Organisations & Operators,

The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has accepted the latest iteration of the airspace change masterplan, developed by the Airspace Change Organising Group (ACOG), into its Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS).
This is a significant milestone towards modernising the airspace in the UK to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys.
The purpose of the airspace change masterplan is to identify which UK airspace design changes need to be developed to achieve the benefits of airspace modernisation and then set out a single coordinated implementation plan to deliver those benefits.
ACOG is taking an iterative approach to developing the masterplan and will be undertaking public engagement exercises this year.
This iteration of the masterplan identifies which airspace change proposals (ACPs) that are part of the masterplan will need to move forward together in a co-ordinated manner. ADVERTISEMENTIt also describes the nature of potential interactions between those different ACPs.
The masterplan does not contain the details of specific proposals or proposed flightpaths.
The airspace changes identified within the masterplan will have to be considered through the CAA’s separate evidence based and engagement led airspace change process, known as CAP 1616.
The acceptance of the second iteration means that relevant airspace change sponsors can now progress towards a CAP1616 Stage 2 gateway assessment, where the CAA must be satisfied that sponsors have followed the process correctly before they can move to the next stage in the process.
Stuart Lindsey, head of airspace modernisation at the CAA said: “This is the first time we have accepted an iteration of the airspace change masterplan in to the AMS and this is a big step forward.
“This will help facilitate the development of the airspace changes in a co-ordinated manner, which is crucial to the success of airspace modernisation. Reaching this point has been a significant achievement.
“The CAA would like to thank ACOG and the airspace change sponsors who contributed to the work that has gone into the development of this iteration of the masterplan.
“We look forward to continuing to develop the airspace change masterplan and delivering on the benefits of airspace modernisation.“
More Information
To learn more about the co-sponsors’ assessment and the CAA’s decision visit the official website.

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English Heritage saw a boom in visitor numbers to its smaller, more local sites in 2021, with several reporting their best years since records began.
Many of the charity’s hidden local gems, situated away from traditional tourist destinations, saw visitor numbers rocket by up to 82 per cent in comparison to pre-pandemic 2019.
The organisation said this was a clear indication that the public took advantage of the ‘stay at home’ mandate to rediscover the heritage on their doorstep.
Perhaps thanks to its high media profile over the past 18 months, Barnard Castle in County Durham had its best ever year in 2021, with visitor numbers to the picturesque fortress up by almost 20 per cent in comparison to 2019.
The attraction was infamously visited by then special advisor to the government, Dominic Cummings, in April 2020 during the first Covid-19 lockdown. ADVERTISEMENTBoscobel House, where Charles II famously hid from Cromwell’s soldiers in an oak tree, also had its best ever year, with visitor numbers increasing by a huge 82 per cent in comparison to 2019 following a relaunch of the Shropshire site.
Meanwhile, several lesser-known historic attractions in North Yorkshire clocked up their highest visitor numbers in over a decade, including Kirkham Priory (up 75 per cent on 2019), and Pickering Castle (up 30 per cent on 2019).
Kate Mavor, chief executive of English Heritage, said: “At English Heritage, we look after over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites across the country – many of which attract visitors from far and wide.
“In the past, those lesser known, more intimate local sites in our care have often been overlooked in favour of our more iconic ones, despite having just as rich and important a history.
“This has been a long and hard pandemic but one silver lining appears to be that with people staying closer to home, they have discovered historic places nearby.”
Image: English Heritage

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Saga will combine its two tour operating businesses – Saga Holidays and Titan Travel – as the impact of Covid-19 continues to be felt on the tourism sector.
In a statement to markets this morning, the company said the move was designed to “maximise efficiency” in touring, where the product offerings are highly complementary.
Stock in Saga plc was up five per cent on release of the news.
The company also confirmed it would create a new hotel stay proposition, to be launched later this year.
At the same time, Saga confirmed management the river cruise operation is being moved to ocean cruise. ADVERTISEMENTSaga said it hoped to make savings of between £10-15 million from the move, with around two-thirds of this amount relating to impairments of IT assets which are non-cash in nature.
Though conscious of further uncertainty in the market, Saga said it hoped to return to profitability in 2023.
Euan Sutherland, Saga group chief executive, said: “Saga has delivered a successful second half of the financial year with our insurance business remaining in growth and delivering positive momentum across all key metrics, while our cruise ships resumed their international itineraries.
“We approach the future with confidence, having demonstrated our ability to manage our way through recent challenges.
“We remain confident that the strength of our brand, our management team and our strengthened financial position will now allow us to return the business to sustainable growth, creating long-term value for our stakeholders.”

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On the Beach has predicted January payday weekend will mark the busiest trading moment the embattled travel industry has seen in two years.
The company expects this Sunday, January 30th, will see the biggest booking numbers.
While January and February traditionally mark the busiest months for holiday sales, accounting for a quarter of On the Beach’s annual holiday bookings, the holiday expert anticipates bookings will spike dramatically following a number of recent events that have bolstered consumer confidence and intent to travel.
This includes the abolition of return Covid-19 testing requirements for fully-vaccinated passengers from February 11th, announced on Monday evening.
On the Beach already reported a welcomed and noticeable shift in consumer confidence throughout January, following government announcements earlier in the month around removing PCR testing requirements and the relaxing of Plan B restrictions, which saw holiday sales increase 150 per cent week-on-week since the start of the year.ADVERTISEMENTPopular holiday destinations include Tenerife, Majorca, Lanzarote and Antalya.
Zoe Harris, chief customer officer at On the Beach, said: “We’re beyond excited to be getting Brits back on their holidays this year and look forward to what we expect will be our biggest trading surge in two years, this January payday weekend.
“This week’s scrapping of test requirements will also give people the peace of mind they need to book with confidence, and that extra nudge to escape the cold and grey at home in favour of a sunlounger with their name on it.”

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The Bahamas ministry of tourism, investments and aviation has appointed Latia Duncombe as acting director general.
She will report to deputy prime minister, Chester Cooper.
Duncombe was recruited in August as deputy director general of the Bahamas ministry of tourism and aviation.
She is a seasoned Bahamian business professional, bringing over 25 years of cross-industry experience in sales and marketing, public relations, finance and business analysis.
Her positions and responsibilities range across local and international destinations throughout the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Turks & Caicos Islands.ADVERTISEMENT“Latia Duncombe is a distinguished executive in marketing and sales, and we are confident she will bring invaluable oversight while further propelling the Bahamas as a leading destination,” said Cooper.
“Duncombe will help me lead in the execution of our robust strategic growth plans for tourism and investments, as outlined in our Blueprint for Change.”
Latia Duncombe replaces Joy Jibrilu, who is now on “pre-retirement leave”.
“I am honoured to represent the people of the Bahamas in continuing to drive a healthy tourism economy in our great island nation,” said Duncombe.
“These recent years have been challenging as we navigate the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, but we look toward a more prosperous future with many accomplishments to celebrate in the months and years ahead.”

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The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) has welcomed the call of its sister agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO), for restrictions on travel to be lifted or eased.
Citing the varied global responses to the emergence of the of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the WHO has reiterated that restrictions on travel are not effective in suppressing the international spread.
In line with a recurring warning from the UNWTO against the use of blanket restrictions, the tenth meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee in Geneva earlier this month expressed concern that such measures can cause economic and social harm.
They may also “discourage transparent and rapid reporting of emerging Variants of Concern,” the WHO added. 
The committee also noted that measures applied to international travellers such as testing, isolation and quarantine, and vaccinations, should be based on “risk assessments and avoid placing the financial burden on international travellers”.ADVERTISEMENTUNWTO secretary general, Zurab Pololikashvili, said: “When it comes to stopping the spread of new virus variants, blanket travel restrictions are simply counterproductive.
“In fact, by cutting the lifeline of tourism, these restrictions do more harm than good, especially in destinations reliant on international tourists for jobs, economic wellbeing and sustainable change.”
The United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects Report for 2022 – to which UNWTO provided the official travel related data – has noted that in both developed and developing, recovery from the impacts of the pandemic is “uneven and fragile”.

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Profit warnings issued by FTSE travel and leisure companies fell to their lowest level in seven years in 2021 despite the sector experiencing another challenging year, according to EY-Parthenon’s latest report.
In total, the sector, which includes restaurants and bars, issued just 11 profit warnings in 2021, from 16 per cent of the sector.
This compares with the record 74 profit warnings issued in 2020 in the height of the pandemic.
The low level of profit warnings reflects the impact of record earnings downgrades in 2020, but also the positive impact of certain government support measures and how well businesses in the travel and leisure sector have adapted over a year which began with a lockdown and ended with the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
Meg Wilson, turnaround and restructuring partner at EY, said: “Despite a challenging year, which included continued travel restrictions and reduced air passenger numbers, the travel industry has shown remarkable resilience. ADVERTISEMENT“Looking ahead to 2022, pent up demand for summer holidays, record levels of personal savings and a rebalancing of consumer spending from products to experiences should support a much better year ahead for international leisure travel.
“However, there are still hurdles to overcome.
“While the UK is further relaxing obstacles to travel, variability in destination markets remains.
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European tourism organisations have called on governments across the continent to align travel rules to avoid a patchwork of regulations.
Passengers and business alike need a stable and coherent European framework to restart travelling and safely prepare for spring, it was argued.
In the last few weeks, Europe has seen a surge in Covid-19 cases and the spread of the latest and highly-transmittable variant, Omicron.
While the European Commission announced in December that the EU Digital Covid Certificate (DCC) would be valid for nine months without a booster shot, several EU countries – including France, Italy, Denmark and Malta – decided to shorten the validity of vaccination passes for national use to seven or three months.
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The industry supports the European Commission according to which a harmonised validity period for the DCC “is a necessity for safe free movement and EU level co-ordination”.
Although the commission recommends EU member states apply the same DCC validity period for intra-EU travel and national level, the emerging discrepancies are worrying.
Equally, states should align with the council recommendations as they are agreed and updated from time to time, so that travel between Member States is possible under equal conditions across the EU at all times.
The Covid-19 pandemic has led to the biggest global recession since WWII.
Data shows EU economic underperformance from 2019–present relative to the United States and China, with forecasts confirming recovery is unlikely before 2023.
Southern European countries have been particularly affected and without doubt, the travel and tourism sectors have been hit harder than others.
Although the pandemic has been raging for the last two years, several EU members continue to act unilaterally, adopting a different DCC validity period, as well as diverging rules regarding children and young adults below 18 years old.
This will have a direct impact on families wanting to travel for the winter holidays and later on this spring.
This inconsistency in travel restrictions across the EU directly impinges on individual passengers and businesses to schedule future trips and holiday bookings.
The transport and tourism industry still sees booking rates at least 30 per cent below 2021 levels.
Organisations including Airlines for Europe, ACI Europe, Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the European Travel Agents’ & Tour Operators’ Association, European Regions Airline Association, ETOA and the European Travel Retail Confederation, among others, signed letter.

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