Russia's Aeroflot cancels more flights but says schedule is now 'stabilised' after cyberattack
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South China Morning Post
9 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
India rejects call to change ‘GAY' airport code after MP deems it ‘culturally offensive'
India 's civil aviation ministry has rejected calls to change the 'GAY' code for Gaya International Airport after a lawmaker deemed it 'offensive', saying such International Air Transport Association (IATA) codes are permanent and can only be altered for aviation safety reasons. The clarification came after Bhim Singh, a member of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, told the Rajya Sabha – the upper house of India's parliament – on Tuesday that the term 'gay' was 'socially and culturally offensive and uncomfortable', especially for a religious destination like Gaya. Gaya, in eastern Bihar, is one of India's oldest and most sacred cities – a major pilgrimage centre for Hindus and Buddhists. Nearby Bodh Gaya, just about 5 km away, is the site where Gautama Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment, and its Mahabodhi Temple was designated a Unesco World Heritage site in June 2002. Singh asked if the government had received complaints about the code and whether it intended to consider a change to a 'more respectful and culturally appropriate' alternative, according to the Hindustan Times. Flowers adorn Gaya's Mahabodhi Temple, in Bihar state. In a written reply, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said the code was assigned by the IATA, and that changes were only permitted under limited criteria. 'IATA location codes are considered permanent and are altered only under exceptional circumstances, usually involving air safety concerns,' Mohol told the Rajya Sabha, as quoted by The Hans India.
South China Morning Post
20 hours ago
- South China Morning Post
How will Hong Kong expansion plans by overseas airlines energise local aviation?
The plans of three overseas airlines to resume or expand services for their US and Middle East routes to Hong Kong reaffirm its aviation hub status despite geopolitical challenges, analysts have said, as the number of carriers flying to the city exceeded pre-pandemic levels. The experts also said they expected Cathay Pacific Airways, the city's flag carrier, to face heightened competition for direct US services and indirect Gulf-transit options, while passengers could anticipate more choices and moderate fare reductions for long-haul flights. Among the airlines returning to Hong Kong is the United States-based Delta Air Lines, which will be bringing back its non-stop flights between the city and Los Angeles from June next year. The airline ran a direct service between Hong Kong and Seattle until 2018, with the route discontinued amid challenging market dynamics. Fellow US carrier United Airlines will launch an intra-Asia route that will connect Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Bangkok, and another bridging San Francisco, Hong Kong and Ho Chi Minh City. The new routes are set to launch in late October this year. It earlier resumed its nonstop service between Hong Kong and San Francisco in March 2023 after axing the route at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
RTHK
2 days ago
- RTHK
US to require US$15,000 bond for some visitors
US to require US$15,000 bond for some visitors The 12-month pilot scheme only targets foreign nationals from countries considered to have high visa overstay rates. Photo: Reuters The US State Department said Monday some visa applicants will soon be required to pay bonds of up to US$15,000 to discourage visa overstays as part of President Donald Trump's crackdown on migration. Starting later this month, the pilot programme will require applicants from certain countries to pay a sum of "no less than US$5,000" as collateral for the issuance of their visa. The funds will be returned if the applicant complies with all visa terms. If the applicant remains in the United States past the deadline, the funds will be forfeited. "Consular officers may require covered non-immigrant visa applicants to post a bond of up to $15,000 as a condition of visa issuance," the agency said in a notice to be published Tuesday in the US Federal Register. The 12-month programme would only affect foreign nationals from countries considered to have "high visa overstay rates" based on a 2023 Department of Homeland Security report, the notice said. Bond payments will also be required by applicants from countries "where screening and vetting information is deemed deficient," the notice added, as well as those who were granted citizenship without a residency requirement. "The pilot reinforces the Trump Administration's commitment to enforcing US immigration laws and safeguarding US national security," a State Department spokesperson said in response to an AFP inquiry. Neither the notice nor the spokesperson specified which countries would be impacted by the new rule. The programme, which will begin on August 20, will apply to B-1 or B-2 non-immigrant visas, and those asked to pay bonds will have to enter and depart from the United States from a list of pre-selected airports. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump and his administration have cracked down on migration to the United States. The State Department justified the launch of the pilot programme by calling it "a key pillar of the Trump Administration's foreign policy to protect the United States from the clear national security threat posed by visa overstays". (AFP)
