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Ryanair has announced it will operate flights to three new destinations from Bristol Airport. Launching in March 2012, the new services will operate to Budapest, Dinard and Lodz. British Airways is set to resume its Heathrow to Tripoli flights. The three-times-weekly Heathrow flights are scheduled to recommence on Tuesday, 1 May 2012. British Airways’ chief executive Keith Williams said: “We are delighted to be returning to Libya. Our flights to Tripoli have provided a vital economic link for many years, and it is good news for everyone that we can now restart operations.” Glasgow Airport has become the first Scottish Airport to take ownership of a Rosenbauer CA5 Panther fire appliance. The 34-tonne fire appliance, which is capable of carrying 13,000 litres of water and 1,600 litres of foam, can accelerate from 0 to 80km/h in less than 32 seconds and is the first of three Rosenbauer CA5 Panther to be delivered to the airport – a second is due to arrive in June 2012; the third will arrive in early 2013. Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “Over the course of the past decade there have been huge advances in fire fighting technology and these new appliances will significantly enhance our current aircraft rescue and fire fighting capabilities. They are extremely sophisticated pieces of equipment and our staff will spend the next three to four months receiving extensive training before the first vehicle is put into service.” Aberdeen Airport has unveiled details of a major investment boost for 2012. Millions of pounds are set to be invested this year upgrading the busy terminal building to improve passenger facilities and provide more capacity. This year alone, the airport plans to spend £4.25 million on capital projects, with £45 million earmarked in total through to 2021. Highlights include the start of a £5m major expansion of the airport’s international arrivals area, set to be carried out between now and 2019, a two year plan to boost capacity within the terminal and expand the security search area at a cost of £3 million, and the opening of a £750,000 car rental facility. The investment boost comes against the backdrop of a significant increase in demand at Aberdeen Airport, with passenger numbers up by 11.5% in 2011, making it, officially, the fastest growing airport in the UK for the whole of 2011, according to latest figures from the CAA. Announcing the investment boost, airport managing director Derek Provan said: “Our aim is to continue to provide high standards of service. To achieve this, we plan to increase our capacity to take account of forecast passenger growth, and modernise our facilities to deliver a better service to passengers, airlines and other airport users. “Aberdeen Airport has enjoyed sustained growth over the past 12 months and our longer term forecasts suggest that this trend will continue. It is vital that we continue to invest in our facilities to create an airport that befits Aberdeen’s status as the energy capital of Europe.”
Manx2.com has nominated the Royal British Legion IOM as their charity of the year for 2012. The support for the Isle of Man branch of the Royal British Legion will include flight tickets to help raise money for the charity and also travel support for Isle of Man-based service personnel – who are having their travel warrants withdrawn in the near future. Manx2.com staff have also committed to raise money and awareness for the charity throughout 2012 – and as in 2011 they will participate in events such as the Parish Walk and a sponsored Plane pull and for this summer they are planning a Swing Night with 1940’s music, food and a static Spitfire display. Colonel Charles Wilson, Royal British Legion IOM: ‘Following on our 90th anniversary last year we are thrilled to receive support from Manx2.com and all their staff. The contribution will undoubtedly prove a real boost to our work here in the Isle of Man and will be very much appreciated.” Noel Hayes, Chairman, Manx2.com added: “Royal British Legion IOM is a key Isle of Man charity and continues to make an invaluable contribution here providing financial, social and emotional support to those who are serving or who have served in the armed forces, and their dependants. We are looking forward to working with them to ensure Manx men and women serving in the forces are not disadvantaged when returning home from duty and also helping the Legion’s fund raising throughout 2012.”
Tragus, one of the largest casual dining groups in the UK, has announced that its iconic brasserie restaurant brand, Oriel, is to open airside in Heathrow’s Terminal 3 on Wednesday, 25 January 2012. The new Oriel has been designed by Afroditi Krassa with a look and feel that is inspired by the grand brasseries of Europe. With seating for 115 guests, the art deco restaurant will offer a full range of breakfasts as well as a menu made famous by the original restaurant that operated in Sloane Square for over 20 years.| The Oriel menu has been developed to reflect classic French dishes with a modern twist; alongside the all-day Petit Dejeuner, the menu includes Oeufs Royale, Omelette Arnold Bennett and Feuillete aux legumes. And for those with a sweet tooth, a delicious Pain perdu – French toast with strawberries, blueberries, bananas and maple syrup will make every pre-flight meal a treat. Graham Turner, Chief Executive of Tragus said: “We are thrilled to be bringing this iconic brand to Terminal 3. Oriel will offer both business and leisure travellers a fresh all-day dining experience in the international departure lounge and complements the other brands and recent improvements which the terminal has put in place.” A Southampton Airport passenger has until the end of January to claim a bundle of cash lost at the airport or the money will be donated to charity. The cash, a bundle of several thousand Euros, was found by airport staff last year and placed in lost property. Airport procedures mean that if the money isn’t claimed by the end of the month it will be donated to charity. Neil Garwood, Head of Customer Service for Southampton Airport, said: “We will always do everything we can to reunite passengers with lost items and we were sure that we would get a call about this money, but no one has made contact yet. “Ideally we would like to return it to its owner, but if they do not come forward by the end of the month we will donate it to a local charity.” ARINC Incorporated has announced it has taken over the support and maintenance of 48 Common-Use Self-Service (CUSS) kiosks used by international airlines at London Gatwick Airport. ARINC was contracted for the work in late 2010 after Gatwick Airport requested a proposal for support services for their existing kiosk estate. ARINC’s offer included a new software platform to improve operation of the kiosks, and a full maintenance and support package to ensure ongoing operational effectiveness. Beginning in late 2010 it took over the existing kiosk hardware and installed new IBM CUSS platform software to manage the kiosks and their associated airline applications. More recently, ARINC has installed and now supports an additional 30 new IBM “N series” kiosks within Gatwick’s North Terminal. “Automated passenger processing solutions are more critical than ever for airports today,” stated Andy Hubbard, ARINC EMEA Managing Director. “Efficiently managing the diverse passenger profile of today’s travelers is key to an airport’s success, and a cost-effective and reliable CUSS system is a vital part of the solution. We are delighted to be given the opportunity to assist Gatwick Airport in delivering on their vision of streamlined passenger handling.” ARINC has become the industry leader in this area of passenger processing, and with IBM has installed 60% of the CUSS kiosks at airports worldwide. ARINC also supports other CUSS kiosk installations at a number of UK airports.
Flybe can now offer passengers an even greater choice of routes to France through its Air France codeshare agreement. With the addition of new routes from Aberdeen, Bristol and Newcastle to Paris Charles de Gaulle and from Birmingham Airport to Lyon. In addition to Flybe’s 11 UK departure points serving the French capital, passengers can now connect seamlessly to a selection of 19 new European destinations. The new codeshare routes onward from Paris, and operated by Air France, are available for booking in conjunction with a connecting Flybe flight between the UK and Paris. They are as follows:
Andrew Strong, Flybe UK’s Managing Director, comments: “Flybe is once again opening up the UK regions by providing new and better travel options. For example, a customer from Newcastle can now book in one simple transaction a flight to Paris and onward to Madrid. Similarly, someone booking a flight to Paris from Bristol can now choose to fly seamlessly to Budapest, Vienna or a number of other attractive destinations. This is an exciting step forward in the relationship between Flybe and Air France.”
21-year-old Frankie, who earned a silver medal in the Commonwealth Games 2010, was joined by the Great Britain Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Group for the opening of a new collection of art to celebrate gymnastics at the official Host Airport of the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Taking centre stage in Terminal 5 Departures, the three metre high carbon fibre resin sculpture of a rhythmic gymnast striking an elegant pose was unveiled by artist Eleanor Cardozo and includes a plaque stating that ‘this sculpture is dedicated to Francesca Jones, whose youth and talent embodies the Olympic spirit and the promise of a generation’. The High Performance Art Exhibition is located before security in the Terminal 5 Expo Fine Art Gallery. |
