The search for a diplomatic solution to the Gulf crisis intensified Wednesday as Turkey’s foreign minister landed in Qatar while the UN voiced fears over growing humanitarian concerns in the region. The arrival of Mevlut Cavusoglu was confirmed by Qatari state media, which said Turkey’s top diplomat had praised the “wise and calm manner” with … Read more
Two major US companies have withdrawn their sponsorship of an outdoor New York production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar” that sparked uproar for apparently portraying the assassinated Roman ruler as similar to Donald Trump. Delta Air Lines and Bank of America announced the decision Sunday after mounting criticism that included the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump … Read more
A Saudi Arabian airline on Monday tweeted a warm welcome to pilots and staff from Qatar Airways whom it hopes to poach after the kingdom severed air links with Doha. On Twitter early Monday, budget carrier flynas said it “welcomes the Saudi employees working on Qatar Airways airbus A320, and invites anyone with the desire … Read more
Qatar Airways has made Doha a global hub in just a few years, but barring it from Gulf states’ airspace threatens its position as a major transcontinental carrier, experts say. Along with its Gulf peers — Dubai’s Emirates Airlines and Abu Dhabi’s Etihad — Qatar’s national carrier has captured a sizable portion of transit travel, … Read more
Emirates is offering Ghanaian travellers the opportunity to visit Dubai with a special Economy and Business Class return airfare that includes a free Visa, a free third piece of luggage of up to 23 kg and a “My Emirates Pass”. Under the special offer, an Economy Class ticket from Accra to Dubai, airport taxes inclusive, … Read more
United Arab Emirates carrier Etihad has broken off talks with German travel group TUI to jointly create a leisure airline, the companies said Thursday. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad and troubled Air Berlin, of which Etihad is a majority owner, had last October announced plans to form a new leisure airline by merging Air Berlin’s Austrian subsidiary … Read more
A violinist accused United Airlines of rough treatment after she refused to check her fragile 18th century instrument as luggage, another potential black mark to the US carrier after an infamous passenger dragging incident. Yennifer Correia was traveling Sunday from Houston, Texas to a music rehearsal in Columbia, Missouri, when ticket agents told her that … Read more
The Philippines’ largest airline Cebu Pacific is ordering seven Airbus A321ceo aircraft in a deal worth $812 million to meet growing domestic and regional demand, the airline said Wednesday. Cebu Pacific, best known for its budget flights, said in a statement the new planes would start arriving next March. “There is… the need to increase … Read more
American tourism companies are seeing early signs that US President Donald Trump’s still-young administration is hitting foreign visits and fear “destination USA” could suffer further in the years to come. Travel industry executives in particular expressed anguish over Trump’s proposed travel ban on visitors from seven predominately Muslim countries, an issue the US president raised … Read more
The head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Tuesday urged Gulf countries that have cut ties with Qatar to restore air links with the country, warning of major travel disruptions. “Of course we accept that countries have the right to close their borders,” said IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac. “But connectivity with … Read more
Qatari planes are to be banned from Egyptian and Saudi air space, as a growing diplomatic row in the Gulf threatens large-scale air disruption. Several countries have cut ties with the tiny Gulf state over accusations of supporting extremism in the region. Air, land and sea links have been halted to the country from Saudi … Read more
The diplomatic crisis sweeping the Gulf could invigorate a campaign by critics of Qatar to strip Doha of the 2022 World Cup, experts said Monday. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen were among those to cut diplomatic ties with Qatar on the grounds that Doha supported extremist groups “that aim to … Read more
Tennis great Margaret Court on Friday claimed a gay conspiracy from America was behind calls to strip her name from one of the Australian Open stadiums, after a furore over her views on homosexuality. The Australian also hit back at America’s Martina Navratilova, who lashed out at the 74-year-old church pastor’s “sick and dangerous” comments … Read more
Two air traffic control officers accused of causing a plane crash in Taiwan that killed 49 people in 2014, the island’s worst air disaster for a decade, were acquitted Friday. The TransAsia Airways flight was carrying 54 passengers and four crew when it smashed into trees and houses as it attempted to land in a … Read more
The US has agreed deals worth $8 billion with Vietnam – including a massive engine contract with a Vietnamese budget carrier famed for its bikini-clad air hostesses. The deals were announced during a visit by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the White House yesterday. Phuc’s trip was aimed at drumming up trade ties … Read more
Tennis great Martina Navratilova slammed “sick and dangerous” comments by Australia’s Margaret Court that the sport was “full of lesbians” and transgender child were the result of a Nazi-style plot. Navratilova said Melbourne’s Margaret Court Arena should be renamed after another Australian great, Evonne Goolagong Cawley, after Court’s comments caused a furore in the tennis … Read more
Vietnam and the US have signed $8 billion in deals, including a massive engine contract with a Vietnamese budget carrier famed for its bikini-clad air hostesses, officials said. The deals were announced during a visit by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to the White House Wednesday, a trip aimed at drumming up trade ties … Read more
A Malaysia Airlines flight was forced to return to Melbourne to land late Wednesday after a “disruptive” passenger on board the Kuala Lumpur bound flight claimed he was carrying a bomb, Malaysia’s deputy transport minister said. “It is not a hijack. One disruptive passenger tried to enter the plane’s cockpit,” Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz … Read more
Emirates, the Middle East’s largest airline, faced fierce criticism in Taiwan Wednesday after it reportedly banned cabin crew from wearing the island’s flag on their uniforms due to pressure from China. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it had lodged protests with Emirates in both Dubai and Taipei. The airline’s cabin crew traditionally wear the … Read more
Australian great Margaret Court Wednesday claimed “tennis is full of lesbians” and transgender children were the work of “the devil”, adding fuel to a simmering row over her views on homosexuality. The 24-time Grand Slam champion, now a Christian pastor, has been the brunt of a fierce backlash after announcing last week she would stop … Read more