25 per cent down: Heathrow boss warns ‘many years’ until pre-Covid flying levels reached October 26, 2022 It will take some time for Heathrow to go back to pre-pandemic levels, according to the airport’s boss John Holland-Kaye. The west London hub expects between 60 and 62 million people to pass through its gates this year, 25 per cent down on the 81 million posted in 2019. Heathrow also reported 18 million passengers [...]
Civil Aviation Authority chief steps down following a summer of travel chaos October 21, 2022 The chief of the UK Civil Aviation Authority will stand now next year after a rocky few years of pandemic transport chaos and strike action drama. Richard Moriarty has worked for the organisation for more than ten years, in senior roles including Director of Competition and Economic Regulation, Director of Consumers and Markets, Deputy Chief Executive [...]
Holidaymakers urged to reclaim ATOL refund notes or lose out on £54m July 26, 2022 Holidaymakers have been warned not to miss out on £54m-worth of unclaimed ATOL refund credit by the Civil Aviation Authority. Many passengers have missed out on the chance to claim compensation from ATOL, a legal protection and requirement for package holiday bookings. The CAA warned that when a travel company goes under, from 30 September, [...]
Heathrow ordered to lower passenger charges to less than £27 after bitter dispute with airlines June 28, 2022 The aviation watchdog ordered Heathrow Airport this morning to reduce its passenger charges amid a surge in demand for flights. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the cap on the west London airport’s average charge per passenger will fall from £30.19 today to £26.31 in 2026. Adjusted for inflation, the fare will amount to £28.39 [...]
End to ‘preighting’: European airlines no longer allowed to pack empty passenger planes with cargo April 20, 2022 Airlines across the European Union are no longer allowed to pack empty passenger planes with cargo, in a further sign that the aviation industry is recovering from the pandemic. The temporary exemption to allow so-called ‘preighting’ – using passenger planes to transport freight – was introduced during the pandemic as passenger flows dried up while [...]
CAA board member steps down over IAG conflict of interest March 22, 2022 A member of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) was forced to step following a conflict of interest, the aviation regulator announced yesterday. A former British Airways’ (BA) director of engineering, Garry Copeland resigned after a CAA audit of the members’ financial interest found he was holding some shares in BA’s parent company IAG instead of [...]
UK aviation urges holiday-goers to spend £132m of unused travel vouchers November 22, 2021 The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has urged holidaymakers to spend £132m worth of unused travel vouchers before they expire. Issued by the aviation authority during the peak of the pandemic to avoid airlines having to repay extensive sums to customers, the Atol refund protection scheme is expected to end on 30 September 2022, the BBC [...]
Grant Shapps alleged to be lobbying against government housing plans November 14, 2021 Transport secretary Grant Shapps has allegedly spent public money on lobbying to oppose the government’s plans to build on private runways, the Sunday Times reported. An aviation aficionado, Grant’s reported fight against development plans has led housing agency Home England to withdraw plans for thousands of homes to be built, including a project to build [...]
Aviation regulator sets five-year cap on Heathrow’s charges October 19, 2021 The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) will set a five-year price cap on the maximum charges Heathrow can ask its airline customers for using the airport. Coming into force in the summer of 2022, the cap is expected set affordable charges for airlines while making sure the airport can get back on track with its [...]