Civil Aviation Authority News
Smith appointed consumer director at Civil Aviation Authority
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has appointed Paul Smith as its new consumers and markets director, following an extensive recruitment process.
UK Civil Aviation Authority launches passenger seating review
The UK Civil Aviation Authority has launched a review of airline allocated seating polices after conducting consumer research that showed the current approach to allocated seating is causing confusion.
Low-cost business travel set to stay
Businesses will remain reluctant to upgrade staff to premium class despite the improving global economic outlook, warns the Civil Aviation Authority. Companies that cut staff travel budgets during the downturn are unlikely to reverse this trend as they have become accustomed to the associated cost-savings, the British regulator says in its latest report.
Biggest ever drop in passenger numbers at UK airports
Passenger numbers at UK airports saw the sharpest drop since the Second World War last year, according to the latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority. UK airports handled 218 million passengers during the 2009 calendar year, down from 235 million the previous year.
State bail-outs lift Chinese airlines
Government bail-outs have helped China’s struggling airline industry weather the downturn in the first quarter of 2009, according to Li Jiaxiang, vice-transport minister and administrator of the Civil Aviation Authority of China.China’s aviation industry registered a cumulative profit on the back of a rise in domestic and cargo numbers, marking a sharp contrast to the huge losses in 2008, said Jiaxiang. Total passenger and cargo volumes for all Chinese airlines in the first quarter rose by 1.2 percent from a year earlier, according to official figures.
Punctuality improves at UK airports
Punctuality of flights at Britain’s largest airports has improved over the past year, according to latest figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).In the last quarter of 2008, 75 percent of flights at London’s five airports were on time - up by 10 percent on last year. At Heathrow 73 per cent of flights were on time (up by 13 per cent) during the same period.
Airport traffic falls could be greatest since WW2
The number of passengers at UK airports is forecast to drop for two years in a row for the first time since the second world war.The Civil Aviation Authority has issued a report showing the number of passengers handled at UK airports last year fell by 1.9 per cent to 235m, the first annual fall since 1991 and only the fourth since 1945.
Passengers come first in UK airport shake-up
The UK government has unveiled plans for a radical overhaul of Britain’s airports that aims to put consumer improvements at the heart of all decision making.Under the new plans, the Civil Aviation Authority, has been given a primary duty of promoting passengers’ interests while Passenger Focus, the organisation that champions the interests of rail and bus users, will take on a similar role for airline passengers. It will also be given the task of ensuring airports meet their environmental responsibilities.
CAA set to raise APC
The Civil Aviation Authority has confirmed it intends to raise the levy on holiday protection by £1 per booking from April 2010.The rise in the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC) follows the collapse of XL Leisure, the UK’s third largest travel group, along with a growth in the number of ATOL-backed companies that have ceased trading.
Barclays snubs CAA overdraft plea
The Civil Aviation Authority is facing a funding crisis after Barclays Bank refused to extend its overdraft limit.The request by the CAA comes on the back of a soaring claims as a number of ATOL-backed companies have ceased trading. The claims include 45,000 from the collapse of XL Leisure last summer. The refusal by the high street lender could force the CAA, which is underwritten by the government, to ask for a state bail out.
International travellers opt for regional airport
A recent report by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirms trends Hogg Robinson Group (HRG) has seen emerging with its corporate travellers.
CAA proposes hike in Heathrow charges
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority may allow BAA to increase charges to airlines by 15.6 percent at Heathrow and by 8.2 percent at Gatwick over the next five years from 2008.