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Domestic air travel bookings pick up pace amid festive season

Air travel bookings in India have gathered pace ahead of the festive season, offering hopes of a full revival for the sector battered by the pandemic. Airlines, however, remain cautious of a potential third wave of covid-19, mindful of the severe dent to business during May and June this year when the second wave erased gains made in the months before. Domestic passenger traffic improved to about 4.52 million in the first three weeks of August, up from 3.31 million, 1.91 million and 1.41 million passengers in the same period during July, June and May, respectively, according to data collated by aviation website NetworkThoughts. Air traffic in the same period during February, March and April stood at 5.73 million, 5.30 million and 4.40 million passengers, respectively. “Advance bookings (especially for travel beyond the 14-day window after booking) have picked up in August. This shows that people are more confident to travel now, which is due to the declining number of active covid cases and the removal of travel restrictions by states," a senior executive at a Gurugram-based budget airline said, requesting anonymity. “Going by the current figures, we are hoping for air ticket sales to pick up further during the festive season. If the current growth continues unhindered, we could see a recovery to pre-covid levels by October-December period," the official said. Meanwhile, airlines are shoring up their liquidity to prepare for any business disruption from a potential third wave. Two of the country’s listed airlines—InterGlobe Aviation Ltd operated IndiGo and SpiceJet Ltd—have both received approval from their respective boards to raise capital through qualified institutional placements.

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Saudi Arabia relaxes travel guidelines for Indians who received Covid vaccine in Kingdom

Saudi Arabia on Tuesday relaxed travel guidelines for Indians who had received both the doses of Covid-19 vaccine in the Kingdom. The Saudi govt has announced that Indian nationals who have travelled to India after receiving both the doses of Covid vaccine in Saudi Arabia will be able to return to the Kingdom directly without the need for quarantine in a third country. The announcement was confirmed by the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia and it will come as a huge respite for Indians who work in Saudi and were stuck in India due to strict travel guidelines by the Kingdom. It should be noted that NRIs who got vaccinated in India against Covid-19 have been finding it difficult to get the vaccination certificates accepted by the Gulf countries, as India’s CoWin portal is not recognised in Saudi Arabia and UAE. Another conundrum is that India-made Covid vaccine 'Covaxin' is yet to be recognised in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf nation has barred entry of people vaccinated with Covaxin. Covaxin has till now received approval for emergency use authorization in as many as 16 nations, including Iran, the Philippines, Estonia and Brazil.

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Sri Lanka green light for Covaxin: Opens quarantine free for fully jabbed Indian tourists

Sri Lanka has reopened for fully vaccinated tourists from India — including those who have got Covaxin— SriLankan Airlines’ head of worldwide sales and distribution, Dimuthu Tennakoon, told TOI on Tuesday. Also, there is no requirement for quarantine for travellers who test Covid negative on arrival in the Emerald Island. “Sri Lanka is now open for Indian tourists. People need to be fully vaccinated, with the second shot taken at least 14 days before the trip. On arrival, travellers will go to their hotel where RT-PCR test will be conducted. Those who test negative can travel where they want to go,” Dimuthu, the revival man for Sri Lankan Airlines, said. Those who test positive will be taken to health care centres run from hotels. All other Covid time requirements of social distancing and hand sanitation will need to be obviously observed by those testing negative. “Sri Lanka is accepting all vaccines, including Covaxin. Currently, India accounts for over 12 crore fully vaccinated citizens which has resulted in the reawakening interest in travel,” Dimuthu confirmed. Accordingly, SriLankan Airlines is enhancing to Sri Lanka from key Indian cities. It is currently operating four flights a week from Chennai; three flights a week from Mumbai, and once a week from Bangalore to its hub in Colombo. It will increase connectivity to India from September 1, 2021. It will resume services between Colombo and Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Trivandrum and Cochin with flights once a week, whilst Hyderabad and New Delhi will be connected to Colombo with twice-weekly flights. The airlines’ operations out of Chennai and Mumbai will expand up to five times a week whilst its Bangalore-Colombo services will be enhanced to flights three times a week. Before the pandemic, SriLankan operated 120 weekly flights between Colombo and 11 Indian cities. Covaxin is yet to get approval from WHO. Pending that, a number of countries are yet to allow Indians fully jabbed with Covaxin to travel there. On the other hand, those who got WHO-recognised Covishield can travel to several countries.

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Go First partners Cordelia Cruises to launch flight-cruise combo programme

Domestic carrier Go First, formerly known as GoAir, on Tuesday said it has partnered with the country's premium cruise liner Cordelia Cruises to launch a flight and cruise combo programme 'Fly Cruise'. The programme will allow travellers' flexibility in terms of cancellations and rescheduling in these uncertain times of Covid-19, Go First said in a statement. Under the arrangement, Cordelia Cruises will provide an additional 5 per cent discount to the airline's customer on cruise bookings over and above their existing offers such as kids sail free, room upgrade, onboard credits, and 'book now pay later', it said. Go First said travellers can book its flight and fly from anywhere in India to aboard the cruise at either Mumbai, Goa, Kochi or Chennai. The programme is a one-stop solution and allows agents and customers to book flights along with the cruise, it added. Go First CEO Kaushik Khona said, "We believe the partnership offers a unique product that will revolutionise the way people in India plan their holidays." Khona added that Fly Cruise is the platform for travellers across the country to plan their holidays and enjoy flexibility and convenience with free cancellations and rescheduling for flights and cruise holidays. "We are confident that it will greatly help the industry recover from the pandemic." Vijay Kesavan, director (sales and marketing) of Cordelia Cruises, said: "Collaboration is key and we, at Cordelia Cruises, are thoroughly optimistic about our partnership with Go First." Kesavan added that by joining hands with Go First, "we are bringing yet another unique and valuable offering to all those who will sail with us".

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Oman is opening to tourists with vaccine certificates

Dreaming of an international getaway that’s still close to home? Love to travel to Oman? We have great news. Oman will allow anyone holding an approved vaccine certificate to enter the country from Wednesday September 1. The flight ban list has also been terminated, so people travelling from previously banned countries are now free to enter. All Omani citizens, residents, those who don’t require a visa to travel to Oman, and those who can obtain a visa on arrival are allowed into the country in accordance with the pre-COVID-19 system. Arrivals will be required to present a vaccine certificate containing a QR code that states they have received two doses of a vaccine that is approved in Oman. The last dose of your vaccine needs to have been received not less than 14 days before the arrival date. All passengers will also need to present a pre-travel negative PCR test result. The test should be conducted within 96 hours prior to the scheduled time of arrival for international flights of more than eight hours, and 72 hours for any shorter flight. If you do not have a negative result you will need to take a PCR test on arrival and then enter mandatory quarantine with an electronic tracking bracelet until the result is out. In the case of a positive result, you will need to undergo mandatory isolation for ten days starting from the test date. If you have recovered from COVID-19 and tested positive on arrival you will be exempted from isolation as long as you submit proof of completing your prescribed isolation prior to travelling to Oman.

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Maharashtra launches initiatives to boost tourism

Uddhav Thackeray, chief minister of Maharashtra launched several initiatives of the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) to push tourism in the state. The projects include a new boating club, facilities for skydiving and adventure sports, tie-up with leading online travel companies to boost MTDC properties on the portals, among others. Thackeray said the state has a wide variety of tourist destinations to attract domestic and international tourists, which will boost the state’s economy and provide employment. The tourism department launched a new boat club in Ratnagiri district’s Ganpatipule, signed MoUs with SkyHigh India to start skydiving and adventure sport activities in Sindhudurg district. The MTDC also launched a new website, which has now gone live. Thackeray said: “The state too has several destinations that can go on world map. Like Amsterdam’s Tulip Garden, we can also develop tourism around flowers on Kaas Pathar in Satara district.” The MTDC also signed the MoU with online travel companies MakeMyTrip and Goibibo to promote MTDC properties on the portal, and an agreement was inked with Maharashtra State Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology, Pune, to train MTDC staff in hospitality and service. Thackeray also inaugurated a refurbished at MTDC Sinhagad Resort, giving the visitors a chance to explore the glory of Sinhagad Fort.

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