Airport News
Edinburgh Airport gets steel-coated bollards
Fri, 12 Mar, 2010
Steel-coated bollards are being installed in front of Edinburgh Airport's terminal as part of refurbishment work being carried out on the exterior of the building.
The measures are being taken to boost security at the hub, while it is hoped that the rest of the revamp will also improve its appearance.
It will take until half way through June before the work is finished and no traffic will be allowed to stop in front of the terminal during this time period.
The base's managing director Gordon Dewar commented: "I'd like to thank passengers in advance for their patience whilst we upgrade this important part of Edinburgh Airport."
Also included in the improvements to the forecourt area is the resurfacing of its bus lane.
A total of nine million passengers travel through Edinburgh Airport every year and the 24-hour site runs an average of 311 flights a day, servicing more than 100 destinations.
Edinburgh Airport gets new Wi-Fi connection
Wed, 03 Feb, 2010
Edinburgh Airport is to offer passengers Wi-Fi cover from provider Boingo, it has been announced.
The American company is to install wireless internet in the airport, in a deal which sees it become the exclusive Wi-Fi provider to five other UK terminals.
Travellers in London can access Boingo Wi-Fi at Heathrow and Stansted.
Meanwhile, people waiting for their flights in Aberdeen Airport and Southampton Airport can also access the internet connection.
Previously, the internet connection to the six hubs was provided by several suppliers, including Boingo, before it was selected as the sole source.
Ian Denchfield, head of commercial telecoms for BAA, the group which owns the six airports, said: "The company's dedication to world-class customer service and neutral host roaming made them the obvious choice."
This new Wi-Fi access announcement comes as Edinburgh Airport opens its new departures lounge, which is part of a huge redevelopment of the terminal which is expected to be completed in 2013.
Edinburgh Airport sees increase in traffic
Mon, 13 Jul, 2009
Edinburgh Airport has seen an increase in traffic for the third consecutive month.
The Scottish capital has bucked the trend for other Scottish airports including Glasgow and Aberdeen which have both seen a downturn in recent months.
Heathrow Airport, Gatwick and Stansted all saw a decline, with Gatwick alone down 7.6 per cent on last year.
Late in June Edinburgh Airport saw its busiest ever day, with nearly 36,000 passengers passing through its doors.
Gordon Dewar, managing director of Edinburgh Airport, said: "It shows that there is still a strong demand for air travel to and from the capital.
"We're particularly pleased that despite enjoying our busiest day ever, our customer service and security teams delivered a high quality service for our passengers."
It is expected that the first phase of an extension at the Scottish capital's airport will open in November, which will see more space for passengers to relax and increase the number of shops, bars and restaurants.
Suitcase causes chaos at Edinburgh airport
Wed, 08 Jul, 2009
A suitcase left in the ladies toilets at Edinburgh Airport caused a bomb alert yesterday (July 6th).
The offending luggage was found at around 14:20 and caused the main terminal's check in and security areas to be evacuated as bomb disposal experts attended to the suspect package.
Passengers were then re-screened upon their return to the terminal.
A BAA spokesman told the BBC: "Edinburgh Airport's departures has now fully reopened, however, because of the earlier security incident we are expecting significant knock-on delays for passengers.
"We are continuing to advise them to check the status of their flights with their airlines."
The disruption is said to have caused delays to scheduled flights yesterday evening.
A new £40 million terminal extension is planned at Edinburgh airport over the next couple of years, which will feature advanced security, retail units and more room for passengers.
Edinburgh serves
Easyjet to fly more routes from UK airports
Thu, 02 Jul, 2009
Budget air travel operator easyJet has announced that it will fly eight new routes from airports in Britain.
The winter schedule for the airline is about to get busier when it adds new services to several popular winter sun spots.
For holidaymakers wanting to escape the doom and gloom of winter, new destinations covered by easyJet include a daily flight to Lyon from Edinburgh, and flights to Porto and Hamburg from Gatwick.
Fuerteventura will also see a new service from Liverpool and Paphos will be available from Luton.
Chief executive of the airline Andy Harrison said: "Times are tough for consumers so we are proud to offer great year-round holiday destinations for incredibly low prices," according to Travel Mole.
The bulk of the new flights will begin in early November.
Despite a difficult time for airlines last year, British Airways and easyJet have both announced new routes for their winter schedules.
Traffic increases for airport parking users for Royal Highland Show
Thu, 25 Jun, 2009
Airport parking users for Edinburgh Airport have been warned to allow extra time for their journeys as the Royal Highland Show gets underway.
BAA noted that traffic on roads around the airport is expected to become a lot heavier as a result of the festival and told passengers to leave more time for their journeys.
The Royal Highland Show begins today and runs for four days.
Visitors to the show can enjoy a range of displays and activities relating to aspects of Scottish life.
As well as farming and agriculture, there are areas following outdoor pursuits, crafts, shopping and food.
One example is the display on renewable energy, sponsored by Scottish Hydro Electric.
In addition, almost 100 exhibitors will be present at the Food Hall, allowing visitors to sample a range of food including hog rolls and vegetarian sausages.
Venison, seafood and strawberries are also on the menu.
The Royal Highland Show brands itself as the "greatest show on earth".
Airports could close over strike action
Mon, 15 Jun, 2009
Air travel staff are threatening to strike in a dispute over pay.
BAA told unions that it did not have enough money to give pay rises, according to the Daily Mirror.
But after union heads agreed on a pay freeze for 4,000 workers, it was discovered that a £1.3 million dividend was issued to shareholders by BAA's owner, Spanish firm Ferrovial.
A source for Unite union told the paper that it was possible workers would strike, saying they were "disgusted".
BAA said that discussions were "private and ongoing", adding that there is a "sustained difficult period" for the aviation sector.
All seven BAA airports, including Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick and Edinburgh, could close if there is a strike.
Meanwhile, a Civil Aviation Authority report has found that airport punctuality has improved in the UK.
It said that 81 per cent of flights took off or landed on time from January to March.
During the same period in 2008, the figure was 70 per cent.
Figures drop in May for BAA
Wed, 10 Jun, 2009
UK airport operator BAA has reported a fall in its traffic for last month.
The organisation, which is responsible for seven airports and is owned by Spanish firm Grupo Ferrovial, suffered a 7.3 per cent slide in passenger numbers in May.
Stansted experienced a drop of 18.5 per cent, with the decreases for Aberdeen and Glasgow being 14.1 per cent and 11.7 per cent respectively.
Gatwick had a 6.5 per cent decline and Heathrow's was 3.9 per cent.
But Edinburgh saw a rise of 1.4 per cent.
BAA said that demand is low but the trend had not seen a significant change since December.
Travellers can make bookings for airport parking online through the BAA website.
According to the organisation, this can be a cheaper option as well as making sure an airport parking bay is available.
BAA's prices are regulated by the Civil Aviation Authority and the Competition Commission.
Edinburgh Airport gains new flights to Germany and Norway
Thu, 30 Apr, 2009
Edinburgh Airport has gained new flights to Germany and Norway.
Ryanair will run the services, which include a brand new route to Haugesund in the Nordic country.
The frequency of trips to Bremen will also increase as part of the move by the budget airline.
BBC News has reported that the new Scandinavian service will go twice a week from July and could increase the number of passengers passing through the Scottish facility by 45,000.
Norway's tourist board advises that the city is a "good starting point" for trekking to the local mountains and the Lysefjord.
A film festival also takes place at the destination every year.
Those driving to the Edinburgh's hub are advised that it is located about eight miles to the west of the city centre and is close to the M8 and M9 motorways.
Airport parking is available - input the postcode EH12 9DN to find out the best route for you.
Edinburgh Airport 'had most flights leave on time in Q4 2008'
Tue, 24 Mar, 2009
Edinburgh Airport had the highest number of flights leave at the scheduled time for the fourth quarter of 2008 out of a number of monitored locations, it has been reported.
The Civil Aviation Authority released figures showing how well ten airports performed for the fourth quarter of 2008.
It found that the Scottish capital's facility had 83 per cent of aircrafts leave on time.
Overall, the average delay on scheduled flights for all the monitored airports collectively decreased by four minutes compared to the same period in 2007, with Heathrow reducing its delays by seven minutes.
Gatwick, on the other hand, saw its average hold-up of chartered flights increase by two minutes – taking the length of time passengers had to spend waiting around up to 31 minutes. It was the only airport in this segment that did not improve.
Edinburgh Airport, along with its facilities and car park, may have to be sold by BAA after instruction from the Competition Commission.
The organisation ordered the operator to sell either this airport or Glasgow once it has first traded Glasgow and Stansted.
BAA profits fall
Thu, 26 Feb, 2009
BAA is suffering from dropping profits as passenger numbers fall and fuel prices rise.
Stansted has seen a six per cent slump in profits, going from £476 million to £23 million.
Passenger numbers for BAA have fallen by 2.7 per cent.
Colin Matthews, chief executive, said that 2009 looks to be "challenging" and acknowledging that the economic climate is expected to affect passenger volume.
Combined, Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick experienced a fall of 2.6 per cent, or 3.4 million fewer passengers.
But for the former, the passenger numbers declines by a relatively low 1.4 per cent.
Airport company BAA is regulated by the Competition Commission and the Civil Aviation Authority for its prices.
Owned by Ferrovial, its airports are in London, Scotland and Southampton.
Its Scottish hubs are in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen.
It states on its website that it has "a clear accountability to both public duty as well as to our passengers".
Expansion to take place at Edinburgh Airport
Wed, 03 Dec, 2008
Major expansion work is to take place at Edinburgh Airport this month following the successful completion of a runway resurfacing project.
The £16 million job was finished at the end of November and involved laying down 25,000 tonnes of new surfacing, expected to increase the runway's life by another 15 years.
Now, a further £40 million is to be spent on extending Edinburgh Airport's departure lounge as part of a plan by the hub's owners to put £250 million into service improvements by 2018.
Managing director Gordon Dewar said: "I am confident that Edinburgh Airport will continue to make a significant and growing contribution to the economic success of Edinburgh and the east of Scotland."
Edinburgh is Scotland's busiest airport and handles over nine million passengers on 115,000 flights every year.
It was also the seventh busiest airport in the UK in 2007 in terms of the number of travellers carried.
The hub serves more than 100 destinations worldwide.
Edinburgh Airport introduces new check-in facility
Wed, 17 Sep, 2008
People travelling on flights from Edinburgh Airport may be able to benefit from the use of a number of self check-in kiosks, it has been announced.
Ten kiosks have been installed in the hub's check-in hall for Air France, KLM and Flybe passengers, which airport officials say will greatly improve customer service.
Anyone using the machines will be required to present their passport barcode and frequent flyer number or transaction number to verify their identity.
Their boarding pass will then be printed out and their bags can be dropped off at the fast drop desks.
"[The kiosks] undoubtedly save passengers valuable time at check-in, offering a much more streamlined customer experience," said Mike Rutter, chief commercial officer at Flybe.
Edinburgh Airport was the busiest in Scotland in 2007, handling over nine million passengers.
It was also the seventh busiest airport in the UK in terms of the number of travellers carried.
Edinburgh Airport to launch green parking
Mon, 17 Mar, 2008
Travel services firm FHR is to introduce a new eco-friendly car parking option at Edinburgh Airport.
According to the firm, Secure AirParks is to operate the service, which ensures all emissions from transfer buses and airport parking will be counterbalanced with green investments set up by the World Land Trust.
Projects previously set up by the trust include planting trees in Ecuador, Paraguary and Brazil and preventing cutting down forests in various countries.
In doing so, the firm is attempting to increase forest areas to absorb as much CO2 as possible, therefore reducing its impact on global warming.
"It's great that airport car parks are recognising the need to take responsibility for their actions and tackle climate change," commented Graham Greenaway, e-marketing manager for FHR.
The firm also operates carbon-balanced airport parking services at London Gatwick Airport, Manchester Airport and Birmingham Airport.
Over at Glasgow Airport, police are to begin using electric scooters in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.
Ryanair opens 27th European base at Edinburgh Airport
Fri, 29 Feb, 2008
Edinburgh Airport is to become the 27th European base for airline Ryanair as it opens up 17 new routes from the city.
As of September, the airline will base two of its aircraft at Edinburgh Airport at a cost of £70 million.
The firm claims 1,200 new jobs will be generated by the move alongside increased visitor spending of over £100 million.
Edinburgh Airport is Ryanair's second Scottish base and will offer services to Alicante, Bremen, Frankfurt, Marseille, Pisa and Dusseldorf by June this year.
As of September, destinations such as Billund, Bournemouth, Bratislava, Krakow, Lodz, Malaga, Palma, Stockholm and Wroclow will also be served, alongside the existing routes to Dublin and Shannon.
Sean Coyle, Ryanair's scheduled revenue director, commented: "Our 19 routes will deliver significant economic benefits for Edinburgh by capitalising on Scotland's huge tourism potential and making it cheaper and easier than ever before to get here."
In related news, a doctor from London is threatening to sue the airline after being thrown off a flight between Sardinia and London Stansted Airport for talking.
Night flight diversions at Edinburgh Airport
Wed, 30 Jan, 2008
Edinburgh Airport has announced that an eight-month runway upgrade will see night time flights diverted over new residential areas.
The homes, not normally disturbed by the flights, have been identified as those in south and south-west Edinburgh, parts of Midlothian, West Lothian and areas towards Bo'ness.
Flights which will be diverted are ones which take off between 23:00 and 05:45 BST between Sunday and Friday from March 30th - estimated to be around 18 per night.
The £16 million resurfacing work, expected to be completed in November, is to replace the resurfacing done in 1991 and is expected to last for a minimum of ten years, BAA claims.
Nine community drop-in sessions will be held over the next few weeks, to provide information and answer questions any of the 45,000 affected households may have.
Managing director of the airport David Johnston commented: "Our runway is entirely safe to use at the moment, but these works are essential if we are to ensure the continued success of Edinburgh Airport, now Scotland's busiest airport."
Edinburgh to Atlanta service confirmed
Tue, 08 Jan, 2008
Delta Air Lines has confirmed it is to reopen its route between Edinburgh Airport and the US city of Atlanta in the summer.
The non-stop service will fly three times a week between June 2nd and October 1st 2008, in order to deal with seasonal demand from holidaymakers.
Delta has opted to restart the flights as part of an expansion of its services from its Atlanta base, which has already seen routes to London Heathrow Airport, the Nigerian capital Lagos and the Swedish capital Stockholm launched.
Bob Cortelyou, Delta's senior vice-president of network planning, predicted the additional services would help create record traffic figures for the airline.
He added: "From Europe to Africa to Asia to South America, Delta covers the globe in any direction from Atlanta, with flights slated to more than 80 international destinations next summer."
The news comes less than three months after Edinburgh Airport's operator BAA revealed the number of destinations available to passengers flying from the Scottish capital had reached the 100 mark.
Ryanair reveals Edinburgh plan
Wed, 19 Dec, 2007
Low-cost carrier Ryanair has announced it plans to expand its operations out of Edinburgh Airport during 2008.
The airline currently only flies on two routes from the Scottish capital, to Dublin and Shannon in the Republic of Ireland.
However, next year it plans to launch new services to the German cities of Bremen and Frankfurt, the historic Italian city of Pisa, the Spanish tourist hotspot of Alicante and Marseille on France's picturesque southern coast.
Edinburgh Airport's managing director David Johnston described the news as fantastic and said the new routes will add "further choice and frequency" for the city's holidaymakers and business travellers.
He added: "Ryanair's existing services to Dublin and Shannon are hugely successful and we look forward to continuing to work closely with the airline to ensure the strong performance of these exciting new routes."
The expansion at Edinburgh Airport is part of Ryanair's plan to add 50 new European routes to its timetable ahead of the summer 2008 season.
Flybe reveals Scottish plans
Wed, 28 Nov, 2007
Flybe has announced a major expansion of its routes from Scotland starting from next spring.
It is to commence two new services from Glasgow Airport on March 30th 2008 to Cardiff Airport and Paris, with further flights to Newquay and La Rochelle to follow.
The regional airline will also launch a new Edinburgh Airport to Cardiff Airport service on March 30th and flights to Rennes from the capital on May 3rd.
Mike Rutter, the airline's chief commercial officer, said the new routes were key to Flybe's "long-term commitment to offering sustainable, reliable and convenient travel to our passengers".
He added: "We will continue to bring exceptional service and low-cost travel to the regions whilst promoting our positive environmental policy."
The two new routes from Edinburgh Airport add to the recent rapid expansion of customer choice from the capital.
BAA Scotland recently unveiled the 100th destination reachable direct from Edinburgh Airport, when a Flyglobespan service to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik was confirmed.
Century up at Edinburgh
Thu, 01 Nov, 2007
Staff at Edinburgh Airport are celebrating reaching the 100 destination mark after Flyglobespan revealed it is to commence flying from the Scottish capital to the Croatian city of Dubrovnik.
The weekly service to Dubrovnik, which is scheduled to start next year, is the 29th new route out of Edinburgh to be announced since the start of 2007.
As a result, Edinburgh Airport is now the busiest in Scotland and, according to its managing director David Johnston, the one best placed to satisfy customer demand.
"These links are hugely important for our leisure passengers, who tell us they want to be able to fly direct from their local airport, as well as for … business travellers," said Mr Johnston.
Among the other new routes to have opened from Edinburgh Airport this year are daily easyJet flights to the French capital Paris and a once a day Clickair service to the Catalan capital Barcelona.
Edinburgh Airport to NYC
Thu, 27 Sep, 2007
Passengers will soon be able to fly to New York City (NYC) from Edinburgh Airport when a new service starts running next year.
Commencing in summer 2008, intrepid travellers will be able to cross the pond to the one of the must-see destinations of the world, with help from Delta Air Lines.
Not only that, passengers will land in the famous JFK International Airport in the city, named after one of the country's most well-known presidents and the location where Kate Moss was spotted by a modelling agency.
Delta chief executive Richard Anderson commented that the development is part of the firm's commitment to its passengers.
"In 2008, we will further demonstrate our commitment to diversifying the choices we offer our customers by redeploying domestic assets to international markets where demand is outpacing growth," he said.
He added that the company is proud to be responsible for the international growth of the JFK International Airport.
Residents living near Edinburgh Airport may be interested to know that during the nights between September 23rd and October 13th, there will be a different flight path for incoming and outgoing aircraft and maintenance takes place on the main runway.