France’s air traffic control strikes ground flights across Europe
Paris, France/London, UK Reuters Delays and flight cancellations were set to impact swathes of Europe on Thursday, after authorities failed to reach a deal with some French air traffic control workers to avert a strike. France’s DGAC civil aviation authority said on Wednesday it had asked airlines to cancel 75 per cent of Thursday’s flights […]
Governments join rescue effort as airlines face Israel insurance alert
Reuters Governments and airlines scrambled to lay on flights to evacuate thousands of tourists from Israel and repatriate the country’s citizens, as the industry faced a warning over insurance cover in the wake of weekend attacks. Israeli flag carrier El Al said it would operate 12 extra flights on Wednesday and Thursday to and from […]
Airports reject vaccine requirement as travel debate intensifies
Montreal, Canada/Sydney, AustraliaReuters Aviation industry opposition to requiring mandatory COVID-19 vaccination for passengers has intensified as impending drug approvals trigger a debate over their role in air travel. Airports Council International, which represents airports worldwide, joined most airlines in calling for a choice between testing or vaccination, fearing a blanket rule imposing pre-flight inoculation would […]
Asia-Pacific countries begin to ease pandemic-related travel bans, but hurdles remain
Sydney, AustraliaReuters Asia-Pacific countries including Singapore, Australia and Japan are gradually easing some international travel restrictions as coronavirus cases slow, in hopes of helping to revive their economies. International travel in Asia has collapsed during the pandemic due to border closures, with passenger numbers down 97 per cent in August, according to the Association of […]
Airlines call for COVID-19 tests before all international flights
Paris, FranceReuters Global airlines on Tuesday called for pre-departure COVID-19 testing for all international passengers to replace the quarantines they blame for exacerbating the travel slump. Rapid and affordable antigen tests that can be administered by non-medical staff are expected to become available in “coming weeks” and should be rolled out under globally agreed standards, […]
Global powers unleash trillions of dollars to stem spiralling coronavirus crisis
Washington DC, US/London, UKReuters The world’s richest nations prepared more costly measures on Tuesday to combat the global fallout of the coronavirus that has infected tens of thousands of people, triggered social restrictions unseen since World War Two and sent economies spinning toward recession. With the highly contagious respiratory disease that originated in China racing […]
Airlines lack clear flight path to lower carbon emissions: researchers
Thomson Reuters Foundation Some of the world’s largest airlines have yet to set long-term targets to reduce their climate-changing emissions, climate and economic researchers warned this week. Top publicly listed airlines have cut their “emissions intensity” – how much pollution they produce for the same amount of activity – significantly in recent years, said researchers […]