security

Yet another restriction to infuriate business travellers. An increasing number of airlines in Asia are banning the use of portable batteries (power banks) on board aircraft, on the grounds that they can endanger aircraft safety. These chargers are fitted with lithium batteries that can overheat and trigger...

This is no ordinary occurrence. The discovery last night of an unexploded bomb dating from the Second World War during maintenance work on the railway tracks in Saint-Denis brought all traffic at the Gare du Nord, 2.5 km away, to a standstill. All the lines of Europe's leading railway station were affected...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published its annual safety report for 2024. The industry recorded another year of solid overall safety performance, including improvements on the five-year average for several key parameters. Nevertheless, the association notes a setback compared with the exceptional performance of 2023....

Of course, the war that has been shaking the Middle East since October 2023 is still far from a definitive end. While the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners is taking place in dribs and drabs, the truce between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip remains fragile. The first phase of the truce, which began on 19 January, is due to end on 1...

Flights between Paris and Kinshasa were suspended by Air France from 28 to 30 January. The airline resumed operations on Friday*. The airline's decision followed the sudden deterioration in the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In particular, the attack on several embassies on 28 January...

As a key player in health and safety assistance, International SOS is well placed to observe the world's disorders. Its Risk Outlook 2025 report, unveiled at the end of last year, highlighted a fragmented world against a backdrop of growing multipolarity and an increasingly uninhibited use of violence, both on the part of...

Is European airspace shunning Africa? The blacklist of carriers recently updated by the European Union's Aviation Safety Agency reveals a worrying over-representation of African airlines in the group banned from European airspace. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and Angola are the countries whose carriers have been the most...

As 2024 draws to a close, International SOS takes stock of the challenges facing professionals in the year ahead. The Risk Outlook 2025 report is designed to help business travellers and travel managers approach the coming year with a modicum of peace of mind. After all, as the authors of the report point out,...

"It's no use"... But it is! Because the mission order is the contract that binds the employer to his travelling employee. It defines the framework, safety conditions and scope of responsibilities. Article l411-2 of the French Social Security Code stipulates that work-related accidents occurring off-site...

The Lufthansa group has just announced that it will continue to suspend a large proportion of its routes to the Middle East. The ban concerns not only Lufthansa flights but also those of Austrian, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Swiss and ITA Airways. The group is now putting forward a date of 13 August for a possible resumption of flights. In the...

Information updated on 4/8/2024 Since the weekend, many airlines have decided to suspend services to Beirut and Tel Aviv in the face of rising tensions in the region. A sort of replay of what happened last October after the Hamas attack on Israel. Air France-KLM, which was due to resume...

Passengers had (almost) all got used to it. Since 2006, it has been compulsory to put liquid containers of up to 100 ml in plastic bags. Laptops must also be removed from their bags when going through airport security checks. In recent months, however, security measures have been eased...

Does Ilios International believe that the current situation in France poses a risk to travellers? Thibault Janin - I represent a security company, so I can't get into the political side of things. But yes, France is a source of concern for our European neighbours. The scenario of the arrival of the RN...

Between $850,000 and $1.25 million. This is the cost of a failed international assignment, according to a study carried out by Ipsos and KPMG on behalf of International SOS. Taking into account moving and relocation costs, financial support for expatriates, their salaries and tax, KPMG has calculated that the cost of an international assignment...

While the situation remains critical in New Caledonia despite the imposition of a state of emergency, a curfew and the deployment of the army in the overseas territory, the riots have resulted in the isolation of the archipelago, which has been cut off from its airlines since 14 May. According to the CCI Nouvelle-Calédonie Aéroports website, air traffic remains suspended until further notice....

At the end of March, Air Tahiti Nui joined the American TSA PreCheck programme. This is good news for its passengers. This programme allows travellers considered to be "low risk" to benefit from relaxed controls at more than 200 airports in the United States. For the summer season, the Polynesian carrier is offering 5...

While acknowledging that most stays go off without incident, International SOS is taking a closer look at the hotel industry with the launch of a service dedicated to the safety and security of accommodation. Attacks on the Oberoi Trident and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower hotels in Mumbai in 2008, and on the Radisson Blu Bamako hotel in...

Over the past few weeks, United Airlines has experienced an increasing number of incidents, prompting the FAA, the US air transport regulator, to step up its oversight of the US carrier's safety. "Due to recent incidents, the FAA is increasing its oversight of United Airlines. It is ensuring that the company complies with safety regulations, that it...

The relationship between American Express Global Business Travel and the Expedia group began with a transaction. The sale of Egencia to TMC in 2021. Three years later, it has taken a completely different turn, based on a mutually beneficial cooperation that also and above all benefits business travellers. "We are...

After the mental health issues that appeared on its radar last year, International SOS is adding a key component to its interactive 2024 risk map: the threats posed by climate change. With extreme temperatures and the consequent increase in health risks, meteorological disruption is making its way into people's daily lives...