Category Archives: Air transport

The end of furlough will lay bare Britain’s twin-speed recovery from Covid

Posted on by

Workers in depressed sectors or regions won’t be able to plug gaps in areas that have been quicker to recover, ministers are being warned

There are signs outside almost every pub, restaurant and hotel dotting Torquay’s harbour: Staff wanted.

“It’s been packed solid busy, you can’t get a table anywhere,” said Brett Powis, owner of three hotels in the area including the Riviera and Lincombe Hall. For the hotelier, staff shortages made it harder to take full advantage of the busiest summertime boom in the Devon resort for decades.

Continue reading...

Australia Covid updates live: NSW due to hit single dose target; Singapore Airlines cancelling dozens of international flights

Posted on by

Wednesday: NSW is on track to hit its 80% single dose vaccinations today, while Victoria is heading towards 70% by the end of the week – follow updates live

Hmmmmm it’s 8.56am and no Victorian Covid-19 numbers yet. Not happy Jan.

Federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg says businesses should be free to deny entry to people based on vaccination status.

He spoke with Nine Network a short time ago:

They control their premises. If they want to stop someone coming in based on the fact they’re not vaccinated then that is their right to do so.

Not only are they protecting their customers but they’re also making for a safer workplace for their staff. We’ve been very consistent on that.

Continue reading...

The six problems aviation must fix to hit net zero

Posted on by

With passenger numbers growing and time to slash emissions dwindling fast, the industry must tackle urgent stumbling blocks on fuel, frequent flyers and more

Aviation tanked in 2020. The number of people taking flights fell by three quarters compared with 2019 levels and as a result there was a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions from aviation. But as countries open up and people begin to fly again, aviation is expected to see a slow climb back to previous levels. The industry anticipates a return to 2019 passenger numbers globally by 2023 and to be back on track with previous growth projections within a couple of decades.

All this is bad news for the planet. CO2 emissions from the industry are likely to triple by 2050. But if the world is to limit global heating to 1.5C, it needs to have hit net zero CO2 emissions by this time. Aviation is a complicated sector to decarbonise. It has some prickly ingredients: difficult technological solutions, hidden extra climate effects, an association with personal freedoms and a disproportionately wealthy and powerful customer base. Here are just a few of the big hurdles the sector will need to overcome if it is ever to be carbon neutral.

Continue reading...

Home Office says delays at Heathrow are ‘unacceptable’

Posted on by

Border staff left dealing with backlog of travellers as reports emerge of people fainting in three-hour queues

Delays at Heathrow airport have been described as “unacceptable” by the Home Office, af reports of passengers fainting in queues of up to three hours.

Border staff were left dealing with a huge backlog of travellers, with witnesses saying they had seen people – including a pregnant woman – passing out while queueing.

Continue reading...

Evacuating Afghanistan: a visual guide to flights in and out of Kabul

Posted on by

Flights stopped as the Taliban seized control, but numbers are back up and the vast majority of aircraft are now military

Kabul airport’s air traffic rebounded earlier this week due to an increase in military aircraft evacuating people, Guardian analysis has revealed.

Fewer than 15 aircraft arrived or departed each day between 16 and 19 August, according to data from Flightradar24.

Continue reading...

Tiny New Zealand airport that tells Māori love story in running for global design award

Posted on by

Regional hub in New Plymouth – built on land seized from Māori in 1960 – is up against the likes of New York’s LaGuardia for Unesco’s Prix Versailles

A tiny regional airport in New Zealand that weaves a Māori story of love and longing into its architecture is in the running for a prestigious design award, up against international heavyweights including New York’s LaGuardia.

Unesco’s Prix Versailles recognises architecture that fosters a better interaction between economy and culture, and includes a range of categories from airports to shopping malls. The finalists for the airport category include the New York LaGuardia upgrade, Berlin’s Brandenburg airport and international airports in Athens, Kazakhstan and the Philippines.

Continue reading...

Qantas mandates full Covid-19 vaccination for all its employees

Posted on by

Frontline staff must be inoculated by 15 November, with remainder of staff given until 31 March

Qantas will require all of its employees to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, as debate about mandatory vaccination in Australian workplaces intensifies.

By 15 November, all frontline employees, including cabin crew, pilots and airport workers, will need to be fully vaccinated. All remaining employees will have until 31 March 2022 to get vaccinated.

Continue reading...

‘One rule for them’: Alok Sharma criticised over flights to 30 countries

Posted on by

Cop26 president accused of undermining climate effort after visiting 30 countries in seven months

Alok Sharma, the government minister responsible for vital UN climate talks, has been accused of undermining environmental efforts and failing to set an example after reports that he has flown to 30 countries in the past seven months.

The president of Cop26, which is being hosted in Glasgow in October and November, has visited countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya since February. Despite travelling to six countries on the government’s travel “red list” he was not required to isolate, according to the Daily Mail.

Continue reading...

Cop26 president Alok Sharma flew to 30 countries in 7 months

Posted on by

Minister responsible for climate conference travelled mainly during winter and spring and did not isolate

The government minister responsible for this year’s UN climate change conference in Glasgow has flown to 30 countries in the past seven months, it has been reported.

Alok Sharma, who was appointed as president of Cop26 in January, has visited countries including Brazil, Indonesia and Kenya since February, according to the Daily Mail.

Continue reading...

Border officials told not to make Covid checks on green and amber list arrivals

Posted on by

Exclusive: officers in England no longer have to verify whether new arrivals have received a negative Covid test

Border officials are no longer required to make basic Covid checks on arrivals in England from green and amber list countries, according to leaked instructions that prompted claims the government is turning a blind eye to the risk of importing Covid cases.

A change that came into effect on Monday means Border Force officers no longer have to verify whether new arrivals have received a negative Covid test, have booked a test within coming days or have a passenger locator form showing an address where they will isolate if necessary.

Continue reading...

Private plane crash in Haiti kills all six on board, including two Americans

Posted on by

Six people on board a private plane were killed when the aircraft crashed in Haiti, the identities of the other four people are not known

All six people on board a private plane, including two American missionaries, were killed when the aircraft crashed in Haiti, southwest of capital Port-au-Prince, according to media reports and a missionary group.

The plane went down on Friday evening en route from an airport in Port-au-Prince to the southern coastal city of Jacmel, typically a short flight, reported the Miami Herald, citing a statement by the National Civil Aviation Office (NCAO). Reuters could not independently confirm the report.

Continue reading...

Flying car makes successful test run between airports in Slovakia – video

Posted on by

A flying car is seen completing its first intercity flight in Slovakia. The prototype, called AirCar, takes off from Nitra airport and lands in Bratislava 35 minutes later. Using wings that fold away in less than three minutes and a propeller at its rear, the dual-transportation vehicle has now completed more than 40 hours of test flight

Continue reading...

Flying cars will be a reality by 2030, says Hyundai’s Europe chief

Posted on by

Michael Cole says urban air mobility could free up congestion and help with emissions in cities

Flying cars will be a reality in cities around the globe by the end of this decade, according to a leading car manufacturer, and will help to reduce congestion and cut vehicle emissions.

Michael Cole, the chief executive of the European operations of South Korean carmarker Hyundai, said the firm had made some “very significant investments” in urban air mobility, adding: “We believe it really is part of the future”.

Continue reading...

New Mexico: five dead after hot air balloon crash in Albuquerque

Posted on by

Four dead at the scene and one dies in hospital after balloon blown into power lines by wind catches fire

Five people died after a hot air balloon hit power lines in New Mexico’s largest city on Saturday, police said.

The crash happened around 7am on Albuquerque’s west side, police spokesman Gilbert Gallegos said. No identities were immediately released but fire officials said three males, including the pilot, and two females died.

Continue reading...

NSW toughens Covid rules for airport transport workers as police seek advice on Sydney limo driver

Posted on by

NSW police commissioner Mick Fuller says he’s received ‘mixed messages’ about whether Bondi limousine driver broke rules

Drivers in New South Wales transporting international passengers and aircrew will now be required to be vaccinated against Covid and wear a mask.

The new rules were introduced after there was confusion over whether the driver at the centre of the Bondi outbreak, who was not vaccinated and did not wear a mask, had breached the law.

Continue reading...

UK’s green list update will be ‘cautious’, insiders warn

Posted on by

List will be reassessed by 28 June but sources do not expect rapid growth as Delta variant cases rise

Holidaymakers should not pin their hopes on a slew of extra countries being added to the quarantine-free green list when it is updated later this month, government sources have warned.

With ministers monitoring data daily on the spread of the Delta variant, after stage four of the reopening roadmap was postponed by a month to 19 July, Whitehall insiders say the mood remains extremely cautious.

Continue reading...

Pressure on UK as Germany backs ending free carbon permits for airlines

Posted on by

Boris Johnson has pledged to give details of how UK will meet its climate targets before Cop26

The German government is backing an extension of EU carbon pricing that will end free carbon permits for airlines, putting pressure on the UK to put in place a similar package to meet climate targets.

The European Commission will propose a dozen climate policies on 14 July, each designed to slash greenhouse gases faster in line with an EU goal to cut net emissions by 55% by 2030 from 1990 levels.

Continue reading...

Portugal removed from ‘green list’ of Covid travel destinations

Posted on by

No countries added to England’s quarantine-free holiday register as seven moved from amber to red

Portugal has been taken off the UK’s “green list” of destinations from which people can return to England without having to quarantine. The government has said the threat of new Covid-19 variants means that less restricted travel could jeopardise domestic unlocking.

No countries were added to the green list, but seven more – Afghanistan, Bahrain, Costa Rica, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Trinidad and Tobago – were moved from the amber list to the red list of nations to which almost all travel is barred, the Department for Transport said.

Continue reading...

World aviation body to launch inquiry into Belarus ‘hijacking’

Posted on by

International Civil Aviation Organization to hold ‘exceptional session’ as governments rush to deter copycat incidents

A speedy investigation into the “hijacking” by Belarus of Ryanair flight FR4978 is expected to be launched following an emergency meeting of the UN’s International Civil Aviation Organization on Thursday, as governments rush to deter copycat incidents.

The 36-member council of the ICAO, based in Montreal, will hold an “exceptional session” to “share and review the latest information available, and discuss” the forced grounding of the aircraft in Minsk, a spokesperson said.

Continue reading...

EU imposes new economic sanctions on Belarus over ‘hijacked’ flight

Posted on by

EU’s 27 heads of state call for the immediate release of opposition blogger Roman Protasevich

EU leaders triggered new economic sanctions against Belarus and punitive measures against its national airline as a dissident taken from a “hijacked” Ryanair flight was paraded on the country’s television news apparently confessing to crimes against the state.

In a summit communique swiftly agreed in Brussels on Monday night, the EU’s 27 heads of state and government condemned the forced landing of flight FR4978 in Minsk and called for the immediate release of opposition blogger Roman Protasevich and his Russian girlfriend, Sofia Sapega.

Continue reading...