Author: Shawon Hannan

After a gap of 23 years, direct flights between the UK and the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, are set to return. Commencing next month, Iraqi Airways will operate the service twice a week to Baghdad, with one going to the Iraqi city of Sulimaniya. By June 15 this year, it is intended that the flight frequency will increase to six per week. All inbound flights to Gatwick from Iraq will land first at Malmo in Sweden for an hour before continuing to the UK, with Iraqi Airlines commenting that the stopover is for ‘security reasons.’ The airline further commented that the…

UK-based air carrier, British Airways, is to provide its pilots with iPad electronic devices as part of an operational efficiency drive. The IAG-owned company is providing all 3,600 of its pilots with iPads as a step towards improving customer service and operational efficiency levels. The airline’s cabin crews and ground operation staff have been issued with the devices previously, as part of a programme of investment in new equipment and technology, costing £5bn, which is intended to help provide the company’s passengers with the best possible flying experience. The pilots will use the devices to access additional operational data in…

ABTA, the UK travel trade association for tour operators and travel agents, has revealed the results of research indicating that its stance on tourism has strong support in the UK parliament. According to the results of the survey, 75 percent of MP’s are of the opinion that in order to help create new jobs, the government should do more to develop domestic inbound and outbound tourism. The survey also revealed that 70 percent of MP’s are of the opinion that all tourism sectors, domestic, inbound and outbound, should be given equal importance, a result that showed a 2 percent increase…

Heathrow Ltd, the owner of, Heathrow, the UK’s busiest airport, has recorded an increase in revenue for 2012, part funded by record passenger figures. The company saw its revenue increase by 8.1 percent in 2012, to £2.46bn. The adjusted pre-tax profit of £46.4m was a turnaround on the previous year’s loss of £166.7m, and was boosted by the arrival of thousands of athletes, officials and supporters for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games last summer. A further statistic that added to the company’s positive year was that the average amount spent by passengers that used the airport shops had risen…

Spain-based Iberia airlines is suffering the latest round of on-going strike action, forcing flights to be delayed and cancelled. Over 1,000 flights could be grounded as Iberia workers take on the company’s owner, IAG, in a dispute over job cuts. The five days of strike action has been timed to coincide with the UK school half-term holidays, usually a major money-spinner for the Spanish economy and airlines alike. The walkout, which started at midnight, is the first of three five-day strikes that the Spanish trades unions have scheduled for February and March, in opposition to the company’s plans to cut…

A large proportion of parents in the UK are prepared to put the opportunity of saving money on holidays ahead of their children’s education, according to the findings of a recent survey. The survey, which was carried out by Direct Line Travel Insurance, indicated that more than half of modern-day parents (55 percent) would be prepared for their children to miss part of a school term for a holiday if it meant that there was money to be saved on the vacation. Almost as many parents, 43 percent, told the survey that they were ignorant of the policy adopted by…

UK-based budget airline, easyjet, has announced the launch of three new routes that will commence operation from this weekend. The new routes, which will all operate out of Stansted Airport in the UK, are to Sharm el Sheikh on the Egyptian Red Sea, Marrakech in Morocco, and to the Bulgarian capital city, Sofia. Between them, the three routes will add 100,000 seats to easyjet’s capacity this year. All three routes have been launched to coincide with UK schools’ half-term holidays, and the inaugural flights today, tomorrow and Sunday will be carrying almost 3,000 passengers, taking advantage of the new services…

Even as thousands of British holidaymakers are heading for half-term holidays in Florida, the administration in Florida has tightened rules to dissuade rash and unsafe driving. The administration has issued a warning that foreign drivers would need to carry an international driving permit as well as their local driving license to be authorised to drive a vehicle in Florida. The law could lead to jail terms for people who violate the law. Until this year, drivers only needed a standard British photo card licence with the green counterpart to drive in the US. But Florida’s legislature has changed rules that…

A five-day nightmare for passengers of the cruise ship, Carnival Triumph, ended today when they were finally able to disembark in Alabama, US. The vessel, operated by Florida-based Carnival Cruise Lines, had been adrift without plumbing or electricity following an engine room fire last Sunday. The 3,143 passengers and 1,086 crewmembers were left with overflowing toilets that soaked cabins with raw sewage. Returning passengers also claimed that owing to thick smoke from the fire, passengers in cabins at the rear of the ship’s lower decks had to abandon their accommodation completely and spent the rest of the voyage sleeping under…

Flybe, a low-cost regional airline group based in Exeter, Devon, UK, has announced an increase in sales for the six-week period of the Six Nations Rugby tournament. Additional charters that the company has laid on for the tournament have proved popular, and it has also seen an improved uptake for its upgraded domestic services. Flybe also gained a notable PR coup when it was selected by the England rugby team for their return journey from the match in Ireland last weekend. Fans from the four home nation teams benefit particularly from Flybe’s extensive domestic route network. When the Scottish team…