AIRLINES
Digital editor Tom Newcombe compiles the latest news from
www.buyingbusinesstravel.com
AER LINGUS JOINS IAG AFTER SHAREHOLDERS ACCEPT DEAL
VISAS
AER LINGUS WILL BECOME PART OF IAG after 95 per cent of shareholders voted in favour of the deal, bringing an end to almost 80 years of state involvement in the airline. IAG, which also owns Iberia and British Airways, confirmed its offer had been accepted by Irish carrier Ryanair, which had owned 29.8 per cent of Aer Lingus. “Ryanair’s acceptance was a condition of the offer which is now wholly unconditional as all the conditions have been satisfied,” IAG said in a statement. “It will remain an iconic Irish brand with its base and management team in Ireland but will now grow as part of a strong, profitable airline group,” said IAG’s CEO Willie Walsh. “This means new routes and more jobs benefiting customers, employees and the Irish economy and tourism.”
Mumbai
NEW INDIA E-VISA FOR ‘CASUAL’ BUSINESS TRAVELLERS
INDIA’S E-TOURIST VISA SCHEME HAS BEEN EXTENDED for travellers from the UK. ‘Casual business travellers’ holding a UK passport will now be able to apply and pay for an online visa using the Indian government’s tourist visa website (
indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa). This should make the process of obtaining a visa easier and cheaper as travellers will not have to make an appoint- ment at the embassy and the cost will be reduced from £89.44 to £39. Visas will not be issued immediately – once an online application is submitted, travellers can expect to receive entry documents via email within four days. An application must be submitted four days in advance of arrival, will only be valid for 30 days, are single entry and cannot be extended. The arrival of e-visas comes months after the Indian
government backed down on plans that would have seen travellers make appointments at application centres across the UK for “biometric data collection”, where fingerprint data and facial imagery would have been a “mandatory requirement” for all visa applicants. Travellers entering India on an e-visa must arrive at one of 16 designated airports, including Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. Biometric data, including finger- prints, will be collected on arrival at the border. The Indian government said e-tourist visas are only valid
for recreation, sightseeing, meeting friends or family, short duration medical treatment, or for a casual business visit. The UK joins 77 other countries that are eligible for e-tourist visas.
6 BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 AIRPORTS
First independent lounge for Heathrow T5
HEATHROW TERMINAL 5 HAS OPENED its first independent lounge. ‘Aspire, the Lounge and Spa at LHR T5’ is located near the terminal’s Gate A18 and is available to all passengers using the terminal, regardless of their class of travel. It is T5’s first non-British Airways facility. The 4,000-sq-ft lounge is being operated by Priority Pass owner Collinson Group
and ground handler Swissport. It is open daily from 05.00 to 23.00. Priority Pass members
will have access to the lounge as part of their membership, while non- members can use the lounge for three hours for £35 when booked in advance through
executivelounges.com, or £40 at reception on the day, subject to availability.
I’d vote against it in this parliament
Labour MP Jeremy Corbyn tells the Financial Times he opposes Heathrow expansion
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM
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