2008 Articles

Another record breaking month at Birmingham Airport

A record number of passengers passed through Birmingham Airport last month, the Express and Star has reported.

Birmingham Airport figures show that 1,079,970 people used the hub in August making it only the second time ever that the airport has seen over a million passengers in one month.

August's figures narrowly beat the previous month which saw 1,036,135 passengers pass through Birmingham Airport and into the record books.

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Developments announced at Aberdeen Airport

Hundreds of jobs and new routes could be made available at Aberdeen Airport after a budget airline announced expansion plans, reports the Aberdeen Press and Journal.

Flybe is planning on introducing new routes to France and Germany in 2009 which could see passenger numbers at Aberdeen Airport rise by one million as part of a multi-million pound investment in the hub.

Aberdeen Airport managing director Kevin Brown told the newspaper: "Flybe's ongoing commitment to develop and expand services to and from Aberdeen is a tremendous vote of confidence in the city and excellent news for the north-east's travelling public."

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Airline expands at Leeds/Bradford Airport

Budget airline Jet2 has announced it will expand its network from Leeds/Bradford Airport with two more routes to Europe, it has been reported.

Dubrovnik in Croatia and Larnaca in Cyprus will be added to the airline's portfolio, bringing the total number of destinations available to holidaymakers from Leeds/Bradford Airport alone to 40.

In addition, the low-cost carrier will serve Sardinia from Manchester Airport and Ibiza from Newcastle Airport making eight new services from the north of England for the summer season.

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New hotel for Durham Tees Valley Airport

Plans are afoot for a new addition to the number of airport hotels at Durham Tees Valley Airport, it has been reported.

Peel Holdings, the owner of Durham Tees Valley Airport, unveiled plans for a three star airport hotel just 300 metres from the terminal building which would cost £8.5 million.

Kerry Quinn, Durham Tees Valley Airport director, said: "Passengers enjoy both the opportunity to sleep on the airport's doorstep before an early morning flight and also having a room to sleep in if they arrive late at night from a flight and this new facility will compliment opportunities at the airport and the surrounding area."

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Better access for disabled passengers at Prestwick Airport

Life was made easier for wheelchair users at Prestwick Airport after the hub recently took a significant step in adhering to EU guidelines concerning the passage of disabled passengers through European airports.

Access to departure points has been made easier for wheelchair users and the non-disabled with the installation of two platform lifts by specialist firm SSL Access.

The company completed the installation of two of its SSL C7 model within six weeks of the initial contact by airport bosses in a contract worth £20,000.

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UK airports need more runway slots

More runway slots are needed at hubs such as Heathrow Airport to combat the rise in fuel prices, claims Mott MacDonald.

According to the Aviation Trends report by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the number of scheduled passengers grew at both London and regional airports, which meant that airlines were wasting fuel waiting around for runway slots at airports.

Laurence Price, director of Aviation Strategy at Mott MacDonald, said: "Where we need additional infrastructure is for runway slots, so we can get aircraft in the air and out of the air on arrival, instead of standing around waiting for slots which is wasting fuel and wasting resources."

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Liquid restrictions at UK airports

Passengers travelling through UK hubs such as Heathrow Airport will still face restrictions on carrying liquids onboard flights, it has been reported.

The Department for Transport announced the continuation of the security measures despite a jury in a major terrorism trial failing to find any conspiracy to target transatlantic aircraft.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We base our rules on the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre's latest assessment, the current national threat level remains at 'severe' which is defined as an attack is highly likely.

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Airline reaches milestone at Belfast Airport

Aer Lingus, the flag carrying airline of Ireland, has reached a landmark total of flight bookings from Belfast International Airport, it has been reported.

The airline reached the milestone of its 500,000th booking a year after it began operations from Belfast, a development that marked its first investment in a base outside the Republic of Ireland.

Enda Corneille, corporate affairs director for Aer Lingus, said: "We're delighted to have reached the half a million mark and growth continues to be in line with our expectations.

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New strikes a possibility at Stansted Airport

Employees who operate luggage scanners at Stansted Airport could take further industrial action after they rejected a pay rise, it has been reported.

Members of the GMB trade union entered into a new round of talks with airport bosses after they originally turned down a 1.5 per cent pay rise last month but they rejected the improved offer of a two per cent pay increase.

On Tuesday the result of a ballot over strike action will be announced and union officials are confident that further industrial action will be supported by Stansted Airport employees.

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East Midlands Airport protects local residents

East Midlands Airport has spent a record amount of money soundproofing the homes of local residents, reports the Leicester Mercury.

Airport bosses handed out 189 grants for double glazing, new doors and loft insulation, coming to £750,000 in total, after people living under the flight paths complained about the noise.

Local resident John Poxon was successful in applying for a grant of £2,000 for new doors and windows and believes his standard of living has dramatically improved.

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Exeter Airport celebrates record month

Exeter Airport has announced that August was the busiest month in the hub's 70-year history, according to reports.

A record 114,600 passengers used the airport in August, a year-on-year increase of one per cent in passenger numbers in the month, while traffic on charter holiday routes rose by three per cent.

Jamie Christon, deputy managing director of Exeter Airport, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the figures and revealed that hotspots in the Canary Islands and the Balearics saw the most visitors.

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