Travel industry in shock: Pre-departure tests for all UK arrivals from Tuesday December 4, 2021 Everyone arriving in England from abroad will be required to take a Covid-19 pre-departure test from 4am on Tuesday, Health Secretary Sajid Javid said this evening. The pre-departure tests will have to be taken a maximum of 48 hours before departure and will apply to all travellers arriving in the UK, regardless of their departure [...]
Coronavirus U-turn: Japan partly reverses Covid travel ban as Omicron variant increasingly appears to be ‘mild‘ mutation December 2, 2021 A ban on new incoming flight bookings in Japan has been dropped, the country’s government said this morning. The policy, aimed at halting the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, only came into force yesterday. The transport ministry on Wednesday issued a request to international airlines to stop taking new reservations for flights coming into [...]
Omicron variant will have “limited overall impact”, Qatar Airways boss says November 30, 2021 Qatar Airways’ boss Akbar Al Baker has said he hopes that the new Omicron variant detected last week “will have a limited overall impact” on aviation’s recovery, with the “process of unlocking” continuing. Delivering the keynote speech at the UK Aviation Club this afternoon, Al Baker – who has been at the helm of the [...]
Embraer displays world’s most efficient and sustainable single-aisle jet November 25, 2021 Brazil-based aerospace company Embraer has displayed its E195-E2 aircraft, considered the world’s most efficient and sustainable single-aisle plane. After initially showcasing the model at the Dubai Airshow earlier this month, Embraer has showed the aircraft at the Selangor Aviation Show in Malaysia. “The E195-E2 on display shows how a regional jet equipped with the latest [...]
Watch: Travelers and airline crew ecstatic as first UK to US take off from Heathrow November 25, 2021 The US reopened its borders to international flights on Monday, offering joy for travelers and hope for hard-pressed airlines. Watch the full report.
Airline shares splutter as new EU lockdowns spook investors November 24, 2021 The share price of major airlines is on an ongoing downward trajectory as a result of the new wave of Covid-19 infections around Europe which is causing countries such as Austria and the Netherlands to impose lockdown measures. Compared with the last few days, the share price of major carriers such as IAG and Ryanair [...]
Robert Courts to meet with Balpa following “completely out of touch” comments November 24, 2021 Aviation minister Robert Courts has agreed to meet with the British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa), after the union’s general secretary Martin Chalk criticised him for being “completely out of touch” regarding the state of British aviation “It was obvious from all the contributions on Monday’s Airlines 2021 conference that the industry is desperate for the [...]
Aviation recovery on its way, BA’s owner assures November 23, 2021 Luis Gallego, chief executive of British Airways’ (BA) owner IAG, is convinced aviation recovery will get back to pre-pandemic levels by 2023, as a result of the easing of air travel restrictions and the opening of transatlantic travel. Speaking yesterday at the Airlines UK conference in Westminster, Gallego revealed that “transatlantic bookings have reached almost [...]
UK to focus on hydrogen-powered transport, Shapps announces November 23, 2021 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced the UK will focus on the development of hydrogen-powered transport to achieve its net zero targets. Speaking at the Expo 2020 Dubai, the secretary talked about a partnership with the UAE to develop a technology innovation centre to reduce the environmental impact of aviation and shipping, the Independent reported. [...]
British Airways threatens to cut Heathrow flights if recovery-undermining airport charges don’t come down November 22, 2021 The boss of British Airways’ parent company warned today that the airline will cut Heathrow flights if proposed increases in charges are implemented, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego said the west London airport’s fees are already among the highest in the world and are becoming “more and more expensive”. In October, the Civil Aviation Authority [...]