travel

Win free flight tickets inside Fortnite

Qatar’s national carrier has launched its first-ever digital destination inside the popular online game Fortnite, giving gamers a new way to explore Doha and the airline’s onboard experience even before ever booking a flight.

Called ‘QVerse Island’, the virtual destination recreates key Doha landmarks and begins inside a digital version of Hamad International Airport.

Players start their journey there before moving through different parts of the island, including locations inspired by the city and the airport’s indoor garden, The Orchard.

The experience is guided by Sama, Qatar Airways’ digital cabin crew, who leads players through a series of mission-based challenges.

Golden tickets

Along the way, players can explore hidden areas across the island to uncover “golden tickets”, which unlock the chance to win Qatar Airways travel rewards and flights.

Qatar Airways said the idea behind QVerse Island is to reach travellers earlier in their decision-making journey, especially younger audiences who spend time on gaming and social platforms.

Travel intent is increasingly shaped through various digital channels, including social media platforms and immersive gaming environments. Qatar Airways, through the QVerse Island, is extending its presence to such ecosystems to actively engage with travellers long before they search for their next journey.

By placing Doha inside Fortnite, the airline is linking virtual exploration with real-world travel incentives, turning gameplay into a pathway towards future trips.

Digital aviation ecosystem

Sama already plays a central role across Qatar Airways’ digital platforms, including its existing QVerse web experience and brand storytelling campaigns. Her appearance in Fortnite extends that digital identity into gaming, positioning her as a familiar guide across multiple online environments.

The launch of QVerse Island also ties into Qatar Airways’ wider digital push, including its rollout of Starlink in-flight connectivity.

The airline currently operates more than 120 Starlink-enabled aircraft, offering high-speed Wi-Fi of up to 500 Mbps on selected routes.

Passengers on Starlink-equipped flights can access faster-than-home Wi-Fi across an increasing number of destinations in the Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, although aircraft may change due to operational requirements.

Together, QVerse Island, Sama, and Starlink highlight how airlines are experimenting with new ways to stay visible to travellers long before they arrive at the airport — starting not with a boarding pass, but with a game controller.

travel

Saudi Arabia bans in-flight power bank charging

operating at the Kingdom’s airports, updating regulations governing the carriage of portable chargers, commonly known as power banks, and other electronic devices onboard aircraft.

The authority announced the updated rules on social media, saying the measures are aimed at enhancing aviation safety and aligning with international standards set by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Charging power banks onboard banned

Under the new regulations, passengers and cabin crew are prohibited from recharging portable power banks during flights.

The authority said the measures are intended to strengthen aviation safety and security across all flights operating in the Kingdom.

Power banks allowed only in cabin baggage

The updated rules also state that power banks must be carried only in hand luggage inside the aircraft cabin and are strictly prohibited in checked baggage.

Passengers will be allowed to carry a maximum of two portable chargers each onboard.

As an added precautionary measure, the authority further recommended avoiding the use of power banks to charge electronic devices during flights.

travel

UAE restores normal air traffic operations

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) has announced that air traffic in the UAE’s airspace has returned to normal operations, with temporary precautionary measures lifted.

The authority said the decision followed a comprehensive assessment of operational and security conditions, carried out in coordination with relevant entities. It stressed that real-time monitoring will continue to ensure the highest levels of aviation safety.

The GCAA also expressed its appreciation for the cooperation of passengers and airlines during the recent period, reaffirming the readiness of its technical and operational teams to respond to any potential developments.

It urged the public to rely on official sources for information.

Tech

Humanoid robots trialed as airport baggage handlers in Japan

Japan’s famously conscientious but overburdened baggage handlers will soon be joined by extra staff at Tokyo’s Haneda airport – although their new colleagues will need to take regular recharging breaks.

Japan Airlines will introduce humanoid robots on a trial basis from the beginning of May, with a view to deploying them permanently as a solution to the country’s chronic labour shortage.

The Chinese-made humanoids will move travellers’ luggage and cargo on the tarmac at Haneda, which handles more than 60 million passengers a year.

JAL and its partner in the initiative, Japan Airlines GMO Internet Group, hope the experiment – which ends in 2028 – will lessen the burden on human employees amid a surge in inbound tourism and forecasts of more severe labour shortages.

In a demonstration for the media this week, a 130cm-tall robot manufactured by Hangzhou-based Unitree was seen tentatively “pushing” cargo on to a conveyer belt next to a JAL passenger plane and waving to an unseen colleague.

The president of JAL Ground Service, Yoshiteru Suzuki, said using robots to perform physically demanding work would “inevitably reduce the burden on workers and provide significant benefits to employees”, according to the Kyodo news agency.

Suzuki added, however, that certain key tasks – such as safety management – would continue to be performed by humans.

Japan is struggling to cope with a simultaneous surge in tourists from overseas and an ageing, declining population.

More than 7 million people visited the country in the first two months of 2026, according to the Japan National Tourism Organisation, after a record 42.7 million last year, despite a drop in the number of visitors from China triggered by a diplomatic row between Tokyo and Beijing.

According to one estimate, Japan will need more than 6.5 million foreign workers in 2040 to reach its growth targets as the indigenous workforce continues to shrink. The country’s foreign population has risen dramatically in recent years, but the government is now under political pressure to rein in immigration.

The president of GMO AI and Robotics, Tomohiro Uchida, said: “While airports appear highly automated and standardised, their back-end operations still rely heavily on human labour and face serious labor shortages.”

Robots can operate continuously for two to three hours and the firms are planning to use them to perform other tasks, such as cleaning aircraft cabins.

The Guardian