50 SKY SHADES - World aviation news

United Kingdom aviation news

Significance of cargo at Heathrow only just realised

Heathrow Airport chief executive officer John Holland-Kaye says the gateway “didn’t understand the significance of cargo” until it started working in the Airports Commission process. He was speaking at the Airport Operators Association’s (AOA) UK Aviation Conference at the Hilton Metropole in London on Tuesday, where he set out why he feels the government should approve...

Egypt plane crash: Airlines cancel more Sharm el-Sheikh flights

Two airlines have cancelled all flights between the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and the UK until January. British Airways has cancelled flights up to and including 14 January while Easyjet has suspended flights until at least 6 January. Easyjet said the move was made to provide some certainty to passengers travelling over the Christmas period. BA said the decision was made followin...

London Oxford Airport Offers Promotions and Prizes This Month

London Oxford Airport, located north west of London, UK, is tempting business jet operators to consider flying in and filling up on jet-A1 fuel this month by offering them the opportunity to win great prizes, from a Breitling watch, to Ray-Ban sunglasses, fine wine, English ale and more. All flight crew and owners are eligible when the aircraft uploates 500 liters or more of jet-A1 ...

British Airways Pilot's Eye Damaged by "Military" Laser Shone into Cockpit at Heathrow

A British Airways pilot has reportedly been left with significant damage to his eyesight after a "military-strength" laser was shone into the cockpit of his plane landing at Heathrow, in what appears to be the most serious laser attack to date in the UK. The pilot suffered a burned retina in his right eye and has not worked since, according to the head of the British Airline Pilo...

Business Secretary opens £30m extension to world-class engine production facility in Derby, UK

Rolls-Royce today marked the official opening of its £30m Production Facility extension to its Derby Assembly & Test Facility with a ceremony conducted by Business Secretary Sajid Javid. The 2867m2 extension will increase capacity to assemble Trent civil aero engines and become the production hub for the Trent XWB, the world’s most efficient large aero engine and the fastest-s...

Manchester Targets 25 More Long-Haul Routes, Led by Air China

Manchester Airport said it could support 25 more long-haul routes, almost doubling the current number, after Air China Ltd. became the latest major carrier to seek flights to the biggest British hub outside London. The airport, which has a catchment of 22 million people within two hours' travel, achieved a rolling 12-month passenger tally above 23 million for the first time in its 77-y...

easyJet Flight Evacuated at Manchester Airport over Bomb Claim

An easyJet flight has been evacuated at Manchester airport after a passenger claimed to have explosives in his bag. Passengers were asked to disembark after the plane's captain alerted police to the potential threat. Greater Manchester Police confirmed that the EZY1893 flight, bound for Marrakech, Morocco, was evacuated at 3:30 p.m. as security checks were carried out. Two men we...

HAE acquires South Africa’s Groupair

UK air cargo services provider HAE says it bought Groupair in South Africa – but the firm has not revealed any financial terms of the deal. Groupair is a neutral consolidator providing air, sea, road and courier services. HAE says that Groupair is able to assist customers with requirements for air, sea and road freight in the South or Sub-Saharan Africa region. On Gro...

Gatwick Handles 40 Million Passengers For the First Time

Gatwick broke the 40 million passengers a year mark for the first time on the weekend of November 14/15. An airport statement said Gatwick is now “rapidly approaching full capacity” as it published its traffic data for October. Gatwick has highlighted that the Airports Commission report into the need for a new runway to serve South East England (published on July 1, 2015) said it woul...

Easyjet places $3.6b Airbus order as profits surge

British no-frills airline Easyjet on Tuesday ordered 36 Airbus A320 jets worth $3.8 billion (Dh13.95 billion) at catalogue prices, after posting record annual profits on keen demand. Easyjet said in a results statement it will purchase 30 next-generation fuel-efficient A320neo aircraft, converting options that had been announced back in 2013, and has added another six firm orders for current-ge...

Easyjet reports record profits for fifth straight year

Easyjet has posted its fifth successive year of record profits, boosted by what the airline said were "favourable economic and consumer trends". Annual profits at the carrier, which has just celebrated its 20th birthday, jumped 18% to £686m. Revenues rose 3.5% to £4.68bn, with passenger numbers up 6% to 68.6 million in the year to end-September. The figures do not in...

Luton airport, passenger number grows by 21.5% in October, 2015

Over 1 million people flew through London Luton Airport (LLA) in October taking it past 12 million passengers in 12 months for the first time in its 77 year history. The 21.5% increase in October vs. the same period last year marks 19 months of consecutive growth in passenger numbers for the airport, which is currently undergoing a £110m development project to increase annual capacity fro...