The annual Lufthansa Festival launches at St Johns Smith Square with some brilliant Handel

A passenger helped to land an aircraft diverted to Dublin Airport after its co-pilot fell ill.

Slope off to the Austrian Tyrol on 15 December. Inghams has a week skiing in the high-altitude village of Obergurgl, in the heart of the Otz valley, for £569pp. The deal includes Monarch flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck, transfers and half-board at the Hotel Sportiv. Inghams.co.uk

Now... Slope off to the Austrian Tyrol on 15 December. Inghams has a week skiing in the high-altitude village of Obergurgl, in the heart of the Otz valley, for £569pp. The deal includes Monarch flights from Gatwick to Innsbruck, transfers and half-board at the Hotel Sportiv. Inghams.co.uk

The owner of British Airways yesterday set out plans to raise money from the bond market, using up to 31 of its lucrative Heathrow slots as security.

“Breathe Hellenes, breathe,” the morning show host implored. Greece was waking up to the election results and Real FM was telling its listeners what had happened.

Less than £200... Berlin bound

Starting from 3 June, the airports of Birmingham and Manchester will be directly connected with the German city, thanks to new flights from Lufthansa. Visit the Opodo website before tomorrow (26 January)to take advantage of some early booking offers. Return economy fares start at £83; while three-night packages including accommodation areavailable for £186 per person fortravel between 3 June and 31 December. Opodo.co.uk

Bmibaby is set to be sold to new German owners rather than to British Airways as part of the sale of its parent, bmi.

With the purchase of BMI, British Airways' owner, IAG, now has more than half the take-off and landing slots at Heathrow. This can't be good news for the travelling customer.

The owners of British Airways today announced a deal to buy ailing airline BMI for £172.5 million amid fears that jobs will be lost following the acquisition.

A winter visit to this fine city on the Rhine offers Christmas markets, hearty food and drink, and invigorating art.

Rivals go to regulators amid fears IAG could gain 55% of lucrative Heathrow slots

Outlook: Willie Walsh, the boss of International Airlines Group, has never hidden his interest in BMI. But in a straight fight with Virgin Atlantic to take the airline off the hands of Lufthansa, my money would be on Sir Richard Branson's mob.

Virgin Atlantic returned to cruising speed yesterday as the airline's finances soared back into the black despite taking a £40m hit from the ash cloud and winter cold snap.