26 APRIL 2021
- ON THE SOAPBOX SPECIAL: Saving UK Airfields
- LETTER OF THE WEEK
- Aspire Lounge to reopen
- Australia – New Zealand
- Chaos at Heathrow
- Domestic cruises!
- EasyJet’s Lungren on view + Newquay
- General Aviation Roadmap
- Heathrow slots and Flybe
- JetBlue Update
- Loganair and the Islands
- London City offers destination rules
- Save Future Travel Coalition
- Shapps and Doyle
- Smart motorways
- Stobart Air sold
- Train voucher use extended
- Transport Select Committee report
- Turkey travel
- Venice Lido Airport
- Virgin Atlantic first UK airline for IATA Travel Pass
- Walsh on profiteering
- ON TOUR: For the enthusiast. Propliner Annual 2021 published
- AND FINALLY: Was it repaired?
© 2022 Business Travel News Ltd.
LETTER OF THE WEEK
David Starkie, United Kingdom
Banning short haul domestic does not necessarily reduce greenhouse gases.
www.btnews.co.uk/article/17496
Turkey travel
The ban on direct flights from the UK to Turkey has lifted, that country allowing British travellers in without a vaccine passport. In 2019 2.5m UK nationals flew to Turkey, the resort venues offering terrific value and plenty of sunshine.
LATEST TRAVEL COVID UPDATES FROM GOVERNMENT
DO CHECK DAILY. The travel ban changes all the time. India was added Friday 23 April.
ON THE SOAPBOX SPECIAL: Saving UK Airfields
Ian Sheppard acts as honorary communications adviser to the GAAC. A graduate in Aeronautical Engineering, he has been an aviation journalist and editor for many publications, including Flight International, African Aerospace, Regional International, and Aviation International News (AIN). He has legal qualifications and maintains a strong interest in law and regulation. Ian has a CPL with Flight Instructor Rating and regularly trains pilots at Redhill Aerodrome, near Gatwick.
Australia – New Zealand
The travel ban between Australia and New Zealand has been lifted with large numbers travelling between the two Commonwealth countries cut-off from the World’s mainstream and with very strict Covid-19 entry requirements.
Chaos at Heathrow
Reports are circulating of a plan to open up the currently closed Terminal 4 at Heathrow for red route flights only from 17 May when the Government is expected to lift its ban on foreign travel.
EasyJet’s Lungren on view + Newquay
Thursday 29 April sees easyJet’s Johan Lungren on an Aviation Club webinar open to all. As with the pre-Covid Royal Automobile Club lunches his discourse will be followed by a question and answer session.
JetBlue Update
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has given regulatory approval for JetBlue’s planned transatlantic services from New York and Boston to London.
Loganair and the Islands
Scottish airline Loganair has been quick to set out its plans to re-build connectivity to, from and within the Scottish Islands over the coming weeks. Its move follows the first minister’s announcement of changes to Covid-19 rules on travel which will progressively allow non-essential travel to take place.
London City offers destination rules
Confusion being the norm in terms of air travel, London City Airport has developed a one-stop shop for understanding the entry requirements of individual countries. This links to the latest tourist board information and Covid-19 rates, as well as local expectations on whether travellers will need to wear a face mask.
Save Future Travel Coalition
The Save Future Travel Coalition has written to the Chancellor, Foreign Office, and the Chair of the House of Commons Transport Committee, Huw Merriman MP, on the restart of international travel and the need to support the travel industry throughout the recovery.
Stobart Air sold
Carlisle Lake District Airport and Stobart Air, owned by Esken Ltd, have both been sold to Isle of Man-based Ettyl Ltd for a nominal sum. The not unexpected announcement was made last Thursday 22 April to the London Stock Exchange.
Virgin Atlantic first UK airline for IATA Travel Pass
A one-month trial of the IATA Travel Pass has begun on Virgin Atlantic Heathrow – Barbados services, supporting a frictionless customer experience for permitted trips alongside Covid-19 travel requirements.
Walsh on profiteering
Willie Walsh stole the show with an outburst on profiteering at an IATA press conference last week where soon to retire chief economist Brian Pearce echoed other airline forecasts with a possible pickup in the second quarter in 2021.
ON TOUR: For the enthusiast. Propliner Annual 2021 published
In January 1979 the late Stephen Piercey of Flight International, and a small team of aviation aficionados published the first edition of Propliner devoted to propeller driven passenger aircraft, with an eye on keeping as many as possible flying. It was to appear quarterly until March 2015, when publication ceased after 141 fascinating issues, reincarnated later the same year with Propliner Annual, the sixth 2021 version out now.
Aspire Lounge to reopen
Swissport has announced the reopening of the Heathrow Club Aspire lounge on Monday 17 May (subject to a government go-ahead).
Domestic cruises!
The Department for Transport (DfT) on Friday issued some new guidelines regarding cruising, emphasising that it is illegal to travel abroad from the UK for holidays at this time.
General Aviation Roadmap
The Department for Transport last week published what it calls a General Aviation (GA) Roadmap, a 15-page document setting out its beliefs and aspirations for this vital part of the aviation community.
Heathrow slots and Flybe
Following the reincarnation of Flybe as Flybe Ltd, Airport Co-ordination Ltd (ACL), the slot controller, tells BTN that it is in the process of transferring the slots from the old company to the new one.
Shapps and Doyle
At a webinar last Tuesday, jointly organised by Airlines UK with ConservativeHome, secretary of state for transport, Grant Shapps and new British Airways CEO Sean Doyle showed good chemistry between them as they discussed 'Back to Business – reopening international travel'.
Smart motorways
In a statement released today, transport secretary Grant Shapps said that no further all-lane-running (ALR) motorways will be allowed to open without radar technology to spot stopped vehicles.
Train voucher use extended
Rail passengers are to be given an additional six months from the original expiry date to redeem travel vouchers as Covid-19 restrictions are eased in recent days. The Department for Transport (DfT) says this is to ensure thousands of travellers are not left out of pocket for following the Government’s travel home advice.
Transport Select Committee report
In a follow-up to the Transport Select Committee’s interrogation of senior travel industry executives and aviation minister Robert Courts (as reported in last week’s BTN), the Committee makes quite clear its concern for the return of international travel.
Venice Lido Airport
Largely forgotten about, and only operational for light aircraft, Venice Lido Airport, also known as Nucelli, has welcomed it first business jet, a Pilatus PC-24.