International Airport News

The opening of Berlin's new airport has shifted back yet again and now won't happen until 2015 - a further setback for the airlines hoping to have moved in by now. "It will, de facto, be such that the airport no longer can be opened in 2014", Berlin's Mayor Klaus Wowereit confirmed. Previously, it had been envisaged that Berlin-Brandenburg Airport would go into partial operation in March, supporting up to ten daily flights in the first instance. But that vision has now faded, adding further embarrassment to the airport's deeply-troubled launch campaign.

Stansted Airport enjoyed its busiest December in four years as nearly 1.32 million passengers passed through the airport – the fourth consecutive month of growth and an increase of 7.7% over the same month last year. The overall number of passengers using Stansted in the past 12 months also increased by 2.2% to just over 17.84 million, the first full year of growth since 2007.

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol experienced 3.2% growth in cargo traffic in 2013, with the total of 1,531,089 tonnes coming close to the airport’s all-time record set in 2007.

The final quarter was, as usual, the best of the year, with a total of 410,698 tonnes (up 8% on 2012). It also saw a return of the traditional pre-Christmas peak in traffic.

2013 also witnessed a strengthening in the airport’s Asia business, up 7.1% to 601,442 tonnes, which represented almost 40% share of all cargo traffic. This allowed Asia to retain its traditional top ranking, followed by North America (16.6% share), the Middle East (12.9%), Latin America (11.2%, overtaking Africa for fourth place), Africa (11%) and Europe (9%). (AIR)

LA GUARDIA Airport is expected to receive a $3.6 billion facelift...

Sochi International Airport's temporary new Winter Olympics structure is being tested ahead of an influx of international visitors next month. Some 50,000 passengers, including 6,000 Games participants, are anticipated on 6 February alone: one day before the 2014 Winter Olympics gets underway.

Looking for a JOB? You might want to look in the direction of the FAA...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2014/01/25/looking-for-a-challenging-job-free-training-federal-benefits-and-thousands-of-future-openings-heres-one-to-consider/

Industrial action by some European air traffic controllers on Wed 29 Jan may cause disruption.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel/flightops/public/en_gb?p_faqid=4895&DM1_Mkt=Global&DM1_Channel=Social&DM1_Campaign=UKQ1JanATCStrike&DM1_Site=Twitter&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=UKQ1JanATCStrike&sf1618806=1

Industrial action by some European air traffic controllers on 29 & 30 Jan may cause disruption. This is again being reiterated by British Airways so check your schedules accordingly.

Brussels Airport will have ten new routes in its network in Summer 2014, increasing the total number of destinations to 200, and three new airlines. The long haul network offers 41 destinations that are served by 176 weekly flights and 13 airlines. Every day the airport will see on average 25 long haul departures. New destinations are Charlotte (US Airways) and Miami (Jetairfly). The short haul network (Europe, Mediterranean) offers 158 destinations. New destinations in 2014 are

London Gatwick (easyJet)
Newcastle (BMI Regional)
Gdansk, Wroclaw (Eurolot)
Santiago de Compostela (Vueling)
Split (Thomas Cook Airlines)
Thessaloniki (Aegean Airlines)
Venice Treviso (Ryanair)

New airlines at Brussels Airport are Eurolot, MeridianaFly and Ryanair, growing the number of passenger airlines to a total of 66. Including 32 cargo destinations, the total number of routes at Brussels Airport is 231. Including cargo airlines, the number of airlines is 78.

Long haul network
The network to North America is 10 destinations and 8 airlines: Air Canada, Air Transat, Brussels Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Jetairfly, Jet Airways, United Airlines, and US Airways. Furthermore, services to 5 destinations in the Caribbean and Mexico are operated by Jetairfly. Sub-Sahara Africa is extensively served by Brussels Airlines with 37 weekly flights operating to 17 destinations. Other carriers are Ethiopian Airlines and Jetairfly, operating to another 3 destinations. The Gulf region can be reached through Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways and Brussels Airport is directly connected with 4 destinations in Asia through Jet Airways, Hainan Airlines and Thai Airways International.

Short haul network
Two new routes in 2014 to the UK are Newcastle, 11 times weekly by BMI regional, and London Gatwick, 12 times weekly by easyJet. In the Nordic area both Icelandair and Thomas Cook Airlines will offer more flights to Reykjavik. To France more scheduled flights are available to all three airports at Corsica (Ajaccio, Bastia, Figari) and new non-stop flights to Bordeaux through easyJet.

The seat offer to Spain and Portugal is growing strongly in 2014 as both Vueling and Ryanair add more routes and flights. Santiago de Compostela is a new route from Brussels with 3 weekly flights of Vueling. The latter will also offer new flights from Lisbon, Oporto, Ibiza and Palma, and increase the capacity from Barcelona, Alicante and Malaga. Ryanair will introduce flights from Lisbon, Porto, Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante, Malaga, Ibiza and Palma. Also the network to Italy will be extended. Vueling and Ryanair will both open new routes to Rome and Venice. New flights are also offered to Naples by easyJet and to Olbia by MeridianaFly.

In Eastern Europe Eurolot opens 2 new routes from Brussels to Gdansk and Wroclaw, and LOT Polish Airlines adds more flights to Warsaw. In South Eastern Europe new routes are Split (Thomas Cook Airlines) and Thessaloniki (Aegean Airlines). More growth also comes from Turkish Airlines (new daily flights to Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen Airport), Air Serbia (going up to daily flights to Belgrad) and Croatia Airlines. More flights are also on sale to Athens by Aegean Airlines and Brussels Airlines. Both Brussels Airlines and Jetairfly also increase frequency to Tel Aviv.

(international Airport Review)

In yet another first, Emirates, a global connector of people and places, will operate a one-off A380 service from Glasgow Airport on 10th April 2014 to celebrate a decade of carrying Scotland’s passengers to Dubai and beyond. The occasion is set to be an equally huge milestone for Glasgow Airport as it becomes the first airport in Scotland to welcome an A380 – the world’s largest commercial aircraft – standing over 24 metres high and with a wing span of nearly 80 metres.

Since Emirates began operations at Glasgow Airport on 10th April 2004, it has carried 2.3 million passengers across its global network which now covers 141 destinations. Emirates currently offers over 43,000 passenger seats per month to and from Glasgow, following the upgrade of its second daily service to a Boeing 777 in 2012. Whether stopping in Dubai or connecting to another destination, passengers embarking on this unique A380 flight from Glasgow can expect a spacious aircraft, with a cabin that is two-and-a-half feet wider than a Boeing 777; a peaceful journey in the world’s quietest long-range jet; on-board Wi-Fi; world-class in-flight menus and the award-winning ice entertainment system.

Laurie Berryman, Emirates Vice President UK, said: “As the largest A380 operator in the world, it is a historic moment to see one of our A380s take flight from Glasgow Airport for the first time. Celebrating 10 years in Glasgow is a landmark occasion for us and it demonstrates our continued commitment to Glasgow and Scotland, which is an extremely important passenger and cargo market for Emirates.” Amanda McMillan, Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, also commented: “Since its arrival in 2004, Emirates has been one of Glasgow Airport’s biggest success stories and its decision to introduce a second daily service to Dubai in 2012 confirmed its status as Scotland’s leading long-haul airline. To bring the A380 to Scotland for the first time will be a hugely significant milestone in our country’s aviation history and an exciting day for the passengers who will have the opportunity to fly on the aircraft and the staff who have worked hard to make it possible.”

The one-off A380 flight will operate as EK028 and will depart Glasgow at 15:35hrs arriving in Dubai the following day at 0200hrs. Passengers travelling Business Class or First Class will have access to the A380’s on-board Lounge, a dedicated bartender and plenty of space to mingle whilst enjoying world-class delicacies. First Class passengers can also look forward to experiencing the aircraft’s on-board signature Shower Spa, with a state-of-the-art shower system and Timeless Shower Spa kits, as well as the aircraft’s First Class Private Suites. Emirates is an Official Partner of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games and the Official Airline of the Queen’s Baton Relay. These partnerships strengthen the airline’s commitment to Glasgow and Scotland and will play a key role in profiling the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games on a global stage.

A California judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by the City of Santa Monica that sought to wrestle control of Santa Monica Airport away from the U.S government. The reason the lawsuit failed? Santa Monica filed the suit about 50 years too late. (FLYING)

Drones to help pilots land in at Beijing Capital City Airport?

An article in the South China Morning Post reports that the drone will release chemicals that freeze the pollutants and makes them drop to the ground. Testing, the article says, will begin later this month at airports and ports in China to see if the application has a positive effect on the low-visibility problem.

Orlando Airport is preparing for the heavy Spring Break period. They are adding alot more flights than usual to cope with the expecting influx. Airlines like Southwest add a significant number of flights to the Orlando Airport.

The next luggage innovation - air? Air hockey principles may revolutionize how your luggage moves through airports.

Southwest Airlines pilot lands on wrong runway...

http://www.theage.com.au/travel/travel-news/i-assume-im-not-at-your-airport-southwest-airlines-pilot-said-after-landing-on-wrong-runway-20140325-35evy.html

Miami International Airport gets more force in the Customs and Border Protection departments. This happened after there were complaints that those departments needed more hands.

Abu Dhabi Airports has reported a 15.6% increase in passenger traffic during February 2014 at Abu Dhabi International Airport, as compared to February 2013.

The airport’s passenger statistics showed that 1,411,881 passengers used the airport during the month, growing from 1,221,686 during the same month a year ago. Aircraft movements increased to 11,174 in February 2014, recording 12.2% growth when compared with 9,960 movements logged in February 2013.

London's Heathrow Airport said it will accept a decision by the regulator to impose a cap on the prices Britain's busiest airport can charge airlines, adding it did not expect other parties to appeal the ruling either. Heathrow had warned in January that it could struggle to grow its business after the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) ruled prices must be set at 1.5 percent below inflation from April 2014 after finding that the airport had too much market power. "We are focussed on delivering our business plan for the period from 2014-18 and further improving Heathrow for passengers," the airport said in a brief statement. Heathrow, which has expanded in recent years with Terminal 5 and the redevelopment of Terminal 2, had said it might appeal the cap, which was much lower than expected for the next five years.

The airport said it would result in a rate of return on capital investment of an "unsustainable" level of 5.35 percent compared with the 6.7 percent it was seeking. Heathrow had said the lower prices would result in a cut to operational expenditure of more than GBP£600 million (USD$999 million) and the need to increase commercial revenue targets by more than GBP£100 million by increasing retail and car park charges.
Airlines, however, had said the move did not go far enough as the hub still had some of the most expensive charges in the world.

(Reuters)

India's largest airport is host to the world's largest passenger airline A380 in India.

There was a fire at the Sangster Airport in Jamaica last night...

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/latest/article.php?id=52891