks United’s return to Nigeria, which the airline previously served up until 2016. United is the first and only airline serving Washington DC nonstop from Lagos

A water cannon salute marked the arrival of United flight UA612 with Oluwatomi Bola-Sadipe, United’s Country Sales Manager Nigeria, Victoria Shin-Aba, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) Regional General Manager and Claire Pierangelo, U.S. Consul General welcoming the first arriving United customers at Murtala Muhammed International Airport.

“This new flight from Lagos reinforces our ongoing commitment to growing our network in Africa and providing more convenient service to the destinations our customers want to fly to most,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s Senior Vice President of International Network Planning and Alliances.

“This highly anticipated service will provide a key gateway between Lagos and Washington DC, as well as easy one-stop connections to almost 80 destinations across the Americas, including Houston and Chicago.”

“This exciting initiative further expands our economic relationship, promotes people-to-people ties, and creates new opportunities for United, travel companies, and customers alike,” said Mary Beth Leonard, U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria.

The Senate has said the National Carrier project as proposed by the Minister of Aviation is not realistic. 

The Chairman Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Uba Sani disclosed this yesterday in Niger State at the committee retreat. 

Sani said: “The ministry is not being realistic with his proposal of a National Carrier and because of that frustrating the efforts of AMCON on NG Eagle. 

“I say it is not realistic after we listened to the explanations of the ministry that the government will own only 5% of the new National Carrier, Nigerians will own 46% and yet to be named foreign interest will own 49%.”

He further has called out the Aviation Ministry for allegedly frustrating the efforts of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in obtaining the operating license for NG Eagle. 

Sani said the Upper Chamber was particularly not happy with the Aviation Ministry whom he accused of frustrating the efforts of AMCON haven scaled all huddles that are required by law to set up a new airline tagged NG Eagle, but are being denied the final Air Operating Certificate (AOC) to enable the new airline to commence scheduled operations.

In his welcome address, the Meaning Director/CEO of AMCON, Ahmed Kuru, explained that “AMCON getting involved in the airline is not from a recovery perspective, but from a national duty perspective to ensure that the airline continued to operate given its strategic importance in the aviation sector at that time. 

“After intervention by AMCON, the airline continued to meet its obligations particularly that of the Aviation Ministry. The airline has so far remitted over N12 billion as ongoing obligations to the ministry. The Corporation also does realize that at a certain point in time it must prepare an exit strategy from all its aviation portfolio, and based on advice, decided to set up NG Eagle through the process of certification by Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).”