Pressure mounts in UK to lift travel restrictions

25.06.2021 – 00:05 UTC

Legal action against UK government’s COVID-19 travel restrictions gathers momentum with the country’s largest tour operator TUI Group and a number of airlines joining a challenge led by Ryanair and Manchester Airports Group (MAG).

The legal offer – backed by easyJet, the owner of British Airways IAG International Airlines Group and Virgin Atlantic – is an attempt to get the government to be more transparent in how it determines which countries are on the Green, Amber and red under the UK system of “traffic lights” for international travel. The system ranks countries according to their COVID-19 risk and imposes quarantine measures on travelers upon their return to the UK accordingly.

The result has been that the UK travel industry effectively remains closed as the rules require a 10-day quarantine for arrivals from all countries in the European Union and the United States, which are on the Amber List. . The UK government still advises against travel to most countries, with the exception of a handful which are on the green list.

Judicial review was …

Aer Lingus needs millions more cash, new boss says

24.06.2021 – 07:05 UTC

Aer Lingus (EI, Dublin Int’l) needs several hundred million euros in additional cash due to continued disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and does not expect restrictions to be eased Irish travel next month brings significant relief, said the new Chief Executive Officer, Lynne Embleton.

Reuters reports that Embleton, the former head of IAG International Airlines Group Cargo, who took the reins of Aer Lingus in April, said in an online briefing by the Parliamentary Transport Committee on June 22 that the Irish national carrier was losing more than 1 million euros ($ 1.19 million) per day.

The airline has suffered losses of up to 1 billion euros ($ 1.1 billion) since the introduction of travel restrictions last year, she told the Belfast Times. “We are looking to restore our liquidity to the tune of a few hundred million euros. The precise numbers depend on where we can access the liquidity, the conditions of that liquidity and the number of days we continue to burn money, ”she said.

Reuters reports that the airline is currently funding …

Britain’s ZFG Air plans cargo flights from Newcastle

24.06.2021 – 01:27 UTC

ZFG Air plans to establish an air cargo hub at Newcastle Airport, GB, in the north of England, initially using a chartered A330-200 in a makeshift cargo configuration, but with the intention of ‘add three internal A330-200 freighters in the future.

During a press event at the airport, ZFG Air said its operations would begin this month with Dubai Int’l and Hong Kong Int’l identified as its top destinations. He said it will operate twice a week, although it is not clear whether the two destinations will be served by the same route or as two separate sectors. In the future, the start-up plans to add links to the United States and the European Union.

ZFG Air is managed and owned by John Quinney and was incorporated in December 2020.

The start-up did not respond to ch-aviation’s request for more information regarding its launch schedule and fleet plans.

ZFG Air will become the first Newcastle-based all-cargo airline. According to ch-aviation schedules, no freight carrier currently serves the city in the north of England on a …

British Airways reviews Gatwick operations – report

23.06.2021 – 01:05 UTC

British Airways (BA, London Heathrow) said it would continue to operate most of its short-haul flights from London Heathrow until October, while operating some of its long-haul flights from London Gatwick to a time when the demand for travel has not yet returned. , and restrictions on international travel remain in place.

In an emailed statement to ch-aviation, the airline was responding to a report from Britain’s The Telegraph that it revived plans to ditch Gatwick, Britain’s second-largest airport, in favor of focusing on its operations at Heathrow. The review reportedly followed instructions from IAG International Airlines Group, BA’s parent company FTSE 100, fearing BA could lose its lucrative take-off and landing slots at Heathrow if not used, reported the newspaper.

“Until the end of October, most of our short-haul flights will continue to operate from Heathrow. This allows us to ensure a smooth, uninterrupted and efficient operation across our business at a time when demand is not yet returning and international travel restrictions remain in place. We’re still stealing some of …