British airline easyJet said domestic bookings for December had risen significantly this week compared to last week after news that some COVID-19 restrictions in its home market would be eased. England’s current lockdown bans most international travel, but when it ends on Dec. 2 people will be free to go abroad. Over Christmas, COVID-19 restrictions across the UK will be relaxed to allow families to mix for five days. The prospects for travel were also boosted after a rule change in England earlier this week which means from mid-December, arrivals in the UK can shorten their quarantine to five days from 14 if they test negative for coronavirus. EasyJet said bookings for flights from London and Bristol to Belfast, and London to Edinburgh had risen, and it had seen a 200% increase in searches for both flights and holidays to beach destinations for next year. “We know underlying demand is there, which we see every time travel restrictions are lifted,” easyJet chief executive Johan Lundgren said Thursday. “We continue to closely review our flying programme to ensure we are aligning our schedule with customer demand.”<br/>
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Flydubai Thursday launched direct flights to Tel Aviv, the first scheduled commercial service between the two cities, following the normalisation of ties between the UAE and Israel. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu will be on hand for the arrival of the inaugural flight after its nearly four-hour trip, his spokesman said. "PM Netanyahu will attend this morning the welcoming ceremony for the first @flydubai commercial flight that will arrive at Ben-Gurion International Airport," Ofir Gendelman said. "These are the fruits of peace Dear Emirati tourists, welcome to Israel!" The United Arab Emirates in September signed a landmark US-brokered deal to formalise relations with Israel, the first such agreement by an Arab state in the Gulf. With their economies hard hit by the coronavirus pandemic, the UAE and Israel are hoping for rapid dividends from the normalisation deal, including an influx of tourists as Dubai enters its winter high season. "The start of scheduled flights will contribute to economic development and create further opportunities for investment," flydubai CEO Ghaith al-Ghaith said when the service was announced earlier this month. The Dubai carrier will fly the route twice daily, and Israeli airlines El Al and Israir are both expected to launch their commercial services between the cities next month.<br/>
El Al will start operating three weekly flights to the Seychelles from Dec. 9, it said on Thursday, after Israeli authorities deemed the archipelago a reduced coronavirus risk. Subject to regulatory approvals, El Al plans to operate the flights from Ben Gurion Airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, with return flights from Victoria-Seychelles Airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, the flag carrier said. Flights will be on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, it said.<br/>
Israeli flag-carrier El Al has named Avigal Soreq as its new CE, succeeding Gonen Usishkin who will step down at the end of January next year. Soreq is the chief operating officer of Delek US Holdings, an energy firm based just south of Nashville, Tennessee, and specialising in assets associated with petroleum refining and logistics, as well as convenience stores in the southern USA. He will take over as the head of El Al on 31 January 2021, the airline has disclosed.<br/>
Philippine Airlines has dismissed claims that it is seeking court protection from creditors and looking to raise funds. Parent company PAL Holdings refers to a Nikkei Asia report dated 25 November, which cites contents of a PAL townhall meeting and a meeting between the airline and the Philippine government’s Department of Finance held last week. “Please be informed that we sought clarification from Philippine Airlines on the [article quoted] and was informed that there have been no definite decision on the matter,” PAL Holdings states today in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange. “The instruction from the board is to continue to study the best options for the airline as of this time.” The article claims that PAL is seeking court protection for its debt restructuring and is looking to return 20 of its leased aircraft to relieve a financial burden amounting to at least $1b. Furthermore, it plans to raise $505m through debtor-in-possession financing, for its liquidity needs post-restructuring. $255m will come from PAL’s controlling shareholder Lucio Tan, and $250m from private and government banks.<br/>
By the end of this year, travellers flying with budget carrier Scoot will be able to shop for duty-free items, play games and order food on their phones by just scanning a QR code. This will reduce surface contact and physical interactions between cabin crew and passengers, the carrier said on Thursday. The launch of the new mobile portal for use during flights is similar to what parent company Singapore Airlines (SIA) has done as both carriers seek to reassure customers that it is safe to take to the skies again amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Scoot said the portal - named ScootHub - will allow it to resume some services that were suspended following the pandemic. This included the purchase of food and duty-free shopping during flights. By next April, the portal will be upgraded to let passengers book tickets to attractions and other experiences. Passengers do not have to purchase any Wi-Fi connection to use it.<br/>
AirAsia Group Bhd is considering a rights issue, debt financing and even a private placement to raise more capital until air travel demand picks up. The group is also actively exploring other potential monetisation opportunities including hiving off part of its digital business as raising cash is vital for its survival. It plans to raise RM2b to RM2.5b and the funding should come in anytime from December to February 2021, analysts said. AirAsia is expected to secure loans of RM400m under the Danajamin government programme and RM300m from a bank in Sabah. AirAsia would still need an additional RM1.5b to RM1.8b. UOB Kay Hian expected a 1-for-1 rights issue priced at about 50 per share or a mixture of rights issue and convertible debt.. “Given that the book value at the end of the third quarter 2020 was RM0.35, investors could be lukewarm to equity issuance at a substantial premium to book value," UOB Kay Hian said. However, TA Research “see high chances for a successful fundraising exercise now due to vaccine optimism.’’ “We are mindful of the urgent needs for airlines to recapitalise their balance sheets but there could be a steep downwards adjustment to AirAsia’s share price in the event of a highly dilutive equity-raising exercise."<br/>