20 JANUARY 2020
- COMMENT: Flybe
- And some additional observations
- Flybe – further thoughts
- AD REP WANTED
- Airbus vision-based take-off success
- Aviation Club to feature MAX
- Biggest year yet for Hamad International
- Curio No 4 heads for London
- Eastern back in E-Jet market
- EasyJet returning to Sharm el Sheikh
- Etihad & easyJet in partnership
- Executive jet sets polar record
- Gatwick short cut
- Heathrow promises 'decade of delivery'
- JFK T8 transformation takes off
- Manchester – Nova Scotia by WestJet
- Manston decision delayed until spring
- Meliá reopens in West London
- Newcastle – Munich from Lufthansa
- Public unveiling for Air Canada A220
- Qatar's star billing in Kuwait
- Royal Air Maroc signs on for oneworld
- Sleepods come to Istanbul Airport
- Stansted – Mumbai for Air India
- ON TOUR: London to Glasgow (or vice versa)
- AND FINALLY: Nothing new in aviation
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
Curio No 4 heads for London
A fourth London property for Hilton’s Curio brand opens next month with the arrival of the 126-room Hart Shoreditch near Old Street station in the east of the capital and named for the building’s previous cabinetmaker occupants, the Harts.
Manchester – Nova Scotia by WestJet
The quickest transatlantic route to date to link the North West with North America will launch in June with four-times-weekly WestJet service between Manchester Airport and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Flybe – further thoughts
Running a domestic and short-haul regional airline is not easy and both easyJet and Ryanair have revised their UK internal services in recent times. Here is a list of some prominent carriers that have either failed or merged in recent times. There are plenty of others. Also the current slot situation at UK airports for Flybe.
Aviation Club to feature MAX
As American Airlines again delays the date for bringing its Boeing B737 MAX fleet into service, next month’s Aviation Club lunch will be highly topical with the head of America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Steve Dickson, as guest speaker.
Eastern back in E-Jet market
Significant growth in demand for jets of 70-100 seats has persuaded Eastern Airways, which operates flights from Southampton Airport, to re-enter the E-Jet market with the initial return of the Embraer E170 to its fleet.
EasyJet returning to Sharm el Sheikh
Flights to Sharm el Sheikh (below) are being resumed by easyJet this year for the first time since November 2015 following the recent lifting of government restrictions on UK flights to the destination.
Gatwick short cut
A much quicker connection from the Gatwick South Terminal to a new local transport hub has been completed by the airport.
Heathrow promises 'decade of delivery'
An “outstanding end” to 2019 with more than 6.7m passengers handled during the festive season was hailed by Heathrow last month, with the airport saying it was now turning its attention to a “decade of delivery”.
Meliá reopens in West London
West London has a new-look boutique hotel with the opening after a complete refurbishment and rebranding of the Meliá Kensington, formerly the Rydges Kensington London and after that the London Kensington Hotel.
Newcastle – Munich from Lufthansa
A start date of set 3 February as been set by Lufthansa for its Newcastle – Munich service, one of two new European routes out of the German hub. The second, to Estonian capital Tallinn, was launched in November. Both are served by the Airbus A319.
Public unveiling for Air Canada A220
The newest member of the Air Canada fleet, the Airbus A220-300, was officially unveiled last week to employees and special guests at the airline's Montreal headquarters.
Royal Air Maroc signs on for oneworld
Celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the oneworld airline alliance (BTN 6 January) are continuing with Royal Air Maroc signing up with effect from 1 April as the first full member on the African continent.
Sleepods come to Istanbul Airport
Following the growing trend for relaxation facilities for passengers who want to rest before, after or between flights, Istanbul Airport (iGA) has launched its 'Sleepod' service, a unit of 25 sleeping cabins that can be rented on an hourly basis.
Stansted – Mumbai for Air India
Air India is launching direct flights from Stansted to India’s economic capital Mumbai (below) from 21 February using the state-of-the-art Boeing B787 Dreamliner, just three months after the airline launched its Amritsar service from the airport (BTN 4 November 2019).
ON TOUR: London to Glasgow (or vice versa)
Travel from London to Glasgow (and for that matter Glasgow to London) really depends on your requirements – essentially where are you starting from (or finishing) and the cost? There are three ways of making the journey. By car (or even coach), by air or by train.
AND FINALLY: Nothing new in aviation
As if to prove there is nothing new in the aviation business, echoes of Qantas’ Project Sunrise could be heard last Tuesday, 14 January, as enthusiasts marked the 62nd anniversary of the airline beginning its round-the-world (RTW) services.
AD REP WANTED
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It is an exciting venture which will set the whole industry talking.
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Airbus vision-based take-off success
Following its unveiling of touchscreens for the A350 (BTN 6 January), Airbus has successfully performed the first fully-automatic vision-based take-off using an Airbus Family test aircraft at Toulouse-Blagnac airport.
Biggest year yet for Hamad International
Among airport results announced this month, Qatar’s Hamad International Airport (below) revealed it served a record 38.8m passengers last year, the highest number since the facility opened in 2014. The total shows year-on-year growth of 12.4% compared to passenger numbers in 2018.
Etihad & easyJet in partnership
In its first use of the high-tech NDC (New Distribution Capability) platform, Etihad Airways last week became the most recent airline to partner with easyJet to give passengers the option to buy tickets through the easyJet worldwide website.
Executive jet sets polar record
A new world circumnavigation speed record is being claimed by Qatar Airways’ private jet division, Qatar Executive, after one of its Gulfstream G650ER fleet completed a pole-to-pole flight in 46hr 40min. The previous record was set in 2008 at 52hr 32min.
JFK T8 transformation takes off
A $344m transformation of Terminal 8 at New York JFK Airport has begun with joint business partners American Airlines and British Airways celebrating the start of construction.
Manston decision delayed until spring
A decision expected on Saturday (18 January) on the proposed reopening and development of Manston Airport by RiverOak Strategic Partners (RSP) following a planning inquiry has been delayed for a further four months.
Qatar's star billing in Kuwait
New destination plans for 2020 helped Qatar Airways to wow the crowds on the opening day of the Kuwait Aviation Show last week while also showcasing two Boeing B787-9 Dreamliners, the newest aircraft in its fleet.