This brand new week, we bring you our fresh new weekly Top Ten (10) digest for the most important things in Uganda’s Tourism, the world of Aviation and Travel that have trending especially in this COVID-19 Era. As always, we will be giving you highlights that make News rounds all through from start of the week. Below is our Weekly Newsletter for your readership.
01. Brussels Airlines gears up for increased summer Travel
Brussels Airlines has shared details about how it is preparing for a gradual relaunch this summer.
There is plenty of anticipation about the return of European travel in the coming months, and the Belgian carrier is eager to deploy more of its aircraft. However, the company understands that flight resumptions must be handled carefully in the current conditions.
The flag carrier of Belgium shares that air travel demand is slowly picking up following the vaccination rollout. Therefore, it’s getting its flight attendants, flight deck crew, and ground staff ready for the big return after a lengthy period of downturn.
02. Turkish Airlines reviews its Boeing 737 MAX Order
Turkish national flag carrier, Turkish Airlines (THY), has revised its order with Boeing, cancelling ten aircraft from its previously placed order for 75 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft from the planemaker. In a statement made by the Istanbul-based carrier on Thursday to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), Turkish Airlines says that it has decided to cancel ten units and review its fleet due to the aviation downturn brought about by the coronavirus pandemic.
A grounded fleet of Turkish Airlines TK airplanes sit on the tarmac at Istanbul IST LTFM Airport on March 18, 2020 in Istanbul, Turkey as an impact, a side effect of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic that has spread to at least 186 countries and governments implemented travel restrictions specially in aviation. Among the aircraft, the first one has the registration TC-LYA and there is TC-LCC that have already been previously grounded as those planes are Boeing 737 MAX 8. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
03. Emirates Airline Passengers start using the IATA Travel Pass
Emirates has launched trials of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Pass – a mobile app designed to make air travel smoother in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The first passengers travelling from Dubai to Barcelona on EK 185 trialled the ‘digital passport’ to verify and share their pre-travel COVID-19 test status with Emirates.
The trials enable travellers to manage COVID-19 related documentation digitally throughout the travel experience. In the future, travellers will also be able to share vaccination certificates with authorities and airlines to facilitate travel.
04. Brussels Airlines desires to reward Coronavirus era heroes with free tickets
In tough times, tough people rise and transcend. The past year, so many people rolled up their sleeves and went above and beyond to help others. Now Brussels Airlines thinks it is time to thank those everyday heroes, as heroes deserve a vacation too. Therefore, Brussels Airlines calls on everyone to share the story of their own hero. The Belgian airline will then thank 250 of those big and little heroes with a voucher worth €250 for a flight of their choice. Brussels Airlines got inspired for the campaign by its own staff, after many of the company’s employees began volunteering during their temporary technical unemployment.
05. In case you are turned away because you don’t have the right travel documents, here is what to do
One of severe day spoilers is reaching at your anticipated travel and then finding out you don’t have everything you need to proceed and kickstart your check in.
Today, travelers have to carry a number of documents, from physical passports to vaccine cards to negative COVID-19 test results. But even with top niche planning, you could arrive with the wrong information or lose it during transit or even have it misplaced at the check in point and be turned away. And this could be the biggest turnoff you should never encounter.
06. France halts flights with Brazil due to new Covid-19 P1 variant
The French Prime Minister Jean Castex was questioned during a parliamentary session of questions to the government on the decision of maintaining flights from Brazil despite a surge of COVID-19 cases, especially of the P1 variant. “Anyone must present a negative test before boarding, and carry out a period of isolation of 10 days”, Castex reassured, before announcing: “We note that the situation is worsening and we have decided to suspend all flights between Brazil and France until further notice.”
Until now, two flights were being carried out by Air France daily between France and Brazil: a Boeing 777 from Rio, and an Airbus A350 from Sao Paulo, both arriving at Paris’ main airport, Charles de Gaulle (CDG). On average, between 50 and 100 passengers were arriving from Brazil every day.
07. Flight attendant Goda returns to her dream job, shares hope for others
The flight attendant Goda Petraityte was one of the hundreds who lost their jobs in aviation due to the ongoing pandemic. But after a year full of uncertainty and attempts to keep her life in balance, she got among the lucky aviation professionals who have received a second chance for a take-off to the skies.
08. Business travellers measure lower flight frequency post-restrictions
As optimism from the vaccine rollout drives a revival in aviation travel activity, signs show that business travellers are hesitant to resume travel frequencies similar to 2019 levels.
A survey taken between December 2020 and January 2021 across seven European countries finds that a majority of business travellers expect business flights to recover to a lower frequency than before the implementation of COVID-19-related restrictions.
According to the survey commissioned by the European Climate Foundation, a group supporting net-zero carbon emissions, 40% from a total of 1,414 business travellers surveyed in Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, and the UK expect to fly less post-pandemic when health restrictions are lifted entirely.
09. Ethiopian Airlines builds triumph on Airbus A350 “Preighter”
The East African airline has continued to fly and create new business since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the A350-900 is part of this success.
Some 60 percent of the world’s fleet was grounded in 2020 due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on air transport, as aviation industry estimates show. The impact of the pandemic took a noticeable effect from March 2020 when the number of flights dropped significantly, as a direct consequence of the collapse in passenger demand.
Most companies booked massive financial losses, making 2020 the worst year in the aviation industry financially speaking. Interestingly, Ethiopian Airlines was among those which remained “cash positive” during this period.
10. UTB gears up for POATE Online as Claire Mugabi sights more on the annual Tourism Exposition
Uganda Tourism Board – Marketing Manager, Claire Mugabi reveals that this year’s Pearl of Africa Tourism Exposition is entirely free of charge as the platform is open and will be running for three consecutive days to allow participants share ideas, do interviews given the different time zones, get a glimpse of investment opportunities in Uganda’s tourism among others.
Claire stresses that, ‘’ the whole intention of POATE online is to expose our local industry players and reconnect them to potential buyers from across the World, we are looking forward to rebooting the sector, reason why its entirely free this time to allow people see our different tourism products with the intention of getting them back on main course tourism.
Uganda Tourism Board – Marketing Manager, Claire Mugabi
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