Philippine Airlines suspends flights to and from London until February 2021
MANILA, Philippines — Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) has decided to suspend flights to and from London until the end of February 2021, following the decision of the Philippine government to block flights from the United Kingdom due to fears of a new and more infectious strain of the coronavirus.
“As we keep a close watch on this evolving situation, it is in the best interest of all to suspend flights on this route,” PAL said Wednesday in a statement.
Prior to this decision, PAL was flying from Manila to London and back once a week.
PAL said in a statement that passengers on these canceled flights may rebook on the next ones with no rebooking service fees. They may also refund their tickets at no added costs or convert their tickets into a travel voucher for future use.
Malacañang announced that President Rodrigo Duterte approved a suspension of flights from the UK beginning 12:01 a.m. of December 24 to December 31 amid mounting concerns over a new strain of the coronavirus.
The travel ban will cover all passengers who have been in the UK 14 days before coming to the Philippines including those who were merely transiting.
People who are already in transit and will arrive in the Philippines before the start of travel ban are exempted from entry restrictions, but they are required to go through more stringent quarantine and testing protocols.
They will undergo a 14-day quarantine at the Athlete’s Village in New Clark City, regardless of their reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction test results.
Initial data suggest the new coronavirus strain could be “up to 70% more transmissible,” British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said over the weekend. The announcement prompted dozens of countries to flights and trains arriving to and from the UK.
The Department of Health earlier said it has not yet detected the new COVID-19 strain in the Philippines. — Xave Gregorio with a report from Gaea Katreena Cabico
Find the latest travel and tourism news from around the world amid the coronavirus pandemic. Main image by AFP/Romeo Gacad
Airlines will fly 4.35 billion passengers this year, close to the 2019 record as the industry bounces back from the Covid pandemic, an industry group said on Monday.
The sector will also be back in the green, with net profits forecast to reach $9.8 billion in 2023, or double previous estimates, boosted by the end of China's Covid restrictions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The association added that its 2022 losses were half as bad as previously estimated at $3.6 billion.
"Airline financial performance in 2023 is beating expectations," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement during the association's annual general meeting in Istanbul.
"Stronger profitability is supported by several positive developments. China lifted Covid-19 restrictions earlier in the year than anticipated," Walsh said. — AFP
Hong Kong carrier Cathay Pacific reports its first annual operating profit since 2019 as the airline fights to return to pre-pandemic flight capacity.
"Cathay Pacific has experienced three challenging years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 2022 very much being a year of two halves," chairman Patrick Healy says in a statement announcing the results..
Cathay is still trailing regional rivals such as Singapore Airlines, with Hong Kong's axing of harsh pandemic curbs -- including mandatory hotel quarantine and strict testing requirements -- only beginning in the fall of last year.
The airline operated at one-third of pre-pandemic passenger flight capacity in December but expects to reach 70% of that figure by the end of 2023, the company says. — AFP
German airline giant Lufthansa says Friday it returned to annual profit in 2022 after two years of losses, its fortunes lifted by rebounding demand as economies reopened after COVID-19 shutdowns.
The group reported a net profit of 791 million euros ($839 million) for last year. This compares to a net loss of 2.2 billion euros in 2021 and 6.7 billion euros in 2020.
"Lufthansa is back," says the company's CEO Carsten Spohr. — AFP
People hoping to take advantage of a Hong Kong scheme to give away half a million free airline tickets face hours-long online queues on Wednesday, as the Asian financial hub bids to woo tourists back.
The city last month launched a campaign to reboot its reputation as "Asia's world city", after years of strict pandemic-related travel restrictions and a crackdown on sometimes violent pro-democracy protests.
On Wednesday, Hong Kong became one of the last places in the world to drop its outdoor mask mandate, which city leader John Lee said was a sign that it was "resuming normalcy". — AFP
Australian airline Qantas says Thursday it bounced back into profit in late 2022, hailing a "huge turnaround" after swallowing massive losses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The national carrier posted a second-half profit of Aus$1.43 billion (US$974 million) before tax, after accumulating Aus$7 billion in losses across the previous three years.
Chief executive Alan Joyce says surging demand for flights had boosted the company's fortunes while announcing a plan to buy back Aus$500 million in Qantas shares. — AFP
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