Starting next week, fully-vaccinated travellers entering Canada through Toronto Pearson International Airport will once again be subjected to mandatory random COVID-19 testing. The policy, which was temporary suspended last month amid long lines and delays at airports, will resume on July 19 for travellers arriving by air at Canada's four major Canadian airports in Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal and Toronto. The testing, however, will be conducted off-site as to not disrupt service at the airports. Individuals can get the tests either in-person at testing locations and pharmacies or use a self-swab test at home during a virtual appointment. “Moving testing outside of airports will support testing for travellers arriving by air while still being able to monitor and quickly respond to new variants of concern, or changes to the epidemiological situation,” officials said in a news release issued Thursday. “Mandatory random testing continues at land border points of entry, with no changes.”<br/>Travellers who are picked for random testing at Toronto Pearson will receive an email notification within 15 minutes of completing their customs declaration. Information on how to arrange a test will be provided at that time. Partially vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals will continue to be required to get a test upon arrival into the country and on day eight of their mandatory 14-day quarantine. All travellers must provide their information on the ArriveCAN app or website 72 hours prior to their arrival in the country.<br/>
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Safety concerns over passenger transport of lithium batteries has propelled European regulators to explore whether they could reasonably be detected using airport security screening equipment. Lithium batteries have long been a concern owing to the potential for thermal runaway, and the generation of smoke and fire. “Given their ubiquitous application in an ever-wider range of electric and electronic products, the amount of lithium metal and ion batteries transported by air is constantly growing,” says the EASA. It says such batteries – whether contained in equipment or not – are “one of the main causes” of cabin incidents. Although lithium batteries are permitted in cabin baggage, within limits, there are restrictions on carriage in hold luggage – with prohibitions on power banks, spare batteries, and electronic cigarettes. EASA says the routine screening of cabin and hold baggage presents an opportunity to examine whether battery detection is feasible. “There is a need to investigate possible technical, operational and regulatory solutions to support [detection of lithium batteries] without affecting the performance of screening operations,” it adds. This will form the basis of a new project that EASA has put out to tender, and for which it expects to award a contract in November. “Using security screening equipment with dedicated algorithms or software enabling or facilitating the detection of lithium batteries should be considered as one of the key elements,” says EASA. The project will look to identify the main limitations and constraints, as well as financial costs, of implementing such solutions – including assessment of the additional training and competencies that will be required of security personnel.<br/>
The new boss of Manchester Airport has warned he cannot promise passengers a "great" experience this summer. Managing director Chris Woodroofe told BBC News improvements have been made and he expects "the vast majority" of passengers to have a reasonable experience. Most will "get through security in 30 minutes, get on their plane and fly away", he said. But he admitted "there's going to be examples where that doesn't happen, and in advance, I'm sorry about that. That's a terrible thing to have happened because we want everyone to get on their way." Manchester and Gatwick airports both told the BBC they have been working hard behind the scenes to ensure summer goes smoothly, after challenges hit the re-start of international travel. However, they cannot promise things will be perfect, or back to a 2019 "normal" level of service. Airlines report most passengers have made their journeys without problems.<br/>
Saudi Arabia said it would open its airspace to all air carriers, paving the way for more overflights to and from Israel, in a decision welcomed by U.S. President Joe Biden who is due to visit the kingdom on Friday. The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) said the country's airspace was now open to all carriers that meet its requirements for overflights, in line with international conventions that say there should be no discrimination between civil aircraft. The decision will "complement the efforts aimed at consolidating the kingdom's position as a global hub connecting three continents and to enhance international air connectivity," GACA added. Bypassing Saudi Arabian airspace had added to flight times and increased fuel burn on some services to and from Israel. US President Joe Biden welcomed the decision, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said. "This decision paves the way for a more integrated, stable, and secure Middle East region, which is vital for the security and prosperity of the United States and the American people, and for the security and prosperity of Israel," Sullivan said. Earlier on Thursday, a US official said that Saudi Arabia would soon grant Israeli airlines unfettered overflight access and permit direct charter flights from Israel for Muslims participating in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Mecca.<br/>
The government will beef up quarantine inspections at major airports as the number of travelers are expected to rise sharply in the summer vacation season amid a new wave of virus resurgence, Interior Minister Lee Sang-min said Friday. Some 200 quarantine workers will be additionally assigned to Incheon International Airport, the No. 1 gateway to the country, and seven other regional airports in stages to tighten quarantine inspection, the minister said during a government virus response meeting. "The government will facilitate a safe tourism environment as travel demand is expected to shoot up due to the normalization of international air routes and the peak summer vacation season," Lee noted. Separately, the government will also assign about 2,500 workers at major tourist areas across the nation to ensure the compliance with antivirus rules and hygiene standards, according to the minister. Driven by a highly contagious mutation of the Omicron strains, BA.5, the nation is facing another virus resurgence.<br/>
Japan warned on Thursday that a new wave of COVID infections appeared to be spreading rapidly and urged people to take special care ahead of an approaching long weekend and school summer vacations. Tokyo’s 16,878 new cases on Wednesday were the highest since February, while the nationwide tally rose above 90,000, in a recent surge of COVID-19 infections to levels unseen since early this year. The Japanese capital marked 16,662 new cases on Thursday. In his first news conference since former premier Shinzo Abe was killed and after the ruling coalition won an election on Sunday, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the highest level of caution was needed. “The coronavirus is spreading throughout the nation and through all age groups,” he said, urging people to make sure they got their booster shots - especially those in their 20s and 30s, whose vaccination rate is lagging. "With summer vacations coming up, interaction between all generations will be increasing.” Additional steps included making fourth shots available to a wider range of people and establishing free testing sites at railway stations and airports, he said. “At this point, the number of seriously ill and deaths are still low. But the number of hospital beds in use, although low at this point, is on the rise,” Kishida said. But he added that no restrictions on movement were needed yet and he had no immediate plans to tighten border controls above the current level, which - with tourists limited to small group tours - remain among the strictest in the world.<br/>
Singapore expects to welcome between 4 and 6m visitors in 2022 as the international travel industry continues to recover. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said Thursday Singapore recorded 1.5m visitor arrivals in the first half of this year, nearly 12 times more compared with the same period in 2021. The arrivals were driven by visitors from Singapore’s top five markets, or 56% of the overall total, in the period: Indonesia (282,000), India (219,000), Malaysia (139,000), Australia (125,000) and Philippines (81,000). Notably, the average length of stay for visitors was 7.1 days in the first half of 2022, more than doubled compared with 3.4 days in 2019. While the arrivals remain a fraction of Singapore’s pre-pandemic numbers, STB said it maintains the view that tourism flows will recover to pre-COVID levels by the middle of this decade. Tourism receipts more than tripled to $1.3b in Q1 this year, compared with the same period last year. The growth was driven by all major components including shopping and accommodation. Indonesia, India and China were the top three markets for tourism receipts excluding expenditure on sightseeing entertainment and gaming.<br/>
The planned 300-baht tourism fee is expected to apply to all foreigners without exception, serving as insurance coverage of up to 500,000 baht per person in case of accidents. But the fee has been repeatedly postponed since it was proposed in January this year, with an uncertain timeline for its launch. Mongkon Wimonrat, assistant permanent secretary at the Tourism and Sports Ministry, said the collection method and system for those arriving by air is now ready to launch. However, he said the ministry needs to conduct further studies on land and sea entry, meaning the programme will start when all ports of entry are equipped with feasible collection methods. The tourism fee was initially planned for collection from international arrivals, with the exception of diplomats and expatriates in Thailand. However, Mongkon said exemptions for certain groups cannot be implemented as airline ticketing systems have to embed the fee, and airfares only recognise passenger information listed in passports. As a result, the fee collection will apply to all entrants who are not Thai citizens, regardless of nationality or visa type, he said. "The 300-baht fee will guarantee insurance coverage during foreigners' stay in Thailand for up to 30 days," said Mongkon.<br/>