EgyptAir said on Tuesday it will resume its flights to the Russian capital of Moscow from April 15. "EgyptAir will resume its direct flights between Cairo and Moscow, one daily, number MS729-MS730, on board of Airlines Boeing B737-800," EgyptAir said. EgyptAir canceled last month all flights to Moscow due to problems with European flight insurance amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and the European sanctions against Russia. On Monday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi signed a law that allows the finance minister to provide EgyptAir with an insurance guarantee that covers risks including wars or hijacking during flights to and from Russian airports. <br/>
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Ethiopian Airlines has announced the resumption of thrice-weekly passenger flights to Bengaluru, India as of March 27. The airline announced the recommencement of after it halted operations for two years due to the pandemic. Ethiopian operated its first flight services to Bengaluru in October 2019. The nonstop service between Bengaluru and Addis Ababa is being carried out using a B738 aircraft. The capital of the Indian state of Karnataka, Bengaluru is dubbed ‘Silicon Valley of India’ and serves as the center of technology and innovation. CEO of Ethiopian Airlines Group Mesfin Tasew said: “We are glad to have resumed flights to the commercial capital of India and we will be committed in serving our customers with our high quality services." <br/>
Australians started arriving in New Zealand on Wednesday after it opened its borders to travellers from its neighbouring nation for the first time since mid-2021. New Zealand had some of the toughest curbs in the world during the pandemic and its borders have been closed for most of the time since March 2020, except for a short-lived travel bubble between New Zealand and Australia last year that was suspended after a few months as COVID-19 spread. But the government has started to ease these increasingly unpopular measures, hoping to boost tourism and ease labour shortages now that Omicron is widespread domestically. "This is the first step in welcoming international visitors back to our shores and we couldn't be more excited for both New Zealand and Air New Zealand," said Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty. The airline said that it was running 11 near-full flights from Australia with the first landing at Auckland International Airport earlier this morning. Television footage showed emotional scenes of families and friends reuniting as two flights from Australia touched down in Auckland. Signs were distributed to those waiting in the Arrivals Lounge declaring "Hello & Kia Ora & G'day & Welcome". Foreigners were previously banned outright from entering, and until February citizens looking to return had to either make emergency requests to the government or secure a spot in state quarantine facilities. Tourists from visa-waiver countries including the United States, Britain and Singapore will now be able to visit from May 1. The border will remain closed for all other visitors until October. Chris Hipkins, COVID-19 Response Minister, said restrictions within the country would be further eased too as the number of new cases fall and pressures ease on hospitals.<br/>