LONDON - Heathrow Airport posted a 868 million pounds loss for the first six month of 2021. As expensive testing requirements and travel restrictions keep holding back the UK's economic recovery the most important British airport does not rule out to end 2021 with fewer passengers than 2020.
LONDON - Britain plans to relax slot use regulation through the winter to protect airline assets. London Gatwick Airport warned the Governement that the step will eventually backfire. The airline landscape is in a split mood: British Airways and Easyjet favor an extended slot relief, while Ryanair and Wizz Air push for a return to normal rules.
LONDON - British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow have joined forces to prove it is possible to quickly and easily verify those arriving into the UK who are fully vaccinated - an identification process already in place for outbound travel to several countries.
LONDON - Proposed new arrival routes into London Luton Airport (LLA) have been modified in direct response to feedback from residents and other stakeholders received in a public consultation held from October 2020 to February 2021. The updates will limit noise impact on residential neigborhoods.
LONDON - Ryanair expands its Standsted base this winter season with the acquisition of nearly 300 weekly slots from rival Easyjet. The airlines already swapped STN summer slots as Easyjet closes its Stansted post to focus on its London Luton and London Gatwick bases after the crisis.
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.
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.
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 - Heathrow Airport tried to pass on its pandemic losses to airlines - the controversial request to increase charges by up to ten percent to recover 2.6 billion pounds over the next few year was rejected by British aviation regulator CAA Tuesday. Yet, neither the airport nor airlines are happy with the decision.
LONDON - Explosively rising Covid-19 infection rates and a double mutation in India cause Canada and Great Britain to suspend passenger air traffic with the country for the time being. Heathrow Airport rejected airline requests for additional flight shortly before the red list suspension took effect this Friday.
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.
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.
LONDON - Unite has announced 41 strikes at Heathrow Airport citing a bitter dispute after the company's decision to fire and rehire its entire workforce, slashing pay and reducing conditions. "Targeted strike action" will begin on Friday 2 April and there will be 41 strikes over a 23 day period, with the final strike scheduled for Sunday 25 April.
LONDON - Heathrow Airport raised 350 million pounds in bonds maturing in 2028, as it bolsters its pandemic-hit finances ahead of the reopening of international travel in May. The airport demands more immigration officers as travellers reported line times of three to six hours after arrival at Heathrow.
LONDON - Almost four months of public consultation regarding proposed changes to arrival routes into London Luton Airport have now ended. New flight paths will "simplify and modernise" approaches into Luton and segregate arriving inbound traffic from Standsted corridors, the airport said.
LISBON - Portugal's aviation regulator this week refused to evaluate a plan to build a new airport in Lisbon, in the latest setback for one of the country's largest infrastructure projects, but the government said it would push for a solution to keep the airport project alive.
LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority approved new passengers service fees that will help Heathrow airport to cope with the financial consequences of the Covid-19 drop in traffic. This includes a new "airport cost recovery charge" of 8.90 pounds on each departing passenger levied through the remainder of 2021.
DUBAI - Dubai Airports' chief executive warned on Monday it would be another tough year for the Middle East's busiest hub after passenger numbers slid 70 percent in 2020. The airport, the base for airline Emirates, handled 25.9 million passengers last year, mostly in the first quarter before the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
LONDON - Britain is looking at greater testing of all people who have arrived from abroad while they are self-isolating to defend against new variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, a minister said. ITV reported that all international arrivals would have to be tested forDiscussions on current events and developments in the aviation industry
