The International Air Transport Association (IATA) supports the wearing of face coverings for passengers and masks for crew while on board aircraft as a critical part of a layered approach to biosecurity to be implemented temporarily when people return to travelling by air. IATA does not support mandating social distancing measures that would leave ‘middle seats’ empty. Evidence suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low. Mask-wearing by passengers and crew will reduce the already low risk, while avoiding the dramatic cost increases to air travel that onboard social distancing measures would bring. “The aviation industry is working with governments to re-start flying when this can be done safely. Evidence suggests that the risk of transmission on board aircraft is low. And we will take measures—such as the wearing of face coverings by passengers and masks by crew—to add extra layers of protection,” said Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO,IATA. “The cabin environment naturally makes transmission of viruses difficult for a variety of reasons. That helps explain why we have seen little occurrence of onboard transmission. In the immediate term, our aim is to make the cabin environment even safer with effective measures so that passengers and crew can return to travel with confidence. Screening, face coverings and masks are among the many layers of measures that we are recommending. Leaving the middle seat empty, however, is not,” said de Juniac. “Airlines are fighting for their survival. Eliminating the middle seat will raise costs. If that can be offset with higher fares, the era of affordable travel will come to an end. On the other hand, if airlines can’t recoup the costs in higher fares, airlines …

Wizz Air announced five new routes from Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH). The routes will connect the capital of United Arab Emirates with Budapest and Bucharest from June 2020 and with Cluj-Napoca, Katowice and Sofia from September 2020, subject to aviation activities being resumed in the respective countries. The airlines becomes the first European low cost carrier to launch flights to Abu Dhabi. It is intended that Wizz Air will focus on establishing routes to markets in which the airline has existing, high growth operations, namely Central and Eastern and Western Europe, as well as the Indian subcontinent, Middle East and Africa, over the long run.  Shareef Al Hashmi, CEO of Abu Dhabi Airports, commented,“These new routes positively reflect the industry’s resilience and its capability to continue pushing forward with bold plans that will stimulate consumer demand and the sustained recovery of the aviation market. As our newest landing partner, we welcome Wizz Air and its first routes with open arms as we get set to facilitate the carrier’s exciting Abu Dhabi expansion plans. Visitors from Hungary, Romania, Poland and Bulgaria can look forward to enjoying our modern terminal facilities with a unique brand of Arabian hospitality before seamlessly heading out to experience the UAE’s thriving capital city, Abu Dhabi.” József Váradi, CEO of Wizz Air Holdings said, “We are convinced that our passengers will appreciate the convenient flight schedules, the easy online booking system and the wide range of tailor-made travel options Wizz Air offers. Our mission feeds into Abu Dhabi’s diversified economic strategy as we continue to stimulate traffic by creating demand to the benefit of growing Abu Dhabi’s touristic and economic diversity. We look forward to welcoming …

TIME Hotels has launched two new promotional packages making it more convenient and wallet-friendly to book a stay at any of their properties in the UAE, as the country takes tentative steps to ease out of COVID-19 lockdown. Due to the current uncertainty surrounding the lifting of travel bans and the commencement of flights, TIME Hotels is rolling out a fully flexible booking option. Not only will guests be able to book now and pay for their stay when they check-in, they will also be able to take advantage of free cancellations, modify their booking free of charge, and enjoy a 4pm check-out on their final day. Mohamed Awadalla, CEO, TIME Hotels, said, “We’ve designed this package to give our loyal customers the confidence to book their stay in the knowledge that regardless of the circumstances, if bookings are cancelled or moved to alternative dates, no payment or penalties will be incurred.” “COVID-19 has impacted people more than we could have ever imagined. We therefore want to make the booking decision as simple and as risk-free as possible to ensure our guests have the opportunity to book a future trip, whether that’s with family or on business, with the understanding they won’t be impacted financially should their circumstances change. We fully believe offering uncompromising flexibility and value to our guests during these difficult times is not only the correct thing to do, but also provides the first steps of tentative recovery after COVID-19,” he added.  

Airports Council International (ACI) World and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) jointly urge governments to quickly grant financial relief to assist airport operators and airlines during the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis and support the essential connectivity the industry will provide for economic recovery. The industry is united with governments around the world in efforts to stop the spread of the virus, and, in the face of massive government imposed travel restrictions, the industry is doing all it can to maintain air cargo operations vital to supporting global supply chains, including medical shipments critical to fighting COVID-19. ACI and IATA are calling for urgent balanced support to the industry via: Taxation relief, including alleviation of payroll taxes, corporate taxes, concession fees or other government incomes from the industry; and loans, loan guarantees or direct support to maintain financial liquidity across the aviation ecosystem. Angela Gittens, Director General, ACI World, said, “Urgent tax relief and direct financial assistance that is to the benefit of the entire aviation ecosystem is needed to help preserve millions of jobs, protect essential operations, and foster a balanced recovery. Preserving the continuity of operations for airports and airlines and protecting aviation jobs today will result in a faster economic recovery tomorrow.” Alexandre de Juniac, Director General and CEO, IATA, said, “Governments will depend on aviation to be ready to lead an economic recovery when this pandemic is behind us. Governments must act now with financial lifelines that only they can provide for airlines and airports to see them through these extraordinary times. Airlines and airports are in this together. The more financially stable our airport partners are, the more they can help the industry to drive a …

VFS Global has reopened its Philippines ePassport Renewal Centre at Wafi Mall-Dubai, with strict guidelines in place. The centre will accept ePassport renewal applications from Philippines nationals between 1200 to 2000 hrs all days of the week. In order to ensure a safe, productive work environment for employees, while still protecting communities to the maximum extent possible from the spread of the COVID-19, VFS Global has established standardised protective measures to be followed across the centre including specific social distancing and sanitation mandates. All customers are subjected to body temperature checks at the entrance of the centre to assess their health conditions. Any customer exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms, including high fever, cough and difficulty in breathing will not be permitted to enter the centre and requested to return once the health condition improves.To ensure social distancing norms are followed, the centre will accommodate only 10 customers at a time. Additionally, all customers and VFS Global employees are required to wear a face mask and gloves within the centre. As per the guidelines laid out by the government of Dubai, visitors above the age of 60 and children between the age of 3 – 12 years are not permitted to enter Malls, including the Wafi Mall, and hence will not be allowed inside the ePassport Renewal Centre.