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.

SEOUL - Korean Air Lines expects it will take two years after its purchase of Asiana Airlines closes before the rival brands can be integrated, and it plans to merge their three low-cost arms into one, its president said. Korean Air in November announced it would spend 1.8 trillion won ($1.59 billion) to become Asiana’s top shareholder.

LONDON  - British tourists should go ahead and book foreign holidays despite government warnings not to, Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary said on Wednesday, as the low-cost carrier announced plans to run 80 percent of its peak summer capacity through high season 2021.

DUBLIN - Ireland's High Court cleared the way on Friday for Norwegian Air to raise new capital and emerge from bankruptcy protection in Ireland and Norway in May by approving the airline's restructuring scheme. Norwegian's survival plan, announced last year, puts a definitive end to its long-haul business.

LONDON - A nationally representative survey of 2,100 people across the UK has demonstrated a strong desire to return to domestic and international travel as soon as restrictions are eased by Government. The survey points to a resurgence for the UK travel industry - and a preference for short haul destinations.

MADRID - Ryanair is planning 2,500 flights a week to, from, and across Spain this summer as it bets on a surge in demand for holidays even as infections rise across much of Europe. The airline expects a "decent" summer season, if UK travel restrictions are lifted before holiday season.

LONDON - "Not a straight line": The chief executive of British airline Easyjet always expected bumps along the way to a travel recovery, he said on Monday, denying that a third wave of Covid-19 infections in Europe put the carrier in jeopardy. A "risk based framework" might help traffic to recover.

LONDON - Legal action by Unite union has secured compensation up to a maximum of 4,200 pounds each for more than 2,000 Thomas Cook staff who lost their jobs when the travel firm collapsed in September 2019. The claims will be settled by a government funded insolvency claims scheme.

DUBAI - "Hostile target": Iran's civil aviation body blamed a misaligned radar and an error by an air defence operator in a final report into the shooting-down of a Ukrainian passenger plane in January 2020 that killed all 176 people aboard. Victim families argue investigators did not dig enough.

LONDON - A recovery in UK travel bookings appears undimmed by the suspension of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine elsewhere in Europe, airlines said on Tuesday, as the setback threatens to delay immunisation campaigns in affected countries. The UK is way ahead of the EU in terms of vaccination progress.

LONDON - "Very large updtick": U.S. airline executives on Monday pointed to concrete signs of a domestic leisure travel recovery as a slowing pandemic drives spring and summer bookings, pushing sector shares to their highest level since the coronavirus crisis hit the sector a year ago.