50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United Kingdom aviation news

easyJet launches new industry team

easyJet has launched a new industry team that will focus on further development of the travel management company (TMC) sector throughout Europe. easyJet continues to evolve into markets such as Germany and with team-members located in strategic markets across Europe, the airline aims to enhance its partnerships with the corporate travel sector, which now represents more than 20% of the airlines...

British Airways Pilot Safely Lands Plane When Only 3 Of 5 Landing Gear Sets Deploy

Reported By Passenger I just heard from a friend of mine (who reads the blog) that the pilot on her British Airways flight today pulled off a pretty remarkable feat.  In the words of Nicole: I’m on this flight linked below and I though if you had a space to fill in an upcoming post you could give a shout out to the amazing crew. I honestly would have never known we landed with 3 o...

Review: Plaza Premium Lounge London Heathrow Airport Terminal 4

Before arriving at the airport I had taken a look at which Priority Pass lounges are available in Terminal 4, and noticed there was a fairly new Plaza Premium Lounge, which seems to be well regarded. Since this lounge was right across the hallway from the Air India Lounge, I figured I’d check it out. The lounge is open daily from 5AM until 10:30PM. Again, the Plaza Premium Lounge is locat...

Mystery illness spread through plane mid-flight hitting '7 crew members and passengers'

Mystery surrounds an unknown illness which has spread though a passenger jet and forced it to turn round. Up to seven of 13 crew members and "many passengers" were struck down with the strange disease - but at this stage no one knows what it is. A British passenger has described panic on board the American Airlines flight from London Heathrow to LAX a when crew asked if there was a...

UK airport expansion poll finds concerns over air quality

A YouGov poll has found air quality is London’s top environmental concern, in the first survey since the UK government delayed a decision on airport expansion in the South East. The poll found air quality at 30 per cent and the related issue of road congestion at 29 per cent are the environmental challenges that matter most to Londoners. YouGov also found Gatwick is the ...

Solar Impulse pilot defends UK subsidy cuts

Bertrand Piccard, the mastermind of a solar-powered attempt to circumnavigate the globe, draws fire after backing government decision to cut solar panel subsidies by 65% Bertrand Piccard , the pioneer of a solar-powered attempt to fly around the Earth, has defended a decision by David Cameron’s government to cut subsidies for householders installing solar panels by 65%. A cap on s...

Monarch Aircraft Engineering Limited: La Compagnie extends agreement

Monarch Aircraft Engineering Limited , the engineering division of The Monarch Group, has extended its agreement with La Compagnie to include airframe heavy maintenance. Under this extended agreement, MAEL will perform a C Check on the Boeing 757-200 ER at its maintenance facility at London Luton Airport. MAEL currently supports La Compagnie’s transatlantic operation wit...

Two new accreditations for London Oxford Airport

London Oxford Airport has been awarded two new accreditations. Its OxfordJet FBO has become one of the first FBO’s in the UK to receive the International Standard for Business Aircraft Handling (IS-BAH). The airport’s OxfordJet FBO passed the highly stringent audit in December following an external assessment by an IBAC-accredited (International Business Aviation Council) auditor, w...

BA’s Abigail Comber finds her passion in customer service

There is one certainty for Abigail Comber, head of customer for British Airways, and it is this: passengers who fly business and first expect a good night’s sleep before they land. “We want people to walk off a plane feeling they’ve had a great experience and they’re fully ready for whatever lies ahead,” says Comber, who has been with BA since 2002 and overseen all...

UK eyes potential for in-flight refuelling of helicopters

The UK is exploring options for its transport rotorcraft, including in-flight refuelling, as it looks to extend the operational range of its fleet in line with commitments in a recent defence review. Released in November, the Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) promised the UK would "upgrade helicopters and transport aircraft so we can deploy further, faster and independently, to...

Oriens Aviation to attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2016

Oriens Aviation, the UK distributor for Pilatus will attend the Goodwood Festival of Speed from 23 – 26 June 2016. Edwin Brenninkmeyer, CEO of Oriens Aviation, confirmed that the exhibition will be one of the first chances for people to see the superior new version of the PC-12 NG that will offer a quieter cabin and a greater range, with no increase in fuel burn or operating cost during a...

Flight Lieutenant Bob Large - obituary

Airman who rescued a downed pilot from the sea and flew sorties at night to pick up French agents. Flight Lieutenant Bob Large, who has died aged 94, flew Spitfires on sweeps over northern France before becoming a pilot on the “Moonlight Squadron”, flying Lysander aircraft into remote fields in France to deliver and pick up agents. By late 1942, Large was one of the most experien...