Airport Chaos as 1500 passengers diverted away from Gatwick Airport landings: Belfast Telegraph

[Belfast Telegraph] Around 1,500 airline passengers faced disruption overnight after they were  diverted away from Gatwick Airport due to fog and maintenance work.

Planned Gatwick runway maintenance works scheduled for last night meant aircraft had to use the second runway, which is a visual strip only. Photo: Skybrary.aero

A total of 24 flights were unable to land at the airport and forced to touch  down at other UK destinations as far away as Bristol due to the combination of poor visibility and  runway repairs, a Gatwick spokesman said.

Engineers were carrying out planned maintenance work to the airport’s main  runway overnight, leaving just the second landing strip open.

But the fog meant short and medium-haul flights had to be diverted to  Stansted, Luton, Bristol and Heathrow from around 12.10am onwards.

A Gatwick spokesman said: “We had some planned runway maintenance works  scheduled for last night which all flight operators were informed about and when  we do that we have to use our second runway which is a visual strip.

“We then suffered some fog which led to 24 aircraft being diverted.”

All diverted passengers have been or are in the process of being transferred  by coach back to Gatwick.

Easyjet, British Airways and Thomson passengers were affected by the  disruption.

Three BA short-haul flights due to depart Gatwick have been cancelled because  of the disruption and eight flights have been delayed, the spokesman added.

The airport said they hope everything will return to normal by 5.30am.

Full Story a The Belfast Telegraph……

---

Belfast Telegraph
Wed, 30th May, 2012

---

Related articles

• Gatwick Runway Closed Again as Tyre Blows Out on Landing Kiev Flight (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• Gatwick Airport aims to rival Heathrow after signing Air China deal: Telegraph (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• Gatwick Passengers Held On Planes and 23 Flights Delayed Last Night After New Access Door System Failed: ITN (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• Gatwick emergency landing after on-board fight: Teesside pair held (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

BAA told it can appeal Stansted Airport sale: SW Reporter

[Saffron Walden Reporter] Airports operator BAA has been granted a further reprieve against selling Stansted after the Court of Appeal ruled in the firm’s favour.

The Competition Commission decided that BAA must sell Stansted. Photo: Wikipedia

Today’s decision means the company can now appeal against the Competition Appeal Tribunal’s judgment on February 1 which had backed the Competition Commission’s decision that BAA must sell Stansted, Gatwick and one of its two Scottish airports, Edinburgh or Glasgow.

Gatwick was auctioned off in 2009, while the sale of Edinburgh was announced in April this year.

A BAA spokesman said: “We are pleased that permission to appeal has been granted and look forward to presenting our arguments before the Court of Appeal.”

  Read the original story at The Saffron Walden Reporter…..

---

SW Reporter
Monday, May 28, 2012 

---

Related articles

• Stansted: Airport says it will be business as usual despite strikes – ITV News (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• Long Stansted Immigration Queues Last Night, ‘Unacceptable’ Airport bosses say: BBC (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

Heathrow unveils massive Union Jack on runway to celebrate the Jubilee: The Drum

[The Drum] Heathrow has painted a 540 square metre Union Jack image on the runway today to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.

More than 400 litres of red, white and blue paint was used to create the image. Image: The Drum

Created by CURB, this is the first time an image has ever been painted on the airfield, with the flag with a picture of the Queen in the middle 10 metres taller than Buckingham Palace.

More than 400 litres of red, white and blue paint was used to create the image, which was designed to welcome the 780,000 passengers expected to arrive for the celebrations.

John Holland-Kaye, Heathrow commercial director, said: “The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations mark the start of an important and historic summer for Heathrow.

As the UK’s hub Airport, we are delighted to welcome thousands of visitors to Heathrow to celebrate this momentous national occasion.”

How was it Done – Watch this time-lapse video

 

Passengers will be welcomed with red carpets laid in Arrivals halls in all terminals. Official Diamond Jubilee and Union Jack flags will be handed out and visitors will be invited to write messages of congratulations to the Queen in official books that will be sent to Buckingham Palace.

Read the original story at The Drum

---

25 May 2012
By Staff Writer

---

Related articles

• World Record attempt for the world’s highest tea party (diamondjubileesupplies.wordpress.com)
• Heathrow could be reduced to “local” airport: Telegraph (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• Heathrow free to lobby on third runway, says transport minister: FT.com (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

India warns striking pilots it may replace them: NY Daily News

[NY Daily News] The Indian government warned striking pilots of state-run Air India that it may hire replacements if they continue their nearly three-week walkout, after talks failed to make any headway.

“We can think of hiring new pilots,” Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said late Friday.
Photo: Wikipedia

Over 200 pilots went on strike earlier this month over former Indian Airlines pilots, who moved to Air India when the domestic and international carriers merged in 2007, being trained for new Boeing 787 Dreamliner planes.

The strikers say the plan to allow the ex-Indian Airlines to pilot the Dreamliners could wreck their career prospects.

“We can think of hiring new pilots,” Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said late Friday after a 90-minute meeting with the Indian Pilots’ Guild ended without a breakthrough, the Press Trust of India reported.

Singh’s meeting was the first between the government and the pilots since the start of the strike, which has forced the cancellation or rerouting of flights to New York, Chicago, Tokyo and other international destinations.

The dispute with the debt-laden carrier has now spread to cover service conditions and wage agreements.

The government has fired more than 100 of the pilots but has said they could be taken back on a “case-by-case” basis if all striking pilots return to work.

The Air India pilots’ union insists its members will….

Read the full story at The NY Daily News…..

---

Saturday, May 26th 2012,
Original article © Agence France Presse 2012

---

Related articles

• Air India sacks 10 pilots, derecognises union, cancels flights as 100 pilots go sick: Times of India (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

Stansted: Airport says it will be business as usual despite strikes – ITV News

[ITV News] A two-day strike by some staff members at Stansted Airport begins today (May 26). But the airport says it will be business as usual despite the industrial action by baggage handlers.

Richard Prince, General Manager Swissport Stansted stated “350 Swissport staff …. will be committed to delivering the excellent passenger service for which the company is known”. Photo Wikipedia

It comes after a strike on Wednesday May 23, which passengers said caused no disruption to their journeys.

Swissport, which handles flights for Ryanair, Thomas Cook, Thomson, AtlasJet and BelleAir says it has contingency plans in place and is confident passengers will not be disrupted.

“The 350 Swissport staff not engaged in industrial action, supported by colleagues from Swissport stations across the UK and staff from Ryanair, were and will be committed to delivering the excellent passenger service for which the company is known.

“No passengers was delayed by the strike action and we were able to handle 100 per cent of bags successfully and efficiently.

“We are therefore pleased to say that passengers planning to travel through Stansted Airport during the next periods of industrial action can do so with confidence – and with hold baggage. Our contingency plans work.”

– Richard  Prince, General Manager Swissport Stansted

Further industrial action is planned for four days from 5:30am on Saturday, June 2 to 5:29am on Wednesday, June 6.

Read the original story here at ITV News

---

Anglia News in brief
Sat 26 May 2012

---

Related articles

• Long Stansted Immigration Queues Last Night, ‘Unacceptable’ Airport bosses say: BBC (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

Emergency crews race to Melbourne Airport after bomb threat on Air Mauritius flight: Herald Sun

[Herald Sun] A fully loaded Air Mauritius aircraft was forced to make an emergency return to Melbourne Airport this afternoon after a passenger is believed to have made a bomb threat to the crew. 

It is believed a man was detained on board, but other passengers were safely escorted from the plane, which was undamaged. Phot: Derrick Den Hollander

The Airbus A340 had take off from the airport just after 2.30pm when the crew advised the control tower of the need to return, with Federal Police boarding the aircraft after it touched down and stopped at the end of the runway.

The aircraft involved was Air Mauritius flight MK943 bound for Perth.
It is believed a man was detained on board, but other passengers were safely escorted from the plane, which was undamaged.

Sources said there had been a bomb threat, but this was not confirmed by an aiport spokesman.

A  Federal Police spokeswoman said the incident was ongoing but there was no danger to the travelling public.

She said passengers had been….

Read the full story at The Herald Sun….

---

By Neil Wilson
From: 
May 23, 2012

---

Related articles

• Qantas to cut 400 jobs in Melbourne: report (abc.net.au)

UK MOD considers sale of aviation fuel network that supplies 40 pct of UK aviation fuel

[Reuters]  Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said on Tuesday it was considering selling its 2,500-kilometre long aviation fuel network to generate income for the government looking to reduce its debt burden.

Britain’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said today it will launch tender if sale plan approved.
Photo: Wikipedia

The ministry launched a consultation on the sale on Tuesday and said it would call for an official tender if it decided to go ahead with the sale, a spokeswoman said.

“The benefits of selling GPSS (Government Pipeline and Storage System) include: generating a capital receipt for government; enabling increased private sector investment in the pipeline in order to increase the resilience of the system; and allowing commercial development,” the ministry said in a legislation document.

The spokeswoman said the ministry could not speculate on how much the network was worth.

The legal framework needed for the sale passed a first hurdle on Tuesday when the publication of the Draft Energy Bill proposed to allow the sale.

The final Energy Bill is expected to pass through Parliament in……

Read the rest of this story at Reuters…..

---

Reuters
Tue May 22, 2012

---

London 2012 Olympics: Ministry of Defence to control London airspace during Games for first time since Second World War

[Telegraph] London airspace will be controlled by the Ministry of Defence for the first time since the Second World War during the Olympic Games to prevent terrorist attacks.

The area under military control will stretch from Brighton on the south coast to positions 15 miles north of Stansted and Luton airports to the north, the Thames estuary in the east and to the west of Reading. Photo: Wikipedia

Military personnel will take charge of airspace over much of south east England in seven weeks’ time and fighter jets will be stationed near the capital to respond to threats.

The MoD will control most of the airspace over the South East, in a wide area which pans from Brighton on the South Coast to locations 15 miles north of Stansted and Luton airports further north of London. The Thames estuary, from the east of the captial to the west, passed Reading, will also be carefully monitored.

Working out of the National Air Traffic Services (Nats) control centre at Swanwick, Hants, MoD staff will monitor all aircraft in the area during the Olympics.

However, civilian air traffic controllers will continue to guide jets carrying the extra 500,000 visitors expected during the Games into London airports.

The area under military control will stretch from Brighton on the south coast to positions 15 miles north of Stansted and Luton airports to the north, the Thames estuary in the east and to the west of Reading.

RAF jets will be stationed at Northolt, close to Heathrow, for the duration of the Games.

Charles Farr, head of the Office for Security and Counter Terrorism, who is in charge of the anti-terror strategy for the London Olympics, said that he was confident the aircraft would be…..

Read the full story at The Telegraph…..

---

Telegraph
22nd May 2012

---

Related articles

• Olympics threat of air-to-surface missiles (ijrnews.com)

Aer Lingus wins UK court battle to force Ryanair out as it’s top shareholder: Washington Post

[Washington Post] DUBLIN — Aer Lingus welcomed a court victory Tuesday that permits British authorities to keep investigating Ryanair over its ownership of a 30 percent stake in Aer Lingus, a sore point between Ireland’s two major carriers.

Ryanair said it would appeal Tuesday’s judgment to the UK Supreme Court. Photo: Wikipedia

Ryanair sought to block the probe into whether its status as the No. 1 shareholder in Aer Lingus represents a threat to competition on British-Irish air services. Ryanair lawyers argued that Britain’s Office of Fair Trading had no jurisdiction to investigate two Dublin-based airlines, and that the probe launched in 2010 came too late.But the Court of Appeal in London sided with the Office of Fair Trading and Aer Lingus, which wants Ryanair to be forced to sell. Ryanair built its stake as part of a hostile 2006 takeover bid that was blocked both by European Union regulators and Ireland’s government, which retains a 25 percent stake.

Ryanair said it would appeal Tuesday’s judgment to the UK Supreme Court.

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary says he expects eventually to purchase the government’s stake to take control of Aer Lingus because of Ireland’s rapid descent to the brink of bankruptcy, culminating in a……

Read the full story at The Washington Post….

---

By Associated Press
Tuesday, May 22

---

Related articles

• Etihad airline takes 3 percent stake in Aer Lingus: (Al Arabiya News) (airportinformer.wordpress.com)

Another Airline Fails: Sweden’s Skyways to file for bankruptcy after investor pulls out: Flightglobal

[Flightglobal] Sweden’s Skyways Express and its subsidiary City Airline have ceased operations with immediate effect, and will file for bankruptcy on 22 May.

Skyways Express AB canceled all flights today saying it will file for bankruptcy. Photo: Wikipedia

“The owners of the company have decided not to fund the company any longer and therefore the board of directors was forced to decide to stop all payments and to stop all flights,” says the airline in a statement on its website.

Cyprus-based Mansvell Enterprises, which owns Skyways, is also the owner of Danish carrier Cimber Sterling which filed for bankruptcy in early May.

Mansvell had acquired a majority share in Cimber Sterling in June 2011 and planned a broad co-operation deal with Skyways and City Airline. But the investment group appears to have abandoned these plans after deciding to stop funding the airlines.

“We have come far in turning the company around but after the bankruptcy of Cimber, it became……

Read the full story at Flightglobal….

---

By:   Siva Govindasamy Singapore
22nd May, 2012

---

Related articles

• Another Airline Falls Viction: Now Danish Airline Cimber Sterling goes bankrupt (airportinformer.wordpress.com)
• SAS CEO Says Airline May Have To Step Up Cost Cutting: WSJ Interview (airportinformer.wordpress.com)