Emirates A380 resumes daily flights from Glasgow to Dubai
The Emirates A380 will take off again from Glasgow Airport this summer, returning on the 26th March. The world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft will take pride of place once again on Scotland’s only Dubai service, connecting on to countless destinations worldwide.
The world’s largest commercial passenger aircraft is set to make its return to Glasgow Airport in March. Emirates’ hugely popular daily Dubai service will once again be served by the iconic Airbus A380 from March 26. The aircraft, which was last in service at Glasgow in September 2019, is being re-introduced due to the increased demand for Emirates’ only daily route between Scotland and Dubai.
Standing over 24 metres high and with a wingspan of nearly 80 metres, the A380 has been huge draw when it has operated on the Glasgow Dubai route, which commenced on 10 April 2004.
The Dubai service has been one of the airport’s biggest success stories carrying more than 5.5 million passengers across Emirates’ global network, which now covers 125 destinations. The airline’s decision to introduce its flagship A380 confirms its status as Scotland’s largest long-haul airline.
British passport fees set to increase from February
HM Passport Office has announced plans to increase the fees for new and renewed applications from next month. Subject to Parliamentary scrutiny the fee for a standard online application made from within the UK will rise on 2 February 2023, from the current £75.50 to £82.50 for adults, and from £49 to £53.50 for children. Meanwhile postal applications will increase from £85 to £93 for adults, and from £58.50 to £64 for children. The last time the charges were increased was in March 2018, when there was a particularly steep rise in postal application fees, to encourage customers to apply online.
CAA moves towards ‘green rating’ on flights
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is seeking views on what environmental information should be provided to people when they are booking flights. It follows consumer research undertaken by the CAA in 2021, which found that consumers want more information on the environmental impact of aviation and on the impact of their own travel choices. The research found that most consumers were concerned about the environment, but there was only a limited awareness of the specific environmental impacts of flying.
Whilst most had a broad perception of the aviation sector being ‘bad’ for the environment, many participants lacked a meaningful understanding of their individual impact and so weren’t motivated to consider it. Most were looking for shortcuts to identify more sustainable choices in their day-to-day lives (such as logos and symbols) – with a much smaller number engaged in deeper fact finding and trade-offs. The research found that ‘Green ratings’ was the clear winner out of the three proposed designs which were tested
US extends current Covid travel restrictions until April
The US government has extended its existing Covid-19 entry requirements for another three months to mid April. The current regime, which requires international visitors to the US to be fully vaccinated against the virus, had been due to end on 8 January but it has now been extended to 10 April by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Travel news as a glance:
- United opens new Club lounge at Chicago O’Hare
- Emirates to restore A380 service on routes to Birmingham, Glasgow and Nice between 26 March and 1 July
- Crowne Plaza London Albert Embankment rebrands under Hyatt Regency portfolio
- British Airways to begin retrofit of Club Suite on B787-8 aircraft
- Flybe to reinstate Birmingham-Aberdeen route
- Japan Airlines (JAL) has become the world’s first airline to offer all its passengers (irrespective of travel class) to opt out of meal service which aims to reduce food waste