May 10

More articles from the category

May 10

Germany hopes for a “very good” summer

"The summer can be quite good in Germany," said Berlin virologist Christian Drosten recently. In general, German politicians and virologists are more optimistic about the upcoming second "corona summer." Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier also believes that hotels will reopen in the summer. Health Minister Jens Spahn follows this statement, adding that "travel within the EU is unlikely to depend on vaccination." Even with the tests, people will be able to move around Europe well, as reisevor9.de reports. Nevertheless, he advises against traveling to other continents. The chief virologist at Berlin's Charité, Christian Drosten, has high hopes for a smooth summer. "The summer can be quite good in Germany," said Drosten on ZDF. Many things will be permitted outdoors again, he explained when asked about vacations and outdoor dining. "I think that by June we will see effects for the first time that can be attributed to the vaccination." But one should not fall into "total euphoria." Because: “The disease will not have disappeared by autumn.” Unvaccinated people could still become infected and fall ill, but there will no longer be an uncontrolled spread.

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Air Baltic provides vaccine to the workforce

In Latvia, in-house vaccination appointments can now be made. Flag carrier Air Baltic is also taking advantage of this opportunity and vaccinating its employees. In the first three days of this vaccination campaign, 410 people in the company received their first jab. The airline currently employs 1.096 people, meaning that more than a third of the workforce has already received the first dose of the vaccine against Covid-19. "Vaccination is the only way out of this unprecedented crisis. By providing the vaccine, we are taking another important step towards normality so that we can serve our passengers with vaccinated crew in the future," said Air Baltic CEO Martin Gauss.

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Sebastian Kurz wants to “gradually abolish” mask requirement

From May 19, 2021, entry into Austria is to be made significantly easier. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) announced that the classification of states includes not only EU members, but also third countries. There is no distinction made, said the government member during a press conference. Mückstein announced that in the future there will be three categories of countries of origin: safe states, risk areas and virus variant areas. According to the health minister, only Brazil, South Africa and India are currently classified in the latter class. Vaccinated and recovered people coming from these areas must also continue to present a negative PCR test upon entry. They must then begin a ten-day quarantine, from which they can be "tested free" after five days. According to Wolfgang Mückstein, there will be no requirements for vaccinated and recovered people from the so-called "safe states". They can enter Austria without quarantine with appropriate proof. The status can be proven, for example, with the vaccination certificate or a medical document showing recovery. People who do not meet both criteria can enter without isolation if they present a negative antigen or PCR test result. Coming from the so-called risk areas, only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered will be able to enter without quarantine. Mückstein explicitly said that "just a negative test result will not be sufficient here." The exact details have not yet been finalized, however. The regulation is to be published in the Federal Law Gazette in the next few days. First vaccination is considered an "entrance ticket" for three months Regarding the validity of the vaccinations, the Austrian Health Minister said that it has been determined that the gap between the first vaccination and the booster should be a maximum of three months.

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E190-E2 training: Lufthansa Aviation Training expands partnership with Helvetic

After successful certification, Lufthansa Aviation Training has put an Embraer E190-E2 full flight simulator into operation at its Zurich training location. This has created the conditions to expand the partnership with Helvetic Airways and other customers with an on-site complete solution for training flight and cabin crews. The simulator is operated by Lufthansa Aviation Training Switzerland as part of a cooperation with Flight Safety International from Tulsa, Oklahoma. "We are delighted to be able to offer our long-standing Swiss training customer Helvetic Airways customized training solutions at the Zurich location to match the introduction of a state-of-the-art model, thus preparing the crews as best as possible for the model change and also for the restart," emphasizes David Birrer, Managing Director of LAT Switzerland.

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Emirates launches humanitarian airlift to India

The Gulf carrier has set up a humanitarian air bridge between Dubai and India to transport urgent medical supplies and relief supplies and support India in its fight against the escalating CoV situation in the country. Emirates will offer free cargo capacity on all flights to nine destinations in India to help international NGOs quickly get relief supplies to where they are needed, the company announced today. The first cargo to be sent to India as part of Emirates' humanitarian air bridge is a shipment of more than 12 tonnes of multi-purpose tents from the World Health Organization (WHO), coordinated by the IHC in Dubai. "India and Emirates have been deeply connected since our first flights to India in 1985. We stand with the Indian people and will do everything in our power to help India get back on its feet," said Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates.

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KLM wins the Diamond Award for Health Safety

KLM has been awarded the APEX Diamond Award Health Safety. The airline is the second European airline after Virgin Atlantic to receive this Diamond certification. This award is the highest possible certification level for airlines in the field of health and safety. Achieving the highest possible APEX certification level means that KLM is one of the leading airlines in the field of hygiene and health safety. People travel with us because we fly responsibly. That is why this year we analyzed our entire customer journey and set the highest possible standard to ensure our customers optimal health and hygiene before, during and after their trip. This highest APEX status is an important guarantee for travelers who fly safely with KLM at the highest level worldwide," says Boet Kreiken, Executive Vice President Customer Experience KLM.

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Malta: Air forces deploy first drone

For the first time in its almost 50-year history, the Air Force of the Republic of Malta has deployed an unmanned aircraft. It is an IAI Heron. It was used for the first time at the weekend. The IAI Heron is a reconnaissance drone made in Israel. The payload is around 250 kilograms. The aircraft is powered by two petrol engines, each with 115 hp. These are four-cylinder Rotax 914s from BRP Powertrain. The Heron has a two-blade pusher propeller and can fly to a height of around 9.150 meters. The operating speed is between 111 and 213 kilometers per hour. This drone is not usually armed. The main area of ​​​​use for the German armed forces is also reconnaissance. The IAI Heron is equipped with special cameras that transmit photos and videos in real time. This model is not necessarily used for classic military purposes, but also to get a better overview after a severe storm, for example.

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#LuxairStandsUp: DHC Dash 8-400 received special stickers

The airline Luxair gave the DHC Dash 8-400 with the registration LX-LGE orange titles and the additional lettering "#LuxairStandsUp". The work was carried out at Luqa Airport. #LuxairStandsUp is a campaign by the carrier that is firmly committed to combating violence against women and girls. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, Luxair gave the LX-LGE the corresponding lettering and an orange title.

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Travel industry facing bankruptcy wave? Noticeably few bankruptcies

In the first quarter of the current year, there were noticeably few company bankruptcies in Austria. According to Dun & Bradstreet, 325 companies filed for bankruptcy. In direct comparison with the same period last year, this represents a decrease of 41 percent. However, the credit agency does not attribute this to a good economic situation. Quite the opposite: Dun & Bradstreet is of the opinion that it is only thanks to subsidies and government aid that many companies have not yet had to go to bankruptcy court. The rules for filing for bankruptcy have also been greatly relaxed, so that the 60-day deadline is de facto not applicable without consequences. "However, many bankruptcies have only been postponed into the future as a result, but by no means cancelled. This particularly affects the 'zombie' companies that would have had to give up if business had been normal, but are now being artificially kept alive by subsidies and special regulations. In absolute numbers, according to the analysis by Dun & Bradstreet, most bankruptcies occurred in Vienna (145 cases), followed by Lower Austria (53 cases), Styria (37 cases) and Upper Austria (33 cases),” according to Dun & Bradstreet. Noticeably few bankruptcies in the travel industry The tourism-relevant sectors of “catering and hotel industry” and “transport and travel” had significantly fewer bankruptcies in the first quarter of 2021. The sectors mentioned have been hit particularly hard by the Corona pandemic, as the basis for business has almost completely collapsed. Travel agencies and tour operators recorded negative sales last year, which resulted from the fact that the amount of reimbursements exceeded the sum of new orders. New business was also weak in the first quarter of 2021, especially since at least stationary official

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Air Montenegro has AOC and OL in its pocket

The state-owned airline start-up Air Montenegro has been granted AOC and operating license by the Civil Aviation Authority. This clears the way for the first flight. At least two Embraer 195s, which previously flew for Montenegro Airlines, are to be used. The 4O-AOA is currently being prepared for Air Montenegro in Bratislava, Slovakia. The regional jet will receive extensive maintenance and a new livery. The 40-AOB is being prepared in Podgorica, with the painting also to be done in the Slovakian capital at a later date. The fleet is to be expanded to include another Embraer 195 for the launch. Negotiations are underway with the lessor in connection with the 4O-AOC. However, the lessor is currently insisting on the settlement of the debts left behind by Montenegro Airlines. Air Montenegro announced that the first flights will be from Podgorica and Tivat to Belgrade. An exact date has not yet been set, but the aim is "the end of May or beginning of June 2021".

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