News

Singapore Airlines Announces Additional Flights Between India, Singapore From March 27

Here comes a piece of good news for the air passengers who would like to fly to Singapore in the coming month. The Singapore Airlines (SIA), the flagship carrier of Singapore, on Tuesday said it will launch additional flights between India and Singapore starting from March 27, 2022. According to the details given by the airline, it will begin 10 more flights that would connect Ahmedabad, Delhi, Chennai, Cochin, and Mumbai with Singapore. The air passengers must take note that the additional flights from India to Singapore are non- Vaccinated Travel Lane flights and the passengers will be subject to 7-day home quarantine measures/Stay-Home Notice (SHN) in Singapore after their arrival. However, short-term visitors will not be allowed to enter Singapore on these flights unless they hold a valid approval of entry from the ICA. As per the latest guidelines, the air passengers in order to enter Singapore quarantine-free, need to apply for a VTP and fly on designated VTL flights.

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Canada to ease travel requirements as COVID cases decline

Canada will ease entry for fully vaccinated international travellers starting on February 28 as Covid-19 cases decline, allowing a rapid antigen test for travellers instead of a molecular one, officials said on Tuesday. Antigen tests are cheaper than a molecular test and can provide results within minutes. The new measures, which include random testing for vaccinated travellers entering Canada, were announced by federal government ministers at a briefing. Canada will monitor conditions with an eye on dropping coronavirus testing requirements for fully vaccinated Canadians who make short trips — less than 72 hours — abroad, usually to the United States, Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos said. “These changes are possible not only because we have passed the peak of Omicron, but because Canadians across the country have listened to the science and to experts,” Duclos told reporters. About 80% of Canadians are fully vaccinated and over 40% have also taken a booster dose, according to the health ministry. The global travel advisory for Canadians is also being changed. Previously the government recommended against all non-essential travel, and now it is only urging citizens to take precautions. “Though today’s announcement brings us one step closer to where our industry needs to be, in requiring pre-departure rapid antigen tests, the government missed an opportunity to align with other international jurisdictions that removed pre-departure test requirements for fully vaccinated travellers,” the Canadian Travel and Tourism Roundtable industry group said in a statement. Suzanne Acton-Gervais, interim president of the National Airlines Council of Canada, said: “Today’s announcement by the federal government is a step forward both for travellers, our industry, and for the Canadian economy, which relies on trade and tourism.”

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Kerala's Aymanam in best tourist destinations' list of international magazine

Aymanam village, which was the setting for Arundathi Roy’s Booker prize-winning novel ‘God of Small Things' has been enlisted among the 30 tourist destinations to be visited in 2022 by the international tourism magazine Condé Nast Traveller. The responsible tourism mission launched in this pristine village played a major role in identifying Aymanam as the best tourist spot. The other sites chosen include the major locations of Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Qatar, England, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Serbia, the USA and so on. Unique tourist spots of Sikkim, Meghalaya, Goa, Kolkata, Odisha, Rajasthan, Sindhudurg and Bhimtal were also featured from India along with Aymanam. Aymanam successfully implemented the principles of responsible tourism by combining the projects of grama panchayat with the rural tourism development programmes. The visitors can relish the lives of villages, long walks through paddy fields, local cuisine, experience agriculture and fishing and understand regional employment and career through the responsible tourism approach adapted by Aymanam. Cycling and boat ride also await the visitors to witness the spellbinding views of the village. The local bodies are keen to maintain the water bodies plastic-free and the village free from pollution.

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Now, Air India's Amritsar-London flight thrice a week

Good news for Punjabi diaspora in the UK and flyers here as Air India, under the TATA group, will increase the frequency of its direct Amritsar-London Heathrow flight to three flights per week from March 27. Earlier, only one flight was operational. In a joint statement, global convener of FlyAmritsar Initiative and overseas secretary of Amritsar Vikas Manch, Sameep Singh Gumtala, and founder chairman of SEVA Trust, UK, Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon said amid the pandemic and suspension of regular international flights, the increase in frequency of this popular route has brought some good news for the Punjabi diaspora in the UK. Gumtala said as per the latest update on Air India’s website, AI flight 170 will take off from London Heathrow on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and the flight from Amritsar will depart on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. The airline operates a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on this route and the booking of these direct flights is available till the end of October 2022 (end of summer schedule for airlines). Currently, the flights between India and UK are operating under the air bubble set up by India with many countries. “Air India is also currently operating one-weekly direct Amritsar-Birmingham flight. We hope the airline will also increase its frequency,” said Gumtala. He said: “Increase in direct flights will help flyers between Punjab and the UK to travel conveniently in just eight to nine hours, evading long travelling hours on connecting flights via Delhi. This will also give a major boost to the economy of Punjab. Even industry and farmers will benefit from more direct flights to the UK as they will be able to ship cargo as well.” AI flight 170 will take off from London Heathrow on Saturday, Sunday and Monday and the flight from Amritsar will depart on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday The airline operates a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft on this route and the booking of these direct flights is available till the end of October 2022 (end of summer schedule for airlines) Currently, the flights between India and the UK are operating under the air bubble set up by India with many countries.

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Port Blair airport to remain close for 4 days a week, starting March 1

Here’s some important news for those planning a trip to the Andamans. The Port Blair airport or Veer Savarkar International Airport will remain shut for four days every week, starting March 1, 2022, to May 31, 2022. The announcement was made by the Civil Aviation Department of the Andaman & Nicobar administration. The main reason for the said closure is runway upgradation and re-carpeting work. A number of daily flight operations are expected to be disturbed because of the renovation work. As of now, more than 12 daily flights operate in and out of the Port Blair airport. Before the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, some 22 flights used to operate here. The decision to close the airport has made the travel trade and association a little unhappy. The association thinks that the closure will hugely impact tourism in the region. Tourism is an important revenue generator in the region and the decision is likely going to impact the sector. The Tourism Association of Andaman & Nicobar (TAAN) in a message stated, “Kind request to re-consider NOTAMN C0030/22 wef 01/03/2022 to 31/05/2022 reg RWY closure 4 days a week amidst AAI Port Blair Airport runway maintenance and upgradation work, which may deeply affect the lifeline of the islands.” The stakeholders are now requesting the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Defence to reconsider their decision and explore all possibilities to avoid closure of the runway.

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IATA urges Centre to reopen international air routes

Global airline body IATA on Monday urged the Centre for “swift normalisation” of international flight operations and called for discontinuation of air travel bubbles. The plea came on a day when the health ministry’s revised guidelines for international travellers kicked in, allowing passengers quarantine-free entry into the country besides dispensing with the need for on-arrival RT-PCR tests. “IATA [International Air Transport Association] welcomes the opening of India to international travel without quarantine from today. We urge that this development be followed swiftly by the normalisation of scheduled international flights to and from India, and the discontinuation of India’s air travel bubbles, “ said Philip Goh, IATA’s regional VP for Asia Pacific. ”The resumption of scheduled flights was paused due to the Omicron variant wave and it is now time to move forward and normalise international air services,” he added. India banned international flights almost two years ago on March 22, 2020. The Centre subsequently unveiled the Vande Bharat mission for Indians stranded across the world and started gradually permitting a limited number of commercial flights by entering into a bilateral “air bubble” arrangement with some countries. Today, it has this tie-up with 35 countries.

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