LIAT About to Axe Staff.

ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Nearly 200 employees of the Caribbean airline, LIAT, could get the axe if proposed job cuts go ahead. 

Local media is reporting that the colourful regional carrier is looking to lay off about 185 of its staff who are stationed in every country in which it operates.

The company has presented several options to reduce the number of staff it employs, including early retirement, voluntary severance, normal retirement, lay off's and termination.

Based on the internal proposals, the customer service and cargo divisions would be the most effected  areas of the company with an estimated 21% reduction in personnel. In addition it is believed that LIAT will also axe up to 50 workers from the flight operations section. 

Another 50 are expected to go from engineering and 26 administrative posts will become redundant in a last ditch attempt to steer the company away from bankruptcy.  

LIAT's cargo division looks likely to be completely closed to save the company money, although accordingly to insiders, many staff will be re-employed elsewhere with the airline. 

The airline’s CEO David Evans had told media earlier that the airline was reviewing all its operational costs and could not confirm there would be no job losses. 

MH370 Wreckage.......

Wreckage from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is not going to start washing up on the coast of Australia according to officials, the wreckage from the missing plane is most likely to wash up on the coast of Indonesia! 

Authorities leading the search confirmed they are still receiving regular reports from members of the public in Australia about potential wreckage, over seven months since the the Boeing 777 went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Each and every one of the reports are “reviewed carefully”, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) advised, however it is much more likely that any wreckage would have drifted the other way.

Air France KLM, Delta, Alitalia offer concessions to settle EU probe

- Skyteam alliance partners Air France KLM, Delta Air Lines and Alitalia have offered to give up slots at three airports and made other concessions to try to settle an EU antitrust investigation, the European Commission said on Tuesday.

The carriers found themselves in the Commission's sights in January 2012, after the EU competition authority said their alliance, involving profit-sharing and joint management of prices and capacity, may push up prices on the Paris-New York, Amsterdam-New York and Rome-New York routes.

Jet Blue Profits Up

 JetBlue Airways Corp reported an 11 percent rise in quarterly profit, as it flew fuller planes.

The company's net profit rose to $79 million, or 24 cents per share, in the third quarter ended Sept. 30, from $71 million, or 21 cents per share, a year earlier.

Total operating revenue rose 6 percent to $1.53 billion. JetBlue's load factor, a key indicator of capacity, rose to 86.2 percent from 85 percent, the company said.

 (Reuters) -

Profits Up for US Carriers

American Airlines Group, United Airlines and other carriers reported strong third-quarter profits on Thursday, helped by falling fuel costs, and mostly shrugged off concerns that Ebola could affect their outlook.

Despite concerns about increased competition in some markets, several major U.S. carriers also signaled they would boost capacity, betting on a steady increase in passenger traffic through next year.

American, which exited bankruptcy last year via a merger with U.S. Airways, saw a nearly 4 percent gain in its shares as it forecast healthy unit revenues for the current quarter. United, while projecting a more moderate unit revenue increase compared to last year, reported that third-quarter profit more than doubled.

Virgin Australia buys Tiger for a Dollar

Virgin Australia took full control of Tiger Australia, buying the remaining 40% it did not already own from the budget carrier's Singapore-listed parent. 

SYDNEY—Budget carriers turn a buck by keeping costs down on everything from airfares to in-flight drinks. But in the case of Tiger Australia, it is the airline itself that is going cheap—a nominal one Australian dollar.

On Friday, Singapore-listed Tiger Airways Holdings Ltd. said it was exiting the Australian aviation market by selling its 40% interest in the loss-making budget carrier to Virgin Australia , which owns the remaining 60% stake.

For Virgin, the deal gives it more heft to take on dominant carrier Qantas Airways Ltd. , with which it has been locked in a battle to rule the domestic market for years. Qantas, Australia’s flagship carrier, currently has around two-thirds of the market for domestic air travel.

Fort Lauderdale to Quito Route for Tame

Ecuadorian carrier Tame launched new service between Fort Lauderdale and Quito on Friday.  The inaugural flight from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport to Quito's Mariscal Sucre International Airport departed 9 a.m. after arriving from Ecuador at 7:30 a.m.

This is the first scheduled air service from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood to Quito, airport officials have said. Tame is operating the new once-daily route with Airbus A320 planes that seat 128 passengers in economy class and 12 in business.

IndiGo's $40 billion jet buying spree

NEW DELHI/PARIS (Reuters) - Almost four years ago a handful of people gathered in Airbus sales chief John Leahy's spacious country house outside Toulouse and argued long into the evening over curry and cigars.

Last weekend they met up again at a Parisian hotel for more haggling, with breaks taken at a nearby cafe where the informality of old business friendships mingled with hard-nosed negotiations typical of the aircraft industry.

The sum total of money discussed over these meals? About $40 billion at catalogue prices, and the bill was for 430 jets, all sold to the same Indian airline -- IndiGo, the low-cost carrier which has grown to become the country's biggest airline in eight years of operating.

Emirates Scores Best Airline Award.

The Business Traveller (ME) Awards 2014 were presented at a gala dinner attended by travel industry professionals, and were voted on by the magazine’s readers.

Emirates Airlines was the most awarded airline at this week’s Business Traveller (ME) awards 2014, taking home the coveted ‘Best Airline Worldwide’ title, and a further three awards including Airline with the Best First Class, Airline with the Best Business Class, and Airline with the Best Cabin Staff.

Lufthansa Pilots About to Strike.

The German pilots' union VC called a strike at Deutsche Lufthansa for this Monday and Tuesday,  Oct. 20th and 21st, targeting the airline's Airbus 320 planes as well as Boeing 737s.

The union said on Sunday the walkout would last from 1100 GMT on Monday until 2159 GMT on Tuesday. The pilots are in dispute with Lufthansa's management over retirement benefits. The union said the strike would affect all short- and mid-distance Lufthansa flights from Germany.

Blackpool Airport to Close

Blackpool Airport will close down next Wednesday, 15th October, owners Balfour Beatty, which purchased the airport for £14m in 2008 announced last week. They put the loss making airport back on the market in August, saying losses of £1.5m were unsustainable. 

The firm warned that if a decent offer wasn’t forthcoming by 7 October then it would have to close the venture down. Sadly for the airport’s 110 staff, as well as dozens of  those indirectly employed because of the airport, there were no offers. The wartime relic remained unwanted, built to accommodate 1.5m passengers each year which only attracted 235,000 in 2013, despite the fact it was voted third best regional airport by the Which? guide earlier this summer.

As the deadline passed Balfour Beatty issued a statement confirming the airport would close on 15th October, “a very sad day for the airport, which has a proud aviation history and a loyal, appreciative customer following.” the statement says.

Jet2 have already moved almost all of its flights to Manchester and City Wing, which operates flights to Blackpool from the Isle of Man and Belfast, will halt the services when the airport shuts next week. Aer Lingus will also stop its Dublin-Blackpool shuttle on Wednesday. 

New Partnerships for Etihad

The Abu Dhabi carrier Etihad Airways has unveiled a brand new airline alliance designed to “improved networks and schedules and enhanced frequent flyer benefits,” 

Etihad Airways Partners will initially begin with six airlines including Air Berlin, Air Serbia, Air Seychelles, India’s Jet Airways, Darwin Airline and Etihad Airways, it announced last week.  Etihad currently owns a stake in all the members of the group. However, any airline can become an Etihad Airways Partner even if it is part of an existing airline alliance, Air Berlin for example is already a member of of global alliance oneworld. 

James Hogan, the president and CEO of Etihad Airways, said, “We are broadening our business model to articulate and define a partner proposition for like-minded airlines which will result in synergies and efficiencies for participating airlines on the one side, and enhanced network choice, service and frequent flyer benefits for the consumer on the other."

BMI Heads for Expansion

Bmi regional will increase capacity across its network by 16% in summer 2015, announced yesterday.   The carrier revealed it was going to add 60,000 more seats to meet demand for scheduled services across the UK and mainland Europe.

Frequency increases on key routes, including an extra daily service between Aberdeen and Bristol, would deliver an extra 10,000 seats per month from March 29th in a “new phase of growth”. The airline said “Cities including Aberdeen, Bristol, Brussels, Frankfurt and Munich will benefit from the enhanced connectivity created through the move to triple daily flights and add weekend services.

Flights from Newcastle and East Midlands to Brussels will increase to three times daily, Monday to Friday. Bristol to Frankfurt will also operate three times daily, while the Bristol-Aberdeen route will also have three daily flights. Other changes will see the introduction of new weekend services from Bristol to Frankfurt and Munich.  Bmi regional chief executive Cathal O’Connell said: “Increasing our frequency and providing new services will contribute to an exciting period of growth for the airline.

Virgin's Little Red to End

Virgin Atlantic has confirmed that its domestic venture, called Little Red, will halt its service after just 18 months in operation.

The airline, which is part-owned by Delta Airlines, is to end flights between London Heathrow and Manchester, Edinburgh and Aberdeen next year.  

The latest airline offshoot was launched in March 2013, with much fanfare and hype after Virgin gained control of domestic slots at Heathrow following a European Commission ruling in after British Airways’ took over bmi.

Little Red was intended to act as a feeder airline for Virgin's long haul trans-Atlantic routes,  yet in confirming the closure, Virgin admitted that despite its hope of passengers connecting through to long-haul flights, much of the traffic had come from point to point traffic.

Virgin said its daily Little Red services between London and Manchester will end in March next year, with its Scottish routes closing next September.

Quarantined Delta Aircraft - Breaking News

Breaking news   -     Las Vegas.   Six ambulances have surrounded a plane this at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas amid reports that a passenger on a Delta flight from New York is showing symptoms similar to Ebola.

Delta Airlines Flight 495 from JFK is at Terminal 1, Gate D42 is the focus of the medical response. A source says at least three people are ill.

UMC spokeswoman D’Anita Cohen says the hospital has been contacted by the airport about two unconfirmed cases of Ebola-like symptoms. They have not been moved, yet. Cohen says the hospital is ready to place them in their two isolation rooms. 

McCarran spokeswoman Christine Crews said the flight was quarantined at the gate "after reports that a passenger who had recently traveled in Africa vomited on board the aircraft.

"Clark County Fire Department, the Centers for Disease Control and the Southern Nevada Health District have responded. After a thorough assessment, it has been determined that the affected passenger does not meet the criteria for Ebola."

"I have ebola" Passenger Escorted off US Aircraft.

It could have been a scene from a disaster movie, four people dressed complete hazard protection suits invade an aircraft and cart one of the passengers with a deadly contagious disease away. Only this was no Hollywood blockbuster, the was a real life event when an American passenger flying from Philadelphia to the Dominican Republic was forced to aircraft after sneezing and yelling: “I have Ebola!”. The remaining 255 other passengers were made to stay on board for two hours.

The unnamed passenger, whom it was confirmed later isnt infected with Ebola, was escorted off the plane by officials. The man had reportedly been sneezing and coughing, which are said to be early signs of having the deadly virus, throughout the four-hour journey to Punta Cana.

A video captured by one of the other passengers shows four officers dressed in protective Hazmat (hazardous materials) suits boarding the flight, while a flight attendant tries to reassure fliers that the situation “looks worse than it really is”. She adds that, having worked in the airline industry for about 30 years, she was sure “the man who has said this [joke] is an idiot”.

Passengers sat near the man covered their faces and those filming the incident yelled at him while he was forced to remove his luggage from the overhead lockers and leave the plane. He was detained at Punta Cana International Airport where he underwent extensive medical checks and was interviewed by airport officials before it was confirmed he did not have Ebola. He is believed to have the flu. US Airways refused to comment on the situation.

Virgin Consolidates Routes

There are changing times ahead for loss making Virgin Atlantic.  The vibrant and colourful airline is all set to increase flights between the UK and the US but is cutting destinations further away as part of its push to return to profitability.

Virgin Atlantic is majority-owned by Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Management company and is consolidating its route pan after a review of its network, working in partnership with its American shareholder Delta Airlines. Delta snapped up Singapore Airline’s 49 percent stake in Virgin Atlantic for $360m (£219m) in 2012, and established a joint venture in January of this year, following regulatory approval.

This latest shake-up sees Virgin intensify its service across the Atlantic, a move to ensure its aircraft service more profitable routes.   Mr Kreeger, who took over from long-standing chief executive Steve Ridgway in February last year and has said he wants Virgin to break-even by the end of the current financial year. These changes are intended to create what he hopes will be a successful and sustainably profitable business.

Facing the axe are flights to far-away destinations including Mumbai, Tokyo Narita, Vancouver and Cape Town which will all end over the next nine months.  In their place come a new service to Detroit, also on the way are extra services to New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, San Francisco and Miami. 

Virgin are also swapping some services with Delta, allowing the US airline to fly an extra flight from Heathrow each day, whilst Virgin will be adding a flight between Manchester and Atlanta.

“Transatlantic flying has always been at the heart of our network, and our most financially successful region,”  Mr Kreeger said.

Continuing that the restructuring allowed Virgin to play to its “strengths” and focus on routes “most important to our customers.”

Commenting on the current speculation of airport expansion in the UK's south east, Mr Kreeger added that Virgin would “love to” re-enter the four international cities to which it is cutting services if Heathrow were to be expanded. The airline has long been a supporter of an expanded Heathrow.

Virgin is not just a US destined carrier,  even after the cuts that airline will still have international flights to a number of cities including Delhi, Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Dubai, as well as an impressive array of Caribbean routes.

Virgin also confirmed it was committing £300m over the next four years to the benefit of customers, alongside the introduction of the airline’s first Boeing 787 Dreamliners, due to launch in late October.

News roundup

Emirates Boss No Need For Plane Tracking Systems

The head of Emirates Airlines, one of the world’s largest carriers, said there was no need to improve modern aircraft tracking systems even after a commercial jet disappeared earlier this year, according to Spiegel magazine.

The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on a Boeing 777 jet in March has led to calls for real-time tracking of aircraft, and an airline-industry-led task force is looking at ways of improving tracking.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates Airline, told the German online magazine that modern planes already had the necessary equipment but measures should be taken to ensure pilots can’t turn off tracking devices.

Click here to read more -

Will-i-am Throws a hissy fit at United.

Pop star 'will-i-am'  has lashed out at United Airlines for apparently giving away his seat after he arrived at the airport 45 minutes before departure.

The musician and Voice UK coach whose real name is William Adams. complained on Twitter that the US airline had given his first class seat on a flight from New York to China to another passenger.In a series of tweets, he said: "Make sure when you fly to china via @united you get to the airport 1day before because they'll give your seats away."Plane leave at 1:15 I got to the airport at 12:30... @united is the worse...I should have learned from the last @united experience.

Click here to read more. 

Airline Cabin Cleaner Strike Over Ebola.

Nearly 200 airline cabin cleaners walked off the job at a New York City airport overnight, striking over health and safety issues that include fears over possible exposure to Ebola.

The protest involves Air Serv cabin cleaners in Terminal D at New York's LaGuardia airport, a contractor that serves Delta, as well as supporting workers from LaGuardia and JFK International airports. Protesting workers carried signs and chanted during today's rally, protesting against conditions that they say often find them encountering hypodermic needles, vomit and blood.

Click here to read more.

Air France Strike Costs 500 Million

Air France-KLM has put the total cost of last month’s two-week pilots’ strike at 500m euros, sending its shares to a 13-month low.

Europe’s second-biggest network carrier by revenue had already revised down its target for 2014 earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) from 2.5bn euros to between 2.2bn and 2.3bn in July. At the time, it mainly cited overcapacity on long-haul routes and weak cargo demand. The strike, combined with a warning note on forward demand, have added to its woes. 

Click here to read more.

The World's Oldest Airline is 95

Tuesday marks the 95th anniversary of Dutch carrier KLM, the airline generally regarded as the world's oldest airline. The company was established on Oct. 7, 1919.

KLM added a special "95 years" decal to one of its MD-11 jets, part of a series of KLM events this week meant to commemorate the occasion.   "Thanks to the efforts, pride, expertise and energy of our 33,000 employees, KLM is now the world's oldest airline still operating under its original name," said Camiel Eurlings, CEO of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.

Click here to read more.

The World's Oldest Airline is 95 Years Old

The Royal Dutch Airline - KLM turned 95 this week.

JetBlue Engine Blows Up

Passengers on a JetBlue Airways flight had to evacuate the aircraft via the emergency slides at Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, when one of its engines caught fire, according to a Federal Aviation Administration statement.

According to a JetBlue spokesperson,  there were no known injuries among the 186 passengers and six crew members on board that had to use the slides to escape. The aircraft was taxing to the runway when the engine problems started. The flight was headed to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. 

Iran Plane Crashes

A civilian aircraft has crashed just moments after it had taken off from Iran's capital Tehran, according to state media 38 people on board have been killed. 

The aircraft was heading to the eastern city of Tabas from Mehrabad airport, when it crashed into a road at about 9:18am local time on Sunday.   According to witnesses at the scene, the aircraft was very low, with one wing closer to the ground than the other and it then crashed into a road in the Azadi neighbourhood area, a little west of central Tehran. 

ry families.

Initial reports claimed all 48 passengers and crew on board had been killed, however the state media later reported that some passengers had been injured and had been transferred to hospital. The local news report 38 people died instantly and 10 were injured and were transferred to hospital in critical condition.

Malaysian Government to Nationalise Troubled Malaysia Airlines

The Malaysian government announced this week that it was going to take over or nationalise the troubled Malaysia Airlines. The airline was ailing long before the loss of two aircraft this year. It had been struggling with increasing losses, vast debts, a flawed business and increasing competition on its key routes. 

On Friday, came an announcement that many in the airline industry had been expecting for quite some time, that the Malaysian government, would take full control of the company through a stock buyback and restructure its operations in an attempt to restore confidence in the troubled business. 

Delta Wins Award

Delta Airlines is the best all around pick for consumer fliers, that us according to Airfarewatchdog’s annual rankings.  Other major US legacy carriers didn't rank quite so highly, United and American, flounder at the bottom of the list, Delta rose to the top spot from number six last year.

EU Sanction Halt Russian Airline.

The economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the west have forced the hand of the state funded and owned airline Aeroflot to cancel all flights of its budget subsidiary.

The low-cost airline suspended all its flights Monday, because Western sanctions had forced leasing deals for its aircraft to be canceled.  The airline, Dobrolet, was founded late last year as purely as a budget option for domestic travel within Russia, however its maiden flight took place in June from Moscow to Simferopol, the main city on the Crimean peninsula, annexed from Ukraine in March.

"Due to sanctions imposed by the EU ... we are forced to temporarily suspend flights on all routes from August 4, 2014," Dobrolet said in a statement on its website.

Fly Olympic AB Goes Bust

Fly Olympic AB, the new Swedish carrier that operated flights from the UK's London Gatwick to Africa, has cancelled all flights reporting bankruptcy.

The airline, which is an affiliate of Aero Pacific launched flights from Stockholm in February and offered flights from Gatwick to Eritrea and Somalia via Stockholm and Athens. The airline blames poor sales for forcing it out of business, saying it 'performed dramatically below all reasonable expectations'. 

"The losses sustained were too great for a company of our size to survive," the company said in a statement, "We had discussed with several investment groups over the last 10 days in a bid to save the company but unfortunately time ran out. - All flights are cancelled and all reservations are therefore also cancelled."

Passengers who booked directly with the airline via a credit or debit card should contact their card provider and may be able to get their money back. Passengers who booked via a travel agent should return to their agent for further advice and information. 

ANA Confirms Boeing Order.

A massive order for Boeing has come from All Nippon Airways this week when the asia airline selected 20 777-9Xs, 14 787-9 Dreamliners and six 777-300ERs from the American manufacturer as part of the airlines ongoing strategic long-haul fleet renewal plan.

The massive order is valued around  US$13billion based on list prices and  was originally announced back in March as an option.  ANA President and CEO, Shinichiro Ito, said, “The aircraft we have selected will enable us to modernise and expand our fleet further.  These new aircraft will give us maximum flexibility and improved fuel efficiency, and will allow us to meet the growth in demand, both internationally and in our domestic Japanese market.”

ANA, has shown faith in the 787, not only was it the launch airline of the type, but it ha so far ordered 80 examples of the Dreamliner, 29 are already in the fleet, with  51 more awaiting delivery. 

Boeing Commercial Airplanes president and CEO, Ray Conner, added: “This order from ANA demonstrates the strength of our 50-year partnership.”

WestJet Confirms Aircraft Options

Canadian airline WestJet has signed a firm purchase order for five Q400 NG turboprops following a similar conversion from option to firm in March of this year. 

The new aircraft will be utilised by the airlines regional subsidiary, WestJet Encore and will increase the carrier’s fleet to 30 Q400 aircraft.

Launched in June 2013, WestJet Encore operated 10 departures daily to two destinations with two Q400 aircraft. Its rise has been rapid, now it flies 90 flights from Alberta, Calgary and Toronto with 13 Q400s.

No meals for American First and Business Class

American Airlines is all set to drop all meals for its premium passengers on most short flights from next month. The largest American carrier will offer just snacks instead of a meal to first and business class passengers on most flights under two hours and 45 minutes. 

The change means a continuity of service between American with US Airways, which this spring reduced its meal cutoff to 2:45 from three hours and 30 minutes. The two airlines merged in December, the new rules will cover flights in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. They were detailed on American's website, however there is no reduction in the fares charged by the airline.  

Lufthansa is Europes Leading Airline.

The German airline Lufthansa has been named Europe’s leading airline for an impressive seventh time, at the Oscars of the travel world - the World Travel Awards.

Lufthansa won the award at the World Travel Awards Europe, taking place in Athens, Greece this year, for the fourth successive year, further cementing its reputation as a European standard bearer for service. 

One of the features that set the German carrier apart from its main rivals has been the introduction of internet wifi on over 90% of its long-haul aircraft, the largest internet-enabled, long-haul fleet in the world. 

Emirates Halts Flights In Wake of Ebola

Emirates Airlines has responded to the deadly Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa by halting its flights to the infected region. The Dubai based airline is the first major international airline from outside Africa to impose a flight ban in response to the outbreak, suspended services to Guinea. So far this latest outbreak of Ebola has killed 730 people in four countries and shows little sign of easing. 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described this as by far the worst outbreak ever recorded in the disease’s four-decade history. It originated in Guinea and spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone.  A further case had been reported after a man flew to Lagos, Nigeria, sparking fears the disease would be spread further by international air travel.

Emirates said its flights to Conakry, the capital of Guinea, were suspended from Saturday until further notice.  “We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers, however the safety of our passengers and crew is of the highest priority and will not be compromised,” a statement read.

The airline, which does not operate services to Sierra Leone or Liberia, said it would continue to provide flights to Dakar in Senegal. It said further decisions on West Africa would be “guided by the advice and updates from the government and international health authorities”.

Hawaiian Airlines Launches New Premium Economy

Hawaiian Airlines has launched a new premium economy class on its Airbus A330 aircraft. These new super Extra Comfort seats have five more inches of legroom - giving a total of 36 inches. Other benefits of the new service include priority boarding, free on-demand, in-seat entertainment and personal power outlets.

 On international flights, travelers will also receive a souvenir pillow and blanket and premium meals.

Hawaiian Airlines is undergoing a programme of enhancements and changes at the moment, earlier this year they launched an inter-island operation called ‘Ohana by Hawaiian. They offer flights between Honolulu International Airport and Moloka’i and Lana’i. 

Passenger Attacks with a prosthetic leg.

A rather drink woman on-board a Thomson Airlines flight from Tunisia caused a bit of a stir when she began swearing, slapped a child, and threw food at cabin crew before tossing her prosthetic leg at them.

The female passenger, 48, had her meltdown on Thomson Airlines flight 297 from Enfindha in Tunisia bound for Edinburgh in Scotland.   “She was shouting ‘I want cigarettes’ and that she wanted a parachute to jump off the plane,” fellow passenger John Smith, 48, told Edinburgh Evening News. 

“She slapped a young girl and then assaulted the cabin crew with her prosthetic leg. They took it off her, but she started kicking them with her good leg.  It sounds funny, but it was not a laughing matter at the time. It was serious. She was totally drunk. It was pretty shocking.”

Flying Over Iraq?

Since the MH17 disaster many more passengers are taking more notice of what the actual routing of their flights will take. Many are asking questions regarding the safety of flying over various troubled areas, including Iraq. 

Many airlines are divided on whether it is currently safe to overfly war-torn Iraq, Virgin Atlantic, Air France, Qantas and Emirates have all announced they are not or will not be flying over Iraq.  Bullish British Airways said it had no plans to alter its routes.

The FAA, the US regulators have ordered all American carriers to take a higher altitude over the country “due to the potentially hazardous situation”. 

Willie Walsh, chief executive of International Airlines Group, the parent company of BA, arrogantly proclaimed  “We fly over Iraq because we consider it safe – if we thought Iraq was unsafe we would not fly over Iraq.”

Emirates decision to re-route flights came after it emerged the US was investigating whether Isis troops had acquired weapons capable to shooting down planes flying at 30,000ft or more. The Dubai-based airline had the largest number of flights overflying Isis-held territory in Iraq, over 50 a day.  Sir Tim Clark, chief executive of the airline, said he was "not comfortable" with Emirates planes crossing the troubled state, since the horrific MH17 downing,  "The horrors that this created was a kick in the solar plexus for all of us. Nevertheless having got through it we must take stock and deal with it.”

Iraq sits below the main flight path between Europe and Asia and hundreds of civilian aircraft pass over it each day. However alternative routes are already well used and fly over Saudi Arabia, the Red Sea and Egypt, alternatively there is an Iranian route which some airlines use. 

Gatwick Gives

Gatwick Airport announced this last week £256 million in local benefits if it were allowed to build a second runway.

The airport on the border between Surrey and West Sussex is hoping to open a second runway by 2025 at a cost of £7 billion. The pledge would include spending £131 million on the compulsory purchase of homes, £46.5 million to subsidise new houses and £45 million to pay the council tax of 4,100 people blighted by noise. 

Other promises include improvements to the M23 and A23 and a £3.5 million scheme for 2,500 apprenticeships. Chief executive Stewart Wingate said: “We’ve listened to local people and have created £256 million of pledges to deliver improvements in many of the areas that matter to them most, from new jobs and housing, to business support and noise mitigation.”