British Airways (BA) has agreed to acquire six daily slot pairs at London Heathrow to expand its activities at its main operational hub this winter. The slots have been acquired from rival bmi British Midland International, the loss-making operator now controlled by German national carrier Lufthansa. In a brief statement the airline's parent company International Airlines group (IAG) confirmed it had approved the acquisition. 'The slots will be used by British Airways from late October 2011 with the airline looking to expand both its long-haul and short-haul network at the airport.'
Heathrow is 14 mi (23 km) west of central London, on a parcel of land that is designated part of the Metropolitan Green Belt.It is located 3 mi (4.8 km) west of the town of Hounslow, 3 miles south of Hayes, and 3 miles north-east of Staines-upon-Thames. British Airways is the biggest holder of slots at London Heathrow Airport, with 50.6% of the total for the summer 2013 schedule. This is the first summer season for which BA has held more than half of the slots (although it had 52.8% in the winter 2012 schedule) and its increase from 44.1% in summer 2012 is due to the acquisition of bmi.
BA is believed to be one of a number of companies that are currently interested in acquiring the UK airline. Lufthansa recently hired Morgan Stanley as adviser for a potential sale of the company which made a £106 million loss during the first six months of the year. Despite its poor financial performance the airline is of significant value given its ownership of over ten per cent of the slots at London Heathrow.
MARKET ANALYSIS: LONDON HEATHROW (non-stop weekly flights) | |||||
RANK | AIRLINE | FLIGHTS | % CAPACITY | SEATS | % CAPACITY |
1 | British Airways | 1,930 | 43.0 % | 403,060 | 43.4 % |
2 | bmi British Midland International | 363 | 8.1 % | 44,232 | 4.8 % |
3 | Lufthansa | 244 | 5.4 % | 37,126 | 4.0 % |
4 | Aer Lingus | 152 | 3.4 % | 28,288 | |
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1.9 %
6
Virgin Atlantic Airways
134
3.0 %
43,304
4.7 %
7
American Airlines
106
2.4 %
32,961
3.5 %
8
Swiss International Air Lines
84
1.9 %
12,296
1.3 %
9
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
72
1.6 %
7,534
0.8 %
10
Air Canada
63
1.4 %
15,092
1.6 %
(others)
1,201
26.8 %
31.0 %
TOTAL
4,485
-
929,728
-
bmi is currently the second largest carrier at London Heathrow and as the above table shows, during November, the first month of the new 2011/2012 winter schedule, it will account for 8.1 per cent of the weekly flights and 4.8 per cent of the available capacity. British Airways, as you would expect, dominates the market with a 43.0 per cent share of flights and 43.4 per cent of the total capacity. Lufthansa is the largest foreign carrier at London Heathrow with 5.4 per cent and 4.0 per cent of the flights and capacity, respectively, while Virgin Atlantic Airways, the sixth largest carrier by flights is the third largest by capacity through the operation of only widebodied equipment.
'We would like to further inform you that SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1, 2020. This is presently under the bubble arrangement between India and the UK and effective up to end of summer schedule i.e. October 23, 2020. The same shall be extended basis the resumption of regular operations,' the airline said in a disclosure adding that the company is also in advance discussions to secure slots for winter schedule for regular operations.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, 'I am pleased and excited to share that SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1, 2020. London is one of the busiest long-haul destinations from India and this is a huge milestone for SpiceJet. Providing non-stop connectivity from India to different parts of the world, which in turn strengthens our own airport hubs, is a dream that we have long cherished and this is a small step in that direction. The identical arrival/departure slots that we have secured at Heathrow should suit the convenience of our passengers perfectly.'
On July 24, SpiceJet had informed the stock exchanges that it has been designated as an Indian scheduled carrier to operate flights between India and the UK as per the air services agreement between the two governments which formed the air bubble in the absence of regular international flights. Commercial international flights continue to be suspended in India till August 31.
On July 23, the airline had received similar clearances from the Indian government to fly as a scheduled carrier to the US. Apart from Air India, only full-service carrier Vistara has these clearances from the Indian government. Before starting the flight operations, Indian carriers need similar clearances from the aviation authorities in the UK and the US.
1.9 %
6
Virgin Atlantic Airways
134
3.0 %
43,304
4.7 %
7
American Airlines
106
2.4 %
32,961
3.5 %
8
Swiss International Air Lines
84
1.9 %
12,296
1.3 %
9
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
72
1.6 %
7,534
0.8 %
10
Air Canada
63
1.4 %
15,092
1.6 %
(others)
1,201
26.8 %
31.0 %
TOTAL
4,485
-
929,728
-
bmi is currently the second largest carrier at London Heathrow and as the above table shows, during November, the first month of the new 2011/2012 winter schedule, it will account for 8.1 per cent of the weekly flights and 4.8 per cent of the available capacity. British Airways, as you would expect, dominates the market with a 43.0 per cent share of flights and 43.4 per cent of the total capacity. Lufthansa is the largest foreign carrier at London Heathrow with 5.4 per cent and 4.0 per cent of the flights and capacity, respectively, while Virgin Atlantic Airways, the sixth largest carrier by flights is the third largest by capacity through the operation of only widebodied equipment.
'We would like to further inform you that SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1, 2020. This is presently under the bubble arrangement between India and the UK and effective up to end of summer schedule i.e. October 23, 2020. The same shall be extended basis the resumption of regular operations,' the airline said in a disclosure adding that the company is also in advance discussions to secure slots for winter schedule for regular operations.
Ajay Singh, Chairman and Managing Director, SpiceJet said, 'I am pleased and excited to share that SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1, 2020. London is one of the busiest long-haul destinations from India and this is a huge milestone for SpiceJet. Providing non-stop connectivity from India to different parts of the world, which in turn strengthens our own airport hubs, is a dream that we have long cherished and this is a small step in that direction. The identical arrival/departure slots that we have secured at Heathrow should suit the convenience of our passengers perfectly.'
On July 24, SpiceJet had informed the stock exchanges that it has been designated as an Indian scheduled carrier to operate flights between India and the UK as per the air services agreement between the two governments which formed the air bubble in the absence of regular international flights. Commercial international flights continue to be suspended in India till August 31.
On July 23, the airline had received similar clearances from the Indian government to fly as a scheduled carrier to the US. Apart from Air India, only full-service carrier Vistara has these clearances from the Indian government. Before starting the flight operations, Indian carriers need similar clearances from the aviation authorities in the UK and the US.
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'SpiceJet has secured slots at London Heathrow Airport to operate flights effective September 1. This is under the bubble arrangement between India and UK and effective up to end of summer schedule, which is October 23,' the airline said in the filing. A slot allows an airline to land and depart at a particular airport at a designated time. SpiceJet already tried to apply for slots at London Heathrow Airport (LHR) for the Winter 2020 season, yet was unsuccessful. Data from Airport Coordination Limited (ACL), a slot coordinator for airports all across the globe, shows that SpiceJet attempted to acquire 42 slot pairs, yet received zero. Self-isolation in the UK The UK Government has announced that from 15 December 2020 passengers arriving from countries on the UK Travel Corridor List may be able to shorten their mandatory 14-day quarantine period with a negative test after 5 days.
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