
Luton airport hails “smooth travel experience” over half-term
London Luton Airport (LTN/EGNT) has said that it managed to provide a “smooth travel experience” for customers during a half-term period which saw over 1.2 million passengers using the terminal. Luton Airport says that despite the sudden increase, average waiting times for security were around 10 minutes and 99% of [read more]

Airbus A321XLR successfully carries out first flight
The latest incarnation of the Airbus A321, the XLR has carried out its first flight from Airbus’ final assembly line at Hamburg-Finkenwerder airport. Getting airborne just after 11am (CEST) MSN11000 flew for 4 hours and 25 minutes testing the basic handling of the aircraft and flight envelope protection systems at [read more]

In Pictures: Teesside Airshow 2022
11th June 2022 saw the return of Teesside Airshow to Teesside International Airport. Over 20,000 people attended the sold out event to watch the Red Arrows perform their display routine over the skies of the North East. UKAviation.news was on ground that day to capture how the day unfolded. Images [read more]

Teesside gets a taste of Top Gun
Teesside Airshow returned for the 2022 airshow season after a five year absence since the cancellation of the 2018 show. Over 20,000 people attended the sought-after event, as it is scheduled to be the only airshow in the North East after the cancellation of the Sunderland Airshow by Sunderland City [read more]

Airbus readies A321XLR for first flight this week
European airframer Airbus is preparing the first Airbus A321XLR aircraft for its first flight which is expected to take place on Wednesday 15th June. Depending on the weather, the aircraft, which carries the serial number MSN1100, is expected to perform its first test flight from Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport where the final [read more]

Drone sightings cause runway closures at East Midlands
East Midlands Airport (EMA/EGNX) has been forced to close its runway on at least two occasions in the last 24 hours after drones were spotted inside the airport’s Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ). Several flights had to be diverted as the traffic was halted to ensure safety. Every licensed UK airport [read more]

Yorkshire’s Jetglow Aircraft Refurbishments to make Boeing 737 scratch panes
Yorkshire-based Jetglow Aircraft Refurbishments is to begin making scratch panes for the Boeing 737 after identifying it as one of several high-volume replacement parts it can manufacture potentially saving airlines thousands compared to OEM costs. Working alongside their Part 21J design partner, Aerospace Engineering Solutions, Jetglow will manufacture the panes [read more]

easyJet pilots warn travel chaos hasn’t peaked yet
easyJet pilots belonging to the french SNPL union have warned that the travel chaos seen across Europe hasn’t “even peaked yet” which they say is a “frightening prospect”. The statements came from an internal letter to easyJet CEO John Lundgren which the The I says it obtained. According to The [read more]

Wizz Air boss accused of asking pilots to fly through fatigue
The European Cockpit Association has said asking pilots to fly when fatigued is “like handing the car keys to a drunk driver,” after a video emerged of Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi asking staff “to go the extra mile” when tired. In a post on social media site Twitter, [read more]
Air Travel

British Airways staff set for summer strike
Hundreds of British Airways staff have voted to walk out in industrial action this summer at London Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL) adding to the travel chaos already hitting UK travellers. The strike is being called by members of the Unite and GMB unions, representing largely non-flying staff at British Airways such [read more]

Ryanair blames Brexit for airport chaos, despite being an EU airline
The outspoken boss of Ryanair group, Michael O’Leary has said that Brexit is solely to blame for the current chaos being seen in UK airports claiming the problems are down to a failure to attract people to do jobs like baggage handling. He said that the problems would be quickly [read more]

Spanish easyJet crew to strike in July
easyJet Cabin crew members based in Spain are set to walk out for 9-days in July in a dispute over pay. The Spanish Union which represents the Cabin Crew, USO have been in talks with easyJet over pay but those talks are now understood to be at a deadlock. Crews [read more]
Engineering & MRO

Airbus A321XLR successfully carries out first flight
The latest incarnation of the Airbus A321, the XLR has carried out its first flight from Airbus’ final assembly line at Hamburg-Finkenwerder airport. Getting airborne just after 11am (CEST) MSN11000 flew for 4 hours and 25 minutes testing the basic handling of the aircraft and flight envelope protection systems at [read more]

Airbus readies A321XLR for first flight this week
European airframer Airbus is preparing the first Airbus A321XLR aircraft for its first flight which is expected to take place on Wednesday 15th June. Depending on the weather, the aircraft, which carries the serial number MSN1100, is expected to perform its first test flight from Hamburg-Finkenwerder Airport where the final [read more]

Airbus delivers 47 aircraft in May 2022
European airframer Airbus says it has delivered 47 aircraft during May 2022 to a total of 27 customers worldwide including easyJet and Wizz Air UK. In total Airbus delivered 4 Airbus A220 family and 37 A320neo family aircraft from, its narrowbody catalogue and From its wide-body range, it delivered 3 [read more]
Military Aviation

In Pictures: Aircraft leave RAF Coningsby for Platinum Jubilee Flypast
Thursday 2nd June saw a 70 aircraft flypast over London to mark the beginning of Her Majesty the Queens Platinum Jubilee weekend. Whilst all eyes were on London, our man Ryan Lim was at RAF Coningsby where many of the aircraft that took part departed from including the Battle of [read more]

The Queens Platinum Jubilee Flypast: What, When and Where
If you are in London today then you are sure of a big treat in the form of a 70-aircraft flypast for Her Majesty the Queens Platinum Jubilee. Taking part will be almost every type of aircraft from the Royal Air Force including the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight and [read more]

Draken Europe to provide UK ‘aggressor’ aircraft
Military aircraft contract specialist Draken Europe has been awarded a six-year contract by the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) to provide Agressor aircraft for training the Royal Air Force (RAF). Bournemouth Airport based Draken will provide a squadron of L-159E Honey Badger aircraft that will simulate airborne threats as part [read more]
General Aviation

First date announced for Air Race World Championship, and it’s in the UK!
The first date has officially been announced for the new Air Race World Championship which begins later this year. Goodwood Racecourse has been announced as the first venue and the air race will take place over the weekend of 9th & 10th July. The new series features many familiar names [read more]

Light aircraft crashes into empty flats in Oxfordshire
A light aircraft has crashed into a block of flats near Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire today with witnesses describing the pilot as having “bailed out” shortly before the crash. Thames Valley Police confirmed the incident occurred around 12:00hrs and that the pilot had been taken to hospital but did not [read more]

The Aviatrix Project is offering taster flights for aspiring pilots
The Aviatrix Project has opened applications for its 2022 series of 30-minute taster flights designed to give young aspiring pilots their first taste of flying The project is offering 12 flights in partnership with Flying Made Easy at Old Buckenham Airfield, and another 12 with Take Flight Aviation at Enstone [read more]
Air Sports

First date announced for Air Race World Championship, and it’s in the UK!
The first date has officially been announced for the new Air Race World Championship which begins later this year. Goodwood Racecourse has been announced as the first venue and the air race will take place over the weekend of 9th & 10th July. The new series features many familiar names [read more]

Hot Air Balloon Rides & Experiences – All You Need To Know
Hot air balloon rides are incredible flight experiences with unique and breathtaking views. If you’ve ever dreamed of gentle, serene flights in light or zero wind then this is the experience for you. Balloons rise and descend seemingly effortlessly and provide an uninterrupted view of landscapes. The sensation of floating [read more]

WCAR Air Race to operate on Carbon Net-Zero fuel
The World Championship Air Race (WCAR) which launches in 2022 has announced the aircraft will operate on a new carbon net-zero aviation fuel. WCAR has partner with Prometheus Fuels to use its Titan Fuel Forge™ technology to create ‘fuel from air’. It does this by reclaiming atmospheric carbon through a [read more]
Air Safety

Two die in Yorkshire helicopter crash
Two people have been confirmed to have died in a helicopter crash near Burton in Lonsdale in Yorkshire. The aircraft is understood to have crashed just before lunchtime with local residents describing a thick plume of smoke from the crash site. No one apart from the two confirmed fatalities are [read more]

Drone sightings cause runway closures at East Midlands
East Midlands Airport (EMA/EGNX) has been forced to close its runway on at least two occasions in the last 24 hours after drones were spotted inside the airport’s Flight Restriction Zone (FRZ). Several flights had to be diverted as the traffic was halted to ensure safety. Every licensed UK airport [read more]

Wizz Air boss accused of asking pilots to fly through fatigue
The European Cockpit Association has said asking pilots to fly when fatigued is “like handing the car keys to a drunk driver,” after a video emerged of Wizz Air chief executive Jozsef Varadi asking staff “to go the extra mile” when tired. In a post on social media site Twitter, [read more]
Space

Airbus & Northrop Grumman team up for NATO surveillance concepts
Airbus Defence and Northrop Grumman will, along with seven other industry companies, work together to develop the future of NATO’s surveillance and control systems. Under the partnership of Atlantic Strategic Partnership for Advanced All-domain Resilient Operations (ASPAARO) the companies, including BAE Systems in the UK, will perform assessments of fully [read more]

Feature: The Guppies of the air
In the tumultuous era of the Space Race, NASA found itself with the ever-growing problem of transportation. With large pieces of equipment needing moving from factories to the launch pad, transport methods were slow and cumbersome. Through the Fifties, NASA would have to transport its machinery via land and/or sea [read more]

Webb Space Telescope arrives in Guiana ahead of launch
One of the most anticipated new pieces of Space hardware has arrived in French Guiana ahead of its scheduled launch on 18th December. The Webb Space Telescope (WST) is an orbiting infrared telescope that, Jean-Marc Nasr, Head of Airbus Space Systems, “will change the way we see the universe”. About [read more]
Wales

Welsh Government scraps north-south air link
The Welsh Government has scrapped the Cardiff Airport to Anglesey (Ynys Mon) air route it funded to provide an air link between North and South Wales. Launched in 2007 the twice-daily (weekdays) service was used by Welsh Ministers to connect with Cardiff Bay and by members of the public to [read more]

Aer Lingus return to Cardiff Airport with two routes
Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Stobart Air, is returning to Cardiff Airport (CWL/EGFF) for the first time since 2016 reviving two routes to Northern Ireland and Eire. The new route to Belfast City will commence on 28th June and will operate four times per week on Monday, Friday, Saturday, and [read more]

Welsh First Minister accused of double standards over Spain flights
Wales’ First Minister Mark Drakeford has been accused of double standards after allowing flights between Cardiff Airport and Spain to operate despite Wales still being in full lockdown under his authority. Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies led the calls saying it cannot be right that peoplee can “fly from [read more]
Scotland

F-35 jets take part in HMS Queen Elizabeth’s maiden deployment
F-35 fighter jets from RAF Marham have been deployed as part of the Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21) which will see them take part in Exercise Strike Warrior in Scotland before deploying on operational duties around the world. They will be based on the Royal Navy’s flagship aircraft carrier HMS [read more]

Engine fault forces Loganair’s North Sea flight to turn around
An Aberdeen to Shetland flight was forced to return to Aberdeen International Airport following a potential engine fault Thursday morning. The 06.50 am Loganair flight LM901 (18 February), was travelling to Shetland’s Sumburgh Airport when the crew received an alert of a fault with the right-hand engine. Following the alert, [read more]

Man dies in Scottish gyrocopter crash
Police Scotland has confirmed that the pilot of a gyrocopter has died after his aircraft went down near Avoch at 12:55pm. The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency services. He was the sole occupant of the gyrocopter. A spokesperson from the Air Accidents Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has [read more]
Northern Ireland

Manchester to Belfast City route takes off
The new Manchester (MAN/EGCC) to Belfast City Airport (BHD/EGAC) t route has got underway today when the first of four daily return services took off The Aer Lingus Regional service is operated by Stobart Air using an ATR72-600. Julian Carr, Aviation Director at Manchester Airport, said: “It’s great to see [read more]

Loganair increases Belfast City routes
Loganair (LM/LOG) is re-establishing the Belfast City to Glasgow Airport route. The service, which starts on 4th September, will operate twice-daily Monday to Friday and a single flight on a Saturday using an Embraer EMB145 Regional Jet. The routes from Belfast City to Aberdeen and Inverness are due to restart [read more]

Aer Lingus under fire over packed flights
Irish carrier Aer Lingus (EI/EIN) has come under fire after images appeared on social media showing a packed flight from London to Belfast. The images posted on twitter by BBC NI journalist Kelly Bonner show a packed flight with most of the seats taken in breach of social distancing guidelines. [read more]
Channel Islands

Eastern Airways to launch Humberside to Jersey flights
Regional airline Eastern Airways (T3/EZE) has announced it is launching flights from its home base of Humberside (HUY/EGNJ) to Jersey in the Channel Islands. The new service will commence on 21st May 2022 and run weekly on a Saturday throughout the Summer season until September. Operated by Eastern Airways in [read more]

Aurigny Airlines joins the Jerusalema Challenge
Aurigny Airlines is the latest airline to join the Jersulema dance challenge which is sweeping across airlines around the world. You may have seen the video with some of the worlds biggest airlines that we featured recently but now Aurigny has raised the bar for the UK with this brilliant [read more]

Aurigny to stay grounded until September
Guernsey-based airline Aurigny (GR/AUR) has confirmed its flights will remain grounded until the end of August. The airline says that the disruption to flights is as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and that its grounding until the end of summer is in line with the Coronavirus Exit Strategy produced [read more]