Heathrow Airport has announced that it is considering charging vehicles to access its terminal forecourts to recover losses made by COVID. The plan, which would be implemented in the fourth quarter of 2021, would bring Britain's busiest airport in line with many others across the United Kingdom. The Forecourt Access Charge (FAC) looks to replace plans for a Heathrow Ultra Low Emissions Zone (HULEZ) announced in May 2019. The HULEZ would have introduced minimum vehicle emissions standards and charge those…
Last Thursday, England entered into its second national lockdown in response to the coronavirus. The move banned non-essential travel, leading one of the pandemic's worst-hit sectors – the travel industry – back into a state of despair. 2020 has been a difficult year for aviation. In England, the seven months…
Romanian low-cost carrier (LCC), Blue Air, is transferring its flights to London Heathrow Airport from London Luton Airport beginning Dec. 1. According to the carrier's schedules for next year, Blue Air will first offer five flights per week during the winter season before increasing to 11 flights per week in…
Almost nine months into the global pandemic that has decimated the U.K. tourism, hospitality and aviation sectors, the U.K. government announced on Wednesday the formation of a task force to ‘support the travel industry and the safe recovery of international travel’. The Global Travel Taskforce will report to Prime Minister…
Virgin Atlantic resumed passenger flights on July 20, ending a three-month hiatus caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The first flight was London's Heathrow Airport to Hong Kong. The first service, operated by a Boeing 787-9 aptly named Leading Lady, had special measures implemented to ensure that passengers can fly safely. These…
The warning signs were there in March when the coronavirus stopped the aviation industry dead in its tracks. The knock-on effects from the global downturn of passenger traffic were already being calculated by airlines across the world, with decisions being made for what life would look like for airlines post-COVID.…
As demand slowly returns from the dramatic decline caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, airlines are beginning to announce the recommencement of services. European airlines were particularly hard hit as restrictions went up across the continent and around the world. Virgin Atlantic chose to suspend passenger operations in April to focus…
British Airways may permanently withdraw all operations from London's Gatwick Airport as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. BBC News cited a memo to staff from the airline’s head of operations at Gatwick which stated: "As you know, we suspended our Gatwick flying schedule at the start of April and…
British Airways has announced that it might cut up to 12,000 jobs from its 45,000 employee workforce, as the global coronavirus pandemic is having unprecedented consequences for airlines as the skies are emptied out for a prolonged period of time. The airline had previously agreed to furlough 22,000 jobs, taking…
The busiest airport in Europe has threatened workers they might face the sack if they do not accept "voluntary" pay cuts, following a drop in passengers passing through the airport. According to Sky News, the airport's human resources chief informed thousands of staff that should anyone not accept a 15 percent…
