10 DECEMBER 2018
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- COMMENT: LONDON LUTON AIRPORT – Not fit for purpose!
- ACJ319 in show spotlight
- Amadeus
- Aviation Club celebrates Craig Kreeger
- Busy week for Ethiopian
- CAA acts against Ryanair
- Cathay upgrades Seattle route
- FlightPath3D in celebration mood
- Gatwick plan wins approval
- Heathrow's special-assistance app
- Iceland – Asia first non-stop link
- Minister set for Airlines UK dinner
- More airports go high-tech
- Now Canada signs UK air deal
- Poland celebrates
- Radisson for Moscow and Budapest
- RuMa opens in Kuala Lumpur
- Sir Terry quits Crossrail
- Snow Leopard flies
- Strategy consultation launched
- Virgin dismisses strike threat
- ON TOUR: Fiesole and Florence
- AND FINALLY: A true Brit
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Snow Leopard flies
The first new-generation Embraer E190-E2 for Kazakhstan’s national carrier Air Astana arrived at Nursultan Nazarbayev International airport in the Kazakh capital last week, following ferry flights from the manufacturer’s factory in Brazil.
COMMENT: LONDON LUTON AIRPORT – Not fit for purpose!
If you are elderly or slightly infirm, don’t use Luton Airport. That is the advice from Business Travel News.
ACJ319 in show spotlight
Latest trends in the bizjet market, led by the Airbus ACJ319, are in focus this week at the three-day Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) show, opening in Dubai today, 10 December.
Amadeus
Business Travel News last week was privileged with a visit to the Madrid headquarters of Amadeus, the world’s largest aviation technology supplier.
Aviation Club celebrates Craig Kreeger
In an exuberant mood with the prospects of winters in California and UK summers, Virgin Atlantic’s CEO Craig Kreeger was the guest of honour for the final Aviation Club lunch of 2018.
Busy week for Ethiopian
The launch of services linking Manchester with Addis Ababa, the birth of a new African airline and reports that Ethiopian Airlines' base has overtaken Dubai as the top transit hub for long-haul passengers to Africa kept the carrier in the news last week.
FlightPath3D in celebration mood
One of the companies that supplies inflight visual information so passengers can watch the progress of their journeys is celebrating after installing its data on more than 2,000 commercial aircraft and racking up more than 275m viewings.
Gatwick plan wins approval
Three-quarters of residents (74%) in Sussex, Surrey and Kent who were surveyed support plans by Gatwick to increase capacity by making better use of its existing runways, with only 14% against, according to a YouGov poll published last week.
Heathrow's special-assistance app
Visually-impaired passengers at Heathrow now have access to on-demand, personalised assistance via an app called Aira as part of the airport’s multi-million pound investments to improve journeys for all passengers.
Poland celebrates
LOT Polish Airlines was much the talking point last Friday (7 December) as the country of its founding celebrated 100 years since independence from Tsarist Russia.
RuMa opens in Kuala Lumpur
Set in Kuala Lumpur’s Golden Triangle and steps from the Petronas Towers, the newly-opened RuMa Hotel and Residences is the latest luxury property from Urban Resort Concepts (URC) and the company’s first development outside China.
Strategy consultation launched
The first proposed measures from the government’s aviation strategy consultation, including creating a passenger charter, were outlined on Friday by aviation minister Baroness Liz Sugg during a visit to Gatwick.
Virgin dismisses strike threat
The threat of industrial unrest looming over Virgin Atlantic at Christmas was dismissed by the airline at the weekend as British Airways also faced the prospect of fresh problems with pilots and cabin crew.
ON TOUR: Fiesole and Florence
Hertfordshire-based photographer Brian Arnopp, whose interests range from food and drink to restaurants and travel, reports on a belated return trip to two of Italy’s most alluring attractions. He also took the pictures.
CAA acts against Ryanair
Enforcement action was launched by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) last week against Ryanair in a dispute over the airline’s interpretation of the European Commission regulation 261/2004 on compensation for disruption to flights.
Cathay upgrades Seattle route
A new non-stop service linking Hong Kong to Seattle and due to be launched by Cathay Pacific on 31 March next has been upgraded from a four-a-week operation to daily from 1 July 2019 to meet what the airline calls “thriving demand”.
Iceland – Asia first non-stop link
Keflavik Airport has gained its first non-stop link between Iceland and Asia with the launch by Wow air last week of a three-a-week service to Delhi using 345-seat Airbus A330-300s.
Minister set for Airlines UK dinner
Bookings are now open for the Airlines UK 2019 annual dinner, taking place on 30 January at the Park Plaza Hotel in Victoria, London. It is the largest airline social event in the UK and one of the highlights of the aviation calendar.
More airports go high-tech
Better boarding for American Airlines customers arrived at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) last week with the launch of the carrier’s first pilot biometric boarding programme.
Now Canada signs UK air deal
Passengers will have the same access to routes between the UK and Canada post-Brexit following a new air services agreement between the two countries, transport secretary Chris Grayling announced last week.
Radisson for Moscow and Budapest
One of Moscow’s legendary landmarks joins the Radisson Hotel Group’s elite Radisson Collection division next month as the group also starts work on another property in Budapest.
Sir Terry quits Crossrail
As predicted by BTN, Sir Terry Morgan is leaving his job as chairman of Crossrail after resigning last week. The announcement was made by transport secretary Chris Grayling and London mayor Sadiq Khan.