The Week In Travel

Demand is also in no short supply over at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, which has been named the world’s busiest airport by Airports Council International (ACI) this week. It is the third consecutive year the airport has received this accolade. The American airport welcomed more than 104 million passengers last year, comfortably surpassing Dubai International airport in second place which served just under 87 million passengers in 2023.

On the airline front, EasyJet has announced it has reduced its winter losses by more than £50 million compared to last year. A spokesperson for the carrier also said that “demand for our flights and holidays continues to build well for summer’. The company attributes this reduction in losses to sustained growth in demand alongside productivity and utilisation benefits, despite challenges such as rising fuel costs and conflict in the Middle East.

In sustainability news, Jet2 has announced that it will be using a blend of SAF on flights made from London Stansted Airport this year. These announcements come shortly before the implementation of the UK government’s mandate for airlines to use 10% SAF by 2030, primed for introduction on 1 January 2025.

Remaining in the UK, the country’s home office has begun the rollout of its new eVisas scheme. This initiative will afford the holders of physical immigration papers, known as biometric residence permits (BRPs) to open an online UK Visas and Immigration account to access a new eVisa, a digital proof of their residency status. The government intends on rolling out the scheme in phases throughout 2024 as part of what the Home Office is calling “a key step in creating a modernised and digital border.”

And finally, man’s best friend is being taken to new heights with the launch of BARK, the first-ever air travel experience catered specifically to dogs! This new public charter operator will cater to dogs (and their owners) on several flights leaving the New York area from Westchester County Airport. The first flights are set to take off on May 23rd with initial destinations passengers will be disem-bark-ing at including London Stansted and Van Nuys, located near Los Angeles. The company has plans to expand to more routes soon, promising that anything is paws-ible!