Tag Archives: LHR

Emirates backs down, now agrees to cap LHR sales

Emirates issued this statement:

The President of Emirates Airline and the CEO of Heathrow Airport held a constructive meeting on July 15. Emirates agreed the airline was ready and willing to work with the airport to remediate the situation over the next 2 weeks, to keep demand and capacity in balance and provide passengers with a smooth and reliable journey through Heathrow this summer.

Emirates has capped further sales on its flights out of Heathrow until mid-August to assist Heathrow in its resource ramp up, and is working to adjust capacity.

In the meantime, Emirates flights from Heathrow operate as scheduled and ticketed passengers may travel as booked.

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

Emirates statement on operations at London Heathrow

Emirates values our partnerships with airport stakeholders across our network with whom we engage continuously, and collaboratively, to secure our flight operations and ensure minimal customer disruption, particularly over the peak travel months.

It is therefore highly regrettable that LHR last evening gave us 36 hours to comply with capacity cuts, of a figure that appears to be plucked from thin air. Their communications not only dictated the specific flights on which we should throw out paying passengers, but also threatened legal action for non-compliance.

This is entirely unreasonable and unacceptable, and we reject these demands.

At London Heathrow airport (LHR), our ground handling and catering – run by dnata, part of the Emirates Group – are fully ready and capable of handling our flights. So the crux of the issue lies with the central services and systems which are the responsibility of the airport operator.

Emirates is a key and steadfast operator at LHR, having reinstated 6 daily A380 flights since October 2021. From our past 10 months of regularly high seat loads, our operational requirements cannot be a surprise to the airport.

Now, with blatant disregard for consumers, they wish to force Emirates to deny seats to tens of thousands of travellers who have paid for, and booked months ahead, their long-awaited package holidays or trips to see their loved ones. And this, during the super peak period with the upcoming UK holidays, and at a time when many people are desperate to travel after 2 years of pandemic restrictions.

Emirates believes in doing the right thing by our customers. However, re-booking the sheer numbers of potentially impacted passengers is impossible with all flights running full for the next weeks, including at other London airports and on other airlines. Adding to the complexity, 70% of our customers from LHR are headed beyond Dubai to see loved ones in far flung destinations, and it will be impossible to find them new onward connections at short notice.

Moving some of our passenger operations to other UK airports at such short notice is also not realistic. Ensuring ground readiness to handle and turnaround a widebody long-haul aircraft with 500 passengers onboard is not as simple as finding a parking spot at a mall.

The bottomline is, the LHR management team are cavalier about travellers and their airline customers. All the signals of a strong travel rebound were there, and for months, Emirates has been publicly vocal about the matter. We planned ahead to get to a state of readiness to serve customers and travel demand, including rehiring and training 1,000 A380 pilots in the past year.

LHR chose not to act, not to plan, not to invest. Now faced with an “airmageddon” situation due to their incompetence and non-action, they are pushing the entire burden – of costs and the scramble to sort the mess – to airlines and travellers.

The shareholders of London Heathrow should scrutinise the decisions of the LHR management team.

Given the tremendous value that the aviation community generates for the UK economy and communities, we welcome the action taken by the UK Department for Transport and Civil Aviation Authority to seek information from LHR on their response plans, systems resilience, and to explain the seemingly arbitrary cap of 100,000 daily passengers. Considering LHR handled 80.9 million passengers annually in 2019, or a daily average of 219,000, the cap represents greater than a 50% cut at a time when LHR claims to have 70% of ground handling resources in place.

Until further notice, Emirates plans to operate as scheduled to and from LHR.

Emirates aircraft photo gallery:

JetBlue extends London Heathrow schedule through October 2022

JetBlue Airways today announced it is extending its transatlantic schedule for flights between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and London Heathrow Airport (LHR) through October 2022.

JetBlue was initially welcomed at Heathrow with temporary slots made available as entrenched, larger airlines reduced service during the pandemic. Since its successful transatlantic launch in August 2021, JetBlue has worked with the local authorities to ensure it can continue to shake up the route with much-needed competition.

Before JetBlue launched the route, travelers were limited to expensive flights between JFK and Heathrow, especially in the premium travel segment. JetBlue has set out to do what it does best – offer better service than the incumbent carriers while stimulating competition with low fares. Since launching the route in August, JetBlue has reduced premium fares by up to 50%.

Schedule between New York (JFK) and London Heathrow (LHR)

JFK – LHR Flight #007	LHR – JFK Flight #20
9:38 p.m. – 10:05 a.m. (+1)	2:00 p.m. – 5:08 p.m.

June 18 announced as launch day for Heathrow expansion statutory consultation

London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) has made this announcement:

Heathrow has announced its statutory 12 and a half-week consultation on expansion plans will launch on the 18th of June. This step is the latest delivery milestone for the critical national infrastructure project, and the responses received will feed into a final planning application.

• Heathrow’s statutory consultation on its expansion plans will commence the 18th of June and end on the 13th of September
• New CGI imagery released to show what an expanded Heathrow could look like
• June consultation follows an extensive period of non-statutory consultation and engagement

To mark the news, the airport has released a series of new images showing a proposed new terminal forecourt, as well as a panoramic shot of a future Heathrow.

The airport’s June consultation will be its largest and most innovative engage exercise yet. Heathrow has invested in new technology to show the public its current proposals, including a model of the future airport which uses augmented reality, and a sound booth which features virtual reality to demonstrate the effect of noise insulation on properties overflown by aircraft.

Having listened to feedback from previous consultations, Heathrow will be holding events in more locations than previously and, in addition to an extensive national marketing campaign across newspapers, radio, billboards, digital and – for the first time – Spotify, will be contacting 2.6 million households directly encouraging participation.

Legal challenge dismissed as Heathrow Expansion reaches next milestone

The consultation follows the High Court’s dismissal of legal challenges against Heathrow expansion. The debate on Heathrow’s plans – and its commitments to grow sustainability – has been had and won, both in Parliament and now in the courts.

Heathrow has consistently demonstrated best practice by holding additional consultations at earlier stages of its project development to ensure feedback is incorporated in its plans, and to be as transparent as possible about its emerging proposals.

IMAGE: Architect’s impression showing a ‘third space’ concept for new terminal infrastructure at Heathrow. Third spaces will integrate public spaces and the airport, providing hybrid outdoor-indoor spaces. — Architect’s impression showing a ‘third space’ concept for new terminal infrastructure at Heathrow. Third spaces will integrate public spaces and the airport, providing hybrid outdoor-indoor spaces.

The plans revealed in this consultation include the consolidated feedback received in the Airspace and Future operations consultation that concluded in March, and previous consultations last year, as well as from Heathrow’s continuous engagement with local communities, local authorities, airlines, and other interested parties.

The upcoming consultation will seek feedback on four key areas:

Heathrow’s preferred masterplan for expansion: what the future layout of the airport could look like, including the runway and other airport infrastructure such as terminals and road access. The masterplan will also reveal the airport’s growth in phases – from runway opening in 2026, to the end masterplan in approximately 2050. This incremental growth in infrastructure will align more closely with forecast passenger growth, and help airport charges remain close to 2016 levels – ultimately resulting in more affordable fares for passengers;
Plans to operate the future airport: how the future three runway airport will be operated, including important elements such as night flights, as well as how potential additional flights before the new runway opens could be operated on our existing two runways;
Assessment of impacts of the airport’s growth: how the airport plans to measure the impacts of expansion on the environment and local communities;
Plans to manage the impacts of expansion: the airport’s plans for mitigating the effects of expansion, including property and noise compensation, a Community Compensation Fund, and measures to mitigate against air pollution and climate change.

Inviting people to participate in the consultation, Emma Gilthorpe, Heathrow’s Executive Director for Expansion, said:

“Heathrow’s expansion is a project of huge national and local significance, and it is critical to our country’s economic growth. An expanded hub airport will allow the country to access more of the world, create thousands of jobs locally and nationally and it will open up new trading routes. But we can’t deliver these plans alone. We urge everyone to have their say in this consultation, to shape our plans, and to help us deliver expansion in the fairest and most sustainable way.”

Heathrow’s expansion is a project of huge national and local significance, and it is critical to our country’s economic growth. An expanded hub airport will allow the country to access more of the world, create thousands of jobs locally and nationally and it will open up new trading routes. But we can’t deliver these plans alone. We urge everyone to have their say in this consultation, to shape our plans, and to help us deliver expansion in the fairest and most sustainable way.

Emma Gilthorpe, Heathrow Executive Director for Expansion

Following the conclusion of this consultation and after feedback has been incorporated, Heathrow will submit a final proposal to the Planning Inspectorate in 2020, kickstarting an 18-month approvals process. The decision on whether to grant the DCO will be made by the Secretary of State following a public examination period led by the Planning Inspectorate.

Architect’s impression of the airport’s preferred masterplan for expansion, showing what Heathrow could look like by 2050, with three runways and expanded airport infrastructure.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNQcckn2HDg&w=560&h=315%5D

British Airways to start Nashville service on May 4

British Airways will launch the only nonstop service between London (Heathrow) and Nashville starting on May 4.

British Airways commented on the new route:

To celebrate the new five-a-week service the airline welcomed country music star, Stella Parton, to Heathrow with the Nashville native strutting her stuff and sharing her top tips.

Stella, who has lived in Nashville for 50 years and whose birthday is on May 4, was photographed on board a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner as the airline’s newest fleet will serve the capital of Tennessee.

Stella Parton, who hails from one of America’s most legendary music families, said: “On behalf of all of the Nashville natives we are so excited to welcome a British invasion! Nashville is so much more than just a music town, it’s growing, it’s happening and we want people to come and see what fantastic things we have going on. I’ve been lucky enough to tour the UK many times so I can’t wait to be able to fly direct to London with no stop-over!”

For a taste of the deep south the airline will be serving traditional hot chicken on flights from Nashville to Heathrow Terminal 5 in all cabins until June 4.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by British Airways): British Airways Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner G-ZBJI (msn 60626) LHR (SPA). Image: 940955.

British Airways aircraft slide show (Boeing):

Malaysia Airlines ends scheduled Airbus A380 service to London Heathrow

Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur) has ended scheduled Airbus A380 service on its flagship route to London Heathrow. The last A380 service departed from LHR on March 5 as flight MH 3. LHR was the last A380 destination for the type for the airline.

The new Airbus A350-900 is now assigned to the route.

Malaysia will continue to use the type as a charter aircraft. The aircraft are being reconfigured to carry Hajj pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.

Malaysia Airlines aircraft slide show:

Icelandair to return to BWI

Icelandair has announced the return of their international flights from Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI) to Iceland and beyond.

Flight 642 will begin seasonal service on May 28, 2018 with four nonstop flights a week to Iceland on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, and easy connections to and from more than 25 destinations in Europe.

It has been over a decade since Icelandair ceased operations in BWI, but there has always been a strong demand and support for the airline to once again return to Charm City.

BWI service will be in addition to Icelandair’s ongoing flights from Washington-Dulles, and will increase the options when flying Internationally to and from the Baltimore-Washington corridor.

Icelandair aircraft slide show:

Kenya Airways to fly nonstop to New York JFK

Kenya Airways (Nairobi) is planning to launch nonstop Nairobi – New York (JFK) daily flights on October 28, 2018. The new route will be operated with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners.

The airline issued this statement:

Kenya Airways on January 11, 2018 marks a great milestone with the launch of a nonstop flight from Nairobi to New York. The national carrier starts selling tickets for the inaugural flight which is scheduled for October 28, 2018.

Kenya Airways becomes the first airline to offer a nonstop flight between East Africa and the United States of America.

It will be the fastest connection from East Africa to New York, with a 15 hours duration eastbound and 14 hours westbound. The ultra-long-haul flight, unique to Kenya Airways network, will require 4 Pilots and 12 Flight attendants as well as 85 tons of fuel each way, making it an exceptional operation.

The airline will operate its state of the art Boeing 787 Dreamliner with a capacity of 234 passengers. The flight will depart every day from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport hub in Nairobi at 23:25 arriving at JFK airport in New York at 06:25 the following day. From New York it will depart at 12:25 landing at JKIA at 10:55 the following day.

Kenya Airways aircraft slide show:

British Airways will launch new World Traveller menus on January 17

British Airways is announcing a multi-million pound investment in its World Traveller (long-haul economy cabin) catering, introducing an exciting and expanded new menu, which provides more quantity and quality to both meals and great snacking options throughout the flight.

Options now include:

· Pretzels with the welcome drink

· Four-course meal with starter, main, dessert, cheese and biscuits, accompanied by a bread roll and bottle of water

· Second meal or substantial snack depending on the length of the flight

· Regional meal options served according to destination

· Magnum ice-creams

· Tuck box with chocolates and crisps

· Hot breakfast on longer overnight flights

· Graze movie-snack box on longer* flights

· Complimentary drinks from the bar

Previously customers travelling in the cabin were served a complimentary snack, a three-course-meal or a light meal, depending on the time and length of their flight as well as a complimentary bar service of hot and cold drinks.

The new catering arrives from January 17, and the menus that will change every six months.

Carolina Martinoli, British Airways’ director of brand and customer experience, said: “Our customers tell us that when they’re taking a long-haul flight, great food and beverages make a real difference to them. It’s a huge driver of customer satisfaction so we want to make sure we deliver a great experience. With this multi-million pound investment we’ve focused on introducing more quantity and quality to the catering, delivering tasty meals and great snacking options throughout the flight.

“Our new four-course main meal has been developed by our team of chefs to be full of flavour at 35,000ft and we’ve created regional options depending on the route. The second meal option is either a tasty sandwich or a more substantial pizza wrap, both served with additional snacks, depending on the length of the flight.”

“Our customers have also told us they want to be able to save some items for later in the flight, so we’ve replaced the water cup with a bottle of Highland Spring on the first meal, and added Graze snack boxes on our longest flights. We’re also offering Magnum ice-creams on daylight flights from London and a Tuck Box on inbound and overnight flights.”

The airline’s customers will be welcomed with pretzels and a drink. Once they are settled in, they will be served a four-course meal such as a starter of couscous salad, followed by a main course of chicken casserole with an ale sauce, colcannon mash and seasonal vegetables, or a vegetarian tomato, farfalle and vegetable dish. Dessert will be a Pots & Co salted caramel and chocolate mousse, followed by biscuits and cheese. The meal will be accompanied by a bread roll and a bottle of Highland Spring water.

On the shorter daylight long-haul flights to destinations such as New York and Dubai, fliers will also receive a sandwich such as egg and cress with a chocolate or Nutri-Grain bar. Those on longer daylight flights to destinations such as Cape Town and Hong Kong will receive a hot meal, such as a pizza wrap or a regional option, with a pot of pasta, a chocolate brownie and a drink as well as a smokehouse BBQ crunch Graze movie-snack box. A hot English breakfast will also be served on these longer flights that operate overnight.

Customers on daylight flights from London will be offered a range of Magnum ice-creams, while those on night flights will be offered a tuck-box with options such as Dairy Milk Buttons, Twix, Kit-Kats and Mini Cheddars, which will also be available in the galley for them to help themselves to.

The airline is also serving regional main meal options around its network, such as chicken in spicy cheng du sauce on flights to and from to China, Hong Kong, Japan and Korea, kathrikai milagu seeragam and channa dal on flights to and from Chennai, Hyderabad and Mumbai and acchari veg and dal palak on flights to and from Bangalore and Delhi. On flights to the Middle East (Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Dubai, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and Saudi Arabia,) customers can enjoy chicken in spicy Arabic sauce.

Regional breakfasts will also be served including Chicken Congee for Far Eastern routes and an Indian option featuring: Idli Shanna, Sambhar, upma and dosa.

The popular meal options for customers with special dietary requirements will continue to be available to book on ba.com/managemybooking more than 24 hours ahead of their flight departing.

Travellers looking for a special treat can also pre-order meals on flights from Heathrow up to 24-hours before their flight. Options include a Gourmet Dining meal for £18.00, Taste of Britain and Taste of the Far East for £16.00 and a Great British Breakfast, a Healthy Choice meal or a Vegetarian Kitchen option all for £15.00.

British Airways is investing £4.5 billion for customers over the next five years, covering the installation of the best quality WiFi and power in every seat, fitting 128 long-haul aircraft with new interiors and taking delivery of 72 new aircraft. The airline is also investing £600m specifically in Club World, including outstanding catering and luxurious White Company bedding – plus, from 2019, a new seat with direct aisle access. This year British Airways will start services to six new routes including Nashville and The Seychelles.

*The airline’s longest flights serve: Bangkok, Beijing, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Chennai, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, Las Vegas, Lima, Los Angeles, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico City, Narita, Oakland, Phoenix, Rio de Janeiro, San Jose (California), San Jose (Costa Rica), Santiago, San Francisco, Sao Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo (Haneda and Narita).

The first flight with the new catering on January 17 will be the BA117 from London Heathrow to New York JFK departing at 8.25 am.

Top Copyright Photo (other by British Airways): British Airways Boeing 777-336 ER G-STBI (msn 43702) LHR (SPA). Image: 926790.

British Airways aircraft slide show (current livery):

Etihad Aviation Group celebrates 2018 as the Year of Zayed

Etihad Aviation Group (EAG) has announced a year-long program of activities and humanitarian initiatives to mark 2018 as the Year of Zayed.

Etihad’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi inaugurated its Year of Zayed activities by holding a flag-raising ceremony attended by employees. The aviation group’s offices and buildings around the world are now adorned with Sheikh Zayed’s inspiring quote: “The union is our ticket to power and prosperity”.

The UAE President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan declared 2018 the Year of Zayed, a nationwide initiative, which will highlight the UAE founding father’s unparalleled role in establishing the UAE Federation, and his local, regional and international achievements as well as his values and principles.

Khaled Al Mehairbi, Senior Vice President Abu Dhabi Airport, and General Manager of Etihad Airport Ground Services, who also serves as Chairman of Etihad Airways’ Sports and Social Committee, and CSR strategy said: “We are tremendously proud of the rapid growth of Abu Dhabi and the union. All the people of the UAE are, and will always remain the most important element of our nation’s development. This was our father Sheikh Zayed’s main objective and vision.

In support of the national initiative, and to reaffirm its commitment to the UAE, Etihad has launched a strategy based on the government’s four Year of Zayed pillars: Wisdom, Respect, Sustainability and Human Development.

To celebrate the event, Etihad has released a short film (below) titled ’Running Boy’ to honor Sheikh Zayed’s legacy of human development in the UAE. The film follows a boy who runs through surroundings, which change through the years in celebration of the 46 years that have passed since the inception of the UAE.

Etihad will also pay tribute to Sheikh Zayed’s humanitarian spirit by planning initiatives focused on supporting societies and urban developments in many countries.

The first of many year-long initiatives is the Rohingya-focused charity campaign this month supporting Burmese children and families fleeing to Bangladesh. This will include a welfare trip to Bangladesh where more than 3000 refugees will receive winter clothes, blankets, tents, and solar lamp power.

Etihad will also continue its ongoing efforts to promote an eco-friendly environment within the UAE with the establishment of five greenhouses as part of its ‘Greener Together’ campaign.

Inspired by Sheikh Zayed’s vision of the empowerment of youth, Etihad will support the establishment of libraries and skill development centres in a number of countries including Nepal, Morocco, Philippines and India, and will continue driving its global education initiative by supporting the refurbishment of elementary schools on Samboja Island in Indonesia. Etihad’s global education campaign was launched in 2012 and has since helped more than 100,000 students around the world to continue their education.

A number of events to showcase values and tolerance are planned in the UAE this year, including an International Women’s Day celebration at Etihad’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi, and marking International Tolerance Day in November.

Top Copyright Photo (all others by Etihad Airways): Etihad Airways Airbus A380-861 A6-APC (msn 176) LHR (SPA). Image: 928998.

Etihad Airways aircraft slide show:

Video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_x9sCsfA8s&w=560&h=315%5D

World Airline News

Smart airline news, brief, and to the point!