Global Mobility News from VisaHQ

ICP has rolled out the free “UAE Fast Track” app, enabling travellers to pre-register passport, face and fingerprint data and use Smart Gates for near-instant entry. The tool cuts average arrival processing times to under two minutes and feeds the UAE’s growing digital-border ecosystem, promising smoother business travel and better security.

Severe freezing rain on 13 January forced ÖBB to cancel or curtail dozens of long-distance trains and suspend airport rail links, prompting Austria’s first nationwide rail travel warning in years. The disruption stranded business travellers, severed the rail-air corridor to Vienna Airport and triggered costly freight detours, underlining the importance of weather-contingency planning for corporate mobility teams.

Passenger throughput at Hong Kong International Airport rose 15 per cent to 61 million in 2025, buoyed by 30 new destinations and a full year of three-runway operations. The surge restores vital seat capacity for multinationals and signals that executive travel budgets are back on an expansion footing.

The EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System went live at additional French airports on 15 January 2026, pushing passport-control times up by as much as three hours. Business-travel groups advise longer connection windows and proactive itinerary changes until technical bugs are fixed and more travellers are fully registered.

Warsaw has extended spot checks on its borders with Germany and Lithuania until 4 April 2026, citing migrant ‘secondary movements’. Random inspections add up to 25 minutes to road journeys and require travellers to carry hard-copy ID. Businesses should adjust schedules, lodge electronic manifests in advance and brief assignees transiting the two neighbours.

An omnibus bill unveiled on 15 January 2026 would allow visas to be cancelled if the holder has engaged in hate or extremist conduct, even without a conviction. The same bill criminalises intentional hate speech and funds a national gun-buy-back. Companies moving talent into Australia may need to bolster pre-assignment screenings and social-media guidelines to avoid unexpected cancellations.

Ryanair will remove 1.1 million seats from Charleroi in 2026—20 % of its Belgian capacity—and repeat the cut in 2027 unless Belgium scraps planned federal and municipal flight-tax hikes. The airline says higher taxes will push aircraft and jobs abroad, while the airport fears hundreds of local redundancies and higher fares for business travellers.

Cyprus Police have deployed 2,300 SIS-enabled tablets across road, air and sea units, cutting document-verification time from five minutes to under 30 seconds. The €4 million rollout is a key deliverable in Cyprus’ bid for Schengen accession and is expected to ease queues for business travellers while giving Brussels hard evidence of technical readiness.

Finavia revealed that China Southern Airlines will relaunch direct Beijing Daxing–Helsinki flights on 29 March 2026, initially three times a week and daily from 20 June. The service restores a key Asian link for Helsinki Airport, boosts business-travel options for Finnish exporters and Chinese corporates, and re-opens a fast cargo corridor between Northern Europe and China.

Iran’s abrupt airspace shutdown on 15 January forced Indian carriers to cancel or reroute key US-bound services, adding up to two hours of flight time and triggering knock-on delays for business travellers. Companies should brace for higher costs, longer journeys and potential crew shortages until the corridor re-opens.

The EU has postponed the mandatory use of ETIAS until at least April 2027, with a soft launch slated for late 2026. The move relieves immediate pressure on Spain’s airports, tourism operators and corporate-travel planners, all of whom feared bottlenecks and lost bookings during the 2026 peak season.

A 48-hour ice storm that peaked on 13 January shut down large parts of Czechia’s air, rail and road networks. Business travellers faced diversions and multi-hour delays, while employers scrambled to prevent Schengen overstays and reroute critical cargo. The event highlights the importance of winter-specific contingency planning for companies with mobile staff in Central Europe.

Effective 16 January 2026, Chinese citizens can enter the Philippines visa-free for up to 14 days for tourism or business. The move is designed to jump-start Chinese visitor flows and facilitate short-term business travel but stays cannot be extended or converted to other visa types. Corporations gain flexibility, yet travellers must plan carefully to avoid penalties.

On 15 January Lufthansa Group ordered SWISS and fellow subsidiaries to avoid Iranian and Iraqi airspace amid escalating regional tensions. The diversion extends flight times on key Asian routes, forces crew-duty changes and may trigger last-minute cancellations, affecting Swiss business travellers and exporters.

From 21 January 2026 the U.S. will stop processing immigrant visas for Brazilians, halting new green-card cases and forcing companies to rethink long-term U.S. moves. Short-stay categories are still allowed, but HR teams must secure alternative visa strategies and prepare for stricter “public-charge” scrutiny. The freeze threatens investment flows and family reunification plans.