Qantas Airways travel tips

Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd raised its first-half pre-tax profit outlook on Wednesday on strong travel demand, with limits on international capacity helping boost domestic tourism, sending its shares to more than a two-year high.

United Airlines said it was canceling its service to Tel Aviv on Saturday, as reports came out that Iran was launching drones toward Israel.

Malaysia Airlines has entered into a codeshare agreement with India’s largest airline IndiGo. The agreement would allow the airlines to provide the networks of both carriers to their respective customers. 

Australia saw a record-breaking number of arrivals from India last year.

The first commercial flight of India’s newest airline, Fly91, took off on Monday. The Goa-based airline’s maiden flight was on the Goa-Bengaluru route. Its next flight is scheduled for Tuesday between Goa and Hyderabad. 

From Afghanistan to Zambia, Turkish Airlines flies to more countries than any other carrier. But one nation has proved to be rather elusive, at least until now.

Jetstar Asia, the low-cost carrier based in Singapore, has appointed John Simeone as its new CEO. Barathan Pasupathi, the outgoing CEO who led the airline for 12 years, will step down from his role on March 1 to “pursue other opportunities.”

Qantas has unveiled the livery of its first QantasLink Airbus A220, which will be the sixth aircraft to feature in its Flying Art Series when it comes into service as part of the group’s domestic fleet renewal program.

Akbar Al Baker is retiring as chief executive of Qatar Airways following more than two decades at the helm of the state-owned carrier, according to a source familiar with the matter.

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Last week, Australia’s High Commissioner to India, Philip Green said India became the first country to return to and surpass pre-pandemic levels of travel to Australia. 

Australia’s Qantas Airways said its long-serving CEO would bring forward his retirement amid a publicity firestorm over an accusation of illegal ticket sales, signaling what the flagship carrier hopes is the end of a tumultuous period.

Chinese airlines will be the early winners of the country’s international reopening, analysts say, having kept most widebody planes and staff ready while foreign carriers struggle with capacity constraints after previous border openings.

Bain Capital said on Monday it is looking to relist airline Virgin Australia, in a move that would come as the domestic aviation market bounces back strongly from pandemic lows.

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Top U.S. lawmakers have urged the Biden administration to address the visa wait time issue in India on a priority basis. Visa delays are the single biggest impediment to exponential growth in travel between the U.S. and India. The U.S. Consulate’s all-hands-on-deck approach — such as bringing processing staff in on weekends, making embassies available to Indian nationals in other countries and hiring more staff — has reduced the wait times in the country by 50 percent, from an average of 669 days in mid-March to 337 days in early April, according to the U.S. Travel Association. 

Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd posted a significant turnaround in its profit on Thursday, underpinned by a continued strong rebound in travel demand, and announced a share buyback of A$500 million.