7 OCTOBER 2019
- ON THE SOAPBOX: Pieter Elbers - President and CEO KLM the world's oldest airline
- Thomas Cook: The final flights
- Adria joins casualty list
- Aerotel moves in at Beijing Daxing
- Cathay carbon offset pledge
- Club Aspire boost for Gatwick
- ERA assembly this week
- Eurostar 'Green Speed' initiative
- Final countdown for Wow 2
- First drone airline on the runway
- Flybe network review
- High-tech inflight first for Airbus
- ICAO warns over carbon policies
- Jota signs up with Airlines UK
- Pilot training centres take off
- Russian visas simplified
- Second NY presence for Conrad
- Toronto greets BA A350
- Virgin plots Manchester expansion
- Wizz boost for Russia and Romania
- XL Airways goes under
- ON TOUR: Flying Dutchmen
- OCTOBER CRUISE NEWS: Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships 2020
- AND FINALLY: BTN is leaving the EU
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
Pilot training centres take off
CAE (formerly Canadian Aviation Electronics) has inaugurated two new UK training centres at Gatwick and Manchester to support the start of its 10-year exclusive pilot training agreement with easyJet announced in November 2018.
ON THE SOAPBOX: Pieter Elbers - President and CEO KLM the world's oldest airline
Today, 7 October 2019, KLM becomes the first airline to celebrate its genuine 100th birthday. As you will read the maiden flight was surprisingly from London to Amsterdam and last week the airline's president and CEO Pieter Elbers was at the residency of the Dutch ambassador Simon Smits to start the celebrations.
Thomas Cook: The final flights
The last of more than 700 flights deployed to bring home passengers stranded overseas by the Thomas Cook collapse are due to land in the UK this morning, Monday 7 October, as the Civil Aviation Authority’s Operation Matterhorn winds down.
Adria joins casualty list
Slovenia’s government is looking into setting up a new national carrier after Adria Airways said last week it had filed for receivership.
Cathay carbon offset pledge
Following the recent UN summit on climate action, Cathay Pacific has pledged to triple all carbon offset donations up until 31 October made by passengers who take the action via the Fly Greener website.
Club Aspire boost for Gatwick
Airport Dimensions, a subsidiary of the Collinson, in partnership with Switzerland-based aviation services provider Swissport, has opened a Club Aspire lounge at Gatwick’s South Terminal.
Eurostar 'Green Speed' initiative
A proposal to merge the Eurostar and Thalys high-speed train operations into an eco-conscious project known as Green Speed has been published, covering five countries to link London, Paris, Amsterdam, Cologne, Brussels, Bordeaux and Marseille.
First drone airline on the runway
US shipping company United Parcel Service’s Flight Forward division has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate a drone airline for limited commercial package delivery to hospital campuses around the US.
Flybe network review
Further details emerged last week of the routes shake-up at Flybe in the aftermath of its takeover by Connect Airways (BTN 23 September), with services between Birmingham and Berlin Tegel, Milan Malpensa and Lyon suspended for the winter.
ICAO warns over carbon policies
Supporting carbon neutral growth topped the agenda at this year’s International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) 40th Assembly, held at the organisation’s Montréal headquarters with more than 2,600 ministers and high-ranking government officials.
Russian visas simplified
All talk at the 23rd General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation in St Petersburg was of visas. Until now, getting them has been difficult and expensive. This follows the success of the FIFA World Cup in 2018.
Virgin plots Manchester expansion
A substantial increase in seating capacity to New York, a third weekly service to Barbados for the winter and the opening of a Clubhouse lounge are elements of an expansion programme at Manchester Airport announced last week by Virgin Atlantic.
ON TOUR: Flying Dutchmen
On a visit to the Netherlands, John Burke visits the Aviodrome to catch up on the history of KLM among other pioneers of flight, followed by the Netherlands Railway museum, a city built on cheese and a stately reminder of the Kaiser.
OCTOBER CRUISE NEWS: Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships 2020
Business Travel News is in receipt of Douglas Ward’s enormous tome Berlitz Cruising and Cruise Ships, now in its 35th year and published today. It is 760 pages of small, but readable print.
AND FINALLY: BTN is leaving the EU
If Friday 31 October is the date, Business Travel News will have left the European Union.
Aerotel moves in at Beijing Daxing
The world’s largest chain of in-terminal airport hotels, Aerotel, part of the Plaza Premium Group, has continued its strategic expansion in China by establishing a presence at the newly-opened Beijing Daxing International Airport.
ERA assembly this week
Airline alliances, joint industry ventures and partnerships will be the theme at this week’s three-day European Regions Airline Association (ERA) General Assembly, taking place in Juan Les Pins from tomorrow, 8 October.
Final countdown for Wow 2
A new Wow Air from the ashes of the original, which collapsed earlier this year, is poised to take off within the next two weeks according to backers, with flights between Keflavik and Washington Dulles Airport.
High-tech inflight first for Airbus
In-flight trials of new developments in Internet of Things (IoT) connected cabin technologies have been initiated by Airbus on board a modified A350-900 aircraft – known as Flight Lab – and are due to be revealed shortly to customers.
Jota signs up with Airlines UK
Charter and cargo specialist Jota Aviation, based out of Southend Airport, has become the latest member of Airlines UK, the association that represents UK-registered carriers.
Second NY presence for Conrad
Business travellers are being offered what is being called a new luxury option in the heart of Manhattan with the opening by Conrad Hotels & Resorts of the 54-floor, 562-suite Conrad New York Midtown. It is the brand’s second property in New York.
Toronto greets BA A350
The first North American long-haul service for its new Airbus A350 and a codeshare deal with oneworld partner Malaysia Airlines kept British Airways busy at both ends of its global network last week.
Wizz boost for Russia and Romania
New services to Moscow and St Petersburg from Luton and to Romania’s second city and cultural capital, Iasi, from Southend were launched last week by Wizz Air as the carrier continued its aggressive expansion programme from the UK.
XL Airways goes under
In the second crisis to hit French air transport in a week after the collapse of Aigle Azur (BTN 30 September), authorities on Friday liquidated insolvent airline XL Airways, ending hopes a last-minute takeover offer could save part of its operations.