2007 Articles

Numbers up for Birmingham in September

Birmingham Airport has announced an increase in its passenger numbers in September, with a total of 969,407 travellers passing through the hub.

Some 642,182 scheduled passengers used the airport last month and 327,225 people used charter services, representing an increase of two per cent on the previous year.

EU routes saw growth of over eight per cent in passengers in September, while non-EU routes saw passenger numbers increase by nearly five per cent.
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Stansted opens Romania link

Stansted Airport hosted a flight from Romania's leading low-cost airline, Blue Air, on October 8th, marking the beginning of a new link between the hub and the country's capital city Bucharest.

Nick Barton, business development and planning director at Stansted, said that advance bookings indicate the route will be "very popular" with both business and leisure travellers.

The new connection is the first of a number of new route launches that are planned at Stansted for October.
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Belfast 'taking steps towards carbon neutrality'

The managers of Belfast Int. Airport have claimed that 'major steps' have been taken towards neutralising the hub's carbon footprint.

By cutting down the amount of power used by its air conditioning units the airport has reportedly moved closer to negating its carbon dioxide emissions.

Some £91,500 has been invested in an energy efficiency scheme that is already reducing electricity bills by £130,000 per year.
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Half of locals 'support new runway at Heathrow'

Half of the local people living near Heathrow Airport support the proposition of a third runway being constructed at the UK's busiest airport, according to a survey.

Campaign group Heathrow First conducted a poll of 1,200 residents and found that half were happy for a new runway to be built.

Some 30 per cent of the respondents said they were opposed to a new landing strip being constructed, Travelmole reports.
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Crossrail project green-lighted

The Crossrail transport project, which will link Heathrow Airport to a number of other London destinations, has been given the go-ahead by the government.

Prime minister Gordon Brown confirmed £16 billion of funding for the initiative, which is not expected to become operational for another decade.

When it is up and running, the Crossrail network will link Heathrow and Maidenhead in west London with Abbey Wood and Shenfield in the east.
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Avenue Q run extended

Popular comedy musical Avenue Q has had its run extended and will now entertain West End crowds until September 2008.

The wacky show, which features a combined cast of humans and puppets, premiered at the Noel Coward Theatre on June 28th 2006 to rapturous reviews.

Its main character is Princeton, a college graduate who moves into the titular avenue and makes a strange group of friends, who take him on a bizarre journey of self discovery.
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UK airports included in Ryanair expansion

Low-cost airline Ryanair has confirmed a number of alterations that will be made to its services in October, with adjustments to its operations at a range of UK airports among the changes.

It what it describes as an "October revolution", the carrier said that it will launch a total of 70 new routes.

Among them will be services from Dublin International Airport and Nottingham/East Midlands Airport.
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Air travel to Singapore opened up

Flights to Singapore from UK airports are set to be made more accessible from next year as a result of a new 'open skies' agreement.

The liberalising deal between the UK and the south-east Asian country means that there will be no restrictions on air services between the two nations.

Regulations over other issues such as codesharing and fair competition will also be relaxed.
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More Russian destinations available from Gatwick

Gatwick Airport passengers will have access to more destinations in Russia this winter with an airline announcing expansions to its services.

From October 29th KD Avia will begin flying to Orenburg, Ulyanovsk, Perm, Rostov-on-Don and Magnitogorsk.

This brings the total number of Russian destinations served by the carrier from Gatwick to 14, with Moscow and St Petersburg also among its network locations.
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Regional services 'must be protected'

An aviation industry group has stressed the importance of regional routes between airports in the UK.

Chris Goater, a spokesperson for the Airport Operators Association (AOA), said that the regional network around the UK should be protected, particularly where flights coming into and out of Heathrow Airport are concerned.

The comments followed a report from the Competition Commission suggesting that airport taxes for Heathrow and Gatwick should be raised.
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Brazil 'now easily accessible' from Gatwick

Brazil is now easily accessible for holidaymakers flying from Gatwick Airport, an expert on investment in foreign countries has claimed.

Rhiannon Williamson, director of investment advice group Amberlamb, said that the Brazilian government has steadily increased investment in infrastructure and supported the tourism industry in the country.

With this investment, service from airlines and access from European airports has reportedly improved as well.
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