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Air India suspends Tel Aviv flights till Nov 30

On Saturday, protesters gathered in large numbers outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence..reports Asian Lite News

In the normal course, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights from the national capital to Tel Aviv. The airline offers service on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Air India has suspended its scheduled flights to Tel Aviv till November 30 amid the tensions between Israel and Hamas militant group in Gaza. Since October 7, the day Hamas militants stormed into Israeli territory and killed hundreds, Air India has not operated a scheduled flight to and from Tel Aviv.

In the normal course, the full-service carrier operates five weekly flights from the national capital to Tel Aviv. The airline offers service on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.

Under the Indian government’s Operation Ajay, Air India operated a few chartered flights from the national capital to Tel Aviv last month to bring back Indians who wished to come back from Israel against the backdrop of the escalating conflict.

Israel has launched an intense air and ground offensive in Gaza since the initial Hamas attack, killing over 9,000 people according to health authorities in the Hamas-run area. Large areas of the Gaza enclave have turned to rubble.

Thousands of protestors demonstrated in Tel Aviv, waved flags and held photographs of some of the captives in Gaza on November 4. Public fury and anger are growing among the citizens of Israel who are calling for their relatives, taken captives by Hamas, to be brought home.

On Saturday, protesters gathered in large numbers outside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence. They also raised slogans such as “release the hostages now at all costs” and brought with them posters delivering the same message while crowds chanted, “bring them home now.” This protest coincided with a poll indicating that over three quarters of Israelis believe Netanyahu should resign.

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UK Flight Disruption To Last For Days

The disruption was caused by a technical fault in the air traffic control (ATC) system.

British Transport Secretary Mark Harper has said that the widespread travel disruption could last for days after flights were cancelled or delayed due to a technical fault in the air traffic control (ATC) system.

“Lots of flights were cancelled and it is going to take some days to get people back to where they should be,” he told the BBC on Tuesday.

Data from an aviation analytics company showed that more than 1,500 flights, equivalent to over a quarter of all flights, in and out of the UK were cancelled on Monday after the ATC system was forced to revert to a manual backup system, Xinhua news agency reported.

As of Tuesday, 5 per cent of the planned flights departing and arriving at airports in the UK have been cancelled by 9:00 a.m. local time.

There will have to be an independent review at “a problem of this magnitude”, said Harper, adding that there was no cyberattack involved.

Some airlines have warned passengers of “unavoidable delays” while adjusting their schedules.

Airports across the UK have advised passengers to check the status of their flights directly with their airlines before travelling to the airports.

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Tech issues force cancellation of 43 British Airways flights

British flag carrier apologised for the cancellations and said it was fixing the “technical problems” which caused difficulties with online check-in…reports Asian Lite News

IT issues have forced the cancellation of 43 British Airways flights scheduled to depart and arrive into London’s Heathrow airport.

The flights were cancelled as of 5 p.m. on Thursday evening, the BBC reported citing aviation data firm Cirium as saying. About 800 flights in total were scheduled to fly from the UK on Thursday.

In a statement, the British flag carrier apologised for the cancellations and said it was fixing the “technical problems” which caused difficulties with online check-in.

British Airways added that affected customers had been contacted and offered options, including a refund or rebooking onto an alternative flight with the airline or another carrier.

In recent years, the airlines has suffered several IT failures, including one in December 2022 that saw dozens of long haul flights being cancelled in the week before Christmas, the BBC reported.

A major outage in 2017 had stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend. Passengers also faced delays due to an IT issue in February this year, days after flights had been cancelled due to Storm Eunice.

The latest incident also came as security guards at Heathrow Airport began a three-day strike over pay on Thursday. The airport has however, said that operations will not be affected.

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India News

Tight norms likely for international fliers

Amid the explosion in Covid cases in some countries, the operational readiness of healthcare facilities is under review in all states and Union Territories, a report by Shalini Bhardwaj…reports Asian Lite News

Filling Air Suvidha forms and having RT-PCR test reports 72 hours prior to departure are likely to be made mandatory next week for all international passengers from China, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Singapore, said Union Health Ministry sources on Wednesday.

Further, according to sources in the Union Health ministry, the next 40 days will be crucial as India may see a surge in Covid cases in mid-January. The sources further added that the assessment was made after analysing the previous trends of the Covid surge in the country.

Amid the explosion in Covid cases in some countries, the operational readiness of healthcare facilities is under review in all states and Union Territories in anticipation of another wave.

Two passengers from Dubai tested positive for Covid at the Chennai airport on Wednesday.

“Two passengers, who arrived from Dubai, tested positive at the Chennai airport today. Both of hail from the Alangudi district of Tamil Nadu’s Pudukkottai. Their test samples have been sent to the State Public Health Laboratory,” read a statement issued by the Tamil Nadu Health department on Wednesday.

At least 39 international fliers tested positive for Covid between December 24 and 26. Taking due cognisance of the global surge in cases, including China, the Centre had directed random testing of international passengers.

“Passengers of as many as 498 international flights were screened in the last three days — December 24, 25 and 26. A total of 1,780 swab samples were collected for Covid tests. The cumulative number of samples collected (from international fliers), so far, is 3,994. The cumulative number of samples testing positive for Covid is 39 and of samples sent for whole genome sequencing is 39,” a source told ANI on Tuesday.

In light of the Covid surge in several countries, hospitals across the country on Tuesday conducted mock drills to assess their pandemic preparedness. The same was done in compliance with a directive issued by the Centre.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya personally oversaw one such mock dirll at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital.

“To make sure that there is no Covid surge in the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked us to be careful. The government is also making necessary preparations in anticipation of a rise in Covid infections. Today, mock drills are being conducted across Covid hospitals in the country to make sure people receive proper treatment in the eent of a rise in cases,” Mandaviya told reporters at Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday. (ANI)

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No decision yet to stop flights to and from China

He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against Covid-19…reports Asian Lite News

Amid demand by Opposition parties to immediately stop all international flights from China, government sources said that there is no order issued by the central government to curb incoming flights from the country where a wave of Covid cases has been reported.

‘We don’t have any direct flights from China to India or from India to China but as of now, there is no such order issued to stop connecting flights to India which are arriving via China. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is an executing ministry, the final decision will come from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW),” government sources told ANI. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to chair this afternoon a high-level meeting to review the Covid-19 situation and its related aspects in the county.

In the last six months, India reported four cases of the BF.7 Omicron sub-variant, which is driving China’s current surge of infections.

According to the people aware of the matter, there are currently 10 different variants of Covid-19 in the country, with the latest being BF.7.

“Given the grave COVID-19 situation in China, the government must immediately ban all flights to and from China. Given the increase in the US, Japan, and South Korea as well as the potential for the emergence of a new lethal variant, India should think about restoring COVID-19 guidelines,” Congress leader Manish Tiwari had tweeted.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting to review the prevailing Covid-19 situation in the country and the preparedness of the public health system for surveillance, containment, and management of the pandemic.

He urged people to follow Covid-appropriate behaviour and get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Also, after the meeting chaired by Mandaviya, Dr VK Paul, Member-Health, NITI Aayog said that “there is no change with regard to aviation as of now.”

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Wednesday called on China to share the data requested by the world health body to better understand the origin of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We continue to call on China to share the data and conduct the studies we have requested, and which we continue to request. As I have said many times before, all hypotheses about the origins of this pandemic remain on the table,” he added.

Tedros also expressed concern about the over the evolving situation in China, with increasing reports of severe disease.

“In order to make a comprehensive risk assessment of the situation on the ground, WHO needs more detailed information on disease severity, hospital admissions and requirements for intensive care units support,” the WHO chief said. (ANI)

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India News

Wearing masks not mandatory anymore in flights  

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the decision has been taken following a review meeting on the issue with the Ministry of Health…reports Asian Lite News

Keeping in view the declining cases of Covid-19 in the country, the government on Wednesday removed mandatory requirement to wear masks in flights.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the decision has been taken following a review meeting on the issue with the Ministry of Health.

“The matter, regarding the requirement for mandatory use of masks or face covers during air travel, has been reviewed in consultation with the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

“In line with the Government of India’s policy of graded approach of Covid-19 management response, the in-flight announcements henceforth may only mention that in view of the threat posed by Covid-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers,” the Ministry said in an office memorandum.

The Ministry said that any reference of fine need not be announced with regard to use of masks. “Any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the in-flight announcements. Hence, consolidated Covid-19 instructions for domestic and international air travel issued for passengers, airport operators and airlines issued vide order dated May 10, 2022 stands modified to that extent,” it said.

In June this year, the airlines were asked to ensure that all passengers wear face masks properly and continue to wear the mask throughout the journey and masks could be removed under exceptional circumstances and for permitted reasons only.

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Business India News

Indigo launches 100 flights in domestic metro cities

The airline operates over 1,500 daily flights connecting 73 domestic and 24 international destinations…reports Asian Lite News

Airline major IndiGo will launch 100 flights connecting key domestic metro cities and regional centres, starting from March 27, 2022.

Accordingly, the airline will introduce flights on 20 exclusive routes effective March 27, 2022.

Besides, it will commence Regional Connectivity Scheme (RCS) route from Prayagraj-Lucknow on the same day.

Furthermore, it plans to re-commence 16 exclusive flights.

According to Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo: “These new and recommenced routes will not only enhance our domestic connectivity across regions, but also cater to the city-specific travel demand.”

“Reinforcing inter and intra-regional connections between north, east, south, and west, these flights will also promote trade and tourism across the regions. We will continue to offer new routes as per the travel demand on various sectors.”

At present, IndiGo has a fleet of over 275 aircraft.

The airline operates over 1,500 daily flights connecting 73 domestic and 24 international destinations.

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After 2 yrs, int’l flights resume on Mar 27

India suspended scheduled international flights on March 23, 2020 and in July that year, opened an air bubble arrangement with 37 countries to and from which flights were allowed in a limited manner, reports Asian Lite News

Routine international flight operations will resume in India from March 27, the government said on Tuesday, lifting what will then be over two years of restrictions on air travel in and out of the country put in place due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

India suspended scheduled international flights on March 23, 2020 and in July that year, opened a so-called air bubble arrangement with 37 countries to and from which flights were allowed in a limited manner.

“After deliberation with stakeholders and keeping in view the decline in the Covid-19 caseload, we have decided to resume international travel from March 27 onwards,” civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said, adding that “with this step, I am confident the sector will reach new heights”.

A statement by the ministry explained the decision further, adding that it was based on “the increased vaccination coverage across the globe”.

“The suspension of scheduled commercial international passenger services to/from India, thus, stands extended only upto 2359 hrs IST on 26.03.2022 and air bubble arrangements shall accordingly be extended to this extent only,” the statement added.

The move also comes at a time when Covid-19 cases have reduced to record lows across several parts of the world, including India, after several waves tore through the global population, leaving a baseline immunity that further adds to the protection from vaccines.

The civil aviation ministry said that the international operations will be subjected to the Union health ministry’s guidelines for international travel, which can change from time to time.

According to ratings agency ICRA, the waning Omicron wave resulted in growth in domestic air passenger traffic by around 19% at around 7.6 million people in February 2022, compared to around 6.4 million in January 2022.

A statement by the ministry explained the decision further, adding that it was based on “the increased vaccination coverage across the globe”.

Airlines and travel industry stakeholders welcomed the step.

IndiGo’s chief executive officer Ronojoy Dutta welcomed the government’s decision to allow resumption of scheduled commercial international flight operations from India.

“This step will provide impetus to the economic recovery for the sector and the nation, with borders opening for tourists. We look forward to connecting our customers to the people and places they love. We will soon be announcing the schedule for our international destinations, in accordance with these new guidelines,” he said.

Ticket booking service providers said resumption of international commercial flights will help reduce the airfares.

“Resumption of international commercial flights will also regularise the demand-supply balance resulting in lower international airfares,” said Aloke Bajpai, co-founder and group CEO, ixigo.

“This is great news for all travellers and the industry, especially before the peak summer season. The demand for international travel is picking up in India and there has been a significant uptick in travel search queries for popular international destinations like Australia, Sri Lanka, US & UK,” Bajpai added.

President of Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) Rajiv Mehra said that even though the decision was on the cards, it is a big relief for the entire travel and tourism fraternity. “We look forward to the revival of international tourism in the country. To enhance the foreign tourist flow to the country, we urge the government to restore all visas that were issued earlier but were suspended due to the pandemic,” he said.

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India defers full resumption of international flights

In a meeting late last month, the central government had announced that commercial international flights shall resume from December 15, after a long hiatus of more than 20 months in between, reports Asian Lite News

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday delayed the resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger airline services to or from India, mentioning that it will notify its decision on the same in due time.

In a meeting late last month, the central government had announced that commercial international flights shall resume from December 15, after a long hiatus of more than 20 months in between.

That decision, however, came under renewed scrutiny as recently as last Sunday, when the government reviewed the strategy following reports of omicron’s emergence.

Now, a notice issued by the regulatory body on civil aviation today confirmed that the central government is indeed hitting the brakes on the resumption of commercial international flights and that the relevant authorities are monitoring the global coronavirus disease (Covid-19) situation, especially in the wake of the emergence of the new omicron variant which is said to be highly contagious and capable of undergoing rapid mutations.

“In view of the evolving global scenario with the emergence of new variants of concern, the situation is being watched closely in consultation with all stakeholders, and an appropriate decision indicating the effective date of resumption of scheduled commercial international passenger services shall be notified in due course,” read the circular issued by the office of the DGCA on Wednesday.

A decision on the resumption of commercial international flights will likely only be taken after the government finds it relatively safer to do so amid the prevailing pandemic situation. However, the international ‘air bubble’ agreements with different countries shall continue to function as they are now, officials have said.

Earlier this week, junior aviation minister Gen (retired) VK Singh told the that there has been “tremendous pressure” from the public for the last two months to resume international scheduled flights. However, the omicron variant of the coronavirus has clouded the future of commercial international travel and put both the central and multiple state governments in a state of high alert.

From December 1, India has instituted a set of new rules for arriving international passengers, especially from ‘at risk’ countries. Under the new norms, there are separate protocols for travellers arriving from countries enlisted as “at risk” of the omicron variant and nations excluded from the said list. It involves detailed guidelines on testing, sampling, and quarantine of cases detected at the airport, if any.

6 people coming from ‘at risk’ countries test Covid-positive

A total of 6 persons have been found positive for Covid-19 travelling from ‘at risk’ countries on the first day of the operation of the revised guidelines for international travellers.

A total of 11 international flights have landed at various airports across the nation coming from ‘at risk’ countries since the implementation of the revised guidelines in the wake of new Covid variant Omicron. These flights carrying 3,476 passengers landed from ‘at risk’ countries from midnight to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, said the Union health ministry.

All 3,476 passengers were administered RT-PCR tests at the airports and 6 out of them were found Covid-19 positive. The samples of the positive passengers have been sent to INSACOG labs for Whole Genomic Sequencing.

The government revised the guidelines for international travellers as a public health response measure for the control and management of the new variant of Covid-19 which has been designated as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization.

“Government of India continues to keep track of the evolving situation, and supporting states, UTs in the fight against the pandemic through ‘whole of Government’ approach”, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

The Centre on Tuesday advised the states and UTs to ensure the preparedness of health infrastructure like availability of ICUs, O2 beds, ventilators, etc. and to implement ECRP-II, with the focus on rural areas and paediatric cases.

In a virtual meeting with states and UTs on the public health response measures, Dr Balram Bhargav, DG ICMR, said that the Omicron variant doesn’t escape RT-PCR and RAT tests. Hence, the states and UTs were advised to ramp up testing for prompt and early identification of any cases. The states were advised to target testing of passengers from countries, not “at-risk”, as part of the ramped-up testing.

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Etihad’s sustainable flight reduces emissions by 72%

In an industry-first, EY20 was the first commercial flight to explore contrail-avoidance…reports Asian Lite News

Last week, Etihad Airways operated its most sustainable flight ever, leveraging the learnings and efficiencies developed over the last two years of its comprehensive sustainability programme to reduce carbon emissions (CO2) by 72% in absolute terms compared to the equivalent flight operated in 2019.

The London Heathrow to Abu Dhabi flight is part of the Etihad Greenliner Programme – a two-year partnership between Etihad and Boeing using Etihad’s Boeing 787 fleet as a test bed for sustainability improvements in partnership with organisations across the industry. It required huge collaboration across the aviation ecosystem to deliver a sustainable in-flight product, coordination with airspace management for optimised flight routing, new technology flight deck tools, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), contrail reduction and airport handling processes.

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In an industry-first, EY20 was the first commercial flight to explore contrail-avoidance. Working with UK-based SATAVIA, the team identified potential areas of ice super-saturated regions in the atmosphere where harmful contrails are likely to form, and the flight route was adjusted to avoid these areas. Based on the original and adjusted flight plan, the strategy avoided the production of approximately 64 tonnes of CO2e, with a fuel penalty of only 100kg, or 0.48 tonnes CO2.

“These are noteworthy savings,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group. “When Etihad committed to achieve net zero, it was acknowledged that it was only possible if the airline worked collaboratively and positively with our industry partners. That is exactly what Etihad has done with the Sustainable Flight. Of equal importance, Etihad, Boeing and its partners – airports, ANSP, and suppliers – used the flight to learn where further improvements could be made.

Talking after the flight, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer, Etihad Aviation Group, said, “I want to pay particular tribute to our partners; Boeing, NATS, Eurocontrol, GE Aviation, Vitol, SATAVIA, deSter, Sola The Netherlands, ButterflyCup, Agthia, Jubail Island Mangroves and DNata Catering. This is only possible when we all work together, and we all commit to making whatever savings we can. Each of these partners played their own, significant role in the step we took today.”

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The contributions covered three phases, planning, in-flight and post-flight. This included preparing the aircraft, engines and route planning systems to optimise take-off, en-route and landing flight paths and trajectories, minimising contrail formation, working with our guests to reduce their luggage and rewarding those that travelled light.

Etihad provided catering that was appropriately sourced and served on sustainable crockery and with light-weight cutlery. The crockery itself is part of a circular recycling process where they are returned to the manufacturer at the end of their serviceable life and ground down to its raw material and remade. Guests were also provided with environmentally friendly plant-based water bottles and limited-edition tote bags from upcycled aircraft materials. 80% of all single use plastics were eliminated.

Once the aircraft arrived at Abu Dhabi, it was serviced by Etihad’s new fleet of electric vehicles for ground logistics such as baggage unloading. Where electric vehicles were unable to be used, Etihad purchased bio-diesel to fuel equipment such as the airline’s passenger coach service between Abu Dhabi and Dubai, meaning all passengers, including those transiting to Dubai, were completely carbon neutral for the entirety of their journey.

The data gathered from the aircraft’s sensors was added to Etihad’s growing database on flight performance, and analysed using tools from Greenliner partner, GE Digital to improve understanding of flight performance and allow quick recognition of unsustainable activities.

“A fundamental part of the Greenliner programme is to explore the art of the possible. It is well known that SAFs are a credible alternative to current fossil fuels, however they are currently very expensive, and difficult to source and load onto the aircraft. EY20 was a dramatic example of those constraints wherein Etihad was unable to directly load the 38% SAF blend into the aircraft given inherent infrastructure constraints at Heathrow Airport. Instead, the SAF purchased by Etihad was loaded into the fuel hydrant system, which serves all airport users. While the EY20 did not in itself realise the full potential of the SAF, the potential benefit in CO2 reductions is real. Industry and governments must work together to address these issues through the funding of the research and development of SAFs and other parts of the planning and operating of flights. Etihad is looking forward to working on these issues,” Al Bulooki said.

Douglas added, “The entire emissions reduction we achieved on this flight was through the operational steps and efficiencies employed and did not rely on off-sets. Nonetheless, off-sets, if done rigorously, also play a part in our sustainable future. The UAE has a large stock of mangroves which present nature-based solutions. In addition to their ability to reduce pollution from water and the atmosphere, if maintained properly, mangrove forests have the potential to avoid the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. That is why each guest on board this Etihad flight will have a tree adopted for them in Abu Dhabi’s Jubail Island Mangroves plantations. Adoption involves the maintenance and reforestation of existing forests with carbon storage potential. This is an important initiative for greening the UAE.”

“EY 20 Sustainable Flight brought together a long list of small changes that had been developed over the past two years under the Greenliner Programme, which was designed to identify opportunities that are available today to reduce emissions, rather than waiting for future technologies. Our single greatest learning from the past two years has been that even when solutions are available, they are not easily deployed on a regular basis due to constraints throughout the entire aviation eco-system. What was demonstrated on EY20 was the art of the possible; the next step is to work on how these can be deployed sustainably,” said Al Bulooki.

“That is the challenge Etihad faces, and the challenge that Etihad accepts in collaboration with our partners. Etihad is determined to operate with sustainability as a core principle alongside safety and security, and is looking forward to many more of these small steps making a big difference.”