London Gatwick News

Heathrow airport is launching a trial which will allow passengers to pre-book their security slots way ahead of their journey. The trial started om October 3. Heathrow Timeslot is a free service which will give passengers a designated time and entry point to the security search area. This will help reduce the queue times for all the passengers and allow the airport officials to plan resources more effectively. The trial will be live in Terminal 3 for up to six months and will be made available to passengers flying with American Airlines, Delta, Emirates and Virgin Atlantic. Further airlines may be added during the trial. The outcomes of the trial will inform any future extension or roll-out to other terminals, an official press release by Heathrow said. The process of booking the timeslot is easy. Once you are flying with an eligible airline partner, you can book your slot up to three days before your flight. The slot will remain open until 90 minutes before your long-haul flights and until 60 minutes for short-haul flight. To book your slot, you will just need your email address and flight number. You will not be required to go through any registration process. Once you book your slot, you will be sent an email with your booking confirmation and a QR code which you will require to access your slot. The time slot allows for 15 minutes of buffer time. This time slot does not apply for airline's check-in and bag drop queues.

Bengaluru becoming the fifth Indian city to be connected to the UK's second-largest airport, Air India has announced that it will start non-stop services between Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport and London Gatwick (LGW), starting August 18 this year.

London Gatwick airport has witnessed third air-traffic control slowdown in September as more than 40 easyjet flights were cancelled. Staff sickness has been cited as the reason behind this, according to reports. A total of fifty flights to and from the Sussex airport experienced cancellations or diversions, causing substantial disruptions, while numerous other flights faced delays of up to seven hours. This widespread disruption left approximately 8,000 passengers dealing with travel inconveniences. Specifically, eight flights between Gatwick and Belfast were grounded, encompassing six flights connecting to and from Belfast International Airport and two flights serving Belfast City. Earlier, the London's second-busiest airport stated that it was limiting flights this week, partly because of an outbreak of COVID-19 within air traffic control. In a statement late Monday, the airport said a daily 800-flight limit, affecting both departures and arrivals, has been imposed until Sunday, October 1. Gatwick said around 30 per cent of staff in the division within air traffic control are off sick for a variety of reasons, including COVID-19. It said the daily cap will prevent last-minute cancellations and delays for passengers while National Air Traffic Services, or NATS, gets back to normal. The largest number of cancellations will be on Friday, September 29, with 33 departures affected. NATS apologized to passengers but said that a variety of medical reasons meant it can't manage the normal flows in and out of the airport. Though all the COVID-19 restrictions in Britain were lifted last year, people are advised to stay away from work if they have tested positive for the coronavirus.

Reuters. As per the current update from Heathrow Airport, it has asked commuters to contact their airline before travelling to the airport on Tuesday. In a post on on X (formerly Twitter), “Due to yesterday’s technical issues suffered by UK Air Traffic Control, there may be some continuing disruption on some routes, including flight cancellations.

travel to European towns, even those without airports.Air India has unveiled its plans to establish an intermodal interline agreement in collaboration with AccesRail, an IATA travel partner, to bolster connectivity options for its passengers traveling to European cities lacking airports. This strategic agreement is poised to offer Air India customers a convenient means of travel by enabling them to embark on a unified intermodal journey using a single ticket. This ticket will grant them access to bus and train connections spanning approximately 100 cities and towns across Austria, Belgium, Germany, and other destinations. These intermodal connections will be facilitated through Air India's European gateways, which include key locations like Amsterdam, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Milan, and Vienna. AccesRail, in partnership with Air India, has curated a comprehensive network of rail and bus operators under this agreement. This network encompasses prominent names such as Avanti West Coast (UK), Great Western Railways (UK), London North Eastern Railways (UK), National Express (UK), Trenitalia (Italy), ÖBB Austrian Railways (Austria), SNCB Belgian Railways, and Thalys (Netherlands/Belgium).

Emirates will almost double the number of flights to London Heathrow from Dubai on a temporary basis to meet the demand during the busy winter season. The airline has announced it will operate an additional five-a-week service to London Heathrow starting from 31 October 2023 until 30 March 2024. Currently, Emirates serves London Heathrow with six daily A380 flights.