Travel News

BY   Joseph Olaoluwa

Arik Air has extended the cancellation of flight operations due to the curfew in Lagos State and some other parts of the country.

The airline disclosed this in a statement titled ‘Arik Air extends flight cancellation’ and emailed by spokesman, Banji Ola, on Wednesday.

It explained that scheduled flights would be cancelled until the 24-hour curfew by the government was lifted.

Part of the statement read, “Arik Air has extended the cancellation of flight operations due to the curfew in Lagos state and some other parts of the country.

“All scheduled flights have therefore been cancelled until the lifting of the 24-hour curfew by government.”

The airline had earlier cancelled all scheduled flights for Wednesday, October 21, 2020, due to the 24-hours curfew announced by the Lagos State Government on Tuesday.

It also promised to give further updates on flight operations as required.

BY  Chima Azubuike, Gombe

Gombe State Governor, Inuwa Yahaya, has asked the Federal Government to assist in rehabilitating the state airport.

 The governor who spoke on Tuesday lauded the Senate committee on Nigerian Airforce for supporting the establishment and speedy take-off of the Combat Reconnaissance Group in Gombe.

He spoke when members of the Senate Committee on Airforce paid him a courtesy call at the Government House.

Yahaya told his visitors that Gombe was the only state that shared boundaries with all five states in the North-East.

This, he said, made it easy for the state to become a hub of victims of insecurity in the sub-region thereby overstretching its human and material resources.

He also briefed the committee on the condition of the Gombe international Airport which he said required the National Assembly’s intervention for upgrade to ensure smooth operational activities.

He said, “The Gombe International Airport came into being through synergy between Gombe state government and the Federal Government on a 50-50 basis.

“Since the aviation agency charges a huge amount of money for maintenance and other sundry services, today the state owes close to a billion naira.

“Gombe State Government requests the intervention of the Federal Government in clearing this backlog.”

He noted that the airport services were needed by the Nigerian Airforce as well as other security agencies, hence the need to partner in upgrading the airport.

BY  Siddharth PhilipThu., 

(Bloomberg) -- IAG SA, the owner of British Airways, slashed fourth-quarter capacity and no longer expects to break even during the period as fresh travel restrictions and virus infections keep would-be travelers at home.

The airline group, which also includes Spain’s Iberia and Irish carrier Aer Lingus, now plans to operate no more than 30% of its usual schedule in the three months, according to a statement Thursday. The company had expected to gradually rebuild services and operate at 54% strength in the period.

A resurgence in Covid-19 infections that ended a comeback for summer air traffic is now bearing down on the slower part of the year. Airlines have been clamoring for an easing of European travel requirements to spur demand, but with cases rising there’s little sign authorities will comply in the near term.

IAG’s shares fell 3.6% as of 8:26 a.m. in London, extending the year’s decline to 77%.

This “demonstrates the challenges faced by legacy airlines in managing through the current crisis,” Daniel Roeska, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said in a note to clients. “Management will need to significantly lower monthly cash burn to avoid significantly depleting resources by next summer.”

IAG’s announcement comes after Deutsche Lufthansa AG said this week it would operate at a maximum of 25% capacity this quarter. Discount carriers are also feeling the pain, with Ryanair Holdings Plc planning to offer about 40% of its 2019 winter schedule and EasyJet Plc opting to fly only 25% for the fourth quarter and beyond.

In September, IAG raised 2.75 billion euros ($3.3 billion) by way of a rights offering backed by No. 1 investor Qatar Airways.

IAG said it remains well-capitalized with liquidity of 9.3 billion euros. The company also reported a third-quarter operating loss of 1.3 billion euros, with revenue plunging 83%.

(Updates with share price in fourth paragraph)

The UK High Commission in Nigeria has announced the shutdown of its VISA application centers in Nigeria.

By Chike Olisah

The United Kingdom High Commission in Nigeria on Wednesday, October 21, 2020, announced the shutdown of its VISA application centers in Nigeria for the next 48 hours, with effect from today (Wednesday), due to the ongoing #EndSARS protests in the country.

This comes barely a day after the US shut down its Lagos consulate, following the outbreak of violence from the #EndSARS protests in major parts of the country including Lagos State and the FCT.

The disclosure was contained in a statement issued by the UK High Commission in Nigeria on Wednesday, October 21, 2020.

The High Commission in a brief statement, also asked applicants with appointments for Wednesday and Thursday, to reschedule their appointments from Monday, October 26th.

“Due to the ongoing protest in Nigeria and for the safety of both staff and applicants, our Nigeria centres will be closed for 48 hours at a minimum. For applicants with booked appointments within this period, please you will need to reschedule your appointment for next week, from 26th October 2020.

“We will continue to post regular updates on this page, so please keep checking back for the latest information on reopening. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.”

A FLIGHT travelling from London Heathrow to Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, has been forced to return to base after an emergency was declared on air.

By MELANIE KAIDAN

Flight Radar 24 retrieved data showing the plane returning to Britain from France.

The aircraft had been flying for about 42 minuted before it was forced to make a U-turn.

The nature of the emergency is still unclear, but the aircraft is now back at London Heathrow airport.

The flight was about five hours from Abuja when it turned around over northern France.

MORE UPDATES TO FOLLOW...

by Seher Asaf

Australian carrier Qantas’ seven-hour sightseeing “flight to nowhere” which departs and lands right back at Sydney Domestic Airport sold out in 10 minutes.

“It’s probably the fastest selling flight in Qantas history,” said Qantas CEO Alan Joyce according to CNN.

“People clearly miss travel and the experience of flying. If the demand is there, we’ll definitely look at doing more of these scenic flights while we all wait for borders to open.”

Qantas has joined a small but growing number of airlines that have begun offering sightseeing trips to nowhere in an effort to cope with the drastic drop in air travel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

EVA Air, one of the biggest carriers in Taiwan, offered passengers a trip that departed and landed in Taipei on August 8. Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways has been flying sightseeing flights on its A380 Flying Honu aircraft from Tokyo’s Narita airport.

Qantas’ seven-hour flight, which is set to depart on October 10, will be flown on a B787 Dreamliner aircraft usually reserved for long haul international flights.

Dubbed the “Great Southern Land’ scenic flight”, the airline promises passengers picturesque views and low level flybys over Australian destinations across Queensland, the Northern Territory and New South Wales including the Great Barrier Reef, Uluru, Kata Tjuta, Byron Bay and the Sydney Harbour.

Last week, media reports emerged saying Singapore Airlines is also looking to launch “flights to nowhere” that will depart from and land at Changi Airport next month.

UK tourists seeking winter sun have been given a boost, after Spain's Canary Islands and the Maldives were added to the government's safe travel list.

It means visitors will no longer need to quarantine for 14 days on their return, with the Greek island of Mykonos and Denmark also deemed safe.

The changes apply to anyone arriving in the UK after 04:00 BST on Sunday.

But Liechtenstein has been taken off the list, so arrivals must isolate.

The changes apply to citizens from England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales.

Winter sun

The Canary Islands are popular with winter holidaymakers, being one of the few parts of Europe warm enough for beach holidays at that time.

However, the rest of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, remain subject to quarantine restrictions amid a surge in infections.

Beyond having to fill in passenger locator forms, visitors to the Canaries and Mykonos currently face no restrictions to entry.

But all visitors to the Maldives are required to prove they have had a negative Covid test within 96 hours of arrival.

And any UK citizen visiting Denmark must prove they have a "worthy purpose" for visiting, such as work or study, as Denmark deems Britain to be a high risk country.

Tourism is not considered a worthy purpose, although people with second homes in the country may visit.

The Department for Transport said the new additions to the safe list had seen a decrease in confirmed cases of coronavirus.

However, it said "a significant change in both the level and pace of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Liechtenstein" had led to it being removed from the current list of "travel corridors"

After so much doom and gloom, travel companies can suddenly see the sunshine. The Canaries are a key destination for UK airlines and tour operators.

And it is not an exaggeration to say that the removal of the quarantine will help these companies make it through the winter.

The government has, in effect, dialled-up the tourism "on switch".

However it will be a real test case for whether, in these uncertain Covid times, there is demand for travel.

With plenty of time for people to make winter bookings it's a timely moment.

British Airways recently scheduled a direct flight to the Maldives, so maybe they knew something we didn't.

Travel companies, which have seen demand slump due to the quarantine rules, welcomed the decision on the Canaries.

"The Canaries are a hugely important market for winter travel - representing over 50% of bookings for some tour operators - so this is very welcome news for the whole sector," said industry body Airlines UK.

Andrew Flintham, managing director of TUI, said the holiday operator had not been able to take people on a holiday to the Canaries for 89 days.

"We're therefore delighted that UK flights will now resume from Saturday 24 October. The first flights will depart to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote this weekend, with many more added in the coming days."

There are now only a handful of places travellers from the UK can visit without facing restrictions - either when they arrive at their destination, or return.

There are hopes coronavirus testing for passengers could make travel to more destinations possible, by providing proof of a negative result before travellers leave the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, meanwhile, has said he is "hopeful" a new testing regime for arrivals to Britain can be in place by 1 December, reducing the amount of time people need to spend in quarantine.

However, new British Airways boss Sean Doyle last week called for tests for returning Britons before departure, warning the UK would "get left behind" without more radical action.

Earlier on Monday the airline cut flight numbers again, saying it would operate fewer planes than planned for the rest of the year as the pandemic continues to hit demand.

The Foreign Office still advises British nationals against all but essential international travel due to the pandemic.

What is the UK quarantine list?

Travellers must self-isolate for two weeks upon returning from any of the countries or islands on the quarantine list.

If a country stays above 20 cases per 100,000 people for more than seven days it is likely to be added to the UK’s quarantine list.

Passengers must leave their details with border officials, go straight home and self-quarantine for 14 days to stop the spread of coronavirus.

The list currently has over 160 countries and territories on it and is subject to constant review.

Full list of countries on the UK's quarantine list

Afghanistan

Albania

Algeria

Andorra

Angola

Anguilla

Argentina

Armenia

Aruba

Austria

Azerbaijan

Bahamas

Bahrain

Bangladesh

Belarus

Belgium

Belize

Benin

Bhutan

Bolivia

Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba

Bosnia and Herzegovina

Botswana

Brazil

British Virgin Islands

Bulgaria

Burkina Faso

Burundi

Cameroon

Cape Verde

Central African Republic

Chad

Chile

China

Colombia

Comoros

Congo

Costa Rica

Côte d'Ivoire

Croatia

Curacio

Czech Republic

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Denmark

Djibouti

Dominican Republic

Ecuador

Egypt

El Salvador

Equatorial Guinea

Eritrea

Eswatini

Ethiopia

France

French Guiana

Gabon

The Gambia

Georgia

Ghana

Greece (only the islands of Crete, Lesbos, Mykonos, Santorini, Serifos, Tinos, Zante in England)

Guatemala

Guinea

Guinea-Bissau

Guyana

Haiti

Honduras

Iceland

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Jamaica

Jordan

Kazakhstan

Kenya

Kiribati

Kosovo

Kuwait

Kyrgyzstan

Lebanon

Lesotho

Liberia

Libya

Luxembourg

Madagascar

Malawi

Maldives

Mali

Malta

Marshall Islands

Mauritania

Mauritius

Mayotte

Mexico

Micronesia

Moldova

Monaco

Mongolia

Montenegro

Montserrat

Morocco

Mozambique

Myanmar (Burma)

Namibia

Nauru

Nepal

Netherlands

Nicaragua

Niger

Nigeria

North Korea

North Macedonia

Oman

Portugal (excluding Azores and Madeira)

Pakistan

Palau

The Occupied Palestinian Territories

Panama

Papua New Guinea

Paraguay

Peru

Philippines

Pitcairn Island

Poland

Qatar

Romania

Russia

Rwanda

São Tomé and Principe

Saudi Arabia

Senegal

Serbia

Seychelles

Sierra Leone

Slovakia

Slovenia

Solomon Islands

Somalia

South Africa

South Sudan

Spain

Sudan

Suriname

Switzerland

Syria

Tajikistan

Tanzania

Timor-Leste

Togo

Tonga

Trinidad and Tobago

Tunisia

Turkey

Turkmenistan

Turks and Caicos Islands

Tuvalu

US

Uganda

Ukraine

United Arab Emirates

Uruguay

Uzbekistan

Vanuatu

Venezuela

Western Sahara

Yemen

Zambia

Zimbabwe

Written by: Daniel Waldron and Sanwar Ali

Edited by: Sanwar Ali

Actually in this case it is just a coincidence that Nigeria has been omitted from the Green Card Lottery at a time when Trump has targeted the country for visa restrictions.  It would have happened anyway it seems.  Nigeria has been excluded because over 50,000 Nigerians have had green cards over the last five years.  If a country exceeds this number then you are excluded from the Green Card Lottery.

Following a series of US visa sanctions imposed on Nigeria in September, it’s been confirmed that the African nation has been excluded from the USA’s 2022 diversity visa lottery. A 19-page document titled ‘Instructions for the 2022 diversity immigrant visa program (dv-2022)’, confirmed Nigeria’s exclusion from the program.

The document said: “In Africa, natives of Nigeria are not eligible for this year’s diversity visa program.” The news is another bitter blow for Nigeria, which in the past has been hit by B1 and B2 visit visa and E1 and E2 visa sanctions. The African nation was also added to Trump’s controversial travel ban list in February this year.

The diversity visa (DV) lottery ban comes just 12 months after data published by the US Census Bureau showed that Nigeria was among the top African nations to receive US visas. The same data showed that Nigeria also has the largest population of African immigrants in the US.

Political unrest in Nigeria

However, political unrest in Nigeria has contributed to the African nation’s exclusion from the diversity visa program. In September, amid ongoing election-related activities in Nigeria, the US imposed further sanctions on the African nation, accusing some individuals of ‘undermining the democratic process.’

The 19-page document stated that the ban was also partially attributed to the fact that more than 50,000 Nigerian citizens had arrived in the United States over the past five years. Under the rules of the program, any country that sends more than 50,000 immigrants to the US within five years is ineligible for the DV program.

Other African nations eligible

Nigeria is the only African nation to be omitted from the 2022 DV program.

Meanwhile, according to the 19-page document, persons born in the areas administered prior to June 1967 by Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt are chargeable, respectively, to Israel, Jordan, Syria, and Egypt.

Persons born in the Gaza Strip are chargeable to Egypt; persons born in the West Bank are chargeable to Jordan; persons born in the Golan Heights are chargeable to Syria,” the document states.

Nigeria not the only nation excluded

While Nigeria was the only African nation excluded, a host of other countries were omitted from the 2022 DV program, including:

• Bangladesh
• Brazil
• Canada
• China (including Hong Kong SAR)
• Colombia
• Dominican Republic
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Haiti
• Honduras
• India
• Jamaica
• Mexico
• Pakistan
• Philippines
• South Korea
• United Kingdom (except Northern Ireland) and its dependent territories
• Vietnam

All these countries don’t qualify because more than 50,000 people from each of these nations have immigrated to the US in the past five years. Among the countries that did qualify were Macau SAR and Taiwan.

An excerpt from the 19-page document said: “Applicants who are selected in the program (selectees) must meet simple but strict eligibility requirements to qualify for a diversity visa. The Department of State determines selectees through randomized computer selection.

By Yunus Yusuf

Arik Air says it will  resume limited flights to some destinations where there are no curfew on Oct. 23.

Mr Adebanji Ola, the Communications Manager of the airline, said this in a statement in Lagos on Friday.

He said that specifically, the airline would be operating flights from its second hub in Abuja to Port Harcourt, Ilorin, Benin, Kano and Yola.

According to him, on Friday, Arik Air would  operate one flight each from Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja to Port Harcourt, Ilorin and Kano.

“Also on Saturday, the airline will operate one flight each from Abuja to Port Harcourt, Benin and Yola.

“The airline had on Tuesday, October 20, 2020, suspended all flights due to the 24-hour curfew announced by the Lagos State government.

“Flights from Lagos to other parts of the country will, however, resume upon the lifting of the 24-hour curfew by the Lagos state government,” he said.

(NAN)