PICTURES: Shutterstock/Sven Hansche, Aleksei Verhovski
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Flying Ahead in the clouds
New routes, airport expansions and record passenger numbers have added up to a healthy year for aviation
out
CONNECTING THE DOTS A glut of regional short-haul routes launched and popular long-haul services grew this year.
Jet2.com invested in its new Luton base, with exclusive routes to Skiathos and Preveza launching next summer. EasyJet revealed Newcastle would be a base for three aircraft from next spring. In long-haul, Virgin Atlantic relaunched flights from Heathrow to Toronto and Accra and will send its first aircraft to Seoul next March. In April, BA will fly to St Louis from Heathrow in time for the World Cup.
Plan for a proposed Heathrow third runway
NEW WINTER ROUTES
British Airways announced the launch of two Gatwick routes taking off this month – Graz
in Austria and Moroccan capital Rabat – via its subsidiary, BA Euroflyer. December will see the flag-carrier introduce a London City to Madrid link. Ski flights are also gathering speed: this winter will see
Jet2.com launch its first ski programme from Luton with flights to Geneva, while the budget ski centre of Bansko in Bulgaria will be connected to Newcastle via Tui flights to Sofia. EasyJet has added 22 routes from 12 UK airports this winter, including Belfast to Rovaniemi in Finland (pictured).
Skiathos, Greece
EVERY COUNTS
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HEATHROW ASCENDANT A fire at an electrical substation caused Heathrow to shut down for almost a full day in March, but that didn’t stop the bustling London airport from achieving record passenger numbers this year. In August, passenger traffic surpassed eight million people in a single month, making Heathrow the first European airport to achieve this milestone. This year, the airport was also the focus of competing plans for a third runway – one of which, if approved, would involve building over a section of the M25.
GREEN LIGHT FOR GATWICK In September, transport secretary Heidi Alexander approved Gatwick’s plans for a second runway, which would enable the Sussex airport to operate an extra 100,000 flights per year. Emirates is set to add a fourth daily flight from Gatwick to Dubai next February, operated by an Airbus A350 aircraft. Expansion has also been approved at London City, Luton and Stansted airports.
globetravelawards.co.uk
November 2025 57
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