2008 Articles

New cast members for Les Mis

People in possession of West End theatre tickets to see Les Miserables from June 23rd will be entertained by a new cast of performers, it has been announced.

Some of the show's major roles will be filled by new actors, including the ruthless policeman Javert and the Thenardiers, a pair of corrupt and immoral innkeepers.

Javert will be played by Earl Carpenter, who recently filled the lead role in The Phantom of the Opera, while Thenardier will be embodied by Jimmy Johnston, whose London stage credits include The Pirates of Penzance.
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Bristol 'gaining 10,000 passengers a week'

Over 10,000 passengers a week are using Bristol Airport to travel worldwide, it has been reported.

Flights to international destinations have increased in number and regularity meaning an increasing number of passengers has been able to fly from Bristol to locations such as Amsterdam, Paris, and New York.

Shaun Browne, head of commercial aviation and route development, said: "The fact that 10,000 passengers a week are travelling between Bristol International and major international hubs proves the concept of using feeder flights to connect to onward destinations."
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Liverpool passes 50m milestone

Friday the 13th June proved a lucky day for one traveller when she became the 50 millionth person to pass through Liverpool Airport.

The milestone customer, Helen Lace, was boarding an easyJet flight from the north-west hub to Belfast.

She was greeted at Liverpool John Lennon Airport (JLA) by airport management and easyJet staff who presented her with a flight voucher and a bottle of champagne.
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Heathrow launches new safety system

A new safety system has been launched at Heathrow Airport that is reportedly the first of its kind in Europe.

The radar technology that has recently been installed on the southern runway is set to improve safety by continuously sweeping the landing strip for foreign objects and debris (FOD).

Two radars are used in the Tarsier system, which is provided by QinetiQ, which scan the 3,658-metre track 24 hours a day.
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Birmingham celebrates another record-breaking month

Birmingham Airport has announced that it handled 877,232 passengers in May, surpassing its previous highest figure for the month and representing a 5.7 per cent increase on the previous year.

May was the fourth straight month of record-breaking performance at Birmingham following strong figures in February, March and April.

The total traffic number comprised 625,770 scheduled passengers and 251,462 people using charter services.
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Blackpool Airport to host air racing event

People flying in to Blackpool Airport at the end of this month will be entertained by some aviation of a less commercial kind than that regularly seen at the gateway.

The Aero GP air racing event will take place on June 28th and 29th.

This occasion will see Blackpool join forces with the Aero GP operators for a competition that will take place over the sea along the North Shore beachfront.
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More international passengers through Aberdeen

Aberdeen Airport has released figures showing that its international services carried two per cent more passengers in May this year than in the same month of 2007.

The total number of passengers travelling through Aberdeen in May – just under 300,000 – brought the airport's traffic figures for the year so far to 1.3 million.

Routes to Stavanger from Aberdeen saw a year-on-year increase of 5.4 per cent in passenger numbers, despite some cancellations and other disruptions.
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Donald Trump jets off from Aberdeen

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump flew from Aberdeen Airport this week after visiting the area to consult on plans for a number of developments in the area.

The tycoon has made proposals to open two golf courses, build homes and construct a new luxury hotel to join the range of airport hotels already on offer to Aberdeen visitors.

Mr Trump said he was "delighted" to have paid another visit to Aberdeen and described it as "a real pleasure" to come to Scotland.
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Book launched to accompany Flying Without Fear course

A book has been released to accompany Virgin Atlantic's popular Flying Without Fear course, which has been running at airports across the UK for the past ten years.

The book contains answers to 101 questions about flying, which have been put forward on the Flying Without Fear website and raised by people participating in the course.

It will also provide information from a cabin crew safety trainer, as well as tips from aviation experts and methods to help people overcome their fear of flying.
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Four UK hubs improve punctuality

Four airports in the UK improved their scheduled punctuality in the first three months of 2008 compared to the same period of the previous year, according to new figures.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced that Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and Birmingham all saw their ratio of on-time flights increase this year.

Stansted and Birmingham were the best performers, respectively operating 80 per cent and 78 per cent of their flights within 15 minutes of their planned arrival or departure time.
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Manchester to celebrate 70th anniversary

Manchester Airport will this month celebrate its 70th anniversary.

The north-west hub will mark the occasion on June 25th and will host a series of celebratory events throughout the year, including a number of dinners and parties.

The festivities will conclude with the completion of the new Concorde hangar, an attraction at Manchester that travellers will be able to visit.
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