Travel news in brief Route updates
Ryanair has announced 70 new routes including new services from East Midlands, Liverpool and Dublin. XL Airways is resuming its Gatwick to Knock (west Ireland) route from December 14 after operations were suspended in October last year. Monarch is scrapping its flights between Gatwick and Granada from November 4, while the budget airline Air Berlin is to end its service between Glasgow and Stansted. It blames the increase in air-passenger duty.

Heathrow fees
Regional flights from Heathrow could be threatened by a proposed rise in the fees airlines pay to airports. The warning came from Bmi, the second-largest user of the airport, following Competition Commission recommendations for higher than expected charges at Heathrow from next April. The £18.55 fee per departing passenger would almost double to £35.28 in 2012.

Japan ban
Passengers on Japanese airlines have been banned from using a range of wireless devices, including some wristwatches, video game consoles and computer mice. The ban was imposed this week by Japan's transport minister, who ruled that the electromagnetic waves could interfere with aircraft navigational systems. Other gadgets added to the newly revised list of banned items include GPS receivers, voice- or touch-sensitive toys and battery-operated rechargers.

Dutch tax
The Association of European Airlines (AEA) has criticised the Dutch government for a new "green" tax on travellers passing through its airports. The new levy will see passengers departing from Dutch airports charged £7.80 for European flights. A spokesman for the AEA described the scheme as a "money-raising measure masquerading as an environmental tax".