LONDON - Recovery takes shape: London City Airport expects pent up passenger demand and business travel to fuel a surge in growth in 2022, with the introduction of new routes and the return of important destinations, resulting in more than three quarters of 2019 routes operating at LCY this year.

LONDON - Virgin Atlantic has opened applications to recruit 400 new cabin crew to take to the skies in its red uniform in summer 2022. Still, the airline remains cautious about future staffing needs. The additional roles will be part of an initial 6-month fixed term contract with the view to extend.

LONDON - The UK is about to decide whether or not to extend slot relief for airlines. 56 percent of people surveyed who are planning to fly in the next 12 months are concerned about airfares increasing if airport slot rules remain the same, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by Gatwick Airport and Wizz Air. 

LONDON - British Airways and Qatar Airways extend their joint business. The news follows British Airways’ relaunch of daily services to Doha, with the airline’s first flight taking off from Gatwick this month, giving customers access to Qatar Airways’ expansive global network with connections to over 100 destinations.

LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is holding firm the price cap that Heathrow Airport (HAL) can charge its airline customers in the period from 1 January 2022.

LONDON - Virgin Atlantic bolsters its fleet with two additional Airbus A350-1000 aircraft on lease and a new partnership: Easyjet will funnel passengers into Virgin Atlantic longhaul services through connecting flights from and to airports in Manchester, Edinburgh and Belfast in 2022.

LONDON - British Airways has revealed initial destinations for its new Gatwick subsidiary BA Euroflyer, which will start flying from March 2022. Tickets to 35 short-haul destinations went on sale Tuesday. British Airways will operate the routes as the BA Euroflyer AOC remains pending.

LONDON - Virgin Atlantic Airways has received 400m pounds in new investments from its shareholders, Virgin Group and Delta Air Lines.

LONDON - A UK aviation consortium featuring representatives from airports, manufacturers and academic institutions have released interim findings on the viability of achieving zero emission flight in the UK. Three aircraft from 9 to 48 seats could provide the technical platform for hydrogen flights.

LONDON - British Airways slashed more than 2,000 flights from its schedule through the winter season as the UK tightens travel rules. From Tuesday 4:00 GMT everyone from the age of 12 will be required to produce a negative PCR or antigen test taken within a 48 hours pre-departure window.

LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority is advising holidaymakers issued with refund credit notes during the COVID-19 pandemic to redeem their credit as international travel continues to open up.

LONDON - British Airways will use sustainable aviation fuel produced on a commercial scale in the UK after signing a multi-year agreement with Phillips 66. Thousands of tonnes of SAF will be produced at the Phillips 66 Humber Refinery near Immingham and will be supplied to British Airways early 2022. 

LONDON - British Airways temporarily suspended all flights to Hong Kong to review "operational requirements" of the destination. According to media reports, British Airways crew members were quarantined in Hong Kong November 20th after a test upon arrival returned a postive result.

LONDON - A steep 50 percent surge in passenger charges at London Heathrow makes British Airways question the size of its future operations at the UK's biggest airport. Heathrow fees are already among the highest in the world and continue to rise, IAG chief executive Luis Gallego told reports Monday in London.

HELSINKI - In their regular negotiations on 16-17 November 2021, Finland and China agreed that flights from Finland to Shanghai could be increased. The number of weekly routes will be raised from seven to 14.

LONDON - American Airlines and British Airways announced a collaboration global COVID-19 testing provider Qured to offer complimentary test kits to support the swift return of international business travel.

LONDON - Heathrow has begun recruiting for over 600 new frontline roles as the restart of transatlantic travel and easing of international restrictions boosts confidence in the aviation sector’s recovery. The reopening of the US travel markets stimulates demand in the core business of the airport.

LONDON - NATS and Heathrow have had a long and successful relationship, working together to operate the world’s busiest and most efficient dual runway airport before the impact of the Covid pandemic. The partnership is extended now.

LONDON - A coalition formed of Gatwick, Belfast International, Edinburgh Airports and Wizz Air have written to Transport Secretary urging him to reinstate the "80/20 Use it or Lose It" airport slot rules to ensure "that UK consumers once again benefit from effective choice of destination and airline".

FRANKFURT - After more than a year in storage, British Airways restarts A380 operation with crew familiarization rosters on short trips within its European network. On Monday morning, the A380 G-XLEF went on the BA902/903 rotation from London Heathrow to Frankfurt and back.

LONDON - Formation flight into the new beginning of travel: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic departed London Heathrow Monday for their first flights in the U.S. under relaxed immigration rules.

LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has begun seeking views from members of the public as part of a review into the process it uses to make decisions on proposals to change the design of the UK's airspace, known as "CAP1616", three years into the prepration works for the revamp.

NEW YORK - Avianca is in final court proceedings to close its Chapter 11 restructuring. The airline will move its legal residence to the UK.

DUBAI - Emirates ramps up hiring to support "accelerated recovery". The six months recruitment drive includes vacancies for 3,000 cabin crew, 1,200 technical staff, 1,200 airport service and ground staff - and 600 pilots.

LONDON - Flybe is in the final stages to return to European skies by 2022. The revamped airline just hired an experienced manager to its team: Dave Pflieger joins Flybe as new CEO. The airline expects to achieve operational readiness ahead of the summer season 2022, insiders tell aero.uk.

MANCHESTER - The first Aer Lingus transatlantic service from the UK took to the skies Wednesday with the departure of the airline’s first ever non-stop direct flight from Manchester to Barbados. The IAG airline will expand its Manchester flights with new services to New York and Orlando in December.

LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) signals its OK for a 50 percent higher threshold of fees at Heathrow Airport. The framework will ultimately set the maximum fees the airport operator can charge its airline customers for using the airport for the next five years at 34.40 GBP per passenger.

LONDON - International Airlines Group (IAG) announces that Steve Gunning has decided to stand down from the role of Chief Financial Officer and leave the group after the release of the company’s full year 2021 results.

LONDON - The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Federal Air Transport Agency (FATA) signed a Temporary Arrangement on air safety. The FATA is legally assigned as the Civil Aviation Competent Authority in the Russian Federation and the CAA is legally assigned as the Competent Authority in the UK.

SYDNEY - Qantas has confirmed it will operate its flagship direct route from Australia to London via Darwin when international flights resume next month with the reopening of Australia’s border. The Qantas nonstop route from Perth to London is expected to restart in April 2022.

LONDON - British Airways is returning the Airbus A380 to service. The A380s will be phased-in on the European network from November before first intercontinental flights.

LONDON - British Airways will restore its European schedule at London Gatwick Airport in 2022. The airline will challenge Easyjet and Wizz Air with a new Gatwick-based subsidiary for European flights. New contract terms with pilots clear the way for the return to Gatwick next summer.

MANCHESTER - British holiday airline Jet2 adds 15 more Airbus A321neo aircraft to its order tally.

DUBLIN - Emerald Airlines will operate Aer Lingus regional routes by 2023. The new Irish regional airline has committed to lease four ATR 72-600 aircraft from Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC), the world’s largest regional aircraft leasing company. Emerald and the planes might enter service as early as 2022.

LONDON - Virgin Atlantic delays IPO from Q4 2021 to early 2022 according to insiders - the airline hopes to take momentum of the reopening of the US market into the offering, "Reuters" reports. Virgin Atlantic experienced a strong surge in bookings after the US announced plans to relax travel restrictions by November.

LONDON - Norse Atlantic Airways and the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) have entered into an agreement that will deliver hundreds of jobs in the UK. Norse plans to commence affordable flights between Europe and North America in 2022 with a fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft.

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 - Loganair continues to build its network and UK-wide connectivity as it adds three further routes to its Summer 2022 programme.

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.

LONDON - Competition between air, rail and road transportation on domestic routes ist heating up as the two largest UK passenger transportation companies are about to merge.

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 no longer accepts new British shareholders since Brexit. The airline is now cracking down on investors who disregarded the provisions.

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.

LONDON - The Secretary of State for Transport has announced the Government's intention to wind down the Independent Commission on Civil Aviation Noise (ICCAN) at the end of September 2021.

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).

BRUSSELS - Data from airlines in July shows the average delay per flight on departure was 11 minutes, definitely better than 18 minutes in July 2019. However, not all types of delay are down.

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.

MIRABEL - On Thursday 26 August, the Airbus A220, sporting the Air France colours, made its production flight.

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.