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Russia scraps Covid flight restrictions for 'friendly' countries

Russia on Monday said it was ditching Covid-19 flight restrictions for over 50 "friendly" countries, after Moscow found itself cut off from the West over the conflict in Ukraine. "The infection rate is declining, which means it's time to expand the destinations available to our Russian airlines," Russian news agencies quoted premier Mikhail Mishustin as saying. "Now we are resuming air traffic with 52 countries, including Argentina, India, South Africa and other friendly to us." Russia said, aviation agency said that the new measures covering regular and charter flights would come into force from April 9. The move comes after Western nations, including EU member states, the United States, Britain and Canada, blocked their airspace to Russian planes after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine. The Kremlin responded by shutting Russia's vast airspace to those countries. Russia imposed draconian travel restrictions at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 but had already begun easing the limits as infection rates improved.

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Cheap tickets to stay as India’s airlines squabble on fare hikes

Top airline bosses agreed on many things at the Wings India airshow in Hyderabad last month: taxes should be reduced and airport capacity must be ramped up. One thing they couldn’t settle upon: whether unfair competition is keeping fares artificially low in what’s already a brutally competitive market. Sunil Bhaskaran, the chief executive officer of AirAsia India, was upfront. Indian aviation is suffering from “irresponsible competition” that’s kept fares low despite high taxes and fuel prices, he said. Bhaskaran didn’t single out who he was referring to. But the one carrier capable of making the entire market dance to its tune is IndiGo, India's largest airline. IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., controls more than 50 per cent of the domestic market. Nine other airlines compete for the rest, giving the fast-growing low-cost carrier commanding power over fares. Competition is set to heat up even further, with two other airlines preparing to launch services later this year in a market where tickets are often sold below operational costs- a situation that has led to the demise of several highprofile carriers. IndiGo, however, is unperturbed by criticism as well as calls from smaller rival SpiceJet Ltd. for airlines to work together to increase fares, even if that results in a slight dip in bookings. “I’m sorry, but this is not about working together to raise fares,” Ronojoy Dutta, IndiGo’s CEO, said in response to a suggestion that other airlines can increase fares if IndiGo takes the lead. “Look, ultimately IndiGo’s strategy is to provide superior customer service and get a disproportionate part of the revenue,” Dutta said, to laughter and applause. IndiGo’s vow to remain “very, very competitive” going forward is bad news for everyone, including the local affiliate of Singapore Airlines Ltd., IPObound Go First and formerly state-run Air India Ltd. Cut-throat pricing has already forced many including Kingfisher Airlines Ltd. and Jet Airways India Ltd. to fold unceremoniously or go through court-run bankruptcy processes. IndiGo, the world’s biggest customer for Airbus SE’s best-selling A320neo jets, is a rare exception, managing to make money while keeping a tight lid on costs. It’s also inked lucrative long-term maintenance and engineering contracts that were negotiated as part of large aircraft orders. “It’s got to do with the sheer size they are. IndiGo is a gigantic revenue machine,” said Mark Martin, founder of Dubai-based Martin Consulting LLC, which advises the aviation industry. “Naivety and ignorance can be devastating and wreak havoc in the system” and this isn’t a good time for IndiGo to display bravado, he said. “At some point IndiGo will have to raise fares or balance their fares to some degree.” Sydney-based CAPA Centre for Aviation said last year that it has “run out of words to describe the state of Indian airlines,” arguing the industry is “standing on the edge of a cliff.” Assuming oil at USD 70 a barrel and a rupeedollar exchange rate of 75, CAPA forecast Indian carriers could lose about USD 8 billion in the two years through March 2022. Brent oil is now trading at more than USD 100 a barrel and the Indian rupee tumbled to a record low 76.9812 per dollar last month. There are some signs of fares rising in recent times, but that’s got more to do with surging oil prices because of the war in Ukraine. For April, tickets from New Delhi to Mumbaione of the world’s busiest domestic routes- are selling at levels 42 per cent higher than before the war, according to online travel agency Yatra.com. At the same conference, SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh, who’s credited with turning around a carrier that almost failed after running out of cash, said higher oil prices present a “tremendous” opportunity for airlines to earn more revenue. But he also said he got messages from customers complaining SpiceJet’s fare hikes were “extortionate.” The problem is price-sensitive passengers, who are now used to notoriously cheap fares, and that mindset has to change, Singh said. “We need to be very cognisant of the fact that the aviation sector has suffered huge losses as it’s a chronically-ill industry, and I don’t know what the hell Vinay Dube is trying to do by booking more airplanes and creating a new airline at this time,” Singh said, referring to the Chief Executive of upcoming carrier Akasa, which is backed by billionaire Rakesh Jhunjhunwala. Aviation fuel prices in India have been “perennially” high and are moving higher, which will either compress margins further, limiting cash flow that should be used to repay Covid-incurred debt or forcing price increases, which may crimp travel demand, according to Robert Mann, the New-York based head of aviation consulting firm RW Mann & Co. “That demand loss will also imperil the carriers with the least available liquidity and some will fail,” said Mann. “It will be an interesting decade in Indian aviation.”

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Fully vaccinated travellers from UAE exempted from RT-PCR test to visit India

Providing some relief in the context of Covid-19 testing requirements, the Government of India has announced that fully vaccinated travellers visiting India from UAE are now not required to undergo a pre-departure RT-PCR test at the airport. On reciprocity basis, the government said that such travellers are not necessarily required to get the test done. Like any other international travellers travelling to India, visitors just need to fill out the passenger locator form on the Air Suvidha portal. Sharing more details, the budget international carrier, Air India Express in a tweet said that travellers should upload the Covid-19 vaccination certificate from the list of recognised countries (including UAE) on a reciprocity basis on the Air Suvidha portal. All other flyers are still required to carry a negative Covid-19 test report not older than 72 hours before departure. The same should be uploaded on the Air Suvidha portal before boarding the flight. Earlier, only passengers who have taken both doses of Covid-19 vaccines in India were exempted from taking RT-PCR tests prior to their departure to India. India resumed scheduled international commercial flights operations on March 27 and since then there has been a good influx of travellers and tourists arriving and departing from the country from major metro cities and airports. Indian Nationals with a normal passport who are travelling to or from India via Dubai can obtain a visa on arrival in Dubai for a maximum stay of 14 days provided they have a visitor visa, a green card issued by the United States, or a residence visa issued by the United Kingdom or European Union (EU).

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Demand for overseas tickets on the rise, say tour operators

A week after the resumption of scheduled overseas commercial air operations from India, demand for international travel has shown a “definite acceleration”, encouraging travel services providers. People are desperate to travel following a two-year lull, and demands and enquiries are soaring despite rising air fares, said some industry players. Indiver Rastogi, President and Group Head for global business travel at Thomas Cook (India) and SOTC, said thatshort-haul destinations were currently seeing the maximum uptick, with booking to Thailand up by three times week on week, followed by Singapore and Indonesia besides island destinations such as the Maldives and Mauritius for which demand has grown 30-35 per cent. Also, enquiries on Western Europe (Switzerland, France, Italy and Austria) have increased four times over last year, he said. “Dubai and Abu Dhabi are also seeing 40-50 per cent growth in interest compared to the same period last year; Turkey and Egypt are up by 40 per cent and USA by 100 per cent (for customers holding valid visas).” A Cleartrip spokesperson said international bookings, since the Indian government announced the resumption of scheduled international flight operations from March 27, had increased by 80 per cent compared with January this year. “The UAE, Maldives and Thailand are popular destinations for the upcoming summer travel season,” the spokesperson added. Benzy Nazar, CEO of Akbar Holidays, said revenge travel was back, and people were booking despite high air fares. “People don’t seem to have the Covid fears anymore. With the school summer breaks starting, those with school children are looking at European destinations, " she said. "Those who have not booked in advance are looking at the Far East. With Thailand opening, the four-nights-five-days packages are doing well. Singapore is seeing a lot of traction and Dubai is doing really well despite Ramzan.” As per RateGain, the UAE, Thailand and Nepal seem to be the most popular destinations for bookings on Indian online travel platforms. Booking.com said with regular international flights resuming in India, London, Paris, Dubai, Toronto and Amsterdam feature among the most popular international destinations for Indian travellers from April 1 to June 30. Vipul Prakash, chief operating officer at MakeMyTrip, said the UAE and the Maldives had already seen a recovery of nearly 80 per cent this month compared with pre-Covid days. “On similar lines, flight bookings to the US, UK, Canada and Australia have already touched a recovery of 60 per cent versus January 2020. Flight bookings to short-haul destinations including Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia are seeing a week-on-week growth,” he added. But, despite travel service providers pointing to encouraging demand and rising bookings, an airline executive said long-haul flights had been doing well for his company (in terms of passenger demand) but, it needs to be seen in the context of many more airlines entering the market. Rastogi from Thomas Cook India and SOTC said sporting events are also driving travel intent with corporate interest in the FIFA World Cup in Qatar and T20 World Cup in Australia later this year. Business travel has seen a surge, doubling month-on-month since January, and was currently at three times that of last month. “A strong uptick in corporate sentiment with the restart of scheduled international aviation has resulted in the closure of March at 90 per cent of our 2019 levels, led by IT, consultancy, banking and finance, global accounts and SMEs fuelling demand. Destinations displaying strong demand include the USA, Canada and the UK,” he added.

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Government policy on booster dose may come soon

Serum Institute of India CEO Adar Poonawalla on Monday said the low number of COVID-19 cases at the moment was because the country chose the right vaccine. Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the ‘Alternate Fuel Conclave’, he said the fourth wave, if at all it occurs, will hopefully be mild. Speaking on the booster dose, he said, “About the booster dose, we have appealed to the government, because everyone who needs to travel, needs the booster dose. They (government) are having internal discussions and a policy on booster dose may be announced soon.” All other countries are doing it and it was now time for India to have a look at it (booster dose), Poonawalla said, adding that the Centre had done a fantastic job by covering most of eligible adult population with two vaccine doses. “Our vaccines have proven better that those in other countries. Look at US, and Europe, they have a lot of cases. We have fewer cases because we chose the right vaccines,” he said. Queried on whether the vaccines in their current form work on new coronavirus variants, he said they will work only if a booster dose is taken, as this will form protection from future variants. In India, experts are deciding on mixing vaccines though it is allowed the world over, Poonawalla added.

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UK pre-Easter travel snarl-ups spread to Eurostar trains

Travel bottlenecks that held up a pre-Easter exodus of thousands of British tourists at Dover ferry port over the weekend extended to rail services Monday after a freight train broke down in the Channel Tunnel. Several Eurostar International Ltd. passenger expresses linking London with Paris and other continental cities suffered delays of up to an hour after the incident, a spokeswoman said, while the Eurotunnel truck-shuttle service from Folkestone to Calais was also disrupted, according to updates on Twitter. In the air, EasyJet Plc scrapped 60 flights, or about 4% of the total, after a surge in coronavirus infection rates left the U.K. discount carrier with a staffing crisis. British Airways also canceled some services after already reining in ramp-up plans amid sickness concerns. The upheaval comes as school holidays in the run-up to Easter signal the start of one of Europe’s busiest periods for travel. The getaway led to chaos in Dover on Saturday, with drivers suffering nine-hour delays as a ferry fleet halved in size as a result of fallout from the P&O labor dispute and other factors was unable to cope with the sheer volume of car and truck traffic. In addition to four P&O vessels being unavailable from Dover’s usual 12-strong roll-on, roll-off fleet, another operated by DFDS A/S was taken out of service after suffering damage in the port of Dunkirk, northern France, during bad weather, while a second DFDS ship is undergoing a refit. Eurostar spokesman Catherine Leonard said the rail disruption was expected to ease late Monday morning, while Port of Dover official Tim Reardon said he anticipates that resilience will be much improved with the imminent return of the DFDS vessels. DFDS said the Dunkerque Seaways will return from scheduled drydock on Monday, while the damaged Dover Seaways is expected to be back in service on Tuesday. The suspension of P&O Ferries sailings following the firing of almost 800 staff without consultation has put further pressure on the U.K.’s already-stretched supply chains. Owned by Dubai-based DP World, P&O sparked uproar with the move last month and has been at loggerheads with the government ever since, with its fleet undergoing close scrutiny over safety concerns.

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