Swiss to halt Jeddah flights
Jeddah: Swiss International Air Lines is to halt its flights to Jeddah from October 26, Saudi media reported.

“We’re at the same time pleased to still be able to offer direct flights between Riyadh and Zurich,” said a statement from Manuel Staerkle at the airline’s Jeddah office.
Staerkle said the “ongoing economic challenges have forced Swiss to review its operation worldwide and reduce the fleet of aircraft by 30 per cent.

Fujairah passenger traffic up 94pc
Fujairah:  Fujairah International Airport in the UAE has witnessed a 94 per cent rise in passenger traffic during the past six months compared with the same period last year.
The number of passengers increased from 25,894 to 50,183, Khaled Al Mazroui, director-general of the airport said in a Gulf News report.

Bahrain to host international expo
Manama: Gulf Air has officially announced sponsorship and participation in the International Exhibition for Medical Care Tourism and Vacations, to be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
The event is expected to be held frlater this year  The first of its kind in the region, it is being organised by Amadues International Exhibition company.
The announcement was made during the signing of the contract between Gulf Air’s general manager Abdulmalik Al Saie and Amadues general manager Monem Sadiq.
A total of 400 companies are expected to participate in the exhibition.

Belhasa plans to expand network
Dubai: Belhasa Tourism Travel and Cargo has opened a travel office in Jebel Ali Free Zone as part of its expansion plans in the UAE.
The firm, which is part of the Belhasa Group, last year sold Dh30 million worth of outbound tourism services to UAE residents and citizens,
“We have three travel and tourism offices in Dubai. The new one will serve a growing number of clients in the Jebel Ali Free Zone,” Saeed Ahmed Belhasa, managing director of Belhasa International Company, said in a Gulf News report.
“We are planning to expand our network of offices further by opening outlets in shopping malls. Business is growing and more and more people are now travelling abroad on business. The new office will help us tap the Jebel Ali market.”

US suspends 'transit without visa' scheme
Washington:  The US has suspended two programmes that waived visa requirements for foreign travellers simply making connections at US airports en route to third countries.
The programmes, one called transit without visa and another known as international-to-international transit, allowed citizens of countries who would otherwise need a visa to get into the US to change planes.
The programmes were suspended after the Department of Homeland Security received intelligence reports that terrorists might be planning to use the programmes as a means of gaining access to US airports.