Search alerts

The Abu Dhabi-based low-cost airline has announced that it will open a new base in Rome, offering 32 new flight services to 19 countries; Wizz Air have said this is the biggest number of routes ever announced at one time, and four Airbus A321neo aircraft will be based at Rome Fiumicino airport in July to facilitate. The new services, which include two UK routes from Rome to London Luton and Liverpool John Lennon, will complement the 25 routes already operating from Rome Fiumicino and Rome Ciampino airports.

The country's government has extended a current COVID-19 state of emergency to cover an additional three prefectures where rises in infections have been detected; the news comes as Japan grapples with a surge of a more infectious strain of the virus just 10 weeks before the Tokyo Olympics are due to start. Hokkaido, Okayama and Hiroshima will join Tokyo, Osaka and four other prefectures from 16 May under a state of emergency until at least 31 May. Among the restrictions imposed are an 20.00 (local time) closing deadline for eateries and a ban on alcohol at most bars and restaurants.

The airline has announced that it will launch a trial with medical tech company Canary Global to assess if its Pelican Ultra Rapid COVID-19 test can play a role in further re-opening international travel; it is hoped the test can display a result within 25 seconds, and British Airways will first be inviting flight and cabin crew to take the Pelican test and will compare the performance of the result against tests that they are already using. Subject to successful evaluation, the airline hopes to be able to offer the test technology on applicable routes where testing must meet set specificity and sensitivity standards.

The airline has said that it will delay its planned resumption of international flights further to the end of 2021, in response to a newly revised COVID-19 vaccine rollout timeline from the Australian government. Qantas now expects to resume international service in late December, after previously targeting late October. The Australian government now plans the larger re-opening of the country's borders in mid-2022.

The airline has said that it well be trialling new queueing technology at London Heathrow Airport from partner Qmatic, which aims to enable passengers to virtually queue at check-in by pre-booking their slot time in advance of arriving at the airport. The optional technology will be trialled for three months on selected flights departing the airport's Terminal 5; passengers will be sent an email before travel inviting them to book their personal check in time.

The UK government has confirmed that an NHS app offered in England will be available to use as a COVID-19 vaccine passport from 17 May, in line with the easing of national restrictions which will allow UK passengers to resume limited international travel to some destinations. However, it will only be accessible to those who have had both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The airline has announced that it will make Belize the fourth international destination outside of the U.S. that it flies to, joining Canada, Mexico and Costa Rica. Alaska Airlines plans to put tickets on sale in early June for Belize City; although specific route information has not been provided, it is anticipated that the service will be offered from more than one of its West Coast hubs of Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

The airline has added new flight routes from the UK to holiday destinations for June and July onwards, following the announcement that British citizens will be able to resume limited international travel from 17 May. The 26 additional weekly frequencies will include destinations across Greece, the Canary Islands and Turkey to popular holiday hot spots including Corfu, Kos, Paphos, Rhodes, Lanzarote, Tenerife and Bodrum.

A number of U.S. airlines including United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have canceled flights between the U.S. and Israel's capital of Tel Aviv, according to data from online flight trackers; the cancellations have been made in response to escalating conflict in the region. Passengers should check their flight status carefully prior to travelling to the airport.

The government of Japan has announced the extension of a state of emergency in several regions of the country, originally imposed as a result of a surge in COVID-19 infections. Restrictions in Tokyo, Osaka, Hyogo and Kyoto had been due to end on 11 May, but will now remain in place until at least the end of the month. Under the state of emergency, bars and restaurants have had to close or stop serving alcohol, while cinemas and other leisure venues have also been closed.

The airline has resumed flights to Switzerland's largest city from London City Airport as of 12 May; Swiss will initially operate two rotations per week, with the schedule planned to increase in line with anticipated surge for demand over the summer months. The airline also hopes to restore its flight route from London City Airport to Geneva in August.

The middle-eastern airline has said that from 12 May, passengers flying from its Abu Dhabi hub will be able to validate their COVID-19 travel documents before arriving at the airport; to use the service, passengers can sign-up by visiting 'Manage my Booking' online and will receive further information on how to submit their documents. Once the submission has been checked, they will then receive a ‘success’ email if their documents meet government requirements.

The airline has said that it plans to launch a four times per week service from Entebbe, Uganda to South Africa's Johannesburg from 31 May.

The country's government has said that Anguilla's borders will re-open on 25 May, following a closure to manage to a cluster of COVID-19 cases detected on 22 April. Once re-open, the quarantine period for fully COVID-19 vaccinated arrivals will be seven days, with non-vaccinated arrivals mandated to quarantine for between 10 and 14 days. In addition, passengers must apply for entry permission; provide proof of health insurance coverage; produce a negative COVID-19 PCR test result obtained three to five days prior to arrival; take an additional PCR test on arrival, and pay visitor fees.

The airline has announced that it will debut a new service from Istanbul to Newark Liberty International Airport, serving the New York metropolitan area, from 21 May; the airport will be the 10th U.S. gateway for Turkish Airlines joining Atlanta, Boston, Washington Dulles, Houston Bush, LAX, JFK, Miami, San Francisco and Chicago O'Hare.

The government of Saudi Arabia has announced the implementation of new procedures from 20 May for the entry of all non-Saudi citizens and exempted passengers to the Kingdom, from countries from which entry is not suspended; passengers are to undergo seven days of mandatory institutional COVID-19 quarantine, with a swab test carried on the sixth day.

The government of New Zealand has announced the lifting of a temporary pause on quarantine-free travel from Australia's New South Wales (NSW) to New Zealand as of 23.59 (local NZ time) on 9 May. The resumption is subject to the condition that there are no new cases of COVID-19 detected in NSW and no further restrictions imposed by the NSW government.

The U.S. airline has announced that from 2 July it will offer flights from New York JFK to Dubrovnik for the first time; the service will depart four times weekly. The decision was made as a result of Croatia's decision to open to U.S. passengers who can provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination, proof of recovery from the virus or a negative COVID-19 test result.

The airline has started twice-weekly non-stop flights between Austin, Texas and Honolulu; the service between the two state capital cities is scheduled to expand to three times per week from 28 May to 3 August to meet expected higher summer volume. The flights are operated with 278-seat Airbus A330 aircraft featuring 18 first-class, lie-flat leather seats, 68 premium economy seats and 192 main cabin seats.

The UK government has announced an updated 'traffic light' entry system for visitors and returning passengers entering England from 17 May; requirements and procedures on entry will depend on where passengers have been in the 10 days - for travel from destinations on the 'green' list a COVID-19 test is required on day two. For 'amber' list destinations a quarantine period in place of residence and two COVID-19 tests are required. From the 'red' list, monitored hotel quarantine and two COVID-19 tests are mandated. Meanwhile, until 17 May all countries and territories outside of the Common Travel Area are either 'red' or 'amber' list countries or territories; if travelling to England before 17 May passengers must follow the respective rules for each.