Latest news with #KLM
Mint
an hour ago
- Business
- Mint
Airlines Suspend Gulf Flights as War Disruptions Reach Dubai
Major global airlines extended flight cancellations to the Persian Gulf, disrupting air traffic to critical hubs such as Dubai after the US struck nuclear sites in Iran and Tehran vowed to retaliate. Singapore Airlines Ltd. said it would suspend service to Dubai until Wednesday night and warned more flights could be scrapped. British Airways temporarily added cancellations for Dubai and Doha, while Dutch carrier KLM said it suspended flights to Dubai, Riyadh and Dammam in Saudi Arabia until further notice. The airlines' decisions highlight the potential for a widening of the war between Israel and Iran after US President Donald Trump joined the fight by attacking Iran's nuclear sites. The dramatic escalation risks retaliation, potentially disrupting economies that had previously been shielded from the fallout of regional hostilities. Sign up for our breaking news alerts for the latest developments on the Israel-Iran war. Dubai, home to Emirates, and Doha, the capital of Qatar and its namesake airline, are major travel hubs that handle much of the traffic within the Middle East and form a crossroads for long-haul travel between Asia, Europe and North America. They had avoided previous suspensions that were contained to countries surrounding Israel and the skies over nations where Iran's missiles pass. Prior to the US strikes on Sunday, Tehran threatened to hit US bases in the Persian Gulf should Washington get involved, and close down the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil-trade waterway bordering with the United Arab Emirates and Oman. Qatar hosts the largest US base in the region, while Bahrain is home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet. 'A widening conflict around the Strait of Hormuz could threaten to disrupt global airline traffic, particularly if flight restrictions to key transfer hubs in Qatar and the UAE were to occur,' Bloomberg Intelligence analysts Eric Zhu and George Ferguson wrote in a note. Excluding local carriers, Indian airlines including IndiGo, Turkish Airlines and British Airways are among the most exposed, they wrote. Shares of the major network carriers fell, including Air France-KLM, Deutsche Lufthansa AG and BA parent IAG SA in Europe. United Airlines Holdings Inc. and Delta Air Lines Inc. declined in US trading. Singapore Airlines has halted flights to Dubai from the city-state since Sunday over security concerns. British Airways diverted a Dubai-bound flight to Zurich after it reached Saudi Arabia's airspace in the early hours of Sunday, according to data from Flightradar24. Another jet returned to Heathrow after going as far as Egypt. The London-based carrier earlier halted routes to Bahrain through the end of the month due to operational constraints and airspace restrictions. With no clear view on next steps, some companies began to take precautions. Japan's biggest banks are considering evacuating employees, with Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc. beginning to pull out the families of staff. Japan's biggest bank has also halted unnecessary travel in and out of the region. Asian airlines have also taken steps to safeguard passengers and crews. Japan Airlines Co. plans to have flights between Tokyo's Haneda airport and Doha avoid airspace above the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, adding about 20 minutes to journeys. Air India Ltd. will progressively avoid the use of certain airspace over the Persian Gulf in the coming days. The actions follow Trump's decision to undertake the US' first direct military action against Iran after decades of hostility, pushing the Middle East into uncharted territory. The possibility of further disruption will depend on how forcefully Iran retaliates. Trump has threatened more attacks if Tehran doesn't capitulate. Even before the US strikes, several American and European airlines had paused flights to the United Arab Emirates and Qatar after Israel started bombarding Iran. The skies over large swaths of the Middle East have been restricted several times during the past 20 months, making flying through Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Iran difficult. The closures have forced airlines to cancel flights on profitable routes, spend more on jet fuel and pass through countries they usually avoid like Afghanistan, as they avoid dangerous skies. It has also meant hundreds of disrupted flights and thousands of stranded passengers. Israel has started to allow outbound flights after halting them since its latest attacks on Iran starting June 13. Tel Aviv is expected to let about 1,000 passengers per day leave the country from Ben Gurion Airport and Haifa. The flights, which have a strict limit of 50 passengers per plane to prevent too many people from congregating and presenting a major target at the airport. The government will prioritize foreigners, diplomats and nationals needing to evacuate for life-saving or humanitarian reasons. The UK is organizing a chartered flight for British nationals who want to leave Israel, while Germany sent a military transport plane to extract citizens and France said it also plans repatriation flights. 'Everything depends on how long this lasts,' Ziad Daoud, chief emerging markets economist at Bloomberg Economics, said of the fallout from the flight cancellations. 'If there was a stoppage of flights for a day or two, there won't be an impact, but if this is a prolonged thing then obviously it's an issue.' Dubai airport deferred all queries to the emirate's media office who said the hub remains fully operational for the time being, with the vast majority of flights running on schedule. With assistance from Danny Lee, Siddharth Philip, Nicholas Takahashi, Mihir Mishra and Dan Williams. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Daily Record
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Daily Record
Connor Syme shares photo with Robbie Williams as Scottish golf star ready to rock The Open
Scottish star looking to back-up Dutch success with big show in Italy Connor Syme is aiming to go from a night with Robbie Williams to rocking The Open at Royal Portrush. The Fifer is brimming with belief heading into this week's Italian Open after his stunning first DP World Tour success last time out at the KLM Open earlier this month. Syme wants to keep rolling and now enters a three-week run of events which he hopes can lead to him securing a place in The 153rd Championship. Italy, the BMW International Open in Munich and the Genesis Scottish Open all offer tickets to Royal Portrush through high finishes. Syme and Bob MacIntyre played together at the iconic Northern Ireland venue during the Home Internationals a decade ago and he also reached the semi-finals of the Amateur Championship there the previous year. The pair can be reunited at the track with two Open spots firstly up for grabs in Italy and, speaking to the DP World Tour website, Syme said: 'It dangles a carrot onto already a brilliant golf tournament in the Italian Open. "I'd love to go back and play and try and test my game against the best in the world. Obviously, on the back of a win, it would feel really cool to do so. "My goal was obviously to try and get into the Majors first and foremost. To try and play them on a regular basis would be brilliant. Winning the KLM Open felt like a big hurdle for me and hopefully I can kick on from here. 'Obviously, Bob's been the gold standard for Scottish golf for a number of years now. It's so, so impressive what he's doing. I watched all the golf on the Sunday [of the US Open]. "It was very cool and inspiring to watch him do that. I've known Bob for a long time and seen him do that through all age groups, so this doesn't surprise me at all that he's now doing it at such a big stage. But, if I am taking anything from what I was able to do at the KLM, then it is to just really focus on what I was doing and what my brand of golf was like. 'As I said in my interview after finishing, I felt a lot more ready to step over the line this time. It just felt unbelievable. Was it worth the wait and did it make it feel a lot sweeter? Yeah, probably. Obviously with it being such a historic tournament as well, it's really, really special. I remember Padraig Harrington playing the Senior Open a couple of years back and he was talking about how golf is at least 90 per cent mental. For whatever reason, I was just able to get into such an amazing state of mind, certainly over the weekend anyway, and not focus so much on the outcome.' Syme's success added to Scotland's outstanding recent run with MacIntyre's Major efforts, Calum Hill's win in South Africa and strong displays from other Tartan stars such as Ewen Ferguson and Grant Forrest. He said: 'I am obviously trying to write my own script and my own history I suppose, but you do obviously feel the weight of: Is this ever going to happen? 'Calum was able to win for the second time this year, Ewen has got three wins. Before it did maybe add a bit more pressure on me to do it because I was aware I was the last one out of that crop to try and do that.' Since returning from Amsterdam, Syme and his wife, Alanis, have attended a Williams concert in Manchester and had a snap taken with the superstar backstage. He said: 'Nothing has felt rushed since the win. To actually enjoy it for the week, rather than jumping straight back into a tournament was extra special.'
Zawya
3 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Tanzania opens skies to stem tourism losses after EU flights ban
In a bid to restore the confidence of air travellers to Tanzania, the government has extended traffic rights to international airlines to stem a crisis following the recent European Union ban on Tanzania-registered aircraft. Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA), in extending freedoms of the air to KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways, said the decision was to safeguard tourism, business continuity and international mobility.'The TCAA has granted additional rights, for a period of six months, to KLM, Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways to support and facilitate local and regional connections to major Tanzanian destinations,' director-general Salim Msangi said in a statement. The authority assured travellers that the European Union ban on all planes registered in the country did not apply to aircraft certified outside Tanzania. The assurance came as foreign travellers started to shun air transport in Tanzania, with many cancelling their safaris, a move that Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (Tato) said affected the tourism industry.'This has greatly impacted the industry, as most tourists were refusing to get on planes, even while flying to the national parks, opting for road trips instead,' said Tato chairperson Willy Chambulo. But he was more concerned about cancelled international flights by tourists who had booked safaris to Tanzania and called on the government to speed up the process of clearing the issue with the EU. The ban was an indictment of the TCAA, and Msangi says they are taking the necessary measures to ensure seamless movement and constant connectivity to and from all destinations in Tanzania. He said the EU decision does not affect airlines that are registered outside Tanzania, and pleaded with Tanzania-bound travellers to stop cancelling their bookings. The authority said Tanzanian operators that have regulatory clearance to partner with internationally registered operators through codeshare or block permit arrangements still allow continued operation within destinations in Tanzania, without disruption.'We take this opportunity to reaffirm that Tanzania remains open and accessible, and the aviation sector continues to function under international safety and regulatory standards. These temporary arrangements are designed to preserve business continuity, investor confidence, and service reliability during this period,' TCAA said. National carrier Air Tanzania (ATCL) is among airlines banned from flying within the European Union's airspace because of safety concerns. This decision was based on serious safety concerns identified during assessments conducted by the EU aviation safety experts. They revealed that civil aviation authorities were unable to ensure compliance with international safety standards for air carriers. For Suriname and Tanzania, the identified safety shortcomings cover both operational and regulatory areas. A total of 169 airlines are banned from EU skies. These include a shortage of qualified personnel, ineffective oversight processes in flight operations and airworthiness, and non-compliance with international safety standards by both countries' civil aviation authorities and certified air carriers. The EU Air Safety List is based on the unanimous opinion of member state aviation safety experts, who met in Brussels from May 13 to 15 2025 under the auspices of the EU Air Safety Committee. This Committee is chaired by the European Commission with support from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The European Parliament's Transport Committee supported the update. Decisions under the EU Air Safety List are based on international safety standards, and notably the standards decreed by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO). Another 22 airlines certified in Russia, as well as five individual airlines from other states, based on serious safety deficiencies identified: Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran), Fly Baghdad (Iraq) and Iraqi Airways (Iraq) are either banned from operating in the EU or face operational restrictions. Two additional airlines are subject to operational restrictions and can only fly to the EU with specific aircraft types: Iran Air (Iran) and Air Koryo (Democratic People's Republic of Korea). Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas insisted that passenger safety remains their top priority. © Copyright 2022 Nation Media Group. All Rights Reserved. Provided by SyndiGate Media Inc. (
Vancouver Sun
4 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Why a Toronto-bound flight from Amsterdam turned back after five hours in the air
A flight this week from Amsterdam to Toronto spent more than five hours in the air before landing — in Amsterdam. The cause was a missed scheduled maintenance that was discovered while the plane was over the Atlantic Ocean, requiring it to do a U-turn and return home. The aircraft, an Airbus A330-303, had already been delayed 90 minutes from its original departure time of 11:20 a.m. local time, for what should have been an eight-hour flight from Schiphol airport to Toronto. That was due to a last-minute change of plane because the air conditioning on the original one wasn't working. But the new plane had its own issues. As reported on the website View from the Wing and elsewhere, the crew realized only en route that there was required maintenance for the aircraft that had not been performed. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. KLM confirmed to Business Insider magazine that the U-turn was caused by the aircraft reaching what it called a 'maintenance deadline.' 'During flight KL691 from Amsterdam to Toronto, it was decided to return to Schiphol as a precaution after it became apparent during the flight that the replacement aircraft (PH-AKA) would reach its maintenance deadline,' the airline said in a statement. 'The aircraft was fully airworthy at the time of departure,' it added. 'To prevent the license from expiring during the flight, it was decided to return to perform the maintenance in the Netherlands.' The delay — more than three hours on a flight of more than 3,500 kms — means that, due to European laws , each passenger is entitled to 600 euros in compensation, as well as rebooking by the airline. 'Although all passengers were rebooked upon arrival, we naturally find it very unfortunate for the passengers who were affected by this,' KLM said in its statement. Flight data from shows that the aircraft was south of Iceland and nearly midway across the Atlantic when it turned around. Last-minute aircraft swaps have caused issues in the past. View from the Wing details how, earlier this month, American Airlines swapped out a Boeing 787-8 for a similar 787-9, then sent the latter on a flight from Philadelphia to Naples, Italy. But the runway at Naples wasn't certified for the 787-9, so it had to be diverted to Rome, 200 kms to the north. National Post has reached out to KLM for further comment. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here .
National Post
4 days ago
- National Post
Why a Toronto-bound flight from Amsterdam turned back after five hours in the air
A flight this week from Amsterdam to Toronto spent more than five hours in the air before landing — in Amsterdam. The cause was a missed scheduled maintenance that was discovered while the plane was over the Atlantic Ocean, requiring it to do a U-turn and return home. Article content The aircraft, an Airbus A330-303, had already been delayed 90 minutes from its original departure time of 11:20 a.m. local time, for what should have been an eight-hour flight from Schiphol airport to Toronto. That was due to a last-minute change of plane because the air conditioning on the original one wasn't working. Article content Article content Article content But the new plane had its own issues. As reported on the website View from the Wing and elsewhere, the crew realized only en route that there was required maintenance for the aircraft that had not been performed. Article content Article content 'During flight KL691 from Amsterdam to Toronto, it was decided to return to Schiphol as a precaution after it became apparent during the flight that the replacement aircraft (PH-AKA) would reach its maintenance deadline,' the airline said in a statement. Article content 'The aircraft was fully airworthy at the time of departure,' it added. 'To prevent the license from expiring during the flight, it was decided to return to perform the maintenance in the Netherlands.' Article content The delay — more than three hours on a flight of more than 3,500 kms — means that, due to European laws, each passenger is entitled to 600 euros in compensation, as well as rebooking by the airline. Article content Article content 'Although all passengers were rebooked upon arrival, we naturally find it very unfortunate for the passengers who were affected by this,' KLM said in its statement. Article content Article content Flight data from shows that the aircraft was south of Iceland and nearly midway across the Atlantic when it turned around. Article content Last-minute aircraft swaps have caused issues in the past. View from the Wing details how, earlier this month, American Airlines swapped out a Boeing 787-8 for a similar 787-9, then sent the latter on a flight from Philadelphia to Naples, Italy. But the runway at Naples wasn't certified for the 787-9, so it had to be diverted to Rome, 200 kms to the north. Article content
