International Airport News

Kannur International Airport (KIA) is expected to be inaugurated on December 9th according to the airport's managing director V Thulasidas. The announcement came on Friday November 30th. The new airport has a 10,065-foot runway and sprawls over 2,330 acres of land and will serve over 1 million passengers to start with. The inaugural flight will be done by Air India Express (the budget arm of Air India) and will fly from Kannur to Abu Dhabi. "More airlines are expected to start services to and from Kannur in January. GoAir, IndiGo, and SpiceJet are awaiting final clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)," Thulasidas said.

London Gatwick airport (LGW) has been closed several times over the last day or so because of drone sightings around and over the airport. This is resulted in widespread delays, cancellations and frustrated travelers. The airport was initially closed just after 21:00 on 19 December, after reports of two drones near the facility. All passengers expecting to fly from Gatwick on the 20 December are reminded to check with their airline regarding the status of their respective flights.

It appears that limited service has returned to Gatwick Airport after regular drone sightings in the area after two days. The airport’s operator states that it is working with airlines and air traffic control to “introduce a limited number of flights” over the “coming hours” at the time.

Service has resumed to London Gatwick Airport after multiple drone sightings. The airport runways being closed resulted in disruptions to over 100,000 passengers. Though flights have started back, the knock-on effect will persist until airlines can catch back up fully.

A look at Senegal's newest airport, the Blaise Diagne International Airport and what they are going to do in the future, the pros and cons.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) has filed a lawsuit against the U.S Government over ATC pay wages, not paid because of the extent of the partial government shutdown. The suit also alleges that the federal government violated the Fair Labor Standards Act by a "failure to pay at least the minimum wage to air traffic controllers and other NATCA members" and "[failure] to promptly pay overtime."

Changi International Airport in Singapore has set a new record. This is a passenger record for the number of pax that passed through the airport in 2018. 65.6 million passengers were handled at the Changi airport for the last year which comfortably surpassed the 62.2 million passengers processed in 2017.

In case you didn't hear about the suicide at Orlando airport.

https://www.wftv.com/news/local/que...th-at-orlando-international-airport/914517548

Chicago O'Hare has retaken the title for most busiest airport in the United States. For a while the Hartsfield Jackson airport in Atlanta has been the busiest airport in the US and that is if you are measuring it via the number of aircraft flights. In 2018, Chicago O'Hare registered 903,000 arrivals and departures while Hartsfield Jackson recorded 895,000 for the same period. However, if you judge via the number of arriving passengers, Hartsfield Jackson in ATL still hold's that title with an impressive 103.9 million passengers in 2017 while Chicago O'Hare was behind at 79.8-million. 2018 full figures are probably still being tabulated.

Design proposal by Calatrava for a new terminal at Chicago O'Hare.

The new Istanbul International Airport is finally ready to go. After a number of delays it is expected to be opened fully and fully operational next month (April). The relocation from the current Atatürk International Airport (IST) will happen in April. The changeover to Istanbul Airport (ISL) will involve 1,800 staff and see approximately 47,300 tons of equipment moved by road from Atatürk Airport to Istanbul Airport.

Sweden has made the move to make check in alot easier for passengers. There are now automatic bag drop systems in place. The Visby International Airport is now on the cutting edge in regard to this kind of technology. "With this modern, innovative bag drop service, Visby Airport will be an even smoother and more efficient airport," predicts airport director, Gunnar Jonasson. "It is gratifying that we can now offer automated solutions for every step of our passengers’ journey at the airport. This investment is an important part of the development work to modernize Visby Airport in preparation for the needs of the future".

The new Istanbul Airport is all ready for full service to the world. See this video from Sam Chui.

The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as of up to yesterday issued a Emergency Order in relation to Venezuela. N-registered aircraft are currently prohibited from flying into Venezuelan airspace. The only exception to this is if the aircraft is flying above flight level 260 (26,000 ft). There are also one or two other exceptions. The action by the FAA has been taken because of the current instability going on in Venezuela.

The Jewel at Changi Airport in Singapore is now open... here is a look at the immense glass structure externally.

A ground crew member was killed at the Kuwait Airport while they were towing a Kuwait Airways Boeing 777-300ER (77W). No passengers or crew were onboard the long-range Boeing aircraft while it was being towed in the area of the Airport's terminal 4.

If you are at the airport and looking to travel to Cuba you just might have some issues there. The United States has pretty much banned its citizens from going to the Spanish Caribbean paradise. Private and corporate flights have been banned. The reason for the new restrictions? The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), and the Department of State are coordinating on policies to restrict non-family travel "to hold the Cuban regime accountable for its repression of the Cuban people and its support of the Maduro regime in Venezuela," these agencies said.

The arrivals hall at the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia was struck by a missile on Wednesday June 12 injuring several persons in the process. The missile was fired by Yemen-based Houthi rebels. Approximately 26 persons were treated at hospital for their injuries.

The highest airport in the world at nearly 14,500 feet is located in China in western Sichuan. Watch as Sam Chui goes there.

Drone sightings disrupt operations at Changi International Airport again this month. Yesterday a combination of drone sightings and bad weather made Changi alter its method of handling arriving and departing aircraft for an hour. Previously on the 18th of June, drone sightings also disrupted traffic at the Asian airport for much longer. “Members of the public are reminded that the authorities take a serious view of errant operations of unmanned aircraft which may pose threats to aviation or endanger the personal safety of others, and will not hesitate to take enforcement action against those who contravene regulations,” CAAS says, adding that investigations into the latest event are ongoing.