Author: Shawon Hannan

Members of Britain’s Parliament have warned of a possible gridlock of British Airports during the London Olympic Games, which commence in July this year. The Culture, Media and Sport Committee of the House of Commons is warning of overcrowding at UK airports during the London Olympic Games. Two members of the committee, Therese Coffey and Gerry Sutcliffe, are said to have attended a BAA (operator of six British Airports) briefing where the company expressed its concerns over handling the departure of international athletes after the closing ceremony. The members of parliament have claimed that while much has been done for…

UAE-based airline company, Emirates Airline, has offered to operate nighttime flights to help increase the capacity of Heathrow Airport in the UK, by using the quieter Airbus A380s for overnight operations. The airline’s Airbus A380 super-jumbo airplane fleet is capable of a steeper landing descent than other airplanes, which may lessen noise pollution close to the airport. However the airline is also proposing an increase in its operating hours out of the airport, by augmenting its daily flights to Dubai, UAE, to seven from Heathrow, instead of the current five. Currently Heathrow Airport is only authorised to allow 15 flights…

The Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), a US-based company focusing on the business travel industry, has released its quarterly outlook, sponsored by Visa Inc, a US-based credit card company. The newest edition of the Business Travel Quarterly Outlook – United States, highlights stability in business travel in the first quarter of this year, although travel to European destinations still remains worrying due to the looming European debt crisis and rising air fuel prices. The association, in its 2012 international business travel forecast, predicts a 4.6 percent increase in business travel expenditure and a slower rate of growth in person-trips of…

Britain’s holidaymakers may have to alter their summer itineraries, as British Waterways, a UK government navigation authority for England, Scotland and Wales, may restrict the use of certain waterways and canals. The canals and waterways are facing severe drought conditions, and the authorities have been forced to restrict water transportation on around 245 miles of its national network, with partial or total restriction of the waterways in places. For holidaymakers, this may translate into changes in summer water cruise itineraries, with areas of Britain’s scenic waterways being blocked across the Midlands and the south. While the authorities have restricted traffic…

Virgin Atlantic, an airline subsidiary of UK-based Virgin Group, intends to bid for the acquisition of 12 slot pairs at London Heathrow Airport in UK. The airline is keen to acquire the slots to facilitate its plans to commence short-haul services between Scotland and Heathrow, in the UK. The airport slots will come available when British Airways’ parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), gives them up as part of its merger with BMI, British Midland International, an airline formerly owned by Lufthansa, a German airline company. Virgin Atlantic chief commercial officer, Julie Southern, reportedly said, ‘We will bid for all…

The parent company of British Airways, the UK-based airline company, has expressed an interest in investing in TAP Airline, Portugal’s national air carrier. International Airlines Group (IAG) is keen to acquire TAP Airline stock if the Portuguese government decides to sell the airline company, which has reported an operating profit for 2011 of EUR485 million. IAG also owns Spain-based Iberia Airline, and has currently entered into an agreement to acquire British Midland International from Lufthansa, a German airline company. The company is trying to strengthen its presence in the European airline market, and TAP Airline would appear to meet all…

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), a Canada-based international trade group of airlines, has released its global traffic results for February 2012. While worldwide air traffic results for February 2012 show an 8.6 percent increase in passenger demand, and a 5.2 percent increase in cargo demand, compared to those in February 2011, IATA has warned the industry of an impending downswing in air traffic due to an increase in airline fuel expenditure, and the slowdown of economies. The chief executive of IATA, Tony Tyler, said, ‘The outlook is fragile. Improvements in business confidence slowed in February. This will limit the…

Blackpool Tramway, a tramway running from Blackpool to Fleetwood in Lancashire, was derailed within three hours of its initial public run, on reopening after renovations. The tramcar was derailed yesterday due to stormy weather conditions that had driven sand on to the tracks. Although the transport system was back in business within a few hours, the incident marred the reopening of the tramways after an expensive maintenance project completed recently, which saw an investment of around £100m. The renovation project, which has involved extensive testing of the new tracks over the last six months, has taken four years to complete.…

The British Air Transport Association (BATA), an association of 10 UK-based major airlines and 13 small airlines, has warned the UK Home Secretary, Theresa May, of impending grid-lock during Easter travel at most major UK airports. In a letter to May, the association cited probable chaos at the airports during the Easter holidays, due to an acute shortage of border control staff and heightened border security. The association is sceptical that airports may suffer gridlock from long queues at passport control counters, leading to overcrowding and subsequent flight delays. The UK Border Agency (UKBA), the border control agency for the…

Thomson Cruises, a UK-based cruise company, is launching its Platinum Cruises range. The platinum cruises will be offered aboard the company-owned Thomson Dream and Thomson Celebration cruise liners, which are to benefit from multi-million pound makeovers. The Thomson Platinum Cruises will be similar to the company owned Platinum hotel brand, offering a contemporary look and ambiance onboard. All the Platinum ships will be rated 4T, and will be offering exclusive cruise experiences, including, according to the company – unmatched service, food and entertainment. The company is offering all-inclusive packages to customers of the new range, with air transportation provided by…