British Airways adds two brand new destinations

Aruba and Guyana have become the latest destinations added to the British Airways route network, with inaugural flights arriving to a warm welcome in the destinations’ respective capital cities.

British Airways operates more routes to the Caribbean and Mexico than any other UK airline, with Aruba and Guyana bringing the total number of destinations served in the region to 17.

Flight BA2157 departed London Gatwick (LGW) at 10:00 on Sunday 26 March and touched down at Queen Beatrix International Airport (AUA) in Oranjestad, Aruba at 17:00 local time. The brand-new route will operate twice weekly via Antigua on Thursdays and Sundays.

Having been born and raised in Aruba, this new route is a personal one for British Airways cabin crew member Arelis Spanner, who flew on the inaugural BA2157. She said: “This is such a special day – I’m so proud that British Airways is flying to my home country and to be able to travel on the inaugural flight has been an amazing homecoming.”

The following day on Monday 27 March, flight BA2159 departed London Gatwick at 11:35, landing at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (GEO) in Georgetown, Guyana at 19:50 local time. This was the first of a twice-weekly flight, operating via St Lucia on Mondays and Thursdays.

Airbus taking the first step towards Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air refuelling......

Airbus achieves in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone from a tanker aircraft

Airbus Defence and Space and the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT.

In a first step towards Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air refuelling (A4R), the technologies demonstrate a significant breakthrough for future aerial operations involving manned and unmanned assets. 

These cutting-edge, ‘Made in Europe’ solutions could reduce crew fatigue and the potential for human error, as well as minimising crew-training costs and providing more effective operations.

“The success of this first flight-test campaign paves the way for developing autonomous and unmanned air-to-air refuelling technologies,” said Jean Brice Dumont, Head of Military Air Systems at Airbus Defence and Space. “Even though we are at an early stage, we have achieved this within just one year and are on the right track for manned-unmanned teaming and future air force operations where fighters and mission aircraft will fly jointly with drone swarms.”

Known as Auto’Mate, the technologies were integrated on an A310 MRTT flying testbed, which took off from Getafe, Spain, on 21 March, and on several DT-25 target drones, acting as receiver aircraft and flying from Arenosillo Test Centre (CEDEA) at Huelva, Spain.

Over the waters of the Gulf of Cadiz, the control of the drone transitioned from a ground station to the A310 MRTT, autonomously guiding the DT-25 to the in-flight refuelling position.

During almost six hours of flight test, the four successively launched receivers were sequentially controlled and commanded thanks to artificial intelligence and cooperative control algorithms, without human interaction. The different receivers were controlled and guided until a minimum distance of 150 feet (around 45 metres) from the A310 MRTT. 

Lithuanian Airports offering flights to more than 80 destinations this summer.....

The last Sunday in March marked the start of the new summer aviation season and this year, airlines will offer more than 80 direct regular routes to passengers from Lithuanian airports. 

The planned routes include destinations that are attractive to business travellers as well as European cities that are popular with holidaymakers for leisure and sightseeing trips.

"During the first months of the year, we have seen exceptional rates of recovery in aviation. With the calendar summer season approaching and travellers planning their holidays even more intensively, growth is likely to accelerate. Airlines will offer travellers more than eighty direct flight routes, and it should be remembered that charter flights will also be operated in parallel, which will further respond to passenger demand for holiday flights," said Tomas Zitikis, Head of Route Development at Lithuanian Airports.

Nearly 50 destinations from Vilnius Airport

Most of the new and renewed routes will be offered to passengers travelling from Vilnius Airport. In total, passengers travelling via Vilnius Airport will be able to reach almost 50 destinations. Some of these routes are covered in this report.

On 26 March, the official start of the summer aviation season, Brussels Airlines will resume direct flights from Vilnius to Brussels, which are important for business and politics, Austrian Airlines will resume direct flights to Vienna, and airBaltic will resume flights to Berlin from the beginning of May.

American Airlines donates aircraft engine to Aviation Institute of Maintenance in Chicago

Though the last American Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-80 took its final flight in 2019, a vital part of the historic aircraft will continue powering the future of aviation maintenance. Today, the airline donated a Pratt & Whitney JT8D engine to the Aviation Institute of Maintenance (AIM) during the Aviation Technician Education Council annual conference in Chicago. The engine will be used by students for hands-on training at the school’s Chicago campus pursuing their aviation maintenance technician (AMT) certification.

"American is honoured to donate this important piece of aviation technology to students at AIM,” said Evie Garces, American’s Vice President of Line Maintenance. “As a former AMT, I know first-hand how important it is to have access to equipment like this as you’re learning new skills. The MD-80 powered American’s future when it took its first revenue flight in 1983, and this engine will help power students’ futures as they work toward their certifications and career aspirations for years to come.”

The engine donation is part of our ongoing partnership with AIM that provides students with ongoing engagement with American’s team of aviation maintenance professionals and access to American’s maintenance facilities, as well as guarantees top candidates from AIM’s Chicago campus interviews with American.

“We are excited to enhance our partnership with American Airlines in 2023, and receiving this impressive aircraft engine will allow us to provide more resources and experience to our student body in Chicago,” said Dr Joel English, Executive Vice President of AIM. “Hands-on training on a range of airframes and powerplants is essential for the AIM graduate to become prepared to join the workforce after graduation. American sees the value of investing in our diverse student population, and this donation will help us prepare our current students to become tomorrow’s American Airlines technicians.”

Titan Airways carries England football team to Italy.

Last week Titan Airways had the privilege of flying the England national football team to Naples for their UEFA European Qualifier against Italy on 23rd March.

The flights were organised on the Team’s behalf by Air Charter Travel Limited. The air charter broker opted for one of our A321-211 aircraft, configured with 80 premium seats and 10 standard seats for the trip.

The match ended in a 2-1 victory for the Three Lions, with Harry Kane scoring the winning goal to become England’s all-time record goalscorer. The win is England’s first against Italy on Italian soil since 1961. What a great start to England’s group C European qualifying campaign!

Titan are privileged to have flown the England team on this occasion and we look forward to welcoming them back onboard for future international fixtures.

@England shared the below images of the Team’s departure from Birmingham and arrival in Naples on 22nd March on Titan Airways A321 aircraft G-POWN.

The carrier has a small number of job vacancies including....

A320 Type-rated First Officers

Applications are welcomed from those who meet/provide the following criteria:

Current/Valid A320/1 rating with a minimum 500 total time and flying experience on type

EASA (non UK) ATPL

EASA Class 1 medical

Fully vaccinated against COVID-19

Start dates May 2023 with interviews ongoing in Cambridge (UK) but based in Germany. 

The carrier is looking for a Safety Officer to complement the Safety and Compliance Team. The successful candidate will be undertaking both pre-emptive (audit, process analysis) and post-incident investigations with a view to improve safety and reduce inefficiencies. This will be based at London Stansted.    

A4E CEOs inject new impetus into airspace reform and call for new ways to finance air traffic management in Europe

A4E CEOs have said that multiple crises can no longer be used as excuses to delay airspace reform in Europe and now is the time to deliver for airlines, passengers and the environment. Half a decade after creating the Seamless European Sky initiative with players from across aviation, A4E is rebooting cross-industry collaboration to collectively push for reform of Europe’s skies. The CEOs said that the time for excuses is over as traffic levels get closer to their pre-COVID 2019 peak. This increased traffic means that the need for a seamless and digitalised airspace is more pressing than ever.

Airspace reform would unlock a whole host of benefits for passengers, airlines and the environment including:

Enabling airlines to fly the most efficient routes and unlocking significant CO2 savings of up to 10%;

Reducing delays and ruined travel plans for passengers;

Improving airspace capacity which can allow for greater connectivity for consumers; 

 

In recent years there has been massive innovation and reform in various aspects of flying in Europe, from new aircraft technology to widespread digitalisation. However, the pace of reform with Europe’s airspace has failed to match this, most visibly with the failure to implement the Single European Sky (SES) legislation. The CEOs repeated their call for the SES2+ legislation to be implemented immediately as part of wider reform of Europe’s airspace.

At its annual summit, A4E also unveiled a new study from Transport and Mobility Leuven, a Katholieke Universiteit Leuven owned research body, which found that Europe needs a new way of financing Air Traffic Management (ATM) to ensure airlines are not the only ones left picking up the tab during future crisis situations. Airlines have been left on the hook for EUR 5.6 billion as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. In some regions, unit costs increased between 2019 and 2021 by 130% without any changes in performance, as noted by the EU’s Performance Review Body (PRB).

Lewis Capaldi performs live on a British Airways flight.....

Lewis Capaldi surprised British Airways customers with an exclusive, live performance of his new single on board a flight from London Heathrow to Los Angeles

Lewis Capaldi sang live at 35,000ft on a British Airways Boeing 777-300 aircraft flying over the Atlantic Ocean en route to the City of Angels

To celebrate the upcoming release of Lewis Capaldi’s Sophomore album in May, the Glaswegian singer teased his latest song, “Wish You the Best”, surprising customers travelling on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Los Angeles yesterday by performing a live snippet of the hit at 35,000ft.

Following take-off, Lewis made his way through the aircraft with a British Airways drinks trolley to surprise customers on board, including four unsuspecting superfans who had been specially invited onto the flight. Lewis serenaded customers with a chorus and verse of the unreleased track, with the lyrics declaring “it seems like Glasgow gets further from LA”, as the flight travelled across the Atlantic.

The customers were surprised to see the famous star on board their flight and were delighted to be able to witness the performance sung acapella by Lewis, while playing his guitar in a very special and unique performance.

Rowan and Georgie Gupwell, sisters and superfans of Lewis Capaldi from Glasgow said: “This was the most amazing surprise. We’ve been huge fans of Lewis since his first song, ‘Bruises’ in 2017. We have tickets to see him live later this year, so to meet him up close yesterday was a moment we’ll cherish forever, and we can’t wait to see the new song live again in concert!”

Norse Atlantic Airways starts flights between New York and Paris

Norse Atlantic announces first flight from New York, JFK to Paris with daily service.

From New York JFK, the airline now serves five European destinations this summer, including Rome, Paris, Berlin, Oslo and London.

In total Norse Atlantic will operate 13 routes between the US and Europe this summer.

              Norse Atlantic Airways has launched transatlantic flights between Paris, Charles de Gaulle and New York JFK on Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.

The launch of this route marks Norse Atlantic’s entry into yet another major international market as the airline continues to provide comfortable and budget-friendly travel options for long-haul flights.

“We are delighted to offer cost-effective travel and increased choices for our passengers between the vibrant cities of Paris and New York. This new route connecting the beautiful cities will further boost transatlantic travel benefiting local tourism and businesses on both sides of the Atlantic. With the addition of our latest route to Paris, our airline now offers a total of five European destinations from New York, JFK this summer, including Rome, Berlin, Oslo and London,” said Bjorn Tore Larsen, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways.

Canada Jetlines leases aircraft out

Canada Jetlines has confirmed it has signed a contract to provide aircraft and crew for 5 months starting at the end of March 2023 to another Canadian airline to help secure much-needed stability. 

The contract consists of daily flying and will run until the beginning of September 2023.

Canada Jetlines’ Chief Executive Officer and President, Eddy Doyle. said:  "We are proud to have been selected for this contract. Canada Jetlines has seen continuous growth in demand for its Charter and ACMI (Aircraft Crew Maintenance and Insurance) business which complements our schedule service to leisure destinations,” 

Canada Jetlines has completed approximately 50 charter and ACMI flights already since the beginning of 2023 and expects to perform several additional charter flights in the coming months.

The over-saturation of budget airlines in Canada has led to a very unstable aviation market which is leading to a very unstable financial situation with many believing a massive consolidation is just weeks away. 

New routes from London Stansted this spring

London Stansted’s departure boards have a spring in their step as new routes are added to its growing European route network this week.

Summer timetables kicked-off on Sunday, March 26, with Ryanair launching a three-times-weekly service to Newquay, and Widerøe starting a twice-weekly service to Bergen in Norway.

Meanwhile, Jet2 will launch two new city break destinations with flights starting to Athens and Rome on Thursday (March 30).

Several other new routes will begin in the coming weeks, including flights from Ryanair to Belfast, Edinburgh, Asturias, Klagenfurt, and Leipzig, and Emirates will start operating a second daily flight to Dubai from May 1.

Stansted is a market leader for short-haul travel and with 180 European destinations it serves more scheduled connections to the continent than any other UK airport.

London Stansted’s Head of Brand and Marketing, Neringa Ohrstrom, said:  “London Stansted was the fastest recovering major airport in the UK in 2022 serving over 23 million passengers, and with more new routes joining the departure boards, we’re set for a very busy and exciting summer.    

The weekend marked the start of the summer season for the industry, and we were delighted to launch two brand new routes to Newquay and Bergen.

Rome and Athens flights will begin this week with Jet2, and there are several other new routes coming up, including Belfast, Edinburgh, Asturias, Klagenfurt, and Leipzig flights operated by Ryanair.

“While Stansted is leading airport in the UK for connections to Europe, it’s also really exciting to be expanding our long-haul network even further with a second daily flight to Dubai in May.”

Qantas starts direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo

Qantas will resume direct flights between Melbourne and Tokyo for the first time in more than three years, creating more options for Australians travelling to Japan.

The new service is the first non-stop flight between Melbourne and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport by any airline, saving passengers nearly two hours travel to downtown Tokyo compared with Narita Airport, which the flight operated to before the pandemic.

The year-round flights will operate four days per week with an Airbus A330 aircraft and add to Qantas’ existing flights from Sydney and Brisbane to Haneda Airport. Together, these flights offer customers more than 420,000 seats between Australia and Japan annually and the choice of double daily flights to Tokyo.

Qantas Domestic and International CEO Andrew David said the flights would support the resurgence of tourism and trade links between Australia and Japan which have been growing rapidly since borders reopened.

“We’ve seen the demand for our Tokyo flights bounce back very strongly, and our research shows that it is one of the top tourist destinations that Australians plan on visiting in the next 12 months,” said Mr David.

Jetstar's new Auckland to Brisbane service takes off

Jetstar has launched its newest Trans-Tasman route with JQ150 between Auckland and Brisbane. 

The four return services per week will carry almost 40,000 visitors a year to Brisbane, offering Kiwis the opportunity to explore Queensland via its vibrant capital city as well as providing direct access to 12 domestic destinations.

Jetstar Group CEO, Stephanie Tully, said the new route was a fantastic addition to Jetstar’s expanding network of international destinations. 

“We know our customers are always on the lookout for more low-fare travel options and exciting destinations.

“Since we announced the launch of the service, we’ve seen really strong bookings from holidaymakers as well as expats keen to visit family and friends which is great news for local tourism operators and hospitality businesses.

“This new service also offers seamless connections to destinations on Jetstar’s extensive domestic networks in Australia and New Zealand, providing even more holiday options.

“I thank the Queensland Government, Brisbane Airport and Auckland Airport for their support of this new route.”  

Queensland Tourism Minister, Stirling Hinchliffe said:    “We’re backing Jetstar’s new four days per week direct flights into Brisbane from Auckland for the service’s strong potential for growth.

Government consultation on night-time noise objectives at some of the busiest airports is set to start....

Night flight policy is still under review as new consultation on noise objectives launches.

The government is continuing its review of night flight policy with a new consultation on the noise objectives for Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports.

The review will ensure that aircraft operations at those airports are managed, so that the negative impacts of night flying on local residents do not outweigh the positive benefits they bring to the wider economy.

Aircraft are becoming quieter as technology advances and we expect this trend to continue. However, the government recognises that noise from aircraft taking off and landing at night is often regarded by communities as the most disturbing form of airport operations.

Aviation minister Baroness Vere of Norbiton said:  "There’s no doubt night flights have an effect on local residents underneath busy flightpaths, but as aircraft become quieter, we have an opportunity to strike a balance to make sure we can support the aviation industry without having a debilitating impact on people’s lives.

This consultation will help us to shape policy and create a flightpath towards a more sustainable approach to night-time aviation noise."

Night flights are an important part of operations at airports around the world and provide significant economic benefit to the UK, helping keep the flow of people, goods and services moving in and out of the country and supporting thousands of jobs as a result.

The 6-week consultation on night-time noise abatement objectives will allow the government to seek views and evidence from the industry and communities.

The objectives informed by the consultation will set the groundwork for future measures on how to manage aviation noise at night at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports from October 2025.

Also published today (27 March 2023) is the government’s revised overarching aviation noise policy statement, reaffirming the foundation for noise policy for the entirety of the aviation sector, no matter the time of the flight, whether it’s day or night. Through this statement, we aim to balance the health and wellbeing of communities with the clear economic and consumer benefits of aviation.

In addition, the guidance used to allow dispensation for operators to fly night flights will be looked at in the wake of last summer’s disruption across the sector. The summer of 2022, was particularly challenging from an international air traffic control perspective and resulted in an increase in late-running flights and a corresponding higher number of night flight dispensations. Such a rise was in stark contrast to the summers of 2020 and 2021, when the numbers of dispensations were very low.

Given the number of night flight dispensations allowed during the early part of last summer, it’s vital to take this additional evidence into account before publishing any revision to our night flight dispensation guidance. Updating the dispensation guidance will form part of the main night flight regime consultation, which we aim to publish in late 2023.

RAF joins five other nations in UK's biggest aerial exercise

Pilots from five nations have joined the Royal Air Force for the UK’s biggest aerial training exercise this week, which boosts interoperability and helps to develop joint tactics in the air.

Exercise Cobra Warrior sees 70 aircraft training together in high intensity, large force, simulated complex tactical air warfighting operations for three weeks during March.

Pilots from the Finnish, Indian and Royal Saudi Air Forces are taking part this year for the first time. The Belgian and US Air Force are returning having joined previous Cobra Warrior exercises.

The Indian Air Force have deployed five Mirage 2000 aircraft to RAF Waddington. The Royal Saudi Air Force are operating six Typhoons from RAF Coningsby.

Minister for the Armed Forces, Rt Hon James Heappey MP, said:  "Cobra Warrior is a fantastic opportunity for British pilots to exercise with our international partners, learning from each other and rehearsing operating together, as I’m sure our air forces will do many times over the coming decades."

Six F-16s of the Belgian Air Force and six F-18s from the Finnish Air Force are operating from RAF Waddington. Finland’s participation is part of a wider training activity in support of Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) exercises.

British Airways has introduced award-winning English Sparkling wines in its Club World

British Airways is introducing award-winning English Sparkling wines in its Club World (business class) cabin for the first time

The airline is championing British provenance by working with four local wine producers from across England

The four English Sparkling wine options have been carefully selected by the airline’s Master of Wine and will be available on a rotational basis until next March, changing every three months

The first wine to feature on the airline’s menu is the Digby Fine English Brut NV, now available on board

British Airways has introduced award-winning English Sparkling wines in its Club World (business class) cabin so customers can enjoy the ‘best of British’ bubbles at 35,000ft.

The airline’s Master of Wine has worked carefully with several award-winning wineries to source, taste and select a range of English Sparkling wines for customers to sample in the comfort of their seat. The introduction of four English Sparkling wines in Club World will be a first for the airline, previously only available in the airline’s First cabin with Hattingley Valley from Hampshire.

The four English Sparkling wine options will be available on a rotational basis, changing every three months. This means that customers will be able to choose from two sparkling options when travelling in Club World, including the current Champagne resident Heidsieck & Co. Monopole Silver Top Non-Vintage Champagne, and now an exclusive English Sparkling wine option.

The first English Sparkling wine will be the Digby Fine English Brut NV, which has over three years’ maturation, giving it great complexity and finesse for customers to savour. This wine pairs well with delicate dishes on the airline’s Club World menu, such as the grilled cod with sweet potato mousseline, mozzarella mezzaluna or an after-dinner selection of cheeses.