The Week In Travel

Eve Urban Air Mobility has joined forces with United Airlines this week to bring electric ‘commuter flights’ to San Francisco, California. Plans are in place for operations to commence in 2026, with an aim to offer a hyper-convenient, eco-friendly commuting option in one of the most densely populated areas in the US. The Eve aircraft to be used will have a range of 60 miles (100km) and will be manually piloted to begin with, however Eve has expressed a desire to offer un-crewed operations in the future.

Over on the subcontinent, Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo has placed a record-breaking order of 500 Airbus aircraft. The deal, which includes A320neo, A321neo, and A321XLR aircraft worth over $60 billion at advertised prices, eclipses Air India’s provisional purchase of 470 Airbus and Boeing Jets earlier this year.

In the UK, Heathrow Airport has revealed a 34% surge in transatlantic passenger traffic this year, with the airport now offering a record number of daily flights to the US. With 248 daily flights between the two destinations, the UK hub has disclosed that 25% of all passenger traffic between Europe and the US flew through Heathrow.

In technology news, Munich Airport is conducting trials of an autonomous robot called “EvoBot” to assist with cleaning and disinfection tasks. Developed by a German start-up, the robot utilises artificial intelligence and advanced sensors to navigate the airport and perform cleaning operations. The trial aims to assess the robot’s effectiveness in enhancing hygiene practices and reducing workload for airport staff.

And finally, a woman travelling from Barcelona Airport was able to speed up her journey through the airport by claiming an ‘emotional’ attachment to the European Union, despite being a British passport holder. Facing a longer queue in the non-EU line has been a tedious element of post-Brexit life for British citizens, but when airport staff asked the woman if she was an EU passport holder it turned out her response – ‘I am emotionally’ – was a sufficient one.