Cheap PCR tests: Where to get them and what you need to fly May 10, 2021 Borders open for international travel on 17 May, with Brits preparing to brave the Kafkaesque nightmare of the traffic light system to visit their favourite summer sun destination. But to travel to many countries, passengers will require a PCR – polymerase chain reaction – Covid test, which must meet performance standards of at least 97 [...]
Airline passenger numbers creep higher as holidaymakers await green light May 5, 2021 Covid-19 passenger restrictions continued to squeeze airlines’ passenger numbers in April, a year on from the start of the pandemic, although there were some chinks of light for the sector. Ryanair said it flew 1m people last month, twice as many as it did in March, but still millions short of its normal capacity. Compared [...]
Airline shares jump on hopes of Europe-US travel by the summer April 26, 2021 Airline shares jumped today on the back of hopes that travel between the EU and US would open up again this summer. Over the weekend, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that all US citizens who had been vaccinated should be able to travel to Europe by the summer. Her comments sent shares [...]
World’s airlines face losses of nearly $50bn in 2021, IATA warns April 21, 2021 Global aviation body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) today warned that the world’s airlines could be facing combined losses of $47.7bn (£34.3bn) in 2021 due to Covid-19. Planes remain grounded around the world as travel restrictions continue to limit flying to a mere fraction of pre-pandemic levels. Although such a loss is a huge [...]
Jet-set: Private jet sales caught a tail-wind in 2020 despite Covid grounding most travel March 29, 2021 Jet-set: Private jet sales caught a tail-wind in 2020 despite Covid grounding most travel
Government mulls reform of long-haul air passenger duty to balance domestic cut March 23, 2021 The government has today kicked off its consultation on reforming the air passenger duty (APD) tax regime as part of its so-called “tax day”. Ministers are looking to change the current structure of the tax to improve intra-UK travel links without compromising its 2050 net zero emissions targets. As was previously announced, it will consider [...]
UK airports saw fewest passengers last summer since 1975 March 17, 2021 Airports saw the lowest number of passengers pass through their gates last summer since 1975, new figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show. Just 14.2m people travelled through UK airports last year from July to September, while across the whole year there were just 73.8m air passengers. The majority of these – two-thirds – [...]
Rolls-Royce joins with Scandi carrier Widerøe to launch all-electric plane by 2026 March 11, 2021 Rolls-Royce has today announced a new partnership with Scandinavian regional carrier Widerøe to develop an all-electric commuter aircraft ready for service by 2026. The 11-seat plane is being designed for initial use in Norway, where extremely short flights are very common due to the country’s mountainous territory. The project is part of Norway’s plan to [...]
MPs urge government to ensure travel restart plans are made public March 11, 2021 MPs have today urged the government to make public the Global Travel Taskforce’s recommendations when the body reports to the Prime Minister on plans for reopening travel on 12 April. In a new report, the parliamentary transport committee said that the failure to do so would rob the aviation industry of much-needed clarity. When the [...]
Ministers to consult on cutting air passenger duty for domestic flights March 10, 2021 The government today confirmed that it was launching a consultation on cutting air passenger duty (APD) on domestic flights in a bid to improve travel links within the UK. The review is part of a broader suite of recommendations identified in former TfL boss Sir Peter Hendy’s report on the connectivity of the UK, which [...]