businesstraveller.com APRIL 2020
THELONG-RUNNINGDEBATEover
constructionofa thirdrunwayatHeathrow
hasonceagainchangedcourse.The
CourtofAppealruledthatthe
government’sAirportsNationalPolicy
Statement– whicheffectivelygavethe
go-aheadtotheproject– wasunlawful
asit failed“totakeintoaccountthe
government’scommitmenttothe
provisionsoftheParisAgreementon
climatechange”.Heathrowsaidit would
appealthedecision.BLOW FOR
HEATHROW
EXPANSION
ACCORWILLDEBUTthe
FairmontbrandinIreland
laterthisyear,following
a multimillion-eurorefurbishment
ofCartonHouseinKildare.
Theproperty,builtin1739,sits
ona 445-hectareestate 30 minutes’
drivefromDublin.Ithastwo18-hole
golfcourses,a pool,a spaandeventBRITISHAIRWAYSHASBEGUN
trialling self-driving electric mobility
devices at New York JFK and will soon
test them at Heathrow Terminal 5.
It has partnered with Japanese
technolog y firm Whill to provide the
chairs, which are equipped with
anti-collision technolog y and allow
customers to set their preferred
destination using an app. Once they
have arrived and alighted from the
chair, it will self-drive back to a
docking station ready for the next
customer. ANA has trialled similar
self-driving mobility vehicles at Tokyo
Narita, and Etihad Airways has trialled
Whill devices at Abu Dhabi.IRELAND TO GET FIRST FAIRMONT
BA TRIALS SELF-DRIVING WHEELCHAIRS
facilities. The renovation will take the
room count from 165 to 170 and add new
food and drink options, including a fine-
dining restaurant, Mediterranean-style
bistro and courtyard bar.15