LONDON - Return path to a British license: the UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a "simplified process" to allow pilots who transferred their licence and medical certificate to an EU member state in preparation for the end of the transition period to get their UK licence back.»
MANCHESTER - Jet2 cancels holidays until June 24 citing planning uncertainties as the British travel restart plan fails to convince airlines and tour operators. Easyjet and Jet2 see a financial burden for families as mandatory PCR tests after holidays might inflate travel costs.»
LONDON - London City Airport (LCY) has welcomed the restoration of key regional routes, with flights to resume shortly to Edinburgh, Glasgow - both with British Airways -and Dundee with Loganair, re-establishing important domestic connectivity and tourism links between Scotland and the heart of London.»
CHICAGO - United Airlines started to accept applications for its "Aviate" flight school program after a Covid-19 delay this week. The airline embarks on an ambitious plan to train 5,000 new pilots for its cockpits by the year 2030 and will enroll the first 100 students in 2021.»
LONDON - Airlines will fight attempts by suppliers and airports, including Heathrow Airport, to cover pandemic losses by raising charges, the new head of industry body IATA Willie Walsh said on Wednesday, as he promised "strong and aggressive" resistance to such moves.»
DUBAI - Qatar Airways called for countries to safely reopen borders on Tuesday, with its chief executive warning that more airlines would need state aid this year to avoid going bust. Akbar al-Baker said that Qatar Airways, one of the Gulf's biggest carriers, would emerge from the coronavirus crisis as a top global airline.»
LONDON - British Airways and Virgin Atlantic expect international travel from Britain to resume on May 17 despite the government warning it is too soon to say whether holidays can go ahead this year. The UK government has said it will provide more details on restarting foreign travel this week.»
LONDON - The chief executive Easyjet criticised some of the government's plans to restart travel, saying Covid-19 tests should not be required for passengers travelling to low-risk destinations. According to Johan Lundgren, costs of tests in some cases exceed ticket prices of the LCC.»
LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out plans to reopen the economy and eventually relaunch international travel on Monday when he updates the coronavirus roadmap, aided by one of the fastest vaccine rollouts in the world. Astra and Pfizer shots might fuel airline recovery in the summer.»
SEATTLE - Boeing urged the United States on Wednesday to keep human rights and other disputes separate from trade relations with Beijing, and warned European rival Airbus would gain if the U.S. planemaker were locked out of China. The 737 MAX review by China remains pending.»
WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said on Wednesday it had approved the design for the Boeing 737-8200, part of the Boeing 737 MAX series, a necessary step before the U.S. planemaker can begin delivering the higher-capacity airplanes to Ryanair.»
ATLANTA - Delta Air Lines said on Wednesday it will stop blocking middle seats as of May 1, a move that will allow it to start selling more tickets on each flight at a time when travel demand is picking up as more Americans receive Covid-19 vaccines. The airline got in hot water in its home state.»Discussions on current events and developments in the aviation industry
