UK government extends use of eGates to travellers aged ten and over
Children aged ten and eleven years can now use eGates at UK air and rail ports, following a change in the rules. Previously travellers had to be at least 12 years old to use eGates, but effective Monday 24 July the service has been extended to those aged ten and over. It follows successful trials at airports including Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted earlier this year. There are currently a total of 293 eGates across 15 air and rail ports in the UK, and projections show that more than 400,000 children aged 10 and 11 years of age will use the service this year.
Advice on the gov.uk website states that travellers “can normally use eGates” if they have a biometric symbol on the cover of their passport and are either a British citizen, a member of the Registered Traveller Service, or a national of: An EU country, Australia, Canada, Iceland, Japan, Liechtenstein, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland or the USA
Those travelling with ID cards cannot use eGates.
Proposed night flight ban at Brussels airport should be scrapped
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) emphasized its opposition to a proposed ban on night flights at Brussels Zaventem airport. The proposal is premature as it ignores Belgium’s international obligations under the Balanced Approach to noise, including bilateral air service agreements and which is also enshrined in EU law. The Balanced Approach explicitly states that flight restrictions should be applied as a last resort, only after a detailed consultation and cost-benefit analysis, and when the noise benefits to be gained from other possible measures of the Balanced Approach have been exhausted.
Inaugural World Safety & Ops Conference to Focus on Driving Safety, Efficiency
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that the inaugural World Safety and Operations Conference (WSOC) will take place in Hanoi, Vietnam, 19-21 September 2023 under the theme “Leadership in Action: Driving Safer and More Efficient Operations.” Vietnam Airlines will be the host airline. The event brings together the previous Cabin Ops Safety Conference, the IATA Safety Conference and the Emergency Response Planning and Aircraft Recovery Forums.
Travel news as a glance:
- Etihad’s A380 returns to London Heathrow.
- Air Canada rolls out product improvements.
- Lufthansa outlines extra London flights for Oktoberfest and winter travel.
- Iberia joins British Airways and Qatar Airways joint venture.
- Air Canada moves to Terminal 3 at Dubai International airport.
- Singapore Airlines partners with AirPortr luggage collection service at Heathrow T2.