Easter strikes at Heathrow Airport to go ahead after talks collapse
Strikes by security guards at Heathrow Airport will go ahead on 31st March until 9th April after last-ditch talks failed to resolve a pay dispute. Around 1,400 members of Unite will walk out for 10 days, including most of the Easter weekend. Unite said the strikes will cause disruption to flights, however Heathrow said it has contingency plans to deal with the industrial action. 1,000 additional colleagues and the entire management team will be in the terminals providing assistance to passengers over the busy Easter getaway.
UK government to review night flights policy at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted
The UK government is launching a consultation on the noise impact of night flights at some of London’s busiest airports. The review aims to ensure that operations at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports are managed so that the noise from aircraft taking off and landing at night does “not outweigh the positive benefits” to the economy. The six-week consultation on night-time noise abatement objectives will allow the government to seek views and evidence from the industry and local communities. The findings will then help to set the groundwork for future measures on how to manage aviation at the three London airports from October 2025.
Middle East airports to handle 1.1 billion passengers by 2040
The Airport Council International, a Montreal-headquartered organisation of airport authorities, forecasts that close to 19.7 billion passengers will travel to airports around the world by 2040. By that year, the Middle East airports are expected to handle 1.1 billion passengers, more than double the 2019 figure of 405 million passengers, With over 110 airports, the Middle East is already believed to be among the fastest growing aviation markets in the world. Several key airport expansion projects are underway in the region.
Travel news as a glance:
Loganair expands at Heathrow.
Delta relaunches daily nonstop flights from Heathrow to Los Angeles.
Air Canada to extend seasonal Toronto-Edinburgh service.
Dubai’s Emirates activates codeshare with United.
Etihad operates inaugural flight to Beijing Daxing International on 30Mar.
United resumes services to Dubai with daily flight from New York.
Virgin Atlantic launches codeshare with Korean Air.