Airport News
Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport see launch of new routes
Tue, 20 Oct, 2009
Manchester Airport, Birmingham Airport and others around England are set to benefit from new routes announced by Monarch Airlines.
From this week, flights to Gran Canaria will begin to be operated from Manchester Airport, Birmingham Airport and London Gatwick Airport.
Starting tomorrow (October 21st 2009) the destination of Fuerteventura will be served with flights from London Luton Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.
Liz Savage, managing director of Monarch flights and holidays, said: "We are delighted to be expanding our network to the Canary Islands with the launch of scheduled flights to Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.
The flights will operate in addition to our existing routes from the airline going to Tenerife and Lanzarote.
Monarch decided to launch the new services after a passenger number increase of more than 60 per cent on flights to Tenerife this September.
The amount of passengers flying to Lanzarote with the airline also increased by 12 per cent on September 2008 figures.
More than six million passengers fly with the company each year.
Birmingham Airport 'could replace third Heathrow runway'
Wed, 07 Oct, 2009
The boss of Birmingham Airport has welcomed Conservative plans to scrap the proposed third runway at London Heathrow Airport and said his site is ready to act as a replacement.
Birmingham Airport chief executive officer Paul Kehoe welcomed a proposal from shadow transport secretary Teresa Villiers that greater use of Birmingham Airport would be a greener alternative to a third runway.
Mr Kehoe told the Birmingham Post that the airport was ready to respond to the challenge.
"By attracting those who waver towards Heathrow to use Birmingham instead, we will create jobs and help to rebuild the local economy," he said.
Ms Villiers had said that there comes a point when putting more flights into the same crowded corner of England imposed an unacceptably high cost on quality of life and the environment.
Birmingham Airport currently serves around nine million passengers a year, in comparison with the 64 million people using London Heathrow Airport each year.
Birmingham Airport gains new US route
Thu, 14 May, 2009
Birmingham Airport gained a new trans-Atlantic service yesterday (May 13th).
US Airways has begun a five-times-weekly return route from the hub to Philadelphia.
Outbound flights take off at 08:45 BST every day except Tuesday and Thursday.
Going the other way, passengers can head back to the West Midlands on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Customers who live elsewhere in the UK can also catch flights to the US city from Manchester, Glasgow, London Heathrow and Gatwick.
The firm will also offer new trips to Norway and Israel later this year.
Senior vice-president of East Coast, international and cargo operations at the company Suzanne Boda commented it is "thrilled" with the development.
"Our customers will have spectacular trans-Atlantic access," she said. "We appreciate the support and hard work of Birmingham officials".
Chief executive officer at the Birmingham facility Paul Kehoe added it was "excellent news" for the region.
There are a number of airport parking options at the hub, including long and short-stay.
Flights from Birmingham airport 'increased by 4.8%'
Tue, 17 Mar, 2009
The number of flights taken from Birmingham airport increased by 4.8 per cent in 2008 compared to the year before, it has been announced.
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) revealed that this figure bucked the trend experienced by most other locations across UK.
For the first time since 1991, the annual passenger numbers fell by an average of 1.9 per cent.
Stansted was one of the worst affected. Around 1.4 million fewer people boarded an aeroplane there last year than in 2007 – representing a six per cent decline.
The largest regional airport, Manchester, also experienced a downturn with a 3.8 per cent drop in passengers.
In February this year, Birmingham International Airport handled 586,356 travellers through its two terminals.
Paul Kehoe, chief executive officer of the airport, commented: "Birmingham continues to perform better than the majority of other UK airports and remains an attractive proposition for airlines and other partners."
Last month, £12 million was invested by the company to insulate over 7,000 properties around the boundary of the location to reduce the effects of noise from aircrafts.
Snow continues to impact airports
Thu, 05 Feb, 2009
Snowy conditions are continuing to hold up air travel at airports.
Birmingham International Airport is open but the runway will be closed periodically in order to clear it, the BBC reported.
According to the Birmingham Mail, seven flights were cancelled and two flights coming in to the airport had to be diverted.
The airport itself says that it has been affected by heavy snowfall and that, while open, some flights are delayed.
Passengers are advised to use the airport website's flight information facility or check with airlines to find out about the current state of affairs.
The BBC also reported that Inverness Airport has reopened but that the A9 road between the city and Aviemore had been closed due to the snow.
Wick Airport was also closed but has reopened.
A number of flights at Heathrow Airport in north London have been cancelled or delayed over the past few days due to the weather conditions.
Clown sets off security alarms at Birmingham Airport
Mon, 22 Dec, 2008
Passengers travelling from Birmingham Airport were greeted with a strange sight recently when a clown was strip-searched as he passed through security.
PC Konk - whose real name is David Vaughan - was due to board a plane for a children's charity flight during which he would entertain 100 youngsters.
But the joker was stopped after his costume set off the security alarms and he was asked to remove his baggy trousers, comedy shoes and flashing helmet.
"I'd made sure I'd bought plastic handcuffs and a plastic whistle but I hadn't realised the costume had a metal band," he remarked.
PC Konk also had to remove the liquid from his plastic bubble saxophone and place it in a clear sealed plastic bag before he was allowed through.
However, the 60-year-old entertainer had to board his flight without his handcuffs as staff confiscated them in order to meet national security regulations.
Airports have been urging passengers travelling by air this Christmas to check security and baggage restrictions with individual hubs and airlines prior to leaving home.
Birmingham Airport sees record passenger numbers in November
Tue, 16 Dec, 2008
Birmingham Airport is celebrating its busiest ever November, as passengers continued to travel in spite of the economic downturn.
Passenger numbers at the West Midlands hub were up 1.6 per cent on the previous year, totalling 620,283 for the month.
Of these, 527,727 were taking scheduled flights and 92,556 were passengers on charter flights, with destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Mexico proving popular.
Birmingham Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe said: "The airport continues to perform above the national average, with figures once again looking likely to be considerably down across the majority of other UK airports."
Passenger numbers were also up in October, with 844,315 travellers passing through the hub's two terminals.
Meanwhile, Birmingham Airport has welcomed the launch of a new Turkish Airlines service to Istanbul.
Flights will operate five times a week, offering passengers from the West Midlands access to 140 worldwide onward connections, including Bangkok, Cape Town and Bombay.
Birmingham International Airport bucks fall trend
Wed, 26 Nov, 2008
Figures released by Birmingham International Airport have revealed that the hub is not suffering as badly as others in the UK from falling passenger numbers.
The number of passengers travelling through the airport in October was found to be down by only 0.7 per cent, compared with London Gatwick Airport, which saw a fall of 10.3 per cent.
Peter Vella, business development director at Birmingham International, said he thinks the figures will be even stronger for November.
Paul Kehoe, the airport's chief executive officer, said: "With the latest statistics indicating an average fall in passenger numbers across all UK airports of around six per cent last month, Birmingham continues to perform well."
Meanwhile, in September, Leeds Bradford Airport announced that it had experienced record passenger numbers during the month of August.
The northern hub saw 345,000 people travel through its terminal during the four weeks, the most it has ever recorded during one month.
Retail at UK airports 'looking healthy'
Fri, 17 Oct, 2008
UK hubs such as Birmingham Airport are still seeing large numbers of shoppers, despite the credit crunch, it has been found.
A survey by Verdict Research found that people are unable to resist the temptation of things such as perfume and spirits in the duty-free shop, with impulse-buying playing an important part.
Some 83 per cent of passengers said they spend between £50 and £199 before their plane takes off, with two-thirds admitting to buying things they may have left on the shelf in shops at home.
Nick Gladding, spokesperson for Verdict Research, said people may be cutting down on spending before they go in order not to miss the thrill of shopping at the airport.
"What we've seen is a polarising in spending; people are trading down and buying value items and at the same time, safeguarding on premium products as well," he commented.
The findings are backed up by a previous study by Co-operative Bank Credit Cards, which found that the average family spends £72 on items such as books, magazines, duty-free and food before they go abroad.
Security improvement for Birmingham Airport
Mon, 29 Sep, 2008
A new full body scanner has become a permanent fixture at Birmingham Airport following a successful trial, it has been reported.
The X-ray device sees through the clothes of people who are suspected of smuggling drugs in their stomachs and has already helped to catch smugglers, which officials say will make the airport a safer place for innocent passengers.
UK Border Agency detection manager Steve Roper told the Birmingham Mail: "When [drug smugglers] arrive, it might be difficult to tell from their outward approach that anything is wrong but the scanner means we can see through that."
The device means that trained customs officers can see instantly if a person is carrying drugs, rather than having to refer them to a radiology unit.
Earlier this month, it was announced that a new route is to open from Birmingham Airport - the sixth busiest in the UK in 2007 - to Amritsar in India on October 9th.
Istanbul flights to leave Birmingham from December
Fri, 08 Aug, 2008
Birmingham Airport has announced that Turkish Airlines will commence services to Istanbul from December 15th.
Turkish Airlines will operate five flights a week. Travellers can either stay in the city or fly on to a wide range of destinations, including Delhi, Bangkok, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Bombay and Singapore.
The airline will operate a 155-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft, fitted with 135 seats in economy and 20 in business class.
Osman Battal, from Turkish Airlines, said: "Although we will be launching in December with five weekly flights, we aspire to be operating daily services from Birmingham by summer 2009 and carrying 30,000 of passengers a year by this time."
Turkish Airlines operates a fleet of 107 aircraft. Last year, it carried almost 20 million passengers.
Fares from Birmingham Airport with Turkish Airlines start from £180 return, which includes taxes.
Last month, Ryanair announced a new daily route from Birmingham to Dusseldorf, starting October 28th.
'No threat to Birmingham expansion'
Fri, 01 Aug, 2008
Birmingham Airport has rejected reports that the soaring cost of fuel is a threat to expansion plans.
The £45 million redevelopment of Terminal One is already underway and there are plans to extend the main runway to handle non-stop flights to China, India and the US west coast.
But speculation is mounting that the rising cost of aviation fuel and concerns over the future of budget airlines could spell the end for the redevelopment of the airport.
Responding to the rumours, the airport's business development director Peter Vella said the airport is looking forward to "continued growth".
"There may be an element of decline in the future, but overall it will be a blip rather than a long term trend," he told the Birmingham Post.
Birmingham Airport handled six million passengers in 2006 and is the sixth-largest airport in the UK. It has the second-highest proportion of business traffic, behind London Heathrow.
Save money at Birmingham airport
Fri, 11 Jul, 2008
Holidaymakers in the midlands can make great savings before they depart by making advance reservations at the airport car park.
Customers seeking savings with cheap flights can also save by pre-booking their airport parking online, which is much cheaper than paying at the gate and also guarantees a space.
Booking a stay at Birmingham airport car parking through Airparks will ensure that travellers receive great value and peace of mind.
Birmingham Airparks has a 'Park Mark' award from the Association of Chief Police Officers, one of nine car parks nationwide to hold one.
CCTV coverage and frequent security patrols means that vehicles will be fully protected.
Located a short coach drive from the terminal, with transfers available around the clock, the parking facilities at the airport are also a hassle-free way to kick-start a trip.
Birmingham Airport recently made some alterations to its car parking facilities. The short-stay car park is now a permanent 'drop and go' facility, costing £1 to park for 20 minutes.
Ryanair announces Birmingham to Prague flights
Thu, 26 Jun, 2008
Low-cost airline Ryanair has announced a new route from Birmingham Airport to Prague, with fares starting from £25.99 for a limited time.
The new flight to Prague starts on October 26th and will operate five times a week - on Sundays, Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
This is Ryanair's tenth new route from Birmingham.
According to Ryanair spokeswoman Bridget Dowling, the new flight will carry an additional 70,000 passengers a year to and from Birmingham.
"The people of the West Midlands have a lot to celebrate," she added.
Among the destinations that passengers can travel to are Alicante, Frankfurt, Krakow, Derry, Palma, Malaga and Murcia.
Birmingham Airport has made some alterations to its car parking facilities to reduce congestion at drop off and collection points.
The short-stay car park is now a permanent 'drop and go' facility, costing £1 to park for 20 minutes and a further £3 for every 15 minutes after that.
Birmingham Airport makes car parking alterations
Thu, 19 Jun, 2008
Birmingham Airport is investing £2 million into car parking facilities in order to reduce congestion at drop off and collection points.
In an effort to make life easier for drivers, all of the parking bays have been redesigned to run at 45 degree angles so that it is easier for passengers to come and go.
The short-stay car park will remain a permanent 'drop and go' facility, costing £1 to park for 20 minutes and a further £3 for every 15 minutes after that.
There are plans to install an additional entrance lane to the 'drop and go' car park and realigning all three lanes so that they are used equally.
Moreover, new pay machines have been installed throughout the 'drop and go' car park to improve duration times.
Richard Gill, the airport's head of market development, said: "The investment we have made ... will help access, safety and speed of dropping people at the airport."
Birmingham handles around nine million passengers through its two terminals every year.
Record passenger traffic at Birmingham Airport
Mon, 16 Jun, 2008
Birmingham International Airport has announced that May was another record-breaking month in terms of passenger volumes.
It handled more than 877,200 passengers last month, which surpasses the previous-highest figure for the month of May.
May's passenger volumes come after record monthly figures for February, March and April and represent a 5.7 per cent increase on the previous year.
Joe Kelly, acting managing director at Birmingham International Airport, said: "Again we have seen another record-breaking month here at the Airport.
"May has been extremely busy with a number of new routes launching from Birmingham, offering passengers an increasing range of destinations to choose from."
Birmingham International Airport, the sixth-largest airport in the UK, handled more than nine million passengers last year.
Punctuality honour for Birmingham
Thu, 17 Apr, 2008
Scheduled services from Birmingham Airport operate more punctually than those at any other UK airport, according to official statistics.
A report by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) showed that 80 per cent of scheduled flights from Birmingham Airport departed on time during the fourth quarter of 2007, compared with the national average of 69 per cent.
The West Midlands site also finished second in the charter flights punctuality league table, behind Newcastle Airport.
Responding to the news, Birmingham Airport's operations director Will Heynes said: "Our reputation as an airport that's easy to get to and easy to get through is reinforced by these latest CAA figures."
The report comes just days after Birmingham Airport revealed that last month was the busiest March it had ever experienced.
More than 730,000 passengers travelled from the two terminals during the month, a rise of 8.4 per cent from the corresponding period in 2007.
Monarch expands Spanish services
Tue, 08 Apr, 2008
Monarch has announced plans to increase the frequency of its services between Birmingham Airport and a number of Spanish holiday hotspots later this year.
The airline's winter 2008-09 schedule includes daily flights to Alicante, Tenerife and Malaga, along with a three times a week service to Lanzarote.
It has also confirmed that it will fly from London Luton Airport to Tenerife daily and to Lanzarote three times a week.
Monarch's managing director for scheduled services Liz Savage said the changes had been made because of passenger demand for flights to the Canary Islands.
She added: "Our core routes to destinations such as Alicante and Malaga remain strong and with up to seven flights a week to both airports, our passengers will benefit from having more choice."
Last week Monarch launched new services from London Gatwick Airport to the Cypriot city of Larnaca and the Spanish holiday island of Menorca.
Lufthansa confirms Hamburg service
Wed, 23 Jan, 2008
Lufthansa has confirmed it is to begin operating a six times a week service between Birmingham Airport and the German city of Hamburg in the spring.
The service, which will fly daily from Monday to Saturday, is scheduled to take off for the first time on March 31st and return tickets in economy class will be available from £79.
Lufthansa already flies to Frankfurt, Munich and Dusseldorf from Birmingham Airport and the airline's general manager for the UK and Ireland Marianne Sammann said the new flights would offer further travel opportunities for passengers from the midlands.
"[The service] increases the availability of onward connections as Lufthansa continues to develop Hamburg as a mini-hub to central and eastern Europe," explained Ms Sammann.
Budget airline Ryanair recently announced plans to expand its operations from Birmingham Airport by launching 20 new services to destinations in Denmark, France, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
Birmingham passengers reassured about strikes
Fri, 28 Dec, 2007
Birmingham Airport has moved to reassure its customers that it will not be affected by next month's planned industrial action by aviation industry workers.
Members of the trade union Unite recently voted to stage one 48-hour and two 24-hour strikes next month in protest at airport operator BAA's decision to make changes to its company pension scheme.
The Spanish-owned airport group runs seven sites in the UK, including all three major London airports, but has no commercial interests in the Midlands.
Despite this, staff at Birmingham Airport have been inundated with calls from passengers concerned that their flight plans might be disrupted.
John Morris, the airport's head of corporate affairs, was keen to set the record straight, explaining: "We would like to reassure all passengers that Birmingham Airport is not involved in any of the strike action that is affecting some airports around the country."
He added that passengers should continue to check-in at the time advised by their carrier.
Birmingham aiming to extend runway
Fri, 30 Nov, 2007
Birmingham Airport has announced it is to apply for planning permission to extend its runway.
It hopes to be able to lengthen the runway by 405 metres in order to accommodate larger aircraft landing, which would enable the expansion of long-haul services from the West Midlands.
Officials from Birmingham Airport launched a consultation about the proposal earlier in the month and intend to submit a formal planning application to Solihull metropolitan borough council once they have had time to evaluate the responses.
The runway expansion scheme forms part of the airport's newly published Master Plan, which outlines how it can expand sustainably until 2030.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the transport minister, said he had high hopes for the airport's future after reading the Master Plan.
"Birmingham Airport will have an increasingly important role in supporting prosperity and providing the international links and surface access opportunities that are so important to modern business and society," he predicted.
The airport recently announced that passenger numbers were 2.8 per cent higher in October 2007 than in the corresponding period last year.
Self-service check-in unveiled at Birmingham
Wed, 14 Nov, 2007
Passengers heading off on some low-cost flights from terminal one at Birmingham Airport can now take advantage of a self-service check-in system.
The Common Use Self Service (Cuss) kiosks have been installed by flyMonarch, which expects the system to cut the amount of time its passengers take to move from airport parking to the departure lounge.
Cuss kiosks allow holidaymakers to retrieve their booking, check themselves in, print a boarding card and select a seat simply by swiping their passport through the machine, while a fast drop-off desk allows people to check baggage into the hold.
Liz Savage, managing director of flyMonarch, said a similar system had worked well since being installed at Manchester Airport last summer and that she expects the same thing to happen at Birmingham Airport.
"We consistently try to improve the levels of service we provide for our passengers and the new Cuss kiosks … will help us to do this by streamlining the check-in process and shortening queues at the airport," said Ms Savage.
Travellers flying from British airports are likely to find their queuing times reduced from January 2008 after the government announced plans to remove restrictions on carry-on baggage.
Birmingham to Krakow service announced
Tue, 13 Nov, 2007
Budget airline bmibaby has revealed it is to open a new route between Birmingham Airport and the Polish city of Krakow early next year.
The first flight on the twice weekly service will take off on February 12th and tickets will be available from £21.99 one way, including all taxes and charges.
David Hodge, the airline's commercial director, said that although he expects many of the passengers on the route to be Polish nationals working in the UK, there are also likely to be plenty of holidaymakers keen to take a look at the historic city.
"Krakow will also be really popular as a short break destination, as many consider it to be the most charismatic and prettiest city in Poland," explained Mr Hodge.
Earlier this week, rival low-cost carrier Ryanair commenced a new six times a week service which links Birmingham Airport with Shannon in the west of Ireland.
Birmingham International Airport has busy September
Tue, 09 Oct, 2007
Birmingham International Airport has announced it handled an increasing amount of passengers during September.
A rise of two per cent was reported compared to last year's figures as 969,407 passengers passed through the airport's gates.
Acting managing director of the airport Joe Kelly commented work has been ongoing to increase the popularity of the facility.
"Behind the scenes, we’ve been working on the airport’s aspirations to 2030 - to provide even more choice and ensure that BIA [Birmingham International Airport] remains the favourite gateway to the midlands," he said.
He added that the airport had experienced a busy summer as well.
With increasing numbers of people using the airport's facilities, some travellers may find it more convenient to book their airport parking in advance over the internet.
In other news today, environment officer at Birmingham International Airport Louise Kelly has been received an employee award from Solihull Chamber or Commerce.
Fly to Madrid from Birmingham International Airport
Tue, 18 Sep, 2007
Passengers living in the midlands can now benefit from a new route launched by bmi to Spain from Birmingham International Airport.
The new service will go to the country's capital, Madrid, flying four times a week from the West Midlands city.
Business development director of Birmingham International Airport Peter Vella commented that he is looking forward to helping bmi make the route a success for passengers.
"It's fantastic news that the service to Madrid is being reinstated by bmibaby. This popular European capital destination is ideal for business passengers and for leisure travellers seeking a city break," he remarked.
Marketing director bmibaby David Hodge added that Madrid is a "vibrant, cosmopolitan city".
Visitors taking advantage of the new route, which commences in December, may want to prebook their airport parking to make the trip more convenient.
A recent survey by the airport found that two-thirds of passengers returning to the midlands after a summer holiday suffer from post-holiday blues.