Aviation

London City Airport (LCA) has lost its bid to overturn the ban on Saturday afternoon flights, but it has been granted permission to increase its annual passenger capacity. The airport, located in Newham, east London, had sought to extend the current Saturday curfew from 12:30pm to 6:30pm, hoping to accommodate more flights during the weekend. However, the government has decided to uphold the existing restrictions, citing strong opposition from local residents and campaigners. The decision reflects ongoing concerns about noise and disruption in the surrounding communities, which have long opposed any extension of flight operations into Saturday afternoons. Campaigners argued that maintaining the curfew was essential for preserving the quality of life for those living near the airport,...

After investing years and hundreds of millions of dollars into developing an air-to-ground (ATG) connectivity network aimed at rivaling industry leader Gogo, SmartSky Networks announced today that it has "ceased business operations effective August 16, 2024." The company attributed the shutdown to a lack of additional financing in a statement posted on its website. SmartSky’s service had promised faster connectivity than Gogo’s original ATG network. The network became operational at the end of 2021 and into early 2022, following years of delays as SmartSky built a network of towers across the U.S. Despite the setbacks, installations in turboprops and business jets began to increase as more supplemental type certificates were approved for SmartSky. Using its patented "beamforming...

Global business aviation activity last month surged by 29% compared to the same period in pre-pandemic 2019, as reported by Jefferies Equity Research. The aircraft management segment led this growth, with a 38% increase in activity from 2019, followed by private flight departments, which experienced a 36% rise. Referencing data from WingX, the investment firm highlighted a 31% increase in the fractional and charter segments since July 2019. Notably, Flexjet and flyExclusive saw significant market share gains, with their activity jumping by 158% and 154%, respectively, compared to July 2019. NetJets also saw a 44% increase, while Wheels Up experienced a 20% decline. Although the Asia-Pacific region accounted for only 5% of global business aviation departures over the past year, i...

The airline announced the return of the route at the GREAT FUTURES expo in Riyadh, a key event aimed at enhancing business engagement between the UK and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Available for booking from today, the route will commence on 4 November 2024, offering year-round service to the Saudi Arabian city from British Airways’ hub at London Heathrow. The new flights, operated by the Boeing 787 fleet, will enhance connectivity to the Kingdom, complementing the existing daily service between Riyadh and Heathrow Terminal 5 with four additional flights per week. Addressing the delegation at Riyadh’s King Abdullah Financial District, British Airways’ Chief Commercial Officer, Colm Lacy, stated, “We have a long-standing history of connecting families, friends, and businesses in the Kin...