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Edinburgh News Archive

Edinburgh welcomes first flight from New York

Edinburgh welcomes first flight from New YorkEdinburgh Airport has hosted the first flight to connect New York City with the Scottish capital.

US carrier Delta Air Lines launched its first service between New York's John F Kennedy international airport and Edinburgh on May 1st.

The operator now offers 37 transatlantic destinations, which it claims is more than any other airline in the world.
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EasyJet pursues UK expansion with new Edinburgh route

EasyJet pursues UK expansion with new Edinburgh routeTravellers using the airport hotels available at Edinburgh are now able to access new services to the south of France following a route launch by easyJet this week.

The low-cost carrier launched its inaugural flight from Edinburgh Airport to Nice on April 24th, which will operate three times a week on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Some 20,000 passengers are expected to use the route in the next 12 months.
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Edinburgh Airport Parking - The Green Option

FHR, a leading travel services company, have today announced the addition of a new green option to their range of Edinburgh Airport Parking services.
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Ryanair to set up new base at Edinburgh

Ryanair to set up new base at EdinburghLow-fares airline Ryanair has announced that it is to set up its 27th European base at Edinburgh Airport.

The carrier said that it will base two new Boeing 737s, worth $140 million (£70.4 million) in Edinburgh, which will serve a total of 19 routes to and from the city.

These new services are expected to bring some 1.2 million passengers per year to the Scottish capital, boosting the economy with over £100 million of spending and creating 1,200 jobs.
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Cars 'bigger polluters than planes'

Cars 'bigger polluters than planes'Research carried out at Edinburgh Airport has suggested that road travel could be having more of an effect on the environment than air travel.

A study carried out by airport operator BAA found that higher levels of nitrogen dioxide were detected around Edinburgh Airport's surrounding roads and forecourts than its airfield.

However, the research did not take into account the amount of gas that aircraft produce when they are 1,000 metres above the ground and their emissions are dispersed by high winds, the Scotsman reports.
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Edinburgh bucks UK airport trend

Edinburgh bucks UK airport trendEdinburgh Airport bucked a negative trend that emerged among UK air hubs in January by posting an increase in passenger figures.

The Scottish hub recorded an increase of 3.9 per cent in passenger numbers on January 2007, one of only two airports to see growth in activity.

Gatwick Airport was the other base to experience rising traffic, with one per cent more people passing through in January this year than in 2007.
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Scotland hoping for more UK visitors

Scotland hoping for more UK visitorsEdinburgh Airport could be readying itself for an influx of domestic visitors after an advertising campaign was launched in response to a recent survey.

Research commissioned by national tourist board VisitScotland found that 66 per cent of Londoners are bored by the way they spend their weekends and want more excitement.

Some 70 per cent of respondents said their ideal weekend would involve escaping London and 72 per cent saying they would like to take part in an adventure activity such as white-water rafting, climbing or hill-walking.
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Edinburgh targets more winter visitors

Edinburgh targets more winter visitorsIt is hoped that Edinburgh Airport will welcome more winter visitors than usual in 2007-08 following the launch of a campaign to attract more tourists during the period.

Tourism agency VisitScotland said it hopes to give the city a 'winter makeover' by publicising the range of activities available over the winter period.

Among the options that will be promoted are a visit to Edinburgh's Winter Wonderland, Hogmanay celebrations in the city and shopping trips that take in the capital's top stores and boutiques.
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Edinburgh Airport reaches one-year milestone

Edinburgh Airport reaches one-year milestoneEdinburgh Airport has reached a significant milestone in its business history, with more than nine million passengers handled over the past year, making it the busiest ever year-long period for the gateway.

In total, some 9,017,491 people travelled through Edinburgh, an increase of 4.8 per cent on the previous 12-month period.

The month of November alone brought a 31 per cent increase in international traffic, indicating the speed at which Edinburgh's route network is expanding.
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Edinburgh 'needs 1,500 new rooms in 5 years'

Edinburgh 'needs 1,500 new rooms in 5 years'City planners have warned that the rising number of people travelling through Edinburgh Airport will necessitate an extra 1,500 hotel rooms by 2013.

Passenger traffic at Edinburgh is expected to climb from 8.9 million people a year now to around 13 million in 2013, the Scotsman reports.

More than 1,500 new hotel rooms will be needed near the airport to cope with this increase, planners said, while a further 2,100 will be required by 2030.
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Edinburgh reaches 100 destinations

Edinburgh reaches 100 destinationsEdinburgh Airport now offers 100 destinations to its passengers, an achievement that operator BAA claims is a result of multimillion pound investment in route development.

There has been a steep rise in the number of flights available from the Scottish hub in the past year, with 29 new routes confirmed in 2007 alone.

BAA Scotland has invested some £20 million in new and expanding airlines in the past 12 months.
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New proposals for Edinburgh rail link

New proposals for Edinburgh rail linkThe Scottish government has made improved proposals for a rail link at Edinburgh Airport after previous plans were deemed unworkable.

Transport minister Stewart Stevenson said that better public transport options would be provided to the hub, at a lower cost than the previous Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (Earl) proposals.

Among the recommendations was a new airport station at Gogar on the Fife railway line, which would "complement rather than compete with" the tram line.
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Edinburgh Airport eyes increased passenger through-flow

Edinburgh Airport eyes increased passenger through-flowEdinburgh Airport is setting itself ambitious development goals for the years to come as it prepares to welcome new passengers, according to the hub's newly-arrived managing director David Johnston.

After five months in the role, Johnston told the Scotsman that he aims to accelerate the pace of change at the travel hub, first focusing on improving the transport links to lock the airport into a regional network.
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Security cameras which analyse 'demeanour' on horizon?

Security cameras which analyse 'demeanour' on horizon?Cameras with a facility to detect possible terrorists are to be rolled out across major British airports, according to a report in the Scotland on Sunday newspaper.

Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Aberdeen Airport will join scores of travel hubs south of the border in installing the cameras, which are able to spot given individuals and detect 'microexpressions' and alterations in demeanour which could be deemed suspicious, the newspaper claimed.

According to the paper, the cameras, already used in US and Israeli airports, would be trained on crowds as they wait to check in their luggage, eliminating a loophole whereby security checks currently happen only after check-in is complete.
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Edinburgh Airport hotel wins plaudits

Edinburgh Airport hotel wins plauditsEdinburgh Airport's Quality Hotel has been named as a finalist in the international Quality Hotel of the Year Award.

The Quality Hotel chain has over 5,000 outlets worldwide, in destinations as diverse as Copenhagen, Toronto and Berlin, but the Edinburgh branch outperformed all its UK rivals to make it into the global finalists' category.

The hotel's levels of customer service, such as the option for travellers departing early to take a continental breakfast with them en route, earned the Edinburgh Quality high praise from judges.

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Festival-goers flood to Edinburgh Fringe's final weekend

Festival-goers flood to Edinburgh Fringe's final weekendPerformers at the international festival and Fringe festival in Edinburgh are gearing up for the final weekend of shows after a month-long haul of treading the boards.

This month's Edinburgh Fringe has reprised all the well-known wonders of the world's biggest arts festival, from world-class writers speaking at the Charlotte Square Gardens Book Festival to inspiring dance acts breaking new ground at the Aurora Nova.

Top-ranked comedians battle to made it big by winning the 'if' awards, formerly the Perrier, while theatre companies vie for a Fringe First, prized emblem of critical acclaim.
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Edinburgh Airport 'busier than Glasgow'

Edinburgh Airport 'busier than Glasgow'New figures have revealed that Edinburgh Airport has overtaken Glasgow as Scotland's busiest hub.

According to managing director of the airport David Johnston, it is experiencing "strong growth", while the terrorist attacks on Glasgow in June have seen passenger numbers dwindle.

Speaking to the Scotsman, Mr Johnston added: "We are extremely busy, but our key priorities remain security, safety and service.
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Gdansk is new easyJet destination from Edinburgh

Gdansk is new easyJet destination from EdinburghGdansk in the north of Poland is the latest destination to be added to easyJet's burgeoning list of flight options, the budget airline has announced.

Flights will be made available from Edinburgh Airport three times per week and will become available to the public from October 30th.

A total of five services are now available through the budget airline to Poland from Edinburgh airport with the other four being Krakow, Warsaw, Katowice and Poznan.
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Calls for direct Edinburgh Airport road link resurface

Calls for direct Edinburgh Airport road link resurfacePlans to build a direct road link to Edinburgh Airport have been revived by local business chiefs, the Edinburgh Evening News reports.

Calls for the half-mile road link between the M8 and A8 have resurfaced, after the SNP revealed its intention to abandon plans for a new airport rail link.

Access to Edinburgh Airport has come under fire for some time now and Edinburgh Airport bosses are once again looking at ways to improve the single road access to the site.
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One year delay for airport rail link

One year delay for airport rail linkThe planned rail link servicing Glasgow Airport flyers has been delayed by another year, meaning the completion date is now 2011.

Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson revealed the delay when he outlined the government's rail and road priorities recently.

Many flyers rely on public transport to get to the airport and those travellers affected by the delay may wish to consider driving themselves and using airport parking as an alternative solution.
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Low-cost airline moves closer to greener fleet

Low-cost airline moves closer to greener fleetLow-budget airline easyJet has announced an agreement with aircraft makers Airbus to exercise existing options to buy 35 new Airbus 319 planes.

The aircraft will be delivered during 2011 and 2012 and easyJet, which has hubs at Bristol Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Liverpool Airport, suggested the move 'underpins its long-term growth and ensures it operates one of the youngest fleets of any major airline'.

It plans to hold 135 of the cleanest and quietest aircraft in their class in Europe, highlighting the fact that the A319 is one of the most "environmentally-efficient" planes around.
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Flyers eyeing up Russian alternative

Flyers eyeing up Russian alternativeA new online flight booking site called Alternative Airlines has revealed that bookings for domestic flights to Russia has soared recently.

The site specialises in providing services to routes that tend to be ignored by other travel providers and it has reported a greater percentage of interest in Russia of late than previously anticipated.

Alternative Airlines managing director John Pope suggested that Russian aviation was "booming", with more western built aircraft being used by Russian carriers.
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Demonstrations over climate change at Edinburgh Airport

Demonstrations over climate change at Edinburgh AirportGreenpeace protestors were demonstrating at Edinburgh Airport this week in a bid to make people more aware of climate change.

Designed to elucidate to travellers the effects of flying on global climate change, members of the charity set up a stall and urged travellers at the airport to think about using other methods of transport to travel and not just airplanes.

Using a megaphone to garner attention and dressed in air steward and stewardess garb, the Greenpeace group also answered questions from people at the airport about global warming.

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Bank holidays boost May figures for BAA

Bank holidays boost May figures for BAABAA has revealed its traffic figures for last month and the airport operator will be encouraged by the statistics.

In total, BAA's seven UK airports handled 12.8 million passengers in May, which represented an increase of 0.3 per cent compared to May 2006.

It was the company's three Scottish airports which enjoyed the best growth for the month, with traffic up at Glasgow Airport, Edinburgh Airport and Stansted Airport by 3.7 per cent, 5.8 per cent and 9.9 per cent respectively.
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Time capsule marks 30 years of Edinburgh Airport

Time capsule marks 30 years of Edinburgh AirportStaff at Edinburgh Airport marked its 30th birthday this week by burying a time capsule at the foot of its air traffic control tower.

New managing director David Johnson laid the commemorative capsule by the iconic tower along with Ricky Raeburn, one of the airport's longest-serving members of staff.

The event also marked the opening of the existing terminal, which was conducted by Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II in her Silver Jubilee year.
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Drinks checks underway at Edinburgh Airport

New air travel security measures which mean flyers must have their drinks checked have been put into practice at Edinburgh Airport.

Scotland's second biggest airport is one of the first in Britain to get the scheme underway and it is set to be rolled out across the UK very soon.

Drinks, toiletries and medicines are among the liquids that will be tested for potentially hazardous chemicals, with staff carrying out random spot checks using litmus paper.
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New Edinburgh airport hotel development

New Edinburgh airport hotel developmentPlans to build a new multimillion pound Edinburgh Airport Hotel have been lodged.

The 90-bed hotel will be built next to a three-storey office block, but only if developers' plans are given the green light, with congestion fears currently jeopardising the project.

There is concern among community leaders over the extra traffic the hotel will bring on the busy A8 Glasgow Road at Ratho.
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Tourist information boost for Edinburgh Airport

Tourist information boost for Edinburgh AirportA tourist information point located at Edinburgh Airport has been highlighted for its outstanding customer service.
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Sports events score big numbers for Scots airports

Sports events score big numbers for Scots airportsAir traffic levels in Scotland reached record highs last month, after a series of major sporting events boosted European travel.
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Edinburgh set for 13 new services

Services in and out of Edinburgh Airport are in line for a significant expansion this summer, with 13 new offerings giving passengers a timely boost when it comes to plotting sunny getaways.
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