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 [...]
Aviation support package ‘cannot come soon enough’, MPs warn September 7, 2020 A group of MPs has warned that the government’s aviation recovery plan “cannot come quick enough” as the stricken industry heads into the winter season weighed down with uncertainty over its future. This morning, the government revealed that it would unveil its plan to get the UK aviation industry back onto its feet over the [...]
The travel industry will not survive without a radical U-turn August 27, 2020 The UK has a rich history as a global transport hub. While we all value our holidays as individuals, the value of travel to the UK economy cannot be overlooked. In 2019, the 40.9m overseas visitors who came to the UK spent £28.4bn. While many of us don’t consider the UK economy to be as [...]
Airlines call on Rishi Sunak to waive passenger tax for 12 months July 20, 2020 The UK’s airlines have renewed calls for a 12-month waiver from paying Air Passenger Duty (APD) in a bid to protect the industry from damage from the coronavirus crisis. A new survey from industry body Airlines UK has found that without such a waiver, 600 air routes will be lost in the short-term, as well [...]
UK airlines set for jobs crisis on par with collapse of mining in 1980s June 10, 2020 The UK’s aviation sector is on the brink of a jobs crisis as severe as that which devastated the mining industry in the 1980s, a new report has found. According to the New Economics Foundation (NEF), up to 70,000 jobs are under threat as a result of the coronavirus crisis, which has grounded airlines around [...]