Global airlines get nearly £100bn in state aid and bailout funding October 13, 2020 Easyjet last week became the latest airline to indicate that it may need more money from the state to deal with the financial hammering it has taken at the hands of coronavirus. Around the world, governments have already splashed out a whopping £98.7bn on airlines, a figure that could jump by another $25bn (£19.3bn) if [...]
British Airways boss Alex Cruz steps down amid industry’s ‘worst crisis’ October 12, 2020 Alex Cruz will step down as chief executive and chairman of British Airways with immediate effect, owner International Airlines Group said. IAG chief Luis Gallego said the management shake-up came as the firm navigated “the worst crisis faced in our industry” in his first major announcement since taking over from Willie Walsh. The pandemic has [...]
London City boss: Airport testing can be ‘shot in the arm’ for economy October 12, 2020 The boss of London City airport has urged the government’s new travel taskforce to lay out how it will implement a coronavirus testing regime. Robert Sinclair said that doing so would “deliver a much-needed shot in the arm for business air travel, boosting economic growth across every region and every sector.” “We know the demand [...]
London Southend boss: Airport testing NOW is the only way to make passengers feel safe and get UK flying again October 8, 2020 The chief executive of London Southend airport has said that the country’s airlines will only begin to recover when passengers are confident enough to fly again – and that means the government must impose a coronavirus testing regime now. Aviation leaders had hoped that ministers would announce plans to put in place an airport testing [...]
British Airways’ last ever Boeing 747 flight touches down October 8, 2020 The last British Airways Boeing 747 flight from Heathrow has touched down at Kemble Airport in the Cotswolds. The iconic jet has had its retirement brought forward due to the slump in air travel caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Two flights took off from Heathrow this morning, with the first touching down at St. Athan [...]
Heathrow boss: PM told me airport testing will be in place ‘in October’ October 7, 2020 Boris Johnson has told the chief executive of Heathrow Airport that the UK will begin airport testing for coronavirus in two weeks time. Speaking to Travel Weekly, John Holland-Kaye confirmed that the Prime Minister said that ministers were planning to begin trials in the second half of this month. “It would take a couple of [...]
IATA calls for worldwide airport testing to replace quarantine September 22, 2020 Global airline body the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said that all international passengers should be given coronavirus tests before departing in order to scrap current quarantine measures. Speaking at an online briefing, IATA director Alexandre de Juniac said that there was no alternative solution that was “less challenging or more effective”. He said [...]
Exclusive: Private jet flights soar back as commercial recovery lags September 10, 2020 The European private jet industry has recovered at a far quicker rate than its commercial counterpart, City A.M. can reveal, in a rare glimmer of light for global aviation, which has been hammered by coronavirus. According to data from business jet brokers Colibri Aircraft, the number of European business aircraft departures in July was only [...]
Bring in airport testing by end of the month or risk ‘ruin’, airline bosses warn September 10, 2020 The bosses of the UK’s largest airlines have called on the government to implement an airport testing regime by the end of the month, warning that the country risks “economic ruin” otherwise. In a letter to Boris Johnson, the chief executives of British Airways, Easyjet, Ryanair, Virgin Atlantic, and Tui, among other, said that the [...]
Business leaders back switch to airport testing September 9, 2020 The majority of UK business leaders believe the government should scrap the current quarantine regime on air travel and replace it with airport testing, new data has shown. According to a survey by London City Airport, 71 per cent of senior executives think that removing the current restrictions in favour of a testing programme would [...]