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 Boris Johnson and be co-chaired by Grant Shapps the Secretary of State for Transport and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock. The U.K. government has…
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…
Traffic movements at London’s main airports have significantly reduced as a result of the worldwide downturn in air passenger traffic. Last week London City airport located near the financial center of London catering predominantly to premium traffic is temporarily closed to all flights. Earlier this week Gatwick Airport announced its…
A Court in the United Kingdom has ruled plans for a third runway at London Heathrow to be illegal based on environmental grounds. At a time where the conversation about climate change has grown over the past year, questions are now being asked if Heathrow will ever expand its' airport…
Cancelations and delays marred the travel plans of thousands of passengers last Sunday at Heathrow Airport as an IT glitch affected the airport’s check-in systems at all four terminals. According to British website independent.co.uk, more than 100 flights have been canceled during the day, and it was resident carrier British…
