Travel News & Entry Updates

flydubai FZ 1073 landed safely at Tabuk after what the airline calls an altercation in the flight deck. What is confirmed, what is not, and whether other flydubai flights are affected.

A 20-key resort beside Rotela Lake in Jawai’s leopard country and a 10-suite safari lodge near Ranthambore National Park are due to open in October 2026. What each offers, and what to check.

Uzbekistan’s Centrum Air is due to begin twice-weekly Tashkent–Hyderabad flights on 28 September, its second Indian city after Delhi. Schedule, aircraft and what Indians need for Uzbekistan.

Updated 1 October: Thailand’s tourism authority says conditions in Bangkok have improved and visitors can get around as usual. Airports, the Airport Rail Link, BTS and MRT are running.

Official estimates put tourism at 5.22% of GDP and 8.46 crore jobs in 2023–24. Newer data shows foreign tourism earnings and arrivals fell in 2025, the arrivals largely because of a sharp drop from Bangladesh.

The tourism ministry launched a mission to spread travel to lesser-known places and a shared booking infrastructure built with ONDC. Its pilot is due in January 2027; nothing is bookable yet.

PAL says it plans nonstop flights from Manila to Delhi three times a week and to Mumbai four times a week from December 2026, if the Indian government approves. Not yet a confirmed launch.

Assam’s Manas National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, opens for the 2026–27 season on 2 October. Each of its four ranges will close to visitors one day a week.

Aman has named its first Maldives resort Amanolu: 52 keys and 16 private-island residences in Vaavu Atoll, with an opening planned for 2028. It is not open and is not yet bookable.

The State Department will restrict visas for people who engage in or facilitate birth tourism, including agents and “fixers”. Travelling to the US while pregnant is not, by itself, barred.

Adani Airports says a third of Mumbai’s domestic Terminal 1 closes from January 2027 for rebuilding. Airlines have not committed to moving flights to Navi Mumbai, so which flights move is not yet known.

The National Statistics Office’s Domestic Tourism Expenditure Survey finds 48% of overnight trips are for pilgrimage, with Uttar Pradesh the top destination state.

Thai AirAsia is resuming Don Mueang flights to Gaya from 25 October, Ahmedabad from 6 November, Guwahati, Hyderabad and Lucknow from 16 November and Jaipur from 17 November.

India’s mission in Kuala Lumpur says the 30-day visa-free stay is for tourism and social visits only, and that genuine visitors should carry a return ticket, a hotel booking and the MDAC arrival card.

Unions representing pilots and cabin crew in France have called a nationwide strike for 17–21 October, at the start of the Toussaint school holidays. Airlines have not yet published what will fly.

YOTEL Bangkok Sukhumvit, a 250-key hotel in the new Cloud 11 development linked to the BTS Skytrain by a skywalk, is scheduled to open on 15 October 2026, trade reports say.

Mysuru Dasara runs 11–21 October with the Jumboo Savari on 21 October. Gold Cards cost ₹6,961 with charges, and every Gold Card and Jumboo Savari seat is numbered for the first time.

Mongolia’s Hunnu Air flies Delhi–Ulaanbaatar every Monday from 28 September 2026 to 27 March 2027. Updated: the first flight operated on 28 September, with the return leaving Delhi later than timetabled.

A new notice extends the ban on Indian-registered and Indian-operated aircraft to 04:59 on 24 October, so westbound Air India, IndiGo and Akasa Air flights keep flying around Pakistan.

An interline agreement lets Air India passengers reach 52 flydubai destinations via Dubai, and flydubai passengers 69 Air India destinations via Delhi and Mumbai, on a single ticket.

Update 25 September: paragliding at Bir Billing resumed on 19 September, three days late because of bad weather. Kullu district restarted on 16 September with counters and fixed fees.

Update 25 September: the reserve’s own officers now say tourism could start by the end of the year or around the New Year, not 1 November as the state forest chief said. Booking and fees are not announced.

Update 25 September: the Kedarnath footpath reopened on 15 September after the Chirbasa landslide, and helicopter bookings for 1–15 October opened on IRCTC on 22 September.

Update 25 September: the second phase began on Sunday 20 September after BRO restored the Kulagad bridge; more than 1,000 Inner Line Permits were issued in the first two days.

Kochi–Bangkok starts 25 October, four times a week, and Visakhapatnam–Bangkok on 27 October, twice weekly; both are on sale. Four Gulf routes appear only in schedule filings so far.

Five weekly Boeing 737-8 flights from 21 September, daily from 26 October, on the route China Southern abandoned in 2020. Promotional one-way fares start at ₹22,000 all-inclusive.

Permits for Lachen and Gurudongmar resumed on 11 September. Tourist vehicles going to or coming from Lachen and Lachung must cross Toong check post by 4 pm, to avoid night driving.

The Deod and Hanogi tunnels on the Pandoh–Takoli section opened to traffic on 11 September, bypassing a landslide-prone stretch on the main road from Chandigarh to Manali.

Ahead of the 30-day exemption taking effect, the Embassy of India in Bangkok has published a document list: THB 20,000 in cash per passenger, a six-month passport, a return ticket, hotel bookings and the arrival card.

The route held back in early September as an unannounced intention is now filed and on sale: 6E 1851 and 6E 1852, daily, from 20 November 2026, making IndiGo the only Indian carrier on the sector.

Twice-weekly flights from 27 October, with a second Bihar–Thailand route from Gaya the day before. Guwahati becomes IndiGo’s eighth Indian city with a nonstop to Bangkok.

The ward with the most short-term rentals in Japan plans to ban them in residential-only zones and school districts. Around 2,000 of 3,775 registered minpaku could go — but not before summer 2027.

Updated 25 September: Anak Krakatau was lowered to alert Level II on 21 September. The eight airports closed by ash on 6 September all reopened on 8 September, and Jakarta runs normally.

Update 17 September: all eight airports shut by the ash reopened on 8 September. Our 6 September report: 764 Jakarta flights hit, six airports closed and a rebook-or-refund order.

Oman’s tourism ministry says Indian arrivals rose about 11% in 2025 and accelerated in the first half of 2026, with direct flights from more than ten Indian cities to Muscat.

Volcanic ash from Anak Krakatau shut Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta airport for much of Sunday 6 September, affecting 301 flights. Bali’s airport stayed open but its Jakarta services were hit.

Update 25 September: landslides at seven places in Dhading have closed the Kathmandu–Pokhara road again, with no reopening time. It had reopened on 17 September after an 18-day closure.

Update 25 September: the 48-hour rail strike ended on 18 September. There is still no official date for Colombo–Kandy trains beyond Rambukkana; the October target is unconfirmed.

Two flights a week on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 connect Cairo with Zanzibar, and the inaugural went out more than 90% full. It makes an Egypt-and-Zanzibar trip bookable on a single airline.

A ministry-licensed platform now issues a Saudi visa bundled with a booked return flight and a four-star-or-better hotel, for stays of two to 90 days, at SAR 402.21 including insurance.

Update 25 September: Air France has extended its Dubai suspension to 13 October, and KLM plans to return on 25 October. BA returns on 3 November and Finnair not until 27 March 2027.

OAG schedule data shows Indian carriers offering 22.7 million seats this month, with the sharpest international cut on Thailand routes and the only big increase on the UK.

Update 25 September: from 21 September boats may again take visitors out to watch the evening Ganga Aarti, but general boat rides were still suspended on 22 September. Assi Ghat’s aarti is back in place.

Update 17 September: now in force. Visa-exempt land entries are capped at two a year. Whether short-term business is still covered is disputed between official Thai sources — confirm first.

From 1 October the UNESCO-listed Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs a steam-hauled Red Panda at ₹1,530 and a diesel Muktadhara at ₹1,030, through to 3 January.

Maharaja Club members now earn Air India points on stays at IHG hotels worldwide, and IHG One Rewards points convert to Maharaja Points. A 3x launch promotion runs 15 September to 31 December 2026.

Update 17 September: the legal option to pause EES biometric checks expired on 6 September, but nine Schengen countries are reported to have informal approval to keep using it. Still allow extra time.

Ahmedabad became India’s third hub-and-spoke airport on 1 September. Two Air India flights to Delhi now connect to 26 international destinations with immigration done before you leave Gujarat.

Akasa Air operated the first Mumbai–Hanoi flight by an Indian carrier on 4 September, four times a week. IndiGo has announced a daily service from 25 October 2026.

The Japan Meteorological Corporation issued its first 2026 kōyō forecast on 2 September. Maples in Tokyo peak around 29 November and in Kyoto around 11 December; Sapporo runs 11 days late.

Kuala Lumpur adds East Asian frequencies for the winter: Fukuoka daily from 1 December, Busan resuming 2 December, Brisbane daily from 25 October.

GDRFA figures show the Red Carpet service processing passengers without a passport check or an officer. Who qualifies is the part the announcement does not spell out.

Immigration New Zealand will require 23 visitor visa categories and the transit visa to be filed through Immigration Online. Paper applications lodged before the date are still processed.

Moxy Niseko Village is the brand’s first alpine hotel in Japan and its fifth in the country, opening before a ski season that also brings a new eight-person gondola.

A decree effective 1 September lets Indian citizens enter for 30 days without a visa, but only if they hold a live multiple-entry visa from one of eight countries and an onward ticket.

Update 25 September: UPSTDC now takes bookings for its five-day Spiritual Triangle from ₹13,000 a head. Its own itinerary lists darshan at Kashi Vishwanath and Ram Mandir, but not “VIP darshan”.

Karnataka’s new tariff took effect on 1 September: a jeep safari is now ₹1,500 per adult, a bus safari ₹1,000, and lenses over 200mm carry a ₹1,500 charge plus GST.

Civil Aviation Authority figures show 81.1 million passengers at UK airports in April–June, record European growth, and a 50% collapse on Dubai routes.

Mumbai–Manchester and Delhi–Manchester ended on 31 August. IndiGo calls the suspension temporary and blames airspace restrictions and costs; London Heathrow is still on hold until 2027.

Update 17 September: the 30-day rule took effect on 15 September. Indian passport holders stay visa-free, but a stay is capped at 30 days and visa-exempt land-border entries at two a year.

Update 25 September: the Rasuwagadhi–Kerung crossing is still closed, the road towards it is only targeted for mid-October, and the Kathmandu–Pokhara highway has been closed again by landslides.

A Jetstar A320 became the first passenger aircraft to land at Western Sydney International on 1 September 2026, as the airport tests its terminal before commercial flights begin on 25 October.

Update 25 September: next on Italy’s strike register — air traffic control strikes on 30 September and 21 November, and easyJet crews and Venice airport security on 16 October.

The Museum of the Future shut its galleries on 1 September 2026 for a complete rebuild of its exhibitions and plans to reopen in the first quarter of 2027. Dubai itineraries this season need a substitute.

The Thai low-cost carrier’s only Indian route is on sale. We checked its booking engine: DD 959 leaves Hyderabad at 00:45 on a 737-800, and nothing is bookable before 15 October.

Correction: Indian tourists can enter the Philippines visa-free for 14 days at any port of entry, or 30 days with a valid US, UK, Schengen or similar visa. The Manila–Cebu limit applies to China.

JR is selling three consecutive days of unlimited local and rapid travel nationwide for ¥7,850, usable 3–18 October. The shinkansen is not included, and that is the whole catch.

IATA’s July 2026 data shows worldwide passenger demand up just 0.2% year on year, with Middle East carriers down 9.5% and India’s domestic market down 6.3%. Load factors stayed at 85.2%.

An amendment gazetted on 31 August makes an inbound tourism product taxable in the Maldives even when the seller has no business there — and it catches agency and booking services too.

IndiGo will fly Gaya–Bangkok twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, from 26 October 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. Schedule, what it means for pilgrims, and visa rules.

From 25 October Emirates flies its A380 on one of four daily Dubai–Delhi flights, making Delhi its third A380 city in India, and puts an A350 on Kolkata. What changes for travellers.