Saudi Arabia has begun receiving the first wave of international pilgrims under the Makkah Route initiative, as flights from multiple countries arrived in the Kingdom on Saturday ahead of the annual Hajj season.

The first aircraft carrying Pakistani beneficiaries of the program landed at Prince Mohammed bin Abdulaziz International Airport in Madinah after departing from Jinnah International Airport in Karachi. Pakistan has been allocated a total Hajj quota of 179,210 pilgrims this year, with approximately 118,000 places reserved under the government scheme and the remainder managed by private tour operators.

Officials, including Sindh Governor Nehal Hashmi, attended the departure ceremony. According to the Sindh Directorate of Hajj, 160 pilgrims were sent off with prayers and well wishes.

On the same day, a separate flight carrying Bangladeshi pilgrims arrived at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka. The pilgrims were seen off by Tarique Rahman and Saudi Ambassador Abdullah bin Abiyah, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

Flights under the initiative also departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia and Ankara Esenboga Airport in Türkiye, with both arriving in Madinah, reflecting the continued expansion of the program.

Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Passports confirmed it has deployed advanced technologies and specialized personnel across air, land, and sea entry points to ensure efficient processing and high service standards for arriving pilgrims throughout the Hajj season.

Meanwhile, the first group of Indian pilgrims was welcomed at Madinah airport by Ambassador Dr. Suhel Ajaz Khan and Consul General Fahad Ahmed Khan Suri, along with senior Saudi and Indian officials. The ambassador also reviewed airport facilities and met volunteers assisting pilgrims.

The Makkah Route initiative, implemented by the Saudi Ministry of Interior, is now in its eighth year and has expanded to 17 departure points across 10 countries. As part of the Pilgrim Experience Program under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the initiative has recently been extended to include Senegal and Brunei Darussalam, in addition to Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Türkiye, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Maldives.

The program aims to simplify travel for pilgrims by completing key entry procedures in their home countries, including electronic visa issuance, immigration clearance, and health verification. Luggage is also pre-coded and sorted according to accommodation arrangements in Saudi Arabia, enabling pilgrims to proceed directly to transport upon arrival without waiting at baggage claim areas.

Authorities said the initiative is carried out in coordination with multiple government entities, including the ministries of foreign affairs, health, and Hajj and Umrah. Since its launch in 2017, more than 1.25 million pilgrims have benefited from the service.

Source: arabnews

The Norwegian Group carried 2.9 million passengers in August 2026, including 2.5 million passengers on Norwegian and 359,000 on Widerøe.

Norwegian increased its capacity by 3% year on year, while passenger traffic climbed 4%. Its load factor improved by 0.4 percentage points to 86.3%. The airline operated an average of 94 aircraft during the month.

Regularity stood at 98.9%, rising to 99.6% when cancellations related to the Avinor air traffic controllers’ strike are excluded. The industrial action disrupted travel for more than 20,000 passengers. Norwegian’s punctuality rate, measured by departures within 15 minutes of schedule, was 80.8%.

Widerøe increased capacity by 2%, while traffic remained unchanged. Its load factor consequently declined by 1.8 percentage points to 75.8%. The regional airline recorded punctuality of 93.3%, an improvement of 1.5 percentage points, while regularity reached 97.4%.

Norwegian said booking activity for the autumn remained strong, particularly around the school holidays. Meanwhile, its Norwegian Reward loyalty programme has surpassed 10 million members and is introducing five new membership tiers.

Source: QCAA

African airlines recorded a 6.4% year-on-year increase in passenger demand in July 2026, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Capacity across African carriers increased by 9.0% compared with July 2025, while the passenger load factor stood at 74.1%. Domestic revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in the region rose 0.6% during the month.

Globally, total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased just 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%, while available seat kilometres, the industry measure of capacity, increased 0.3%.

The global load factor was 85.2%. International demand declined 0.1% year on year. When the Middle East was excluded, international demand increased 1.5%, with capacity also rising 0.3% and the load factor reaching 85.2%.

Domestic passenger demand worldwide grew 0.6% compared with July 2025, while domestic capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor stood at 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had produced a largely positive result despite weaker performance by carriers in North America and the Middle East.

She also noted that traffic through Gulf aviation hubs was continuing to recover.

Thomsen said airlines remained confident about demand for the final months of the year despite elevated fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. Carriers are planning to increase seat capacity by almost 3% in September, she added.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Global air passenger demand recorded modest growth in July 2026, as strong performances in several regions helped offset declines among carriers in North America and the Middle East, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) increased by 0.2% compared with July 2025. Excluding Middle Eastern airlines, global passenger demand rose by 1.2%.

Worldwide capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew by 0.3% year-on-year, while the global passenger load factor slipped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2%.

International traffic declined by 0.1% compared with the same month last year. However, excluding Middle Eastern carriers, international demand increased by 1.5%.

Domestic passenger demand rose by 0.6%, supported by a 0.2% increase in capacity. The domestic load factor reached 85.3%.

Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, said the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season had delivered an overall positive picture for aviation despite challenges in key markets.

“Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East,” she said, adding that traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover.

Thomsen noted that high fuel prices, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions remain challenges for the industry. However, airlines remain confident about demand later in the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost 3% in September.

European airlines posted demand growth of 3.1%, supported in particular by a 12.1% surge in traffic between Europe and Asia.

Latin American carriers recorded a 7.1% increase in demand, while African airlines reported growth of 6.4%.

Elsewhere, Asia-Pacific demand declined by 0.7%, and North American carriers saw a 2.3% fall. Middle Eastern airlines reported the sharpest decline, with demand down 9.5%, although the pace of the downturn continued to ease.

Domestic traffic rose 0.6% worldwide, with China and Brazil reporting strong growth. In contrast, domestic markets in the United States, Australia and India recorded declines.

Source: ZAWYA

Typhoon Dolphin brought torrential rain to Shanghai on Monday, August 10, 2026, flooding roads and commercial areas and severely disrupting air travel in the city.

The weather system forced Shanghai’s two airports to cancel a combined 943 flights, while their overall passenger capacity was reduced by nearly 40%.

The disruption followed Dolphin’s landfall in Zhejiang province on Sunday evening. The typhoon struck areas south and west of Shanghai with maximum sustained winds of 151 kilometres per hour near its centre.

Dolphin later weakened into a tropical storm, but its remaining rain bands continued to bring heavy precipitation across large parts of eastern China.

Shanghai, the country’s second-most populous city, experienced widespread flooding, including in several major commercial districts.

China Eastern Airlines said it was working to gradually restore flights to Shanghai, Zhejiang and other affected destinations as weather conditions improve.

Source: Asia News Network

Thousands of WestJet cabin crew members began strike action on Aug. 2 after nearly 11 months of contract negotiations failed to result in a new labor agreement, triggering widespread disruptions across the airline's network.

The industrial action involves around 4,400 flight attendants represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 8125. The strike officially started after talks between the union and the airline ended without a new collective agreement.

The labor dispute has already forced WestJet to cancel more than 300 flights, affecting travel plans across its domestic and international routes.

Ahead of the strike, the airline had begun grounding portions of its Boeing 737 fleet as a precautionary measure to minimize operational disruption and reduce the risk of leaving passengers and aircraft stranded during the work stoppage.

Source: Aero Time