British Airways has opened its doors, and phonelines, to its refreshed Newcastle contact centre after a huge £17 million refurbishment, showing the airline’s long-term commitment to its presence the North East. Bamburgh Court is the largest of British Airways’ two UK-based contact centres, employing around 700 colleagues. The site plays a vital role in supporting BA customers across the globe.

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, launched its inaugural flight to Dhaka on 26 June, operating a sold-out B777 to the capital of Bangladesh. The route strengthens trade and cargo connectivity across the South Asia corridor and responds to sustained demand for both passenger travel and logistics between the UAE and Bangladesh.

Earlier this month, World Environment Day yet again highlighted the urgent need to accelerate action on climate change, biodiversity loss, and resource efficiency. In hospitality, expectations are shifting on two fronts. Guests continue to demand consistently high standards of cleanliness, hygiene, and service, while also placing greater emphasis on the environmental impact of their stay.

Meet, train and play padel with former World No.1 player, Martita Ortega, at Waldorf Astoria Maldives Ithaafushi this summer. Taking place across two days, from 18 to 19 August 2026, the limited-availability experience in collaboration with LUX Tennis invites guests to enjoy a programme of coaching, play sessions and courtside conversations with Ortega, who made history in 2019 by becoming the youngest player ever to reach World No. 1 in the World Padel Tour rankings, a record she still holds today. The residency includes:

Artificial intelligence dominated the agenda at Business Travel Show Europe, but it wasn’t the conference’s defining message. Across three days of discussions covering technology, travel management, procurement, supplier relationships, traveller safety and geopolitical uncertainty, a more fundamental theme consistently emerged. Reducing uncertainty is becoming business travel’s next competitive advantage. Whether speakers were discussing AI, travel policy, supplier partnerships or duty of care, they repeatedly returned to the same challenge: how do we help travellers make better decisions, give organisations greater confidence and remove unnecessary friction from increasingly complex journeys?

2026 is fast shaping to be another record year of travel, as jetsetters seek to tick off their holiday checklists and fulfil their wanderlust. Looking back at the first half of 2026, Trip.com Group found that users from Mainland China, the United Kingdom and Malaysia were the most avid about clocking their miles, travelling up to 2,800km on average, which is equivalent to the distance between Beijing and Manila, or London and Tenerife.