Search alerts

Singapore Airlines and regional wing SilkAir will reinstate certain flights in June and July, subject to regulatory approvals. Reinstated scheduled services include flights to Adelaide, Amsterdam, Auckland, Barcelona, Brisbane, Cebu, Christchurch, Copenhagen, Hong Kong, Medan, Melbourne and Osaka.

Tsogo Sun Hotels have released updated guidance, protocols and FAQ's designed to assure customers in their largely South Africa-based properties of their safety, as they re-open following the country's move to COVID-19 alert level three.

From today a suspension on international flights in Pakistan has been lifted and airlines will be able to operate departing commercial flights from all airports other than Gwadar International Airport and Turbat International Airport. Arriving international flights, though, will only be allowed by special permission on a case by case basis for the time being.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs has issued new guidelines permitting certain categories of foreign nationals to travel to India. This includes for the purposes of business travel, as well as visitors employed in areas such as healthcare and engineering. Eligible arrivals who previously held a valid visa will either need to apply for a new one, or get it re-validated in the case long-term multiple entry business visas.

United Airlines has announced that July will see the resumption of services in Asia to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Singapore and Seoul. It will also increase transatlantic services between the US and cities across Europe; capacity in July will be down around 75% compared to the same month last year, versus 90% down in June compared to the same month last year.

AVIS in South Africa have today released an update to their 'Drive with Confidence' pledge, which seeks to assure customers that they are vigilantly implementing enhanced protocols to ensure safety. The update also includes information on the opening hours of AVIS' 49 rental locations in the country, as South Africa moves to COVID-19 alert level three.

The country's prime minister announced today that Spain needs 15 more days of lockdown until 21 June “to finish with the pandemic once and for all”, and is seeking an extension from parliament. From 21 June a national state of emergency will end and with it the lockdown, allowing citizens to move freely in their regions. From 1 July, citizens will be able to move throughout the country and overseas visitors are expected to be permitted entry.

Rex has announced that from 1 June 2020, all passengers flying across their network will be required to wear a face mask. This will help provide an extra layer of protection against the spread of COVID-19 as well as for the safety and wellbeing of all passengers and staff.

The airline's operations have remained suspended, despite an SAA press release in May detailing the resumption of Johannesburg-Cape Town services in mid-June. The airline's business practitioners have said that the decision will allow the airline to get a better understanding of what the country's move to COVID-19 level three, due on 1 June, will mean for domestic travel.

The country's government said today that Greece will open to arrivals from 29 countries from 15 June, which coincides with the start of its peak tourism season. Passengers will be randomly tested, and the list will be updated before 1 July. The countries are: Germany, Austria, Denmark, Norway, Cyprus, Israel, Switzerland, Japan, Malta, Bulgaria, China, Croatia, Australia, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Albania, Estonia, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Hungary, South Korea, Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Finland.

For a start, the new scheme will apply only to business and official travel, for flights between Singapore and six provinces in China: Shanghai, Tianjin, Chongqing, Guangdong, Jiangsu and Zhejiang. The arrangement includes having COVID-19 prevent and control measures in place, and will be gradually expanded to the other Chinese provinces and municipalities.

The country is extending a ban on large cruise ships to 31 October, the transport minister said today. The measures will apply to vessels with overnight capacity for more than 100 crew and passengers.

Tourism officials announced today that the country will open its borders to international visitors starting on 1 July. To maintain the safety of residents and tourists alike, only islands that have contained the outbreak will be open to tourists. These include Cat Island, Long Island, Abaco and Andros, Mayaguana, Inagua, Crooked Island, Acklins, Long Cay, Ragged Island and Rum Cay.

The group will begin opening select properties in Portugal, starting on 5 June. Pestana has introduced various new protocols and procedures in order to ensure the safety of their employees and visitors. During this first phase, the hotels that will be opening include Pestana Cascais in Lisbon; Pestana Viking, Pestana Alvor South Beach and Pestana D. João in Algarve; and The Pousadas de Portugal properties located in Viana do Castel, Ria do Aveiro, Alcácer do Sal, Sagres, Valença and Bragança.

The airlines belonging to the Lufthansa group are significantly expanding their services in the second half of June 2020. Lufthansa alone will resume flights to around 20 European destinations from Frankfurt International Airport and 34 from Munich International Airport, from 15 June onwards; Austrian Airlines, SWISS, Eurowings and Brussels Airlines will also either add further services or resume suspended operations.

Hungary and Slovenia have today eased COVID-19 border restrictions to allow travel by their citizens between the two countries, including the purposes of business travel, their foreign ministers told a joint press conference at the border. From today, citizens can travel between the two countries without any limitation or quarantine.

MGM Grand has said it will re-open four properties in Las Vegas on 4 June after four months of closure. The Bellagio, New York-New York, the MGM Grand Las Vegas and The Signature will open with safety measures including employee screening, social distancing markers and plexiglass barriers.

All arrivals to Ireland from overseas are now required to self-quarantine for 14 days on arrival, including Irish citizens. This includes passengers with no symptoms, even if they've tested negative for COVID-19 in another country.

The country's government has announced that it will allow citizens from 80 countries to enter and exit Vietnam using electronic visas from 1 July. Also released is a list of 37 border gates through which visitors will be able to enter and exit; this comprises of 8 international airports, 16 land ports and 13 seaports.

The airline has announced today that it plans to resume flights from 15 June. Flights will resume to European destinations including London, Paris and Brussels. From 22 June more destinations will be added, bringing the total to 37.