Archive for the ‘Oxford airport’ Category
London Oxford Airport has announced the addition of two new year-round destinations. From 8 May 2012, Manx2.com will operate daily scheduled flights to the Islands of Jersey and the Isle of Man. This will be the first time Manx2.com has operated flights from Oxford. Monday to Saturday flight schedule:
Sunday times depart 15:30 for Jersey, 18:20 for IOM “This is a terrific start to the New Year for the residents of Oxford and our wider catchment area, with more than five million people residing within an hour’s drive of the airport,” said Chris Orphanou, Managing Director. “We are delighted to welcome Manx2.com and its regular Jetstream 31 flights to these two important Crown Dependencies. As Jersey and the Isle of Man no longer have air services to London Heathrow, this service will be a viable alternative for Islanders heading west of London. In addition the new services will benefit the local community with expanded tourism and ancillary revenues. Wealthy creation for the region could be considerable,” he added. The Isle of Man route will appeal to the leisure market, ideal for short breaks with its stunning scenery and unspoilt beaches, as well as business travellers with interests in offshore banking, aircraft and shipping management, finance and tourism. Jersey has been an extremely popular charter destination, with the airport supporting Saturday services for the past three years. London Oxford Airport can now offer terrific flexibility to the Channel Islands, one of Europe’s top holiday destinations, offering accommodation to suit all tastes from camping to five star luxury hotels. London Oxford Airport continued to see its business aviation traffic grow throughout 2011. The airport now supports around 6,000 business aircraft movements a year (15% of Oxford’s overall aviation activity) – up 12.2% compared with last year, according to independent analysis by EuroControl. This increase ranks Oxford fifth in the UK for business aviation activity at civil airports, ahead of London Stansted Airport. “This continued growth in our business aviation traffic is great news,” said James Dillon-Godfray, Business Development Director at London Oxford Airport. “It proves the attraction of our airport to business and VIP travellers and justifies the on-going investment by the owners and the outstanding commitment of the London Oxford Airport and oxfordjet FBO team.” London Oxford Airport will host its first commercial airline charter to Dublin next week, with onward packages being offered to New York with Aer Lingus, marking the first ever long-haul destination from Oxford. Using the largest capacity airliner type to date for a commercial service from the airport – CityJet’s BAe Avro RJ-85 with 95 seats – the flight, which departs next Wednesday, 7 December 2011, represents another significant step forward for the airport, as it looks to further scheduled airliner traffic. To date, the largest airliner operation from Oxford was with the Bombardier Q400 (78 seats) with winter ski charters to Geneva. The flight is being offered as a long weekend Christmas shopping experience – return flight is on Monday 12 December.
For the year to date, London Oxford Airport increased the number of average daily business aviation departures by 12.2%, year-on-year up to September 2011 according to the latest statistics released by Eurocontrol. In the Eurocontrol report, London Oxford Airport ranks fifth in the UK with an average 7.8 daily business aviation departures, up from an average 6.9 last year, which represents a growth of 12.2% over the past year. Ahead of Oxford were London Luton (34.2 daily departures) Farnborough Airport (27.5) Biggin Hill (14.5) and London City Airport (8.9). A marked slide by London Stansted positioned it in 8th place behind East Midlands and Bournemouth airports. UK Business Aviation Activity – Year to Date to September 2011
* UK mainland airports excluding MOD (Military) airports “This buoyant business is great news, demonstrating the attraction of our airport to business and VIP travellers. August was surprisingly busy for a holiday month, total GA movements increased by 49% compared with last August. We hope this trend continues for some time as business aviation sees a welcome increase in activity,” said James Dillon-Godfray, Business Development Director at London Oxford Airport.
The addition of the new fire tender is part of London Oxford Airport’s commitment to upgrade all areas of the airport’s operations with the latest generation systems and equipment. “Our goal is to introduce up to three new engines to our fleet within the next five years as part of our ongoing priority to improve Oxford Airport’s safety services. We are very proud to be the first airport in the UK to showcase ITURRI’s expertise,” said Mike Sparrow, Airport Manager. Ground service equipment has also been upgraded during the summer with a new £60,000 Lektro tug suitable for 55-tonne jets. The new vehicle includes a number of specific solutions for the airport market including a lower centre of gravity to improve vehicle stability; increased power from a 6×6 chassis which also includes off road capability; and a slightly lighter body made of a recyclable specific composite known as EcoPoly Fibre, which allows for greater water carriage and improved acceleration. For the crew, a new cab design offers improved space and provides 180 degree visibility, a UK CAA requirement. A unique factor specific to the UK market is the inclusion of an external monitor platform which sits just behind the cab. This provides the officer in charge an external space from which to fully view an emergency situation and from which to co-ordinate the rest of the crew. The new vehicle includes a number of specific solutions for the airport market, including a lower centre of gravity to improve vehicle stability and increased power. “In an airport incident situation you need a tender that is fast, quick and powerful as the window for preventing serious damage or for saving lives is very small,” commented Mark Phipps Chief Fire Officer at Oxford. London Oxford Airport has today announced it is to install the latest generation radar system, a precursor to the next major phase of redevelopment at the airport. The new system will be supplied by Thales with project management by NATS. Combined with further communications system upgrades, this represents an investment by the expanding UK airport of £4.5 million and the intention is to have the radar operational well ahead of the Olympics in summer 2012. The primary and secondary (Mode-S, MSSR) surveillance radar system will enable more efficient transits through local airspace as well as increase the throughput of IFR flight activity. The state-of-the-art Thales solid state STAR 2000 primary radar will feed data into the Eurocat-C radar display system. One feature of the system is the option to enhance visibility where future large wind turbines may be an issue, should their numbers increase around the SE UK region. Such a feature is one that legacy systems are not readily able to deal with today. With a steady increase in both business aviation traffic and aspirations to entice further commercial airline activity, the go-ahead for the new radar system is one of the most significant steps forward in the airport’s history Mike Sparrow, Oxford’s Airport Manager added: ‘This major investment demonstrates our owner’s commitment to the future of London Oxford Airport by selecting market-leading technology in this field. It also follows a recent commitment to the latest generation Iturri fire tenders.’ It is anticipated that the new system will be fully operational in good time ahead of the 2012 Olympic Games, at which point a considerable increase in demand for capacity is anticipated. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has granted London Oxford Airport a 21% (896 ft/273m) increase in the declared take-off distance from its runway. Licensed take-off distances are now 5,223 ft (1,592m) and 5,112 ft (1,558m), allowing many more business aircraft types to achieve maximum take-off weight or near maximum performance from the airport for the first time. This is good news for operators headed transatlantic or for non-stop destinations in the Middle East or beyond. In addition, more regional airliner types can now maximise passenger loads from the airport. The increased useable lengths come hard on the heels of newly approved runway status from Code 2C to Code 3C. This was achieved following an extensive programme to remove obstacles and safeguard the safety surfaces to the sides of the runway and on the approaches at either end. Mike Sparrow, Airport Manager at London Oxford Airport commented: “We initiated a project a couple of years ago to relocate navigation aids and deal with several hundred trees and other obstacles with the aim of achieving Code 3C runway parameters, following the laying of a new runway in 2007.” James Dillon-Godfray, Business Development Director, added: ‘This achievement makes a substantial difference for the future evolution of the airport. Many business jet and regional airliner types can now carry more passengers, or achieve significant gains in range from the airport. Outbound transatlantic charters are now possible on certain types, opening up the North American market for us, for the first time. On the airline side, we can now court the furthest parts of the European market.” From June, London Oxford Airport will commence regular charters from Oxford to Palma, Mallorca. London Oxford Airport has announced the introduction of new, direct weekly holiday flights to the popular Balearic Island of Mallorca from mid-June through to the end of September. The new Oxford flights will be operated every Saturday morning by Eastern Airways in co-operation with leading Oxfordshire-based Great Experience Travel Group, under a new Oxford Airport Travel brand (www.oxfordairporttravel.co.uk) Details of seat only prices and a wide range of holiday packages will go on sale on Valentine’s Day, 14 February. Flight timings are as follows: Flight No EZE1091 Depart Oxford at 0930, arriving Palma, Mallorca 1315 London Oxford Airport has today announced the appointment of Chris Orphanou as Managing Director. Chris has twenty years’ experience in aviation, directing large-scale airport projects, specifically services and management, with an overriding focus on customer service, safety, quality, cost and environmental protection. Between 1988 and 1999 he worked as Assistant Airport Director for London City Airport, with a remit to develop the airport and formulate its 15-year transportation plan, identifying strategic developments needed and investments required. He also served as SVP Operations & Business Development for Paris-based Vinci Airports, responsible for the commercial development and advancement of route expansion strategies of the plc’s portfolio of 30-plus airports around the world. Until January 2009 Chris was CEO at Coventry Airport and most recently ran his own aviation and consultancy business, ADAM. “London Oxford Airport is rightly perceived as one of the most progressive airports in the UK and I am delighted to be joining such a modern, vibrant and successful enterprise,” said Chris. “Oxford has already made its mark in business aviation and is now attracting interest for niche, shuttle-style regional commercial flights. The airport has supportive investors and mature development plans. I intend to build on the airport’s many successes, identify new opportunities on how we can make Oxford Airport even better and look forward to carrying on the good work with its terrific management team.” Chris starts his new strategic role on 7th February, replacing Steve Jones who left at the end of 2010 for a new role as General Manager at Al Bateen Executive Airport in Abu Dhabi.
An Embraer Lineage 1000 jet touched down at London Oxford Airport on Friday, 26 November, becoming the largest aircraft to land in the airfield’s 73-year history. The aircraft flew in from the Spanish island of Gran Canaria where it made an overnight stop while on delivery from the manufacturer in Brazil, to its new home at Oxford. This particular aircraft is configured in a VIP layout, with plush executive features, but as an airliner in passenger service the super-efficient E-jet 190 typically carries 98 passengers, at 118ft in length. This Lineage is being managed by locally-based business jet company Hangar8 Plc, one of the UK’s largest jet charter and management operators which recently floated on the stock market and is available for charter. The aircraft is equipped with the latest electronic fly-by-wire control system and boasts a range of over 4,400 nautical miles (8,149 kilometers). This means it is able to fly nonstop from London Oxford Airport to Dubai. Despite its size, the Embraer E190 has excellent airfield performance, very capable of operating into shorter runways such as London City and London Oxford, which have similar runway capability. London Oxford Airport Business Development Director, James Dillon-Godfray said: “The arrival of this jet today highlights just how far the airport has developed in recent years with consistent investment in our infrastructure and facilities. We have had the ability to handle aircraft with up to 100 seats for the last couple of years with enhanced fire and rescue capabilities and regularly welcomed the Bombardier Q400 last year. With the arrival of the Lineage, Oxford can now compete with established London-centric airports as a viable alternative with distinct benefits in terms of convenience, access and costs.” David Surley, Head of Customer Services and Route Development commented: “We have opened the doors to regional airliner turboprops on scheduled and charter flights and attracted business and leisure travellers to the region – on holiday and for conferences and events. The experience for our passengers using a smart and convenient, friendly and compact regional airport is a world apart from the stress of other airports around London and the south.” Highlighting the opportunity to E-190 customers and other regional jet operators, he added: “This opens the door for us to develop relationships with a wider range of European airlines that fly E-Jets on short haul routes that residents and businesses in the region have stated would be a significant enabler to economic growth and travel convenience. The E-Jet is ideal for northern and central Europe, Spain and the Med direct from Oxford. The aircraft is very quiet and super-efficient,”he added. The E190/195 is the largest jet in the Embraer family of aircraft. In the UK the aircraft is successfully flying with British Airways CityFlyer and Flybe. |
