UK regulators have cleared JetBlue Airways to launch flights to London from New York and Boston, a further step in the carrier’s plans to begin transatlantic services this year. The UK CAA says it has Monday provided regulatory approval to the US carrier for the transatlantic services. ”This approval marks the first scheduled foreign carrier permit that has been issued to a new operator since the UK’s exit from the European Union,” the CAA notes. JetBlue first announced its intent to operate to London from the US east coast in 2019 using its fleet of Airbus A321LRs and, later, A321XLRs. These plans were pushed back because of the coronavirus pandemic. The carrier has most recently been targeting the launch of flights between the USA and the UK for the third quarter of this year. The carrier is still to formally state which airports in London it will serve, though in late March it appeared to secure slots at London Heathrow for the services, after information released by UK slot coordinator Airport Coordination Limited showed slots were allocated to JetBlue from the start of August.<br/>
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Air Nostrum is seeking E103m of government financial support due to the impact of the pandemic on its operations. The Spanish carrier says it made an approach on 16 April to state-owned holding company SEPI to take advantage of the country’s solvency support fund for strategic businesses. It says it intends to repay the loan over seven years. Valencia-based Air Nostrum says it needs the financing to “maintain connectivity and protect employment”. It adds that the delayed economic recovery due to the length of the pandemic has led the company to claim the temporary financial support. Noting six consecutive, previous years of profit, the Iberia franchise carrier says it incurred a E129m loss in 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis and “drastic reduction” in air traffic demand, the airline has maintained a policy of “cash preservation and expenditure restraint”, it says. It has also reached agreements with aircraft lessors, and in 2020 drew on credit lines from Spain’s Instituto de Credito Oficial.<br/>