Browsing: Travel

Etihad Airways will launch year-round flights from Abu Dhabi to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea coast on Oct. 4, 2026. The service will connect Zayed International Airport with Red Sea International Airport in Tabuk Province. Etihad will start with one weekly flight, then increase the route to two flights a week from Oct. 25. The journey will take just over three hours, adding a sixth Saudi destination to Etihad’s network.

Indonesia reopened Jakarta’s main airport and several regional airports Tuesday after volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau disrupted air travel. More than 340,000 travelers faced delays, cancellations or diversions during the disruption. Nearly 3,000 flights across Indonesia felt the impact. Authorities reopened Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after winds cleared ash from critical aviation areas. Anak Krakatau remained active Tuesday, with monitors recording three smaller eruptions during the morning.

Air Arabia boosts Sharjah Bangkok routes to 28 weekly flights. Starting October 25, 2026, the airline will introduce a fourth daily non-stop service connecting Sharjah International Airport to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok. The added operational schedule brings the carrier’s weekly non-stop connections on the Sharjah-Bangkok route to 28 flights, enhancing schedule flexibility for leisure and business travelers. Air Arabia increases Bangkok frequency with four daily flights from Sharjah to meet growing regional travel demand across commercial corridors.

On Mondays and Saturdays, flight G9 0628 will leave Sharjah at 4 p.m. and arrive in Gdansk at 8 p.m. The return flight, G9 0629, will depart Gdansk at 8:50 p.m. It will reach Sharjah at 6:10 a.m. the following day. On Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, Sharjah departures are scheduled for 8:15 a.m. Return flights will leave Gdansk at 1:05 p.m. and arrive in Sharjah at 10:25 p.m. All published times are local.

The route will give Gothenburg its first direct air connection with the United Arab Emirates. It will also create the city’s first nonstop link to the Middle East and Asia. Passengers from western Sweden can connect through Abu Dhabi to destinations across India and Asia. The new service also provides direct access to Abu Dhabi for travelers departing from the Gothenburg region. Göteborg Landvetter Airport serves Gothenburg and the wider western Sweden market.

Spain has begun temporary border checks on travelers arriving from Italy by air and sea, in response to Italy imposing similar controls on arrivals from Spain. Document checks are being conducted on passengers at airports in Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Bilbao, Alicante, and Valencia. The controls are scheduled to remain in place until Sept. 7. Italy introduced its controls after a large migration influx into Ceuta, Spain’s North African enclave, and specified that they target non-EU nationals arriving from Spain.

South Korea recorded a $596.6 million tourism surplus in June 2026, its strongest monthly result since the COVID-19 pandemic. The figure marked a $1.44 billion improvement from June 2025, when the balance showed an $846.8 million deficit. Korea Tourism Organization data show June produced the second-highest monthly tourism surplus on record. Only October 2008 was higher, with a surplus of $661.5 million.