United said Monday it has not made any adjustments to its flight schedule to southern Africa following the discovery of the Omicron coronavirus variant. The Chicago-based carrier currently operates five flights per week between Newark and Johannesburg and plans to restart service between Newark and Cape Town on Dec. 1 as scheduled.<br/>
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Turkish Airlines said Monday that it has no current plans to invest in a foreign airline, after a Portuguese newspaper reported that the airline was interested in buying a controlling stake in Portugal's ailing flag carrier TAP. Citing diplomatic sources, Portuguese newspaper Negocios said on Monday that Turkish Airlines was interested in a controlling stake in TAP and could invest up to E1.9b, but would only start negotiations after Portugal's snap general election, due to be held on Jan. 30. "There are stories in certain national and international media outlets that Turkish Airlines will invest in a foreign airline company," the airline said. "However, the stories being published as of today do not reflect the truth. Our (company) does not have any initiative to invest in an international airline," it said. A spokesperson for Portugal's Infrastructure Ministry, when asked if the government had been approached by Turkish Airlines about a possible investment in state-owned TAP, said the ministry was unaware of any interest: "The Infrastructure Ministry does not have any information in this regard," the spokesperson said.TAP declined to comment. <br/>
Four people, including a foreign national, were killed and 19 others hurt in Istanbul on Monday due to extreme winds across Turkey's biggest city and its surrounding regions, the governor's office said. Strong winds of up to 130 km (81 miles) per hour were felt in Istanbul on Monday, according to the country's Meteorology General Directorate (MGM), with extreme conditions expected in nearby provinces like the western coastal city of Izmir. The MGM warned that the winds would continue on Tuesday. Turkey's flag-carrier Turkish Airlines reported disruptions to its flight schedule, while the Bosphorus has been closed to traffic from both directions.<br/>
Singapore started contact tracing for airport staff who may have come into contact with two travelers infected with the omicron variant of Covid-19 who transited through Changi Airport on their way to Australia from South Africa, the health ministry said Monday. Two individuals, described as being from southern Africa, flew from Johannesburg to Singapore on a Singapore Airlines flight Nov. 27, and had tested negative for Covid on Nov. 26 in South Africa, the ministry said. They later flew onward to Sydney on another Singapore Airlines flight, where they tested positive for the omicron variant. While most of the travelers for the Singapore Airlines flight from Johannesburg had remained in the transit area until their departure for Sydney, seven disembarked, the ministry said in a statement. Six of them are in isolation at a dedicated facility and one, a close contact of an infected individual on the flight, has been quarantined. Singapore earlier restricted travel from southern Africa and delayed the launch of vaccinated travel lanes with the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Saudi Arabia over omicron concerns as the three countries are connection points for travelers from southern Africa traveling to Asia. The flight in question from Johannesburg arrived before the restrictions took effect. All staff on the flight will self quarantine and get tested for the disease, Singapore Airlines was cited by the Straits Times as saying.<br/>
Air New Zealand received over 17,000 bookings for international flights within one day of the New Zealand government announcing new rules for international travel. Last week, it was announced that fully vaccinated New Zealand citizens will be able to travel to Australia and return home without entering a two-week quarantine from 16 January and return from anywhere else in the world from 13 February. The New Zealand government has also said fully vaccinated foreign travellers will be welcome from 30 April. Under the new rules, all travellers will be required to take a COVID test on arrival and self-isolate for seven days before entering the community. Pre-flight testing will also be required prior to departing. According to a report by the NZ Herald, within one day of the announcement, Air New Zealand had already accepted 17,000 new bookings for overseas travel, and noted particular demand for trans-Tasman services. Air New Zealand chief customer and sales officer Leanne Geraghty said she was “absolutely delighted” by the reopening announcement, and the strong demand seen for overseas flights. “We’ve been waiting for such a long period of time for the certainty that was given, albeit we appreciate there are some requirements, but on the whole we’re incredibly excited with the fact that we can get Kiwis moving again,” she said.<br/>