Government

Spain plays down likely Etias impact as 'fake website' warnings emerge

The UK is one of 60 non-EU countries that will need to apply for Etias travel authorisation once it launches

UK tourism minister insists industry's importance 'recognised across govt'

Sir John Whittingdale said the UK tourism industry isn’t always given the recognition that it deserves

Changing holiday buying behaviours to top agenda at Abta Travel Trends conference

The full-day Abta event will be held in London on 28 November and will offer market insight and expert advice on how to capitalise on the buoyancy of the travel industry

Terrorist attacks in UAE and Kuwait ‘very likely’, says Foreign Office

Terrorists ‘continue to issue statements threatening to carry out attacks in the Gulf region’, the FCDO said in a warning to British tourists

Tui joins govt-led effort to reduce barriers to entry to travel and aviation

Airline and operator joins the Aviation Council, which will meet for the fourth time on Monday (30 October)

EU confirms further delay to €7 Etias visa waiver scheme

New Esta-style regime won’t come into force until mid-2025 at the earliest

UK air traffic control price hike ‘rewarding failure’, says Ryanair

Michael O’Leary leads condemnation of CAA decision to allow the UK’s air traffic control provider, Nats, to increase its charges by more than a quarter

Cost of UK air traffic control services to rise by a quarter

CAA sets out new arrangements for the price Nats can charge airlines for its services, which will increase the average cost per passenger per flight by around 43p to £2.08

FCDO updates Mexico travel advice after Hurricane Otis intensifies

The Foreign Office has urged holidaymakers to follow the advice of local authorities

OTAs urge govt to stamp out budget airline ‘anti-competitiveness’

Several top firms call for the Competition and Markets Authority to investigate how no frills airlines deal with online agents amid claims they deny consumer rights when bookings are made through third parties

Foreign Office strengthens Lebanon travel warning as Middle East crisis intensifies

FCDO upgrades warning to advise against all travel to Lebanon, with all Brits in the country urged to leave immediately via any remaining commercial services

Airlines demand tens of millions in compensation for bank holiday ATC meltdown

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary reiterated his call for Nats boss Martin Rolfe to stand down during the showdown with MPs

Govt overhauls air passenger travel guide in light of post-Covid disruption

The Air Passenger Travel Guide, formerly known as the Aviation Passenger Charter, outlines what people can expect if things go wrong while travelling

Competition watchdog backs Heathrow passenger fee increase

The Competition and Markets Authority has backed the CAA’s decision on Heathrow airport’s fee increases, meaning a rise in fares

Belgium raises terror alert level in Brussels amid search for gunman

Two Swedish nationals were shot dead in Belgium’s capital on Monday evening, prompting a warning from the Foreign Office

'Nothing has changed in our industry – we're still cowboys at heart'

Sunvil chair Noel Josephides writes for TTG on the huge rebound in Atol authorisations for 2023/24, and the tactics major players in the market are using to sell their allocations – and squeeze every penny from travellers

Which? details airlines' £5.4 million court fines and calls for more CAA powers

New data from Which? Travel shows carriers still owe millions in compensation for last summer’s disruption and calls for more powers for the CAA

Airline industry called to account by MPs over August bank holiday chaos

Carriers, Nats and CAA officials summoned to appear before parliament’s transport committee to explain the August bank holiday air traffic control meltdown and subsequent disruption

UK evacuation flights begin after airlines suspend Israel services

Government charters flights to evacuate British nationals from Israel after carriers suspend Tel Aviv services

CMA issues guidelines on navigating legal pitfalls around sustainability

The Competition and Markets Authority publishes document detailing advice for businesses on how to cooperate on sustainability without falling foul of the law

South Africa to train more than 2,000 local ‘monitors’ to safeguard tourists

The country’s tourism minister Patricia de Lille acknowledged the ‘legitimate concerns’ caused by ‘unfortunate incidents’ involving tourists recently

Malta confirms shut down of national airline in 2024

Air Malta closure confirmed by Maltese government with new carrier to rise from the ashes

Jet2holidays tops Atol pecking order as new-look 'big three' emerges

Airline and operator ups licence to 6.7 million seats, while Tui extends licence by further 500,000 for summer 2024; easyJet holidays adds nearly one million seats

Canary Islands facing prolonged road transport strikes, FCDO warns

The Foreign Office has called on Brits to contact their holiday provider as the strikes will run throughout the month