AVIATION NEWS

What you need to know right now

DON’T FLY!

ALTHOUGH flights are still operating from many UK airports, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office advice to British nationals is blunt: avoid all non-essential international travel. Family and friends abroad should return home as soon as they can, while flights are available. Further advice can be found at gov.uk/coronavirus

AIRPORT CHANGES

IF YOU are heading to a major UK airport be aware that flights may be arriving or departing from a different terminal as operations are scaled down. All terminals at Heathrow are open but British Airway s ha s temporarily moved all its flights from Three to Five. At Manchester, all flights are now using Terminal One. While most shops and restaurants are closed, you will still be able to buy food and drinks ( heathrow.com, manchesterairport.co.uk).

LONDON CITY CLOSED

LONDON City Airport has been closed to all commercial and private flights, a situation ‘expected to last until the end of April’. Travellers due to fly to or from the airport are advised to contact their airline directly. British Airways’ all-business class service to New York JFK is suspended until September 1 ( london cityairport.com, ba.com).

QATAR AIRWAYS FLIES ON

THE Middle Eastern carrier has flown more than 100,000 passengers home in the past week, including aboard additional or upgraded flights from Doha to London and Dublin. The airline will continue to serve as many of its destinations as possible subject to national travel restrictions ( qatar airways. com).

FLY AT A DISTANCE

HATE travelling in the middle seat — or jammed up against another passenger in the present circumstances? You won’t have to on some flights with Lufthansa — the airline has just introduced on- board social distancing so neighbouring seats will be blocked for departures from Germany until April 19 ( lufthansa.com).

VIRGIN CUTBACKS

VIRGIN Atlantic has significantly reduced its flying schedule until April 30 and will now operate only out of Heathrow. Customers with a ticket issued before March 31 can change the date of travel without charge to a flight as far ahead as April 30, 2021. For those planning to complete their travel before June 30, 2020, any fare difference is also waived ( virgin atlantic.com).

ETIHAD SUSPENSION

UAE-based Etihad Airways has temporarily stopped all its flights. Its services between Abu Dhabi and Heathrow and Manchester are scheduled to resume on April 10, ‘subject to further directives by the relevant authorities’. Bookings for travel up to June 30 can be changed to a new date before then without a change fee. Passengers can also receive a credit valid for outbound travel until July 31, 2021, which must be booked by September 30, 2020 ( etihad.com).

SOUTHAMPTON LIFELINE

SOUTHAMPTON Airport is paring back its operations to ‘critical flights only’ but will remain open to provide a single daily service to and from the Channel Islands operated by local carriers Blue Islands and Aurigny ( southampton airport.com).

RYANAIR GROUNDED

‘WE DO not expect to operate flights during April and May,’ says Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary. Passengers affected should await an email from the budget carrier outlining their options. Patience is requested as ‘we have had to reduce office staff by 50 per cent for social distancing reasons’ ( ryanair.

SOUTHEND STILL OPEN

WHILE largescale carriers easyJet and Ryanair have suspended flights from London Southend Airport until at least May, a few airlines are still using its runway for passenger services. These include Scotland’s Loganair (to Aberdeen and Derry), Wizzair (to Bucharest) and also, planned from May, Moldovan carrier FlyOne ( southendairport.