Desperate travel sector demands all international Covid testing requirements are scrapped immediately January 5, 2022 All testing requirements for international travellers should be abolished immediately, the travel industry said this morning. Manchester Airports Group (MAG) and Airlines UK said research they commissioned into travel restrictions found domestic, not international, restrictions would be the only way to reduce the spread of Omicron. Pre-departure and day two PCR testing were reintroduced in [...]
Best of 2021: Why UK airlines are at odds with Heathrow December 27, 2021 The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) managed to upset both airlines and Heathrow on 16 December when it confirmed the interim price cap which will be implemented at the London hub from 1 January. From the current £19.60 the charges will go up to £29.50 in 2020 prices, amounting to £30.19 per passenger because of the [...]
Carbon value of Heathrow third runway increases to £100bn December 22, 2021 The costs of bringing down the carbon impact of Heathrow’s proposed third runway has doubled as a result of the UK Government’s net-zero ambitions. According to research by London think tank New Economics Foundation, the third runway’s carbon value for the 2025-2050 period has gone up from £50bn to £100bn, potentially impacting the expansion plans, [...]
Thousands of passengers stuck in hour-long queues at Heathrow December 16, 2021 Passengers have been complaining of being stuck in hour-long queues at Heathrow airport, waiting for Border Force to process passengers at immigration. Former Iceland, Focus DIY and Wickes boss Bill Grimsey tweeted yesterday about “absolute chaos” at the London airport hub, calling the immigration process a “joke.” “Well this is a great start to self [...]
Heathrow airfares to rise as CAA confirms interim price cap December 16, 2021 The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has written to Heathrow, confirming the £30.19 interim price cap the airport can charge its airline customers will take effect from 1 January. According to the CAA, the charge will be £29.50 in 2020 prices, going up to £30.19 – a 50 per cent increase compared with the current [...]
Heathrow to employ ‘thousands’ ahead of next summer once Plan B eases December 10, 2021 The newly imposed Covid-19 Plan B have dampened Heathrow’s hopes of securing confidence in travel, as the restrictions weigh on already faltering demand. Demand remains 60 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, despite the US reopening its coveted travel corridor in November. “High level of cancellations by business travellers concerned about being trapped overseas because of [...]
Heathrow recreates Love Actually’s iconic scene following pandemic reunions December 8, 2021 18 years on from first hitting the big screen, the iconic opening scene of Love Actually at Heathrow has been recreated for today’s times.
“Don’t panic” about Omicron variant, Heathrow boss says December 2, 2021 Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye told both the aviation industry and passengers not to panic about the latest Covid variant, Omicron. Speaking at London’s World Aviation Festival, he said: “We’re going to have a lot of these variants over the years. I suspect that with most of them, vaccines will be fine. We got through [...]
Heathrow reopens Covid terminal to respond to Omicron challenge December 1, 2021 Heathrow reopened today its Covid terminal to process travellers arriving from red list countries. From 3pm today, Terminal 4 will see only those arriving from countries where there is a higher rate of Omicron cases, keeping them away from the rest of passengers. Mandatory face coverings as well as intensive cleaning regimes, enhanced ventilation and [...]
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 [...]