More than 200 ideas were submitted by pilots, cabin crew, engineers and ground staff as to how the airline could make further progress towards reducing emissions and cutting fuel bills.

Some of the more unusual suggestions included replacing glass with plastic wine bottles, reducing the amount of water carried in aircraft water tanks, and perhaps most unusually, the descaling of toilet pipes on the Boeing 747 and 777 fleets.

Not only did this save some £600,000 as a result of reduced weight, it also improved the performance of the toilets.

The airline has also employed more conventional methods such as reducing the use of auxiliary power units, single engine taxiing and performance improvement packages on more than 40 Boeing 777 aircraft.

In total the savings were worth over £20 million.

Jonathon Counsell, head of environment at British Airways, said: “This really has been a team effort.

“It goes to show that small changes here and there can add up to significant savings. Not only does this help us to reduce our environmental impact, it also saves us money.”

British Airways is already working on more projects to save fuel in 2012, including the use of new, lightweight catering trolleys, headsets and cargo containers.

The airline has also extended a trial of tripleO, a special paint coating that improves aerodynamics and leads to greater fuel efficiency. A Boeing 777 is to be coated, following a successful trial of a smaller Airbus A318.

British Airways is committed to reducing net carbon emissions by 50 per cent by 2050.

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This is a 3.3 per cent increase on the figure recorded the previous year.

Cruise passenger arrivals, however, were flat, rising marginally by 0.3 per cent to 20.6 million.

“The Caribbean tourism industry is holding its own, remaining afloat and resilient amidst turbulence in the marketplace,” said Sean Smith, the CTO statistical specialist.

“Tourist arrivals to the Caribbean region remained buoyant in 2011, continuing the recovery process which began in 2010,”

The rise in arrivals came on the back of a strong performance during the winter months, although there was less than anticipated growth during summer.

“Tourist arrivals during the winter months (January to April) were up 4.4 per cent over the previous winter, which had grown by 3.9 per cent over 2009.

“The summer period ending December recorded a lower than expected increase of three per cent,” Smith revealed.

The Canadian market performed strongly with arrivals up 6.8 per cent over 2010, but growth from the US was modest at 1.7 per cent, while Europe was flat, recording a 0.6 per cent rise.

Smith warned, however, that the Caribbean was not yet out of the woods as the data revealed uneven growth among some destinations and that revenue continued to lag.

High unemployment in the major source markets, pressure on the monetary and fiscal systems, as well as high oil prices continued to be of concern to the region, the CTO official said.

“In light of these realities, arrivals to the Caribbean are not expected to exceed a three per cent increase in 2012 and visitor expenditure is also not expected to grow meaningfully during this year,” Smith said.

Cruise arrivals, he added, are likely to rise by two to three percent in 2012.

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The president of the SPAA has branded the reform of the consumer financial protection system “comical” and called for it to be “thrown in the bin”.

Speaking at the association’s annual dinner in Glasgow, Kevin Thom said: “We are not alone in thinking, as a number of MPs agree, that we should throw it in the bin.

“Let’s stop this bureaucratic pantomime now. Start with a clean canvas and create a simple, modern, transparent and fair system.”

The SPAA has called for the government to adopt a system similar to that used in the Netherlands, where each customer pays £1 towards a financial protection fund.

He added: “As for those airlines who campaign against being brought into Atol, I say ‘get real’.”

The association also expressed concern about the potential takeover of BMI by British Airways. Thom said there was “fear and concern” about how it would impact connections from Edinburgh and Aberdeen to Heathrow.

The SPAA met Scottish transport minister Keith Brown this week to talk about the possibility of Air Passenger Duty becoming a devolved issue.

Thom said: “This could be positive but we will reserve judgement for now.”

Some 230 people attended the dinner at Glasgow’s Crowne Plaza.

Sourced by Travel Weekly

Easyjet has seen off a rebellion over its pay policy for its bosses by the airline’s founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou.

Haji-Ioannou and his family, who own around 37.4% of the airline, voted against the £8 million pay deal for the company’s management at Easyjet’s annual general meeting today.

But this was not enough to block the vote as it was passed by 55.7% to 44.3% due to support from other shareholders. Haji-Ioannou also voted against the re-election of Easyjet chairman Sir Michael Rake but this was also passed.

Rake said: “It’s clear from the proxy votes cast that Easyjet’s shareholders have overwhelmingly voted with the board and we thank them for their support.

“Over 99% of the shares voted by shareholders, other than Stelios and his family, were cast in favour of the board’s re-election and 97% were voted in favour of the company’s remuneration report.

“The board also regrets that Stelios has chosen to block the two special resolutions (which require a 75% majority).  Both are standard AGM resolutions and as the votes clearly show this is not what other shareholders want to see happen.”

Haji-Ioannou has attacked Easyjet for the way share-based bonuses are being awarded to senior management and he has also been involved in a long-running campaign against the airline’s purchase of new aircraft from Airbus.

Easyjet said that 87% of shareholders voted in the AGM which the company “believed to be the highest turn out in easyJet’s history”.

Representatives from Haji-Ioannou’s Easygroup company were also present at the AGM held at Easyjet’s headquarters at Luton Airport.

“Easygroup, the largest single investor in the company, is obviously interested in maximising the total shareholder returns and protecting our investment from undue risks,” said Easygroup in a statement.

“We are glad that we started the debate on remuneration and the interest it has generated. We are also looking forward to the remuneration committee publishing their proposals on the final formula for the calculation of executive bonuses sooner rather than later.”

Sourced by ABTN

A leading business lobby group has urged chancellor George Osborne to reduce the size of the impending increase in Air Passenger Duty from April.

APD is scheduled to go up by 8 per cent from April 1 but the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has urged Osborne to reduce this to 5 per cent this year instead of the planned “double inflationary” rise which is currently planned by the Treasury.

The CBI made the call for a reduction in the scale of the APD increase as part of its proposals to Osborne ahead of the coalition government’s budget on March 21.

“The UK’s APD rate remains the highest air passenger tax in the EU and has seen significant increases in recent years,” said the CBI. “It is important that the government balances the value of air travel’s contribution to the exchequer with the potential impact of further immediate rises on the UK as a place to trade and invest.”

The CBI said that the deferring of the 2011 rise should be made permanent which would mean APD rates only rising by 5 per cent from April instead of planned 8 per cent.

“An 8 per cent increase at this time would put severe pressure on the competitiveness of the aviation industry – especially when airlines and passengers are absorbing the cost of aviation coming under the EU Emission Trading Scheme from January 1, 2012,” the CBI added.

Other trade and aviation groups are also stepping up their campaigns against APD in the run-up to the budget next month.

The SPAA has launched an online petition against the tax called: ‘End APD – Keep Scotland Flying!’ petition, which can be accessed here.

SPAA president Kevin Thom said: “By working together we will send the strongest possible message to Government that this Draconian tax is simply unacceptable, and doing real damage to the travel sector – and the wider UK economy.”

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The remaining 200 workers at the base will be made redundant after the VC10 left at 15:50 GMT on Thursday.

Vale of Glamorgan MP Alun Cairns called for the skills of the workforce to be kept within the area.

The Welsh government said it was working to attract new companies, with interest in a new enterprise zone.

Mr Cairns said he was sorry to see the last aircraft leave the site, but the “expert knowledge base” needed to be retained locally.

“I’m in touch with the MoD regarding the plans for the super hangar and am optimistic about the outcome,” said the MP.

Paul Lindsay of the Wales Aerospace Forum said it was “a sad day” and “a great disappointment” for the local community.

“There are positives in that we’ve had 75 good years,” he said.

“But the disappointment is that between the Welsh government and the MoD they have invested £240m there over the past 10 years.

“Let’s hope that collectively they decide what the future is for St Athan. The Welsh government and the MoD are working hard to fill the gap.”

St Athan’s history as an aircraft maintenance base dates back to 1938.

Just before and during World War II many different types of aircraft were assembled, test flown and maintained there by a staff of 14,000, and the base inevitably became a target for German bombers.

By the mid-1990s there were 3,500 engineers repairing fighter jets.

But since then the St Athan site has since endured more than a decade of uncertainty and failed attempts to secure skilled jobs.

In 2000 the Red Dragon Project began, aimed at modernising the ageing MoD facilities there, along with the construction of a £77m super hangar for fast jet repair.

The main tenant for the new super hangar was to be the Defence Aviation Repair Agency, Dara.

Gradually wound down

But in 2005, UK ministers announced they were closing the fast jet business at St Athan, with the loss of hundreds of jobs.

In March 2009 the National Audit Office and the Wales Audit Office criticised both the MoD and Welsh authorities after it had cost the taxpayer £113m and failed to deliver thousands of jobs.

The then Defence Minister Quentin Davies revealed in November 2009 that nearly 340 jobs would be lost at the base in south Wales by June 2013 at the latest.

In October 2010, a £14bn defence training academy which would have created 2,000 jobs at St Athan was scrapped as part of 8% cuts by the UK government to the defence budget.

At that time there were around 400 civilian staff left at the base.

But the operation has been gradually wound down as the contract to service the VC-10 tanker aircraft came to an end.

Mr Lindsay added: “The buildings are there. It’s available. Let’s hope somebody else comes.”

The Welsh government said there was significant private sector interest in the newly designated St Athan Enterprise Zone.

It said it was working to attract new companies to the area capable of creating sustainable jobs for local people.

A spokesman said Cardiff Airport and other key employment sites and development proposals in the immediate vicinity were now being included in the enterprise zone.

“Potential employers are made aware of the skills mix available,” said the spokesperson.

Sourced by BBC

The departure of the last VC10 aircraft to be serviced at MoD St Athan – formerly RAF St Athan – marks the end of an era at the Vale of Glamorgan site.

But AMs and MPs last night spoke of their hopes that the base would continue to have a bright future.

Jane Hutt, Vale of Glamorgan AM and Finance Minister, said: “It is a sad day for the highly skilled Defence Support Group (DSG) workforce.

“I am pleased the Welsh Government has recently given St Athan Enterprise Zone status and is keen to develop an Aerospace Business Park at St Athan to create jobs and use the airfield and skills base– like the DSG workforce – in the area.”

The final day of maintenance work on the aircraft, which was due to depart at 3pm, had been expected by workers at the Large Aircraft Business since the phasing out of the ageing VC10 fleet was announced two years ago.

The aircraft, which has been serviced in South Wales for nearly 20 years, was the last military plane to be serviced at the base, which has maintained an array of different military planes since the 1930s.

The DSG base closure has meant the loss of more than 300 jobs.

One worker at the base, who asked not to be named said: “It is the end of an era, but all eras come to an end and we have to move on. Of course it is sad, but we should look forward with hope and optimism.”

The closure has sparked renewed calls for action to ensure that the base is developed by both the Welsh and Westminster governments.

When the announcement of the closure was first made shortly before Christmas 2009, hopes remained high that the development of the £14bn Defence Technical Academy would provide a prosperous future. But that scheme was scrapped the next year by the incoming coalition government.

Meanwhile, it is understood some of the workers who serviced the VC10s in the “super hangar” base have found other contract employment.

The site has also seen the development of the Welsh Government’s Aerospace Business Park, with hopes that training facilities will be developed there.

The Park was recently given a boost with the news that Hunter Flying – which oversees the maintenance and operation of the largest private collection of classic aircraft of its kind – has taken a 10-year lease on two hangars at the park.

The two hangars cover 50,888 sq ft. One will be used for housing and maintaining the aircraft and the other will accommodate the large number of spares and equipment required to keep historic aircraft in an airworthy condition.

The company aims to create new employment for “a number of aircraft engineers,” including those from the DSG, as it diversifies into other areas of maintenance.

Hunter Flying’s chief engineer John Sparks said St Athan was ideal for their plans. “It ticks all the boxes and my wife Nadine and I are excited about the move,” he said.

Meanwhile, British Airways is considering expanding its maintenance operation in Wales with a new base at St Athan.

Alun Cairns, Vale of Glamorgan MP, said: “We now need to capitalise on the skills of the staff who have worked on this aircraft, and make sure that we retain these skills and expert knowledge base within our community.

“The Welsh Government need to act quickly to make their aerospace park become a reality as part of their Enterprise Zone scheme.”

He added: “I’m in touch with the MoD regarding the plans for the super hangar and am optimistic about the outcome.”

The ongoing row between easyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou and the board of the no-frills carrier is expected to come to a head today at the airline’s AGM.

Speaking today at the airline’s Annual General Meeting Sir Michael Rake said he would not “normally comment upon such disagreements in public” but that recent media coverage over the row between the company and its founder meant he had to respond.

Haji-Ioannou was not expected to attend today’s meeting but his representatives were expected to raise a number of issues during the session.

EasyJet executives have previously refused to respond publicly to Haji-Ioannou’s long-running campaign, which he has waged through the media.

Rake said that when he was appointed in January 2010 “we negotiated protocols both with easyGroup and with Haji-Ioannou to deal in private with issues that might arise to ensure that the facts were understood before matters were aired publicly”.

The chairman said that this worked initially, but that a year ago “Stelios instigated a series of increasingly personalised attacks on the Board and individual members involving a number of inaccurate and misleading statements”.

Most recently Haji-Ioannou has issued statements around how he and his family, which together hold 37.4% of easyJet’s shares, would vote at the AGM.

This week he slammed Rake in a statement for what he described as “repeated questioning of his control over the family’s 37.5% equity stake in the budget airline”.

“How we make decisions as a family is by definition confidential and likely to be subject to change. Not other shareholder is any worse off. In fact many in the City would prefer we were treated as a concert party for their protection.”

This morning Rake said that Haji-Ioannou, himself a 15% shareholder, had only chosen to meet with the senior executives once at a meeting about remuneration.

On the issue of the fleet, which Haji-Ioannou has persistently complained that the airline was expanding too quickly, Rake said “no significant orders have been made since 2007 (when Stelios was on the Board)”. He added that Haji-Ioannou had not objected to the decision to exercise the option to purchase 15 aircraft as part of a 2002 deal.

Addressing the dividend issue, the chairman noted that it had declared a special one off dividend of £150 million, but refused Haji-Ioannou request for a special dividend of £600 million, together with 50% of post-tax profits.

On the hot topic of executive remuneration Rake said executives are rewarded based on performance, and that “very challenging targets will have to be met for these current awards to vest fully after 2013”.