LONDON - UK aviation industry is the "hardest hit" in Europe by restrictions on international travel, an analysis of official European air traffic data for June 2021 by The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) has revealed. The pilots call for a quick opening of international air travel to spur recovery.»
LONDON - Ryanair and airport operator MAG are suing the UK Government over "unacceptable" travel restrictions. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's traffic light system continues to choke off air travel recovery, Ryanair said. To prevent further spreading of a new Covid-19 string, Downing Street so far rejects any adjustments to its policy.»
LONDON - Wizz Air announced its first ever UK domestic services with flights from Cardiff and Sheffield to Jersey. Starting July 9th the new routes focus on holiday demand and will be operated Mondays and Fridays. Wizz Air UK will open a base in Cardiff - the latest in its network - this week.»
DUBLIN - Hit hard by the Corona crisis, Irish regional airline Stobart Air ceased all its flight operations Friday. The airline will enter liquidation proceedings, its owner Esken said in a statement. A sale attempt had recently failed. The airline with 480 employees operated wet-lease flights for Aer Lingus.»
LONDON - Virgin Atlantic partners with eVTOL manufacturer Vertical Aerospace: The partnership includes an option for Virgin Atlantic to purchase up to 150 eVTOL (electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing) aircraft and exploration of a UK Joint Venture with Vertical Aerospace, to deliver a Virgin Atlantic branded short haul eVTOL network.»
LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority has published passenger numbers for the first quarter of 2021. Overall, 3.4 million passengers flew in and out of the UK between January and March this year, across 80,625 flights. This represents a 94 percent fall in passenger numbers compared to the same period in 2019.»
LONDON - The British traffic light system faces an industry wide backlash. Airlines, airports and tour operators feel "stuck with a system not fit for purpose" that cannot be scrutinized or challenged. While British tourists were forced to end their summer vacations early, other countries continue to reopen travel.»
BRUSSELS - Eurocontrol and EASA, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, propose five pillars that, according to them, would allow the European air traffic management (ATM) system to contribute to the EU’s climate-neutrality ambition by enabling aircraft and airspace users to further reduce their carbon footprint.»
LONDON - London City Airport has become the first major international airport in the world to be fully controlled by a remote digital air traffic control tower, following intensive testing and live trials of the revolutionary technology during lockdown, marking a "step change" in global air traffic management.»
LONDON - "New type of relationship": UK Civil Aviation Authority CAA and European Union Aviation Safety Agency EASA have concluded negotiations on Technical Implementation Procedures (TIP) for the post-Brexit aerospace sector. The framework gives OEMs like Airbus and their suppliers regulatory clarity. »
LONDON - Royal Mail and partners have delivered two more UK firsts. Royal Mail becomes the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island in a 70 mile out-of-sight, autonomous flight to the Scilly Isles. Royal Mail has also trialled the first inter-island drone flights with a smaller vertical take-off and landing drone.»
LONDON - IAG reported a 1.14 billion euro loss for the first three months of 2021 on 20 percent of normal capacity. The airline group will maintain its tight capacity management until summer budgeting only a small increase to 25 percent for the April-June quarter as travel restrictions hit demand.»Discussions on current events and developments in the aviation industry
