Consequences of the Coronavirus - Air travel is restricted, international business close down

British Airways owner IAG said on Monday it had agreed to buy Spanish carrier Air Europa for 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in cash, bolstering its ability to compete for European travel to Latin America and the Caribbean through Madrid.

Against the backdrop of a challenging environment for airlines globally, the deal is the latest by a big European carrier looking westward to boost traffic and average fares.

Air Europa offers domestic and international flights to 69 destinations, including long-haul routes to Latin America, the United States, and the Caribbean.

"Acquiring Air Europa would add a new competitive, cost-effective airline to IAG, consolidating Madrid as a leading European hub and resulting in IAG achieving South Atlantic leadership," Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG said.

Europe's third-largest budget carrier Norwegian Air, which has shaken up the market for travel across the Atlantic with cut-price fares, last month signed a partnership with JetBlue Airways to enable European passengers to book straight through to around 100 US&nbsp;cities.

IAG said the agreement with Air Europa was signed by its Spanish unit Iberia and added it expected the deal to close in the second half of next year.

The company, whose profits have taken a hit from pilot strikes, expects the deal to be earnings accretive in the first full year after completion and accretive to return on invested capital by the fourth year.

British Airways owner IAG said on Monday it had agreed to buy Spanish carrier Air Europa for 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in cash, bolstering its ability to compete for European travel to Latin America and the Caribbean through Madrid.

British Airways owner IAG said on Monday it had agreed to buy Spanish carrier Air Europa for 1 billion euros ($1.12 billion) in cash, bolstering its ability to compete for European travel to Latin America and the Caribbean through Madrid. Against the backdrop of a challenging environment for airlines globally, the deal is the latest by a big European carrier looking westward to boost traffic and average fares. Air Europa offers domestic and international flights to 69 destinations, including long-haul routes to Latin America, the United States, and the Caribbean. "Acquiring Air Europa would add a new competitive, cost-effective airline to IAG, consolidating Madrid as a leading European hub and resulting in IAG achieving South Atlantic leadership," Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG said. Europe's third-largest budget carrier Norwegian Air, which has shaken up the market for travel across the Atlantic with cut-price fares, last month signed a partnership with JetBlue Airways to enable European passengers to book straight through to around 100 US cities. IAG said the agreement with Air Europa was signed by its Spanish unit Iberia and added it expected the deal to close in the second half of next year. The company, whose profits have taken a hit from pilot strikes, expects the deal to be earnings accretive in the first full year after completion and accretive to return on invested capital by the fourth year.

British Airways-owner looks westward with 1 billion euros Air Europa purchase

Turkey's tourism minister said Friday he was unconcerned by the collapse of British tour operator Thomas Cook as he unveiled ambitious plans to make the country one of the world's top holiday destinations.

"Nobody should be concerned by this," said Mehmet Ersoy, speaking at a conference in Istanbul to outline Turkey's tourism strategy.

"By 2020, we will see an increase in the number of visitors to Thomas Cook destinations."

He said Turkey was holding talks with EasyJet, British Airways and others in the coming days to finalize plans for more flights into areas affected by the Thomas Cook collapse, particularly the resort of Dalaman.

Thomas Cook, which declared bankruptcy last weekend, leaving hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers stranded around Europe, represented around three percent of Turkey's tourist intake.

Turkish tourism has recently recovered from a sudden 25-per cent decline in 2016 caused by a spate of terrorist attacks and political unrest.

At the heart of the new strategy is a major increase in worldwide promotion from $80 million to $180 million over the next year.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made tourism a strategic priority, and the goal is to increase visitors from 55 million to 75 million by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic, with earnings hitting $65 billion.

Cruise ship arrivals are expected to nearly double with the imminent completion of one port in the Istanbul hub of Galata and another due for construction in nearby Yenikapi.

The government is also throwing money at archaeological excavations and cleaner beaches, while also planting scenes of Turkish cuisine into the country's wildly popular soap opera exports.

Turkey's tourism minister said Friday he was unconcerned by the collapse of British tour operator Thomas Cook as he unveiled ambitious plans to make the country one of the world's top holiday destinations.

Turkey's tourism minister said Friday he was unconcerned by the collapse of British tour operator Thomas Cook as he unveiled ambitious plans to make the country one of the world's top holiday destinations. "Nobody should be concerned by this," said Mehmet Ersoy, speaking at a conference in Istanbul to outline Turkey's tourism strategy. "By 2020, we will see an increase in the number of visitors to Thomas Cook destinations." He said Turkey was holding talks with EasyJet, British Airways and others in the coming days to finalize plans for more flights into areas affected by the Thomas Cook collapse, particularly the resort of Dalaman. Thomas Cook, which declared bankruptcy last weekend, leaving hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers stranded around Europe, represented around three percent of Turkey's tourist intake. Turkish tourism has recently recovered from a sudden 25-per cent decline in 2016 caused by a spate of terrorist attacks and political unrest. At the heart of the new strategy is a major increase in worldwide promotion from $80 million to $180 million over the next year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made tourism a strategic priority, and the goal is to increase visitors from 55 million to 75 million by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic, with earnings hitting $65 billion. Cruise ship arrivals are expected to nearly double with the imminent completion of one port in the Istanbul hub of Galata and another due for construction in nearby Yenikapi. The government is also throwing money at archaeological excavations and cleaner beaches, while also planting scenes of Turkish cuisine into the country's wildly popular soap opera exports.

Turkey shrugs off Thomas Cook collapse amid booming investment

British Airways said Monday it has been forced to cancel almost all its flights from UK airports on the first day of a strike by pilots. "After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this," BA said in a statement.

British Airways said Monday it has been forced to cancel almost all its flights from UK airports on the first day of a strike by pilots. "After many months of trying to resolve the pay dispute, we are extremely sorry that it has come to this," BA said in a statement. The airline said it remains willing to return to talks with the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA). "Unfortunately, with no detail from BALPA on which pilots would strike, we had no way of predicting how many would come to work or which aircraft they are qualified to fly, so we had no option but to cancel nearly 100 percent of our flights". The UK flag carrier and its 4,300 pilots have been locked in a nine-month pay dispute that could disrupt the travel plans of nearly 300,000 people. Pilots are to continue their strike on Tuesday and are threatening to strike for one more day on September 27 -- and then possibly again closer to the winter holidays -- should the dispute rage on. BALPA has rejected a pay increase of 11.5 percent over three years that the airline proposed in July. BA says the offer would see flight captains receive "world-class" pay and benefits of around £200,000 ($246,000 or 220,000 euros) a year. It also points out that two other unions representing 90 percent of the airlines' workers have accepted the 11.5-percent raise. BALPA counters that co-pilots' salaries average around £70,000 -- and that of junior ones drops down to just £26,000. This leaves some in heavy debt since they must first undergo training that the BBC estimates costs around £100,000. BALPA also points to a nearly 10-percent jump in pre-tax profits reported by BA's parent company IAG last year.

British Airways says almost all UK flights cancelled over strike

British Airways pilots began a 48-hour strike on Monday, grounding most of the airline's flights and disrupting thousands of travellers' plans in unprecedented industrial action over a pay dispute.

British Airways pilots began a 48-hour strike on Monday, grounding most of the airline's flights and disrupting thousands of travellers' plans in unprecedented industrial action over a pay dispute. The British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) last month gave the airline notice of three days of industrial action in September, in what is the first-ever strike by BA pilots. Following the strikes on Sept. 9 and 10, another day of industrial action is scheduled for Sept. 27. BALPA has said that British Airways (BA) should share more of its profits with its pilots. BA has said the strike action is unjustifiable as its pay offer was fair. Thousands of customers have had to seek alternative travel arrangements, and the airline has come in for criticism over how it handled communications with passengers ahead of the strikes. "This strike will have cost the company considerably more than the investment needed to settle this dispute," BALPA General Secretary Brian Strutton said in a statement on the eve of the strike. "It is time to get back to the negotiating table and put together a serious offer that will end this dispute." Last Thursday, the airline dismissed a new offer by BALPA as an "eleventh hour inflated proposal" that was not made in good faith. BALPA had said it would have called off the strikes this week if BA had engaged with the offer. A spokeswoman for Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged both sides to end the dispute. Asked about the strike action, a spokeswoman for British Airways said: "We remain ready and willing to return to talks with BALPA." The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is investigating the airline after it enraged some travellers by wrongly telling them their flights had been cancelled. The regulator also reminded the airline to proactively tell customers of their rights. During the strikes, BA must offer the passengers reimbursement for cancelled flights, alternate travel arrangements under comparable conditions or a new flight at a later date.

British Airways pilots ground planes in unprecedented 48-hour strike

WION Exclusive speaks to Mandy Clark, London Bureau Chief over British Airways grounded. Almost 1500 planes of British Airways grounded after pilots refused to work due to low payments issue.

WION Exclusive | In conversation with Mandy Clark, London Bureau Chief over British Airways grounded

British Airways cancels all of its flights. Pilot announced the strike on Sept 9 & 10. 48 hrs strike over low pay begins today. Around 4000 pilots joined the strike over profit dispute.

British Airways cancels all of its flights, pilots' strike over low pay begins today

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-airways-suspends-flights-to-cairo-for-seven-days-237378">British Airways pilots </a>on Friday said they will strike for three days in September in a dispute over pay, in a move that could affect tens of thousands of travellers.

The strikes on September 9, 10 and 27 were announced by the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which said there had been a 93-per cent vote in favour of industrial action.

"It is completely unacceptable that Balpa is destroying the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers with this unjustifiable strike action," said the airline.

"We are extremely sorry that after many months of negotiations, based on a very fair offer, Balpa has decided on this reckless course of action," it said.

British Airways said it would change schedules to try and ensure as many people as possible can take their flights but warned that "many" customers will not be able to travel.

"We will be offering refunds and re-bookings for passengers booked on cancelled flights," it said.

Balpa said the strikes were "a last resort" but added that pilots had made "sacrifice after sacrifice" in recent years.

Balpa estimated each day of strike action would cost the company around $49 million. 
&nbsp;

British Airways pilots on Friday said they will strike for three days in September in a dispute over pay, in a move that could affect tens of thousands of travellers.

British Airways pilots on Friday said they will strike for three days in September in a dispute over pay, in a move that could affect tens of thousands of travellers. The strikes on September 9, 10 and 27 were announced by the British Airline Pilots Association (Balpa), which said there had been a 93-per cent vote in favour of industrial action. "It is completely unacceptable that Balpa is destroying the travel plans of tens of thousands of our customers with this unjustifiable strike action," said the airline. "We are extremely sorry that after many months of negotiations, based on a very fair offer, Balpa has decided on this reckless course of action," it said. British Airways said it would change schedules to try and ensure as many people as possible can take their flights but warned that "many" customers will not be able to travel. "We will be offering refunds and re-bookings for passengers booked on cancelled flights," it said. Balpa said the strikes were "a last resort" but added that pilots had made "sacrifice after sacrifice" in recent years. Balpa estimated each day of strike action would cost the company around $49 million.

British Airway pilots to strike for three days in September

The travel plans of hundreds of thousands of British Airways passengers face the threat of disruption next month after pilots at the airline voted to go on strike overpay. In the ballot, 93% of BA’s 4,000 pilots voted in favor of taking industrial action after rejecting a three-year pay deal. Strike dates have yet to be announced by the pilots’ union Balpa, which must give two weeks’ notice of any action. BA is now trying to obtain an injunction to prevent a strike, with a hearing due in the high court on Tuesday morning. It means that Balpa could set a strike date for 6 August if the BA injunction attempt is defeated and the union immediately gives notice of planned walkouts on the same day.

WION Wallet: British Airways union to go on strike

British Airways and Lufthansa abruptly suspended flights to Cairo from Saturday(July 20) over security concerns but giving no details about what may have prompted the move.

British Airways and Lufthansa suspends flights to Cairo

British Airways and Lufthansa abruptly suspended flights to Cairo from Saturday over security concerns but giving no details about what may have prompted the move.

"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment," British Airways said in a statement.

Lufthansa later said it had cancelled its flights to Cairo on Saturday from Munich and Frankfurt and will resume its flights on Sunday

British Airways, a unit of IAG, also said that it would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so. When asked for more details about why flights had been suspended and what security arrangements the airline was reviewing, a spokeswoman responded: "We never discuss matters of security."

Three Egyptian airport security sources told Reuters that British staff had been checking security at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. They gave no further details.

The British Foreign Office updated its travel advisory on Saturday to add a reference to the British Airways' suspension, advising travellers affected to contact the airline.

Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on Saturday that it had contacted the British Embassy in Cairo which had confirmed that the decision to suspend the flights was not issued by Britain's transport or foreign ministries.

The Egyptian ministry added that it will add more flights from Cairo to London starting on Sunday "to facilitate transporting passengers during this period."

The British government has long advised against all but essential travel by air to and from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where a Russian passenger jet was bombed in 2015, but has not issued similar warnings against air travel to and from Cairo.

"There's a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK," the British advisory says.

Tourism, a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt, has been recovering after tourist numbers dropped in the wake of a 2011 uprising and the 2015 bombing of the Russian jet, which killed all 224 people on board shortly after takeoff.

That attack, which was claimed by Islamic State, prompted Russia to halt all flights to Egypt for several years and a number of countries including Britain to cease flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, which have yet to resume.

British Airways and Lufthansa abruptly suspended flights to Cairo from Saturday over security concerns but giving no details about what may have prompted the move.

British Airways and Lufthansa abruptly suspended flights to Cairo from Saturday over security concerns but giving no details about what may have prompted the move. "We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment," British Airways said in a statement. Lufthansa later said it had cancelled its flights to Cairo on Saturday from Munich and Frankfurt and will resume its flights on Sunday British Airways, a unit of IAG, also said that it would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so. When asked for more details about why flights had been suspended and what security arrangements the airline was reviewing, a spokeswoman responded: "We never discuss matters of security." Three Egyptian airport security sources told Reuters that British staff had been checking security at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. They gave no further details. The British Foreign Office updated its travel advisory on Saturday to add a reference to the British Airways' suspension, advising travellers affected to contact the airline. Egypt's Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement late on Saturday that it had contacted the British Embassy in Cairo which had confirmed that the decision to suspend the flights was not issued by Britain's transport or foreign ministries. The Egyptian ministry added that it will add more flights from Cairo to London starting on Sunday "to facilitate transporting passengers during this period." The British government has long advised against all but essential travel by air to and from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, where a Russian passenger jet was bombed in 2015, but has not issued similar warnings against air travel to and from Cairo. "There's a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK," the British advisory says. Tourism, a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt, has been recovering after tourist numbers dropped in the wake of a 2011 uprising and the 2015 bombing of the Russian jet, which killed all 224 people on board shortly after takeoff. That attack, which was claimed by Islamic State, prompted Russia to halt all flights to Egypt for several years and a number of countries including Britain to cease flights to Sharm el-Sheikh, which have yet to resume.

British Airways suspends flights to Cairo for seven days

British Airways has been fined&nbsp;$229.7 million after<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-airways-investigating-theft-of-customer-data-164128"> computer hackers last year</a> stole bank details from hundreds of thousands of passengers, its parent group IAG said Monday.

In a statement, IAG said the UK Information Commissioner’s Office intends to issue the airline with a penalty notice under the UK Data Protection Act, totalling $229.7 million(205 million euros).

The fine is equivalent to 1.5 per cent of British Airways' turnover in 2017, IAG added.

IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said it would consider appealing the fine as it seeks "to take all appropriate steps to defend the airline's position vigorously".

BA's CEO Alex Cruz said the airline was "surprised and disappointed" by the punishment.

"British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers' data," he said in the statement.

"We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused," Cruz added.

BA had revealed the hack in September, just a few months after the European Union tightened data protection laws with the so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

The stolen data comprised customer names, postal addresses, email addresses and credit card information.&nbsp;

However, the 15-day breach, which was fixed on discovery, did not involve travel or passport details.

Following the disclosure of the hack, BA promised to compensate affected customers and took out full-page adverts in the UK newspapers to apologise to passengers.

It had meanwhile described the mass theft as "a very sophisticated, malicious, criminal attack on our website".

IAG is the owner of five airlines, including also Aer Lingus, Iberia, Level and Vueling, none of which were affected by the hack.

GDPR establishes the key principle that individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used.

The case for the new rules had been boosted by a scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users' data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election. 
&nbsp;

British Airways has been fined $229.7 million after computer hackers last year stole bank details from hundreds of thousands of passengers, its parent group IAG said Monday.

British Airways has been fined $229.7 million after computer hackers last year stole bank details from hundreds of thousands of passengers, its parent group IAG said Monday. In a statement, IAG said the UK Information Commissioner’s Office intends to issue the airline with a penalty notice under the UK Data Protection Act, totalling $229.7 million(205 million euros). The fine is equivalent to 1.5 per cent of British Airways' turnover in 2017, IAG added. IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said it would consider appealing the fine as it seeks "to take all appropriate steps to defend the airline's position vigorously". BA's CEO Alex Cruz said the airline was "surprised and disappointed" by the punishment. "British Airways responded quickly to a criminal act to steal customers' data," he said in the statement. "We have found no evidence of fraud/fraudulent activity on accounts linked to the theft. We apologise to our customers for any inconvenience this event caused," Cruz added. BA had revealed the hack in September, just a few months after the European Union tightened data protection laws with the so-called General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The stolen data comprised customer names, postal addresses, email addresses and credit card information. However, the 15-day breach, which was fixed on discovery, did not involve travel or passport details. Following the disclosure of the hack, BA promised to compensate affected customers and took out full-page adverts in the UK newspapers to apologise to passengers. It had meanwhile described the mass theft as "a very sophisticated, malicious, criminal attack on our website". IAG is the owner of five airlines, including also Aer Lingus, Iberia, Level and Vueling, none of which were affected by the hack. GDPR establishes the key principle that individuals must explicitly grant permission for their data to be used. The case for the new rules had been boosted by a scandal over the harvesting of Facebook users' data by Cambridge Analytica, a US-British political research firm, for the 2016 US presidential election.

British Airways fined $229 million over theft of passenger data

Some of the world's leading carriers including<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/we-were-cocked-and-loaded-to-retaliate-i-stopped-it-10-minutes-before-striking-iran-trump-229293"> British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines</a> on Friday suspended flights over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran-US tensions flared over the downing of a drone.

The suspensions affected thousands of passengers and came after the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), "prohibiting US-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman".&nbsp;

The NOTAM was in response to "heightened military activities and increased political tensions that might place commercial flights at risk", an FAA statement said, as Tehran and Washington engaged in a war of words over Thursday's missile strike on the drone.

The FAA's notice applied only to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/had-received-message-from-trump-through-oman-warning-attack-was-imminent-iran-officials-229209">US-registered airlines, and United Airlines </a>said it was suspending its Newark-Mumbai service in response.&nbsp;

But European, Asian and Gulf operators were taking no chances.

"Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities -- including the likes of the FAA -- around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate," a BA spokeswoman said.

Germany's Lufthansa and Dutch airline KLM followed suit in bypassing the Hormuz area, although Air France said it was already flying farther south.&nbsp;

Dubai-based Emirates said it had rerouted flights to avoid "areas of possible conflict" while Abu Dhabi's Etihad announced it had "agreed to change a number of the flight paths" operating over the Gulf.

Iran's downing of the drone -- which Washington insists was above international waters but Iran says was within its airspace -- has seen tensions between the two countries spike after a series of attacks on tanker ships blamed by the US on Tehran.

The Global Hawk surveillance aircraft can attain a maximum altitude of 18,000 metres (60,000 feet), nearly double the typical cruising height of a passenger plane.

KLM said: "The incident with the drone is reason not to fly over the Strait of Hormuz for the time being. This is a precautionary measure."

The Netherlands is still reeling from the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, which was hit a missile over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region where pro-Russian separatist rebels are battling Ukraine government forces.

All 298 people on board were killed, 196 of them Dutch.

International investigators on Wednesday charged three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder over the shooting down of the plane, which was travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur.&nbsp;

The incident forced airlines on the busy Europe-Asia route to divert flights away from Ukraine airspace.

Responding to the latest tensions over Iran, Malaysia Airlines said it "is closely monitoring the situation and is guided by various assessments including security reports and NOTAMs by respective airspace control authorities".&nbsp;

Australia's flag carrier Qantas said it was avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman "until further notice", while Singapore Airlines warned passengers that its flight times to Europe would likely take longer now.

Europe-Asia flights have already faced disruption since February, when Pakistan restricted large swathes of airspace near India due to cross-border air strikes which came close to all-out war between the nuclear-armed rivals.

"This (Pakistan's action) has also pushed much of the transiting traffic south, nearer to the area now prohibited to US carriers," the flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said in a blog.

Alex Macheras, an independent aviation analyst in London, said the Hormuz diversions were another image problem for Iran after the "mass exodus" of European airlines, which had to abandon their Tehran routes following the restoration of US sanctions.

Pointing back to the Ukraine downing, Pakistan's closure and other incidents, he told AFP "more and more passengers have been affected by geopolitics", and many travellers were avoiding stopovers in the Middle East altogether.

Some of the world's leading carriers including British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines on Friday suspended flights over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran-US tensions flared over the downing of a drone.

Some of the world's leading carriers including British Airways, Qantas and Singapore Airlines on Friday suspended flights over the Strait of Hormuz, as Iran-US tensions flared over the downing of a drone. The suspensions affected thousands of passengers and came after the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), "prohibiting US-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman". The NOTAM was in response to "heightened military activities and increased political tensions that might place commercial flights at risk", an FAA statement said, as Tehran and Washington engaged in a war of words over Thursday's missile strike on the drone. The FAA's notice applied only to US-registered airlines, and United Airlines said it was suspending its Newark-Mumbai service in response. But European, Asian and Gulf operators were taking no chances. "Our safety and security team are constantly liaising with authorities -- including the likes of the FAA -- around the world as part of their comprehensive risk assessment into every route we operate," a BA spokeswoman said. Germany's Lufthansa and Dutch airline KLM followed suit in bypassing the Hormuz area, although Air France said it was already flying farther south. Dubai-based Emirates said it had rerouted flights to avoid "areas of possible conflict" while Abu Dhabi's Etihad announced it had "agreed to change a number of the flight paths" operating over the Gulf. Iran's downing of the drone -- which Washington insists was above international waters but Iran says was within its airspace -- has seen tensions between the two countries spike after a series of attacks on tanker ships blamed by the US on Tehran. The Global Hawk surveillance aircraft can attain a maximum altitude of 18,000 metres (60,000 feet), nearly double the typical cruising height of a passenger plane. KLM said: "The incident with the drone is reason not to fly over the Strait of Hormuz for the time being. This is a precautionary measure." The Netherlands is still reeling from the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in 2014, which was hit a missile over eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region where pro-Russian separatist rebels are battling Ukraine government forces. All 298 people on board were killed, 196 of them Dutch. International investigators on Wednesday charged three Russians and a Ukrainian with murder over the shooting down of the plane, which was travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur. The incident forced airlines on the busy Europe-Asia route to divert flights away from Ukraine airspace. Responding to the latest tensions over Iran, Malaysia Airlines said it "is closely monitoring the situation and is guided by various assessments including security reports and NOTAMs by respective airspace control authorities". Australia's flag carrier Qantas said it was avoiding the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman "until further notice", while Singapore Airlines warned passengers that its flight times to Europe would likely take longer now. Europe-Asia flights have already faced disruption since February, when Pakistan restricted large swathes of airspace near India due to cross-border air strikes which came close to all-out war between the nuclear-armed rivals. "This (Pakistan's action) has also pushed much of the transiting traffic south, nearer to the area now prohibited to US carriers," the flight-tracking website Flightradar24 said in a blog. Alex Macheras, an independent aviation analyst in London, said the Hormuz diversions were another image problem for Iran after the "mass exodus" of European airlines, which had to abandon their Tehran routes following the restoration of US sanctions. Pointing back to the Ukraine downing, Pakistan's closure and other incidents, he told AFP "more and more passengers have been affected by geopolitics", and many travellers were avoiding stopovers in the Middle East altogether.

British Airways, Qantas, Lufthansa suspend flights over Strait of Hormuz

No Amount Of Controversies Seems To Be Able To Affect The Business Of Boeing Two crashes, 346 deaths later, there are still takers for Boeing. British Airways' wants to buy 200 737 Max jets. In fact, this will be one of the most lucrative deals ever for Boeing. The company seems to be able to ward off any controversy, however big it is. Here's a report

Gravitas: British Airways' owner to buy 737 Max

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/british-airways-resumes-flights-to-pakistan-after-over-10-years-223733">Pakistan welcomed the first British Airways</a> (BA) flight on Monday after a decade-long absence due to security fears, with ministers saying it will boost business, trade and tourism between the South Asian nation and Britain.

BA's Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed in Islamabad from Heathrow airport to begin three flights per week service, Pakistan's Civil Aviation spokesperson Farah Hussain said. High-ranking Pakistani and British embassy officials welcomed the flight, which returned to Britain the same day.

"With this kind of connectivity that we now have, British investors will find it so easy, Pakistani diaspora will find it very easy, our own exporters, our own business people will now have great connectivity of going from here to London," said Pakistan's trade and industry minister Abdul Razaq Dawood.

"From London, the whole world is open to us."

British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and BA's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Brem called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said the resumption of BA flights to Pakistan will boost tourism in the country and encourage increased trade and investment.

"The links between Britain and Pakistan are already extra-ordinary from commerce, cricket and culture to people, politics and education," Drew added.

"This launch is a vote of confidence in the future of those links."

BA halted service to Pakistan following the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in the capital Islamabad which took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence in Pakistan.

Security has improved since, with militant attacks sharply down in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people, reviving Pakistan as a destination for tourist and investors.

At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its ageing fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers.

BA's Brem said the airline decided to resume operations due to increasing demand and the improved security situation in Pakistan.

"The priority for us is to fly where our passengers want to go and we absolutely had a demand to travel to Islamabad," Brem told a news conference.

Pakistan welcomed the first British Airways (BA) flight on Monday after a decade-long absence due to security fears, with ministers saying it will boost business, trade and tourism between the South Asian nation and Britain.

Pakistan welcomed the first British Airways (BA) flight on Monday after a decade-long absence due to security fears, with ministers saying it will boost business, trade and tourism between the South Asian nation and Britain. BA's Boeing 787 Dreamliner landed in Islamabad from Heathrow airport to begin three flights per week service, Pakistan's Civil Aviation spokesperson Farah Hussain said. High-ranking Pakistani and British embassy officials welcomed the flight, which returned to Britain the same day. "With this kind of connectivity that we now have, British investors will find it so easy, Pakistani diaspora will find it very easy, our own exporters, our own business people will now have great connectivity of going from here to London," said Pakistan's trade and industry minister Abdul Razaq Dawood. "From London, the whole world is open to us." British High Commissioner Thomas Drew and BA's Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Brem called on Prime Minister Imran Khan, who said the resumption of BA flights to Pakistan will boost tourism in the country and encourage increased trade and investment. "The links between Britain and Pakistan are already extra-ordinary from commerce, cricket and culture to people, politics and education," Drew added. "This launch is a vote of confidence in the future of those links." BA halted service to Pakistan following the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in the capital Islamabad which took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence in Pakistan. Security has improved since, with militant attacks sharply down in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people, reviving Pakistan as a destination for tourist and investors. At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its ageing fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers. BA's Brem said the airline decided to resume operations due to increasing demand and the improved security situation in Pakistan. "The priority for us is to fly where our passengers want to go and we absolutely had a demand to travel to Islamabad," Brem told a news conference.

Pakistan sees business boost in British Airways flights resumption

British Airways on Sunday resumed flight operations to Pakistan, more than ten years after halting the service in the wake of a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-hotel-attack-process-of-clearing-enters-final-stage-all-guests-staff-members-rescued-safely-217875">suicide bombing attack</a> that had killed more than 50 people at Islamabad`s Marriott Hotel.

A report by Geo News states that the official announcement on the same was made in March by a British Airways spokesperson. The fights will operate three times a week between the British city of Heathrow and Pakistani capital Islamabad.

The first flight (BA-621) is set to land at the Islamabad International airport at 9: 25 am (local time) on Monday, reports The Express Tribune.

British High Commissioner Thomas Drew has said the airline's resuming operations is a testament to the improving security situation in Pakistan.

In a video message posted on his official Twitter handle on Sunday, Drew said, "This is a big day for the UK and Pakistan as the first flight of British Airways new direct service takes off from London's Heathrow, headed here to Islamabad."

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Tonight at London Heathrow. <a href="https://twitter.com/British_Airways?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@British_Airways</a> <a href="https://t.co/sEh8OxgiQo">pic.twitter.com/sEh8OxgiQo</a>
— Thomas Drew (@TomDrewUK) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomDrewUK/status/1135248868696834049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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British Airways is the first European airline to return to Pakistan after more than 10 years.

Several other major airlines have also shown a keen interest in initiating operations to Islamabad.

"I see this new service as a vote of confidence in the future of those links it will give a particular boost to trade and investment," Drew added. 
&nbsp;

British Airways on Sunday resumed flight operations to Pakistan, more than ten years after halting the service in the wake of a suicide bombing attack that had killed more than 50 people at Islamabad`s Marriott Hotel.

British Airways on Sunday resumed flight operations to Pakistan, more than ten years after halting the service in the wake of a suicide bombing attack that had killed more than 50 people at Islamabad`s Marriott Hotel. A report by Geo News states that the official announcement on the same was made in March by a British Airways spokesperson. The fights will operate three times a week between the British city of Heathrow and Pakistani capital Islamabad. The first flight (BA-621) is set to land at the Islamabad International airport at 9: 25 am (local time) on Monday, reports The Express Tribune. British High Commissioner Thomas Drew has said the airline's resuming operations is a testament to the improving security situation in Pakistan. In a video message posted on his official Twitter handle on Sunday, Drew said, "This is a big day for the UK and Pakistan as the first flight of British Airways new direct service takes off from London's Heathrow, headed here to Islamabad." Tonight at London Heathrow. @British_Airways pic.twitter.com/sEh8OxgiQo — Thomas Drew (@TomDrewUK) June 2, 2019 × British Airways is the first European airline to return to Pakistan after more than 10 years. Several other major airlines have also shown a keen interest in initiating operations to Islamabad. "I see this new service as a vote of confidence in the future of those links it will give a particular boost to trade and investment," Drew added.

British Airways resumes flights to Pakistan after over 10 years

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next week a decade after it suspended operations following a major hotel bombing, becoming the first Western airline to restart flights to the South Asian country.

BA halted service to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-says-it-wants-peace-with-india-conducts-missile-test-221031">Pakistan </a>in the wake of the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in the capital Islamabad that took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence in Pakistan.

Security has since improved, with militant attacks sharply down in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people, reviving Pakistan as a destination for tourists and investors.

"The final touches are coming together for the airline's return ahead of the first flight on Sunday, June 2," British Airways said in a statement. It will launch a three-per-week service to London Heathrow, it said.

"We're on board," Pakistani Civil Aviation spokeswoman Farah Hussain said about the flights' resumption.

BA, which is owned by Spanish-registered IAG, will begin the London Heathrow-Islamabad service with the airline's newest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its ageing fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers.

Middle Eastern carriers Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates have a strong presence in Pakistan and have been eating into PIA's dwindling market share. Turkish Airlines also lays on a regular service to Pakistan.

Islamabad has been running international advertising campaigns to rejuvenate its tourism sector, which was wiped out by Islamist violence that destabilised the country following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the US-led war in Afghanistan.

"We hope customers in both the UK and Pakistan will enjoy the classically British service we offer, with thoughtful bespoke touches," Andrew Brem, Chief Commercial Officer at British Airways, said in BA's statement.

BA said there will be a halal meal option in every cabin and the airline would also ensure sauces in every meal do not contain alcohol or pork.

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next week a decade after it suspended operations following a major hotel bombing, becoming the first Western airline to restart flights to the South Asian country.

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next week a decade after it suspended operations following a major hotel bombing, becoming the first Western airline to restart flights to the South Asian country. BA halted service to Pakistan in the wake of the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing in the capital Islamabad that took place during a period of devastating Islamist militant violence in Pakistan. Security has since improved, with militant attacks sharply down in the mainly Muslim country of 208 million people, reviving Pakistan as a destination for tourists and investors. "The final touches are coming together for the airline's return ahead of the first flight on Sunday, June 2," British Airways said in a statement. It will launch a three-per-week service to London Heathrow, it said. "We're on board," Pakistani Civil Aviation spokeswoman Farah Hussain said about the flights' resumption. BA, which is owned by Spanish-registered IAG, will begin the London Heathrow-Islamabad service with the airline's newest long-haul aircraft, the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. At present, only loss-making national carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flies directly from Pakistan to Britain, but its ageing fleet of planes is a frequent source of complaints by passengers. Middle Eastern carriers Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates have a strong presence in Pakistan and have been eating into PIA's dwindling market share. Turkish Airlines also lays on a regular service to Pakistan. Islamabad has been running international advertising campaigns to rejuvenate its tourism sector, which was wiped out by Islamist violence that destabilised the country following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in the United States and the US-led war in Afghanistan. "We hope customers in both the UK and Pakistan will enjoy the classically British service we offer, with thoughtful bespoke touches," Andrew Brem, Chief Commercial Officer at British Airways, said in BA's statement. BA said there will be a halal meal option in every cabin and the airline would also ensure sauces in every meal do not contain alcohol or pork.

British Airways to resume Pakistan flights next week after a decade

A British Airways plane flew by mistake from London to Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf in Germany on Monday.

Passengers only found out about the mishap when the pilot said the plane was coming in to land in Edinburgh, which is around 500 miles (800 kilometres) from Dusseldorf.

After the crew realised the mistake, the plane was refuelled and flown to Dusseldorf, landing in Germany with a delay of more than three and a half hours.

"We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed," a spokesman said.

Twitter user Son Tran, who said he was on the plane, said: "While an interesting concept, I don't think anyone on board has signed up for this mystery travel lottery".

Another passenger, Sophie Cooke, told the BBC that the wait in Edinburgh "became very frustrating".

"The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks. It was also really stuffy," Cooke said.

A British Airways plane flew by mistake from London to Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf in Germany on Monday. Passengers only found out about the mishap when the pilot said the plane was coming in to land in Edinburgh, which is around 500 miles (800 kilometres) from Dusseldorf.

A British Airways plane flew by mistake from London to Edinburgh instead of Dusseldorf in Germany on Monday. Passengers only found out about the mishap when the pilot said the plane was coming in to land in Edinburgh, which is around 500 miles (800 kilometres) from Dusseldorf. After the crew realised the mistake, the plane was refuelled and flown to Dusseldorf, landing in Germany with a delay of more than three and a half hours. "We are working with WDL Aviation, who operated this flight on behalf of British Airways, to establish why the incorrect flight plan was filed," a spokesman said. Twitter user Son Tran, who said he was on the plane, said: "While an interesting concept, I don't think anyone on board has signed up for this mystery travel lottery". Another passenger, Sophie Cooke, told the BBC that the wait in Edinburgh "became very frustrating". "The toilets were blocked and they ran out of snacks. It was also really stuffy," Cooke said.

British Airways flight ends up in wrong city

Virgin Atlantic female cabin crew are to be allowed to work without wearing make-up, the company announced and will be able to wear trousers as a standard option in their signature red uniforms.

Previously trousers, although permitted, had to be specially ordered from the airline's uniforms department.

"Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, but they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work," Virgin said in a statement.

It added: "Female cabin crew are no longer required to wear any makeup if they so choose. &nbsp;They are, however, still very welcome to wear any of our existing palette of make-up (including lipstick and foundations) set out in Virgin Atlantic’s guidelines."

Trousers are now available as an option for all women and will be provided as standard when joining Virgin Atlantic, it said.

The changes come after feedback from employees of the airline, and as some of its newer competitors are relaxing traditional cabin crew uniform rules.

Several airlines such as British Airways and Emirates still require female cabin crew to wear make-up while working, although in 2016 British Airways did drop its rule that women could not wear trousers.

Virgin Atlantic female cabin crew are to be allowed to work without wearing make-up, the company announced and will be able to wear trousers as a standard option in their signature red uniforms.

Virgin Atlantic female cabin crew are to be allowed to work without wearing make-up, the company announced and will be able to wear trousers as a standard option in their signature red uniforms. Previously trousers, although permitted, had to be specially ordered from the airline's uniforms department. "Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, but they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work," Virgin said in a statement. It added: "Female cabin crew are no longer required to wear any makeup if they so choose. They are, however, still very welcome to wear any of our existing palette of make-up (including lipstick and foundations) set out in Virgin Atlantic’s guidelines." Trousers are now available as an option for all women and will be provided as standard when joining Virgin Atlantic, it said. The changes come after feedback from employees of the airline, and as some of its newer competitors are relaxing traditional cabin crew uniform rules. Several airlines such as British Airways and Emirates still require female cabin crew to wear make-up while working, although in 2016 British Airways did drop its rule that women could not wear trousers.

Virgin Atlantic drops mandatory make-up rule for cabin crew

Ryanair on Monday unveiled plans for an overhaul to create four subsidiaries, as the Irish no-frills airline revealed also a third-quarter loss of 20 million euros and said a no-deal Brexit "remains worryingly high".

Mirroring a set-up by British Airways and Iberia owner IAG, a statement said Ryanair planned to have four distinct operations, each with its own chief executive.

The airline's current chief executive, Michael O'Leary, will head up the overall group, Ryanair said. Under him will be Ryanair DAC overseeing the Irish operations and there will be also Ryanair UK, Laudamotion for its Austrian business and Ryanair Sun, or Polish unit.

"Having agreed to this group strategy as the best way to grow Ryanair, Sun, Lauda and other possible airline brands, Michael O'Leary has agreed a new five-year contract as group CEO," the statement said.

It added: "Over the next 12 months Ryanair Holdings Plc will move to a group structure not dissimilar to that of IAG.&nbsp;

"A small senior management team will oversee the development of four airline subsidiaries... (focusing) upon efficient capital allocation, cost reductions, aircraft acquisitions, and small scale M&amp;A opportunities," the statement said

On the latest group earnings performance, O'Leary said that while the 20 million euros ($23 million) net loss was "disappointing", the group takes "comfort that this was entirely due to weaker than expected airfares".

Last month, Ryanair cut its annual profit forecast for a second time, blaming lower airfares caused by overcapacity in the European short-haul sector.

Following Monday's update, Ryanair's share price slumped 4.4 per cent to 10.94 euros.

“For all the controversy and success, investors are entitled to at least question if O'Leary is the right man to take the company forward given the patchy recent track record and a stalling share price," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell.

"A new management structure... will probably put some distance between him and the unions."

Ryanair's recent performance has been hit also by pan-European strikes last year that forced it to cancel flights, affecting thousands of passengers, and offer improved pay deals to staff via landmark deals with unions.

On Monday meanwhile, the Dublin-based airline again spoke out on Brexit.

"The risk of a 'no-deal' Brexit remains worryingly high. While we hope that common sense will prevail and lead to either a delay in Brexit or agreement on the 21-month transition deal currently on the table, we have taken all necessary steps to protect Ryanair’s business in a no-deal environment," the statement said.&nbsp;

Britain accounts for about one-quarter of revenues at Ryanair, causing the airline to warn frequently about potential fallout from the UK's rocky path to exiting the European Union.

And while the airline sector as a whole took a knock last year from high oil prices, a sharp reduction in fuel costs in recent months has removed such pressures.

But the European short-haul sector remains weighed down by fierce competition despite some consolidation, including Ryanair's purchase of Austrian carrier Laudamotion in 2018.&nbsp;

Ryanair on Monday unveiled plans for an overhaul to create four subsidiaries, as the Irish no-frills airline revealed also a third-quarter loss of 20 million euros and said a no-deal Brexit "remains worryingly high".

Ryanair on Monday unveiled plans for an overhaul to create four subsidiaries, as the Irish no-frills airline revealed also a third-quarter loss of 20 million euros and said a no-deal Brexit "remains worryingly high". Mirroring a set-up by British Airways and Iberia owner IAG, a statement said Ryanair planned to have four distinct operations, each with its own chief executive. The airline's current chief executive, Michael O'Leary, will head up the overall group, Ryanair said. Under him will be Ryanair DAC overseeing the Irish operations and there will be also Ryanair UK, Laudamotion for its Austrian business and Ryanair Sun, or Polish unit. "Having agreed to this group strategy as the best way to grow Ryanair, Sun, Lauda and other possible airline brands, Michael O'Leary has agreed a new five-year contract as group CEO," the statement said. It added: "Over the next 12 months Ryanair Holdings Plc will move to a group structure not dissimilar to that of IAG. "A small senior management team will oversee the development of four airline subsidiaries... (focusing) upon efficient capital allocation, cost reductions, aircraft acquisitions, and small scale M&A opportunities," the statement said On the latest group earnings performance, O'Leary said that while the 20 million euros ($23 million) net loss was "disappointing", the group takes "comfort that this was entirely due to weaker than expected airfares". Last month, Ryanair cut its annual profit forecast for a second time, blaming lower airfares caused by overcapacity in the European short-haul sector. Following Monday's update, Ryanair's share price slumped 4.4 per cent to 10.94 euros. “For all the controversy and success, investors are entitled to at least question if O'Leary is the right man to take the company forward given the patchy recent track record and a stalling share price," said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. "A new management structure... will probably put some distance between him and the unions." Ryanair's recent performance has been hit also by pan-European strikes last year that forced it to cancel flights, affecting thousands of passengers, and offer improved pay deals to staff via landmark deals with unions. On Monday meanwhile, the Dublin-based airline again spoke out on Brexit. "The risk of a 'no-deal' Brexit remains worryingly high. While we hope that common sense will prevail and lead to either a delay in Brexit or agreement on the 21-month transition deal currently on the table, we have taken all necessary steps to protect Ryanair’s business in a no-deal environment," the statement said. Britain accounts for about one-quarter of revenues at Ryanair, causing the airline to warn frequently about potential fallout from the UK's rocky path to exiting the European Union. And while the airline sector as a whole took a knock last year from high oil prices, a sharp reduction in fuel costs in recent months has removed such pressures. But the European short-haul sector remains weighed down by fierce competition despite some consolidation, including Ryanair's purchase of Austrian carrier Laudamotion in 2018.

Ryanair to restructure, posts quarterly loss

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next summer, the carrier announced Tuesday, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline a decade after suspending operations due to security fears.

The British carrier, which halted services in 2008 after the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad, will return in June 2019 with three weekly flights from London's Heathrow airport to the Pakistani capital, airline officials said.

British Airways had six weekly flights to the Pakistani capital before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns.

The carrier's announcement was "a reflection of the great improvements in the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pakistan-a-democracy-in-name-not-in-reality-husain-haqqani-185006">security situation in Pakistan</a>" in the years since then, said British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew in a statement. &nbsp;

"We only fly somewhere when we know it's safe to do so," Robert Williams, BA's head of sales for Asia, told a press conference in Islamabad.

Tickets starting at $630 were due to go on sale from Tuesday.

The announcement caused a stir on Twitter, where it was greeted with jubilation by many Pakistanis, and the Pakistan army tweeted its gratitude to the airline using the hashtag #PeacefulPakistan.

Britain is home to more than a million residents of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora community in Europe. The struggling Pakistan International Airlines is currently the only carrier with direct flights between the two countries.&nbsp;

Since the Marriott attack the country has been largely dependent on Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates and Etihad, with most international flights routed through the Gulf, making travel expensive and cumbersome for many passengers.

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific was one of the last major international carriers to cease operations in Pakistan after dozens were killed during a 2014 siege at Karachi airport by Taliban militants.

Pakistan has battled homegrown militancy for nearly 15 years, with tens of thousands of people killed.

But the country has seen a dramatic turnaround recently, with security largely stabilised following several military offensives along the Afghan border and crackdowns on insurgents in urban centres.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/dissident-pakistanis-call-for-choking-of-funds-of-militant-groups-184721">Militants retain the ability </a>to carry out devastating attacks, however, and analysts have long warned that Pakistan has yet to tackle the root problems of extremism.

Many Western countries have travel advisories in place to warn their citizens of the potential for kidnapping and bomb attacks, especially in areas near the Afghan border.

The announcement came after <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pak-pm-imran-khan-condemns-killing-of-seven-civilians-in-kashmirs-pulwama-threatens-to-raise-the-issue-at-un-184640">Prime Minister Imran Khan</a> vowed to revitalise Pakistan's struggling tourism industry in an effort to bring in much-needed revenue to its fragile economy.

Pakistan has a rich cultural and archaeological heritage, along with serene alpine valleys, pristine beaches and vast deserts peppered with vibrant Islamic shrines.

The country is also home to some of the world's tallest peaks including K-2 — the second highest summit after Everest, which sits atop a region of 120 other mountains rising above 7,000 metres (23,000 feet).

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next summer, the carrier announced Tuesday, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline a decade after suspending operations due to security fears.

British Airways will resume flights to Pakistan next summer, the carrier announced Tuesday, in a major vote of confidence from a Western airline a decade after suspending operations due to security fears. The British carrier, which halted services in 2008 after the deadly Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad, will return in June 2019 with three weekly flights from London's Heathrow airport to the Pakistani capital, airline officials said. British Airways had six weekly flights to the Pakistani capital before the Marriott attack, which killed more than 50 people and triggered a major drawdown by embassies and international agencies over safety concerns. The carrier's announcement was "a reflection of the great improvements in the security situation in Pakistan" in the years since then, said British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew in a statement. "We only fly somewhere when we know it's safe to do so," Robert Williams, BA's head of sales for Asia, told a press conference in Islamabad. Tickets starting at $630 were due to go on sale from Tuesday. The announcement caused a stir on Twitter, where it was greeted with jubilation by many Pakistanis, and the Pakistan army tweeted its gratitude to the airline using the hashtag #PeacefulPakistan. Britain is home to more than a million residents of Pakistani origin, making it the largest Pakistani diaspora community in Europe. The struggling Pakistan International Airlines is currently the only carrier with direct flights between the two countries. Since the Marriott attack the country has been largely dependent on Middle Eastern airlines such as Emirates and Etihad, with most international flights routed through the Gulf, making travel expensive and cumbersome for many passengers. Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific was one of the last major international carriers to cease operations in Pakistan after dozens were killed during a 2014 siege at Karachi airport by Taliban militants. Pakistan has battled homegrown militancy for nearly 15 years, with tens of thousands of people killed. But the country has seen a dramatic turnaround recently, with security largely stabilised following several military offensives along the Afghan border and crackdowns on insurgents in urban centres. Militants retain the ability to carry out devastating attacks, however, and analysts have long warned that Pakistan has yet to tackle the root problems of extremism. Many Western countries have travel advisories in place to warn their citizens of the potential for kidnapping and bomb attacks, especially in areas near the Afghan border. The announcement came after Prime Minister Imran Khan vowed to revitalise Pakistan's struggling tourism industry in an effort to bring in much-needed revenue to its fragile economy. Pakistan has a rich cultural and archaeological heritage, along with serene alpine valleys, pristine beaches and vast deserts peppered with vibrant Islamic shrines. The country is also home to some of the world's tallest peaks including K-2 — the second highest summit after Everest, which sits atop a region of 120 other mountains rising above 7,000 metres (23,000 feet).

British Airways returns to Pakistan after a decade

Two airline pilots have reported spotted an unidentified flying object (UFO) off the coast of Ireland. News reports Tuesday said the sighting is being investigated by the Irish Aviation Authority.&nbsp;

The alleged UFO was spotted by the pilots of British Airways flight BA94 on November 9.&nbsp;

The pilots called air traffic control in Shannon and reported seeing an object moving past their aircraft; they then asked if there were any military exercises taking place off the west coast of Ireland.

The news reports said the pilots was told there were no military exercises being conducted in the area.&nbsp;

The news reports said the pilots described the alleged UFO as a very bright light travelling at very high speed.

The reports added that&nbsp;a Virgin Airlines pilot had mentioned a possible meteor in the area, and described several objects travelling along the same path.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Two airline pilots have reported spotted an unidentified flying object (UFO) off the coast of Ireland. News reports Tuesday said the sighting is being investigated by the Irish Aviation Authority.

Two airline pilots have reported spotted an unidentified flying object (UFO) off the coast of Ireland. News reports Tuesday said the sighting is being investigated by the Irish Aviation Authority. The alleged UFO was spotted by the pilots of British Airways flight BA94 on November 9. The pilots called air traffic control in Shannon and reported seeing an object moving past their aircraft; they then asked if there were any military exercises taking place off the west coast of Ireland. The news reports said the pilots was told there were no military exercises being conducted in the area. The news reports said the pilots described the alleged UFO as a very bright light travelling at very high speed. The reports added that a Virgin Airlines pilot had mentioned a possible meteor in the area, and described several objects travelling along the same path.

British Airways pilots report seeing UFO off west coast of Ireland

British Airways (BA) said it would take steps to ensure there was no repeat of a computer system failure that stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend and turned into a public relations disaster.

BA had been forced to cancel all its flights from Heathrow, Europe&#39;s busiest airport, and Gatwick on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its operations worldwide and also hit its call centers and website.

The airline was returning to normal on Monday, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick, with only a handful of short-haul flights canceled.

BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz said the root of the problem, which also affected passengers trying to fly into Britain, had been a power surge on Saturday morning which hit BA&#39;s flight, baggage and communication systems. It was so strong it also rendered the back-up systems ineffective, he said.

&quot;Once the disruption is over, we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into what caused this incident, and take measures to ensure it never happens again,&quot; Cruz said.

Over the weekend, some stranded passengers curled up under blankets on the floor or slumped on luggage trolleys, images that played prominently online and in newspapers.

&quot;Apologises all well and good but not enough. BA has lost another loyal customer #disgraceful,&quot; tweeted Tom Callway, who had been due to fly to Budapest.

The company was left counting the cost of the disruption, both in terms of a one-off impact to its profit and the longer term damage to its reputation.

Spanish-listed shares of parent company IAG, which also owns carriers Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, dropped 2.8 per cent on Monday after the outage. The London-listed shares did not trade because of a public holiday.

Flight compensation website Flightright.com said that with around 800 flights canceled at Gatwick and Heathrow on Saturday and Sunday, BA was looking at having to pay around 61 million euros ($68 million) in compensation under EU rules. That does not include the cost of reimbursing customers for hotel stays.

BA would fully honor its compensation obligations, Cruz said. Of the 75,000 passengers who missed out on flights, around two-thirds would have been flown to their destinations by the end of Monday, he added.

Cost cutting

BA has been cutting costs to respond to competition on short-haul routes from Ryanair and easyJet and recently faced criticism for starting to charge passengers for their in-flight snacks.

Ireland&#39;s Ryanair was quick to seize on the marketing opportunity, tweeting &quot;Should have flown Ryanair&quot; with a picture of the &#39;Computer says no&#39; sketch from the TV series &quot;Little Britain&quot; to poke fun at BA.

Ryanair said it had seen a spike in bookings over the weekend but gave no further details.

The GMB union said that BA&#39;s IT systems had shortcomings after they made a number of staff redundant and shifted their work to India in 2016.

&quot;This could have all been avoided. BA in 2016 made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India,&quot; Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for Aviation, said.

Cruz rejected the union criticism.

&quot;They&#39;ve all been local issues around a local data center, which has been managed and fixed by local resources,&quot; he told Sky News.

Several passengers complained about a lack of information from BA staff at the airport. Others said their luggage had been lost.

The airline said it was working to get reunite passengers with their luggage after many items were left at Heathrow over the weekend, although staff on Twitter warned this &quot;could take some time&quot;.

While other airlines have been hit by computer problems, the scale and length of BA&#39;s troubles were unusual.

Delta Air Lines canceled thousands of flights and delayed many others last August after an outage hit its computer systems.

Last month, Germany&#39;s Lufthansa and Air France suffered a global system outage which briefly prevented them from boarding passengers.

(Reuters)

The airline is returning to normal, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick

British Airways (BA) said it would take steps to ensure there was no repeat of a computer system failure that stranded 75,000 passengers over a holiday weekend and turned into a public relations disaster. BA had been forced to cancel all its flights from Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, and Gatwick on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its operations worldwide and also hit its call centers and website. The airline was returning to normal on Monday, planning to run more than 95 per cent of flights from London Heathrow and Gatwick, with only a handful of short-haul flights canceled. BA Chief Executive Alex Cruz said the root of the problem, which also affected passengers trying to fly into Britain, had been a power surge on Saturday morning which hit BA's flight, baggage and communication systems. It was so strong it also rendered the back-up systems ineffective, he said. "Once the disruption is over, we will carry out an exhaustive investigation into what caused this incident, and take measures to ensure it never happens again," Cruz said. Over the weekend, some stranded passengers curled up under blankets on the floor or slumped on luggage trolleys, images that played prominently online and in newspapers. "Apologises all well and good but not enough. BA has lost another loyal customer #disgraceful," tweeted Tom Callway, who had been due to fly to Budapest. The company was left counting the cost of the disruption, both in terms of a one-off impact to its profit and the longer term damage to its reputation. Spanish-listed shares of parent company IAG, which also owns carriers Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling, dropped 2.8 per cent on Monday after the outage. The London-listed shares did not trade because of a public holiday. Flight compensation website Flightright.com said that with around 800 flights canceled at Gatwick and Heathrow on Saturday and Sunday, BA was looking at having to pay around 61 million euros ($68 million) in compensation under EU rules. That does not include the cost of reimbursing customers for hotel stays. BA would fully honor its compensation obligations, Cruz said. Of the 75,000 passengers who missed out on flights, around two-thirds would have been flown to their destinations by the end of Monday, he added. Cost cutting BA has been cutting costs to respond to competition on short-haul routes from Ryanair and easyJet and recently faced criticism for starting to charge passengers for their in-flight snacks. Ireland's Ryanair was quick to seize on the marketing opportunity, tweeting "Should have flown Ryanair" with a picture of the 'Computer says no' sketch from the TV series "Little Britain" to poke fun at BA. Ryanair said it had seen a spike in bookings over the weekend but gave no further details. The GMB union said that BA's IT systems had shortcomings after they made a number of staff redundant and shifted their work to India in 2016. "This could have all been avoided. BA in 2016 made hundreds of dedicated and loyal IT staff redundant and outsourced the work to India," Mick Rix, GMB National Officer for Aviation, said. Cruz rejected the union criticism. "They've all been local issues around a local data center, which has been managed and fixed by local resources," he told Sky News. Several passengers complained about a lack of information from BA staff at the airport. Others said their luggage had been lost. The airline said it was working to get reunite passengers with their luggage after many items were left at Heathrow over the weekend, although staff on Twitter warned this "could take some time". While other airlines have been hit by computer problems, the scale and length of BA's troubles were unusual. Delta Air Lines canceled thousands of flights and delayed many others last August after an outage hit its computer systems. Last month, Germany's Lufthansa and Air France suffered a global system outage which briefly prevented them from boarding passengers. (Reuters)

British Airways vows 'never again' after costly IT collapse

British Airways GMB union has blamed the airline&#39;s 2016 decision of outsourcing IT jobs to India as the reason behind cancelling all Saturday flights from London&#39;s two biggest airports: Heathrow and Gatwick.

The GMB union said the airline&#39;s decision to outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India last year was behind the problems, the Guardian reported.

The GMB union said BA laid off hundreds of IT staff last year and outsourced the work to India and blamed cost cutting for the travel chaos.

&quot;This could have all been avoided,&quot; said Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at the GMB union. According to the GMB website, the union had on February on February 29, 2016 warned against BA outsourcing IT jobs.

British Airways has cancelled all flights from Heathow and Gatwick on Saturday due to a major IT failure causing severe disruption to its global operations that is expected to run into Sunday.

The airline said its terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick became &quot;extremely congested&quot; due to the computer problems.

Initially the major IT failure was being speculated as that BA&#39;s IT systems had been hacked as recently WannaCry ransomware attack affected 150 countries. But Chief executive Alex Cruz said &quot;we believe the root cause was a power-supply issue and we have no evidence of any cyber attack.

The computer crash affected BA&#39;s booking system, baggage handling, mobile phone apps and check-in desks, leaving passengers facing long queues and confusion in airports or delays while planes were held on runways.

More than 1,000 flights were affected. At Heathrow alone, BA had 406 flights scheduled to depart after 9am and a further 71 at Gatwick, according to flightstats.com on Saturday.

(ANI)

British Airways has cancelled all flights due to a major IT failure causing severe disruption to its global operations t

British Airways GMB union has blamed the airline's 2016 decision of outsourcing IT jobs to India as the reason behind cancelling all Saturday flights from London's two biggest airports: Heathrow and Gatwick. The GMB union said the airline's decision to outsource hundreds of IT jobs to India last year was behind the problems, the Guardian reported. The GMB union said BA laid off hundreds of IT staff last year and outsourced the work to India and blamed cost cutting for the travel chaos. "This could have all been avoided," said Mick Rix, national officer for aviation at the GMB union. According to the GMB website, the union had on February on February 29, 2016 warned against BA outsourcing IT jobs. British Airways has cancelled all flights from Heathow and Gatwick on Saturday due to a major IT failure causing severe disruption to its global operations that is expected to run into Sunday. The airline said its terminals at Heathrow and Gatwick became "extremely congested" due to the computer problems. Initially the major IT failure was being speculated as that BA's IT systems had been hacked as recently WannaCry ransomware attack affected 150 countries. But Chief executive Alex Cruz said "we believe the root cause was a power-supply issue and we have no evidence of any cyber attack. The computer crash affected BA's booking system, baggage handling, mobile phone apps and check-in desks, leaving passengers facing long queues and confusion in airports or delays while planes were held on runways. More than 1,000 flights were affected. At Heathrow alone, BA had 406 flights scheduled to depart after 9am and a further 71 at Gatwick, according to flightstats.com on Saturday. (ANI)

British Airways blames India's IT services for chaos at Heathrow, Gatwick

London&#39;s Heathrow airport said early on Monday that there were still some disruptions to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/british-airways-cancels-all-saturday-flights-from-londons-heathrow-gatwick-after-it-failure-16114">British Airways flights from the airport following a global computer system</a> failure at the airline.

London&#39;s Heathrow and&nbsp;Gatwick airports were closed for the whole day on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its flight operations worldwide and also hit its call centres and website&nbsp;leading to large-scale flight disruptions leaving several thousand passengers stranded at the two airports.&nbsp;

BA said on Twitter it would run a full schedule at London&#39;s Gatwick on Monday and intended to operate a full long-haul schedule from Heathrow along with a high proportion of short-haul service.

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On Monday, we will run a full schedule at Gatwick and intend to operate a full long-haul schedule from Heathrow 1/4
&mdash; British Airways (@British_Airways) <a href="https://twitter.com/British_Airways/status/868989859612033024">May 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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with a high proportion of our short-haul programme. We apologise again to customers for the frustration and inconvenience 2/4
&mdash; British Airways (@British_Airways) <a href="https://twitter.com/British_Airways/status/868990340459634689">May 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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they are experiencing and we thank them for their continued patience. We urge customers due to travel today 3/4
&mdash; British Airways (@British_Airways) <a href="https://twitter.com/British_Airways/status/868990544457936898">May 29, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The airline resumed some flights from Britain&#39;s two biggest airports on Sunday, but hundreds of passengers were still waiting for hours at London Heathrow.

&quot;We have mobilized additional Heathrow colleagues to assist passengers at the terminals and give out free water and snacks,&quot; Heathrow said in a statement on Twitter.

The airport had said earlier that further delays and cancellations of BA flights were expected on Sunday and told passengers not to travel to the airport unless they were rebooked on other flights.

(Reuters)

British Airways said it would run a full schedule at London's Gatwick on Monday

London's Heathrow airport said early on Monday that there were still some disruptions to British Airways flights from the airport following a global computer system failure at the airline. London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports were closed for the whole day on Saturday after a power supply problem disrupted its flight operations worldwide and also hit its call centres and website leading to large-scale flight disruptions leaving several thousand passengers stranded at the two airports. BA said on Twitter it would run a full schedule at London's Gatwick on Monday and intended to operate a full long-haul schedule from Heathrow along with a high proportion of short-haul service. On Monday, we will run a full schedule at Gatwick and intend to operate a full long-haul schedule from Heathrow 1/4 — British Airways (@British_Airways) May 29, 2017 × with a high proportion of our short-haul programme. We apologise again to customers for the frustration and inconvenience 2/4 — British Airways (@British_Airways) May 29, 2017 × they are experiencing and we thank them for their continued patience. We urge customers due to travel today 3/4 — British Airways (@British_Airways) May 29, 2017 × The airline resumed some flights from Britain's two biggest airports on Sunday, but hundreds of passengers were still waiting for hours at London Heathrow. "We have mobilized additional Heathrow colleagues to assist passengers at the terminals and give out free water and snacks," Heathrow said in a statement on Twitter. The airport had said earlier that further delays and cancellations of BA flights were expected on Sunday and told passengers not to travel to the airport unless they were rebooked on other flights. (Reuters)

After IT shutdown, British Airways still experiencing disruptions at Heathrow

British Airways cabin crew have decided to go on a strike over paltry salaries, the Unite union said, though it remains unknown whether Christmas travellers&nbsp;will be affected.

The industrial action will start after December 21.

Around 79 per cent of 4,000 crew members, who&nbsp;joined the airline since 2010 on &quot;Mixed Fleet&quot; contracts, voted to go on strike, BBC reported.

The British Airways had offered to pay the stricken workers a 2 per cent rise in pay, an amount that was overwhelmingly rejected by the crew.

United union told BBC that at the time of recruiting the workers, they were promised to get paid&nbsp;between &pound;21,000 and &pound;25,000, but in reality, their pay start at&nbsp;just over &pound;12,000 plus &pound;3 an hour flying pay.

(WION)

The crew say their salary does not match up with what was promised to them at the time of their recruitment

British Airways cabin crew have decided to go on a strike over paltry salaries, the Unite union said, though it remains unknown whether Christmas travellers will be affected. The industrial action will start after December 21. Around 79 per cent of 4,000 crew members, who joined the airline since 2010 on "Mixed Fleet" contracts, voted to go on strike, BBC reported. The British Airways had offered to pay the stricken workers a 2 per cent rise in pay, an amount that was overwhelmingly rejected by the crew. United union told BBC that at the time of recruiting the workers, they were promised to get paid between £21,000 and £25,000, but in reality, their pay start at just over £12,000 plus £3 an hour flying pay. (WION)

British Airways cabin crew to strike over pay dispute

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