6 AUGUST 2018
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- ON THE SOAPBOX: R. Nigel Johnstone - Chairman Air Safety Group
- ABTA welcomes claims decision
- Aeromexico accident
- Aerospace media awards
- Bags switch at Air Baltic
- Bristol Airport’s new chief
- Cheers from Delta and Virgin
- Club Aspire opens at Gatwick
- El Al goes wi-fi
- Emirates A380 a decade on
- Gulf Air celebrates
- KLM on voice command
- Leasing guru for Aviation Club
- MH370 backlash continues
- Norwegian A380 on London – New York
- Primera eyes long-haul prize
- Q400 certified for 90 seats
- Singapore ULR in full colour
- Vueling hits IAG results
- Walsh, Norwegian and Heathrow
- War in the air over the Scillies
- ON TOUR: Eurostar to Amsterdam
- AUGUST CRUISE ISSUE: Comeback for the QE2 and record UK market figures
- AND FINALLY: A model of a video
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Emirates A380 a decade on
Celebrations are in hand at Emirates Airline as the carrier marks 10 years of operations with the Airbus A380, with latest figures showing the super-jumbo has carried more than 105m passengers over more than 1.5bn km in a decade.
ON THE SOAPBOX: R. Nigel Johnstone - Chairman Air Safety Group
Nigel is an aviation consultant and flight operations auditor with over 35 years of experience in commercial aviation with both passenger and cargo airlines. He specialises in flight operations support, operational control and supervision. He is the holder of an FAA Part 65 Flight Dispatcher licence and an aviation safety advisor to the PACTS (Parliamentary Council for Transportation Safety) and an independent expert to European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
ABTA welcomes claims decision
Confirmation by the government that previously announced increases to small claims limits affecting travellers will be carried forward, albeit with a one-year delay, has been welcomed by ABTA.
Aerospace media awards
There is one event over the Farnborough carnival that brings together exhibitors and the press. It is the annual Aerospace Media Awards, which alternates between Farnborough and Paris Le Bourget with this year's event at the Hyde Park Corner headquarters of the Royal Aeronautical Society.
Bags switch at Air Baltic
An increase in the size of cabin baggage passengers are allowed to carry on board was introduced by Latvian carrier Baltic Airways last week, though still with an 8kg weight allowance for two items in force – barely enough for typical carry-ons.
El Al goes wi-fi
Israel’s national airline, El Al, is now completing the pilot stage of an on-board wi-fi internet service for flights within Europe. This covers 15 of the airline’s fleet consisting of the five Boeing B787 Dreamliners that have arrived to date, its entire Boeing B737-900 operation (eight) and Boeing B737-800 aircraft (two).
Gulf Air celebrates
The introduction of a new Boeing B787-9 Dreamliner double-daily service between London and Bahrain by Gulf Air was celebrated last week with a special gathering at the Arts Club in Mayfair.
MH370 backlash continues
As the head of Malaysia’s Civil Aviation Authority resigned in the wake of last week’s report on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, the British Airline Pilots' Association (BALPA) also joined the debate, saying unfair speculation about the role of the pilots should be “put to bed”.
Primera eyes long-haul prize
A switch from short-haul to long-haul operations was in the offing from budget carrier Primera Air last week after it said it was dropping routes between Birmingham and Alicante, Tenerife, Las Palmas, Reykjavik and Malaga from 29 October.
Q400 certified for 90 seats
Indian carrier SpiceJet will become the first airline to benefit from Bombardier Commercial Aircraft receiving certification from Transport Canada for its 90-passenger Q400 configuration.
Vueling hits IAG results
A loss of €11m at International Airlines Group (IAG) member Vueling took the gloss off the group’s financial performance for the first half of 2018, according to figures released last week, while British Airways continued to set the pace.
Walsh, Norwegian and Heathrow
Norwegian and Heathrow were both in focus at last week’s International Airline Group (IAG) financial results meeting, with group CEO Willie Walsh saying IAG was looking to sell its shares in Norwegian Air after failing to negotiate a takeover.
ON TOUR: Eurostar to Amsterdam
Business Travel News has been on the Eurostar service from London to Amsterdam introduced in February.
AUGUST CRUISE ISSUE: Comeback for the QE2 and record UK market figures
TILBURY and AEGEAN ODYSSEY
AND FINALLY: A model of a video
Inflight safety videos have been growing in sophistication for a while, but Turkish Airlines has started something with its latest effort, which brings the Lego film stars to a small screen near you.
Aeromexico accident
An investigation has begun into the crash of an Aeromexico Embraer E190 in Durango on Tuesday. Flight recorders have been recovered, and the airline confirmed all 107 people on board survived. There was no information on injuries.
Bristol Airport’s new chief
The former managing director of Southampton Airport, Dave Lees, took up his new post as Bristol Airport’s new CEO last week. Before heading the Southampton operation, he was that airport’s operations director and planning and development director.
Cheers from Delta and Virgin
A pop-up pub with 230 American craft beers on offer and US-themed quiz nights with flights as prizes is being opened in London next Friday, 10 August, by Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines.
Club Aspire opens at Gatwick
The second Club Aspire-branded lounge in the UK has opened at Gatwick’s North Terminal under the auspices of the Airport Lounge Development (ALD) and Swissport partnership.
KLM on voice command
Passengers are being offered the option of using voice commands to search for flights after KLM launched its latest service on the Google Assistant platform. KLM is one of the first companies to offer more than one language, English and Dutch.
Leasing guru for Aviation Club
Widely regarded as the man who invented aircraft leasing, Steven Udvar-Házy is to be guest speaker at the next Aviation Club Lunch at the Institute of Directors in London on Thursday 13 September.
Norwegian A380 on London – New York
An Airbus A380 “super-jumbo” began operating the prime Norwegian Air London – New York route on Friday for a limited period to cover a shortage of capacity by the airline blamed on engine problems with its Boeing B787 Dreamliners.
Singapore ULR in full colour
The latest new era in air travel moved a step closer last week with the first Ultra Long Range Airbus A350 XWB to be delivered to launch customer Singapore Airlines rolling out of the manufacturer’s paintshop in the carrier’s distinctive livery.
War in the air over the Scillies
A new helicopter service between Land's End and the Isles of Scilly which started this summer with a schedule of up to eight flights a day six days a week is facing competition from a possible rival next year.