News

630 flights cancelled on first day

New Delhi, May 25 The first day of the resumption of domestic commercial flights in the country had its fare share of challenges, leading to chaos at almost all major airports as nearly 630 flights were cancelled due to states’ restrictions and airline operational issues. The confusion was further compounded by a variety of quarantine protocols by state governments, leaving several flyers high and dry. The government had on May 21 announced the resumption of domestic flights from May 25 after a gap of nearly two months in the wake of the Covid-induced nationwide lockdown. The two busiest airports Delhi and Mumbai witnessed cancellation of nearly 80 and 20 flights, respectively. Officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi, said the cancellations were mostly on account of some states, including West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh, refusing to allow flight operations and also because of some operational issues like low load factor faced by airline operators. “Around 80 flights to and from Delhi have been cancelled. The IGI airport was scheduled to handle a total of 125 departures and 118 arrivals today,” an official said. The Mumbai airport, the country’s second busiest airport after Delhi, was supposed to initially handle 175 flights daily. It curtailed them to 50 yesterday, and today further cancelled 20 flights. Andhra Pradesh did not allow flight operations today; it will begin services from tomorrow while West Bengal will resume them from May 28. The two states have two airports each. Smaller airports too had their share of cancellations, and had passengers complaining that they were not informed until they arrived at airports. Air India, in particular, has received criticism on social media for lack of communication with its passengers. The airline, however, maintained that it could not disclose cancellations until two hours before the flight departure. But with the new SOPs dictating that passengers should arrive at least two hours before their flight, this means many turned up at the airport only to find out that there would be no flight. Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri hailed the resumption of air travel by tweeting a live image of air traffic in the skies. “Indians soar in the skies again! A beautiful live capture from #flightradar24 shows how our skies look busy again as domestic civil aviation recommences in India from today,” he said.

Read more

Spain to reopen to foreign tourists from July

Spain will reopen its borders to foreign tourists from July, the country’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday. “As you know, Spain receives more than 80 million visitors a year. I am announcing that from July, Spain will reopen for foreign tourism in conditions of safety,” Sanchez said, pledging the safety of both locals and visitors amid the Coronavirus pandemic. He added that the country “needs tourism, and tourism needs safety in both origin and destination,” as well as that the government had been planing the reopening for weeks. Although the country is among the European nations worst-hit by the pandemic, the Spanish PM called on the citizens to begin planning domestic holidays, and the businesses to prepare for the reopening. Sanchez’ move came amid protests by the country’s far-right Vox party, which accused the government of imposing “draconian measures” to contain the pandemic that led to unemployment and “misery”. The country has been under strict lockdown since March 14, and as of publication, it has recorded more than 282,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases and over 28,000 deaths. On Monday, lockdown measures in Barcelona and Madrid, the two cities worst-hit by the pandemic, were eased, and the Spanish Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto confirmed that foreign tourists would be allowed to book vacations in the country as of July. In an interview with local radio station Onda Cero, Maroto said that the government expects the two-week quarantine measure imposed on overseas travellers “will be suspended by that time”.

Read more

Passenger train services to begin from June 1

The Railways will begin running 200 passenger trains from June 1, bookings for which have started from 10 am on May 21. These train services will be in addition to the existing Shramik Special trains and special AC trains started by the Railways earlier to help stranded migrant workers in various states get back home. Jan Shatabdi trains, Sampark Kranti, Duronto Express and other regular passenger trains are among those that will ply from next Monday. No linen, blankets and curtains shall be provided inside the trains. Only passengers with confirmed tickets shall be allowed to enter railway stations. On arrival at their destination, the passengers will have to adhere to strict health protocols as prescribed by the destination state or Union Territory. ALSO READ | Railways to start 200 non-AC special passenger trains daily from June 1 Tickets can be booked online through the IRCTC website, CSCs and ticketing agents. Reservation counters have been opened by the Railways in a phased manner from May 22, keeping in mind local needs and conditions. Here’s all you need to know about resumption of train services from June 1: 1. These trains will be fully reserved having AC and non-AC classes and General Coaches. 2. Normal fare will be charged for General Coaches, Reserved and Second Seating (2S). 3. There will be no unreserved coach in these trains. 4. Running of Shramik Special trains to continue to be handled by various state governments. 5. Other regular passenger services including all mail, express, passenger or suburban services will continue to remain suspended. 6. Railways will ensure separate entry and exit gates at all stations as far as possible. 7. Standard social distancing guidelines, safety and hygiene protocols to be followed by all passengers. 8. Movement of passengers and the driver of the vehicle to and from the railway station to be allowed only on confirmed railway tickets, in accordance with Home Ministry guidelines. 9. The Advance Reservation Period will be a maximum of 30 days. 10. RAC and waiting lists will be generated as per guidelines framed by the Railways post lockdown. 11. Waiting list ticket holders will not be permitted to board the train. 12. The Railways will issue no unreserved tickets and no tickets will be issued on board the trains. 13. No tatkal and premium tatkal booking of tickets will be permitted by the Railways. 14. The first chart will be prepared at least 4 hours before the scheduled departure of the train. 15. Passengers to reach the station at least 90 minutes in advance. 16. All passengers will be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic ones will be allowed to board the train. 17.Only passengers with confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway station. 18. All passengers must wear masks at the entrance of the station and during travel. 19. Passengers must observe social distancing both at the station and on trains during travel. 20. Fares will be refunded if a passenger is found unfit for travel due to symptoms of coronavirus.

Read more

Domestic flights resume today: Here are the rules for passengers in different states

With domestic passenger flights to resume from Monday after a hiatus of two months due to the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown, confusion prevailed on Sunday as different states imposed their own set of conditions on reopening airports. On Sunday evening, Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted: “It has been a long day of hard negotiations with various state govts to recommence civil aviation operations in the country. Except Andhra Pradesh which will start on 26/5 & West Bengal on 28/5, domestic flights will recommence across the country from tomorrow.” Despite being vocal against resumption of domestic flights, Maharashtra bit the bullet and allowed Mumbai airport to handle 50 domestic flights per day. “The government has agreed to allow 25 take offs and 25 landings everyday for domestic flights from Mumbai. This number will be increased gradually. The government will issue details and guidelines in this regard soon,” ANI quoted Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik as saying. Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh tweeted that it was “extremely ill-advised” to reopen airports in red zones. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said he had spoken to Union Civil Aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri and requested him to give some time for preparations before resuming domestic air travel. “Till the time MIAL (Mumbai International Airport Limited) plans and fine-tunes the airport operations, the aviation ministry should initiate minimum possible domestic flights from Maharashtra from May 25th, which are purely emergent in nature like for international transfer of passengers, medical emergencies, students, and cases on compassionate grounds,” Thackeray had said. Echoing similar sentiments, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she would urge the Centre to postpone the resumption of domestic flight services at Kolkata, which was recently battered by Cyclone Amphan, and Bagdogra airports by a few days. “Kolkata and Bagdogra airports to not operate any domestic flights between May 25-27; both will handle 20 flights per day from May 28,” PTI quoted an official as saying. After the Centre announced the resumption of services, many states had expressed reservations. Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Bihar, Punjab, Assam and Andhra Pradesh have announced their respective quarantine measures for passengers arriving at their airports. As flights resume, here are the rules and schedule set by states: Uttar Pradesh In Uttar Pradesh, travellers to the state will be under home quarantine for 14 days unless they are staying for less than a week or if they clear the coronavirus test earlier. They can get themselves tested for the virus on the sixth day from their arrival and end their quarantine if the results come out negative, PTI quoted Principal Secretary Medical and Health Amit Mohan Prasad as saying. Outsiders on visits of less than a week to the state need not go into quarantine if they furnish details of their return journey. All passengers coming to UP will have to register themselves on http://reg.upcovid.in and furnish details of themselves and family members travelling with them. A message will be displayed on their phones after this and CISF personnel will let them leave the airport only after checking it. Karnataka In Karnataka, anyone coming from states where there is “high prevalence” of Covid-19 will be kept in institutional quarantine for seven days and if tested Covid-negative, the passenger will have to spend the next seven days in home quarantine. Karnataka has classified Maharashtra, Gujarat, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh as “high prevalence” states. The passengers coming through remaining states in the country will have to undergo 14 days of home quarantine. However, special cases where businessmen are coming for urgent work will not require to undergo any quarantine if they bring test results that are not more than two days old. Himachal Pradesh In Himachal Pradesh, the Dharamshala administration has said only persons with a valid address proof of the state should book tickets to the city and the flyer will have to obtain a district entry-pass. Dharamshala will have two flights from Delhi and one from Chandigarh daily. The incoming person will have to obtain an entry pass from the concerned district administration, which will have to be shown on de-boarding the flight at Gaggal airport of Dharamshala. “HP residents coming from red zone areas and those with ILI symptoms shall be put in institutional quarantine. And the persons, the non-residents of HP/Tourist shall not be allowed entry in to the district and they shall immediately be put in institutional quarantine before sending them back on their own expenses,” DC Kangra Rakesh Prajapati said. Andhra Pradesh Passengers coming to Andhra Pradesh will be put under home quarantine. However, once their test results for Covid-19 come negative, they will be relieved from quarantine. Vijayawada and Vizag airports to not operate any domestic flights on Monday. Services on these airports will begin from Tuesday. Jammu and Kashmir In Jammu and Kashmir, all incoming passengers will have to undergo “administrative quarantine” for a fortnight. Thirty kiosks have been set up at Srinagar airport for collection of samples. Kerala In Kerala, all flyers will be put into 14 days’ home quarantine. However, the government has made an exception for those coming for business purposes or for a short duration. Punjab In Punjab, all incoming passengers will be put in home quarantine for 14 days. Bihar The Bihar government said travellers will be put on “paid quarantine” for 14 days. Chhattisgarh The Chhattisgarh government said those showing no symptoms would be placed in 14-day quarantine at government centres, homes or paid facilities. Passengers will have to submit a written undertaking they will strictly follow isolation norms. “Baggage will be sanitised at the airport and only select vehicles whose details are with the transport department will be allowed to pick and drop passengers,” General Administration Department Secretary Dr Kamalpreet Singh said. Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu government has decided to allow only 25 domestic flights per day to Chennai, no restrictions for Covai, Madurai & Trichy sectors. Flights from Maharashtra & Gujarat may be kept at the “barest minimum possible,” no restrictions for outgoing flights. Assam Assam will be putting flyers on a 14-day quarantine. The passengers will be distributed equally in home quarantine and government quarantine. Manipur Domestic flight services will resume in the state from 9 am on Monday. As per official sources, all passengers will undergo full thermal scan on arrival. Those who are asymptomatic will be stamped for home quarantine. Any symptomatic passenger or suspected passenger will be separated immediately and sent to Isolation Ward/ Covid-19 Treatment Ward by a medical team, as per the protocol. Installation of Aarogya Setu has been made mandatory and only passengers with green status on the app are allowed to travel. All taxi drivers registered with the transport department are exempt from curfew pass for pick-up and drops at the airport in Imphal. Private vehicles that go to pick up passengers shall carry either a soft copy or a hard copy of the boarding pass or ticket of the passenger, which shall be treated as curfew pass for that period. (Manipur inputs by Jimmy Leivon)

Read more

Dubai Set To Open Heart Of Europe With 6 Outrageous Themed Islands

Based on six islands that bring the best of Europe to Dubai, The Heart of Europe is located 2 miles from the coast of Dubai and will offer up a variety of European cultural, dining, and hospitality experiences across resorts, cafés, bars, boutiques, and entertainment. Kleindienst Group developed the $5 billion master-planned tourism island destination that came a long way since its original concept was launched in 2008. The Covid-19 outbreak may have stopped business on the mainland, but the Heart of Europe islands continued work at an aggressive pace with a goal to open Phase 1 by the end of 2020. The development will offer “world’s first” attractions such as; the First Underwater Hotel with Gym and Spa, the First Dedicated Wedding Hotel, the World’s First Artificial Rainy Street, the First Floating and Underwater Living Experience and the World’s First Outdoor Snow Plaza. Phase One opening of The Heart of Europe consists of, Sweden Beach Palaces, Germany Villas, Honeymoon Island, Portofino Hotel, and Côte d'Azur Resort. THE FLOATING SEAHORSE VILLAS (3 level villas with underwater living, glass-bottom Jacuzzi, and private man-made coral reefs teeming with marine life) Connected to Honeymoon Island by jetties, the Floating Seahorse Villas were designed for investors and second home end users. Consisting of over 4,000 square feet with three levels, each will feature state-of-the-art technology and outdoor climate-controlled areas. The ultimate attraction will be the underwater level with exclusive views to the coral reefs. GERMANY ISLAND (15 beachfront villas, 17 lagoon villas, offering four or five bedrooms in Bauhaus inspired style) The horseshoe-shaped Germany Island will face onto an azure-blue lagoon with its own bar, lush gardens, white sandy beaches and bent palm trees.  There will be traditional German carnivals, Christmas markets, festivals, and the famous Oktoberfest. Famed international chefs will offer up the finest German-style menus as well as the largest selection of German beers and wines. SWEDEN ISLAND (10 four-story palaces, 7 bedroom waterfront homes, each ground floor has a gym, sauna and snow room, while on the rooftop there will be a glass-roofed party room) Sweden Island was inspired by Swedish Viking Vessels and will offer up palaces furnished by Bentley Homes with glass roofs and private snow rooms. The $27 million beach palace was among the first properties to sell out on the island. Restaurants will incorporate Sweden’s famed cuisine, featuring items like sour herring, meatballs, Raggmunkar, toast Skagen, smörgåsbord, Snaps, and Glὃgg. HONEYMOON ISLAND The unique heart-shaped Maldivian inspired island will be a couples retreat surrounded by Seahorse Floating Villas that will sell up to $5 million each. Next to the island, there is the islands Empress Elizabeth Hotel, the first dedicated seven-star wedding hotel, where couples can celebrate their union overlooking white sandy beaches and crystal clear waters. FLOATING VENICE (411 cabins, 180 underwater cabins, underwater lobby, gondola transportation, yacht club) Inspired by the floating city, this will be the world’s first underwater resort with dining and accommodations located below the surface. Restaurants, bars, and shops will all be underwater with views of coral reefs and passing gondolas above. Entertainment will be offered from masked carnivals to opera performances. The resort will have 12 restaurants and bars (three of which are underwater) and an underwater spa. SWITZERLAND ISLAND (Beachfront and lagoon villas, featuring master bedrooms, swimming pools and viewing decks) Switzerland Island offers villas with water views and access to beaches, a seawater lagoon, and private swimming pools. The villa chalets utilize timber, stone, and glass design. A large blue water lagoon in the center of the island will be reminiscent of the large lakes in Switzerland. MAIN EUROPE ISLAND / COTE D’AZUR RESORT The Côte D’Azur Resort comprises of 4 boutique hotels all named after the famous and picturesque cities of Monaco, Nice, Cannes and St. Tropez which are located in the South of France. The 4 boutique hotels will have Suites and penthouses with large balconies offering panoramic sea views. Monaco will feature French fine-dining with an upscale contemporary décor, high-end fashion boutiques, and a large white sandy beach. There will also be lagoon swimming pools and a replica of the famed Monaco Marina. PORTOFINO HOTEL (489 Princess and Queen Suites, Rooftop penthouses, Marina and Lobby with 514 aquariums, 6 Italian restaurants & bars, Women’s only social lounge and spa, Olympic size pool with underwater performances and Kids Club) Designed to look and feel like the Italian city of Portofino, with colorful terracotta buildings, the Portofino Hotel on the Main Europe Island is a family hotel that will feature Italian-style suites with kids rooms, a kids club operated by a leading kids club operator, restaurants and cafes serving Italian cuisine and organic food. The facade will host an extraordinary hanging garden with 31,000 plants. There are five swimming pools at the resort and even a snow-play area where children can build snowmen. Add synchronized swimming shows for entertainment. The island will have its own fully-serviced private Paraggi Bay marina where all guests will arrive by boat. The front of hotel employees will speak Italian and the hotel will even accept Euros as currency. SUSTAINABILITY The Heart of Europe will oversee the development of more than 100,000 coral reefs and will also feature centenary Spanish olive trees that were sourced from Andalusia, Spain. The islands will also offer up the world’s first climate-controlled rainy street and snow plaza.  The development will also use sustainable landscaping that will be pesticide-free and fungicide-free, and all green areas will use recycled water. The island will be totally car-free, use clean energy, and will offer sustainable water transportation to the guests. Designed with a zero-discharge policy and zero micro-plastics policy, the developers hope to ensure the protection of the Arabian Gulf and species of marine life that reside around the six islands.

Read more

Indian Railways revises several conditions for 15 pair of special trains

The Indian Railways on Friday revised several conditions for the fifteen pair of special trains running from May 12. These trains were in addition to the Shramik specials, have been running from May 12 and has only air-conditioned classes i.e. First, Second & Third AC. The rules will be implemented with effect from the train booking date of May 24 and for the train starting date of May 31. As per the new norms, the Advance Reservation Period (ARP) of these trains will be increased from 7 days to 30 days. There will not be any tatkal booking for these trains. RAC/Waiting list tickets will be issued in these trains as per extant instructions applicable. However waitlisted passengers will not be allowed to board these trains as per extant instructions. The first chart will be prepared at least four hours before the scheduled departure and the second chart shall be prepared at least two hours (unlike the earlier practice of 30 minutes) before scheduled departure. The current booking will be permitted in between first and second chart. The booking of tickets shall be permissible through computerized PRS counters including Post Offices, Yatri Ticket Suvidha Kendra(YTSK) licensees etc, as well as through on-line booking including authorized agents of Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation(IRCTC) and Common Service Centres (CSC). In the earlier guidelines, it was said that no catering charges will be included in the fare. The provision for pre-paid meal booking, e-catering will be disabled. However, IRCTC will make provision for limited eatables and packaged drinking water on payment basis. There seems to be no change in these guidelines. The passengers are encouraged to carry their own food and drinking water. Dry, ready-to-eat food and bottled water will be provided on demand, inside the trains on payment basis. All passengers will be compulsorily screened and only asymptomatic passengers are allowed to enter /board the train.

Read more