President Joe Biden will add South Africa to the list of countries from which non-US citizens are restricted from entering the USA. US officials are hoping to limit the spread of a highly infectious new Covid-19 variant that has taken root in South Africa. Biden also on 25 January is reversing former president Donald Trump's 18 January proclamation terminating coronavirus-related travel restrictions on non-US citizens entering the country from the 26 European countries of the Schengen area, the UK, Republic of Ireland and Brazil. Trump's proclamation was to be effective on 26 January. "With the pandemic worsening, and more contagious variants spreading, this isn't the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel," Jen Psaki, Biden's White House press secretary, said during a press briefing on 25 January. "And in light of the contagious variant B.1.351, South Africa has been added to the restricted list." Additionally, beginning on 26 January international travellers to the USA must provide to airlines proof of a negative Covid-19 test within three days of departure. No direct flights from South Africa to the USA are scheduled in January or February. Delta Air Lines and South African Airways intend to operate in March nine and eight South Africa-US flights, respectively, as of 25 January.

All Nippon Airways will retire large aircraft operating domestic flights “ahead of schedule” — and cut their utilisation by half — as it discloses that domestic operations will “make up the core” of its earnings in the coming financial year, which begins on 1 April. Outlining interim flight schedules for the new year, the Star Alliance carrier says it will “temporarily utilise aircraft for international routes on domestic flights”, while its small to medium jets will supplement operations. ANA adds: “Compared to [financial year 2020], the usage rate of large aircraft will be reduced by 50%, while the usage rate of small aircraft will increase by 30%.” While it did not elaborate which aircraft it was referring to, ANA has a sizeable widebody domestic fleet, including Boeing 777-300s which are configured to seat more than 500 passengers. Other densely-configured aircraft include 777-200s which can seat more than 400 passengers, as well as its 787-9, which has 395 seats in a domestic configuration. Some of ANA’s 777 are already on the way out. In October 2020 the carrier said it would retire 22 older 777s following a broader business reorganisation amid the coronavirus pandemic. The move will impact both domestic and international networks, says ANA. For the coming financial year, ANA will double down on adjusting its domestic network, in the hopes of maximising revenue. “In planning operations, ANA will raise profitability by monitoring demand trends and the status of the market more frequently. We will also suspend or reduce flights in response to demand while increasing the frequency for certain routes when there is an increase in demand at peak seasons,” the carrier says of its domestic network. To this end, the carrier has ramped up capacity on flights to Hokkaido and Okinawa in the summer months, in anticipation of increased demand.
On its international operations, ANA says it is still affected by border closures and travel restrictions — aimed at curbing the pandemic’s spread — and will adjust operations accordingly. A series of international flight launches from Tokyo Haneda — such as Stockholm, San Jose and Sydney — have been postponed indefinitely. The airline adds that it will be utilising more 787s on international flights, after the move to retire some 777s. ANA’s latest disclosure follows compatriot Japan Airlines’ announcement of tweaks to its domestic schedules and fleet plans. JAL, which in October said it was speeding up the retirement of its older 777s, will “continue to add more Airbus A350-900 aircraft into its domestic fleet lineup” in the coming financial year. Its regional unit Hokkaido Air System will complete its fleet replacement efforts, which involve taking delivery of ATR 42-600s to replace older Saab 340 turboprops.

The US air transport and travel industries are pushing back on a potential quarantine requirement for international travellers arriving in the USA, currently being weighed by the administration of President Joe Biden, in order to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Trade groups on 22 January say a mandatory self-isolation rule would be an additional setback to an industry trying to regain its footing following an almost-year-long decline, and it is also likely unenforceable. The idea was floated by President Biden himself in a televised statement on 21 January when he said, “In addition to wearing masks, everyone flying to the United States from other countries will need to test before they get on that plane, before they depart, and quarantine when they arrive in America.” “We believe a mandatory quarantine requirement for international travellers could be extremely difficult to enforce – and unnecessary in light of required testing and the many other protections now in place,” trade group US Travel Association says. Earlier this week, Biden signed an executive order that mandates face coverings on all interstate travel in public transportation by air, sea and land, which includes all flights within and to the USA. The rule supports airlines’ own rules, which they had imposed early in the pandemic to add a layer of protection for crews and passengers. In addition, the US government plans to require a negative coronavirus test result that is less than 72h old as a prerequisite for boarding US-bound aircraft beginning on 26 January. Airlines will be responsible for ensuring customers have the correct documentation in either paper or electronic form. Airline trade group Airlines for America (A4A) views the testing requirement as far more effective than quarantines, and earlier this week asked the Department of Transportation to lead the creation of global testing standards for international travellers. “US airlines have been strong advocates for a national testing standard set by the federal government and appreciate that the executive order moves our country forward on a framework for testing,” A4A says on 22 January. “We remain hopeful that this announcement will be followed by a recognition that testing can be used to safely resume travel without quarantines, which are difficult to enforce and often prove ineffective,” the organisation adds. The US government has said the testing rule will be for international flights only. Airlines and other industry professionals say they do not anticipate the same requirement will be imposed on domestic travellers. “In the domestic environment, where there aren’t defined ports of entry for travellers, mandatory testing and other requirements are also impractical and could divert scarce public health resources away from other priorities,” the US Travel Association adds. United Airlines, which reported fourth-quarter results on 20 January, said that since the announcement of the new testing requirement last week, it had seen a “noticeable” decline in bookings to and from beach destinations in Mexico. Previously, there had been few restrictions on travel to and from the Latin American country. US neighbour Canada has had a national quarantine mandate since March 2020, and added a testing requirement for inbound passengers two weeks ago.