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volume 46-2020

Boeing 737 MAX Gets | Approval To Fly Passengers Again

November 19, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

WASHINGTON: The US Federal Aviation Administration today, November 18, issued an order that paves the way for the Boeing 737 MAX to return to commercial service.

 The plane, the best-selling jet in Boeing’s fleet, was grounded in March 2019 after two fatal crashes that killed 346 people. It was discovered that a safety feature meant to stop the plane from climbing too fast and stalling had improperly forced the nose of the plane down, causing the crashes.

 The FAA action is only the first step in allowing 59 airlines which own the 387 grounded planes to fly them as part of their schedule. The FAA said in a statement before any of the planes can be flown with passengers again, the necessary changes to the 737 Max identified in the approval process must be installed, the FAA must inspect the individual planes. The pilots must also complete additional training.

 The order by administrator Steve Dickson followed a comprehensive and methodical safety review process that took 20 months to complete, said the statement. During that time, FAA employees worked diligently to identify and address the safety issues that played a role in the tragic loss of 346 lives aboard Lion Air Flight 610 and Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302, it said.

 “Throughout our transparent process, we cooperated closely with our foreign counterparts on every aspect of the return to service. Additionally, Administrator Dickson personally took the recommended pilot training and piloted the Boeing 737 MAX, so he could experience the handling of the aircraft firsthand,” it said.

 In addition to rescinding the order that grounded the aircraft, the FAA today published an Airworthiness Directive specifying design changes that must be made before the aircraft returns to service; issued a Continued Airworthiness Notification to the International Community (CANIC), and published the MAX training requirements. These actions do not allow the MAX to return immediately to the skies.

The FAA must approve 737 MAX pilot training program revisions for each US airline operating the MAX and will retain its authority to issue airworthiness certificates and export certificates of airworthiness for all new 737 MAX aircraft manufactured since the FAA issued the grounding order. Furthermore, airlines that have parked their MAX aircraft must take required maintenance steps to prepare them to fly again.

 The design and certification of this aircraft included an unprecedented level of collaborative and independent reviews by aviation authorities around the world. Those regulators have indicated that Boeing’s design changes, together with the changes to crew procedures and training enhancements, will give them the confidence to validate the aircraft as safe to fly in their respective countries and regions. 

 “Following the return to service, the FAA will continue to work closely with our foreign civil aviation partners to evaluate any potential additional enhancements for the aircraft. The agency also will conduct the same rigorous, continued operational safety oversight of the MAX that we provide for the entire US commercial fleet,” it said.

 The process of approving the plane to carry passengers has stretched on far longer than originally expected and cost Boeing more than $20 billion, according to the company. Lost orders for the jet during that time could make it among the most expensive mistakes ever made by a company.

 Reacting to the decison, David Calhoun, Chief Executive Officer of The Boeing Company, said: “We will never forget the lives lost in the two tragic accidents that led to the decision to suspend operations. These events and the lessons we have learned as a result have reshaped our company and further focused our attention on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.”

  “The FAA’s directive is an important milestone,” said Stan Deal, President and Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. “We will continue to work with regulators around the world and our customers to return the airplane back into service worldwide.”

Filed Under: Airlines, Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

UK-US Sign Deal | Guarantee Future Of Transatlantic Flights

November 19, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

Transport minister Grant Shapps has signed a deal with the US to ensure that transatlantic flights to and from the UK will continue from 1 January when Britain’s transition agreement with the EU comes to an end.

The air services agreement will replace the existing EU-US deal, which will no longer apply to the UK from 2021.

Mr Shapps described the agreement, which was also signed by US secretary of state Mike Pompeo and transportation secretary Elaine Chao as ‘just one of many steps we’re taking as we move towards a bright new future at the end of the transition period’.

However, it appears to be the same deal that was secured by his predecessor Chris Grayling two years ago.

And there is still no air service agreement between the UK and the EU, which throws into doubt the continuation of flights after 31 December.

Filed Under: Airlines, Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

Oman Air To Fly | Twice Weekly To Chennai, Hyderabad

November 17, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

MUSCAT: Oman Air, the national carrier of the Sultanate of Oman, has added twice-weekly service to the Indian cities of Chennai and Hyderabad with service set to start on November 19.

Flights to and from both cities will be operated on Thursdays and Saturdays. These schedules are confirmed until 31 December, 2020. Additional information is available at omanair.com, the airline’s offices and travel agents.

Oman Air will maintain its comprehensive safety program throughout all elements of the travel journey to ensure that guests fly confidently. Masks are required when guests are on board the aircraft and in Oman’s airports. Distancing is maintained while guests board and exit the aircraft, which are carefully cleaned after each flight and at the end of every day. Cabin crew all wear a full set of personal protective equipment, meal service has been modified to increase safety and a number of other steps have been taken to ensure that the airline’s guests and crew are safe at all times.

Guests who are planning to depart from Oman should ensure that they are aware of all pre-departure requirements, which are provided at omanair.com, as well as the requirements at their destinations.

Guests planning to travel to Oman should ensure they are aware of all requirements, which are posted at the Civil Aviation Authority website, paca.gov.om, an airline statement said.

Filed Under: Airlines, Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

KP govt Approves | Handing Over 5 More Rest Houses To KP CTA

November 17, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government on Tuesday approved to handover five more rest houses to the provincial tourism authority for the promotion of tourism in the province.

The KP government had earlier decided to hand over all 169 government rest houses in the province to the tourism authority so as to provide better accommodation to national and foreign tourists. Under this policy, several government rest houses at various tourist destinations have already been handed over to the tourism authorities.

According to Chief Minister’s Information Adviser Kamran Bangash, the provincial cabinet has approved the outsourcing and online booking of five rest houses in Galyat. “These include Speaker Himalaya Rest House, Police IG House, Karnak House, while the remaining two rest houses, Governor House and Chief Minister’s House  will be handed over to the tourism authority after renovation.”

It may be mentioned that a total of 169 rest houses were decided to be handed over to tourism authority, of which 48 rest houses have so far been advertised for outsourcing purposes. The second phase includes 80 rest houses, including Swat Srinagar Hotel where the decoration work is in full swing.

According to informed sources, the tourism authority would earn millions of rupees for the national exchequer by using these rest houses for tourism. Earlier, these rest houses were under the use of the different government departments and were only used by the government officials.

Despite spending millions of rupees annually on the renovation of government rest houses, there was no income generated from them, sources said.

In addition to the provision of necessary funds for promotion of tourism, the provincial cabinet has approved construction of the 48km Kalam-Kamrat Road, 52km Thal-Patrak Road, and 14km Thal-Jazbanda Road.

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

Qatar Airways Resumes | Flights to Phuket, Thailand

November 17, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

DOHA: Qatar Airways has announced to resume flights to Phuket, Thailand, from 4 December 2020. The resumption of services to the country’s largest island is part of the airline’s effort to rebuild its network in the Asia-Pacific region.

Services to this holiday island will be operated by the modern, Boeing 777-300ER, offering 42 flatbed seats in business class and 312 seats in economy class. The airline currently operates 14-weekly flights between Bangkok and Doha.

As one of the only global airlines to have maintained a significant schedule throughout this COVID-19 pandemic, the airline is uniquely positioned to monitor trends in traffic flow and passenger bookings. The airline has scheduled these flights to connect seamlessly via its hub, Hamad International Airport, where Thai passengers can enjoy more flexible travel options. The airline also continues to show its commitment to Thailand, as it marks its ten years of operation to Phuket.

Jared Lee, vice president of sales for South East Asia and South Asia subcontinent in Qatar Airways said: “As part of our network rebuilding efforts in the Asia-Pacific region, we are excited to resume operations to Phuket to further provide global connectivity to our Thai passengers. This year also marks our 10th year of operations between Phuket and Doha, and we remain committed to the Thai market as we look forward to rolling out more initiatives for Thailand in the months to come. As global entry restrictions ease, we look forward to reinstating more routes as we aim to operate to over 120 destinations by year-end to better connect Thai passengers to the rest of the world.”

Filed Under: Airlines, Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

Covid-19 Airport Testing | Could Lead To 100 Million False Positives: IATA

November 16, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

Pre-departure airport testing could lead to more than 100 million travelers being falsely identified as having Covid, according to an IATA expert.

Speaking at CAPA Live event, Thomas Pellegrin, Senior Principal, IATA consulting, said, “False positives and false negatives carry serious implications for air travel. When a false positive happens, we incorrectly inform a healthy traveller they may be infected which is stressful at best, but will also require a re-test to confirm diagnosis at additional cost and time. It also means they may have to delay and cancel plans.

“When a false negative happens, this incorrectly lets an infected passenger through and risk infection importation at the destination and undermine the trust of the governments.”

A quirk of maths means that for a disease with low prevalence, such as Covid-19, the rate of false positives can be unexpectedly high.

Pellegrin outlined a scenario in which 100 travellers were tested on departure. He used values for sensitivity (the true positive rate) and specificity (the true negative rate) similar to those achieved in the field using the most commonly used PCR tests – 70 per cent and 95 per cent respectively – and a virus prevalence of 4 per cent in a random population.

Pellegrin said, “The likelihood that a traveller who tested negative is actually uninfected is high – 99 per cent. That is really good. But surprisingly and counterintuitively, the likelihood that a traveller who tested positive is actually infected is low, only 37 per cent. If we tested half of last year’s travellers – 2.2 billion – that would return 106 million false positives in one year, the equivalent of the number of passengers handled by the world’s busiest airport, Atlanta.”

The roll-out of widespread testing has a number of technical and operational challenges on top of this.

He said, “The challenge of screening non-symptomatic travellers is that they do not present symptoms and governments are hesitant to lift travel quarantines. Testing restores that trust and enables full border reopening but states need to agree on one or more standards and that depends on several technical and operational challenges.”

Pellegrin said that because the crisis had cost the aviation sector billions already, it must not add another economic burden to airlines and airports. Any testing regime should also not divert qualified medical personnel needed by public health authorities. There are also logistical challenges in getting equipment and supplies in sufficient quantities to the points at which they are required.

He added, “Eventually vaccines will replace the need for testing, but the long lead times and uncertainties linked to vaccine research, development, trials, approvals, manufacturing, shipping and inoculating at scale are such that testing is expected to remain necessary for the foreseeable future.”

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

Tourism In Pandemic | Turkey Replaces Virus-Locked Europe

November 16, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

ANKARA:  As almost whole Europe has refused entry to the inbound tourists due to the Covid-19 pandemic, tourists veered toward Turkey, a country of vast attractions with its cuisine, natural wonders, and high-quality ski slopes.

Hit hard by the coronavirus during the summer season, Turkey hopes to offset the fallout in the tourism sector with a boom in pre-bookings for the winter season.

Popular for its heavenly seas and velvety sand under the bright sun along its Aegean and Mediterranean coasts, Turkey also offers an unforgettable winter experience with its ski resorts covered with fluffy snow.

Among eight ski resorts in Turkey, Uludag Ski Center in northwestern Bursa and Erciyes Ski Resort in central Kayseri are popular destinations for ski and snowboard aficionados.

“Due to the travel restrictions in Europe or the Far East, tourists especially from Russia, Ukraine, Poland, and the Czech Republic mostly turned their route to Turkey,” Murat Cahid Cingi, the chairman of Erciyes Ski Resort, told media.

“For the first time, Kyiv-Kayseri direct flights are set to be launched as of Dec. 27,” he said, adding that some tour operators had to cancel their agreements as mountain hotels were fully booked.

More than 2 million tourists, with 10% skiers or snowboarders, visit the resort every year, Cingi said.

“We invented uludag.axess.shop where we sell tickets for Uludag ski runs online for the first time in Turkey.”

“This system is limited with 3,000 tickets for this year, and it seems that we will easily sell all.”

Meanwhile, Beceren emphasized that not only the hotels in the region but also cafes and restaurants have the “Safe Tourism Certificate,” which sets comprehensive safety standards in all areas, from airlines to accommodation, for Turkish citizens, international visitors, and tourism employees.

This year, skiing clothes and some accessories will only be sold instead of being rented for hygiene and sanity concerns, he also said.

The Erciyes Ski Center, which meets international standards, is one of the must-see places of Turkey in the winter season.

Being located near Cappadocia, another touristic region in Turkey famous for its fairy chimneys, having easily accessible areas and its budget-friendly policy, Mount Erciyes draws more attention with each passing day.

Uludag Ski Resort welcomes 4 million tourists every year with its 7,000-bed capacity hotels and 20 ski tracks of nearly 400,000 meters.

Tourists also choose Uludag, which offers snowboarding, sledding and snow-biking for the New Year and semester holidays.

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

Ambassadors To Spain | Join Call For Collaborative Restart Of Tourism

November 16, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

MADRID: Ambassadors to Spain from the region of Europe gathered for a high-level meeting with the Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The virtual meeting with Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili focused on the timely and responsible restart of tourism across the continent.

Ambassadors act as a bridge between the Secretariat of the United Nations specialized agency in Madrid and their home countries. Mr. Pololikashvili who himself served as Ambassador of Georgia to Spain before taking up the leadership of UNWTO highlighted the important role that diplomats must play in coordinating efforts to lift restrictions on travel and to restore confidence in international tourism.

High on the agenda was tourism’s potential for helping rural communities recover from the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, echoing the year-long focus of UNWTO on tourism for rural development, which was also the theme of World Tourism Day 2020. The Ambassadors were also informed of UNWTO’s leading role in guiding tourism’s restart, including through the planned creation of an International Code for the Protection of Tourists.

The meeting counted on the participation of representatives from 36 of UNWTO’s European Member States. In addition, three other European countries who are not UNWTO members joined the meeting, reflecting the cross-cutting relevance of tourism for overall economic recovery.

“Strong diplomatic relations will enable safe and seamless travel for tourists, ensuring our sector and the many benefits it offers will return as soon as possible”, said Mr. Pololikashvili when stressing the importance of maintaining close relations with Member States.

A total 34 Heads of Diplomatic Missions took part in the virtual high-level meeting, with interventions from Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Republic of Moldova, the Russian Federation, and Uzbekistan.

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

IHRC Appoints | Asim Irshad As Ambassador IHRC in Pakistan

November 11, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

KARACHI: International Human Rights Commission (IHRC) has appointed Mr. Asim Irshad as their Ambassador in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan for the next two years.

A press note from the office of “The Secretary General International Human Rights Commission” says that “Sir Rafal Marcin Wasik” was pleased to appoint and designate Mr. Asim Irshad as an official Ambassador.

Ambassador at Large and Advisor UN Affairs IHRC Mr. Mohsin Durrani proposed him to designate for the appointment.

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

World Golf Awards | Recognises 2020 Winners

November 11, 2020 by holidayweekly Leave a Comment

Founded in 2014, the global initiative is designed to recognise and reward excellence in golf tourism, courses and golf destinations.

Winners include Georgia’s legendary Augusta National Golf Club, crowned ‘World’s Best Golf Course’.

Ryder Cup winning captain José María Olazábal was named ‘Golf Course Designer of the Year’, following in the steps of previous winners Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and Sir Nick Faldo.

Golfing icon and ten-time major winner, Annika Sorenstam, was the recipient of the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’.

The beauty of Australia’s golf courses, which range from coastal links to wild greens, was acknowledged with the title of ‘World’s Best Golf Destination’.

On the opposite side of the globe, England’s the Belfry, also emerged as one of the big winners with the accolade for ‘World’s Best Golf Hotel’.

In the newcomer categories, Vietnam’s Hoiana Shores Golf Club – home to a spectacular new 18-hole links seaside course – was voted ‘World’s Best New Golf Course’.

Meanwhile ‘World’s Best New Golf Development’ went to Navarino Hills, Costa Navarino, Greece.

Golf Saudi was acknowledged with ‘The Golf Vision Award’ for its pivotal role in transforming the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into a world-class golf tourism destination.

The results follow a year-long search for the world’s top golf tourism and hospitality brands.

Votes were cast by professionals working in the golf industry and by the public (golf tourism consumers).

Chris Frost, managing director, World Golf Awards, said: “Our winners represent the very best of the global golf tourism and hospitality sector and my congratulations to each of them.

“They have all demonstrated remarkable resilience in a year of unprecedented challenges.”

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: volume 46-2020

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