Airport Parking News

A Boeing 757 sporting a shiny red nose is to make its first flight from Manchester Airport to Tenerife today.

The freshly decorated plane is the first of two to be given a special Comic Relief paintjob by First Choice Airways after its link-up with the charity event.

It will then go on to fly thousands of passengers between the UK and their holiday destinations until Red Nose Day on Friday March 16th 2007.

A second Boeing 757 will start flying from London Gatwick to Grenoble on Saturday and will also carry on flying until the middle of March.

As well as the repainted planes, First Choice Airways is to have its cabin crew wear red noses and promote the event to all its passengers.

This will include getting them to reach deep into their pockets to find all the loose change they don't need to help the charity drive reach record levels in 2007.

Short and mid-haul passengers will also be treated to skits and comedy sketches from previous Red Nose Day events, featuring the comedy stylings of acts like Lenny Henry, Eddie Izzard and Ricky Gervais.

Source: Airflights

A LEADING aerospace maintenance firm has announced a £28million investment in its Prestwick Airport operations.

The move by GE Caledonian has been hailed as a major jobs boost for the area and safeguards the jobs of 300 of the firm's Prestwick workforce.

GE Caledonian will use Prestwick to maintain the new GEnx engine, scheduled to replace the CF6 engine and to power the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner and 747-8 aircraft.
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The company plans to build a new "test cell" building, capable of withstanding the engine's output of 84,000lbs of thrust.

Scotland's deputy enterprise minister Allan Wilson said: "This is excellent news.

"This new investment will safeguard 300 jobs and keep Ayrshire at the forefront of leading aerospace maintenance and overhaul hubs against fierce global competition.

"I congratulate everyone at GE Caledonian, Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire and Scottish Development International for working so hard to secure this project for Scotland."

The Scottish Executive supported the company's investment with a Regional Selective Assistance grant of £5.6m.k

Source: Evening Times

Plans for new road and rail links to an expanded airport at Stansted are being unveiled today.

Last month Stansted airport bosses revealed proposals to extend the airport by building a second runway.

Expansion plans have met with widespread opposition from people living near the airport.

Opponents say expansion will ruin countryside, increase traffic and damage the environment.

In November an attempt by airport bosses to increase flight numbers was grounded because of fears that expansion would enhance climate change.

A council blocked plans to extend the existing runway in order to increase plane movements from around 220,000 to more than 260,000 per year.

Uttlesford District Council, which covers the airport, near Chelmsford, Essex, said 'no' to a planning application by the British Airports Authority citing climate change as one of a number of reasons for refusal.

Environmental campaigners hailed the council's decision as a benchmark, saying it was the first time climate change had been listed as a reason for refusing a planning application.

And residents of villages around the airport, who have mounted a long campaign against expansion, urged BAA to abide by the decision.

But Terry Morgan, Stansted's managing director, said the airport would appeal and seek to have the issue decided by a Government inspector at a planning inquiry.

And he said the airport would push ahead with plans to build a second runway.

Source: 24dash.com

Belfast International Airport plans to scrap its free parking service have been criticised by a consumers' watchdog.

The General Consumers' Council said the decision to abolish the 10-minute grace period at its short stay car park could endanger safety at the Co Antrim site with queues of motorists circling the airport waiting to pick up friends and relatives. The airport insists its charges are among the most reasonable in the UK and has reduced the cost of the first half-hour.

A spokeswoman for the Consumers' Council said: "Originally we wanted the free period extended as opposed to a charge being introduced.
"Our concern is that the airport is forcing people to pay and park or else park illegally which has implications for the environment, safety and congestion."

The cost of the first 30 minutes has been reduced from £1.50 to £1.00. This is below tariffs at Belfast City, Glasgow, Birmingham and other UK airports.

Managing Director John Doran said: "We have been monitoring the situation for some months and the vast majority of people using the free ten minutes are actually incurring unnecessary charges by straying over the 10 minutes when they park. "We've decided to make the charging clear for customers."

Source: Belfast Today

Airport Fast Park, the local offsite parking facility, provides a speedy, inexpensive parking option. The show premiered Feb. 18 with the multi-Emmy winning reality series racing to Airport Fast Park at Miami International Airport, where the company's service helped expedite the parking process.

"Like the reality show contestants experienced this week, Airport Fast
Park provides fast, convenient and first-class service for all of our customers," said Melanie Chavez, a company spokesperson. "Fortunately, for most of our customers travel isn't as stressful as on the show, but we understand that timing is just as important."

According to Fodor's, the world's largest publisher of English language travel and tourism information, drivers often avoid offsite lots, thinking it will take extra time to shuttle to and from the airport. Airport Fast Park services can save essential time and money as well as provide a full-gamut of benefits ideal for business or leisure travelers.

The privately run facility is often less expensive than traditional airport parking; additionally online discounts make for even more economical parking. Airport Fast Park is currently offering parking for $7.00 a day, plus tax, and covered parking is available.

At Airport Fast Park facilities the perks begin as soon as you drive into the lot. First, a greeter assigns a parking spot, and commissions a shuttle to pick you up at your vehicle. Customers receive luggage assistance, as well as a complimentary newspaper and bottled water. The benefits continue after you catch your flight - Airport Fast Park will wash/detail your car as well as provide oil changes for a small fee. Additionally, for travelers needing assistance, the company provides jump starts, tire repair and help with lock- outs.

Airport Fast Park, FastPark & Relax and Park Place are business units of Fast Park, headquartered in Cincinnati. The company operates offsite airport parking facilities in eight markets throughout the country. Airport Fast Park facilities are located in Albuquerque, NM, Austin, Tex., Baltimore, Cincinnati, Memphis, Tenn. and Miami. In Cleveland, the company operates both Airport Fast Park and Park Place, and in Houston lots are branded as FastPark & Relax. The self-serve parking service is open 24 hours per day, seven days per week, with instant shuttle service transporting customers to their specific terminal.

Source: Airport Fast Park

Staff at an airport parking company raced a customer's car at more than 100mph while they were meant to be looking after it, the BBC's Watchdog programme claims tonight.

Gatwick-based Pink Meet and Greet claimed to take customers' cars to a secure compound after they had handed over their keys outside the terminal.

Watchdog researchers left a car with the company, complete with a covert tracker device hidden inside to allow them to trace its movements.

The programme, to be screened at 7pm on BBC One tonight, claims the car was in a secure compound for only two of the five days that had been booked.

On the other days, it was left by the side of a busy road or in a supermarket car park. At other times it was driven at high speed - at 106mph on one occasion.

The investigation followed complaints from customers who claimed they had received speeding fines for dates they had been abroad, had excessive mileage or found their vehicles damaged when they picked them up.

In one instance, it was claimed, a customer's car had been involved in an accident and the Pink Meet and Greet driver had fled the scene.

Watchdog editor Rob Unsworth said: "It's terrifying to think that while your car was supposedly securely parked, someone could have been more or less joyriding it down the motorway."

The company was unavailable for comment yesterday but has told the programme it blamed individual members of staff and it is no longer trading.

Graeme Macpherson, of West Sussex County Council's trading standards department, could not confirm whether Pink Meet and Greet was still in operation.

Gatwick Airport Ltd said Pink Meet and Greet was not approved or endorsed and was among a number of unlicensed operators which use Gatwick's forecourts to provide services.

A statement added: "Operating in an area available for use by the general public, it is extremely difficult to identify and restrict access to such providers.

"Gatwick Airport Ltd, however, continues to work with the local authorities around the airport to encourage the prompt closure of any unauthorised car parks.

"All valet parking cars booked through Gatwick Airport Ltd are parked on airport in secure car parks, which are monitored 24 hours a day and are fence and barrier controlled.

"Gatwick Airport Ltd has recently invested over £30 million in its car parking facilities, including the £1.1 million upgrading of valet parking.

"Cars are parked by professional, insured drivers within close proximity of the terminal buildings."

Source: The Argus

www.Parctel.com: Mrs Grumpy Robinson has just made it quite clear on her blog that the Luton Airport PAssport Control staff are to blame:

Ooh, I've been grouchy all day. Stomping around scowling and muttering bad words at inanimate objects.

The blame for my foul mood can be laid squarely at the feet of the passport control people at Luton Airport, who considered their coffee break to be a higher priority than processing the several hundred tired and fractious travellers who were in front of me in the queue last night. Also take a bow Thameslink, whose kind decision to only run one train an hour from Luton Airport meant I got in at stupid o'clock this morning. Thanks must also go to my tummy, which decided that 5:30am was the premium time to expel - with extreme prejudice - the coffee and chocolate I had consumed in the departure lounge of Berlin Schonefeld airport.

Maybe you should book Chaffeur Drive next time. I'd offer to pick you up myself, but the problem is that I am afraid, very afraid that you will try and seduce me!

www.Parctel.com: To coincide with the announcement of Ferrovial's full year results, BAA today published its financial results for the nine months to 31 December 2006.

Full pdf details (596KB PDF)

www.Parctel.com: Many a true word said in jest. Blogger, matriXadi had a field day playing on words and posted the following tongue in check comment about the security at Gatwick Airport:

Al-gebra On The Loose

London 11th August - A public school teacher was arrested today at Gatwick Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator.

At a morning press conference, Home Secretary John Reid said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the Met Police with carrying weapons of maths instruction. “Al-gebra is a problem for us,” Reid said.

“They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute values. They use secret code names like ‘x’ and ‘y’ and refer to themselves as ‘unknowns’, but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with co-ordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say,

“There are 3 sides to every triangle”.

When asked to comment on the arrest, Prime Minister Tony Blair, speaking from his holiday resort before the planes stopped flying, said,

“If God had wanted us to have better Weapons of Maths Instruction, He would have given us more fingers and toes.”

I can just see this post spawning a whole slew of related Al's, like Al-arm, Al-chemy, Al-bino, Al-chemist, Al-bum (especially related to the recent post on the backscatter x-ray), Al-gorithm, Al-ligator and of course Al-wyn for all the people carrying liquids on board!

www.Parctel.com: It is always so much better when one reads of other peoples tips on your own subject, somehow if someone else says the same thing as you, then it is given a lot more clout and emphasis than if you just say or write the same thing over and over again. And the bottom line for this maudlin run up to today's vote for Airport Parking comes from the Travel Tips World Blog:

Off-site airport parking lots have become lifesavers for both business travelers & vacationers alike. Although most major airports have increased the number of parking lots & available space, it can still be an ordeal finding an available spot. Circling the airport to find an open space when you have a plane to catch is very stressful.
Off-site airport parking lots are usually 1-2 miles from the airport itself. These facilities offer an airport shuttle that will take you from the parking center directly to the airport drop-off point on departure. On arrival, these same shuttles will return you directly to your car. Most even offer luggage assistance in addition to refreshments & complementary newspapers. Many of the lots offered covered parking, useful in winter months.

Privately run off-site airport parking facilities are often cheaper than airport-run long-term lots. Travelers can realize savings of 20% or more using the off-site parking garages. For instance, the standard parking rate at Cleveland Hopkins airport is $10 per day. A nearby off-site airport parking facility offers a long term parking rate of $8 per day and offers routine specials discounting the daily rate even further. And if you leave you car with these facilities for a set number of days, the price continues to fall. The San Diego Airport Parking Company offers a rate of $47.50 for a full week of parking. This is a savings of more than 30% from the weekly rate at the economy parking lot at San Diego International.

www.Parctel.com: As a result of heavy snow in Madison, Wisconsin, that part of the world has seen a heavy increase in items as esssential as a snowblower and even a little extra work for people who left their cars in Airport Parking Lots. This from the Mathew for America Blog:

I’m pretty sure I haven’t experienced a blizzard yet. I’ve been in Minnesota and Wisconsin long enough to see a few impressive snow storms, but tonight and tomorrow Madison is under a blizzard warning. We got about 7 inches of snow last night, which necessitated digging my car out of the airport parking lot this morning.

www.Parctel.com: The Manchester Airport Group has a number of tenders out for various services.

• ILS Inspection Flights - closes 13:00 16 March 2007
• Media Planning and Buying for Manchester Airports Group - closes 13:00 19 March 2007
• Wide Area Network Services - closes 13:00 29 March 2007

Visit e-sourcing company, Airport Smart for more information.

www.Parctel.com: In an effort to enhance Heathrow Airport Security in a faster and more efficient manner, a backscatter x-ray machine has been called into operation at Heathrow, in additon to being deployed at a number of American Airports, border posts and harbours.

In contrast to a traditional X-ray machine, which detects hard and soft materials by the variation in transmission through the target, a backscatter X-ray machine is a newer imaging system which detects the radiation which comes back from the target.

The real concern's for passengers transiting through Heathrow and other Airports are really two fold; privacy and the exposure to radiation.

Privacy:
According to the Transport Security Administration, the images will not be printed, stored or transmitted. To further enhance privacy, when the Transportation Security Officer has resolved any anomaly, the image is erased from the screen. The capability of printing, storing or transmitting the image is not available to the Transportation Security Officer operating the system.

In addition the screener viewing of images is remotely located and in addition to not storing, printing or transmitting the image, the Transportation Security Officer will be viewing the image on a stand-alone machine (vs. network) located in a remote area away from the screening process in order to protect the passenger’s privacy, preventing the generated image from being visible in the public domain. The Transportation Security Officer who is attending to the passenger at the backscatter machine will be unable to see the image being produced.

Remember that your being screened by the Backscatter X-Ray is entirely voluntary and you may request your preference to be physically patted down.

Many people are concerned about nude images of supermodels and celebrities being circulated as a result of this screening technology, although when last did you see a celebrity being patted down and, quite frankly, the papparazi obtain far more risque and detailed images that are more freely available.

Exposure to Radiation:
The manufacturers of the Rapiscan 1000 publish the following figures as a guideline:

Medical microRem Exposure:
CT (CAT Scan): Up to 1,000,000 microRem
Chest, Mammography: Up to 10,000 microRem

Background Radiation:
Denver (5000 ft): Up to 600 microRem per day Miami (sea level): Up to 300 microRem per day Inside vs. outside a building: Up to 25 microRem per day

Airline Passenger Dose:
One hour flight: Up to 500 microRem per hour

And Offer up these figures as a guideline for their bacskatter x-ray machine:
Rapiscan Secure 1000:
Less than 10 microRem per exam

References: Wikipedia | Rapiscan | TSA
Images: AS&E | TSA | FIS

Police on hand as Alicante flight lands at Luton Aiport.

Passengers on a flight to Luton Airport have told how they watched in horror as a raging Romeo threatened to kill his girlfriend.

In front of a full aircraft travelling from Alicante in Southern Spain on Tuesday evening, the nightmare scene unfolded as the passenger threatened to shoot and rape his partner.

One witness said the 8pm Thomsonfly plane had not been in the air long before the couple began arguing. The man was reported to be muttering under his breath and swearing.

When the row turned nasty one woman asked the cabin crew to step in. The man was asked to mind his language and he replied that he planned to shoot his girlfriend, as well as the passenger who had interferred.

The witness said she heard the man say he should have just raped his partner and people began to get frightened. One crew member went to speak to the captain, and air hostesses were almost forced to restrain the man, said onlookers. Cabin crew arranged to have police meet the plane as it landed and the man was arrested.

One passenger said she saw about five police officers on the concourse at the airport when the plane ground to a halt.
Police confirmed one man was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly as he left an aircraft on Tuesday night. Yesterday he was still in custody at Luton police station.

A Thomsonfly spokesperson said: "We can confirm that a passenger was causing disrupution on the TOM2568 Alicante – Luton flight. Local police were informed by the captain and the police met the aircraft on arrival who have detained the passenger."

Source: Bedford Today

www.Parctel.com: Three papers published recently in the Journal of the American Chemical Society have reported major progress on "packing" hydrogen in jaw-breaking compounds such as manganese benzenetristetrazolate MOF with the goal of making H2 a practical automotive fuel.

You might want to wait to put your order in, however.

To store six grams of hydrogen per liter of volume necessitates maintaining a temperature of 77K (the temperature of liquid nitrogen) at a pressure of about 1300 pounds per square inch (psi). For comparison, room temperature is 293K and the pressure in your home water pipes is 30 to 60 psi.

Hydrogen would require 5 to 6 times the storage capacity of an equivalent amount of gasoline. The pressure vessel to contain the fuel is estimated to weigh on the order of 840 pounds. And don't leave your car in airport parking too long or your fuel would boil away.

Full Article

www.Parctel.com: Book the airport parking in advance – You will be shocked at the price of airport parking if you just turn up on the day, try Just Parking for advanced bookings. Or get someone to drop you off and pick you up when you get back and you won’t need to pay for parking at all.

Those who use the short-term parking ramp at Buffalo Niagara International Airport will likely lose their 30-minute window of free parking - and pay $2 more per day.

But other airport lots will offer an expanded two-hour period of free parking.

"We'll be maximizing revenues from those who want the added convenience of the parking garage, while giving more time to parkers who are dropping off or picking up, which often takes more than 30 minutes," said Greg Stamm, chairman of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

The change in parking fees, which will see action at the NFTA board's March session and likely go into effect April 1, is projected to boost annual airport parking revenues by as much as $500,000.

In addition to ending "free time" in the short-term ramp, the proposal would raise the daily cap on garage parking charges to $20 per day, from the current $18.

The hourly parking rates for all other airport lots would remain at $3. The rate kicks in after the first two hours of free parking.

The 844-space, short-term parking garage, located directly in front of the airport terminal, is often full, according to airport officials.

The building is a popular option for those who plan to spend only a few minutes at the airport but are barred by federal security rules from parking on the circulatory road at the terminal doors. But it also has attracted more longer-term users.

The NFTA, which keeps a close watch on parking patterns, has noted a rising percentage of all-day and overnight parkers in the garage, which was intended for quick airport visits.

If approved, this will mark the first change in airport parking policies since April 1, 2005, when the NFTA boosted hourly fees in the short-term lot to a maximum charge of $18, from $15. The hourly cost of parking in the airport's long-term lots also was increased to $3, from $2.50, at that time.

The "first 30 minutes free" policy has been in place since April 2003.

Source: Buffalo News

SECOND runway plans at Stansted Airport are the "biggest threat to historic buildings since the Second World War".

That is the damning verdict of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings which wants to defend Uttlesford's grade II listed properties against BAA's aerial offensive.

Spokesman Douglas Kent, who lives at Wendens Ambo, told the Observer: "We do not know of any other project that involves this much destruction for commercial gain."

The society's view is shared by Stop Stansted Expansion, which has also accused airport bosses of allowing those architectural gems it already owns to go to rack and ruin even as it negotiates to buy up more to make way for expansion.

In turn, the operator has alleged its opponents are guilty of exaggeration and exploitation.

Mr Kent and SSE - along with Uttlesford District Council - have called on BAA to come clean and reveal the precise location of the 18 buildings the airport has admitted are at risk as a result of the runway scheme.

BAA has blocked their demands in a bid to protect the privacy of residents.

However the Observer has confirmed that the properties are spread over eight locations: three at Molehill Green, including the Three Horseshoes pub; four at Bamber's Green; one at Browns End Road, on the eastern side of airport, and one on the edge of Takeley.

Of those, up to seven may be left untouched by the development as BAA firms up its proposals before submitting a detailed planning application in the summer.

By contrast, SSE's website claims at least 47 picturesque properties are at risk of destruction or where quality of life will be destroyed if the runway is built.

This week, at least one family was fed-up being used as a pawn in the increasingly acrimonious argument. Resident of 15 years Anne Corr was angry to be told SSE had posted a photograph of her grade II listed farmhouse at Gaunts End - which is not actually at risk.

She said: "They do not have my permission and I am angry about this - I support the airport."

Another home caught up in the controversy is Muscombs at Great Easton. SSE accused BAA of neglecting houses including the 16th century property it bought more than a year ago and released pictures of a collapsed flint boundary last week.

BAA said the wall was damaged by recent storms and rebuilding was already scheduled.

A spokesman pointed out a tenant had been lined up, but first repairs, costing more than £25,0000 for re-wiring alone, had to be completed.

John and Rosemary Welch own Le Knells in Coopers End, one of the 18 properties at risk. Despite the threat posed by expansion, Mr Welch said the cottage was not for sale.

He said they would stay for "as long as we can" and was certainly not resigned to losing his home.

"Since the SSE campaign started, it's turning out more and more in our favour, particularly with the threat of global warming. People are more concerned about that than the expansion of the airport."

Neither BAA nor Uttlesford District Council was able to reveal details of the 18 listed properties.

A spokeswoman for BAA said: "They know who they are and we have been in contact with them for more than three years."

A district council spokeswoman confirmed: "BAA have told us they cannot release that information as they have promised affected homeowners that they will respect their privacy."

Source: Observer

This rant against Airport Security comes to us courtesy of the Grumpy Old Man:

Just the other day, I was travelling out of Georgie Best Belfast City Airport. After the usual extended queueing carnival I reached the security gate to discover I couldn't take my tube of toothpaste through without the required small square transparent bag. Fair enough.
"Can you give me a bag then?"
"No you have to go back out to the Information desk."
"So you don't supply any bags here."
"No you have to go back out to the Information desk and then join the back of the queue."
Frankly, that got my goat. In fact, I almost lost the bap.

Would it hurt to put up a sign to explain at the entrance to the queuing area, or dare i suggest, hang a few spare bags there so we can help ourselves?

You know at Gatwick Airport they employ half a dozen people, loaded with armfuls of small transparent bags, to shout their way up and down the length of the queue, helping to get the message through to the poor afflicted riff-raff.

Birmingham International Airport has named Mark Hattersley as its new acting finance director.

Mr Hattersley has worked at the airport since January 2000 as chief accountant, and will take over the position from Joe Kelly, who was recently made acting managing director following the death of Richard Heard during storms last month.

Airport chairman John Hudson said: "The board feels that Mark is an excellent choice to take on the position of acting finance director.

"During Mark’s seven years here at the airport he has demonstrated his knowledge and professionalism while working closely with all of the management team.

"Mark and Joe have the full support of the board and working closely with the management team will take the company forward."

Mr Hattersley previously worked for Land Rover, lives in Solihull and is married with one child.

Meanwhile, Birmingham Airport yesterday unveiled its first ever direct route to northern Cyprus. Anatolian Sky will operate the service each Monday from May 21 to October, departing at 1pm and arriving in Ecran at 8.45pm local time.

The return service departs Ecran at 7.30am, arriving in Birmingham at 11.30am.

North Cyprus, home to the Turkish Cypriot population, bills itself as "offering holiday-makers a captivating destination, with beautiful beaches, villages, undiscovered coves and bays, clear blue waters, breathtaking scenery, picturesque towns and brilliant sunshine".

Akin Koc, managing director of Anatolian Sky, said: "I am thrilled that people in and around Birmingham can now travel direct to North Cyprus, as well as enjoying unspoilt parts of Turkey and twin-centre holidays.

"Last year Anatolian Sky carried 20,000 passengers to these destinations, so I’m confident the service will be popular with Birmingham too."

Peter Vella, business development director of Birmingham International Airport, added: "We are proud to offer this completely new destination to our passengers. Passengers travelling direct to North Cyprus will benefit from a seamless journey as the aircraft touches-down in Dalaman for just 40 minutes before departing for Ecran."

Source: Birmingham Post

IT IS a battle for the skies which will be fought out at ground level.

Budget airlines Ryanair and Flybe were today going head-to-head in a dogfight for the south's airline passengers.

The low-fare giants were staging a battle of the advertising boards around Southampton Airport as the cut-throat industry's battle for passengers became personal.
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Ryanair bosses, who describe themselves as "irrepressibly cheeky chappies", have hired a trailer to drive a large sign around the airport reading: "If you're looking for low fares, you're at the wrong airport!

"Fly cheaper with Ryanair from Bournemouth."

Ryanair, headed by outspoken chief executive Michael O'Leary, said its aim was to "upset Southampton Airport's management and high-cost airlines like Flybe - and provide a valuable public service to their passengers".

Flybe bosses branded Ryanair's move a "schoolboy stunt, designed only to cover up Ryanair's pitiful passenger numbers".

They also vowed to hit back with a board of their own today.

Last night a spokesman said: "Flybe will have its own ad van at Southampton Airport from 9am, countering O'Leary's desperate measures and highlighting Flybe's superior operations in Southampton."

Never ones to duck a fight, Ryanair returned fire by suggesting Flybe stood for "fly blooming expensive", and said it planned a flights giveaway outside the airport to back up its claims to be cheaper.

Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer at Flybe, said: "Ryanair's latest attempt to disrupt our passengers simply highlights their lack of success at Bournemouth and is merely confirmation that Flybe is number one in the region.

"Their latest stunt is nothing more than a desperate move to cover up their lack of success in Bournemouth."

Flybe, Southampton's largest scheduled carrier, expects more than two million passengers in the next 12 months to and from Southampton on 33 different routes.

Ryanair carried 319,000 passengers from Bournemouth over the past 12 months.

Source: This is Hampshire

ROBIN Hood Airport came to the rescue of British passengers in distress as snow falls affected flights across the country.

The Finningley-based airport was put on snow alert with emergency teams on standby to clear the runway if Doncaster experienced serious snow falls.

And the airport lived up to its legendary name by swinging into action as an emergency destination for hundreds of travellers who had been due to land in Luton.

The Bedfordshire airport was closed on Thursday last week because of the snow that had built up on its runway.

Steve Adamson, product development and communications manager at Doncaster airport, said flights arrived and departed as normal as Robin Hood escaped the heavy snow falls of last week. He said: "All flights have arrived and departed on schedule. We welcomed a diverted flight bound for London Luton Airport Thursday morning, due to a number of airports in the south being closed due to heavy snow fall."

The flight had been returning to England from Katowice in Poland.
Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Stanstead and Luton all fell victim to the weather in the last week and were forced to close their runways.

Source: Doncaster Today

This time from Thor Iverson:

Pre-dawn Heathrow is a cold, heartless shuttling of multicolored masses from one enclosed metal tube to another. Yellow and black signs with arrows point, and point, and point, until anyone with claustrophobia would be tearing their hair…finally disgorging their human refuse into long queues with no clear direction for continuance on display. A security gate, a passport check…and then more tubes, signs and arrows, this time punctuated with escalators and elevators. And still, absolutely no indication of where I must be to catch my connection. This terminal? Another? Given the long transits involved, it matters, and I’d really like to know.

Finally, a helpful sign. People crowd around, scanning. It takes a while…Heathrow’s a big airport…and here’s the dismaying news: I have to change terminals. I check the clock. It’s going to be a close thing.

Down stairs. Along endless hallways. Up stairs. Through another gate. Into another queue, waiting for a bus that just seems to sit there with doors closed. Then a long and crushed stand on the bus, through tunnels and featureless grey access roads, turning and turning and turning again. Will it ever get to the new terminal? It does, fifteen minutes later. More halls. Another escalator. Another security queue. And then…finally…civilization. Stores, just opening for the morning. The smell of coffee. But where are the planes? My scheduled departure is in twenty-five minutes, but the overhead signs still provide no gate information for my flight. Yet they say that a trip to the most remote of the gates in this terminal will take twenty minutes? Is this reasonable? What if I were infirm?

The Newfoundland and federal governments are welcoming the resumption of year-round, direct air service to London by Astraeus, about six months after Air Canada (TSX:AC.B) cancelled the service.

Beginning in May, the independent, United Kingdom-based airline will provide three flights a week from the St. John's airport to Gatwick, 45 kilometres south of London. Air Canada quashed daily service to London's Heathrow airport in September, saying the route wasn't profitable enough.

It signalled the first time the province was without year-round transatlantic air service since the Second World War.

Air Canada's decision sparked outcry from local business leaders and municipal, provincial and federal politicians, who said the airline's decision would inhibit Newfoundland's economic growth.

Provincial Transportation Minister John Hickey said Astraeus's presence proves the province is an affordable and desirable place to visit and do business.

Loyola Hearn, a federal cabinet minister from Newfoundland and Labrador, said the route is profitable and will provide an invaluable service to travellers.

Air Canada operates a seasonal, non-stop service between St. John's and London from April to September.

Source: CBC

PLANES resumed departing from London City Airport in the Royal Docks at 4pm this afternoon following the earlier emergency that led to the suspension of all flights.

The airfield is not yet open for incoming planes though. Airlines have rescheduled flights allowing passengers to depart on aircraft grounded there this morning. Travellers are still advised to contact their airline for more information.

The only runway had earlier been out of action after the tyres of an Air France plane carrying business people from Paris burst on landing at 8.35am.

Source: Newham Recorder
See Previous Report

Cast your vote in the "Should the £80 million expansion of Bristol International Airport go ahead?" poll on the This is Bristol web site.

Concerns have again been raised about the safety of Bristol Airport's runway after a plane delayed landing in wet weather conditions on Monday evening.

Laurence Robertson MP said the pilot of the Easyjet flight from Belfast he was travelling on told passengers he had been advised it was unsafe to land.

He said the area had experienced a heavy downpour and the plane would circle until the runway had dried out.

Bristol Airport said cross-winds and rain caused the pilot to delay landing.

Mr Robertson, MP for Tewkesbury, said the cabin crew had already taken their seats before the plane began to ascend again.

"I thought as they were circling there was probably a queue to land at the airport, as there's nothing unusual about that," he said.

The problem has to be fixed... we can't have planes landing on a runway which might not be safe in all circumstances
Laurence Robertson MP

"But then the captain came on and said 'you've obviously heard about the difficulties they've had in Bristol. We've been advised it wouldn't be safe to land if it's too wet and as there's been a bit of a very heavy downpour, we can't land just yet as we have to wait for the runway to dry off.' "

Mr Roberston said the plane circled for about 20 minutes before it landed.

"I thought, why are they actually using this runway if they are admitting that on occasions it's not safe? Incredible.

"The problem has to be fixed. We can't have planes landing on a runway which might not be safe in all circumstances - it has to be safe. And it really does need sorting out - it obviously hasn't," he said.

In a statement Easyjet said: "Last night (Monday) easyJet flight EZY 452 from Belfast to Bristol, circled prior to landing for approximately five minutes due to high winds and rain at Bristol International Airport, this is standard operating procedure in adverse weather conditions and the aircraft landed normally.

"At no stage did the captain advise passengers the 'runway was unsafe'."

'Landed normally'

Paul Rankin, service delivery manager at the airport, said the airport keeps pilots informed of landing conditions so that they can take these factors into account when deciding whether to land.

He said the decision to land remains with the pilot at all times.

"In this instance steady cross-winds and rain resulted in the pilot's decision to go around in accordance with his standard operating procedure," he said.

"Normal operations continued, with other aircraft landing and departing during this period. The aircraft rejoined the landing order and following an improvement in conditions landed normally."

The runway was shut for 16 hours in January for additional grooving work to be carried out on its temporary surface after 10 airlines cancelled or diverted flights over claims aircraft were skidding when landing in wet conditions.

This work was undertaken even though the Civil Aviation Authority had confirmed throughout that it had no issues relating to the operation of the runway in either wet or dry conditions.

The airport had been carrying resurfacing work, part of a £17m project which is due for completion at the end of March.

A total of 385 flights and 25,000 passengers were affected by the dispute.

Source: BBC

Flight safety could be put at risk if more firms are allowed to fight for work at Gatwick Airport, unions have claimed.

The Transport and General Workers’ Union (T&G) says the increased competition will hit safety standards at London’s second biggest airport.

The union is calling on the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to meet ground staff face-to-face to explain its decision to allow more ground handling firms at Gatwick.

Currently, only four companies are allowed to provide services – including baggage handling and pre-flight checks – at Gatwick Airport. But T&G claims to have seen a CAA report that outlines plans to increase this to an unlimited number.

The union says that increased competition will force firms to cut staff numbers, training and supervision, putting safety at risk.

Madeleine Richards, T&G senior regional industrial organiser, said: “Increased competition will damage safety standards for our members, and could turn out to be counter-productive for airlines and their passengers in the quality of service provided.

“It's disappointing that the CAA seems to have listened to markets and money rather than the genuine concern of workers. This is critical to the future of this airport. That is why we are challenging the CAA to meet the people directly affected by their decision.”

Source: Personnel Today

A THIRD of bosses at West Yorkshire small businesses prefer flying from Manchester Airport rather than Leeds Bradford – because it is quicker to reach.

Up to 30 per cent of the firms questioned by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) said the motorway network made driving to Manchester Airport faster than battling along West Yorkshire's increasingly congested roads to Yeadon.

This was despite the fact it is much further – 56 miles from Leeds compared to nine miles.

But Leeds Bradford Airport could become their first choice for flights if it improved its choice of destinations (said 37 per cent of small businesses ), if an airport rail link were built (36.2%) and if road access were improved.

FSB West Yorkshire Regional chairman Mike Goodman, a Birstall-based businessman, said: "Several respondents say it is unbelievable that an international airport does not have a rail or motorway access. "This is one of the most striking findings of our survey. "Other key points are that traffic congestion is continuing to harm small businesses through delays and missed meetings. "Many feel there is under-investment in West Yorkshire's transport infrastructure, with specific complaints about the poor state of roads in Leeds and Kirklees which, it is also pointed out, is hardly likely to encourage cyclists. "In spite of this, it is clear that some business people could be persuaded to leave their cars at home and use public transport instead but, to achieve this, operating companies will have to ensure that they meet their needs. This is currently not the case for many.

Congestion

"The hardship caused by traffic congestion is that some of our members travelling less than ten miles to work take more than 30 minutes to reach their destination." The survey covered businesses across West Yorkshire, including Leeds, Bradford, Halifax, Huddersfield, Wakefield, Cleckheaton, Batley and Dewsbury. More than 95% of businesses said road congestion was a problem and 62.2% added it was a significant problem, with half blaming traffic volumes and poor road design and planning as the main causes. Eighty per cent of businesses felt traffic congestion had worsened in the last 12 months and the same number said they "often or always" avoided certain roads because of congestion which added to travel time and costs. A total of 45.7% believed that charging road users would have a detrimental effect on business, and 52.8% feared that it would cause financial hardship to many people. Only five per cent considered congestion charging to be a viable solution with 33% wanting to see investment in a light railway or tram system and 20% seeking greater investment in buses. Nearly 60% said they had lost man hours due to the transport infrastructure and 42.5% said it had increased their operating costs, while 20% said they had lost business as a result of traffic congestion. Two thirds felt that West Yorkshire did not get its fair share of transport investment from the Government and 70% supported a tram system linking major cities in West Yorkshire, although there was uncertainty on the best way to fund it.

Source: Leeds Today

www.Parctel.com: Off-site airport parking lots have become lifesavers for both business travelers & vacationers alike. Although most major airports have increased the number of parking lots & available space, it can still be an ordeal finding an available spot. Circling the airport to find an open space when you have a plane to catch is very stressful.

Off-site airport parking lots are usually 1-2 miles from the airport itself. These facilities offer an airport shuttle that will take you from the parking center directly to the airport drop-off point on departure. On arrival, these same shuttles will return you directly to your car. Most even offer luggage assistance in addition to refreshments & complementary newspapers. Many of the lots offered covered parking, useful in winter months.

Privately run off-site airport parking facilities are often cheaper than airport-run long-term lots. Travelers can realize savings of 20% or more using the off-site parking garages. For instance, the standard parking rate at Cleveland Hopkins airport is $10 per day. A nearby off-site airport parking facility offers a long term parking rate of $8 per day and offers routine specials discounting the daily rate even further. And if you leave you car with these facilities for a set number of days, the price continues to fall. The San Diego Airport Parking Company offers a rate of $47.50 for a full week of parking. This is a savings of more than 30% from the weekly rate at the economy parking lot at San Diego International.

The savings don’t stop there. Many airport parking lots have an online website where travelers can make reservations and take advantage of online coupons that offer special savings. Frequent flyers can join repeat customer programs to get additional savings and benefits.

Satellite parking lots have other advantages. These parking facilities are offering unique services to make them stand out. USAirport Parking in Denver offers oil changes & windshield repair that’s performed while you’re away. Many facilities are offering car wash & detailing, tire rotation, and other maintenance services.

Source: The Airport Monkey

MANCHESTER – Manchester-Boston Regional Airport has it's share of delayed flights.

But it doesn't have the kinds of delays that left passengers stranded for as much as 11 hours this week on the runway at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York during Wednesday's snowstorm.

That's because the low volume of flights -- and airlines -- makes communication better and gates more likely to be open.

So says Kevin Dillon, the airport's director and a former official at Kennedy and mega-airports Logan International in Boston and LeGuardia International in New York.

Hundreds of passengers were stranded in JetBlue planes Wednesday at JFK because of icy weather and gate congestion, leading to furious customers and calls for a passenger bill of rights that would lay out operational guidelines for airlines.

"It was like -- what's the name of that prison in Vietnam that held McCain? The Hanoi Hilton?" Sean Corrinet of Salem, Mass., who spent nine hours on the runway, told the Associated Press.

Dillon said JFK, unlike Manchester, is already a congested airport. Add the snow, the confusion it causes and poor decisions by the airlines, and you end up with problems, he said.

With only 13 airlines and plenty of gate availability, Manchester avoids those issues, Dillon said.

If a flight cannot get clearance to take off, it will be returned to a gate and passengers allowed to deplane, he said.

"We're talking literally minutes," said Dillon. "We never have a case where a plane would sit for an hour. We just don't have that."

Flights do get cancelled or delayed in Manchester, Dillon said. But passengers end up sitting in the airport lobby, rebooking or heading home, instead of waiting on the runway, he said.

In June statistics, Manchester ranked among its New England peers in delayed flights.

Manchester reported 32.7 percent of its arriving flights were delayed, while 24.6 percent of depatures were, according to the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

T.F. Green International Airport in Warwick, R.I. had 28.4 percent and 22.8 percent of its arriving and departing flights delayed.

At Logan, the statistics were 31.5 percent and 26.5 percent, while Portland International Tradeport in Maine reported 45.1 percent and 36.3 percent.

The JetBlue debacle has led to an apology by the company and calls in Congress for legislation to improve passenger conditions.

U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., announced Thursday she is planning to introduce a passengers' bill of rights that aims to ensure air travelers are not held unnecessarily on planes, or deprived of food, water and hygiene.

The legislation would give passengers the right to deplane if an aircraft has remained on the ground for more than three hours.

"I've been stuck on the tarmak many times in my travel back and forth to California. Sometimes with the weather and traffic, it's unavoidable," Boxer said in a written statement on her Web Site. "But to keep passengers -- which usually include infants and the elderly -- on the plane for 11 hours in the worst of conditions is absurd."

Dillon said airlines shouldn't be faulted for many of the causes of delays.

"You can't expect an airline to control the weather."

Source: Union Leader

OAKLAND, California. (KCBS) -- Parking rates at Oakland International Airport are down as more passengers turn to alternative forms of transportation. Fliers who park at the airport will now pay $15 per day for economy parking and $19 per day for Valuepark.

About 14 million passengers fly in and out of Oakland’s airport each year. Spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said that while officials encourage mass transit and other eco-friendly choices, they are working to make parking lots more efficient.

"We've determined that we have room to grow in terms of the number of passengers using our lots," she said.

Source: KCBS

Birmingham air traffic controllers disagree with federal aviation officials that safety was not at risk for airplanes operating Jan. 17 at Birmingham's airport when radar and telecommunications services were lost for several hours.

Scott Pressley, president of the air traffic control union in Birmingham, on Thursday said "safety was definitely compromised" when radar scopes at Birmingham's Terminal Radar Approach Control and Tower, went blank while several airplanes were in the sky.

The system went down about 4:45 p.m. and was out more than five hours, delaying 15 departing flights and numerous arrivals. The Federal Aviation Administration said the disruption occurred when workers intentionally turned off the Birmingham radar system to do construction that's part of developing FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure into one system.

There was no risk to airplane operations because Birmingham air traffic controllers used nonradar procedures for which they are trained, Kathleen Bergen, FAA's regional spokeswoman in Atlanta, said Thursday.

The situation that night was not ideal but "the controllers are trained for any contingency," she said. "They do an outstanding job at Birmingham and throughout the system." If there's any question about what to do, she said, they can immediately stop all departures and arrivals until they can assess the situation and then proceed.

Pressley disagreed. "When FAA says that safety wasn't compromised, it trivializes what we do as their traffic controllers," Pressley said. "And safety was definitely compromised and it was the air traffic controllers and the compliance of the pilots that ensured the safety that day, not the FAA."

Bergen said technical problems disrupted long-range radar feeds from FAA's long-range radar antenna in Haleyville and Montgomery to Birmingham International Airport. The loss of radar created an additional workload for the airport's federal workers.

Pressley said the two long-range radar antennas, which cover a 200-mile radius, provide backup radar for Birmingham. "Right now, we have no secondary system because that's what we're using" since the airport's primary radar, which covers a 50-mile radius, has been down since January.

FAA is raising the radar antenna, he said, because trees around it are blocking part of the view for low altitudes.

Bergen said the airport's radar antenna will return to operation Feb. 26.

Also Jan. 17, a shift did not occur in air space coverage under a plan involving the Air Traffic Enroute Control Center near Atlanta, she said.

Pressley said his co-workers that night discovered a difference in the backup plans for Birmingham and the Atlanta center. When Birmingham loses radar, the en route center is to "take over our air space and we just run the tower.... They wouldn't take the air space, so we had to continue running that air space without the radar when they could see it perfectly well," he said.

"The controllers in Atlanta knew how unsafe the situation was and they were trying to help us ... and their managers wouldn't allow them to help us," he said. "We kind of had to make up the rules as we went."

Bergen said the agreement calls for the Atlanta center to cover air space above 7,000 feet because of Alabama's hilly terrain. Since Birmingham controllers are familiar with nonradar procedures and the area, she said, "the decision was made that they could implement the nonradar procedures for flights below 7,000 feet. The controllers in Atlanta could not work nonradar at those low altitudes."

Source: Everything Alabama

A judicial review is to be launched by the council and other authorities to try and overturn the current night-flights regime at Heathrow Airport.

A High Court Judge gave permission this week for the legal challenge to go ahead and it is set to be heard in the High Court in May or June.

If successful, the government could be forced to scrap the current night flights regime at the airport.
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At present about 16 flights, mostly jumbo jets, land at Heathrow during the night quota period' from 11.30pm - 6am.

But a concentration of planes land between 6am and 7am, when the cap on night flights does not apply although this hour is still night' according to EU law.

The judicial review is being spearheaded by councils belonging to the new 2M Group, an alliance of 12 authorities representing two million residents affected by Heathrow airnoise.

In addition to Richmond upon Thames Council, the councils involved include Wandsworth, Ealing, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Merton, Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham.
"It may not get any worse between now and 2012, but it's sure not going to get much better."
John Stewart, chairman of an anti-Heathrow expansion group

Leader of Richmond council, Serge Lourie, said: "This marks another step on the road towards an eventual ban on night-flights and halting Heathrow expansion.

"Our aim is to prove the current night flights regime is fatally flawed. In our view some very noisy aircraft are misclassified, the way landing noise is calculated is artificially reduced, the proposals breach the government's policy of bearing down on noise' and the court itself needs to assess the interference with the human rights of residents."

John Stewart, chairman of a longer running anti-Heathrow expansion group, said Hacan Clearskies did not get in on the court action because the costs of losing them can run very high.

He said: "But we are 100 per cent behind their action and it shows that just by the fact they have been given permission to go to the High Court must mean the government would be a bit worried."

Every five years the government enters into a new agreement with airliners.

The last night flights regime was set in October 2006 and will run until October 2012.

Mr Stewart said the councils will challenge the agreement because it contradicts the government's 2003 Aviation White Paper promise that it would bear down on noise'.

Richmond council and its partners in the judicial review case will argue there is no evidence that the government is trying to improve night flights.

Mr Stewart added: "It may not get any worse between now and 2012, but it's sure not going to get much better."

# Judicial reviews allow for challenges to be taken to the High Court against a decision made by a public body.

The court actions can result in the public body, in this case the Government, being ordered by the court to reconsider or change its decision.

Source: Richmond and Twickenham Times

AN investigation has been launched after two planes collided on a taxiway at Manchester Airport.

A Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 777 was preparing to take off for New York when one of its wings clipped the tail of a Flybe Dash 8.

No-one was injured but fire crews were despatched to the site of the collision.
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More than 130 passengers on the PIA flight, PK723, had to be put up in hotels overnight while the aircraft was checked over.

Passengers on the Flybe Dash 8, which was heading for Southampton with 43 people on board, were put on other flights as the aircraft's rudder was damaged.

Both aircraft taxied back to the terminals following the incident, which happened at about 1pm yesterday, so that engineers could inspect them.

The PIA plane, which was travelling to New York from Pakistan, was still on the ground at the airport this morning.

A spokesman for the Air Accidents Investigation Branch confirmed it had launched an investigation.

Incident

A spokesman for Flybe said: "Flight BE866 from Manchester to Southampton was involved in an incident at Manchester Airport.

"The Flybe aircraft was holding on the taxiway, correctly positioned and stationary.

"We understand that the Pakistan International Airways aircraft had been given permission to taxi past the Flybe aircraft provided that there was sufficient wingtip clearance.

"The Flybe aircraft was clipped by the PIA aircraft, causing damaged to the rudder. The Flybe aircraft returned to stand and all passengers disembarked without incident."

He said arrangements were made for alternative flights for all passengers on their onward journey and the vast majority of passengers had only suffered a two-hour delay.

He added: "The safety and well-being of our passengers is of paramount concern and Flybe will work with the authorities in an subsequent investigation."

PIA was criticised last year following a number of undercarriage fires on jets landing at Manchester Airport.

A cat also grounded a PIA flight at Manchester for 26 hours last October after it got loose in the passenger cabin.

A spokesman for PIA was unavailable for comment.

Source: Manchester Evening News

A MEMORIAL fund has been set up in memory of the seven men who died in the Irish sea helicopter disaster.

Five gas workers and two pilots - including Blackpool man Stephen Potton - were killed when the Eurocopter SA365N went down over Morecambe Bay after leaving Blackpool Airport on 27 December.
Centrica, the company which operates the gas field, has started the fund with a donation of £25,000.

Donations will be given to charities chosen by Centrica, in consultation with the families of the men.
Details of the chosen causes will be listed at the fund's website once they are agreed.

A preliminary Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) report found no evidence of major mechanical failure with the helicopter.
The aircraft was seen to pitch sharply forward and bank to the right seconds before it crashed into the icy waters, the report said.
Commander Stephen Potton, 52,from North Shore and co-pilot Simon Foddering, 33, from Preston were killed in the crash.
The gas workers on board were Robert Warburton, 60, of Heysham, Lancashire, Leslie Ahmed, 48, from South Shields, Tyneside, John Shaw, 51, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, Alfred Neasham, 57, from County Durham, and Keith Smith, 57, from Stockton-on-Tees.

Source: Blackpool Today

CARDIFF International Airport is aiming to unlock a whole host of global destinations for Welsh travellers, after passing its two-million-passenger mark for the first time.

The passenger figures for its scheduled and charter routes in 2006 represent a 13% growth over the previous year at the airport, which is making more flights available than ever before.

It has announced four new popular destinations already for 2007 - Barcelona, Kos, Nantes and Belfast City.

And now bosses want to open up routes that will take passengers into the US and Middle East.

These are in addition to 12 new routes that were launched last year at the airport which now offers 50 direct destinations and more than 400 worldwide connecting flights.

Spencer Birns, head of the airport's Aviation Business Relationships, said top of its wish list was to attract a US route, complementing Zoom's regular low-fare services to Toronto and Vancouver.

Bookings to Canada are 10% up on this time last year.

A Middle East Hub and its worldwide connections, particularly to Australasia, is also in focus.

Peter Phillips, airport spokesman, said, "The airport has started the second phase of a £10m investment programme designed to support double digit growth in 2007.

"We are not expecting to reach three million passengers this year but we should see more growth, mainly in terms of capacity in visiting airlines and frequency of flights - particularly to the Mediterranean.

"Barcelona is known as Spain's party city and is one of Europe's most popular destinations, so it will appeal to people of all ages.

"Kos, in Greece, offers great weather and Nantes is Cardiff's twin city in France and is a timely addition as the location for the Welsh games in the Rugby World Cup.

"Belfast City will join our existing Irish routes to Dublin, Cork and Galway."

Mr Phillips believes that the North-South Wales airlink from RAF Valley, Anglesey, to Cardiff that is due to launch this spring will be used by more people than just the politicians who are currently anticipated to hop on board.

He said, "It will be a surprise hit because a lot of people living in South Wales have never even been to North Wales.

"And those in the North will appreciate an hour-long flight, instead of a four to five-hour car journey to the capital."

The route will be Wales' first Public Service Obligation scheme.

Cardiff International has reintroduced services to Paris, a route that was dropped when Air Wales ceased operations. And it hopes to see new services to Aberdeen, Dusseldorf, Munich and more routes to Spain, Italy and to Katowice, Poland.

The airport introduced six new aircraft parking stands, a new pier walkway and new Immigration Hall in 2006 and a significant extension of the baggage reclaim facility is due in 2007.

Jon Horne, Cardiff International Airport managing director, said, "The decision to allocate funding to create a new route to the airport in the short term was great news.

"Even better was the decision to move ahead with proposals for a direct route to the M4 as quickly as possible."

New routes
Thomsonfly, Cardiff's biggest operator with a total of 27 routes, is increasing capacity to Jersey and introducing a new route to Barcelona from May 25, with a lead flight price of £22.99.

Aer Arann, which has been building up its network from Cardiff since last year with flights to Cork, Dublin, Galway and Lorient in Brittany, adds a second route to France, to Nantes, from March in time for the Rugby World Cup. The airline's typical UK flights to Nantes cost from £49 one way including taxes.

Flybe is a new base carrier at Cardiff International from May, starting out with flights to Belfast City. It is a considerably large carrier, having absorbed British Airways' regional arm, BA Connect. Its Belfast City route could cost around £20 for a one-way flight, including taxes and charges.

First Choice is seeing excellent bookings for niche products like cruise packages. It adds Kos in Greece from Cardiff this summer. Prices have not yet been announced.

Source: icWales

A controlled explosion was carried out at Luton Airport after a suspect car was found parked near the arrivals lounge on Thursday evening.

The departure terminal was evacuated and a 656ft (200m) cordon put in place as a precautionary measure.

No flights were allowed to depart from the airport, but some arrivals were not affected and some diverted to Stansted.

The airport has now reopened and is operating normally. Bedfordshire Police apologised to anyone affected.

Source: BBC

The terrorist threat against British airline passengers is evolving constantly and could involve inside help from airport employees, a senior government official has warned. Restrictions on hand luggage are likely to remain in place after the disruption last year of an alleged plot to blow up US-bound aircraft with liquid explosives.

John Parkinson, the Department for Transport's head of aviation security, said security experts feared that a future terrorist attempt to target planes "would have the components available airside with the help of people who work there". He added: "The threat remains very serious and it is likely to endure for the foreseeable future. We continue to face very real challenges, but we remain determined to meet them."

A spokesman for BAA, owner of Heathrow airport, said airport employees posed no greater threat than passengers and were subjected to the same security checks, including a ban on carrying large amounts of liquids into terminals.

"All airport staff have to go through security checks as well. Anything passengers go through, all airport staff have to go through," the spokesman said.

Prospective airport employees, including staff at retail outlets, also require a criminal records and counter-terrorism check before they are hired.

The enhanced security checks were implemented after the security scare last summer brought Heathrow to a near-standstill and forced the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights.

Speaking at a transport security conference in London yesterday, Mr Parkinson said hand luggage restrictions which limit UK passengers to one bag and a small amount of liquids would remain in place until airport owners submitted proposals for more effective security measures, including new screening machines.

Source: The Guardian

BAA has ruled out selling Stansted Airport in order to settle fears in the industry that there is too little competition between UK airports.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) looks set to refer the supply of airport services by BAA to the Competition Commission (CC) for investigation.

BAA owns Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Southampton in the South East, and Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen in Scotland and has an annual turnover of £2 billion. The OFT is concerned that BAA handles more than 60 per cent of all air passengers in the UK.

It says without competition - investment at Stansted and other airports could be "inefficient and costly for air passengers and the UK".

More competition, it says, would create expansion that "takes place in a timely, cost effective manner" and is focused on the needs of airlines and the travelling public.

John Fingleton, OFT chief executive, said: "We believe that the current market structure does not deliver best value for air travellers in the UK, and that greater competition within the industry could bring significant benefits for passengers.

"There is evidence of poor quality and high charges - BAA's investment plans, which are of great importance to the UK, have raised significant concerns among its customers. These are signs of a market not working well for consumers and we believe that a full inquiry into BAA's structure is justified."

BAA responded by saying it does not think separate ownership will address the problems facing airports stating: "There is no intention on the part of BAA to sell any of its airports."

Stephen Nelson, chief executive of BAA, said: "I welcome the opportunity to have a thorough review of the UK airport market, but I am concerned at the OFT's narrow focus on the structure of BAA.

"The real problem for passengers is lack of capacity, not the structure of BAA. This shortfall is the result of a complex interplay of political, planning and environmental issues, all of which need examination.

"There is a great opportunity over the coming years to deliver dramatic improvements for passengers using our airports, but this requires a regulatory system that encourages investment. I do not believe the current regulatory model in the South East fits this purpose."

The OFT is due to make a final decision about referring BAA to the commission imminently.

Source: Harlow Herald

BRISTOL International Airport today announced that passengers will soon be able to use a new on-site airport Meet and Greet service.

It will mean travelling drivers can park at the front of the airport, unload their luggage, hand over their car keys to their personal airport concierge and check in for flights.

Passengers who book the new service in advance will have their cars collected by a concierge and parked on-site in the airport's secured parking compound which is protected by CCTV and number plate recognition systems.

On their return journey, passengers call the concierge team and their car will be delivered to the rapid pick up car park, 100 metres from the terminal.

The service starts next month. Prices start from £45 for one to three days, rising to £69 for up to eight days.

Source: Wiltshire Times

RTD moved a step closer on Wednesday to charging some transit users for parking at select park-n-Rides when a Senate committee overwhelmingly approved the agency's long-sought pay-for-parking measure.

Senate Bill 88 would allow the Regional Transportation District to charge those who park at high-demand bus and light-rail lots - yet who live outside the RTD district - from the first day they leave a vehicle.

Most importantly, the bill allows RTD to acquire license plate registration and driver's license information from state revenue and motor vehicle department data bases.

RTD will use license plate data to determine whether those parking at key park-n-Rides are residents of the eight-county RTD district or not, said RTD General Manager Cal Marsella, in testimony to the Senate's business, labor and technology committee.

The pay-for-parking plan would most likely be installed at RTD's busiest lots, including Table Mesa, Wagon Road, Mineral, Nine Mile and Stapleton.

RTD's aim is to make parking free for the first 24 hours for residents of the transit district and charge them $2 a day for each day after the first 24 hours.

Users of RTD lots who live outside the transit district would be charged $4 a day from day one, Marsella said.

Many of those who leave vehicles for multiple days are users of RTD's skyRide bus service to Denver International Airport. The parking charge - whether $2 or $4 a day - would still be less than other airport parking, backers of the plan say.

In Wednesday's hearing, Sen. Tom Wiens, a Castle Rock Republican, offered an amendment that would eliminate the parking price differential between in-district and out-of-district residents. The amendment was soundly defeated.

Castle Rock residents elected to stay outside the RTD tax district.

Marsella said establishing the price differential for in-district and out-of-district residents is an issue of "equity."

Transit users who live outside the RTD district and who don't pay the 1 percent RTD sales and use tax should pay for parking from day one, he said.

Similarly it is fair for residents of the transit district, who pay the sales and use tax, to get the first 24 hours of parking free, and then pay a nominal daily charge for each day after that, Marsella said.

A parking plan that charges all users something if they leave vehicles for more than a day will discourage some motorists from leaving cars in RTD lots for days, weeks and even months at a time, and that will open up more spaces for daily users, he added.

The RTD parking bill was passed 6-1 by business and labor committee members and lawmakers sent the measure on to the Appropriations committee.

Source: Denver Post

Seven vehicles were damaged in the underground parkade at the O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg -- after a parking attendant lost control of a car he was driving.

Police Senior Superintendent Vish Naidoo said the traffic controller had been given a BMW to park by a traffic officer working at the airport.

“He lost control of the car and it crashed into six other vehicles, extensively damaging them,” said Naidoo.

The BMW was also damaged.

“We will open a docket of negligent driving and forward it to the public prosecutor who will decide what to do with the case.”

Naidoo said it was not clear if the parking attendant had a driver’s licence.

Source: Sunday Times

Cynics would say it was inevitable. I booked an airline ticket the other day and was dismayed to see that taxes and surcharges exceeded the price of the ticket.

Airlines and governments are almost equally to blame for this ludicrous state of affairs in which advertised airfares bear no resemblance to reality.

Complain all you want about high gasoline prices, the price on the pump is what you pay – all federal and provincial taxes included.

Why is it that gasoline retailers post prices this way, and not airlines? No doubt gas stations do it because the public would not stand for it any other way. What's the point of having a posted price of, say, 40 cents a litre for gasoline if the motorist is going to have to pay 85 cents a litre?

Ontario government-run liquor stores have a different reason for including taxes in their posted prices. My guess is that the government would prefer us not to know how much they are charging in liquor taxes.

Back to the airlines. Their advertised fares have become a sick joke in recent years. But, until last week, I never encountered a situation when taxes and surcharges were higher than the fare.

It happened when I bought a round-trip ticket on Ottawa-based Zoom Airlines for travel to and from London's Gatwick Airport in March. As usual these days, the airline did it in two transactions – one for the outward, one for the return journey.

It was for the return that I got a shock. Zoom's fare was $199. The taxes and surcharges were a staggering $205.25 – for a total cost for the return leg of $404.25.

How could this be? The Zoom fare from Ottawa to London was $179 (slightly lower than the return because I was flying at a less busy time), and taxes and surcharges on top of that were $114.15.

I looked at the fine print on my e-ticket, and saw that fees for the return flight included $124 under the heading "U.K. departure fee."

I fly to London on average twice a year, and never noticed paying a U.K. departure fee before. Turns out I hadn't been paying attention. Still, it also turns out that the British government has just doubled the U.K. departure fee, effective Feb. 1.

From Feb. 1, anyone flying from Britain to Canada in economy class pays a whopping 40 pounds sterling in departure tax. That's about $90. In business or first class, the fee will be 80 pounds, or $180.

Why, I wondered, if the U.K. departure fee was doubling to the equivalent of $90 for economy-class passengers, was I being charged $124 by Zoom Airlines?

It turns out that Britain has TWO departure fees, according to David Clements, Zoom vice-president of sales and marketing. The other fee is for airport services, and is the equivalent of about $34 in Canadian money for passengers flying from Gatwick, he said.

The newly-doubled departure tax will be the same on all long-haul flights from Britain, which now has among the highest airport departure taxes in the world.

The British government claims it is raising the departure tax to help save the planet, or something. Few in Britain seem to believe it. Most see it as a tax grab, according to the British media. Fleece the foreign tourists is the signal I get from Tony Blair.

Canadian air carriers can't help it when domestic or foreign governments slap taxes on their passengers. But the airlines could be more upfront about it. These taxes are a cost of doing business. Why not include them in advertised fares?

Airlines can claim – legitimately – that the taxes are not their responsibility, and the public is entitled to know who is taxing them, and how much.

But airlines commonly add on a "fuel surcharge" that has nothing to do with any government. In the case of my Zoom ticket, I was charged an extra $81.25 each way – a total of $162.50 – for "navigation and fuel surcharge."

Oil prices remain high and all airlines add a surcharge to the price of a ticket to help pay for fuel, says Zoom's Mr. Clements. True, but it's not right. Why not a wings surcharge, or a pilot surcharge? Or even an air plane surcharge?

Come to think of it, the cost of putting gas in my car is small compared with all the other costs of car ownership, like depreciation, taxes and insurance.

Anyone in business has to bear all the costs of doing business. We all have to pass on these costs to our customers. The fairest way to do so is in the price of the product we sell. It's about time airlines learned that.

Source: Ottawa Business Journal

Ann Galbraith, who has just finished a book about Prestwick Airport and is now seeking election to the local council wrote the following in her blog:

LET me introduce myself. My name is Ann Galbraith and I hope to be elected as a councillor for the new ward of Maybole, North Carrick and Coylton. You may not have heard much about this new ward yet …..but you will!

I am the former editor of the Ayr Advertiser and during my time with that paper I gained a reputation for telling it like it is. I wrote a weekly column – often standing up for the interests of the people of South Ayrshire – and the council were regularly in my sights. Now it is time to put my money where my mouth is.

Having just completed a book on Prestwick Airport I now have the time to devote to public service. My appetite was whetted last year when I stood in the Maybole East and North Carrick by-election losing by ONE vote. This time I hope to go one better!

I live in Crosshill with my three cats– I have been here for coming up on 16 years – but before that I lived eight years in Coylton, while my daughter was growing up – so I have a full appreciation of the interests and concerns of people who live in rural South Ayrshire. My daughter Amber is now an advocate based in Edinburgh and lives with her husband, two dogs and a cat, in Musselburgh.

We and our advertisers at Airport Parking wish you the best of luck in your endeavours, Ann.

HUMAN rights groups yesterday called for an investigation into Scotland's involvement in "torture flights" after the European Parliament condemned the use of UK airports in the alleged transport of United States prisoners of war.

Prestwick airport, Glasgow International and Edinburgh airport have all been named as stopovers for flights allegedly carrying people accused of terrorism to other countries not bound by human rights codes in the treatment of suspects.

Yesterday, Euro MPs voted to adopt a report condemning the UK's involvement in the so-called "extraordinary rendition" flights. The report, approved in Strasbourg after a year-long inquiry, says more than 1,000 covert flights operated by the CIA flew into European airspace or stopped over at European airports between the end of 2001 and the end of 2005.

The UK government is singled out for co-operating with the CIA in sending three UK residents on rendition fights for questioning in connection with alleged terrorism.

The UK is also one of the three countries, with Germany and Ireland, where the volume of CIA flights was greatest.

At Prestwick, more than 156 US warplanes linked to military intelligence landed during the controversy.

John Watson, Amnesty International's programme director for Scotland, called for an investigation into the country's involvement.

"We call on the Scottish Executive to establish whether Scottish airports have been complicit in the kidnapping, transporting, secret detention and torture of prisoners by allowing CIA rendition flights to land and refuel," he said.

"The UK government has to establish whether its officials have been involved in the extraordinary rendition and torture of prisoners. The government line that it has checked and can find no evidence of complicity with CIA rendition is not good enough.

"Scotland should follow the lead of several European countries in allowing independent investigations into any Scottish involvement with rendition."

Alyn Smith, the SNP MEP, was also concerned at Scotland's involvement.

He said:

"There are still major concerns over what happened at Scotland's airports. We do not know and have not been told. This report does a good job in bringing greater clarity to the issue but does not answer those key questions.

"Once again, I urge the Scottish Executive, in particular those Liberal Democrats in the Executive who freely call for an inquiry in London, to back up their calls with an inquiry into events in Scotland."

Yesterday's report carries no legal weight, and follows a separate report by human rights watchdog the Council of Europe last year, which said the CIA ran a "global spider's web" of rendition flights, with European countries acting as staging posts.

The Scottish Executive insists it is a reserved matter.

Source: The Scotsman

Airports operator BAA has unveiled plans to redevelop Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3 building and modernise the terminal’s forecourt as part of its investment programme to transform the central terminal area.

The work will significantly improve the passenger experience, reduce traffic congestion, develop better pedestrian routes and improve security in the area in front of Terminal 3.

The opening of a new multi-storey car park and the demolition of the old car park 3 has made way for the redevelopment of Terminal 3’s forecourt and an extension to the south-east side of the terminal building.

Forecourt work includes:

* A new four lane drop off forecourt, creating approximately 40% of additional capacity to relieve congestion and provide better access.
* A new 40m-deep pedestrianised plaza with a large canopy in front of the terminal to provide a sheltered area for passengers and clear orientation zones to check-in.
* A new subway connection from the existing subway to the new plaza for improved access to public transport.

Check-in extension work involves:

* A glass atrium style extension to the front elevation of the south east side of Terminal 3 to provide approximately 900 m² of additional circulation and check-in space.
* A new stairway, with lifts and escalators, to provide passengers with easier access to departure areas.

Source: Contract Journal

Makes my little heart happy to see when people plan on booking things like Airport Parking early. As Ali Maggs writes on her blog:

I've got too much to do before I go. Work wise, things are mad (in a good way) - working on a Bristol community website for some bars/clubs in Bristol which is great, plus another couple of websites. Computer games wise, I'm working on some games for a tourist attraction in Birmingham at the moment and film editing wise I'm working on a short film called Billy which, hopefully, I can post here for you to see when it's all done.

In addition to that, I need to buy clothes (it is next to impossible to get Summer clothes right now), sort our airport parking, stock up on hair products, look at getting a better digital camera and pack.

All we can see is "Good on yer, girl!" CLICK HERE to book your parking at Bristol Airport NOW.

Tenerife Officials at Edinburgh Airport are looking at plans to reduce the cost of on-site parking to cut down on the number of passengers being dropped off and picked up.

These so-called "kiss and fly" passengers make up a quarter of journeys to the airport and bosses want to cut this number to help reduce pollution created by traffic.

Airport officials are currently assessing the best way to do this and to get passengers using public transport or their own cars.

This includes constructing safer car parks around the terminals and reducing the overall cost of airport parking, as well creating new bus routes to connect the airport to Edinburgh city centre.

It is understood that a taxi sharing service is also being considered, which would see passengers returning from destinations such as Palma, Malaga and Tenerife being grouped together for their journey home.

Airport managing director Richard Jeffrey said: "The biggest cause of local air pollution around the airport is not from aircraft but from road traffic travelling to and from the airport."

However, Mr Jeffrey added that great strides had already been made over the last five years to increase the number of people using public transport to travel to Edinburgh.

Source: Airflights

Marking its second planned international airport boutique, Tiffany & Co. expects to open a store in London's Heathrow Airport in March 2008. The approximately 1,600 gross-square-foot (150 square meters) boutique will be located in the airport's new Terminal 5, a ground-breaking new building designed to facilitate the increasing flow of passengers and provide them with every comfort and convenience, including the most extensive luxury retail center of any airport in the world. Tiffany plans to open a store of about the same size at Singapore's Changi Airport in April 2007.

"Terminal 5's spacious and streamlined design, with many amenities to enhance the travel experience, is ideal for a Tiffany & Co. boutique," said Melvyn Kirtley, president of Tiffany & Co. United Kingdom. "We look forward to welcoming travelers and providing them with the quality, craftsmanship and outstanding customer service for which Tiffany is renowned."

The Tiffany boutique, the jeweler's fifth London location, will feature architectural details of the famous New York flagship store, including ebonized Makore and mahogany woods and brushed stainless steel showcases. In addition, the stone entry arch and interior aisles will be widened to accommodate baggage-bearing travelers.

Source: Diamonds.net

We are now recruiting: waiters, kitchen porters, counter staff, chefs to work in busy bars and restaurants at Stansted Airport.

Rate of pay: £6.05 - £6.60 p/h + tips

All positions are full time & min. for period of 6 months.

Airport is open 20 h a day so shifts may start at 4 a.m. or finish at midnight.

First interview will take place on Thursday 22nd February at Stansted Airport.

All candidates must be able to provide a current passport or photographic driving licence and will have to have a 5-year reference check (to receive airside pass).

If you do not live in the area you might have to relocate to Harlow, Bishops Stotford or Tottenham (you will get a discount for buses and trains).

So, if you are enthusiastic, have a big personality and speak good English please send your CV quoting ref no ST/R to marta[at]windsorworkforce.com

Source: Polish Express

An essential guide for anyone visiting the north of the county has now been launched.

The 2007 North Wiltshire Visitor Guide was unveiled at the Atwell-Wilson Motor Museum in Calne.

The business is featured in the 20,000 copies of the guide that have been printed. They are available at Tourist Information Centres and Information Points throughout the area.

The guide is also distributed to Tourist Information Centres throughout the country, selected M4 and M5 Service Stations and Bristol airport.

Produced by North Wiltshire District Council, it contains useful information on a wide range of attractions, accommodation and events in the six towns of Calne, Chippenham, Corsham, Cricklade, Malmesbury and Wootton Bassett and surrounding countryside.

Source: This is Wiltshire

MORE than 30 Seasiders fans were forced to miss the FA Cup clash when their charter flight to Norwich failed to take off.

The flight, organised by Vacation Travel, was meant to ferry around 100 fans to Carrow Road for tonight's FA Cup Fourth Round replay. But the plane broke down in Birmingham, which left the Pool fans stranded at Blackpool Airport.

Seasiders fan Bill Markham said: "It's a real disappointment but there is nothing anyone could do. Vacation Travel did their best to find alternative planes. We have to be philosophical about what has happened and just hope the fans have a chance to watch them at Chelsea in the next round."

Boss of Vacation Travel Stuart Arnott managed to hire a 70-seater craft, which took off at around 6pm. A second plane could not be found, leaving around 30 fans to miss the game.

Source: The Gazette

London City Airport and Barcelona 3GSM are to benefit from CNN's rollout of their new internet site.

Proximity marketing company Hypertag has been selected by CNN to run a campaign promoting the international news giant’s new mobile internet site. Under the deal, Hypertag will roll out a series of its Bluetooth proximity marketing devices in poster panels in London City Airport and at the Barcelona 3GSM mobile phone trade fair.

The tags will enable passing consumers to access the new CNN Mobile site quickly and easily via an SMS sent to their phones with a direct link through to cnnmobile.com in phone browsers. In London City Airport the tags will be fixed in posters advertising the site whilst at 3GSM CNN staff will carry wearable Hypertags offering the same content.

Hypertags are short-range wireless tags used on out-of-home advertising such as outdoor posters, fitted in retail environments and worn by field marketers. Using ubiquitous mobile phone technologies such as infra-red and Bluetooth, they enable advertisers to beam interactive content to people’s mobile phones. A user simply activates the infra-red or Bluetooth on their phone, holds it up to the Hypertag and receives content such as vouchers, business cards, ringtones or games.

The lack of awareness of mobile websites amongst consumers has meant that site owners have often struggled to gain the wide audience they need. By promoting the site through Hypertags and handing out a direct link that can simply be clicked on to enter the site, CNN will be welcoming a stream of new visitors to the site and extending the reach of the CNN Mobile service.

Rachel Harker, co-founder, Hypertag, said: “The mobile web has truly come of age in terms of functionality and technology but its still a challenge to get consumers to visit off-portal sites. By handing out links through a physical device such as a Hypertag, CNN can introduce users to their site in a simple and intuitive way.”

Mark Haviland, Director of Marketing for CNN International , said: “We are pleased to be able to market our new mobile service in an innovative and user-friendly way. CNN Mobile delivers a great news product for users on the go and this is a quick and simple way for people to access it.”

Links: Hypertag | CNN

It takes more than a flying visit to learn all about Heathrow’s history.

More than 70 residents attended the first in a series of free talks about the workings of the world's busiest international airport.

It was the first public event at the refurbished Heathrow Academy and was given by former airport journalist and Heathrow historian, Alan Gallop last Tuesday evening.

The audience enjoyed a detailed look at the history of the airport, from its beginnings as a tented village to the world's busiest international airport with more than 90 airlines and 67 million passengers every year.

The talk took in various milestones in Heathrow's history, including the arrival of the Beatles, the opening of the Central Terminal Area, and the construction of Heathrow's access tunnel.

Mr Gallop joined Heathrow news agency, Brenard Press, as a trainee reporter in 1966 and spent the next 12 years covering activities at the airport for various national news media. He has written a range of books including Time Flies: Heathrow at 60, in celebration of the 60th anniversary of the airport last year. He lives in Ashford and considers himself a LAPney, someone who was born near to what was once named London Airport.

The rest of the Discover Heathrow talks will explore aspects of airport life in the past, present and future, encompassing a variety of issues from construction at the airport, to management of the environment and every day operations.
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Forthcoming talks include: T5 and the environment by Rebecca Auckland, Environment Team - T5, on Tuesday, February 27; A380 at Heathrow by Tim Hardy, Deputy Airside Operations Director, BAA, also on Tuesday, February 27; Air Traffic Control and Airfield Operations by Martyn Jeffrey, General Manager NATS Heathrow and Richard Smith, Infrastructure and Compliance Manager, BAA, Tuesday, April 24; Archaeology at Terminal 5 by Ken Welsh, Framework Archaeology, Tuesday, May 29.

The final talk will be T5 - Making history by Rob Stewart, Commercial Director, Terminal 5, on Tuesday, June 26.

These talks will all start at 6.30pm at Heathrow Academy, Newall Road, UB3 5AP.

Source: Croydon Guardian

A GROUP of plane-spotters have built their own 'model' aircraft - and it's more than 100 ft long.

The aviation enthusiasts have devoted years to the task of restoring the Hawker Siddeley Trident, which had looked destined for the scrap heap at Heathrow.

Their big day came when they put G-AWZK's fuselage, wings and undercarriage back together at its new home at Manchester Airport.

Cranes lifted the parts into place at the airport's Aviation Viewing Park, where the former British Airways' jet is set to become a new visitor attraction. It had been dismantled so it could be transported two years ago.

Neil Lomax, chairman of the Trident Preservation Society, which has been looking after the plane for more than a decade, said: "We are delighted the airport is helping to restore G-AWZK to its former glory."

Trident aircraft first took to the skies in 1962 and formed the backbone of the British European Airways' short-haul fleet before the airline merged with BOAC to form BA in 1974. They went out of service in 1985, when BA replaced them with Boeing 737s and 757s. The last one flew from Manchester on December 31 that year.

G-AWZK, also known as Zulu Kilo or ZK, was built in 1971 and chalked up more than 19,700 flights before it was retired at Heathrow on November 1, 1985.

The aircraft became A practice rig for training de-icer crews and was used by police for counter-terrorism training.

The Trident Preservation Society was formed in the early 1990s after the British Airways' charity Happy Child said it wanted an airliner to show children around. The restoration process began in 1994 but by 2003 it looked like the plane would be scrapped.

Mr Lomax set up an internet campaign and got Manchester Airport's backing to move the aircraft north. The airport joined forces with Simulation-TERS to restore the jet. And now the plane has been restored inside, with new seat covers and 1970s-style carpets. The cockpit has also been restored.

Andrew Holl of Manchester Airport said: "It's an historic aircraft and I look forward to welcoming the first visitors on board in the spring."

Source: Manchester Evening News | Comment

EDINBURGH Airport is to target so-called "kiss and fly" passengers in a bid to get flyers out of their cars and on to public transport.

Just over a quarter of journeys to the city's airport are for passengers being dropped off and picked up by friends or relatives.

Airport bosses want to persuade passengers to cut down on the number of these journeys by either using car parks or public transport.

Officials plan to assess the cost and supply of airport parking and how it influences passenger decisions between public transport, getting a lift from a loved one or taking their own car. This could involve a cut in the price of parking or the building of more secure car parks.

A package of public transport improvements to the airport will be also considered over the next five years, including the possibility of new bus routes to the airport, a bus interchange at the A8, and extending the Edinburgh Shuttle minibus service.

A new taxi share service, which could see passengers being grouped into cabs together, is also being considered.

Airport managing director Richard Jeffrey said: "Over the last five years, we have seen substantial progress in terms of getting more of our passengers to travel to and from the terminal by public transport. The biggest cause of local air pollution around the airport is not from aircraft but from road traffic travelling to and from the airport."

Source: Scotsman.com

Denver Airport plans to use the internet to post up-to-the-minute information for its airport car park.

Faced with high demand for limited space, U.S. airports are turning to technology to get travelers parked faster.

Baltimore/Washington International, for example, has installed a parking-information system aimed at taking "the guesswork out of parking," spokesman Jonathan Dean said. "It's like something you see in the Jetsons."

The BWI system relies on a system of car sensors, electronic signs and indicator lights to speed travelers to open parking spaces. The airport also uses roadway signs and a low-power radio station to tell drivers which garages are closed.

Other airports, such as Reagan Washington National, use the Internet to give up-to-the-minute information, and Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul are moving that way. Some, including the Chicago airports, issue e-mail alerts.

The push to deliver current parking information to travelers comes as airports are increasingly looking to differentiate themselves from competitors: other airports and off-airport parking lots.

"Parking is the first and last impression of an airport, and you want that experience to be a positive one," said Joseph Wenzl, business development executive at Federal APD, one of the largest installers of electronic parking systems.

What airports are doing:

# Electronic signs. Airports have been early adopters of the electronic "space-finding" signs that provide motorists with current information about the number of spaces available in a garage or lot. More than a dozen airports feature the system, including BWI, Boise and Dallas/Fort Worth. Fort Lauderdale and Seattle will introduce it later this year.

One system used by Federal APD relies on wires installed below the concrete that detect when cars enter or leave the garage or a specific level of the garage and maintains a count. The company installed such a system for parking at Detroit's McNamara Terminal.

BWI uses a system of sensors and lights suspended over each parking space in its daily and hourly garages. So even at a distance, a motorist can spot a green or red light indicating whether a space is open or occupied. Illuminated signs at the ends of each row display the number of spaces available in that row. Blue lights point out handicapped parking areas.

"It works well," said traveler Glenn Baer, a procurement executive based in Annapolis, Md., who uses BWI.

# Internet. Customers of Reagan Washington National, where parking is almost always tight, can check out the airport Web site for real-time information on the number of spaces in the garages and lots before they leave home.

Denver plans to introduce this month a similar Internet service. The Boston Logan Web site tells if a garage or lot is open or full, but offers no count.

# Radio and telephone. Many airports stick to the old technology - low-power radio broadcasts on airport property, or a call-in number. Milwaukee and Fort Lauderdale are among the airports that broadcast by radio.

Phoenix, San Francisco and Burbank, Calif., have a phone number for parking information that is answered by a real person. Minneapolis also plans to introduce an automated parking hotline this month.

Source: The Coloradan

TOURISM, roads and council coffers are set to benefit from a £6.2m cash windfall from the skies. A pot of money set aside from the sale of Blackpool Airport is to be spent over the next two years, it has been revealed. Blackpool Council, which sold the airfield in 2004, agreed at the time not to touch the cash in case it had to buy it back.

But the recent success of the Squires Gate terminal has prompted the council to release the funds for capital projects although £1.1m will be transferred into the council's reserves to boost those up to £4.5m by the end of March next year.

More than a million pounds will now be spent on highways repairs, and £1.2m will go towards an Illuminations scheme for the town centre which will cost more than £3m in total. Firm details of the scheme are yet to be finalised, although it is expected it will see buildings lit up at night and new lighting features in the resort.

Other capital projects are also in the pipeline. Council leader Coun Roy Fisher said: "Blackpool Airport is the fastest growing airport in the UK and therefore the council has a great deal of confidence in its future. The growth in passenger numbers is such that we feel able to utilise some of the £6m we received when we sold the airport. "Rather than leaving this money to lie idle the council wants to use it to invest now in the future of Blackpool."

But Tory leader Coun Peter Callow, who is also chairman of the audit committee, accused the council of frittering the money away in order to prop up the budget and keep council taxes low. Blackpool is proposing a rise of 4.3 per cent this year. Coun Callow said: "I don't agree there is no possibility of anything going wrong with that airport and the council could still have to buy it back in the future.
"There is pressure from the Government to cut back on air travel and the terrorist threat has not gone away. "Once we've used that money up it's gone. The only way we could then get the airport back if we needed to in an emergency situation would be to borrow the money, and who pays for that – the council tax payer. "We shouldn't be frittering the airport money away on everyday expenses that should be part of the normal budget so that we can crow about having the lowest council tax in Lancashire."

Last year £1.4m of airport money was released for spending on roads, tourism and CCTV. The airport's owners have invested £4m, building a new terminal and last year passenger numbers increased by around 97 per cent compared to the previous 12 months.

When the council owned the airport it cost about £1m a year to run.

Source: Blackpool Today

A woman has been remanded in custody after her arrest by customs officers at Birmingham Airport on Saturday.

Natasja Williams, 28, of Johannesburg, who has dual British/South African nationality, was charged with attempting to import herbal cannabis.

It is alleged 42lb (19 kg) of the drug was found wrapped in a blanket in her suitcase when she arrived on a flight.

She denied the charge before Solihull magistrates and was remanded to appear at Warwick Crown Court on 12 March.

Source: BBC

This coment from the Green Party blog:

Southampton Airport already expanding it seems on a monthly basis has far more reaching ambitious targets for increasing the number of flights going through. Portswood people being quite close to the flight path of Southampton Airport already have issues over BAAs plans to subject Portswood to more aircraft presence.

Cardiff International Airport has submitted tenders to the Welsh Assembly Government for the new and politically important North to South Wales air link which will operate between Anglesey (RAF Valley) and Cardiff International.

By road, this journey can take over four hours. A decision is expected soon.

Cardiff International surpassed two million passengers on its scheduled and charter routes for the first time in 2006, representing a 13% growth over the previous year. Twelve new routes were launched last year and four new destinations
have already been announced for 2007 - Barcelona, Kos, Nantes and Belfast City.

Last week the airport's management outlined its wish list of new destinations and highlighted it has commenced the second phase of a £10 million investment programme designed to support further double digit growth in 2007. This included the
introduction of six new aircraft parking stands and a new pier walkway and new Immigration Hall in 2006 and a significant extension of the baggage reclaim facility
in 2007.

The airport's newly appointed Head of Aviation Business Relationships Spencer Birns said Cardiff International is very keen to attract a US route, complementing Zoom's
regular low fare services to Toronto and Vancouver. Bookings to Canada are 10% up on this time last year, Zoom reports. A Middle East Hub and its worldwide connections, particularly to Australasia, is also in focus.

Closer to home, Cardiff International is keen to welcome back services to Paris (this route was dropped when Air Wales ceased operations), and to see new services to Aberdeen, to Dusseldorf, Munich, more routes to Spain, to Italy and to Poland
(Katowice would be ideal, says Birns). Thomsonfly, Cardiff's biggest operator with a total of 27 routes, is increasing capacity from Cardiff to Jersey and introducing a new route to Barcelona from 25 May.

Aer Arann, which has been building up its route network from Cardiff since last year with flights to Cork, Dublin, Galway and Lorient in Brittany, adds a second route to France to Nantes in France, Cardiff's twin city, from the end of March. This will
be especially popular around the time of the Rugby World Cup in France.

Flybe is a new base carrier at Cardiff International from May this year. It is starting out with flights to Belfast City, where it already has a strong established base. Cardiff Airport is still in discussions with the airline about other opportunities. Flybe will come to Cardiff as a considerably larger carrier, having
absorbed British Airways regional arm, BA Connect. Another new airline at Cardiff is Healthspan-owned BlueIslands.com with its weekly flights to Guernsey.

Charter flights from Cardiff continue to buck the trend and show strong growth. Generally the market in the UK is down 8%, noted Birns, but operators like First Choice are seeing excellent bookings for niche products like their cruise packages with Island Cruises. In addition First Choice adds Kos in Greece from Cardiff this
summer.

Cardiff International welcomes the return of Air Malta this summer which is coming on to the route with one flight a week to Malta, competing with British Jet. In addition, Turkey's Onur Air will increase to eight weekly flights to Turkey from Cardiff.

The UK Government decision to chose St Athan, three miles from Cardiff Airport as the location for the UK Armed Forces Training Academy, will have a very positive effect on the airport, stated Horne, creating some 12,000 new jobs, 7,000 in the first phase. Construction will begin in 2008 with the academy set to
open in 2011/2012.

Improved road access for the airport in the short term and a direct link to M4 are on the way.

Source: News Wales

A MOTORIST, 15 minutes late leaving a car park, is today facing a £125 bill for the hot coffee that delayed his departure.

Philip Clarke failed to see signs warning drivers that they could only park in the car park at a McDonalds restaurant for 45 minutes.

Mr Clarke, 47, of Blaxhall Church Road, Tunstall, was fined £75 - but he has failed to pay that penalty within 14 days while he contests the charge and now the fine is £125.

Mr Clarke had driven his parents-in-law to Gatwick airport and then he decided to stop at the McDonalds restaurant at Gatwick South.

He ate a meal and then went back into the restaurant and bought a coffee. He sat in his car to drink the coffee.

He was later told that he had spent an hour there and had to pay a fine. But Mr Clarke said: “The idea is that people should not stop there while they are waiting for a plane to come in.

“But I had a meal and then a coffee to break my journey home. I was not looking for any signs. I feel it is disgusting what has happened.

“I feel I have a genuine case, I wasn't trying to fiddle their books, I have overstayed an arbitrary time that they have stipulated in their car park that I did not know about.”

McDonalds says that there are two six foot by two foot signs and 15 smaller signs around the car park advising customers of the limited time permitted.

“The use of enforcement methods in our car parks is only necessary in extreme cases to ensure there are always spaces for our customers for the duration of their visit to the restaurant,” said Alexis Dolling, senior customer services manager.

A spokeswoman for McDonalds said: “All customers are handed a leaflet as they order, there are also posters in the restaurant. These invite customers who require longer than 45 minutes to make the shift manager aware of this at the time of ordering.

“So long as these are genuine customers, this will be arranged for them.”

The Civil Enforcement company, of Nottingham, told Mr Clarke that they would issue county court proceedings if they did not receive payment for the car park fine and it would add “additional costs, interest and fees to the claim.”

Mr Clarke said he did not want to go to court and therefore he was reluctantly resigned to paying the charge.

Source: Evening Star

That a phone at Heathrow Airport would have contributed to Ferroever's phone phobia?

As she writes in her blog:

But the real phobia with phones started in full effect on the day I arrived at Heathrow airport after a flight from Japan via KL, on July 2nd 1992, whereupon I immediately called my grandfather at a public phone near the ramp that goes down to the underground from the arrivals lounge [that same phone is still there although it's been upgraded somewhat] to ask him which hospital my mother was in. I waited for my grandfather to reaffirm that she was in Burton Hospital but instead there was silence. Sadly her grim prediction that I'd never see her again had come true, as she died about 10 hours before my arrival and at precisely the moment I was enjoying a pint of Guinness at a bar in the old airport in Kuala Lumpur.
I fell to the floor screaming and folks walked by looking at me funny.

Sad, girl, but don't blame the phone for your ills. Good Luck with the Boat.

The death of a Polish man who suffered hypothermia after being moved on by police at Luton Airport is being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

While police officers were removing him from the airport on the afternoon of Tuesday, January 16, Marek Pasich, 44, fell over outside the terminal building.

An ambulance was called, but Mr Pasich refused to get into it and remained on a seat outside the terminal until just before 5am the following day, when paramedics were called for him once again.

He was taken to Luton & Dunstable Hospital, but died of hypothermia, a post mortem revealed.

IPCC commissioner David Petch urged witnesses to the events to get in touch.

He said: "Our investigation will seek to establish whether the police officers concerned properly exercised their duty of care towards him."

Source: Luton Today

If Vauxhall's old assembly plant in Luton is transformed into a super-casino, similar to the one announced recently by the Government for Manchester it could mean a boost in Airport Parking Sapce for nearby Luton Airport, if town councillors play their cards right and convince developers to go ahead with their plans.

Designs have been drawn up for a large gambling centre which also includes 1,000 new homes, 500,000 square feet of office space and even parking for nearby Luton Airport.

It was hoped the old factory could be transformed into a super-casino, similar to the one announced recently by the Government for Manchester. But planners say they will only offer a licence for a smaller venue. A Luton council spokeswoman told us: "This is clearly a disappointment. The dev­elopers now need to decide if they still want to go ahead."

The 56-acre plot has stood empty since the plant was shut in 2002 after nearly 100 years of vehicle production. Among the models built there were the legendary Viva, Cav­alier and Vectra.

Source: Auto Express

Sarah Currier writes the following about Bristol Airport in her blog:

I'm pleased to say that a recent trip to Bristol Airport showed some improvement. It used to be you could get a dried up muffin or sandwich in one bit of the departure lounge, and some horrible "pub food" type thing from the bar- if they were serving it. But now the sandwich bit has a lovely selection of fresh salads, nice sandwiches, juices, cakes and so on.

Just as an aside, the entire staff there appear to be Polish. Not a plus or a minus, just an observation.

Seven incidents concerning Bristol Airport's runway were reported this winter before it finally shut after an airline boycott, the BBC has learned.

Ten airlines had cancelled or diverted flights after some pilots said aircraft had skidded on landing in wet weather.

Three of the episodes, between November and January, are being examined by the Air Accidents Investigation Board.

Airport manager Paul Davies said he was not told that pilots had had concerns before last month's boycott.

"If there was a serious incident that the airlines would have been concerned about, they would have contacted us directly," he said.

We were convinced and still are that the runway was safe
Paul Davies, airport manager

"We had no contact from the airlines prior to 5 January. Two of the incidents, we reported ourselves, those were the two incidents where the aircraft did suffer minor difficulties.

"We were convinced and still are that the runway was safe."

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has always maintained that the runway was safe, but grooves were cut into the surface to improve grip.

Captain David Chapman from the CAA said: "The responsibility is for the commander of the aircraft to report any unsafe events to his operator.

"The management of that airline should take those reports and decide on mitigating features to minimise impact of those potentially adverse safety conditions.

"We take those reports and analyse them and try to determine trends and put in future long-term mitigation and, if necessary, regulatory requirements to maintain the levels of safety we have in the UK."

Source: BBC

Irish MEPs will this week call on the EU Transport Commissioner, Jacques Barrot, to reform security measures in relation to liquids carried by airline passengers into EU countries.

Irish MEPs will this week call on the EU Transport Commissioner, Jacques Barrot, to reform security measures in relation to liquids carried by airline passengers into EU countries.

New EU security measures introduced last November allow passengers to carry 100mg of liquids onto an aircraft in a sealed plastic bag. But the regulations do not apply to passengers from outside the 27 member states, who are transiting through EU airports.

The anomaly means that, while US passengers flying point-to-point into Heathrow are allowed to carry a certain amount of liquids, those who are transiting through Heathrow are having their duty-free confiscated. Irish MEPs are receiving complaints from Irish people who travel to New York via airports such as Heathrow or Schiphol and are having their goods confiscated.

Irish MEPs will tomorrow call for negotiations on a reciprocal arrangement with these countries to extend the security regulations beyond EU member states. The issue is being debated tomorrow in Strasbourg at a full session of the European Parliament.

At Frankfurt airport, some 20 tonnes of liquids such as perfume and alcohol are confiscated every week, according to figures compiled by the Irish MEPs.

In Schiphol, the major airport in Amsterdam,1,600 litres of alcoholic drinks are being confiscated daily.

Heathrow Airport has not provided details of liquids confiscated, but said it was receiving 200 complaints a day about the implementation of the regulations.

The Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) said confiscation of goods for transit passengers was not a major issue at Dublin or Shannon, as they were not major transit hubs.

The failure to extend the regulation is also affecting the business of Aer Rianta International which has duty-free shops around the world, including the Soviet Union, Canada and the Middle East.

Fianna Fail MEP Sean O Neachtain, who is a member of the transport committee in the European Parliament, said that the EU should review countries on a case-by-case basis, with a view to striking a reciprocal arrangement for implementing these new security regulations.

‘‘The present regulations are simply unfair and they need to be updated quickly, from an international perspective,” he said.

Source: Sunday Business Post

MEMBERS of Uttlesford District Council have demanded airport operator BAA answers ten "critical but unanswered" questions over its proposals for a second runway at Stansted Airport.

The authority, which voted unanimously against BAA's plans to expand use of the existing runway in March, is also opposed to the second runway, with councillors claiming it will prove an environmental disaster.

Council leader Mark Gayler said: "We have closely studied the material released by BAA and their information is full of holes. As a result, we are writing to BAA seeking answers on some key questions."
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The questions include 'what message of hope does BAA hold out to the people of Uttlesford?', and 'will BAA fund a long term study to monitor how airports and airport expansion affects the health of communities?' Mr Gayler added: "As the principal local authority dealing with the Stansted expansion plans, we are determined to protect the district and residents. We will do all we can to stop the character of Uttlesford being damaged beyond repair."

Chief among the council's concerns is that the way the runways would be used - one for take off and the other for landing - will not prove a permanent arrangement.

This method, known as 'segregated mode' would in theory lessen the impact on some nearby communities but the council is sceptical that BAA would operate the runways in this way on a long term basis if the number of flights were to rise as government forecasts suggest.

Below are the questions UDC has demanded answers to.

1- What guarantees will BAA give that the two runways would be operated in segregated mode? Is this only likely to be feasible in the short term? Will BAA offer a 50-year guarantee?

2 - What happens if the actual aircraft fleet numbers do not turn out to be in line with forecasts?

3 - Will BAA guarantee it will not seek planning permission until it has consulted on: local road diversions and connections maximising public transport links to relieve stress on the road and rail system in the M11 corridor growth area safeguards to ensure the development would not proceed until the transport capacity needed had been provided in full?

4 - Will BAA carry out a full assessment of the effects on Quality of Life - not only on local communities close to the airport but also on the culture and heritage of those further afield in the region that would be affected by aircraft movements more than doubling?

5 - Will BAA guarantee to complete and publish its Health Impact Assessment of the project before submitting its planning application?

6 - Will BAA fund a long term study to monitor how airports and airport expansion affects the health of communities?

7 - Will BAA support the concept of a design code to ensure plans for new facilities meet exacting standards on environmental performance and passenger experience? An obligation to secure longer term management and maintenance is essential. A good design at an appropriate cost is simply not good enough. Therefore, will BAA guarantee to meet these exacting standards?

8 - Will BAA put forward full and explicit evidence to justify the net economic benefits of a second runway including net tourism balance and carbon emissions cost?

9 - Are BAA ready to directly address the issue of climate change in the aviation industry, using its pivotal role to ensure airlines reduce carbon emissions in real terms?

10 - What message of hope does BAA hold out to the people of Uttlesford?

Source: Citizen

Mandy Dodier of Nashua wanted to take her two children on a Disney World vacation this month, but she didn't want to pay much more than $100 apiece for airfare.

For Dodier, that meant flying out of Manchester-Boston Regional Airport on a weekday in early February rather than leaving on a weekend closer to school vacation.

"The airfare made a big difference," said Dodier, who flew home last Wednesday with her 5- and 7-year-old sons. "We definitely made our travel plans around that."

The most recent airfare averages released by the federal government show that ticket fares over the past year have been on the upswing. Last summer they reached the highest levels since the mid-1990s, according to a price index published the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. For travelers like Dodier, deals on airfare are still out there, but booking more than a month in advance and being willing to fly during off-peak times are a must, airport officials and local travel agents say.

"Since the airlines have reduced capacity and available seats, it has really tightened up the market," said J. Brian O'Neill, spokesman for Manchester-Boston Regional Airport. "If the air traveler was able to get creative and had a little more flexibility with the timing, I think they are still be able to find good deals out there."

Fares out of Manchester airport last summer were 18 percent higher than the summer before, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Only two other airports in the country logged larger increases during that period, the most recent collected data available.

The issue is not necessarily that airline ticket prices have risen that much, but cuts in the number and size of flights have reduced the number of cheap tickets available, O'Neill said. Those trends are especially hard on smaller and medium-sized airports like Manchester, he said. The high price of jet fuel is also a factor driving airfares higher, he said.

The average ticket price last summer was $134 compared to $108 the summer before, according to numbers O'Neill provided. That's a 24 percent increase.

The airport struggled last year, showing declining passenger numbers for the first time in more than a decade. Several of the airlines that service the airport reduced the number and size of flights offered in the spring of 2006 and put an end to 10 consecutive years of record growth at the airport.

Airlines trying to compete with low-cost carriers like Southwest and JetBlue cut service to the country's smaller airports to try to save money. For Manchester, that means fewer options for flyers looking to travel during peak times and higher prices.

The good news: Manchester is still doing better than most other airports. Even though the airport saw an 18 percent increase in ticket prices from the third quarter of 2005 to the third quarter of 2006, according to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, it was one of only two in the country that showed a drop in prices since 1995, when the bureau first started tracking rates. Manchester fares dropped 1.74 percent and Denver fares dropped 3.3 percent during those years.

O'Neill expects both ticket prices and availability to improve by summer. Southwest is adding a fifth daily non-stop flight to Orlando and a sixth daily non-stop flight to Philadelphia from Manchester in March. Then in May, Southwest is adding a fifth daily non-stop flight to Chicago.

"We're adding 16 percent more seats by June," he said. "That will certainly help ease the demand that exists here in Manchester."

Some airlines that replaced larger planes with regional jets are beginning to upgrade again, said Manchester Airport Director Kevin Dillon. For example, he said United recently upgraded a 737 jet with room for roughly 135 passengers to a 757 jet with room for roughly 200. As airlines continue to add more seats at the airport, it will drive prices back down and availability back up, he said. He attributed the recent flight additions to adding Boston to the airport's name, boosting advertising nationwide and oil prices starting to come back down again.

Even as Manchester's average fare has gone up over the past year, it has still remained cheaper than any other airport in New England, O'Neill said. In the summer of 2006, the average Manchester fare was $27 cheaper than Logan Airport in Boston, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. The only other airport in New England that came close to Manchester's fare was T.F. Green near Providence, R.I., where the average was $135.

Sandy Delude, president of Apollo Travel in Concord, said she hasn't noticed that airfares have gone up dramatically. The problem is that affordable tickets sell out faster than ever because there are fewer of them, she said. Travelers looking to go to Florida during the winter months should book flights at least 10 or 11 months in advance to get the best airfares, she said. For flights closer to home, the rule of thumb is 14 days, she said.

"It really depends on the destination," she said. "This time of year we book a tremendous amount of Florida reservations. It's very difficult to get reasonable airfare, especially during school vacation weeks."

Those who haven't already made reservations to travel south during school vacation week at the end of February are most likely out of luck now, O'Neill said. Southwest flights to Florida from Manchester airport are already full to Orlando and Tampa, he said.

Tina Guyer of Laconia said that's why she decided to take a Florida vacation with her 12-year-old son a few weeks early. Guyer, who returned from Orlando last Wednesday, said she got a better deal on flights, and Disney wasn't as crowded. She got a good deal by traveling during the week and going before the rush, but she still paid more than last year.

"We only paid $59 each way," she said. "Last year we went at the same time and paid $49."

Nick Wallner, a spokesman for AAA Northern New England, said increasing airfare is a sign that the airline industry is finally starting to correct itself after years of pricing tickets well below actual costs to keep with competition.

"Airfare has been the best bargain year after year," he said. "They're still very reasonably priced compared to what you're getting."

Source: Concord Monitor

British Airways Plc Chief Executive Officer Willie Walsh said it will take the airline a decade to get back a 350 million-pound investment ($689 million) in moving to Terminal 5 at London's Heathrow airport.

``We'll break even over a 10-year period,'' Walsh said yesterday in an interview in London. `We've made that investment on the basis that it will pay for itself.''

The airline, Europe's third-largest, expects to move to the new terminal in March 2008. The shift will consolidate British Airway's operations, including check-in staff and aircraft, in one location. The company currently operates out of Terminals 1 and 4.

``I don't think the market is anticipating a 10-year payback,'' said Penny Butcher, an analyst at Morgan Stanley with an ``equal weight/cautious'' rating on the stock. Investors were ``hoping for the saving to come through quicker.''

Shares of British Airways fell 6.75 pence, or 1.2 percent, to 567.25 pence today in London. The stock has nearly doubled since Walsh succeeded Rod Eddington as CEO in October 2005.

Walsh, 45, has pledged to cut 450 million pounds in costs at the airline and boost its operating profit margin to 10 percent.

Source: Bloomberg

Holidaymakers are resorting to desperate and sometimes bizarre measures to beat the ban on carrying fluids on flights. Frustrated travellers have frozen bottles of water, emptied soup into a plastic bag and even carried out a "dirty protest" against security regulations imposed in November.

The rules - introduced after an alleged transatlantic terror plot involving US-bound aircraft - limit passengers to 100ml quantities of fluids, gels and pastes which must be carried in transparent sealable plastic wallets.

The wallet must not exceed one litre capacity per passenger - half the size of a sheet of A4 paper - and it can contain two or more items of less than 100mls each. But the wallet must not be cluttered as security officers need to check contents.

Security staff at Manchester airport, which revealed the extreme examples of behaviour, say they are still having to confiscate thousands of litres of liquids every week despite repeated reminders of the restrictions.

The airport's director of security and customer service, Mike Fazackerley, said people were confused or unwilling to accept the rules.

"Some of the lengths that people go to are incredible and amusing up to a point, but the legislation is in place for very good reason and it is in the interests of everyone travelling to make sure they fly by the rules. We do remind people of the rules as they check in, and there are posters throughout the airport. But still some people are taking no notice."

One passenger was so angry at having his deodorant confiscated that he publicly urinated into a plastic bag, while another traveller claimed that his four bottles of frozen water were solids and therefore exempt from the rules.

Airport staff also cited the case of a woman who decanted soup into a plastic wallet so she could have her lunch on the plane and of a male traveller who downed a 750ml bottle of vodka in front of security staff because he could not take it with him. The man was later removed from the flight for being drunk.

From February 19 Manchester airport will stop supplying free plastic wallets to passengers.

A spokesman said: "We've gone through millions and millions of bags since November and we can only babysit passengers for so long. It's their responsibility to make sure they know the restrictions when they arrive and follow them."

Heathrow airport said it had no examples of people trying to smuggle oversized liquids through security.

Source: Guardian Unlimited

Two men who died when their light aeroplane crashed off the Lancashire coast have been named by police.

The bodies of Roy Hellawell, 74, and Andrew Walker, 26, both from Fylde, Lancashire, were recovered from the fuselage of the plane.

The Piper Cherokee crashed off the Fylde coast near Blackpool on Saturday, as it approached the resort's airport. The wreckage was recovered on Sunday.

An investigation is under way into the cause of the accident.

Lancashire Police said the wreckage was recovered off South Shore and was lifted from the beach by a digger.

'Devastated' reaction

It has been taken away for the Air Accident Investigation Branch to inspect.

The four-seater aircraft crashed into the sea close to the shore between the central and south piers after it was lost from Blackpool Airport's radar.

Mr Hellawell was a widower who lived in St Annes and had a grown-up son.

Mr Walker leaves behind a partner. He lived with his parents in Moss House Lane, Westby.

The Comed flying club, based at Blackpool Airport, confirmed that Mr Hellawell and Mr Walker had both been members.

Plane wreckage
The aircraft wreckage was recovered from the sea at Blackpool

The club's chief flying instructor, Robert Murgatroyd, said that contrary to police reports, Mr Hellawell was no longer a qualified flying instructor, although he had been one.

Mr Murgatroyd said: "I knew both of them, I'm devastated at their deaths. They were top men.

"I'd known Roy for 20 years and Andrew for six."

It is believed the pair had rented the plane, but it is not yet clear who was piloting.

Supt Richard Debicki said: "It would of course be quite wrong of me to speculate on the cause of the crash - that will come out in the fullness of time I'm sure as the investigation unfolds."

Small aircraft such as the single-engine Piper Cherokee do not carry black boxes, so investigators will need to rely on other information to determine the cause of the accident.

Post-mortem examinations are due to be held.

Source: BBC

Well, I suppose you will get special treatment and be allowed to park in the departure lounge in Stansted Airport if you want a parking space for your Lamborghini! This photo taken by ParaMan (Log in required to view large image)

STANSTED Airport has now reopened after staff cleared more than half a million square metres of snow using more than 40 snow-clearing vehicles.

Snow began to fall on Essex in the early hours of this morning and about 100 departing flights were cancelled. Two flights were diverted into Stansted and a further five away from the airport.

Hundreds of people were left waiting at the airport after the closure just after 6am. The airport eventually re-opened at 11am.

This lunchtime, a spokesman for Stansted Airport said: “Disruption to flights is likely to continue throughout the day and passengers are strongly advised to contact their airline before setting off for the airport.”

Across the county thousands of children enjoyed an extra day's holiday as more than 200 schools were reported shut.

Rail passengers and motorists experienced minor delays and problems this morning.

Source: EADT

BRITISH Airways passengers will have to pay up to £240 if they want to check in two bags for long-haul return flights.

It means customers could be forced to pay more for an extra item of hold baggage than the cost of their fares.

BA passengers heading from London's Heathrow Airport to Egypt and back may only have to pay £199 for their ticket. But if they take two suitcases, they will have to stump up the new fee.

The change, which comes into effect on Tuesday, will also add £120 on short-haul return flights and £60 on domestic return flights for an extra bag. BA insist the decision was an attempt to "standardise" charges and cut the number of injuries to baggage handlers.

A spokesman said: "In the past, there were different kinds of policy, depending on where you were flying to.

"There were certain destinations where you were allowed one piece of luggage but others where the policy depended on weight.

"We are also reducing baggage weights because there are requirements to try to reduce baggage-handling injuries."

The rule change means BA travellers will only be able to put one bag with a maximum weight of 32kg in the hold, without being charged extra.

And the maximum baggage weight limit will fall to 23kg from September 30.

People who want to check in two bags will pay the new charge, even if the total weight is below the limit. Sports equipment will be exempt.

Passengers will receive a discount on excess baggage until September 30 if they pay in advance online.

Flights to America, Canada, the Caribbean, Nigeria, Brazil and Mexico will be exempt from the charges. First and club class fliers on long-haul flights can check in up to three bags free, or two in Europe.

Infants will have a hold allowance of one bag, plus a baby buggy and a car seat in all classes on all routes.

Source: The Daily Record

Then do as one blogger (djk) suggests:

What happens when you're stuck at the airport? At Luton Airport, to be exact, because it's not the most bustling of transportation hubs. If you blog for Free Donuts, you settle in at the Silverjet lounge and mind map!

You could always book Chauffer Parking beforehand.

A predicted heavy fall of snow overnight has blanketed South Bedfordshire - and brought the area to a standstill.

Widespread school closures have already been announced, with most primary and secondary schools in the area keeping their doors shut.

The volume of closures was so great that the snow helpline service mounted by BBC Three Counties Radio quickly switched to announcing only the handful of schools that were still open.

Accidents on the M1 in both directions caused early gridlock, but elsewhere most main roads were passable with care.

Luton Airport closed to flights just after 7am, with no aircraft expected to leave until mid morning.

Source: Bedford Today

The flight was from hell. Geneva airport is a dump. The smoke was so bad that I got a terrible headache. Swiss Air Business Class has no advantages other than you can sit in the business class lounge while waiting to be called to the smoke-filled gate. The seats on the plane are not bigger and you still sit 3-across on one side of the plane. If you luck out you might get the first row, which has extra leg room. We lucked out on our flight to Geneva on Tuesday but not on our flight back. We were in the second row and squished in like the sardines in economy.

While waiting for our flight we ran into my friend Jon who I met at the conference yesterday so I was excited to be able to get a photo of the both of us since I forgot to take one at dinner last night.

Once again, London City Airport was a pleasure. We landed at 11:00, got our luggage, went through immigration and were in the taxi by 11:15. That is simply incredible.

Source: Jan's and John's Mostly London Adventure

THOUSANDS of Welsh rugby fans descend on Edinburgh today after braving horrendous travel conditions.

They came up by plane, car and bus - but all faced difficulty as snow belted the UK yesterday and Thursday.

Ironically those who chose the old-fashioned method of going north by rail had perhaps the smoothest trips.

Many travellers arrived exhausted after huge delays as flights were grounded for hours, and roads shut down yesterday afternoon. Some even missed their flights as routes to the airport were blocked with snow and stranded cars.

The Scottish Trip - immortalised by Max Boyce - has always been one of the most popular Six Nations excursions, even back in the 19th century when fans could take a gruelling train to the match.

Now budget flights and motorways have made things easier - unless a surprise snowfall botches up plans.

Less than half of the huge number of fans which made the trek in 2005's Grand Slam season made it to Edinburgh this year but there is still a red army of around 20,000 roaming the streets this morning.

They were receiving a warm welcome in from the cold weather last night by the waiting Scotland fans, many of whom reacquaint themselves with Welsh friends every Six Nations.

One fan, Alan Lloyd from Llandybie, spoke of his relief at having taken the car early yesterday morning.

"We took the low road by remaining in the car rather than the high road with all those fans choosing overpriced flights," he said.

"We still got to Scotland before them. We've met people here who were hanging around Cardiff airport for hours and they're exhausted.

"There's a lot of banter going on because they left home expecting their trip to last just a couple of hours.

"We set off nice and early from West Wales and we were into the north of England without any real problems with snow. We heard about the problems back home but it mostly fell as rain up here, which is unusual."

The snowy scenes echo years like 1982 when Wales' match against Ireland was postponed a week because of snow. And in 1978 Scots fans were left stranded in Cardiff after heavy snowfall following the game.

But the weather bypassed Edinburgh and much of Scotland yesterday, where usually it is much colder than Wales.

It was bright and sunny in the Scottish capital yesterday afternoon - and warmer than Cardiff.

"It is cold and frosty up here but there hasn't been much snow," said Graham Bean at the Scotsman newspaper.

"There's a lot of Welsh fans about but it does seem like a few people are not going to make it up because of the weather.

"We were expecting 20,000 Wales fans for the match but it is difficult to know whether that many have managed to arrive."

And he said that this could prove a psychological boost to the Scotland team, because two years ago the home fans were vastly outnumbered by Welsh support at Murrayfield.

"In 2005 Scotland couldn't sell all their tickets and they were snapped up by Wales fans watching the Grand Slam unfold.

"This time there's more enthusiasm - Scotland had a decent Six Nations last year, beating England and France at home, so the game is expected to be a sell-out."

But the struggle of the Welsh fans could also turn on the Scots as a determined mentality set in.

"We've really struggled to get up here, we've lost hours of our life hanging around an airport, we're really going to make the most of it now we're here," Steffan Bowen, from Llanelli, said from an Edinburgh pub yesterday afternoon.

"The fans are in good voice and despite the weather there's more arriving all the time.

"Normally it's just a bit of fun but this time people feel they've made a lot of sacrifices to get up here.

"We're determined to give the team big support and hope they repay us with a win."

Many of the fans will be heading for Mathers, on Queensferry Street, after the pub announced it had put Brains SA beer on tap.

Operations manager Stephen Paterson said, "We are expecting a lot of Welsh fans in, so we thought we'd make it home from home with one of their favourites.

"Let's just say we have ordered a lot of it in."

Edinburgh-based haggis maker Macsween is to hand free samples to homeward-bound Welsh fans at the airport tomorrow.

And SA Brain dispatched an emergency consignment of Brains beer to Cardiff Airport last night to meet the demand of thirsty travellers. Since the bad weather started, the airport's bars had served up over 11,000 pints and called upon Brains to send in 4,500 more.

Source: icWales

Southampton Airport cancelled the 8.05am in-bound flight from Edinburgh and are warning more flights could be hit throughout the day.

South West Trains were running fewer carriages and are advising passengers to leave extra time to get to their destination.

Hampshire police were co-ordinating their own safety operation at their extreme weather centre in Netley.

The centre was set up five years ago but this is the first time it has ever been used.

Source: The News

THIS month sees the final stages of the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link's journey through the Scottish parliamentary process. While progression is not assured, it represents the best opportunity for investment in Scotland's transportation network in decades and will bring many benefits to Scotland's businesses.

Source: Scotsman

BISHOP'S Stortford looks set to become even more "urbanised" and lose its small market town feel if plans for a second runway at Stansted Airport go ahead, according to a county councillor.

Last week the Herald revealed the latest plans by BAA to create a second runway and terminal.

Cllr Bernard Engel said: "Industries which have nothing to do with the airport but want to be located near to it for the sake of convenience, will be a problem for the town.

"This means we will become more and more urbanised in the surrounding area and the preservation of Bishop's Stortford in its present form as a 'small market town' is unlikely."

Cllr Engel, who sits on the county council's highways and transport panel, said congestion will get worse due to insufficient infrastructure.

He said the necessary road and rail links to cope with the increasing passengers is "only just now being thought about" and will take anything from five to 15 years.

Cllr Engel said the development would also be an "added strain" on the railway where airport related usage will be in competition with existing commuter traffic.

He said: "Our roads will be more congested and it will be that much more difficult to oppose additional residential accommodation being built as labour demand will be that much greater."

"Noise and air quality are obvious worries but, to be honest, the next generation of aircraft that will be flying in 10 years time are likely to be quieter and cleaner than those flying now so this may be a diminishing problem."

A spokesman for Stansted Airport said a public consultation will start later this month into the infrastructure needed to support the new runway.

She said: "Over the coming months an environmental impact assessment, economic impact report, health impact assessment and a sustainability appraisal will be completed to support the application we will be making in the summer."

Source: Harlow Herald

Security is the current buzz word at Stansted Airport. Last year saw an additional 300 security officers hired to work at the airport . In order to speed up the security process, Stansted is to increase the capacity of its security search area.

The central search area at Stansted Airport is the largest of any European airport and the extension and investment will allow for further x-ray machines and arches. The £2 million investment should mean that the area is operational by the end of March. Stansted will meet the demands it’s experiencing as a fast growing international airport, along with the new security measures that were introduced across UK airports in August 2006.

Security is paramount in the minds of airlines and passengers alike with secured Stansted airport parking in growing demand. Holiday Extras, the market leader for UK airport parking, offer a wide selection of security conscious options for Stansted. With a choice of parking including on airport parking and valet services. Holiday Extras offer a solution to all Stansted airport parking needs. Options include E-Parking Midstay, Pink Elephant and Stansted Official Valet Parking. Holiday Extras offer a great selection of Stansted Airport parking options at unbeatably low prices.

E-Parking Midstay is the closest car park to Stansted airport and offers low cost, secured parking with a minimum stay for the prebooker of 3 days. Security features at this airport car park includes full CCTV coverage from the moment you enter. Transfers operate every 5 - 10 minutes and take only 5 minutes to reach the terminal. If you’re searching for secured on-airport long term carpark - Holiday Extras offer the Pink Elephant Airport car park, available to book in advance for a minimum stay of 8 days. The Pink Elephant car park is protected by high security fencing, flood lighting, CCTV coverage and regular security patrols.

Holiday Extras cater for passengers flying from Stansted who require secured parking with the convenience of valet parking. Stansted Official Valet Parking collects your vehicle from you at the Stansted terminal. Vehicles are parked in a secured storage compound with security doors with the benefit of protection by on-site 24 hour security staff.

With Stansted Airport expecting a busy Easter period and continued passenger growth throughout the year, airport parking is high in demand. Pre-booking a secured airport parking space significantly reduces the hassle of departures and offers peace of mind. Enjoy your holiday knowing that your car is safe.

Source: Web Wire

SOUTHAMPTON Airport has seen its busiest year in its 97-year history.

Last year it welcomed 1.9m passengers, an increase of 4.1 per cent on 2005. A total of 130,000 people used the airport in the month of December alone. Southampton Airport serves 47 destinations with eight airline partners.

The top 10 routes from there during 2006 were Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Jersey, Guernsey, Amsterdam, Dublin, Belfast and Leeds. New routes already confirmed for 2007 include Nice, with Flybe, and Verona, with Inghams.

Chris Butler, the managing director at Southampton Airport, said: '2006 has been a very successful year and I would like to personally thank all of the 1,200 staff at the airport for their hard work and dedication.

'Looking forward, 2007 promises to be another exciting year and we aim to pass the two million passenger milestone in the latter part of the year.'

Source: The News

Times Online posted a story by Cath Urquhart titled "Ten steps to a hassle free holiday".

Three of the ten steps are of special interest to those wanting to and promoting Airport Car Parking:

Step no 3. Choose your airport with care

Flying out of Southampton airport on a Tuesday afternoon is far less hassle than flying from Gatwick on a Friday morning. If you can be flexible, pick smaller, regional airports and avoid weekends.

Step no. 5. Prebook airport parking

Paying in advance is cheaper, and ensures there’s space. Consider paying an extra £20 or so for valet parking; you toss the keys to the attendant at departures while you go straight to check-in. Some will even arrange to have your car serviced while you are away.

Try Just Parking for Pre Booking and Chauffeur Drive.

and Step no. 6. Book an airport hotel

For an early morning flight, staying in an airport hotel the night before can be less stressful than a dawn taxi ride — and not necessarily more expensive. Many airport hotels allow you to leave your car there free.

To book, try Just Parking or your tour operator.

Source: Times online

A SCOTTISH airport wants to block plans for a windfarm - because the turbines will look like planes on their radar.

National Air Traffic Services say the 400ft structures' blades and towers would cause chaos, as they reflect radar signals and make them look like moving planes.

And officials at Prestwick Airport agree that engineering firm AMEC's 85-turbine site in Dalmellington, Ayrshire, could cause havoc in the air.

A public inquiry into the planned site was due to be heard this month.

But the air traffic company have asked for more time to present their objections and the inquiry has been rescheduled for February 20.

Source: The Daily Record

A HAUL of illegal weapons has been recovered during a police swoop on a group of holidaymakers at Newcastle Airport.
Four men, all with warrants outstanding for their arrest, were flying back from a trip to Amsterdam yesterday.
But as the plane touched down, officers – acting on intelligence – arrested four men, all in their 20s, from South Shields.
During a search of their luggage, extendable batons and knuckledusters were found in two cases.
It is thought the batons are of a type which can't be bought legally here.
A spokesman for South Shields Police said: "The batons are given legally to police officers for their own protection, so they are a very effective instrument.
Dangerous
"We have been specially trained in its use, so in the wrong hands, they can be extremely dangerous."
Warrants had been issued for the arrest of the four men – three who come from the East Shields area.
One was wanted for possession of a controlled substance, two were suspected of causing criminal damage, and the fourth had an outstanding court warrant for his arrest.
The police spokesman added: "There is no hiding place for those who commit offences.
"If they think by going on holiday they won't be caught, they can think again because they will.
"If we have to, we will stop them at the airport."
The operation was part of the Safer South Tyneside Initiative, a project between Northumbria Police, South Tyneside Council and other partners.
It is aimed at reducing crime and the fear of crime to make South Tyneside a safer place to live and work.

Source: South Tyneside Today

The Earl of Malmesbury has launched a £100m action over alleged negligent advice he received on the lease of land at Bournemouth International Airport.

James Carleton Harris, 60, is suing surveyors Strutt and Parker claiming the firm failed to negotiate rent based on car park turnover at the site.

In 2000, National Express was given a 25-year lease at £9,000 a year. A year later the airport sold for £241m.

Strutt and Parker denies liability, causation and the amount of any loss.

'Unique opportunity'

Strutt and Parker was acting as agents for the Malmesbury Estate in 1995 when it advocated maximising the potential development value of the land adjoining the airport.

London's High Court heard how the company said it had the necessary expertise to negotiate leasing terms in what it described as a "unique opportunity".

But the Earl, the seventh of Malmesbury, said he had been deprived of a realistic income from the 12-acre site, which was bought by Manchester Airport Groups in 2001.

A preliminary hearing for the action, which is expected to last a month, took place on Monday.

Source: BBC

But he was probably jet-lagged after all night party!
Leonardo DiCaprio is the latest celeb to fly out through Luton Airport - hot on the heels of revealing that he's on the the hunt for an English girl because of British TV presenter Cat Deeley.

The single actor has apparently been smitten with Cat since meeting her last year, when she was in Los Angeles filming hit US TV talent show So You Think You Can

He told pressmen: "Cat's lovely. But then most English girls are. This country churns out some of the loveliest women in the world."

The 32-year-old bachelor was in the UK promoting his new movie Blood Diamond, which has earned him a Best Actor Oscar nomination, and during his stay he made the most of the city's vibrant nightlife.

Heo reportedly ran up a £10,000 bar bill as he partied across some of London's top nightspots.

Back at his hotel, he is said to have carried on partying until his limo arrived to pick him up at 9am on Wednesday to take him to Luton Airport.

Source: Bedford Today

Taxpayers in Beds are being forced to foot a £400,000 annual policing bill to keep Luton Airport safe, despite other smaller airports having their security paid for by the airport operators.

Now a group of county MPs, led by South West Beds MP Andrew Selous and including Luton North MP Kelvin Hopkins, has met police minister Tony McNulty to point out the discrepancy and ask for it to be rectified.

While the Home Office used to pay £1.3 million to police the airport, last year this sum was reduced by £400,000, leaving the county force to make up for the loss.

Beds Police is already £2.5 million short of the money it needs to maintain existing levels of policing next year.

Now the minister will write to Luton airport authorities to ask them to contribute to their policing costs voluntarily as other airports do.

Source: Biggleswade Today

Smarter Communications swoops on London Luton AirportSmarter Communications has been added to the roster of agencies used by London Luton Airport.

The agency used to work with the airport under its former guise as Senior King Communications.

A spokesperson for London Luton Airport confirmed the appointment. It was made by business development and customer services director Natalie Raper.
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Silverjet, the business class-only airline, launches from London Luton Airport on 25 January. The airport is a key hub for both easyJet and Ryanair.

The airport appointed Jo-Ann Canevali as sales and marketing manager in March 2005. It underwent a corporate brand revamp devised by Communique360 in the same year.

Source: mad.co.uk

Eight months ago, CEO Lawrence Hunt began the process of executing his dream for redefining business class travel by providing business travelers with a more comfortable and cost-effective option for service across the Atlantic. Today, that vision was realized as Silverjet embarks upon its first round-trip journey between London's Luton Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport, marking the official inauguration of the airline.

Silverjet's daily non-stop service between the New York area and London start at fares as low as $1,798, which in most cases is 50 percent less than competitive London-New York business class fares.

Lawrence Hunt, CEO, Silverjet comments, "For too long, long haul airline travel has been associated with hassle, disappointment and environmental damage. We've spent the past three years talking to customers and feel confident that Silverjet addresses their biggest concerns, making every journey as comfortable, flexible and innovative as possible. Silverjet aims to revolutionize the flying experience by spearheading a move towards civilized and enjoyable air travel. We are thrilled to be offering private jet experiences at Premium Economy prices.

"Looking forward we will commence operation of our second London Luton to New York Newark flight in July this year and we are currently investigating further long haul opportunities."

Silverjet's first flight is accompanied by the launch of its unique carbon offsetting program. Included within all ticket prices is a mandatory carbon offset contribution, giving fliers the opportunity to reinvest "Carbon Points" into a number of climate friendly projects around the world. The program has been set up in partnership with leading climate change consultants The CarbonNeutral Company and it has been developed in accordance with the CarbonNeutral protocol, the leading standard and quality mark for action on climate change.

Silverjet has created a new class of travel, heralded Silver Class, by designing a travel experience that focuses on the customer as an ally, Common frustrations and hassles associated with travel have been eliminated, making the journey as comfortable, flexible and innovative as possible.

Exclusive terminal experiences on both sides of the Atlantic allow customers with only carry on baggage to check-in as little as 30 minutes before departure time and to board the plane when it suits them.

Every Silverjet flight features award-winning flat bed seats, which extend to 6'3" long. On night flights the plane is a designated Quiet Zone to maximize sleep time. Lights stay off from take off to landing -- there are no overhead lights and breakfast is served on tip toes. Minimal announcements are made and there are no trolleys on board to ensure cabin noise and interruptions are kept to a minimum. For those who want to sleep later, Silverjet has devised a 'Breakfast Express' option so customers can have their breakfast 'on the go' and leave the plane with a steaming cup of coffee or tea.

Delicious choices of appetizers and main courses are plated in the gallery and served by hand. In keeping with the airline's premium service, customers can be entertained on the portable in-flight entertainment system with noise canceling headsets, latest releases and Silver Screen classic movies, plus US and UK television programming. Customers also have the choice to start their movie when they like, adding to the unique personal experience. In addition, all Silverjet flights feature a women's-only restroom facility.

The Silverjet cabin crew has been recruited from an elite, articulate and personable pool of hotel, catering and restaurant professionals. With one of the best crew-to-customer ratios in the air (10:1) customers can be assured they will be greeted by name and be well cared for.

"We have successfully created a sanctuary in the sky that promises to revolutionize trans-Atlantic travel," Hunt added. "Silverjet customers can work in a relaxing and quiet atmosphere, sleep in a comfortable flat bed or enjoy the in-flight entertainment options. We sought to create an experience where our customers can, if they so desire, disconnect from the world below."

POLICE chiefs renewed their call for London City Airport to meet the full cost of policing the Silvertown terminal.

At a meeting last week they said airport operators should pay for policing the UK's major air terminals, whether or not they are required to do so under current legislation.

Under the Civil Aviation Act 1982, nine designated airports - including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow - are required to contribute to policing costs.

London City Airport is a "non-designated" airport, with policing costs effectively met by the taxpayer through the general police fund. The police also brought up the issue of cost in December.

Source: Newham Recorder

Leeds Bradford Airport celebrated its 75th anniversary year with record passenger figures.

2006 saw almost 2.8 million passengers travel from the Yorkshire airport to over 65 scheduled and charter destinations, representing a 7% increase against 2005.

In the same year new direct services started to 18 destinations, including Austria, The Gambia, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Poland.
Leeds Bradford Airport managing director, Ed Anderson, is optimistic 2007 will be another bumper year. He said: “We are delighted that airlines and tour operators are continuing to expand programmes from Leeds Bradford. We look forward to welcoming both new and regular business and leisure passengers and are confident that 2007 will prove to be another successful year for the airport.”

Source: flightmapping

Taylor Woodrow has clinched a £30 million contract at Heathrow Airport for British Airways.

Source: Construction News

The island of Jersey is to have its air link with Heathrow airport reinstated almost seven years after the route was axed.

Since October 2000 there has been no link between the two regions, seriously affecting Jersey residents and visitors.

Jersey airport recently launched a campaign which asked operators to propose new routes into Jersey, with the Heathrow link winning the hub's approval.

UK airline bmi will provide the service, which will link Jersey to hundreds of cities across the world.

'With a population of 87,000 and a dynamic international finance industry there is a buoyant demand for an increased range of air services that meet both leisure and business needs,' said Jersey airport's director Julian Green.

'Our aim this year is to secure more services, which will make Jersey more accessible and enhance our ability to compete even more successfully in the global market.'

When the link was brought to an end in 2000, Jersey saw visitor numbers fall by 45,000.

Now the link is set to be reinstated with the first flight setting off on 25 March 2007 before a review is carried out in three years time.

Jersey airport is also looking to establish links with Paris and Zurich.

Source: Opodo

Racial profiling at London's Heathrow Airport has caused tension between South Africa and Britain, SABC news reported on Thursday.

Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and her British counterpart, John Reid, discussed immigration control issues in London on Thursday. Concerns about racial profiling at Heathrow were raised.

Reid said that black South Africans were more likely to be interrogated at Heathrow than whites, SABC reported.

A few months ago, Britain decided unilaterally not to accept temporary passports from South Africa.

Many South Africans had also complained about how they were being treated by immigration officials in Britain.

A new study revealed that black South Africans were normally targeted for questioning and body searches.

London announced it was considering introducing a visa system. South Africa said it would do the same if that happened, the SABC reported.

Source: IOL

BAA, the owner of Heathrow airport, was at loggerheads with its biggest customer, British Airways, yesterday after calling for increases in landing charges to double to pay for new terminal facilities.

The company, owned by the Spanish toll-roads operator Ferrovial, claimed proposals by the Civil Aviation Authority to cut its allowed rate of return could jeopardise BAA's ability to have the improvements at Heathrow ready in time for the 2012 Olympics. But BA urged the regulator to go even further and freeze landing charges in real terms between 2008 and 2013.

In December, the CAA proposed a reduction in BAA's allowed return on Heathrow from its present level of 7.75 per cent to between 5.9 and 6.2 per cent over the five-year period. Even at that level, landing fees would have to rise by between 4 and 8 per cent, increasing the charge per passenger by £4.50 to about £14.

In its response, BAA said the regulator's proposals would create "risk and uncertainty", potentially putting in jeopardy a £1.5bn project to redevelop Heathrow's central terminal area. BAA also accused the CAA of using "untested and flawed methodology" which failed to take into account the threats to aviation from terrorism, pandemics and industrial action.

The airport operator has proposed instead it should be allowed to increase charges at Heathrow by 12.5 per cent a year in real terms compared with the 6.5 per cent annual increase allowed for the 2003-08 period.

It said that the regulator's initial proposals assumed that the aviation industry was less risky than electricity transmission and argued that they have failed to take into account the construction risks inherent in redeveloping Heathrow.

When the new Terminal Five opens in 2008, BAA's plan is to raze to the ground Terminal 2 and the adjacent Queens Building and build a new terminal called Heath-row East, which will house airlines belonging to the Star Alliance. As an interim measure, they would relocate to Terminal One which would also close once Heathrow East was complete. BAA is also proposing to make improvements to Terminals Three and Four.

BAA said the challenge of demolishing and rebuilding a terminal in the middle of Heathrow whilehandling over 70 million passengers a year had not been properly factored into the CAA's thinking. "We are therefore challenging the CAA to formulate a cost of capital that reflects both the scale of this ambition and the associated risks," said BAA's chief executive Stephen Nelson.

But BA said it was up to the CAA to make sure BAA ran the airport more efficiently so charges could be reduced for the benefit of passengers. The CAA's proposals will go to the Competition Commission in March. It will publish final price controls in November to take effect in April next year.

Source: Independent Online

Allegedly, while taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727.

An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going?! I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!" Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?" US Air 2771: "Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.

Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"

Source: Businessballs

Passengers travelling through Gatwick airport in the UK will now benefit from a newly refurbished terminal building.

The hub's south terminal has undergone something of a makeover and has opened three months ahead of schedule and on budget.

The reclaim hall was the main focus of the refurbishment, with airport officials saying that it is more spacious and lighter than it was previously.

Five new baggage belts have been added, in addition to the three that were previously there, and they are longer than they older ones.

In addition, passengers should find it easier to get around as new flight information display screens have been installed.

'This project provides for an enhanced customer service experience for arriving passengers in south terminal,' said John Green from the airport.

'The project cost around £40m and provides for larger baggage belts, which allows for better flexibility for the various aircraft sizes. This in turn gives us much greater capacity and more efficiency for delivery of baggage. We are extremely pleased that the project has been such a success.'

Work began on the project in 2004 and passengers have continued to pass through the area during construction.

Source: Opodo

Airport bosses claim glowing results for a survey about its train service proves it should be kept.

Gatwick Express came top in a national passenger questionnaire but faces the possibility of being axed in a Government review of the Brighton mainline.

The service scored 94 per cent on overall customer satisfaction in the independent National Passenger Survey.
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It is the seventh consecutive time Gatwick Express has come top.

BAA Gatwick's managing director Paul Griffiths said: "It's ironic that as the Gatwick Express receives this accolade for the seventh consecutive time, we are awaiting the Government's decision on the future of the service following on from its public consultation which closed in December last year.

"The survey results are crucial in showing the importance of retaining such a successful train service for Gatwick Airport, passengers, airlines and the business community.

"BAA has fought a fervent campaign to save the existing service and has secured the backing of more than 40 MPs from across all parties to support a Parliamentary motion calling for the Gatwick Express to be saved.

"The airline community has also united to show their support of saving the service and we would like to strongly urge the Government to take account of this support when considering the future of the service."

The Government review of the Brighton mainline is aimed at reducing over-crowded trains, particularly for commuters.

Results are expected to be announced in the spring.

Source: The Argus

A NEWBURY man is facing an eight-year jail sentence after being caught smuggling four kilos of cocaine into Gatwick Airport.
Damian Stone, of Cormorant Wood, Newbury and female accomplice Siwan Ambler, from Southcote, Reading, were rumbled with almost £500,000 of the class A drug.

A court heard how 37-year-old Stone and 32-year-old Ambler had gone on a smuggling enterprise to Antigua.

Speaking at Croydon Crown Court, Mark L.R. Mullins for the prosecution said the couple had landed from a Virgin Atlantic flight on October 8 and were stopped and questioned in the nothing-to-declare green channel. He said: "Each of their suitcases had two Jack Daniels bottles, a check of which revealed the cocaine."
He added that Stone said a man had paid £2,700 for the pair's airfare. Mr Mullins continued: "In Antigua they met a contact and were given the bottles. He claimed not to have known they contained cocaine, although he assumed that they did.

"He spoke of being under pressure to pay off his debts to a heroin dealer as he was an addict." He added: “He invited Ambler to go along with him and she stayed at the same hotel with him. His wife didn’t know where he was. “Ambler said she thought the trip might be something to do with drugs but she didn’t ask.”

Defending Stone, Sara-Lise Howell said he had confessed as soon he was arrested at the airport. “He owed a lot of money for drugs and his dealer had been pressing him,” she said. Ambler’s lawyer, Paul Luttman, said she had had a heroin addiction for ten years but was now gradually getting free of it.

Judge John Tanzer told Stone, who had a previous conviction for acquiring the profits of drug trafficking: “You saw the opportunity to wipe out your debts and, at the same time, enjoying a holiday with a young woman who provided you with cover. "You played the greater part in this, in that you recruited her.”

Stone and Ambler both pleaded guilty to to unlawful importation of four kilos of 100 per cent cocaine. Stone received eight years and Ambler six. Stone’s parents shouted abuse at the judge as they were taken away. The judge also imposed a travel restriction preventing Stone and Ambler from travelling abroad for five years from their release.

Source: Newbury Today

EXETER International Airport has been sold in a £60m deal.

Owner Devon County Council said it had been sold to Regional and City Airports (Exeter).

Council leader Brian Greenslade said the money would be "put to good use on behalf of the people of Devon".

As part of the sale, London City Airport will provide additional management expertise through a technical services agreement to support the further growth and development of Exeter International Airport.

The county council will retain a "golden share" - requiring the new owner to provide and maintain airport standards - and a non-executive seat on the board of the airport.

Mr Greenslade said RCA was the "unanimous choice".

RCA director of airport management, John Spooner, said the company had a vision for Exeter International Airport, in which it becomes the natural airport of choice for the region.

Source: icWales

The strange, but bizzare story of Astronaut Lisa Nowak, who traveled 900 miles to allegedly try to murder a rival for the affections of a fellow astronaut will be turned into a movie.

Great news for Airport Carparks worldwide. Just imagine the marketing opportunities; I can see airport company carparks scrambling to get in on the action already. Consider this small fact, at the time of writing this article a Google Search on "Lisa Nowak" displays 148 000 results. A further search using the term "Lisa Nowack" airport car park displays 6 550 results.

Considering that the 43-year-old slipped on a wig and trenchcoat before attacking Colleen Shipman with pepper spray in an airport car park one can only presume that airport car parks have now become quite 'glamorous' and the place of choice for attacks of this kind, lovers assignations and the other assorted weird peccadilloes that the American public indulge in.

Just how many airport carparks are, as we speak, bidding on Google Adwords using the keywords "lisa nowack" as an enticement to a hungry public to book their space at their favourite airport carpark online and now before all the car parks are fully booked.

Does this mean that all airport car parking attendants are to undergo training in advanced adult diaper detection? Which leads me to another sad fact; The single biggest selling item in casino pharmacies is ........ not the condom, not the pick me up tonic, not headache pills, but adult diapers. Maybe Lisa Nowack should have just headed on down to the closest casino and spent a little bit of time with like minded diaper wearing adults.

A suicide bomber Tuesday evening blew himself up in the parking area of the Islamabad International Airport (IIA), killing two security officials and wounding five others.

An official of the Airport Security Force (ASF) talking to KUNA on the condition of anonymity said that a suicide bomber and his two accomplices reached the airport in a taxi.

When the trio was stopped at the main gate by the Airport Security Force (ASF) officials for checking, his two accomplices started running toward the VIP lounge while the suicide bomber detonated the explosive belt, said the official.

He said the explosion seriously wounded two ASF officials and five others including three passengers. He added that two ASF officials succumbed to injuries on way to the hospital.

The official said further that the two wounded accomplices of suicide bomber were arrested after an exchange of fire with ASF officials. There were also reports that the two accomplices hurled three hand-grenades at ASF officials but only one could explode.

Only few minutes after the incident, a plane carrying Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and Federal Information Minister, Ahmed Durrani, landed at the airport. Some reports suggested it was an attempt on the life of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz but the information minister rejected such reports.

An intelligence source said that the three were suspected militants of an Al-Qaeda linked outfit and apparently seemed to be Afghan nationals in their early 30s. However, no official confirmation was available.

Immediately after the latest suicide explosion in the high security zone of the capital, all airports were given red security alert. The airport is located only few kilometers from the military airbase and Pakistan AirForce (PAF) ammunition depot.

The airport had been strictly cordoned off and the traffic diverted. All scheduled domestic and International flights were suspended temporarily.

Pakistan has been hit by fresh wave of suicide explosions. Two days before the Ashura day, last month, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the parking area of Marriott hotel, killing a security guard and wounding seven others.

Two suicide explosions in Peshawar and Dera Ismail Khan cities of North-West Frontier Province (NWFP) killed over 15 and wounded over two dozen others.

Source: KUNA

Get a quick look at the weather conditions at Bristol Airport courtesy of Weather Undergound.

Safety grooves have been cut into the temporary runway surface and the runway has reopened whilst flights have resumed at Bristol Airport after tests had to be carried out due to a safety row.

Ten airlines had cancelled or diverted flights after claims that aircraft had skidded on landing in wet conditions on a refurbished runway.

A total of 385 flights and 25,000 passengers have been affected since the dispute began on Friday.

The runway was closed overnight for work on runway drainage systems.

When flights resumed on Monday, the first flight to land was the 1037 from New York.

Two more flights have since come safely in to land.

Easyjet to resume

"We've had an army of contractors out on the runway over the last 12 hours putting grooves in to increase friction," said Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development Director at Bristol International Airport.

Problems began on Friday after Easyjet raised concerns over the safety of the new £17m resurfaced runway.

"The runway was not unsafe" - Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development Director at Bristol International Airport.
It withdrew services amid fears planes were skidding when landing in wet weather, affecting braking distances.

On Monday a spokesperson for Easyjet said the firm would begin to relocate services back to Bristol later but for the time being 60% of its flights would continue to fly from Cardiff.

"We would welcome the reopening of the runway at Bristol," said Samantha Day.

"EasyJet intends to run a full service from Bristol International Airport tomorrow with all services to run as normal."

Responding to criticism over the amount of time it was taking to sort the problem out, Mr Hallwood apologised to customers and said: "We had to wait for the regulatory authorities to approve this unique form of grooving to the runway.

"As of yesterday afternoon when we gained that approval we fast-tracked our activity to ensure we carried the work over the last 12 hours and we now have a successful conclusion and look forward to passengers returning to Bristol later this morning.

'Primary concern'

"The runway was not unsafe, the CAA made it very clear that they were happy to continue operations and Bristol International has always said over the weekend that we'll never compromise passenger safety."

Holiday company Thomas Cook has also announced a resumption in services from Bristol.

"Following emergency repairs over the weekend to the main runway at Bristol International Airport, Thomas Cook Airlines confirms the re-commencement of a full flying programme from Bristol," read a statement.

"The safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft was our primary concern, and we are happy to be returning to normal operations at Bristol."

At lunchtime on Monday, Air Southwest said it intended to resume all flights to and from the airport straightaway.

Source: BBC

The Blackpool Airport movements report website. This site is an unofficial one and reports on Aircraft movements, airport viewing spots, has live flight info and reports and images on aicraft at Blackpool Airport.

INCREASES in departure tax won't slow our growth.
That is the pledge from bosses at Blackpool Airport as it emerged thousands of passengers are being forced to dip into their pockets to stump up extra tax demanded by Gordon Brown.
The chancellor announced in December UK air passenger duty would double on February 1 this year with all passengers due to fly on or after that date forced to pay an extra £5 for short haul flights and £20 for long haul journeys.
The new duty levels are being enforced on all passengers, whether they booked fares before December 8 or not.
But bosses at Blackpool Airport believe passengers on the Fylde will not be put off by the extra charges.
Business development manager, Gareth Kennedy said: "It isn't going to affect our growth.
"At the end of the day people are going to pay the extra £5.
"It isn't a huge amount.
"That isn't to say we like what is happening.
"We don't support the new tax.
"It simply isn't necessary and won't have any impact on the green issues it was intended to solve.
"It is simply an inconvenience for passengers."
Mr Kennedy said the airport was gearing up for confusion over the tax on February 1. He said: "While airlines are trying to contact all the passengers affected, some may not have made their payments.
"We are making sure arrangements are in place to inform passengers of the extra charges and that they can be collected on the day at the airport.
"It is up to the airlines to inform their passengers and to collect
payments."
While some carriers, including British Airways, have decided to absorb the extra taxes on bookings made before December 8, budget airlines, including those flying from Blackpool, are passing on the cost to their customers.
A spokesman for Jet2.com, the largest single airline flying from Blackpool, said: "Due to the UK Government imposed airport departure tax, Jet2.com are in the process of contacting all customers, namely the person whose contact details were provided at the time of booking, to organise collection of this fee in advance of travel.
"If passengers have purchased Jet2.com flights on or after 8 December 2006 for travel after 1 February 2007, the increased tax is included in your fare and no further payment is required.
"If customers have purchased flights on or before December 7 2006, for travel after February 1 2007, the increased tax is not included in your fare and an additional payment is required before departure.
"Our system for collecting the additional tax involves contacting our customers in an order relating to your departure date.
"This will eliminate disruption at check in therefore maintaining our smooth, stress free check in process.
"In the event we cannot contact passengers prior to travel, they will need to pay at check in."
Ryanair, which flies from Blackpool to Girona, Dublin and London Stansted said passengers would not be able to travel if they had not paid the extra fees.
They branded Chancellor Gordon Brown "scrooge" for imposing the extra charge.

Source: Blackpool Gazette

A five-hour telecommunications outage at Birmingham airport's air traffic control center Jan. 17 caused delays for 15 departing flights and numerous arrivals, according to the Professional Airways Systems Specialists union.

The loss of radar and other communications began about 4:45 p.m. that day, union spokeswoman Kori Blalock said. Her union cited the Birmingham outage as the most recent system failure to stem from a massive federal project to consolidate multiple communications systems.

The situation presented no risk to airplane operations, said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown. The agency has procedures in place where communications between pilots and air traffic controllers are shifted to another facility, such as Atlanta's terminal radar approach control center.

Brown said the Jan. 17 disruption occurred when workers intentionally turned off the Birmingham radar system so they could do construction work that's part of developing the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure.

"It was just because we had taken down the other radar system and were operating on the backup system that we had this particular disruption. So this is unusual," she said.

Backup radar feed for Birmingham was to come from Atlanta, Brown said. Normally, communications for primary radar feed move on multiple lines, she said. But only a single line was available for the backup radar, and the FAA is "still looking into why that line had a disruption," she said.

Melbourne, Fla.-based Harris Corp. is the prime contractor for the 15-year, $3.5 billion FAA program to consolidate the communications systems at more than 4,400 FAA facilities nationwide.

Harris spokesman Brent Dietz said he didn't have much information about the Birmingham incident.

The unon says national air space operations have been plagued with contractor errors, outages, missed deadlines and escalating costs. The union said that on the same day of the Birmingham service break, a 15-minute outage delayed seven flights in Atlanta. Two outages have occurred since Jan. 9 at airports in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.

Blalock said the union's 11,000 members include technicians who maintain communications and navigation equipment and the screens that air traffic controllers use daily. When Harris won the project, union technicians' roles were relegated to escorting and watching contractors, she said.

Blalock said the contractors lack experience, training, familiarity with the systems and "they don't understand that when they cut a simple line, it can affect many other things."

FAA's Brown responded: "We have a lot of confidence in Harris and we think their people are properly supervised and qualified."

Brown said the incidents, including Birmingham's, are not unusual for a complex transition involving thousands of locations.

Source: al.com

The Marlborough District Council is delivering on promises of improvements to Blenheim Airport, after taking over the running of it from Port Marlborough last year.

Changes to the facility's carparking will get underway this month after the wine festival, to be completed in time for the air show at Easter.

Mayor Alistair Sowman said this would involve using some land from the adjoining golf course to double the number of carparks available. The airport presently has about 130 carparks.

The current rental car parking space would be shifted to the new area, with its vacant space being used for short-term parking.

"We just want to tidy up all the access and parking and drop-off points. That was always the issue of the public - the ability to find a park when you drop off people."

Tenders have closed for the construction work, with the contractor to be decided in about a week. The work will be funded from income taken through existing airport parking.

Other work would also be "looked at after we have finished the parking if we have any money left," said Mr Sowman.

Council support services manager Dean Heiford said this could include upgrades to the airport's terminal and better security in the form of gates, fences and other devices.

Mr Sowman said the council had to be "mindful" of investing too much money into the airport, which never made a significant profit.

"We are mindful of the potential of larger numbers to be coming in with large aircraft. We know at times the terminals are busy but we have not quite reached the point where we have to do additions."

However, "It's a gateway to the province and we are very keen to have a good, functioning airport."

The council was reviewing parking fees, which would be raised slightly to fund future developments if necessary.

Port Marlborough operated the airport until July last year, when it became a subsidiary of council-owner MDC Holdings Ltd because it was not making a significant commercial return.

Source: The Marlborough Express

Birmingham International Airport (IATA: BHX, ICAO: EGBB) is a major airport located 5.5 nautical miles (10.2 km) east southeast of Birmingham, in the borough of Solihull, West Midlands, England. It is the sixth busiest airport in the UK after London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Manchester Airport, London Stansted and London Luton.

Birmingham has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P451) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Status

The airport handles (as of 2005) nine million passengers a year. It offers domestic flights, and Europe, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and North America.

The airport is close to the M42 motorway and A45 main road. It is also served by Birmingham International railway station on the Birmingham to London line.

History

The airport was opened at Elmdon on 8 July 1939, and was owned and operated by Birmingham City Council. During the Second World War the airport was requisitioned by the Air Ministry and was used by the RAF for military purposes. It returned to civilian use in July 1946, though still under government control.

During the post-war years, public events, such as air fairs and air races were held on the site. The City of Birmingham took over responsibility again in 1960. Ownership of the airport passed to the newly-formed West Midlands County Council in 1974.

In 1984 a new terminal was opened, able to handle three million passengers a year. A second terminal, "Eurohub", supposedly the first terminal in the world to combine domestic and international passengers, opened on 26 July 1991 (with Concorde in attendance), more than doubling the airport's capacity. The original art deco 1939 terminal and control tower are still visible, near hangars to the west of the main runway.

In 1983 the airport was privatised, although the local authorities still own a 49% share. On 1 April 1987, the ownership of the Airport transferred to Birmingham International Airport plc, a public limited company owned by the seven West Midlands district councils.

Concorde made a final visit on 20 October 2003 as part of her farewell tour.

Take Off, a sculpture by the Polish artist Walenty Pytel, stands in a roundabout on the approach road.

Future

The airport has published a master plan for its development up to 2030. This sets out details of changes to the terminals, airfield layout and off-site infrastructure. As with all large scale plans, the proposals are controversial, with much opposition from environmentalists and local residents. In particular the requirement for a second parallel runway based on projected demand is vociferously disputed by opponents.

The first major element is an extension to the main runway, targeted for completion in time for the 2012 London Olympics. The extension will increase the runway length to 3000 metres, as well as including a starter strip to provide a maximum takeoff run of 3150 metres. The airport owners believe there is likely to be sufficient demand for long-range direct services operated by aircraft whose operation would be constrained by the current runway. At 2605 metres, this is short for an airport with Birmingham's passenger throughput and range of destinations, and limits aircraft to destinations on the east coast or in the mid west of North America, in the Gulf and Middle East, or on the Asian Sub-Continent. The construction of this extension to the southern end of the main runway will require the A45 Coventry Road to be diverted into a tunnel under the extended section.

The second element will be the construction of a shorter (2000 metre) parallel runway, scheduled for 2020. The current cross runway will also be officially closed to allow for apron expansion on both sides of the main runway. Taxiways will be improved to allow for terminal expansion and to improve runway occupancy rates. One new turnoff was completed in June 2006 and has seen an improvement on traffic rates on southerly operations, where the only available option for landing traffic had been to travel to the end of the runway to turn off.

The ongoing development of Terminal 1 will see improvements made to the International Pier and a new satellite pier to the north of the terminals. The Master Plan also details the need for a third terminal, which will co-incide with the opening of the second parallel runway. The planned extension to the main runway will also require a new control tower to be constructed.

A new food court has also been constructed, comprising a smart seating area, a self-service bar, a coffee bar and an American/Italian restaurant. The airport also has other food establishments, including a Burger King, a Wetherspoons bar and several cafe bars. Airside, a new Yates wine lodge has recently opened. It also has a substantial airside and terminal-side shopping area, including shops such as The Body Shop, Ladbrokes bookmakers, Music Zone and Boots The Chemist.

Airlines

* Adria Airways (Ljubljana)
* Aer Lingus (Cork, Dublin)
* Aerosvit Airlines (Kiev-Boryspil)
* Air Atlanta Europe (Sharm El Sheikh)
* Air France
* CityJet (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
* Air India (Amritsar, Delhi, Toronto-Pearson)
* Air Malta (Malta)
* Air Slovakia (Bratislava)
* Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson)
* Balkan Holidays (Bourgas, Varna, Plovdiv)
* bmibaby (Aberdeen, Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona [Starts 25 March [2007], Belfast, Bordeaux, Cork, Edinburgh, Faro [Starts Summer 2007], Geneva, Glasgow [Starts Summer 2007], Knock, Lisbon [Starts Summer 2007], Malaga, Marseille-Provence [Starts Summer 2007], Murcia [Starts Summer 2007], Nice, Palma Mallorca, Prague, Rome-Fiumicino [Starts Summer 2007])
* British Airways
* BA Connect (Aberdeen, Barcelona, Berlin-Tegel, Dusseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Geneva, Glasgow, Hamburg, Hanover, Lyon, Madrid, Milan-Malpensa, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Stuttgart)
* BritishJet (Malta)
* City Airline (Gothenburg-Landvetter)
* Continental Airlines (Newark)
* Cyprus Airways (Larnaca)
* Eastern Airways (Inverness, Isle of Man, Newcastle)
* Emirates (Dubai)
* Excel Airways (Chania, Corfu, Dalaman, Hurghada, Kalamata, Kavala, Salzburg, Santorini, Sharm El Sheikh, Skiathos, Volos)
* First Choice Airways (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Genoble, Heraklion, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Monastir, Palma, Paphos, Reus, Sharm El Sheikh, Sofia, Tenerife South, Toulouse, Varna, Zakynthos)
* Flybe (Aberdeen [Starts March 8, 2007], Alicante, Belfast-City, Bergerac, Berne, Brest, Chambery, Dubrovnik (starts May 1, 2007) Edinburgh, Faro, Galway [Starts March 8, 2007], Geneva, Glasgow, Guernsey, Hamburg (starts March 26, 2007) Hanover, Isle of Man, Jersey, Perpignan, Salzburg, Split (starts May 5, 2007), Toulouse
* Fly Gibraltar (Gibraltar) [Starts mid 2007]
* Flywho (Orlando-Sanford, St. Petersburg) [Starts October 2006]
* HLX.com (Cologne/Bonn)
* KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (Amsterdam)
* Lufthansa (Frankfurt, Munich)
* Eurowings (Dusseldorf)
* Mahan Airlines (Tehran-Imam Khomeini)
* Monarch Airlines (Alicante, Almeria, Faro, Ibiza [Starts Summer [2007], Lanzarote, Mahon, Malaga, Murcia, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife South)
* MyTravel Airways (Agadir, Alicante, Almeria, Arrecife, Bodrum, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Ibiza, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Palma, Reus, Rhodes, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife South, Zakynthos)
* Pakistan International Airlines (Islamabad)
* Ryanair (Dublin)
* SAS (Copenhagen)
* SkyEurope (Krakow)
* SN Brussels Airlines (Brussels)
* Swiss International Air Lines
* Swiss European Air Lines (Zürich)
* Thomas Cook Airlines (Alicante, Antalya, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Herakion, Ibiza, Izmir, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Lyon, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Palma, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Tenerife South, Thessalonika, Toronto-Pearson, Zakynthos)
* Thomsonfly (Alicante, Arrecife, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Geneva, Gerona, Goa, Heraklion, Ibiza, Kavala, Kefalonia, Kos, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Luxor, Mahon, Malaga, Malta, Monastir, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma, Paphos, Puerto Plata, Pula, Reus, Salzburg, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife South, Thessalonika, Turin, Verona, Zakynthos)
* Turkmenistan Airlines (Ashkhabad)
* Uzbekistan Airways (Tashkent)

Three Egrets in flight at Birmingham International Airport.

Incidents

On the morning of 4 January 2002 a Bombardier-CL604 business jet crashed on take-off from runway 15 at Birmingham. The aircraft with registration N90AG was on lease by AGCO corporation and was carrying two company executives as well as the two pilots and an observer. After arriving from West Palm Beach Airport the previous evening, the aircraft was parked overnight at Birmingham where ice formed on the wings due to the cold weather conditions. The following morning the pilots did not request de-icing of the aircraft before their flight to Bangor Airport in Maine. The ice on the wings caused one wing to dip on take off, the aircraft inverted, crashed into grass besides the runway and caught fire. There were no survivors. Sleeping pills taken by both pilots the night before the crash are thought to have been a factor in reducing the pilots' judgement.

On 15 June 2006 one engine of a TNT Airways cargo 737-300 struck the ground as it made an emergency landing at Birmingham with damaged landing gear. The aircraft, registration OO-TND, had been flying from Liege in Belgium to London Stansted Airport. Due to poor visibility at Stansted the flight diverted to East Midlands Airport. As the weather at East Midlands was also poor, the aircraft performed a full autopilot approach, however during this approach the autopilot momentarily disengaged causing it to deviate from the course. The aircraft hit the grass to the side of the runway, which caused the right main gear to detach. The crew initiated a go-around, declared an emergency and diverted to Birmingham. After it landed on Birmingham's main runway, the airport was closed for a number of hours. The pilots were unharmed. However, the company ascribed the incident to human error and both pilots were sacked.

Source: Wikipedia

Birmingham International Airport may be brought back under local authority control, in a move to bring forward the long-awaited main runway extension.

City Council leader Mike Whitby hopes to persuade fellow West Midlands council leaders to join Birmingham in mounting a bid for a controlling interest.

His move follows a decision by major shareholders Macquarie Airports Group and Dublin Airport Authority to dispose of their 48.25 per cent stake.

The sale price is open to negotiation, but the book value of the combined shareholding is £260 million.

Leaders of the region's seven metropolitan councils met behind closed doors in Birmingham for almost four hours yesterday morning to thrash out a public statement.

A guarded press release, agreed by the seven leaders, underlined strong support for the early implementation of the runway extension and an intention to meet with potential bidders for airport shares.

The councils have appointed Deloittes and PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide specialist advice.

Ted Richards, the leader of Solihull Council and chairman of the West Midlands council leaders committee, said: "The airport plays a pivotal role in the regional economy and our status on the global stage cannot be underestimated. That is why it is imperative we work with all parties to ensure the sale proves a success, BIA continues to prosper and we can advance the West Midlands as a world class destination.

"We look forward to talking with potential partners to ensure continued substantial investment and improvement in the airport to support the economic success of the region."

But Coun Whitby (Con Harborne) went much further: "My view is we should own the airport because it is of strategic relevance and drives growth not just in Birmingham but the region.

"It sustains more than 9,000 jobs and generates £220 million a year for the regional economy. It is a significant player.

"I am on record as saying the airport is a catalyst to the future of the region. It is imperative we can influence its future and the best way to gain influence is either by owning it or having a partner that understands exactly what we need. We have to look at this."

The seven councils already have a 49 per cent stake, having sold a controlling interest almost 20 years ago to avoid Government restrictions on capital expenditure.

Those no longer apply and there would be nothing to prevent the councils buying the Macquarie and DAA shares.

Sources close to Coun Whitby were suggesting last night a bid might be mounted even if agreement could not be reached among all seven. There would be nothing to prevent Birmingham joining forces with any of the councils interested, it was claimed.

The disposal by Macquarie and DAA has cast doubt on the business case for extending the runway and the possibility of a second runway by 2020. If the airport was returned to the public sector, the need to make a profit would not be so great allowing more margin for investment.

Coun Whitby said it was of "incredible importance" for the regional economy the runway extension was in place as soon as possible, allowing BIA to handle direct flights to India, China and the west coast of America.

Source: The Birmingham Post

Richard Heard was just yards from his Shropshire home when a tree branch went through his car windscreen on his way to work at Birmingham Airport.

The 49-year-old father-of-two was one of 10 people to die as 80mph (128km/h) winds battered England on 18 January.

A private funeral will be held at St Mary Magdalane church in Bridgnorth.

His family said a memorial service is planned at Symphony Hall in Birmingham on 22 February.

Mr Heard's widow, Kay, has described her husband as her "best friend" who always had time for relatives and friends.

The couple, who have two daughters, 18-year-old Charlotte who is studying physiology at Oxford University, and Ellie, 14, were married for nearly 24 years after meeting as students at Southampton University.

Source: BBC

ExpressJet Airlines is starting its first branded service from Birmingham with nonstop flights to New Orleans and Raleigh/Durham, N.C.

The airline, which previously flew from Birmingham under the Continental Airlines banner, will offer two nonstop ExpressJet-branded flights per day from Birmingham International Airport to each location. Tickets go on sale Monday; flights are expected to begin sometime in May.

ExpressJet will employ a fleet of 50-seat Embraer ERJ-145 aircraft with no middle seats and will offer services such as valet carry-on bag service and full-service meals on longer flights.

"We thought Birmingham was the right market for ExpressJet because we can provide value by saving our customers time and making travel more convenient," ExpressJet President and CEO Jim Ream said in a news release. "Now, our customers will be able to relax on a non-stop flight, in a comfortable leather seat with more than 100 channels of free XM(R) Satellite Radio."

ExpressJet Airlines Inc., a division of Houston-based ExpressJet Holdings, will be the eighth carrier operating from Birmingham International Airport. Birmingham is one of 25 cities in which ExpressJet is launching new service, airport spokeswoman Toni Bast said.

Source: Birmingham Business Journal

BIRMINGHAM City Council leader Mike Whitby has said he hopes Birmingham International Airport will be brought back under local authority control.

His comment followed a decision by major shareholders Macquarie Airports Group and Dublin Airport Authority (Aer Rianta) to sell their combined 48.25 per cent stake in BIA. Its book value is £260 million.

The seven West Midlands local authorities own a 49 per cent stake, with the remaining 2.75 per cent held by an employee share trust.

"My view is we should own the airport because it is of strategic relevance and drives growth not just in Birmingham but the region," said Cllr Whitby.

But his opposite number on Solihull Council, Ted Richards, who chairs the West Midlands joint committee of councils, stayed tight-lipped over whether BIA should come back under local authority control.

"The airport plays a pivotal role in the regional economy and our status on the global stage cannot be underestimated," said the council leader.

"That is why it is imperative we work with all parties to ensure the sale proves a success, BIA continues to prosper and we can advance the West Midlands as a world class destination.

"We look forward to talking with potential partners to ensure continued substantial investment and improvement in the airport to support the economic success of the region."

The Green Party in Solihull and Meriden has opposed any move to take the airport into public ownership because it believes that will make expansion easier.

It said it feared Solihull could have its arm twisted by the other West Midlands authorities to make a collective bid for the 48.25 per cent stake in BIA.

Party spokeswoman Pauline Smith said: "It would appear that West Midlands councils want Birmingham Airport to be big for reasons other than need. Is this a macho temptation to say 'we have a massive airport?'"

Source: icSolihull.co.uk

Sci-fi style eye scans are being set up at Birmingham Airport. Passengers passing through immigration control will have their eyes scanned instead of their passports.

The Iris Recognition Immigration System (IRIS) system was launched at the airport today by immigration minister Liam Byrne.

Airport bosses say the new technology will help them monitor people entering the country much easier than the old-style passport checks.

It is based on the idea that people’s eyes are like a unique, personal thumb-print, and people can register to use it to speed up the passport control system.

Source: expressandstar.com

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's Macquarie Airports (MAp), a global airport investment fund, said on Monday it may sell its stake in Birmingham airport to focus on other investments.

MAp's Macquarie Airports Group (MAG) and the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) were exploring the sale of their combined 48.25 percent indirect interest in the airport, the company said.

MAp has a 15.5 percent direct stake in the airport which it said was worth A$208 million (83.38 million pounds) at June 30 last year. MAG has a total interest of 24.1 percent.

Demand for UK airport assets has soared in the past year following a boom in air travel.

"Any decision to proceed with a divestment of the combined interest will be dependent upon the quality of the offers that might be received," MAp said in a statement.

A MAp spokeswoman said Birmingham made up 3 percent of its total portfolio and contributed about the same amount to earnings.

MAp, which has larger interests in airports in Sydney, Rome, Bristol, Brussels and Copenhagen, wants to focus on its more substantial investments.

European airports have been drawing investors attracted by stable, long-term income streams thanks to a boom in air travel and predictions that the number of passengers in the region will double to 2 billion by 2020.

Last year Spain's Ferrovial snapped up Britain's BAA Plc, which owns London's Heathrow Airport, in a 10.1 billion pounds ($19.79 billion) bidding war and a U.S. financial consortium bought London City Airport.

($1=.5104 Pound, A$1.28)

Source: Scotsman.com

Leaders from the seven West Midlands Metropolitan local authorities have committed to supporting the future of Birmingham International Airport in response to two major shareholders selling up.

Macquarie and Aer Rianta each own 24.125% but have decided to sell these shares.

Between them the Councils, Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Dudley and Walsall, own a 49% stake in the airport with the remaining 2.75% held by an Employee Share Trust.

Recognising the importance of the airport to the local, regional and national economies, the leaders will work with Macquarie and Aer Rianta to safeguard Birmingham International’s on-going prosperity and ensure a smooth change of ownership.

They say they are happy to talk with potential bidders for the 48.25% stake currently up for sale.

The authorities re-iterated their strong support for the early implementation of runway extension plans which will boost the number of planes, passengers and destinations the airport serves.

Birmingham International is the UK’s fifth largest airport, generating an estimated £220 million per year worth of inward investment to the Midlands and directly supporting more than 9,600 jobs.

Councillor Ted Richards, Chairman of the West Midlands Joint Committee said, “The airport plays a pivotal role in the regional economy and our status on the global stage cannot be underestimated. That is why it is imperative that we work with all parties to ensure that the sale proves a success, Birmingham International Airport continues to prosper and that we can advance the West Midlands as a world class destination."

“We look forward to talking with potential future partners to ensure continued substantial investment and improvement in the airport to support the economic success of the region”.

The Councils have appointed Deloittes and PricewaterhouseCoopers to provide specialist advice on financial aspects of the sale.

Source: 24dash.com

Belfast City Airport could be set to benefit from a new tram link to the city centre.

Regional development minister David Cairns announced on Tuesday that economic feasibility studies are to be carried out on two potential routes, one of which would connect the airport with the centre of the capital.

The proposed new light rail system would link the airport with the city centre, the Titanic quarter and a new shopping development at the Belfast Harbour Estate.

Sounding a cautionary note, Mr Cairns said: "Such schemes are expensive and it is important that they are fully and properly studied before decisions are taken."

However, a new link appears to have garnered full backing from local people. Moneyreagh resident Bill Galloway welcomed the news, telling the Belfast Telegraph: "Anything that would improve the transport system has got to be a good thing."

The airport, which was renamed George Best Belfast City Airport in honour of the football legend in March last year, offers flights from the likes of BA Connect, Flybe and bmi.

At the present time, trains run from Belfast city centre to Sydenham, from where a shuttle bus service takes passengers to the airport terminal. Alternatively, Airlink buses run from the airport to Belfast Europa Bus Centre in the city centre every 20 minutes, with tickets costing £2.

Source: Belfast Airport

Punches were thrown in a drunken brawl on a flight from Spain to Newcastle.

Police were alerted by crew on the easyJet flight from Alicante.

The fracas began among a group of men travelling together.

More than 100 passengers became alarmed by the disturbance, which broke out half way through the flight.

The men, all thought to be from the Wearside area, had been drinking heavily and were abusive while in Alicante Airport before departure. They became more aggressive on board the aircraft, which left Alicante at 9.20pm last night.

Insp Jan Harrison, of Newcastle Police, said: "A group of eight men were involved in a brawl on board.

"They had been drinking and became more rowdy. I'm sure other passengers would have been alarmed by their behaviour.

"Cabin crew alerted us and we boarded the plane when it landed. The majority of the passengers were allowed off first and those suspected of taking part in the fight were kept on until they were arrested.

"They are now in cells at Etal Lane Police Station while inquiries continue."

EasyJet flight EZY6420 carried 139 passengers and five crew.

It was met by police when it arrived back at Newcastle International Airport at 11.10pm.

Those arrested face charges of endangering the safety of an aircraft.

An easyJet spokeswoman said: "Our company has a zero tolerance policy to any unreasonable behaviour.

"Eight passengers were removed from the flight because of their disruptive behaviour. They were arrested on landing at Newcastle International Airport."

A spokeswoman for Newcastle Airport confirmed the flight had been disrupted on its way to the region from Alicante.

In April last year another fight broke out on an easyJet flight from Belfast to Newcastle. The pilot was forced to turn back with more than 100 passengers on board.

Flight EZY554, which was carrying 139 people, was due to land in Newcastle at 5.15pm but was instead met by police when it returned to Northern Ireland.

Ten passengers were removed from the flight and warned about their behaviour. They were not allowed back on the plane.

The flight eventually left for Newcastle after a delay of more than an hour and a half.

A Belfast Airport spokesman said at the time: "There was a disturbance on a flight while it was in the air and the pilot took the decision to return to Belfast.

"It appears the 10 passengers became disruptive following an argument but it is not known what caused this."

Source: Chronicle Live

Immigration officers at Belfast International Airport will be given new powers to arrest suspects under plans to boost border security to be announced today.

The UK Borders Bill will also allow officers at ports and airports to seize cash and assets from illegal immigrants, drug smugglers and people traffickers.

And the staff will wear a new dark blue uniform - to give them a " clear, visible public presence" - and make clear to passengers that they have new powers.

The Bill, to be unveiled by Home Secretary John Reid, follows widespread criticism of security loopholes that have allowed suspects to enter the country through ports and airports.

At present, the officers can only detain foreigners suspected of breaking immigration laws and must call the police to deal with more serious offences.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "This Bill will help build stronger borders, increasing the powers of immigration officers at airports and ports and removing incentives for illegal immigration to Britain."

The Bill will also help to speed up the deporting of serious criminals, following the scandal over the release of 1,023 prisoners who should have been considered for deportation.

The Bill will deny access to benefits or accommodation for a new category for people claiming asylum, but have committed serious crimes.

The move is to prevent repeats of cases such as when Afghans claimed asylum after hijacking a plane and landing at Stansted airport in Essex.

The hijackers won an appeal against deportation and were given the right to stay in Britain.

Source: Belfast Telegraph

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield (IATA: DSA, ICAO: EGCN) is an international airport located at the former RAF Finningley airbase in Finningley, South Yorkshire, England. The airport lies 6 nautical miles southeast of Doncaster and eighteen miles from Sheffield. The Airport principally serves the metropolitan counties of South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire moreover due to its key location, a population of more than six million potential customers can access the airport within a 60 minute drive.

The opening was marked by the first commercial flight from the airport, destined for Palma in Majorca, which departed exactly on time at 0915 on April 28, 2005. The Captain of the first flight from Robin Hood Airport was Paul Rafferty of Thomsonfly1. The airport is expected to see at least one million passengers during 2006. Three months after opening the airport had handled 300,000 passengers, by December 2005 the figure rose to 500,000 and within the first year had risen to 900,000 passengers. 60 weeks after opening, the airport had handled over 1 million passengers.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P876) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

The majority of flights from the airport are operated by Thomsonfly, with a few flights operated by Thomas Cook, Pegasus, Air Europa, BH Air, Wizzair, Flybe, Flyglobespan, Onur Air and Ryanair. On 28th March 2006 Ryanair announced an expansion of their services from Doncaster, with additional flights to Pisa and Girona. On 26th June 2006, Flybe announced it was establishing a twice daily service from Doncaster to Belfast City Airport from October 2006. In September 2006, Flyglobespan announced that from Summer 2007, weekly flights from Doncaster would commence to Toronto, Canada, this being the first scheduled long-haul destination served from Doncaster. It was also announced at a Dubai conference on 18th September 2006 that Pakistani Airline Shaheen Air International will be flying from Doncaster Sheffield to Islamabad and Toronto from Summer 2007. Also Wizzair have annouced they are to start a four times weekly service to Gdansk and increase the frequency of the Katowice route to four times weekly both from July 2007. Late November Goldtrail Holidays announced that they would be flying to Dalaman from the Airport Summer 2007 using Onur Air.

History

Facilities

The airport's runway has a length of 2,891 metres (9,485 feet) and a width of 60 metres (197 feet), making it longer and wider than those at many other airports in northern Britain. This capability may make the airport attractive to operators of wide-bodied, long-haul or older cargo-carrying aircraft. The reason the Airport has such a long runway stems from its history as a former long-range nuclear bomber base (see RAF Finningley). The Airport currently has a single runway designated 02/20 and there is significant room for further passenger and cargo capacity expansion when the market requires. Operators Peel Holdings also own Liverpool John Lennon Airport and Durham Tees Valley Airport.

Part of the Airport site is being developed into a Business and Technology Park which could potentially be linked with the M18 motorway via a link road at Junction 3. This in itself might attract further investment into the Region.

Due to open in late summer 2007 is a Ramada Encore chain hotel, which will have 150 bed capacity. Work is also progressing on a new 62 acre business park across from the terminal, which will link to a new access road into the airport via nearby Hurst Lane.

At the airport

Landside (Check in Hall/Airivals Hall/Observation Lounge)

* SPAR
* Costa Coffee
* Serendipity Games
* Wetherspoons
* Travelex
* Foodhall
* World News
* Car Hire ~ Europcar/Enterprise/Hertz
* Taxi Rank
* Information Desk

Airside (Departure Lounge)

* Costa Coffee
* Duty & Tax Free Shopping - Alpha
* Bar 08
* World News
* Serendipity Games
* Restaurant 08

Getting to Robin Hood Airport

Road and Motorway Links

The Airport is located close to the M18 Motorway, but with no direct link road. Also nearby are the A1(M) Motorway, M62 motorway, M1 motorway roads. A direct motorway road link from the M18 junction 3 to the airport is planned and is expected to open by 20102. There is also a connection from Junction 34 of the A1(M) Motorway. The Airport has 2,500 car parking spaces.

* Map sources for Robin Hood Airport, located at 53°28′29″N, 1°0′16″W

Rail Links

Doncaster station is a major UK Railway Station and is served by Northern Rail, Virgin Trains, GNER, TransPennine Express, Central Trains, Midland Mainline and Hull Trains. Doncaster is 1 Hour 35 Mins from London Kings Cross or 20 Mins from Sheffield Station (using direct services). From Doncaster Station several direct bus services transport passengers to the Airport.

In addition, the airport lies alongside the Doncaster to Lincoln railway line, and plans for a station have been submitted for local planning permission.

Public Transport Bus Links

Public transport is by hourly bus from Doncaster town centre. At present the airport is served by various airport bus links from all major local bus companies. These include:

* 91 from Doncaster, First South Yorkshire AirRailLink (half hourly) - Low Floor Branded Bus
* X19 from Doncaster and Barnsley, Stagecoach in Yorkshire (Hourly) - Low Floor Double Decker
* 707 from Doncaster, Wilfreda Beehive Airport Arrow (Hourly)- Low Floor Branded Bus
* 350 from Mexborough & Conisbrough via Lakeside & Dome Doncaster Community Transport (Hourly) - Low Floor Branded Bus

Airlines and destinations

[edit] Scheduled Flights
* Flybe (Belfast-City)
* Flyglobespan (Toronto-Hamilton [Starts May 2007])
* Ryanair (Dublin, Girona, Pisa)
* Shaheen Air International (Islamabad [Start tbc], Toronto [Start tbc])
* Thomsonfly (Alicante, Amsterdam, Faro, Jersey, Málaga, Palma, Paris-Orly, Pisa, Prague, Salzburg)
* Wizzair (Katowice, Gdansk [Starts Summer 2007])

Charter Flights

* MyTravel (Alicante, Almeria, Palma, Paphos)

Summer Destinations

* BH Air (Bourgas, Varna)
* Thomsonfly (Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Dalaman, Orlando Florida-Sanford, Girona, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Larnaca, Malta, Menorca, Naples, Paphos, Pisa, Puerto Plata, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Tenerife-South, Verona, Zakynthos)
* Thomas Cook (Dalaman (Pegesus Airlines), Gran Canaria (Air Europa), Monastir (Nouvelair), Palma (Air Europa), Tenerife (Air Europa))
* Goldtrail Holidays (Dalaman (Onur Air))

Winter Destinations

* Thomsonfly(Alicante, Faro, Gran Canaria, Malaga, Paphos, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife South)

Thomsonfly Also fly on a weekly basis to 4 Ski Destinations:

* Plovdiv (Saturday)
* Salzburg (Saturday)
* Chambery (Saturday) New for 2007/8
* Turin (Sunday)

The Airport also has various Fly-Cruise Departures to:

* Barbados
* Montego Bay (Jamaica)
* Fort Lauderdale (U.S.A.)
* New Orleans (U.S.A.)

The airport has an email address where new routes can be suggested or requested.

The Airport in the media

During its first few years of operation, Robin Hood Airport has featured a lot in the media. Numerous articles on its status as the UK's newest International Airport has seen it become part of the debate into air tourism and enviromental issues. On 24 January 2007, the aiport featured in the BBC Two documentary, Should I Really Give Up Flying?, with local Doncaster celebrity, Brian Blessed fronting local opinions on the issue. Robin Hood Airport has also been a location spot for some dramatic scenes filmed and feautred in Emmerdale.

Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield

The Airport name

The name is now often simply referred to on travel websites and on other literature as Doncaster/Sheffield Airport or Doncaster Airport, even though the official name is Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield.

The Airport was named 'Robin Hood' based on the following local information:-

1. The original Robin Hood legends are set in Barnsdale Forest the area of South Yorkshire which surrounded Doncaster and Pontefract.
2. This legend is reinforced by the fact that the village pub in nearby Hatfield Woodhouse has always been known as the Robin Hood and Little John
3. The Airport has a historical reference to Nottinghamshire (as the parish of Finningley was, until 1974 and the Local Government Act 1972, administered as part of Nottinghamshire) and still resides in the boundary of the Diocese of Nottingham.
4. Some later Robin Hood legends - and the popular 20th century books, fims and TV programmes are set in Sherwood Forest.
5. The Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster is closer to what is left of Sherwood Forest than the City of Nottingham is.
6. The forests of Sherwood and Barnsdale merged in this area of Yorkshire.
7. The name would provide an identity which would raise a lot of attention (if a little controversy) for the Airport and create a marketing opportunity.

The Airport name has caused media controversy as Robin Hood has not during the 20th century been regularly associated with Doncaster; despite the Barnsdale legends, and the references to Robin Hood in pubnames such as the aforementioned Robin Hood and Little John. Many citizens of Nottingham feel that Robin Hood should be the icon of their City alone (despite the fact that it was the Sheriff that came from Nottingham).

Source: Wikipedia

Cardiff International Airport (Welsh: Maes Awyr Rhyngwladol Caerdydd) (IATA: CWL, ICAO: EGFF) is an airport located in the village of Rhoose, in the Vale of Glamorgan, approximately 12 m (19 km) south-west of the Welsh capital, Cardiff.

The only airport in Wales offering scheduled flights, Cardiff Airport is served by scheduled, low-fare and charter carriers and also supports corporate and general aviation.

History

The history of the airport extends back 60 years to the early 1940s when the Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan to set up a wartime satellite aerodrome and training base for Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilots. Construction work commenced in 1941, and the airfield officially began life on 7 April 1942 when it was taken over by No 53 Operational Training Unit. The commercial potential of the runway was recognised in the early 1950s with Aer Lingus starting a service to Dublin in 1952. A new terminal building followed, along with flights to France, Belfast and Cork. An escalation in holiday charter business resulted in passenger throughput exceeding 100,000 in 1962.

1986 saw a further extension of 750 ft (229 m) to the runway, costing in the region of £1 million, thus attracting more business to the airport in the form of new generation jet aircraft. Development of transatlantic links were made with charter flights to Florida, in addition to the previously established links with Canada. The runway extension, enabling the airport to handle 747 jumbo jets, was instrumental in attracting the British Airways (BA) Maintenance facility to Cardiff Airport. The maintenance hangar is one of the largest in the world (at 250 m x 175 m, 820 ft x 574 ft) and provides heavy airframe and engineering maintenance for the British Airways fleet and third party carriers.

In April 1995, due to planned Local Government re-organisation in Wales, the Airport Company was privatised, with shares being sold to property and development firm, TBI plc, now a subsidiary of abertis airports.

The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region.

Cardiff Airport was used by two million passengers in 2006, according to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority.

Airlines and destinations

* Aer Arann (Cork, Dublin, Galway, Nantes [starts June 19 2007])
* Air Southwest (Manchester, Newquay)
* bmibaby (Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast International, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Jersey, Málaga, Palma de Mallorca, Prague)
* Eastern Airways (Newcastle)
* Excel Airways (Lanzarote, Orlando-Sanford)
* First Choice Airways (Alicante, Bodrum, Bourgas, Dalaman, Kefalonia, Kos [starts summer 2007], Lanzarote, Lanarca, Mahon, Malaga, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Reus, Rhodes, Tenerife-South)
* Flybe (Belfast City [starts May 17 2007])
* KLM Royal Dutch Airlines operated by KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam)
* MyTravel Airways (Alicante, Dalaman, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Ibiza, Larnarca, Malaga, Malta, Menorca, Monastir, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Sharm El Sheikh, Tenerife-South)
* Thomas Cook Airlines (Alicante, Bourgas, Corfu, Dalaman, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Larnarca, Gran Canaria, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Reus, Rhodes, Orlando-Sanford, Tenerife-South)
* Thomsonfly (Alicante, Barbados, Barcelona [starts May 19 2007], Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Dalaman, Faro, Funchal, Girona, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Ibiza, Jersey, Lanzarote, Menorca, Malaga, Monastir, Naples, Orlando-Sanford, Palma de Mallorca, Pahphos, Rhodes, Tenerife-South, Reus, Zakynthos)
* Zoom Airlines (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

Transport

The nearest railway station to the airport is Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station. In spite of the name, the station is not located at the airport and passengers have the inconvenience of taking additional transport. Cardiff Bus provides a free shuttle bus. It provides direct services to Cardiff Central Station and Bridgend. Cardiff Bus serves the airport by providing a regular shuttle bus to the city centre taking around half an hour. By road, the airport is signposted from M4 Junction 33 (Cardiff West).

Cardiff International Airport

Future plans

The airport's management announced, on 29 March 2006, a £100m development strategy which will see the current terminal being extended, as well as upgrades to the main body of the building.

It is anticipated that the investment will attract up to 5m passengers by 2015 - an increase of 150% - according to the airport's published response to a UK Government White paper on the future of commercial aviation throughout the United Kingdom.

Road access to the airport via the A48 trunk road was the subject of a public enquiry in 2006 but this is now superseded by needs of the St. Athan project, the bid for which included plans for a direct St. Athan and airport link to the M4 motorway.

Executive Aviation

* Dragonfly Executive Air charter Operate two Beechcraft King Air 200's. The company office is based on the south side of the airfield, sharing a building with the flying school.

Source: Wikipedia

Bristol International Airport (IATA: BRS, ICAO: EGGD) is the commercial airport serving the city of Bristol in England, and the surrounding area.

Bristol International Airport has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P432) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers and for flying instruction.

History

In 1927 a group of local businessmen raised £6,000 through public subscription to inaugurate a flying club at Filton Aerodrome. By 1929 the club had become a success and it was decided that a farm located in Whitchurch near Bristol would be developed into an airport. In 1930, The Prince George, son of King George V opened Bristol Airport — becoming the third such airport in Britain. Passenger numbers grew from 935 in 1930 to over 4,000 in 1939.

During World War II, Bristol Airport was the only civil airport still in operation in the UK, meaning all flights usually bound for London were terminated in Bristol. The newly formed British Overseas Airways Corporation were dispersed to Whitchurch from Croydon and Gatwick Airports. They operated on routes to Lisbon, Portugal and to some other neutral nations. Whitchurch continued to be used after WW2, but the introduction of heavier post-war airliners made a runway extension highly desirable. However, this was very difficult, because of the proximity of the surrounding housing estates.

Consequently, a decision was taken in 1955 to develop a new airport at Lulsgate Bottom Airfield near [[Redhill, Somerset|Redhill], from a former wartime RAF station, which had been operating in peacetime as a glider station. The new airport was called Bristol Lulsgate Airport and was opened in 1957 by Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent. In its first year 33,000 people used the airport. In 1963 the runway was lengthened and in 1965 extensions were made to the terminal — all due to rapid expansion. In 1968 a new 5,000 square foot (460 m²) building was constructed — again as the airport expanded. In 1974 the airline "Court Line" collapsed, causing a fall in passenger numbers.

By 1980 17 charter airlines were operating from the airport. Additions in 1984 included an international departure lounge, duty free shops, a 24-hour airside bar, an arrivals concourse, and a short-term car park. On the 1 April 1987 all employees were transferred from Bristol City Council to Bristol Airport plc. The operation and net assets of Bristol Airport were transferred from the City of Bristol and the company commenced trading. Over the next few years business boomed with over 100,000 passengers each month in the summer of 1988.

In 1996 Bristol Airport was sold by Bristol City Council. In March 1997 its name was changed from Bristol Airport to Bristol International Airport. In December 1997 51% of the airport was sold to FirstGroup plc, while the remaining 49% stayed with Bristol City Council. A new terminal building was built in April 1999 and opened in March 2000. In 2000, passenger numbers exceeded two million for the first time.

An easyJet Boeing 737 and an Air Southwest Dash 8 at Bristol Airport. The runways are 622 feet above sea level, giving fine views over the surrounding countryside
An easyJet Boeing 737 and an Air Southwest Dash 8 at Bristol Airport. The runways are 622 feet above sea level, giving fine views over the surrounding countryside

2001 onwards

The airport was bought by Macquarie Bank and Cintra in January 2001 for £198m. Passenger numbers passed through three million in 2002, largely due to the arrival of the low-cost carrier Go Fly. Continued expansion by Easyjet led to another increase in passengers — to 3.8 million. In May 2005, Continental Airlines introduced direct flights from Bristol to Newark, New York, with Boeing 757-200 aircraft.

Bristol Airport is a general aviation (GA) centre. In 2006 the GA terminal was relocated from the north side next to the control tower, to a purpose-built facility on the south east corner of the field. All GA handling at Bristol, including training, is managed by Bristol Flying Centre.

Panorama over Bristol

2007 resurfacing controversy

On the 5 January 2007 many flights were cancelled or diverted (all EasyJet and XL Airways flights). This was due to, according to some pilots, braking action on the runway not being the required standard for safe stopping in wet conditions.

The problems arose from a new £17 million asphalt runway surface not being sufficently grooved to allow water runoff. Although the new runway was given Civil Aviation Authority clearance on 4 January, 2007, there had been a number of incidents over the previous four weeks, with aircraft unable to stop without running over the operating limits of the runway. The number of incidents caused the operations department of Easyjet to stop aircraft arriving or departing in wet conditions.

Further discussion with other airlines later led to further cancellations. A British Airways spokeswoman said it would not operate flights if the runway moisture levels were above a certain level, and subsequently the airline cancelled several of their flights.

EasyJet issued the following statement on its website: "As rain is forecast for Saturday 6 January, easyJet will operate a large proportion of its services in and out of Cardiff International Airport. Passengers will be required to check in at Bristol International Airport as normal and will be transferred across to Cardiff. A list of the flights the airline plans to operate tomorrow will be posted on the website later this afternoon."

On Saturday 6 January, 98 flights were diverted to Cardiff or Birmingham, while 28 flights were been cancelled. The affected airlines are: Easyjet, BA Connect, XL, Thomsonfly, Thomas Cook, Balkan Airlines, First Choice, Air Malta, KLM and SN Brussels. Passengers on nearly 40 Easyjet flights were transferred to Cardiff, while all the other services by the firm have been cancelled. All First Choice and some Thomas Cook flightswere moved to Birmingham Airport. Other Thomas Cook flights were being diverted to Gatwick Airport. Easyjet said a decision on Monday's flights has not yet been made.

On Sunday 7 January, following further flight cancellations, Bristol Airport management made the decision to close the runway from 14:30 in order that work to resolve the situation could be expedited. The runway is expected to remain closed during Monday 8 January.

Proposed expansion

In 2005 the airport handled more than 84000 aircraft movements and 5.25 million passengers[5]. Controversy surrounds the proposed expansion of the airport to allow it to handle even more. A coalition to fight the expansion, known as Stop Bristol Airport Expansion has been formed by Bristol Friends of the Earth, Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and other groups and individuals in North Somerset, Bristol and BANES.

Airlines and destinations

* Aer Arann (Cork, Nantes [Starts 19 May])
* Aer Lingus (Dublin [Ends 24 March])
* Air Malta (Luqa, Malaga, Arrecife, Corfu)
* Air Southwest (Jersey, Leeds/Bradford, Manchester, Newquay, Plymouth)
* Aurigny Air Services (Guernsey)
* British Airways
o BA Connect (Düsseldorf, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Glasgow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Milan-Malpensa, Munich, Zürich)
o British Airways operated by GB Airways (Tenerife-South)
* Brussels Airlines (Brussels)
* Continental Airlines (Newark)
* Eastern Airways (Aberdeen, Isle of Man)
* easyJet (Alicante, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Belfast, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bordeaux [Starts 3 April], Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Grenoble, Ibiza, Inverness, Kraków, Madrid, Mahon, Marseille, Malaga, Murcia, Newcastle, Nice, Palma de Mallorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Pisa, Prague, Rijeka, Rome-Ciampino, Toulouse, Venice)
* Excel Airways (Cyprus, Egypt, Greece, Malta, Portugal, Spain, Turkey)
* First Choice Airways (Agadir, Banjul, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Grenoble, Lanzarote, Malaga, Salzburg, Sharm El Sheikh, Sofia, Tenerife, Toulose, Turin)
* Flybe (Jersey)
* Fly Gibraltar (Gibraltar [Starts April])
* KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
o KLM Cityhopper (Amsterdam)
* OLT (Ostfriesische Lufttransport) (Bremen, Hamburg)
* MyTravel Airways (Alicante, Antalya, Salzburg, Bodrum, Bourgas, Corfu, Dalaman, Heraklion, Larnarca, Paphos, Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gambia, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Kos, Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, Malta, Menorca, Rhodes, Tenerife South)
* Ryanair (Dublin, Girona [Starts 25 March], Shannon)
* Scandinavian Airlines(Stockholm [Starts June])
* Thomsonfly (Alicante, Antalya, Bastia, Corfu, Dalaman, Sharm el Sheikh, Faro, Fuerteventura, Funchal, Gran Canaria, Heraklion, Ibiza, Lanzarote, Larnarca, Malaga, Malta, Minorca, Monastir, Naples, Palma de Mallorca, Paphos, Pula, Rhodes, Tenerife South, Thessaloniki)

Source: Wikipedia

Blackpool International Airport (IATA: BLK, ICAO: EGNH) is a small international airport, 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km) southeast of Blackpool, Lancashire in North West England.

The airport was owned and operated by City Hopper Airports Limited, which also owns Wolverhampton Airport and Biella Airport in Italy, but is under new management after one of its two major shareholders bought out its partner. MAR Properties Ltd has agreed terms to take over full control of Blackpool and Wolverhampton Airports [1].

Blackpool Airport Limited has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P724) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction.

Several scheduled airlines operate from the airport, as well as chartered holiday flights in summer months. Helicopter operations serve north west England’s Irish Sea offshore gas facilities.

Passenger numbers have recently increased sharply, from 377,000 during 2005 to 553,000 in the year to December 2006. Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair and Jet2.com have seen strong potential in Blackpool, bringing increasing passenger numbers.

History

The airport site's first aviation use was in October 1909, when the UK's first official public Flying Meeting was held on a specially laid out site at Squires Gate, followed by another in 1910. Small UK airlines used the airfield during the 1930s. During World War II, Vickers operated an aircraft production facility, producing several thousand Wellington bombers.

By 1949, the airfield was controlled by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and renamed Blackpool Airport. In the mid 1950s, Hawker Hunter jet fighters were produced in the WW2 factory at the north-east edge of the airfield.

Since then the airport has been steadily expanding, accommodating helicopter operations for British Gas, and attracting scheduled flights from budget airlines, Jet2 and Ryanair and also scheduled services by smaller operators to the Isle of Man. Since WW2, Squires Gate has also been a thriving centre for private, club and general aviation.

In 2005, Jet2.com became the first major low cost airline to base an aircraft at Blackpool Airport. This created around 50 new jobs and boosted passenger numbers. They now serve eight destinations from this airport; 5 in Spain and the Canaries (Palma de Mallorca, Alicante, Murcia, Tenerife, Málaga). They also offer a domestic service to Belfast and a 5 times weekly flight to Amsterdam. Services to Faro and Prague have also been added to the network.

Also in 2005, Monarch Airlines set up a new route to Malaga, three times a week, after a year the airline ceased services, blaming low passenger numbers as the reason. However Jet2.com had earlier announced that it would be operating flights to Malaga.

British North West Airlines, the smallest airline based at Blackpool, has now, according to its website, stopped trading for both charter and scheduled flights. The website links all viewers to the rival airline, Manx2, who are providing seats for British North West Airlines passengers free of charge.

Blackpool International Airport is a small international airport, 2.6 nautical miles (4.8 km) southeast of Blackpool, Lancashire in North West England.

Refurbishment

In February 2006, the airport completed the investment of £2 million in refurbishing the airport terminal and car parks. The improvements included more check-in desks, new eating facilities, a new information desk, an open-plan departure lounge, more gates, new shopping facilities, an executive lounge, a new flight information screen system, additional baggage reclaim belt and a new interior colour scheme and logo. A new long stay car park was created while the existing area was extended. Later in 2006 the airport extended the aircraft parking area.

Airlines and destinations

* Jet2.com (Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast, Faro, Málaga [Starts March], Murcia [Restarts March], Palma [Restarts March], Prague, Tenerife [currently ending March])
* Manx2 (Belfast-City, Belfast-International, Isle of Man)
* Ryanair (Dublin, Girona, London-Stansted)
* Thomsonfly (Alicante)

Airport facilities

* Shopping - duty free shop & WHSmith
* Games room
* Food outlets - Max Beans café & bar
* Currency exchange
* Executive lounge
* Car park
* Tourist information desk
* Car hire - Hertz Corporation

Transport

* M55 Junction 4 is nearby
* Squires Gate railway station is nearby for Northern Rail sprinter trains to Blackpool South and Preston
* Local bus operator Blackpool Transport operates an open top City Sightseeing bus along the promenade into Blackpool town centre (summer only)
* Local bus routes 5, 7 and 11 stop near the airport to take passengers to Blackpool town centre and beyond.
* Tram services are available from the nearby Starr Gate tram stop. The trams take passengers along the promenade past Pleasure Beach, Blackpool, Central Pier and Blackpool Tower.
* Taxis can be contacted by a free telephone located inside the terminal building.

Source: Wikipedia

Belfast International Airport (IATA: BFS, ICAO: EGAA) is an airport located some 21 kilometres (13 miles) northwest of Belfast in Northern Ireland. It is also known as Aldergrove, after the village of that name lying immediately to the west of the airport. Belfast International shares its runways with the Royal Air Force base RAF Aldergrove, which otherwise has its own facilities. Over 4.82 million passengers (2.1% of passengers at all UK airports) travelled through the airport in 2005 (a 1.7 million/54.1% increase over 2000). Belfast International is the 11th busiest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers[1] and it is the busiest airport in Northern Ireland. It is also the second busiest airport on the island of Ireland (after Dublin Airport's 18.4 million passengers). BIA serves 41 scheduled destinations with 15 domestic services and 26 European and transatlantic services. Belfast International Airport transatlantic flights include New York - Newark, Orlando (with two airlines), Toronto (with two airlines) and Vancouver. There are chartered flights to Africa, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico, the USA and many European destinations.
History

* On 26 May 2005 Continental Airlines began nonstop flights to Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey, United States.
* On June 20, 2006 13.5kg of cocaine was seized in the airport. The seizure, valued at around £3m, was the largest in Irish history. Two German men were arrested on suspicion of trafficking. It is believed they were boarding a flight to Luton Airport and intended to travel onwards to mainland Europe. [2]
* On 3 July 2006 Continental airlines announced that it had carried its 100,000th passenger on its Belfast - Newark route.

Airlines and destinations

Scheduled airlines

The following scheduled airlines use Belfast International Airport (at January 2007):

* Air Transat (Toronto-Pearson) (seasonal)
* bmibaby (Birmingham, Cardiff, Manchester, Nottingham)
* Continental Airlines (Newark)
* Cyprus Turkish Airlines (Antalya)
* easyJet (Alicante, Amsterdam, Berlin-Schönefeld, Bristol, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva, Glasgow, Ibiza [starts 6 May 2007], Krakow [starts 24 April 2007], Liverpool, London-Gatwick, London-Luton, London-Stansted, Malaga, Newcastle, Nice, Palma Majorca, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rome-Ciampino)
* Flyglobespan (Orlando-Sanford, Toronto-Hamilton [Starts 4 May 2007])
* Jet2.com (Barcelona, Blackpool, Ibiza [starts 14 May 2007], Leeds/Bradford, Malaga [starts 30 April 2007], Milan-Bergamo [starts 26 March 2007], Murcia, Palma Majorca [starts 30 April 2007], Pisa, Prague, Tenerife-South, Toulouse [starts 14 May 2007])
* Manx2 (Isle of Man)
* Wizz Air (Katowice [Starts 29 May 2007], Warsaw [Starts 28 July 2007])
* Zoom Airlines (Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver)

Charter operators

Destinations in Europe and North America are served from BIA by charter airlines. Operators include:

* MyTravel Airways
* Excel Airways
* First Choice Airways
* Air Transat
* Futura
* Thomsonfly
* Thomas Cook Airlines
* Hemus Air
* Finnair
* Helios Airways
* Eurocypria
* Greece Airways/Air Scotland

Some of the destinations served are:

* Alicante, Almeria, Antalya, Arrecife, Bergamo, Bodrum, Bourgas, Cancun, Corfu, Crete, Dalaman, Faro, Fuerteventura, Gerona, Ibiza, Innsbruck, Jersey, Kefalonia, Lapland, Larnaca, Las Palmas, Las Vegas, Lourdes, Mahon, Malaga, Monastir, Montego Bay, Naples, Orlando (Sanford), Palma de Mallorca, Puerto Plata, Plovdiv, Reus, Rhodes, Salzburg, Sharm el Sheikh, Tenerife, Toronto, Varna, Verona.

Cargo operators

Belfast International Airport is one of the most important regional airfreight centres in the UK, handling up to 50,000 tonnes of air cargo in 2004. Due to Northern Ireland's relative isolation from both mainland UK and Europe, superior airfreight services are vital. BIA plays host to a long-established nightly Royal Mail operation. The major cargo operators are:

* DHL Worldwide Express
* TNT Airways

Key facts

* Passenger Growth: Serving over 4.8 million passengers in 2005, Belfast International Airport is the principal gateway to Northern Ireland. BIA has experienced steady growth over the past few years.

* Domestic and European Success: Easyjet has announced a new route for 2007 to Krakow in Poland, bringing their total number of destinations served from Belfast to 20. With over three million passengers traveling through their Belfast base per year, it has become one of easyJet’s fastest growing bases, and now accounts for 12% of easyJet’s entire network. Jet2 has also announced huge expansion for 2007. Their Blackpool service will be increased to double daily, (Jet2.com reported "amazing demand" on the route since it was launched). Jet2 will also operate 5 new routes: Ibiza, Malaga, Milan-Bergamo, Palma Majorca and Toulouse. This will bring the number of destinations served by Jet2 from Belfast to 12. September also saw the announcement Wizz air to operate 2 new routes to Eastern Europe. These new routes are Warsaw and Katowice.

* Transatlantic Success: In its first year of operation Continental carried approximately 85,000 passengers on its Belfast-New York route, an estimated 40 per cent of whom have been inbound US passengers visiting Northern Ireland on business or leisure trips. The figure exceeds the 70,000 target set by the airline for the first year of operation. In March the airline, announced an increase in the frequency of the Belfast to New York service from five flights a week to seven due to demand. The daily service operates from March to October and five times a week in winter. Zoom Airlines announced in Feb 2006 that their route to Toronto had been “hugely successful” and that direct scheduled flights would occur all year round. June 2006 also saw the first direct scheduled service from Belfast to Vancouver. On 28 July Flyglobespan announced that they are to commence a scheduled service from Belfast to Orlando. Weekly flights are to start in November using Boeing 767 aircraft.
* Top Destinations: The most popular domestic destination from Belfast is London followed by Liverpool.

* 77% of passengers at Belfast fly scheduled flights, with only 23% on charter.
* 26% of passengers from Belfast International are business flyers. This equates to 1.2 million Business passengers per annum.
* The airport operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is not subject to noise abatement procedures, significant environmental constraints or airspace limitations.
* It is the closest all-weather airport in Europe to the USA, and is ideally located for the rapid turnaround and repositioning of transatlantic flights.
* Two runways, one with Cat 111b ILS equipment, offer all weather capability.
* Fifth largest regional air cargo centre in the UK.
* Full range of warehouse and distribution centre.
* Extensive ancillary services on site including executive air charter, air taxi, air ambulance, helicopter training and hire.

Transport Links

By Road: Travellers by car from Belfast reach the airport by travelling north on the M2 motorway, turning off at junction 5 and then via A57 for 7 miles to the airport. From the north and north west the route is easiest found by coming south on the M2 again to junction 5.

By Bus: Translink operates a bus service every 10 minutes (Airbus 300) to the airport from their Europa Buscentre, in the centre of Belfast. This is usually considered the most convenient method of transport to the city centre.

The airport can be reached from Derry/Londonderry and the North West by the Airporter. This coach service operates 7 days a week and an hourly service from Monday-Friday.

By Train: The nearest railway station, 6 miles from the airport is Antrim, with no connecting bus. There are connections to Belfast, Lisburn and Derry/Londonderry. Trains to and from Dublin are via Belfast Central Station, which has its own Airbus stop. A new station serving the airport could one day be constructed on the mothballed Antrim-Lisburn railway line as set out in the airport master plan. This line remains in serviceable condition and passes close to the airport terminal.

Future plans

Belfast International Airport recently published their Master Plan for the next 25 years. The master plan predicts that passenger numbers will increase to between 6 mppa (million passengers per annum) and 7.5 mppa by 2015 and soar to 12 mppa by 2030. Cargo throughput at BIA could reach as high as 82,000 tonnes by 2015, and 148,000 by 2030. To accommodate this growth a number upgrades have been suggested, some of these are named below.

2006-2015

* Extension of Check in Hall
* Extension and reconfiguration of Baggage Hall
* Construction of a new South Pier including departure lounges
* Extension of West Pier
* Passenger Aircraft Parking Apron expanded into Cargo Apron
* Construction of Multistorey Car park and high level link to terminal
* Expansion of cargo / freight handling facilities and apron to western extent of airport lands

2015-2030

* New 3 storey central core linking to existing and recently developed areas.
* A passenger rail connection to the airport
* Enhanced highway links between airport and M2 motorway and improved public transport direct to all parts of Northern Ireland.

Source: Wikipedia

MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- Rescue workers in the Spanish capital on Saturday removed a second body from the rubble of a Madrid airport parking garage -- the site of a bombing last week by the Basque separatist group ETA, an emergency official told CNN.

Officials confirmed that the victim was 19-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant Diego Armando Estacio, whose family reported him missing hours after the ETA car bombing December 30.

He was the second fatality in the attack, which ended a nine-month cease-fire that ETA had promised would be "permanent," raising hopes for an end to nearly 40 years of separatist violence in Spain.

Following the attack, the government said the fledgling peace process is finished.

The last deaths from an ETA attack were more than three years ago, in May 2003, and the long absence of deaths had helped set the stage for the cease-fire.

Estacio, like another Ecuadorean immigrant who also died in the airport blast, had stayed in his car while a companion went inside the terminal to meet someone arriving on a flight.

ETA warned authorities in a call prior to the explosion, and police cleared the area, but Estacio and the other man, apparently sleeping in their respective cars in the garage, did not hear the evacuation order, authorities believe.

The blast collapsed the five-level parking garage at the airport's newest terminal. No other victims were being sought, the emergency official told CNN.

The body of 35-year-old Carlos Alonso Palate, of Ecuador, was recovered from the parking garage on Thursday. His body has been repatriated on a Spanish military plane to Ecuador.

Rescue workers located Estacio's car late Thursday and, by early Friday, were able get a tiny camera near the crushed vehicle, and saw a person's arm inside. But moving cautiously through the rubble to avoid additional cave-ins that could harm the rescue teams, they did not reach Estacio's car until Saturday morning, pulling his body from the crushed vehicle about 9:30 a.m. (3:30 am ET), the emergency official told CNN.

ETA is blamed for more than 800 deaths and thousands of injuries in its nearly 40-year fight for an independent homeland.

Source: CNN