15 JULY 2019
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- COMMENT PLUS: London City Airport and London
- COMMENT: A new transport minister – First task?
- BTN FOR SALE
- A lounge for children at Dubai
- Aerospace Media Awards
- Airlines attack new tax moves
- CAA warning over disabled passengers
- COO Bellew to leave Ryanair
- Data breach: 'prickly' Walsh under fire
- Embraer E190 joins easyJet fleet
- First man on the moon
- France APD plan condemned
- Heathrow welcomes its latest Hilton
- Highways UK 2019
- Huge fines for BA & Marriott
- Hungary debut for Garden Inn
- IATA London briefing
- Night-before check-in trial at Edinburgh
- Norwegian CEO steps down
- ParkVia lands world parking contract
- Qatar arrives in Portugal
- Royal opening for London Training Centre
- Widerøe boost for Aberdeen service
- ON TOUR: The Mary Rose
- ON TOUR SPECIAL: The Meetings Show
- AND FINALLY: The upside-down pilot
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COO Bellew to leave Ryanair
Just over 18 months since rejoining Ryanair as chief operating officer, Peter Bellew announced his resignation last week and plans to leave the airline at the end of December.
Royal opening for London Training Centre
The Prince of Wales with aviation minister Baroness Vere and leading figures from UK aviation last week marked the opening of L3Harris Technologies’ $100m London Training Centre for commercial airline pilots.
COMMENT PLUS: London City Airport and London
There are serious access problems on the way. The airport must stand up and be counted!
COMMENT: A new transport minister – First task?
Within weeks a new transport minister will be appointed. What is his/her first task?
Aerospace Media Awards
The winners of the 2019 Aerospace Media Awards presented at the AeroClub de France were:
Airlines attack new tax moves
In a week when France floated the idea of an Air Passenger Duty (APD), moves toward introducing new aviation taxes were attacked by the Airlines for Europe (A4E) group, noting Europe’s biggest carriers would already pay more than €5bn in environmental levies and other payments this year.
Data breach: 'prickly' Walsh under fire
Among reaction to BA’s fine for last year’s data breach (see this issue), The Times singled out parent company IAG boss Willie Walsh. Business writer Simon Duke said Walsh could not deny the fine been a long time in the making.
Embraer E190 joins easyJet fleet
An Embraer E190 wet-leased from German charter carrier WDL Aviation is joining easyJet’s Gatwick fleet from 1 August in what the UK company says is a move “to cope with summer demand”.
First man on the moon
Next Saturday (20 July) sees the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11's Eagle lunar module landing on the moon, followed by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin’s walk on the surface. "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
France APD plan condemned
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has condemned plans by France for an APD-style “eco-tax” on flights. Transport minister Élisabeth Borne claimed the scheme would raise some €180m annually from 2020.
Huge fines for BA & Marriott
Battle lines at British Airways and Marriott International were drawn up last week after Britain’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) tech watchdog handed down huge fines for data breaches at the companies.
IATA London briefing
Speaking at an IATA briefing in London last week entitled UK Competitive Index and the Value of Aviation, chief economist Brian Pearce said London remains the best connected city in the world, ahead of Shanghai, New York and Tokyo.
Norwegian CEO steps down
The chief executive and co-founder of Norwegian Air, Bjørn Kjos, said last week he was stepping down after 17 years in charge, just as the airline was announcing what it called its financial turnaround was “moving in the right direction”.
Qatar arrives in Portugal
A fresh destination and a new engine deal have been keeping Qatar Airways busy, with the airline’s first passenger flight to Portugal (below) landing at Lisbon Airport to be greeted by a water-cannon salute.
ON TOUR: The Mary Rose
Portsmouth’s Historical Dockland covers a number of historical and not so historical attractions that make it more than a one-day visit.
BTN managed a three-night stay at nearby Warner Sinah Warren Resort on Hayling Island to cover NATS (8 July), the Solent Forts (1 July) and, next week, Arundel Castle. Our previous visit to Portsmouth was in May 2016 on the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Jutland.
ON TOUR SPECIAL: The Meetings Show
Once again, John Burke was with his camera at London’s global workshop for the events industry. Now in its seventh year, the Meetings Show at Olympia has been called the major opportunity for hosted buyers to evaluate conference products at home and abroad.
AND FINALLY: The upside-down pilot
TUI Airways passengers who notice coloured smoke streaming past the windows needn’t be worried; it probably means first officer Mike Bowden is on board.
BTN FOR SALE
Malcolm Ginsberg, owner and editor-in-chief of Business Travel News, has announced that the award-winning publication is up for sale. “I am now fast approaching 77 and it is time to slow down," he said. "Whether I continue in some capacity will be up to a new owner, or I might take a non-executive directorship within the travel industry where my knowledge and experience could be of great value. We also have several new projects under wraps, very exciting ones too. Their future needs to be decided also.”
A lounge for children at Dubai
An airport lounge designed specifically for unaccompanied minors has been opened at Dubai International Airport’s Terminal 1 by air service provider Dubai National Air Transport Association (dnata).
CAA warning over disabled passengers
Airports have been warned they will need to step up the way they look after disabled passengers thanks to new stricter targets from the CAA. The warning comes in the authority’s fourth annual report on disability access.
Heathrow welcomes its latest Hilton
In the midst of celebrations for its 100th anniversary, Hilton has opened the doors of its latest Garden Inn at Heathrow, the first and only hotel at the airport to provide guests via a walkway with direct access to the Queen’s Terminal.
Highways UK 2019
The future direction of Britain’s roads and the role they play in connectivity and easing business will be under the spotlight at the NEC Birmingham on 6-7 November for the Highways UK 2019 gathering.
Hungary debut for Garden Inn
Budapest has welcomed a new city-centre hotel with the arrival of a Hilton Garden Inn – the first example of the brand in Hungary. The 241-room property is just steps from the Opera House and St Stephen’s Basilica.
Night-before check-in trial at Edinburgh
A new luggage pick-up service to allow passengers to check-in their bags the night before their flights is being trialled at Edinburgh Airport in an experiment with Ryanair and the Hampton by Hilton airport hotel.
ParkVia lands world parking contract
British Airways parent company International Airlines Group (IAG) has appointed ParkVia, whose coverage spans 43 countries and includes more than 2,000 car parks, as its online parking provider.
Widerøe boost for Aberdeen service
Final steps in Aberdeen Airport’s terminal transformation project have been given new impetus with the news Widerøe is to increase flights from the Scottish complex to Bergen, extending the number of weekly services to lucky 13.