Author: Shawon Hannan

UAE-based airline company, Emirates Airline, has announced an upgrade of its services from Dubai to Glasgow Airport in Scotland. The airline has launched a second daily flight to Dubai from Glasgow with a 364 seat Boeing 777 aircraft. The new service commences from January 1, 2013. The new Boeing 777-300ER replaces the Airbus A340-300 that is currently used on the same route. The new aircraft will add around 650 seats a week, as well as an extra 70 tonnes of cargo. Laurie Berryman, the airline vice president for the UK, said, ‘As a result of the popularity and success of…

London Underground, the underground transport service for the UK’s capital city, has completed a renovation of the Victoria line. The remodelling project has seen the launch of an upgraded signalling system and a new fleet of trains, aiming to offer a service of 30 trains per hour on the route. The route upgrade has benefited passengers on the Victoria line with more frequent services, and less crowded trains. Mike Brown, the managing director for London Underground, said, ‘The Victoria line has seen enormous growth in demand in recent years, and this upgrade helped to deliver a successful London 2012 Games.…

British Airways, a UK based airline, is opening a new route from London to Seoul, in South Korea. The airline is introducing its new route between Seoul Incheon Airport and London Heathrow Airport from December 2, 2012. Drew Crawley, the airline commercial director, said, ‘We have seen significant growth in customers wanting to travel to Seoul for both business and pleasure. It is a vibrant city with a strong economic base. Equally, we want to ensure that we do our bit in bringing as much business and tourism to the UK as we can.’ The new route will be flying…

The UK’s secretary of state for transport, Patrick McLoughlin, visited Bristol Temple Meads station in Bristol, UK, earlier this month, as it is to be part of an electrification project for the Great Western mainline. Previously, the UK government had announced an investment of £9.4 billion in electrification, and £4 billion in new intercity trains. The secretary of State said of the visit, ‘We are seeing phenomenal passenger growth in Bristol, where station usage is up 46 percent over the last 10 years, and across the country. This is why this Government is committed to a programme of continued investment…

Iarnrod Eireann, the Irish national rail company, has announced new fares from December 1, 2012. The National Transport Authority has announced an increase in single and return fares, complimenting the earlier increase in monthly and annual season ticket fares. Iarnrod Eireann is implementing its fare increases from December 1, 2012, with the monthly season ticket fare increases to be implemented from January 1, 2013. The single, return and season tickets for adults, children and students will rise by an average of 3 percent for intercity and long-distance journeys of 41km and more, and by 10 percent for Dublin Area Rapid…

Channel Islands Travel Group, a travel company based in the Channel Islands, which are part of the UK, will be offering a new service from Glasgow Airport, in Scotland, to the Channel Island of Guernsey. The new route will commence from the summer of 2013. The company is offering flights every Saturday, from June 29, 2013, to September 14, 2013, using a 46 seat ATR-42 aircraft. The new route will be a first between Scotland and the Channel Islands in some years. The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies, located in the English Channel, near the French…

Greengauge 21, a UK based non-profit company which is investigating the concepts related to HS2, a UK high speed rail network, has reported that the service will bring economic benefits to the West Midlands area of the UK. The HS2 high-speed rail link is under construction between London, the Midlands and Northern England. The new report suggests that the service will offer improved connectivity to the main international airports and the Channel Tunnel for onward connection to the European HSR network. The route will also provide fast rail access from the regional cities in the UK to London, as well…

International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, has announced that it has made an offer to acquire a 100 percent stake in Vueling, the Spain based low cost carrier. The company currently owns a 45.85 percent stake in Vueling and has made an offer to acquire the rest of the stock for €113 million, for an offer price of €7 per share. IAG chief executive officer, Willie Walsh, said, ‘With its leading position in Barcelona, European growth strategy and low cost base, Vueling has much to offer IAG. It has significantly increased capacity while remaining…

A recent survey has concluded that business travellers hope to have time to explore the local area when on a business trip. Around 48 percent of business travellers like to explore the neighbourhood around their hotels while on business trips, while 47 percent wished that they had more time to explore. The survey, conducted by the Hotel Indigo brand, also reported that around 21 percent of business travellers are willing to forego their business remuneration for extra time to explore the local region, while around 29 percent are willing to compromise on sleep to do so. Mary Dogan Winslow, the…

With London Heathrow airport operating at around 96 percent of its capacity, the UK authorities are looking at a proposed new hub airport to be located close to the Thames River estuary. However, according to the UK’s former transport secretary, Lord Adonis, the proposal for the project planned by architects, Foster & Partners, is likely to cost double the current valuation of £50 billion. At the recently concluded session of the World Travel Market in London, Lord Adonis said, ‘I would be surprised if we were not talking about £100 billion-plus because it would involve a second Thames barrier and…