Travel Unpacked: Emirates adds A380 flights to Johannesburg and 100ml liquid rules return

The National rounds up the most interesting tourism news you might have missed

An Emirates A380 superjumbo soars over Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg. Photo: Emirates

As September gets under way, it is a busy time for travel.

In airline news, Emirates on Sunday celebrated the return of its second A380 daily service to Johannesburg with its first superjumbo fly-by in South Africa, while Oman Air has offered free stopovers to travellers visiting the sultanate.

In Europe, travel rules are changing. A new entry and exit system is set to begin in November and 100ml limits on liquids in hand luggage have already been reintroduced.

Here is a round-up of recent travel and tourism news – in case you missed it.

Watch: Emirates A380 superjumbo soars over Johannesburg

Emirates Airline celebrated its September 1 launch of a second A380 daily flight between Dubai and Johannesburg in a novel way. The world's largest passenger jet performed a low-level fly-past over the Emirates Airline Park stadium ahead of Sunday's Springboks v All Blacks rugby match.

The superjumbo double decker flew at an altitude of 500 feet over 62,000 fans in what was the Dubai airline's first fly-past in Africa and the first such stunt by any international airline in South Africa.

The jet took off from Johannesburg airport at 4pm before reaching the stadium formerly known as Ellis Park just before 5pm – in time to follow the prematch national anthems before South Africa and New Zealand went head to head.

Sporting the airline's latest livery, the jet was piloted by Captain Mubarak Al Mheiri, who has been flying for Emirates for 19 years and has more than 7,200 hours in the cockpit of the A380. He has previously performed fly-pasts for UAE National Day celebrations and also piloted the double decker around an Emirates cabin crew member as she stood on top of the Burj Khalifa as part of a promotional campaign.

Afzal Parambil, country manager of Southern Africa at Emirates, described the record-setting fly-past as a “powerful display of our unwavering commitment to South Africa.”

Emirates operates 42 weekly flights to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban and has been flying to South Africa for 29 years.

Changing hand luggage rules: Europe reintroduces 100ml liquid limit

There are new hand luggage rules in place for travellers to Europe this month after liquid limits of 100ml were reintroduced at many airports across the continent. The move comes after queries were raised about the reliability of new CT scanners installed at airports in the EU and the UK.

Originally designed to make the security process smoother, the new airport technology has been questioned by the European Commission. All EU airports have now been advised to revert to previous carry-on rules that cap travellers' liquids and require them to be put into a clear plastic bag.

It is not the first change to hand luggage rules over the last 12 months and is unlikely to be the last given that the latest update is a temporary measure while technical issues with the scanners are resolved.

Passengers travelling to airports in Europe which had previously scrapped limits on liquids in hand luggage, including Dublin, Amsterdam and Rome, have been advised to be aware of the temporary changes.

At airports where new scanners have already been installed, the updated rules are that large electrical items, such as laptops and tablets, can remain inside hand luggage and do not need to be placed in trays. At other airports, passengers will still need to remove these items from their hand luggage.

While the changes apply to EU countries and at some airports in the UK, travellers flying to or from other destinations including the Middle East, may be impacted and will still need to reorganise hand luggage when transiting through an airport in the EU or UK.

Free hotel stays in the sultanate when flying with Oman Air

Travellers booking flights with Oman Air can now to take advantage of a free hotel stay in Muscat.

The airline has revealed that, from now until November 30, premium passengers transiting through Muscat airport on an Oman Air flight can extend their stay in the sultanate and enjoy a free night in a hotel. Passengers travelling economy class, meanwhile, can take advantage of one free night in a hotel when they book another night at one of the participating properties.

The promotion in partnership with Oman's ministry of heritage and tourism is on a room-only basis. It is open to any passengers who have a return ticket to any destination on Oman Air's network and are transiting through Muscat.

A host of three, four and five-star hotels are included, including W Muscat Hotel, Crowne Plaza Muscat and Grand Millennium Muscat. Travellers can also add discounted city tours to their stay and take advantage of special rates on car hire and other services in Oman's capital city.

The scheme is designed to showcase Oman during its popular winter season. Travellers can fill out an online request form on Oman Air's website to book the service.

Europe's new entry and exit travel system to launch in November

Trips to Europe are likely to come with additional airport waiting times in November as the region's new Entry and Exit System (EES) comes into force.

Designed to keep track of travellers crossing borders in Europe, the automated system will begin a month later than planned on November 10.

The EES is being introduced in a bid to make transition between EU countries more efficient by automating security checks and removing the need for physical passport stamps for short stay visa and visa-exempt travellers.

Different from the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which is due to be rolled out in 2025 and requires visitors to pay a fee to travel to Europe, the EES will be free and will eventually be used in conjunction with ETIAS.

Travellers heading to Europe on or after November 10 do not need to apply in advance or pay any fees to use the EES. However, delays are expected because tourists will need to register by having their passports scanned; their fingerprints electronically captured; and their photographs taken before answering security questions.

Once registered, eligible travellers arriving at European airports will scan their passports at automated gates. As well as tracking movements, the EES will calculate each traveller's length of stay in the EU. Overstays will be flagged and could lead to fines, penalties or travel bans.

The EES will be operational in 29 countries: Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and 25 out of the 27 EU member states. Cyprus and Ireland, which are part of the EU, are not participating and will continue with manual checks and passport stamps.