IN BRIEF
■ British Airways has reduced its free checked baggage allowance for business class passengers. From May 10, Club World passengers are only able to check in two pieces, down from three, weighing a maximum of 32kg each. Gold cardholders are entitled to an additional free bag.
■ Pullman, the upscale international hotel brand of Accorhotels, has announced the opening of a new property in Liverpool. The 216-room hotel is situated at King’s Dock, on the city’s waterfront.
■ Finnair has launched a new service between Edinburgh and Helsinki. The new route operates three times per week. Finnair is hoping to attract Scottish passengers travelling to the Far East
destinations of Beijing, Seoul and Hong Kong. The airline already operates flights from Heathrow, Manchester and Dublin to Helsinki.
■Virgin Atlantic Group increased its profits by more than £10 million in 2015, thanks to lower fuel prices and a strong performance by Virgin Holidays. It returned to profit in 2014 after two years in the red and saw its pre-tax profits rise from £12.4 million to £22.5 million last year excluding ‘exceptional’ costs. The group’s overall revenue was £2.78 billion, although there was a 2.9 per cent fall in airline passenger revenue.
16 BBT MAY/JUNE 2016
AIRPORTS
London businesses support City airport expansion
BUSINESS LEADERS BASED ACROSS LONDON have backed expansion at City airport (LCY), following a report which showed development could bring billions of pounds-worth of European trade to the UK. An Oxford Economics report found trips from the airport, based in East London, can be associated with £11 billion of UK trade exports to ten key European markets. Alongside the report, a
survey of 1,000 business decision-makers across central London showed 73 per cent back expansion plans set out in the City Airport Development Programme. In March last year, London mayor Boris Johnson turned
AIRPORTS DUBAI INTRODUCES AIRPORT PASSENGER TAX
PASSENGERS DEPARTING DUBAI AIRPORTS will soon be charged a service fee to help fund expansion and renovations at its two main commercial airports. The decision has been
approved by the Dubai crown prince, Sheikh Al Maktoum. In a statement, Dubai confirmed that from June 30 all airlines operating in the emirate will be required to
collect a AED35 (approx. £7) charge from every passenger for using the facilities. Children under two years old and cabin crew are exempt from paying the fee.
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
down a £220 million bid by LCY for expansion, which included plans to create seven new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway and terminal extensions which LCY said would enable up to 6.5 million passengers by 2025. Planning permission was
granted by the council in February but was subject to the mayor’s approval. Speaking at the time, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office said he believed the scheme would lead to an “unacceptable increase in noise for East Londoners” without benefiting the city. He said he was also unwilling to expose East London to an increase in noise on the basis that he had already argued
it would be unacceptable for West London if Heathrow Airport was expanded. LCY chief Declan Collier said the report “proves that our expansion would provide clear benefits for the UK economy and that there is a huge appetite among key business leaders, who rely on air connectivity for their companies to thrive. If we get the green light, we can start delivering extra capacity within 18 months, meeting this demand and increasing our contribution to both the local and national economies.” Last year, the airport attracted
a record 4.3 million passengers – the largest number since it opened in 1987.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128