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☆ UK passport control hit by outage causing long waits at airports
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People queue to check in at Heathrow Airport in London, England. Long queues were building at British airports on Tuesday night, including the biggest Heathrow, after the country's Border Force suffered a nationwide technical issue that affected passport control. One traveller described border officials rushing to manually process passport holders. Videos posted on social media platform X showed long queues of passengers at passport desks in airports including London's Stansted and Heathrow. "We are aware of a technical issue affecting e-gates across the country," a Home Office spokesperson said.

Persons: Sam Morter Organizations: Heathrow Airport, country's Border Force, Border Force, London's Stansted Locations: London, England, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Edinburgh, Scotland, Sri Lanka

☆ A plane used to fly VIPs like King Charles made an emergency landing after windowpanes fell off
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Airbus plane had previously been used by King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other UK officials. AdvertisementA plane used by VIPs like King Charles and Queen Camilla had to make an emergency landing after three windowpanes fell out mid-flight. The lights, used to convey a sunrise, had been aimed at the windows for several hours at a time, the report said. A hole burned through one of the windows while five other windows were deformed after 2,000W lights were used, the report said. If high-intensity lights were used, it suggested keeping use to a minimum and away from windows.

Persons: King Charles , Queen Camilla, —, King Charles, Queen Camilla, Charles, Camilla, Charles III, Tim Rooke, Rishi Sunak, James Organizations: Titan Airways, Airbus, Service, Air, Investigation, Telegraph, Airport, British, Business, Investigation Branch, Boeing Locations: London, Orlando, British, France, Paris, Buckingham

☆ Ryanair trims annual profit forecast after travel agents halt sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ryanair on Monday trimmed its profit forecast for the year to the end of March after some online travel agents suddenly stopped selling its flights in December, forcing it to cut fares to fill seats as costs per passenger inched up. The airline, Europe's largest by passenger numbers, forecast an after-tax profit of between 1.85 billion and 1.95 billion euros ($2 billion to $2.1 billion) for its financial year to March 31. That is down from its November forecast of 1.85 billion and 2.05 billion euros, but would still beat its previous record of 1.45 billion euros in 2018. Net profit for the three months to the end of December, the third quarter of its financial year, was 15 million euros, significantly lower than the 49 million euros expected by analysts polled by the company. The fallout from the travel agents' move is beginning to "fizzle out," Sorahan said, with several agents approaching the airline to secure new, more transparent deals.

Persons: Neil Sorahan, Sorahan, Michael O'Leary, O'Leary Organizations: Ryanair Holdings, Stansted Airport, Manchester Airport Plc, Ryanair, Boeing Locations: Stansted

☆ Passengers wake up in the ‘wrong’ country as Storm Isha plays havoc with flight plans
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Thousands of airline passengers across Europe woke up this morning at the wrong destination – and even in the wrong country – after Storm Isha caused havoc with flights, with dozens of cancelations, diversions and go-arounds in western Europe. Quintupling flight timesThis flight from Shannon to Edinburgh ended up in Cologne. There were over 100 go-arounds at UK airports, according to NATS, the UK’s air traffic control operator. “We did see some diverted flights leaving Manchester and some diverted to Manchester because of conditions at other airports, particularly Dublin,” they said. London’s Gatwick airport saw 22 diversions, but was able to take five flights diverted from other airports, according to a spokesperson for the airport.

Persons: Storm Isha, Kevin Cullinane, FlightRadar, “ Isha, Steve Fox, “, ”, –, Jerry Dyer, – Dyer, Isha, Jerry, Big Organizations: CNN, Ryanair, Dublin Airport, FlightRadar, Paris Beauvais, Belfast, Dublin, Lufthansa, Cork, NATS, Gatwick, Stansted, Big Jet, Heathrow, Birmingham Airport, London Locations: Europe, Ireland, Dublin, daa, ’, Lanzarote, Canary, Bordeaux, France, Shannon, Edinburgh, Cologne, Manchester, Paris, What’s, Glasgow, Liverpool –, Belfast, Liverpool, Scotland, Germany, Munich, England, Deauville, Stansted, London, Antalya, Turkey, Lyon, Budapest, Cork, Mexico City

☆ Ferrovial ends bumpy Heathrow ride on a high
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Nov 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Ferrovial (FERF.AS) may be relieved to be exiting one of the world’s busiest airports. The Spanish infrastructure giant has sold its final stake in Heathrow, left over after its 2006 acquisition of BAA, which owned the hub along with Stansted and Gatwick. Regulators forced BAA to sell airports like Gatwick on competition concerns, and Ferrovial later trimmed its stake to just 25%. In 2020 Covid-19 struck, and Heathrow has since been locked in disputes with airlines like British Airways, who accuse it of overcharging. The price paid by Ardian and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund values Heathrow including debt, at 25 billion pounds, a 27% premium to its regulated asset base.

Persons: –, Aimee Donnellan, Julius Baer’s, Lisa Jucca, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, BAA, Stansted, Regulators, Gatwick, Heathrow, British Airways, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Jefferies, X, Barclays, Thomson Locations: Spanish, Heathrow, Gatwick, It’s

☆ Britain to launch South Korea trade talks as president visits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Alistair Smout | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

King Charles greeted President Yoon Suk Yeol with a royal guard of honour following his arrival in London, and then rode with him by carriage to Buckingham Palace. He will hold talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday, and sign an accord on closer diplomatic ties. Under the accord, the countries will agree to work closely on areas such as semiconductors - of which South Korea is an important producer - and artificial intelligence. [1/4]Members of the Royal Air Force (RAF) welcome South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and his wife Kim Keon Hee, as they arrive at Stansted Airport, near London, Britain, November 20, 2023. "REFRESHED, MODERNISED DEAL"Under Yoon, South Korea has focused on strengthening economic, political, and military ties with the U.S. while seeking to maintain trade with China and working to overcome historical disputes with Japan.

Persons: Yoon, King Charles Yoon, King Charles, Yoon Suk, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Yoon Suk Yeol, Kim Keon Hee, Toby Melville, David Beckham, Son Heung Min, Kemi Badenoch, Alistair Smout, Kylie MacLellan, Sarah Young, Josh Smith, Alistair Bell, Stephen Coates, Timothy Heritage, David Gregorio Our Organizations: LONDON, British, Accord, Trade, Downing, North, Royal Air Force, South, Stansted Airport, REUTERS, Trans, Pacific Partnership, European Union, Thomson Locations: Britain, Korea, London, Buckingham, United Kingdom, Downing, South Korea, North Korea, U.S, China, Japan, Seoul

☆ Britain’s Royal Mail can’t deliver letters and parcels on time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Hanna Ziady | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

London CNN —An entire museum in London is dedicated to celebrating the 500-year-long history of British postal services. Royal Mail, the official postal service of the United Kingdom, cannot deliver letters and parcels on time, according to the country’s communications regulator. Royal Mail has struggled with falling demand for parcel deliveries as hard-pressed consumers cut spending and as a surge in online shopping during the Covid-19 pandemic has faded. “Last year was uniquely challenging for Royal Mail,” the postal and delivery services group said in a statement Monday. It’s the second time in three-and-a-half years that Ofcom has fined Royal Mail for late deliveries.

Persons: “, ”, Ian Strawhorne, King Henry VIII, “ rightsize, hasn’t, Strawhorne Organizations: London CNN, Mail, Ofcom, London, Royal Mail, Royal, International Distributions Services, Stansted Airport, Services Locations: London, United Kingdom, British

☆ Florida-Bound Plane Had Missing and Damaged Windowpanes After Takeoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-10 | by ( Eduardo Medina | More About Eduardo Medina | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A plane flying from London to Orlando, Fla., last month was forced to turn around because some windowpanes were missing or damaged, startling passengers who had reported hearing roaring sounds inside the cabin, the authorities said. The plane, an Airbus A321, had four damaged windowpanes, including two that were completely missing, as it took off from London Stansted Airport on Oct. 4, according to a report published last week by the British Air Accidents Investigation Branch. There were no injuries aboard the flight, which had 11 crew members and nine passengers who sat in the middle of the aircraft and who were all employees of a “tour company or the aircraft’s operating company,” the authorities said.

Organizations: Airbus, London Stansted Airport, Air, Investigation Locations: London, Orlando, Fla

☆ Plane takes off with missing window panes as crew fails to spot damage
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Tamara Hardingham-Gill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An Airbus A321 aircraft took off from London Stansted Airport last month with four damaged window panes, including two that were missing, according to UK air accident investigators. The plane landed back at Stansted Airport safely shortly afterward. “Having inspected the window, it was agreed the aircraft should return to Stansted,” the report continues. The flight crew initiated a descent and the aircraft arrived back at Stansted Airport a short while later. After passengers had disembarked and the plane was parked and shut down, the crew inspected the plane from the outside, and found that two cabin window panes were missing and a third was dislodged.

Persons: ”, “, David Goddard Organizations: CNN, Airbus, London Stansted Airport, Orlando International Airport, Investigation, Stansted Airport, Stansted, ” “ Aircraft Locations: London, Florida, Stansted

☆ A commercial plane took off with 2 missing windows and reached 10,000 feet before anyone realized there was a problem
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The plane climbed more than 10,000 feet before anyone realized there was a problem. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementAdvertisementA commercial plane took off with two missing window assemblies and reached more than 10,000 feet before anyone realized something was wrong, according to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe plane continued to climb to an altitude of 10,000 feet and the seatbelt signs were switched off, according to the bulletin. It was agreed that the aircraft should return to Stansted, and the plane landed 36 minutes after taking off, the bulletin said.

Persons: —, AAIB, It's Organizations: Airbus, London Stansted, Service, Air, Investigation, London's Stansted Airport, Orlando International, Stansted, The Independent Locations: London, London's, FL100

☆ London Luton Airport suspends flights after car park inferno
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 11 (Reuters) - Britain's London Luton Airport suspended all flights until 1400 GMT on Wednesday after a car fire triggered a wider blaze that led to a partial collapse of one of its multi-storey car parks. There were no known fatalities in the fire, which was first reported to emergency services late on Tuesday evening. "Our priority remains supporting the emergency services and the safety of our passengers and staff. [1/5]Flames are seen as emergency services respond to a fire in Terminal Car Park 2 at London Luton airport in Luton, Britain, October 10, 2023. Britain's easyJet (EZJ.L), whose flights operate from Luton airport, said "airlines are currently experiencing some disruption to their flying programmes."

Persons: Peter Cziborra, Britain's, Baranjot Kaur, William James, Mrinmay Dey, Chris Reese, Sonali Paul, Kate Holton, Paul Sandle Organizations: Luton Airport, London, REUTERS, Civil Aviation Authority, Ryanair, Wizz, Thomson Locations: London Luton, Luton, Britain, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester, Bengaluru, London

☆ UK aviation regulator to review air traffic control failure
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Raphael Satter/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Britain's civil aviation regulator said on Wednesday it would undertake an independent review of the circumstances surrounding an air traffic control failure last week that caused widespread disruption to flights and left thousands of passengers stranded. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said the review would also consider the response of NATS, the country's air traffic control provider, which has apologised for the failure. Air traffic controllers then closed the system to maintain safety and switched to manual operation to continue service. The CAA, Britain's independent aviation and aerospace regulator, said it had shared analysis this with the government on Monday and outlined its next steps. The regulator said the event was now understood and, if it happened again, should be fixed quickly with no effect to the aviation system.

Persons: Raphael Satter, Rob Bishton, NATS, Mark Harper, Muvija, Farouq Suleiman, William James Our Organizations: REUTERS, Civil Aviation Authority, Interim, CAA, Air, Thomson Locations: London, Stansted, Britain

More than 1,500 flights were cancelled on Monday - a public holiday in parts of Britain, and one of the busiest travel days as the school holidays draw to close - when air traffic controllers were forced to switch to manual systems due to a technical problem. Ryanair, Europe's biggest airline, would be operating a normal schedule by Wednesday, said boss Michael O'Leary, as he criticised how Britain's National Air Traffic Services (NATS) had handled the situation. Harper chaired a meeting on Tuesday with NATS, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), airlines, airports, trade bodies and Border Force. EasyJet (EZJ.L) said that the knock-on impact meant some flights were cancelled on Tuesday morning. Heathrow Airport, Britain's busiest hub, told passengers to contact their airline before travelling to the airport on Tuesday.

Persons: Maria Ball, Charles De Gaulle, Mark Harper, Michael O'Leary, haven't, O'Leary, Raphael Satter, Rishi Sunak, Sunak, Harper, NATS, Cirium, Sarah Young, Padraic Halpin, Farouq Suleiman, Kate Holton, Alistair Smout, Alison Williams, Mike Harrison Organizations: British, Ryanair, Europe's, Air Traffic Services, REUTERS, Civil Aviation Authority, CAA, Border Force, Aviation, British Airways, Heathrow, Thomson Locations: Europe, Britain, Liverpool, England, Paris, Edinburgh, London, Stansted, NATS

☆ Travel chaos on holiday weekend as passport gates fail at UK airports, causing long delays for passengers
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-27 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Passengers faced long delays at British airports Saturday after electronic passport gates failed. Many passports were being checked manually by UK Border Force officers until the problem was resolved. A representative for Heathrow tweeted: "We are aware of a nationwide issue impacting the eGates, which are operated by Border Force. A representative for Gatwick airport said some passengers may experience delays at immigration due to the nationwide issue with the e-gates. A Home Office representative told Insider: "We are aware of a nationwide border system issue affecting arrivals into the UK.

☆ Fighter jets escorted a plane into a London airport after it lost communications and may have caused a 'sonic boom'
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-04 | by ( Stephanie Stacey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Fighter jets escorted an aircraft to an airport in London after it lost communications, per BBC News. This came shortly after people heard a "loud bang," which some thought was a sonic boom. Some plane spotters believe it might have been a sonic boom caused by the fast movement of the RAF jets. Essex Police tweeted that a plane heading from Iceland to Nairobi, Kenya was escorted into Stansted at about 12.50pm UK time. Departures from another London airport were reportedly suspended for around 15 minutes, per BBC News.

☆ Airline passengers missed their flight after being locked in an airport corridor for half an hour: 'It felt like we were being held hostage'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( Beatrice Nolan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Several Ryanair passengers missed their flight on Monday after they were locked in a corridor. A Ryanair spokesperson said "human error" had led "regrettably" led to the incident. A spokesperson for Ryanair told Insider that a "human error" had led to the passengers being unable to "exit the pre-boarding area doors" and "regrettably" missing the flight. "People were banging on the walls calling for help," Raval told MyLondon. "Ryanair provided affected passengers with overnight accommodation and moved them onto the next available flight," it added.

☆ Heavy snow in Britain disrupts travel; National Grid readies two coal plants
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] A person walks through the snow as cold weather continues, in London, Britain, December 12, 2022. Operations in many parts of the city's underground network were either suspended or faced delays, while motorways witnessed gridlocks due to snow. The snow caused issues for commuters and holidaymakers at the start of a fortnight where rail workers and border officials plan industrial action. Southeastern, which operates rail services into London, advised passengers not to travel due to severe disruption caused by snow and ice. Meanwhile, Britain's National Grid (NG.L) on Monday issued a notification to warm two winter contingency coal plants.

☆ UK snow causes travel chaos and energy fears
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Rob Picheta | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —Snow has blanketed London and large parts of the United Kingdom on Monday, shutting schools, grounding flights and causing widespread disruption across a country struggling through a winter energy crisis. The cold snap left many parts of the country, including London, covered in snow from Sunday evening. Despite the disruption, the arrival of snow two weeks before Christmas brought a festive atmosphere to Britain’s parks and streets. Victoria Jones/PA Images/Getty ImagesSnowfall is relatively rare in southern England compared to northern Britain and mainland Europe, and Britons frequently gripe about the ill-preparedness of the country’s infrastructure when cold weather hits. The company said it was a “contingency” plan, which aimed to “give the public confidence in Monday’s energy supply,” according to PA.

☆ A flight from Turkey to the UK was intercepted by Royal Air Force jets and forced to land 200 miles from its destination after a 'security threat'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( Stephen Jones | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A passenger flight from Turkey to the UK was intercepted by fighter jets after a security alert Wednesday. The Jet2 flight was diverted to London Stansted, around 200 miles from its destination in Manchester. The flight, LS922, from Dalaman in Turkey to Manchester Airport, operated by regional airline Jet2, was diverted to land at London Stansted Airport, around 200 miles its destination. "We understand that the authorities were alerted to a potential security threat," Jet2 said, responding to a post by the account Flight Emergency. According to the flight tracking service FlightRadar, the Airbus A321, registration G-HLYB, flew to Manchester airport on October 13.

☆ Jet2 flight lands safely in London after potential security threat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Oct 13 (Reuters) - British low-cost airline Jet2.com, a unit of Jet2 Plc (JET2.L), said late on Wednesday that a flight from Turkey to Manchester was diverted to London's Stansted airport under the direction of UK authorities over a potential security threat. The aircraft landed safely and taxied to a remote stand, the airline said in a statement on Twitter, adding that the incident was later downgraded and declared as over. loadingEssex Police led the safety operation after receiving a report of potential threat on board Wednesday night. Officers were then able to establish there was no threat on board," the police tweeted. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Urvi Dugar and Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian SchmollingerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Opinion: The tyranny of Idi Amin -- and limits of a British welcome
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-18 | by ( Opinion Lucy Fulford | Lucy Fulford | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

She is the author of a forthcoming book, "The Exiled: Empire, Immigration and How Ugandan Asians Changed Britain." In early August 1972, Uganda's brutal military dictator Idi Amin ordered the expulsion of the country's entire Asian population -- including my grandparents. And a British welcomeBut when Amin gave his expulsion order, the British government didn't leap into action. Prince Philip meets Ugandan Asians at a British reception center in Kent, November 1972. Lucy FulfordFormer Prime Minister David Cameron has referred to Ugandan Asians as "one of the most successful groups of immigrants anywhere in the history of the world," a legacy many British Ugandan Asians are rightly proud of.

☆ Flights briefly disrupted at UK's Luton airport as heat damages runway
▼ + stars: | 2022-07-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - Flights to and from Britain's London Luton airport were temporarily disrupted on Monday after soaring temperatures caused a defect in its runway, prompting airlines to delay or divert their planes. read moreThe airport said its runway had reopened at 1705 GMT, after earlier suspending flights at 1522 GMT. Some 14 flights due to land at Luton were diverted to other airports including Gatwick and Stansted on Monday afternoon, according to FlightRadar24 data. That total included 14 Wizz flights heading to European holiday destinations including Tenerife and Dubrovnik, and 16 EasyJet arrivals. A spokesperson for Ryanair said it had not cancelled any flights to or from Luton, but had diverted a small number to London Stansted Airport due to the runway defect.

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