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 - 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 - 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.

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.

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 - "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 - 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 - Return path to a British license: the UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a "simplified process" to allow pilots who transferred their licence and medical certificate to an EU member state in preparation for the end of the transition period to get their UK licence back.

MONTREAL - Aviation training specialist CAE said on Friday it will be ready to host mass Covid-19 vaccinations as early as Easter, becoming one of the first major Canadian publicly traded companies to carry out inoculations of workers and the public. Air Canada might also help speed up vaccinations.

LONDON - International travel from England will be banned until May 17 at the earliest, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday, prolonging the pain for airlines, airports and holiday companies. Vaccinated passengers will enjoy travel priviliges once international immigration restrictions are lifted.

LONDON - UK charter and freight airlines face Brexit headaches as EU rivals snap away lucrative business. Permits for ad hoc flights between UK and EU - a standard requirement under post-Brexit regulation - are issued faster by UK authorities than EU counterparts putting UK back-up airlines in disadvantage.

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 for
COVID-19 on the second and eighth days of their self-isolation.

LONDON - Britain is banning direct passenger flights to and from the United Arab Emirates from Friday, shutting down the world's busiest international airline route from Dubai to London. Connecting traffic to Asia and Australia concentrates on hubs of Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines in Doha and Singapore.

LONDON - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated on Wednesday the Covid-19 lockdown in England would last until March 8 when schools could start to reopen as he said some travellers to Britain would have to quarantine in government-provided hotels. Borders will be closed for 22 countries.

WASHINGTON - President Joe Biden will impose a ban on most non-U.S. citizens entering the country who have recently been in South Africa starting Saturday in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19, a senior U.S. public health official told Reuters. The European travel ban is upheld.

BUENOS AIRES - The German airline Lufthansa has asked the Argentine government for permission to overfly its country en route to the Falklands, Argentina said on Thursday, adding that the request implies recognition of Falklands "as part of Argentine territory," the Foreign Ministry said.

LONDON - Britain's airlines, airports and aviation manufacturers pleaded for immediate financial support from the government to "protect companies" and a longer-term recovery plan after the most recent Covid-19 outbreak stopped travel and new testing requirements dashed bounce-back hopes.

WASHINGTON - U.S. President-elect Joe Biden plans to quickly extend travel restrictions barring travel by most people who have recently been in much of Europe and Brazil soon after President Donald Trump lifted those requirements effective Jan. 26, a spokeswoman for Biden said.

MONTREAL - Canada did not extend a ban on flights from Britain after it expired on Wednesday because new measures to fight the coronavirus have made it unnecessary, Transport Minister Marc Garneau told reporters. Passengers still have to produce a recent negative Covid-19 test certificate to fly to Canada.