Tag: Bans
The first passengers from New Zealand have arrived in Australia under new “travel bubble” arrangements between the two countries.
None of the passengers on the flight from Auckland to Sydney will be required to quarantine in Australia.
However they will have to pay for their own quarantine in a hotel when they return to New Zealand.
At the moment, the bubble is one-sided, with Australians not allowed to enter New Zealand.
Click the link below to read the full story!
https://finance.yahoo.com/news/covid-one-way-travel-bubble-043207398.html
- Air New Zealand has begun services to and from Nadi, Fiji to assist the Fijian government in repatriating its citizens.
Flight NZ952 took off from Auckland just after 11.00 this morning with Fijian passport holders on board, bound for Nadi, Fiji. The flight arrived in Fiji just after 2.00 pm, local time. A return service is also expected to repatriate New Zealanders who have been in Fiji since Covid-19 travel bans were implemented.
The repatriation flights to Fiji are being carried out in accordance with the Travel Advice issued by the Government of Fiji. On arrival in Fiji, all passengers are required to enter a government-designated quarantine facility for 14 days and will then be required to complete a further 14 days home isolation.
Air New Zealand’s Country Manager Fiji, Zeena Sahib says the airline is very happy to be supporting the Government of Fiji with the safe return of Fijians to their home country.
“There are a number of Fijian passport holders who have been in New Zealand for an extended period of time due to COVID-19 related border restrictions. Air New Zealand is very pleased to be assisting the Fijian government with ensuring their safe return home.”
Customers who wish to travel to Fiji, and who meet border restrictions for entry, are advised to contact Air New Zealand at groups@airnz.co.nz to arrange travel.
Customers already booked on an Air New Zealand flight to Fiji who do not meet entry requirements are encouraged to visit the Covid-19 FAQs section of the Air New Zealand website where they will automatically be able to put their flights into credit.
LONDON (Reuters) – EasyJet can survive a nine-month shutdown thanks to its measures to contend with the coronavirus crisis and is planning for a slow recovery, the British airline said on Thursday.
As airlines worldwide battle for survival after lockdowns and travel bans brought the sector to a virtual standstill, EasyJet announced a new fleet plan to manage its emergence from the enforced hibernation.
The UK-based company said it will start to shrink its fleet and the number of planes it operates will not reach pre-crisis levels until 2022, signalling that it does not expect a quick recovery for the industry.
“We’ve been able to adapt ourselves to reduced demand for the next couple of years, then have the flexibility to increase as demand picks up again,” Chief Executive Johan Lundgren told reporters.
The industry is split on how quickly the sector can recover. Lufthansa, plane manufacturers and airline body IATA have warned that it will be a slow process. EasyJet’s bigger low-cost rival Ryanair, meanwhile, has predicted a swift rebound in traffic.
Lundgren said that, while he does not expect the grounding of easyJet’s fleet to last nine months, the company would remain cash-positive even if that were the case and could survive for longer than that by seeking additional funding.
Among the steps it is taking, easyJet is in talks over the sale and leaseback of some planes to leasing companies, with expected proceeds of up to 550 million pounds ($687 million).
“Overall, the company has presented a very credible response to the crisis,” said Goodbody analyst Mark Simpson.
In addition to the deferral of new orders and non-renewal of leases, easyJet said it now plans to sell six aircraft.
The airline, however, has faced calls from its founder and biggest shareholder, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, to terminate its 4.5 billion pound order with Airbus for 107 new jets.
He escalated his row with management on Thursday, issuing a statement saying he planned to call for the removal of Lundgren as well as chairman John Barton at forthcoming meetings. He said Lundgren should not send money to Airbus for planes while running an “aircraft parking lot”.
CASH PILE
Through various funding initiatives, easyJet expects to generate total additional liquidity of about 1.85 billion to 1.95 billion pounds, leading to a notional cash balance of about 3.3 billion pounds.
Given the level of continued market uncertainty, the company said it is not possible to provide guidance for the remainder of the 2020 financial year.
However, it said winter bookings are well ahead of those at the same stage last year, with Lundgren adding that he expects there to be pent-up demand for holidays as people emerge from lockdown.
But travel restrictions are likely to ease slowly and easyJet will have to be flexible, the CEO said. “I don’t think this is going to be a case of let’s just open everything up,” he added.
Measures under consideration include disinfecting aircraft and steps to ensure social distancing on planes.
“We will clearly look to have the middle seat empty as we start,” Lundgren said. “I think that is actually what the customers would like to see.”
EasyJet shares were up 2.2% at 616 pence at 1207 GMT, having lost more than 50% year to date.
($1 = 0.8007 pounds)
(Reporting by Sarah Young; Editing by Kate Holton and David Goodman)
(Reuters) – Boeing Co suppliers Hexcel Corp and Woodward Inc on Monday called off their planned all-stock merger as widespread travel bans to curb the coronavirus pummels demand in the aerospace sector.
The companies, which make and supply aircraft parts, had agreed to a merger in January in a $6.4 billion deal.
“Although we are disappointed with this outcome, we are confident this is the right decision for our customers, our shareholders, and our employees,” the companies said in a joint statement.
The market rout triggered by the coronavirus pandemic and the resulting economic downturn has thrown a wrench into corporate deal making. Last month U.S. printer maker Xerox Holdings Corp walked away from its $35 billion hostile cash-and-stock bid for HP Inc.
Boeing, which halted the production of its grounded 737 MAX aircraft in January, said on Sunday it would extend the suspension of production at its Washington state facilities until further notice.
Boeing is Hexcel’s second-biggest customer, accounting for a quarter of the company’s annual sales. Hexcel also supplies Airbus SE.
Woodward gets about 15% of its annual sales from Boeing, its biggest customer.
(Reporting by Ankit Ajmera in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Devika Syamnath)
Since the COVID-19 outbreak began, Emirates and dnata have been adapting operations in line with regulatory directives as well as travel demand.
The airline has aimed to maintain passenger flights for as long as feasible to help travellers return home amidst an increasing number of travel bans, restrictions, and country lockdowns across the world. It continues to maintain vital international air cargo links for economies and communities, deploying its fleet of 777 freighters for the transport of essential goods including medical supplies across the world.
With many of its airline customers dramatically reducing flights or ceasing services altogether, dnata has also significantly reduced its operations, including temporarily shutting some offices across its international network.
HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Group said: “The world has literally gone into quarantine due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is an unprecedented crisis situation in terms of breadth and scale: geographically, as well as from a health, social, and economic standpoint. Until January 2020, the Emirates Group was doing well against our current financial year targets. But COVID-19 has brought all that to a sudden and painful halt over the past 6 weeks.
“As a global network airline, we find ourselves in a situation where we cannot viably operate passenger services until countries re-open their borders, and travel confidence returns. By Wednesday 25 March, although we will still operate cargo flights which remain busy, Emirates will have temporarily suspended most of its passenger operations. We continue to watch the situation closely, and as soon as things allow, we will reinstate our services.”
Having received requests from governments and customers to support the repatriation of travellers, Emirates will continue to operate passenger and cargo flights to the following countries and territories until further notice, as long as borders remain open, and there is demand: the UK, Switzerland, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia, South Africa, USA, and Canada. The situation remains dynamic, and travellers can check flight status on emirates.com.
Sheikh Ahmed added: “Emirates Group has a strong balance sheet, and substantial cash liquidity, and we can, and will, with appropriate and timely action, survive through a prolonged period of reduced flight schedules, so that we are adequately prepared for the return to normality.”
Cost reduction measures
The Emirates Group has undertaken a series of measures to contain costs, as the outlook for travel demand remains weak across markets in the short to medium term. This includes:
- Postponing or cancelling discretionary expenditure
- A freeze on all non-essential recruitment and consultancy work
- Working with suppliers to find cost savings and efficiency
- Encouraging employees to take paid or unpaid leave in light of reduced flying capacity
- A temporary reduction of basic salary for the majority of Emirates Group employees for three months, ranging from 25% to 50%. Employees will continue to be paid their other allowances during this time. Junior level employees will be exempt from basic salary reduction
- Presidents of Emirates and dnata – Sir Tim Clark and Gary Chapman – will take a 100% basic salary cut for three months
The Emirates Group has strong liquidity, with a healthy cash position but it is prudent that it take steps to reduce costs at this time. Emirates remains committed to serving its markets and looks forward to resuming a normal flight schedule as soon as that is permitted by the relevant authorities.
Safeguarding customers, employees, and communities
Emirates Group closely monitors the situation and keeps in regular contact with all relevant authorities, so that it can implement the latest guidance to keep travellers and its employees safe and healthy.
The company has strongly discouraged its employees from non-essential travel, implemented work from home policies for all employees where operationally feasible, enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols at its facilities, introduced temperature screening at its key office entry points, and launched internal educational campaigns on hand hygiene and health practices to reduce risk of COVID-19.
Over the past weeks, the airline has also implemented enhanced cleaning and disinfecting measures on all of its aircraft departing Dubai as a precaution, and worked closely with airports to implement screening measures as required by the local authorities.
Frontline employees such as crew and airport teams have also been provided with support to stay safe while on duty, including providing hand sanitizers and masks where required.
The Emirates Group fully supports all initiatives to safeguard the health of communities in every market where it operates, including the UAE’s national COVID-19 response.
– Government extends restrictions to all of Italy
Ryanair today (Tues 10 Mar) announced the suspension of its full flight schedule to/from and within Italy, following the decision of the Italian Government to “lock down” the entire country to contain the spread of the Covid-19 virus.
These additional cuts will be implemented as follows:
- From 24:00hrs Weds 11 Mar until 24:00hrs Wed 8 Apr, Ryanair will suspend all Italian domestic flights.
- From 24:00hrs Fri 13 Mar until 24:00hrs Wed 8 Apr, Ryanair will suspend all Italian international flights.
All affected passengers have received email notices today informing them of these flight cancellations. Passengers looking for repatriation can obtain a free move to an earlier Ryanair flight operating up until midnight Fri 13 Mar. Affected passengers will be able to choose between a full refund or a travel credit that can be redeemed on Ryanair flights in the next 12 months.
Ryanair continues to comply fully with WHO and national Government guidance and travel bans. The situation is changing on a daily basis, and all passengers on flights affected by travel bans or cancellations, are receiving emails and are being offered flight transfers, full refunds or travel credits.
Ryanair apologises sincerely to all customers for these schedule disruptions, which are caused by national Government restrictions and the latest decision of the Italian Government to lock down the entire country to combat the Covid-19 virus.
WASHINGTON/HAVANA, Oct 25 (Reuters) – The U.S. government said on Friday it would bar U.S. airlines from flying to all destinations in Cuba besides Havana starting on Dec. 10 as the Trump administration boosts pressure on the Cuban government.
The U.S. Transportation Department said in a notice it was taking the action at the request of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to “further the administration’s policy of strengthening the economic consequences to the Cuban regime for its ongoing repression of the Cuban people and its support for Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.”
The move will bar U.S. air carrier flights to any of the nine international airports in Cuba other than Havana and impact about 8 flights a day.
The prohibition does not impact charter flights. There are no foreign air carriers providing direct scheduled flights between the United States and Cuba.
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said in a tweet that his country strongly condemned the move and that it “strengthened restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba and its citizens’ freedoms.”
Rodriguez said sanctions would not force Cuba to make concessions to U.S. demands.
These flights carry almost exclusively Cuban Americans visiting home at a time when the Trump administration has drastically reduced visas for Cubans visiting the United States. Some 500,000 Cuban Americans traveled to Cuba last year.
The new measure takes effect soon before Christmas and New Year’s when Cuban Americans flock to the island for family reunions.
Further restrictions on Americans traveling to Cuba would be aimed at squeezing the island economically and expanding Trump’s steady rollback of the historic opening to Cuba by Trump’s predecessor, Barack Obama. The reversal, along with his pressure on Venezuela, has gone over well among Cuban Americans in South Florida, a key voting bloc in Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign.
Under Obama, the United States reintroduced U.S. airline service to Cuba in 2016. Pompeo said on Twitter on Friday that “this action will prevent the Castro regime from profiting from U.S. air travel and using the revenues to repress the Cuban people.”
According to U.S. officials, JetBlue Airways Corp flies to three destinations in Cuba in addition to Havana from Fort Lauderdale — Camaguey, Holguin and Santa Clara — and American Airlines flies to five Cuban cities beyond Havana from Miami — Camaguey, Holguin, Santa Clara, Santiago de Cuba and Matanzas/Varadero.
American Airlines said it is “reviewing the announcement and “will continue to comply with federal law, work with the administration, and update our policies and procedures regarding travel to Cuba as necessary.”
Jet Blue said it will “operate in full compliance with the new policy concerning scheduled air service between the United States and Cuba. We are beginning to work with our various government and commercial partners to understand the full impact of this change on our customers and operations.”
(Reporting by David Shepardson; additional reporting by Diane Bartz in Washington and Allison Lampert in Montreal; Editing by Chris Reese and Sandra Maler)
