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Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Flight paths shake-up could mean quicker journeys and fewer delays for passengers
The move could even be a boost for 'flying taxis' of the future CHANGE IN THE AIR Flight paths shake-up could mean quicker journeys and fewer delays for passengers Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) PASSENGERS could enjoy quicker journeys and fewer delays under the first shake-up of flight paths in 70 years. Ministers have ordered an overhaul of UK airspace to create more direct routes. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up The review could also let planes climb into the sky quicker to reduce the noise for communities below. In the long-term, the government says the redesign would even create the necessary airspace for the 'flying taxis' of the future to operate. Britain's flightpaths have not been changed since the 1950s when there were just 200,000 flights per year, compared with 2.7million in 2024. It has resulted in flight congestion that often forces planes to circle overhead before landing, causing frustration to passengers as well as more emissions. A new UK Airspace Design Service will be up and running by the end of the year, and will first focus on re-carving London's flightpaths in anticipation of a third Heathrow runway. Transport Minister Mike Kane said: 'Redesigned 'skyways' will turbocharge growth in the aviation industry. "Not least by boosting airport expansion plans and supporting job creation, driving millions into the UK economy as part of the Plan for Change. 'Modernising our airspace is also one of the simplest ways to help reduce pollution from flying and will set the industry up for a long-term sustainable future.' Tim Alderslade of Airlines UK added: 'Modernising UK airspace is long overdue. "These changes will help to speed up a programme that will provide tangible reforms, from a reduction in delays, improved resilience and lower carbon emissions.' Travelers have only days before May 23 'flight switch' rule ends – you face long delays if you don't act immediately
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Flight paths shake-up could mean quicker journeys and fewer delays for passengers
PASSENGERS could enjoy quicker journeys and fewer delays under the first shake-up of flight paths in 70 years. Ministers have ordered an overhaul of UK airspace to create more direct routes. Advertisement The review could also let planes climb into the sky quicker to reduce the noise for communities below. In the long-term, the government says the redesign would even create the necessary airspace for the 'flying taxis' of the Britain's flightpaths have not been changed since the 1950s when there were just 200,000 flights per year, compared with 2.7million in 2024. It has resulted in flight congestion that often forces planes to circle overhead before landing, causing frustration to passengers as well as more emissions. Advertisement READ MORE ON AIR TRAVEL A new UK Airspace Design Service will be up and running by the end of the year, and will first focus on re-carving London's flightpaths in anticipation of a third Heathrow runway. Transport Minister Mike Kane said: 'Redesigned 'skyways' will turbocharge growth in the aviation industry. "Not least by boosting airport expansion plans and supporting job creation, driving millions into the UK economy as part of the Plan for Change. 'Modernising our airspace is also one of the simplest ways to help reduce pollution from flying and will set the industry up for a long-term sustainable future.' Advertisement Most read in The Sun Tim Alderslade of Airlines UK added: 'Modernising UK airspace is long overdue. "These changes will help to speed up a programme that will provide tangible reforms, from a reduction in delays, improved resilience and lower carbon emissions.' Travelers have only days before May 23 'flight switch' rule ends – you face long delays if you don't act immediately 1 Passengers could enjoy quicker journeys and fewer delays under the first shake-up of flight paths in 70 years Credit: Alamy
The Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Flight paths shake-up could mean quicker journeys and fewer delays for passengers
PASSENGERS could enjoy quicker journeys and fewer delays under the first shake-up of flight paths in 70 years. Ministers have ordered an overhaul of UK airspace to create more direct routes. The review could also let planes climb into the sky quicker to reduce the noise for communities below. In the long-term, the government says the redesign would even create the necessary airspace for the 'flying taxis' of the future to operate. Britain's flightpaths have not been changed since the 1950s when there were just 200,000 flights per year, compared with 2.7million in 2024. It has resulted in flight congestion that often forces planes to circle overhead before landing, causing frustration to passengers as well as more emissions. A new UK Airspace Design Service will be up and running by the end of the year, and will first focus on re-carving London's flightpaths in anticipation of a third Heathrow runway. Transport Minister Mike Kane said: 'Redesigned 'skyways' will turbocharge growth in the aviation industry. "Not least by boosting airport expansion plans and supporting job creation, driving millions into the UK economy as part of the Plan for Change. 'Modernising our airspace is also one of the simplest ways to help reduce pollution from flying and will set the industry up for a long-term sustainable future.' Tim Alderslade of Airlines UK added: 'Modernising UK airspace is long overdue. "These changes will help to speed up a programme that will provide tangible reforms, from a reduction in delays, improved resilience and lower carbon emissions.' Travelers have only days before May 23 'flight switch' rule ends – you face long delays if you don't act immediately 1
The Independent
19-05-2025
- Business
- The Independent
British passport holders to be allowed to use e-gates at more EU airports
British passport holders will be able to use e-gates at more European airports as part of a UK-EU deal, the Government has announced. Since Brexit, British travellers arriving at EU airports have generally been forced to queue for manned desks to have their passports stamped, rather than use automated gates with facial recognition technology. This has led to many passengers facing long queues, particularly during peak periods. The issue has been described as one of the most visible impacts of the UK's withdrawal from the EU. After the agreement with the EU, the Government said in a statement: 'British holidaymakers will be able to use more e-gates in Europe, ending the dreaded queues at border control.' Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said the announcement was 'a significant breakthrough for British travellers'. She told the PA news agency: 'The frustrating experience of lengthy border control queues upon arrival has been a persistent challenge for many, so the expanded access to e-gates across Europe comes as a tremendous relief. 'With this streamlined system in place, we anticipate both holidaymakers and business travellers will enjoy a much smoother, more efficient airport experience, allowing them to begin their journeys without unnecessary delays.' Tim Alderslade, chief executive of trade body Airlines UK, said: 'This is excellent news for British holidaymakers and will enable an even smoother passenger experience for families travelling to the EU.' British passports can currently be used at e-gates in the EU at a limited number of airports in Spain and Portugal. Luke Petherbridge, director of public affairs at travel trade organisation Abta, said: 'Since Brexit, Abta has been calling for changes that will make travel easier, and we're pleased to see the UK and EU agree these steps. 'The EU is home to the UK's favourite overseas holiday destinations, and travel between our nations creates a huge boost for the UK economy and is a big driver of growth.' The EU is planning to launch its long-delayed Entry/Exit System (EES) in October. This will replace the need for people arriving in the EU from non-member countries such as the UK to have their passports stamped. Instead, they will need to have their fingerprints scanned and a photograph taken to register them on a database, with the data stored for three years. There are fears this will cause queues at EU airports, as well as at the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel's terminal in Folkestone and London's St Pancras railway station, where French border checks are carried out before people embark on cross-Channel journeys. Mr Petherbridge said: 'It is vital we continue to see good co-operation between the UK and EU on the introduction of this scheme, to make it as streamlined as possible for UK travellers.' The Government also announced that UK cats and dogs will be able to travel 'more easily' by 'eliminating the need for animal health certificates for every trip'. This is through the introduction of so-called pet passports.
New Statesman
24-04-2025
- Business
- New Statesman
Dale Vince: 'Trump has given credibility to the incredible'
Image: John Gomez/Shutterstock Towards the end of February, at a dinner hosted by Airlines UK (an industry trade body), the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander made her attitude to airport expansion clear. 'I am not some sort of flight-shaming eco-warrior,' Alexander said, 'I love flying. I always have.' The question of the expansion of three of London's major airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Luton) has been hanging over the government for weeks. The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, has made it clear that she sees increasing the number of flights at these three hubs as a key engine for economic growth. On 3 April, Alexander confirmed Luton's airport expansion, despite the Planning Inspectorate's flat refusal. For Dale Vince, the eco-entrepreneur and Labour donor, these moves are worrying. 'I thought that was unfortunate language,' he says of Alexander's derision of 'flight-shaming eco-warriors' when we meet on a balmy afternoon at the New Statesman's offices in central London. Vince adds: 'I didn't understand why Labour were talking like that. We don't need to start a culture war. There are plenty of other people that will do that.' Focusing on airport expansion is a mistake, says Vince. 'I was surprised by the support for a third runway at Heathrow… It created a conversation, a kind of false choice between growth and green which is completely false because green is the right option for growth,' he says, pointing to the CBI's reporting that the UK's net zero economy has enjoyed the most growth in the past 12 months. Vince's concern has material reasoning behind it: ahead of last year's general election, he donated £1m to the Labour Party's campaign, bringing his total lifetime contributions to £5m. When we last spoke, the day after Rishi Sunak's rain-soaked speech on Downing Street, Vince was optimistic and buoyant. Despite his concern around the new government's pursuit of airport expansion, in many ways, he still is. 'I think Labour have done well,' he tells me. 'We saw some immediate progress – within 72 hours, Ed Miliband had lifted the ban on onshore wind.' It's clear Vince thinks it is Miliband who is doing particularly well. Most Labour members are with him on that – the Energy Secretary was recently crowned the most popular cabinet member in a Survation Poll for Labour List. 'He started early and bold,' Vince says. 'Apart from the commitment to carbon capture and storage, which I don't understand… I think he's done good things.' Last year, the government pledged almost £22bn over the next 25 years for two carbon capture and storage projects in Merseyside and Teesside. These projects are intended to prevent or remove the carbon dioxide emitted through industrial processes from entering the atmosphere. Much of the technology, however, is still in the early phases of development. To Vince, these kinds of projects are not the right approach. 'I think it's a waste of our money,' he explains. 'We don't need to spend money on that.' Instead, he thinks government funding and resources would be better used to decarbonise home heating or to expand the grid so it can fully support the UK's growing renewable energy resources. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe A report by the Environmental Audit Committee last May found the queue to connect renewable projects to the grid contained more than twice the amount of generation required to meet the then Conservative government's target of decarbonising the energy system by 2035. (Miliband's goal is clean power by 2030.) This congestion is caused, in part, by the fact that the National Grid remains set up to deal with the energy system of the 1950s, when connections were required near coal-fired power stations, the last of which was switched off last year. 'We do need to spend money on the grid so that we can distribute the energy more quickly so that we don't have to switch projects off in Scotland,' says Vince, referring to the fact that some renewable sites waste energy due to a lack of storage capacity. 'Instead of turning them off, we should be making hydrogen with that excess energy, and then we can use that to make energy again when we need it.' Despite the government's intention to wean the UK off its reliance on fossil fuels, this is a make-or-break moment for the net zero agenda. The morning I spoke to Vince, the Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch had described the UK's net zero 2050 target as 'impossible' without a 'serious drop in our living standards'. Through her speech, Badenoch (who as business secretary once made the economic case for net zero) firmly closed the door on the cross-party environmental consensus that the UK has enjoyed for the past decade. It even sparked criticism from the former Conservative prime minister, Theresa May, under whose government the 2050 target was signed into law. When I ask Vince about Badenoch, he jokes, 'Who is she again?' He tracks the end of consensus back to Sunak's speech in September 2023 in which the then PM rolled back on several of the UK's climate targets, including the upcoming ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars. 'There was a moment when he pivoted away,' Vince says. 'I think it was 2023, the summer of Just Stop Oil.' He is a former backer of Just Stop Oil. The group recently announced the end of its civil resistance. 'Sunak weaponised eco protest and eco concerns… I think that was a strategic mistake,' Vince says. He describes Badenoch as a 'politician just looking for attention', but puts the wider move against environmental policies down to the dawn of a second term for Donald Trump. 'He's come along, and he is ferociously anti-renewable energy,' Vince says of the US president, whose view on the environment could be discerned when he proclaimed, 'Drill baby, drill.' 'I think he's enabled a lot of these voices to speak up. People are seeing an opportunity in aping Trump. He's given credibility to the incredible,' Vince says. It is this desire to imitate Trump, Vince thinks, that is driving the Reform party's climate distancing under Nigel Farage. What is Vince's advice to progressive parties (including the new Labour government) in keeping on with the net zero and clean power agenda? 'The opinion polls show the overwhelming majority of people in our country care about these issues and want to see something done about them,' Vince says. 'Don't be driven by a right-wing agenda.' He adds: 'The green economy works. We've got to prove that it works for the people in this country that care about green issues and want to see something done about them.' This article first appeared in our Spotlight Energy and Climate Change supplement of 24 April 2025. Related
