LONDON - The government cuts ties with private railway operator Go Ahead and will take Southeastern rail lines under public helm by mid-October. Go Ahead is understood to face fraud accusations from the government after leaving 25m pounds of taxpayer funding undeclared and unreturned.
LONDON - The volume of air cargo handled through London Gatwick Airport is forecast to increase to around 350,000 metric tonnes per year by the middle of the century (2047), up from 150,000 tonnes in 2019/20 - if the airport’s plan to bring its Northern runway into routine use is realised.
LUTON - The European aviation market continues to recover - Easyjet expects pent-up demand in 2022 and announced Monday it will be expanding its network of seasonal bases by adding five more aircraft across bases Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Faro from May 2022, citing "the important role" of these markets.
DUBLIN - Ryanair laid the groundwork for recovery and expansion with the opening of a new 50 million Euro training center in Santry, close to Dublin Airport. The Irish low-cost airline consolidates training operations under a new agreement with Airline Flight Academy (AFA) and announced a hiring spree.
ABERDEEN - Loganair, the UK’s largest regional airline, has further bolstered its route network as it launches a new direct service between Aberdeen and Dublin, with the first flight taking to the skies Sunday 5 September. The airline operates the route with a 49-seat Embraer 145 regional jet.
MELBOURNE - Microflite - an australian helicopter operator - and Embraer Eve plan to begin their partnership using helicopters, where appropriate, as a proof of concept to validate parameters that will apply to future electrical vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft operations or so called EVA (Electrical Vertical Aircraft).
LONDON - Gatwick aims to bring its existing Northern Runway into routine use alongside its Main Runway in order to secure the airports long-term growth. The airport management has announced that a public consultation will start on the 9th September 2021. 
LONDON - Octopus Hydrogen will provide 100 per cent green hydrogen to ZeroAvia’s R&D centre at Cotswold Airport in Kemble during the testing, certification and first commercial operations of its zero emission hydrogen-electric aircraft powertrain technology.
LONDON - A new start-up airline based in the UK is preparing to spread its wings later this year. Hans Airways will focus on routes between secondary city pairs in the UK and India eyeing the huge Indian diasporas in Europe and North America. Currently, the airline is waiting for the CAA to approve its AOC application.
LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority has published aviation statistics for the second quarter of 2021. Overall, 6.3 million passengers flew in and out of the UK between April and June this year - compared to 3.4 million in quarter one 2021 - across 124,000 flights (81,000 flights in quarter one 2021).
LONDON - The further easing of travel restrictions throughout July resulted in a 74% upsurge in passengers compared with July 2020 at Heathrow Airport. With consumer confidence on the rise, over 1.5 million travellers passed through Heathrow, marking the highest monthly passenger numbers since March 2020. 
LONDON - JetBlue Airways has officially entered the transatlantic market with new, nonstop service between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR). The first customer-carrying JetBlue flight between the U.S. and the U.K. touched down at Heathrow Thursday just before 10 o’clock.
LONDON - Virgin Atlantic might tap the stock market as the recovery takes shape. The airline will follow up on its IPO plans by autumn, Sky News reports. Virgin Atlantic is co-owned by billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group, that holds a 51 percent interest, and Delta Air Lines with a 49 percent stake.
LONDON - More than 3,500 UK pilots have written to the Government to highlight a "new and unfair system" that means UK pilot licences have been "seriously degraded in value and utility" following Brexit. The new state of play might even have prevented UK pilots from securing UK jobs.
GENEVA - The International Air Transport Association (IATA) branded the European Commission’s (EC) decision to set the winter slot use threshold at 50% as "out of touch with reality" and argued that the EC had ignored the advice and evidence presented by EU member states and the airline industry.
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.
TIANJIN - Airbus has delivered the first A350 from its widebody completion & delivery centre in Tianjin (C&DC), China. It is located at the same site as the A320 Family Final Assembly Line. The A350-900 aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines, the largest Airbus operator in Asia and second largest in the world. 
LUTON - With easing travel restrictions, Easyjet has reduced total cash burn during the third quarter to £55million. The airline's capacity in Q4 will be up to 60% of 2019 levels, up from 17% in Q3/2021. In autumn, Easyjet will continue to take delivery of Airbus A320.
ATLANTA - Delta has entered into agreements to add 29 used Boeing 737-900ERs and lease seven used Airbus A350-900s as it continues to streamline and modernize its fleet. The 36 additional aircraft will support Delta's fleet renewal strategy focused on simplification, scale, size and sustainability.
LONDON - In the first three months of 2021 alone, the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) issued a staggering 485 Fixed Penalty Notices - financial fines - to airlines for carrying passengers who had not complied with Covid-19 requirements for international passengers travelling into the UK.
SAINT NAZAIRE - The nose and front fuselage assembly for the A321XLR has started in France, following the earlier accomplishment of the centre wing box - less than two months after the start of structural assembly of the rear & centre fuselages in Germany.
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 - British pilots are urging politicians across the UK to pressure the Government to save the summer and secure the future for the national aviation and travel industry. According to pilot union Balpa and Eurocontrol data inbound and outbound UK travel collapsed by three-quarters through the crisis.
SEATTLE - His airline could be grounded for three years and still have financial resources for a restart: Wizz Air-CEO Jozsef Varadi shows confidence in his position as European air travel starts to recover. Wizz Air will will keep focusing on short haul cost travellers - and expects more capacity this summer than two years ago.
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.Discussions on current events and developments in the aviation industry
