Airline Trends News

Commercial aviation fatalities increase in 2020
New research has revealed more people died in commercial plane crashes last year than in 2019. This comes despite the number of flights plummeting due to the pandemic.

Breaking Travel News investigates: It is the worst of times, it is the best of times
Breaking Travel News hears from Peter Baumgartner, aviation analyst and current chairman of Metrocore Aviation Group, about the likely lasting impact of the Covid-19 pandemic

Breaking Travel News investigates: If you do not self-regulate, others will make the rules for you
Aviation analyst Peter Baumgartner has called on global airlines to seize the historic opportunity offered by the Covid-19 shutdown to transform their operations – before regulators step in to do it for them

US government agrees $25bn in payroll support for airlines
United States-based airlines have secured as much as US$25 billion in payroll support from the federal government. The funds are part of a US$2 trillion relief package signed by Congress in response to the unprecedented economic damage caused the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of planes diverted by Middle East unrest
More than a thousand fights a week from destinations throughout the Middle East and around the world, as well as tens of thousands of passengers on nearly 40 airlines, are affected.

Fall in fatal air crashes recorded in 2019
Some 86 accidents involving large passenger aircraft were recorded in 2019, according to new analysis from aviation consultants To70. Of these, eight were fatal, with the loss of 257 lives – a fall of nearly 50 per cent.

Passenger Terminal Expo to return to London this month
The Passenger Terminal Expo & Conference will return to the ExCel Centre in London later this month, welcoming over 300 exhibitors to the one-of-a-kind show.

Which? warns airline passengers over ‘no-show’ clauses
Which? are warning airlines that they are at risk of breaking consumer law by imposing rip-off ‘no show’ clauses. Some carriers use the clauses to cash in when a passenger misses the first leg of their journey, the consumer advocates argue.

World Routes to welcome aviation industry to Barcelona
World Routes will this weekend bring together senior decision makers from airports, destinations and airlines to negotiate new air services. Around 2,600 delegates from 130 countries will meet during four days at Barcelona’s Fira Gran Via.

Bird strikes ruled ‘extraordinary circumstances’ by EU judge
Delayed airline passengers lost a major battle at the European Court earlier, as a judge ruled in favour of airline bosses who had argued flights delayed or cancelled because of a bird strike on an aircraft are an “extraordinary circumstance”.

UK government urged to lift Sharm el Sheikh flight ban
Industry heavyweights the World Travel & Tourism Council and the World Tourism Organisation have added their voices to calls on the UK government to lift the current ban on UK-based airlines flying to Sharm el Sheikh. In a letter to UK prime minister Theresa May, WTTC president David Scowsill and UNWTO general secretary Taleb Rifai stressed the importance of resuming operations to the Egyptian coastal resort as the current travel advisory is having devastating effects on the country’s economy and social stability.

United Nations signs landmark framework to curb aviation emissions
The United Nations civil aviation agency has agreed on a new emissions standard to control global greenhouse gas emissions from international airline flights. “It has taken a great deal of effort and understanding to reach this stage, and I want to applaud the spirit of consensus and compromise demonstrated by our member States, industry and civil society,” remarked Olumuyiwa Benard Aliu, the council president of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.