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.”

Glasgow Airport witnessed a massive 16.8% increase in passenger traffic in December when compared to December 2010.

December 2010 will be a month to be remembered for disruptions caused by snow, and the impact of the weather is largely responsible for the significant increase in traffic last month.

The airport saw more than 420,000 passengers pass through the airport last month bringing the 2011 total passengers to almost 6.9 million – an increase of 5.1% when compared to 2010.

Francois Bourienne, commercial director at Glasgow Airport, said: “Despite the challenging economic climate, we experienced a renewed confidence among passengers and airlines in 2011 and we were successful in introducing new routes, including direct services to a number of major European cities.

“Expanding Glasgow Airport’s route network will remain our main focus for 2012 and we have already made a strong start to the year with the news Emirates Airline will introduce a second daily non-stop flight to Dubai, commencing 1 June 2012. Jet2.com will launch direct flights to Rome and Barcelona in March, so there is much to be excited about.

Jet2.com is offering free ski or board carriage for bookings made from 9 January to before 19 February 2012.

To qualify for free carriage, enter the code FREESKI at the time of booking.

Iberia pilots are planning to take strike action next Monday 9 January and Wednesday 11 January 2012.

For more information on cancellations and disruptions click here.

This time last year flights were being affected by heavy snow, this year, it’s strong winds that are causing disruption to some flights, particularly in Scotland.

Anyone travelling today, especially from a Scottish airport, is advised to check the status of their flight with their airline.

Edinburgh Airport
Earlier today the access road to Edinburgh Airport was closed due to safety concerns, however, this has now reopened. Edinburgh Airport is currently closed due to severe winds and passengers are being advised not to travel to the airport without first contacting their airline. Airline contact numbers can be found here.

Glasgow Airport
Passengers are being advised to check with their airline before travelling to the airport. Airline contact numbers can be found here:

Essential road works on the M8 are expected to cause delays near Glasgow Airport.

Work begins on Boxing Day on the M8 White Cart viaduct (south of Glasgow Airport) – the main route to Glasgow Airport – and will continue until the spring of 2012.

Lane and ramp closures and temporary speed limits could cause delays of up to 60 minutes during peak periods and the airport is advising passengers to consider alternative methods of travel to the airport.

For more information visit www.trafficscotland.org

Jet2.com is celebrating after being named the best airline for three European hot spots by Which? members.

The Which? Travel short-haul airline satisfaction survey, for the January edition of the magazine, revealed that Jet2.com has scooped best airline for Mainland Spain and Balearics, as well as Portugal and the Canaries, beating competition from some of the main airlines including easyJet, Ryanair and Monarch.

Ian Doubtfire, Managing Director of Jet2.com, said: “Naturally we are delighted with these accolades which reinforce our commitment to providing exceptional service and good value for money. Which? members also named Spain the most visited country so we’re especially pleased to be getting our service, on our numerous Spanish routes, so right.

“It’s great to receive this feedback which is hot on the heels of our recent success at The British Travel Awards where we were named Winner of Best Tour Operator to the Iberian Peninsula & Islands. We continue to enhance our service and travel products to ensure we remain the airline of choice for these and other destinations.”

Sunwing Airlines has announced it is to launch Glasgow to Toronto flights.

The airline will launch the twice-weekly direct service in April 2012.

Flights will operate throughout the summer season.

The war of words over border control strike action continues in the press and it is unknown how badly affected airport passengers are going to be by the action – reports vary from minor disruption to significant.

Border control will be affected from the evening of Tuesday 29 November until midnight on Wednesday 30 November – strike action start times will depend on shift patterns.

Any delays will affect passengers arriving into the UK that need to pass through passport control – outgoing flights should not be affected.

Tips to help avoid delays:

• Use e-Passport gates where available
• Have travel documents, including passports, ready
• Fully complete landing cards
• Stay in family groups.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has said that it has robust arrangements in place to maintain the security of the border and that it has

• trained managers, staff and contractors to carry out border checks
• requested overseas staff to provide cover
• asked airlines and ports to identify potential pressure points.

Rob Whiteman, chief executive of the UK Border Agency, said: ‘Securing the border is our priority and over the last weeks and months we have considered all options to ensure we are prepared for union action.

‘We always aim to minimise any disruption caused by the decision of unions to strike, but travellers could see longer waiting times at some ports and airports.’

For up-to-date UKBA information visit  http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/

easyJet is set to trial allocated seating on selected routes.

The trial, which will be introduced in the spring of 2012, will mean each passenger will be allocated a specific seat, however, if they wish to sit in a specific seat, such as in the front row they can pay to reserve them.

Carolyn McCall, easyJet CEO, said, “This is another example of easyJet trying to do all it can to make travel easy and affordable for our passengers. We look forward to seeing how our passengers respond and how the trial works.

We will roll it out further only if it works operationally, from a revenue perspective and increases passenger satisfaction. If it doesn’t, we won’t.”