CAPA · 01:30
Flying from Luton Airport, north of London and a designated airport serving the UK capital, one which had become the base of numerous charter airlines since the 1960s, became even more appealing after a 1970s TV advert suggested a working class girl could find her perfect upper class partner if she packed her bag and jetted off to any of its ever growing list of sun-seeker vacation destinations. Then in the 1990s came the first of the low cost scheduled airlines, which opened up even greener pastures while facilitating cheap travel from across Europe to London, which has been connected to Luton Airport by rail since 1999. The airport had its stall set out for it as the primary vacation departure point for much of southeast England and its 15 million people. Infrastructure improvements have been made regularly but for several years the airport has been pushing for expansion from current capacity of 18mppa (which it will exceed this year) to 32mppa by the 2040s. That expansion has now 'c
CAPA · 01:30
Just as JetBlue Airways' CEO Joanna Geraghty began her tenure at the helm of the carrier in early 2024, aviation industry power broker Carl Icahn took a major stake in the airline, with two of his associates becoming board members. Fast-forward two and half years, and Mr Icahn's stake has fallen to a level that triggered a loss of two board seats as JetBlue works to regain profitability after years of mounting losses. At the time, Icahn spent USD119.75 million to invest in JetBlue; he stated the airline's shares were undervalued, and represented an attractive investment opportunity. While there's been no formal explanation for Mr Icahn's reduction in ownership, perhaps the investment calculus has changed.