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United Kingdom aviation news

UK parliamentary committee backs Heathrow expansion

An influential UK parliamentary body has backed recommendations that London Heathrow Airport should be the site for much-needed extra runway capacity in South East England. The UK government is once again delaying a decision on where to site the new runway. A two-year investigation by an independent body, the Davies Commission, recommended last year that a third runway at Heathrow was the best...

Take the kids to … the National Museum of Flight, Scotland

In a nutshell Stretching across the former East Fortune airfield, this feels less like a museum and more like a full day out. The jet black hangar housing Scotland’s supersonic retiree, the G-BOAA Concorde, sticks out like a sore thumb against the rolling fields, but it is home to a real jet-age 1970s experience. Climbing the steps and boarding Concorde still gives a buzz. Kids will make st...

EasyJet reports passenger boost as Ryanair chases UK dominance

Budget airline easyJet has reported a 6.1pc increase in passenger numbers but a slip in the number of occupied seats on its flights. The FTSE 100 airline flew 6.37 million customers last month, up from 6 million in April 2015. EasyJet’s load factor - an industry measure of the percentage of seats that were actually occupied - fell from 90.8pc a year ago to 90.4pc last month. The res...

IAG boss calls for register of drones after near misses with aircraft

Chief executive of British Airways’ owner says drones may become serious risk to air passengers. The boss of British Airways’ owner IAG has called for a register of drone users after a series of near collisions between passenger planes and unmanned aircraft. Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said that “without question” new restrictions should be brought in b...

Pilots report more than 1,400 laser incidents in 2015

More than 1,400 incidents of lasers being shone at aircraft were reported to the UK's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in 2015. The number was slightly lower than in 2014 - but reports by police helicopter pilots more than doubled. The British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa) said the increasing power of lasers raised the possibility of a serious accident. One pilot called for the sal...

Magellan Aerospace Secures Multi-Year Airbus Contracts

Magellan Aerospace (“Magellan”) announced a contract extension between Magellan Aerospace (UK) Limited (“Magellan UK”) and Airbus for the supply of aluminium and titanium structural wing components from Magellan UK’s facilities located throughout Europe and its joint ventures in India. This contract, valued at approximately CDN $700 million, is comp...

Edinburgh Airport reveals plans for future

With nearly 20 new services added so far this year and more than half-a-dozen on the immediate horizon, the skies over Edinburgh Airport have never been busier. In terms of destinations, routes and passenger numbers, Scotland’s most bustling airport has expanded at a quicker pace during the past three years than in the previous decade. More than 11 million travellers passed through its ga...

Ministry of Defence unveils new armed drone that can spy on targets for twice as long to double RAF fleet

Britain will double its fleet of armed surveillance drones with a new upgraded generation of unmanned aircraft able to fly for nearly twice as long, laden with more bombs, missiles and sensors, the MoD has disclosed. The 79ft wingspan, remotely piloted planes will be able to circle over and spy on targets for nearly two days, while sophisticated new flight computers mean they will be able to fl...

Pair killed in Yorkshire light aircraft crash thought to be RAF pilots

Two men who died when their plane crashed into a remote field were thought to be RAF pilots. The pilot and his passenger were killed as the light aircraft crash-landed in a field off Mains Lane, between Castle Howard and the A64, in North Yorkshire, at about 10.40am on Saturday. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigators continue to examine the cause of the crash. Police have no...

British Airways #BA108 from Dubai to LHR was intercepted by Hungarian Air Force

Two Hungarian Air Force JAS-39C Gripens were scrambled when a British Airways flight from Dubai failed to contact Hungary’s civil air traffic control before entering the airspace. The highest level alert was ordered, the defence ministry said. The Gripens took off at 12.55pm to intercept and identify the aircraft upon entering Hungary’s airspace and secure its safe pa...

British Airways owner says Brussels bombs, Brexit clip sales

British Airways parent IAG SA said demand for flights has been hurt by the Brussels terror attacks, weaker bookings in oil-based economies and the possibility of the UK exiting the European Union, causing the company to add fewer seats than planned for the spring season. Shares of London-based IAG fell as much as 5 per cent after Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said Friday that the develop...

Stratajet launches online booking platform and app

UK-based corporate jet charter company Stratajet has launched an online booking platform and accompanying app that has been five years in the making. The algorithms and data will allow customers to book in almost real-time according to the company. The system platform uses links into other operator’s platforms and updates on information including airport and airspace charges, weather and...