Reading Time: 2 minutes Australia’s international airports are in the process of automating 90 percent of air traveler processing by 2020 by implementing facial recognition technology that involves biometric recognition of faces, irises and/or fingerprints, hence eliminating the need to carry essential traveling documents such as passports. The Department of Immigration and Border Protection, while building on the Seamless […]

Reading Time: 3 minutes Demand for international tourism remained robust in 2016 despite challenges. International tourist arrivals grew by 3.9% to reach a total of 1,235 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer. Some 46 million more tourists (overnight visitors) travelled internationally last year compared to 2015. Available data for Africa points to an 8% rebound in […]

Reading Time: 5 minutes Rush-hour traffic is unbearable for many commuters today – and the problem is growing. By 2030, 60% of the world’s population will live in cities, which is 10% more than today. To address this rising concern, Airbus is harnessing its experience to make the dream of all commuters and travellers come true one day: to […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes The airline industry – a data intensive industry with complex procedures and requirements – has much to gain from blockchain technology, an analysis from consulting firm Accenture reveals. Using cryptographic techniques and a distributed messaging protocol, a blockchain provides shared ledgers that decentralize reconciliation-based processes. Blockchain technologies differ from traditional technologies in that they are […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Although not every traveler may abide by the phrase “to infinity and beyond,” it seems like airlines are increasingly keen on going further than ever before. In the continuing trend of airlines jockeying for the title of “World’s Longest Flight,” many airlines will premiere all-new extra longhaul flights in 2017. But next year will also […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Some airlines in the United States are reducing flights to Cuba, with Silver Airways planning to trim its flight schedule to the Spanish-speaking Caribbean country early in the New Year. Travel Weekly said on Wednesday that Silver Airways has become the second US airline to reduce the frequency of flights to Cuba. Between January and […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Mauritius had air service negotiations with 12 countries. Namely, it negotiated with Brazil, Canada, Cambodia, Côte d’Ivoire, Greece, India, Republic of Korea, Namibia, Poland, the Seychelles, Spain, and United Republic of Tanzania, initialed nine Bilateral Air Services Agreements, and signed nine corresponding Memoranda of Understanding/Agreed Minutes, during the recent International Conference on Air Services Negotiations […]

Reading Time: < 1 minute Just under a week after Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight PH661, an ATR 42-500 turboprop airplane, crashed on its approach to Islamabad, killing all 48 passengers and crew on board, Azam Saigol, PIA’s Chairman, has resigned, stating personal reasons. While it is still not clear what caused the crash near Havelian, officials have indicated that […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes Half of airline pilots have reported that fatigue is not taken seriously by airlines, in the first large-scale survey of pilots’ perceptions of safety within the European aviation industry. The survey was conducted by The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and EUROCONTROL, an intergovernmental organisation committed to delivering safe and efficient air […]

Reading Time: 2 minutes After campaigning to reduce wasteful government spending, US President-elect Donald Trump announced that he is poised to modify the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, on the same day that Israel was supposed to receive its first two F-35 fighters. ​The markets quickly responded to Trump’s post-midnight tweet, causing Lockheed Martin’s shares to tumble during morning […]