Aviation Archives

The ink is barely dry on the EU’s revised renewable energy policy and already it is under threat from the aviation sector, warn Jori Sihvonen and Andrew Murphy.

Thousands of flights by carriers such as Iberia or Vueling could be grounded because of their non-EU ownership, in the case of the UK's no-deal exit from the EU. But the European Commission stressed on Tuesday (5 February) that airlines have been warned to prepare.

Airbus warned on Thursday (24 January) it could shift future wing-building out of the UK in the absence of a smooth exit from the European Union, predicting "potentially very harmful decisions" for its British operations in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

Emissions and noise pollution are both increasing because more and more aircraft are taking to the skies, a new report by Europe’s premier aviation and environmental agencies revealed on Thursday (24 January).  Forecasts show that the trend is only set to continue.

Madrid is struggling to convince the European Commission about the Spanish ownership of Iberia, as it tries to preserve the air carrier's license to operate intra-EU flights after Brexit without altering the company's structure. 

The EU would not immediately ground intra-EU flights operated by British airlines after 29 March in case the UK nosedives out of the bloc with no deal, as it could set a new deadline for air carriers to reach a majority of EU ownership to maintain their operating licences.

European flag carriers Iberia and Aer Lingus would no longer be allowed to fly within Spain and Ireland, their member states’ territories, or to any other EU airport if UK leaves the EU without agreement in less than 100 days.

Ryanair's chief executive stepped up his warning about the risk of flights between Britain and Europe being grounded for days in the wake of Britain's exit from the European Union next March, saying there had been no assurances on the issue.

A highly coordinated cyber attack has hit the UK's largest airline, British Airways, potentially affecting hundreds of thousands of customers, with masses of financial and personal data stolen by hackers in what BA boss Alex Cruz called "a very sophisticated, malicious attack."

Ryanair pilots in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden are staging a 24-hour strike on Friday (August 10) in one of the most severe examples of strike action in the company’s history. The low-cost carrier has branded the action "unjustified" and "unnecessary".

British Airways-owner IAG, easyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air on Tuesday (24 July) filed a complaint to the EU over what they say is France's failure to tackle strikes by air traffic controllers.

ICAO's proposed offsetting scheme for aviation emissions, known as CORSIA, will cover a mere 6% of projected CO2 emissions accumulated to 2050, writes Bill Hemmings, saying CORSIA fails the Paris Agreement test miserably.

Germany and France have agreed on the central requirements for a new fighter jet to replace Eurofighter Typhoon and Rafale warplanes beginning in 2040, German military sources said.

Airlines have to pay compensation to passengers for delays caused by wildcat strikes that result from management decisions, the European Union's top court said on Tuesday (17 April).

Emissions regulated under Europe's carbon market rose for the first time in seven years in 2017 due to stronger industrial output, data published on Tuesday (3 April) by the European Commission and examined by carbon analysts showed.

European air travellers faced mass disruption on Tuesday (3 April) with up to half of all flights delayed after the system that manages air traffic for the continent broke down.

Discussions on the EU's post-2020 accounts have begun. But it seems like climate, energy and the environment itself have already been forgotten in the talks, warns Damien Demailly.

UK-based airlines will face serious problems sorting out their flying rights when the UK leaves the Single Market and Customs Union, writes Denis McShane.

The European Commission’s move to make it administratively easier to calculate and charge VAT on passenger transport is welcome and long overdue, writes Bill Hemmings. But instead of abolishing VAT breaks for airline tickets, the EU plan will make a weekend trip treated the same as “necessities” such as foodstuffs, or pharmaceutical products, he warns.

The United Kingdom is underestimating the risk of "serious disruption" to flights when it leaves the European Union, Irish airline Ryanair has warned as it announced that its quarterly net profit had risen by 12% despite a cancellations crisis in 2017.

Gearing up for a chaotic Brexit, UK's aviation, generating an annual turnover of £22 billion (€25 bn) per year, is preparing for the worst.

It is also one of the sectors most reliant on regulation and, as a consequence, vulnerable to a chaotic Brexit, with the UK potentially excluded from the Single European Sky and SESAR (Single European Sky Air Traffic Management Research) programme.

Britain could be excluded from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) after it quits the EU, raising the prospect of increased certification costs for airlines and manufacturers and dashing London's hopes of keeping its membership.

Liquid E-fuels made from renewable power, the latest buzzword among proponents of alternative fuels, are not the answer to Europe's quest to decarbonise transport because their production is still inefficient and costly, according to a new study being published today (1 December).

E-mail exchanges between the European Commission and Airbus show how the European aircraft manufacturer was offered privileged access to the EU decision-making process, allowing it to write its own environmental rules, writes Andrew Murphy.