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The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Airbus A320 joins easyjet fleet at Edinburgh airport for new routes
Easyjet is now the largest airline operating out of Scotland, with its Edinburgh hub supporting 400 direct and indirect jobs. This year the company launched five new summer services to Olbia in Italy, Marrakech in Morocco, Zurich in Switzerland, Düsseldorf in Germany, and Enfidha in Tunisia. The new direct flights are set to take off this week for the first time, offering customers in Scotland new destinations for a summer getaway, whether they want to relax by crystal clear beaches or discover some of Europe's most charming cities. The airline now bases a total of 16 aircraft in Scotland and operates 80 routes to 19 countries across the UK, Europe and North Africa – its largest ever route offering. Edinburgh airport welcomes its new aircraft (Image: LESLEY MARTIN) EasyJet is the largest leisure airline in the UK, responsible for a third of all UK leisure travel growth this summer, with its Scottish operations driving 10% of this. The arrival of the new aircraft marks a continued trajectory of growth for easyJet in Scotland, where the airline will operate its biggest ever summer fuelled by UK demand for its flights and package holidays. READ MORE: This summer, package holiday provider easyJet holidays will see holidaymakers departing from Edinburgh opt for popular beach destinations including Alicante, Lanzarote, Tenerife and cities of Amsterdam, Paris and Krakow. The airbus A320 is a workhorse of international travel (Image: Ali Gayward, easyJet's UK Country Manager, said: 'We are delighted to be celebrating the arrival of a 10th aircraft at our Edinburgh base, as well as the launch of our summer routes to Olbia, Marrakech, Zurich, Dusseldorf, and Enfidha. 'Not only does our fleet growth in Scotland support many skilled jobs and connectivity which play a crucial role in economic growth, it is a clear demonstration of our continued commitment to serving customers in Scotland as well as supporting inbound travel for tourism in the Scottish capital. 'Through our unrivalled short-haul network and unique easyJet holidays offering in Scotland, we continue to provide more choice and value for money, always aiming to make travel easy for the millions of customers we fly to and from Scotland every year." Jonny Macneal, Edinburgh Airport's Head of Aviation, said: "It's brilliant to see easyJet's tenth based aircraft making itself at home at Scotland's busiest airport and the airline continuing to grow its presence in the capital. "This will provide even more choice for passengers, and it's exciting to see even more destinations added to easyJet's already impressive schedule."
The Herald Scotland
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Scot Gov 'to work with equalities watchdog' over gender ruling
Earlier this month, the Scottish Government lost a high-profile case at the UK Supreme Court to campaign group For Women Scotland. Britain's top judges ruled that the terms 'woman' and 'sex' in the Equality Act 2010 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. The Scottish Government said it is keen to meet with the EHRC 'as soon as possible' to discuss the guidance. In its interim guidance published on Friday, the EHRC said that in workplaces and services that are open to the public, 'trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women's facilities and trans men (biological women) should not be permitted to use the men's facilities, as this will mean that they are no longer single-sex facilities and must be open to all users of the opposite sex'. People from trans rights groups and community organisations take part in a rally organised by Resisting Transphobia outside Queen Elizabeth House, the UK Government building in Edinburgh, following the Supreme Court ruling (Image: LESLEY MARTIN) It said that where facilities are available to both men and women, trans people should not be put in a position where there are no facilities for them to use. The guidance also states that schools must provide separate single-sex toilets for boys and girls over the age of 8. It is also compulsory for them to provide single-sex changing facilities for boys and girls over the age of 11. READ MORE: The guidance added: 'Pupils who identify as trans girls (biological boys) should not be permitted to use the girls' toilet or changing facilities, and pupils who identify as trans boys (biological girls) should not be permitted to use the boys' toilet or changing facilities. Suitable alternative provisions may be required.' The EHRC has said that there are rules about when competitive sports can be single-sex, which it intends to address separately in due course. In a statement to the Scottish Parliament earlier this week, Scotland's Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the Scottish Government fully accepts the unanimous judgment of the court. She told MSPs that new guidance will be issued to public bodies in line with the verdict. The ruling has drawn protests (Image: LESLEY MARTIN) The Scottish Government issued a statement in response to the EHRC guidance on Saturday. It said: 'We note the interim update from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), and that they intend to hold a consultation with stakeholders on their forthcoming guidance. 'We are keen to work with EHRC to ensure consistent, inclusive and comprehensive guidance is in place following the Supreme Court judgement and, following the postponement of last week's meeting at their request, have asked to meet with them as soon as possible to discuss further.' The EHRC had been due to meet with the Scottish Government on Thursday to discuss the provision of single-sex spaces in the NHS. However, it said that on Wednesday the Scottish Government proposed extending the agenda to include the implications of the Supreme Court judgment. The regulator then postponed the meeting as it wishes to meet with the UK Government first. The EHRC said it is working at pace to incorporate the implications of the Supreme Court's judgment. It aims to provide the updated Code of Practice to the UK Government by the end of June for ministerial approval.
