Finnair, which offers 4 daily round-trips connecting Heathrow and its Helsinki hub, will shift its operations from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 on 27 January. Iberia will shift its operations on 25 February from Terminal 2 to Terminal 3. The Spanish airline offers about eight daily services from Heathrow to Madrid in addition to four daily flights to Barcelona.

Four weeks later on 25th February, BA will complete its shifting out of Terminal 1, with its final flights offered to destinations including Barcelona, Madrid, Lisbon, Nice and Helsinki moving to Terminal 3. Following this, on 29th March, BA will transfer its routes serving Malaga and Vienna from Terminal 5 to Terminal 3. Also, BA"s Executive Club lounge in Terminal 1 is scheduled to close on 27th January.

Dubai"s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) is to launch the new initiative as part of its efforts to attract a swathe of new tourist arrivals to the country. The proposal features offering attractive discounts on hotel room rates by up to 40 - 60 percent in addition to reducing the cost of food and drinks by about 25 percent.

The campaign will stretch between 10th January and the middle of February, aptly coinciding with the Dubai Shopping Festival 2009.

Addressing the Times, Adonis said the development of the airport, which is at present packed to full capacity, would also include investments in new rail links.

He stated, "It"s vital that we have an integrated approach to planning new rail capacity and any new airport capacity that"s also required," Adonis told the newspaper, suggesting that a joint rail-runway proposal could be in the pipeline. It makes good sense to plan improvements to Heathrow and the rail system together.”

The carrier said that the new flight would replace the existing route between Cleveland and London Gatwick. The launch follows requests from the airline"s customers to introduce a non-stop service to Europe"s most important business airport.

Commenting on the strategic importance of the new flight on the route, Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson said it would offer a significant boost to the airline"s business development measures.

Data published recently reveals that the facility has handled the largest increase in passenger turnover for the period. With 487,311 fliers passing through its doors, the number shows a significant increase of about 6.5 percent when compared to the same period in 2007.

It is said that a number of new flights offered to destinations including Cyprus, Italy, Poland and Jersey have helped stimulate the growth, in addition to the decision of other airlines to boost their flight frequency on certain key routes.

A report published by the Post states that the new car parking charges implemented at Liverpool Airport have disappointed some motorists. The airport inaugurated its new multi-storey car park last Thursday, which also saw the dramatic rise in the charges for the former short stay and drop-off car park - now designated as a drop-off area only.

The situation means that motorists must now decide between parking in the drop-off area with the risk of having to pay a high charge if they happen to go over the free 10 minutes, or make use of the cheaper multi-storey car park. Usage of the drop-off car park for the first 10 minutes is free. However, longer stay will invite an additional charge of £2 for every 10 minutes making it £10 for an hour"s stay. However, before the multi-storey opened, the cost of an hour"s stay was only £3. Drivers parking at the multi-storey are charged £1 for up to 20 minutes, £2 for up to 40 minutes, £3 for an hour or £5 for two hours.

Stating the rationale behind the price rise, Neil Phillipson, car park operations manager at Liverpool Airport, said, "The multi-storey car park was opened last week and is designed for short stay parking. As multi-storeys go, it is cheap. We used Manchester Airport as a benchmark. People using the drop-off area now pay more after the initial free 10 minutes because there is less space. However, £1 for 20 minutes in the multi-storey gives people more time to say goodbye.”

During his final press conference of 2008, he said, "We are making the investment in transport to ensure our infrastructure is fit for the needs of the 21st century including a decision on the third runway at Heathrow.”

While he stopped short of saying that he will approve the third runway, The Guardian newspaper reported him as saying that he was prepared to overrule ministerial objections to the runway.

The UK Government"s decision over whether to permit or suspend the expansion of Heathrow Airport has been held back until January.

In a statement made to parliament, Geoff Hoon, the transport secretary, said that the issue needed further consultation and called on all segments of the political spectrum to help the government come to an appropriate conclusion.

BAA, the owner of the UK"s largest airport, urges that the third runway at the facility be completed by 2020 claiming that it could help the operator increase the number of flights from 480,000 in a year to more than 700,000.

A recent survey has revealed that about ten times as many UK businesses back the idea of a fast rail link to the North in place of expanding Heathrow. A survey report published by Continental Research, business-polling specialists says not more than 4% feel expanding Heathrow would help their business. It is said this is the first reliable business survey report about Heathrow expansion plans. The research covered a wide range of five hundred businesses across the UK including those from multi-nationals to small manufacturers. In each of these cases, the survey interviewed the Finance Director or his equivalent.

The results of the survey reveal that 4% of British businesses feel they will benefit from expanding Heathrow, while a vast majority of 95% said it would rather make little or no difference. On the other hand, about 23% of businesses said they would be certainly helped by a new high-speed rail line to the North, which has been proposed by David Cameron. When questioned specifically whether which would help their business more, about 37% of businesses chose the rail link while only 4% chose Heathrow.

Chris Shaw of Restore UK remarked, "This proves how wrong the Government is to say that British business is crying out for Heathrow expansion. In fact, only a tiny proportion of businesses stand to benefit. Given the level of opposition amongst MPs, campaigners, and concerned members of the public - let alone the people who live under the proposed flight path or face having their homes demolished - now is the time for the Government to drop these massively unpopular plans.”

On 2nd December, Australian cheap flights carrier Jetstar launched a new daily service connecting Perth and Singapore. The new route follows the launch of yet another flight service by the carrier linking Perth and the Indonesian capital Jakarta. In addition, the carrier has also stated that its route network will see one more addition offering a new connection between Perth and Bali scheduled to commence on 17th December.

Jetstar chief executive officer Bruce Buchanan said while commenting on the new routes that they are most likely to make a "significant contribution" to the carrier"s near-Asian growth strategy.

He stated, "Perth has excitingly become Jetstar"s seventh international market in Australia and will ably support our continued expansion of low fare services between Australia, Asia and beyond.”

Comedian Mark Thomas and the novelist Will Self joined 1,000 protesters to sign a petition opposing a proposed 400-metre extension of Birmingham International Airport"s main runway on environmental grounds. The total estimate of the project is £120 million.

The protestors dubbed it Flyagra, meaning "the miracle treatment that really keeps you up”. Two Liberal Democrat councillors accepted the petition. It is said that on 15th December, Borough planners would decide whether the extended runway should be approved. At present, the proposal has a strong backing by the political leadership of all seven West Midlands metropolitan councils, which includes Solihull. If approved, the runway could be in place by 2012.

Local authority leaders state that a longer runway is desperately needed to operate non-stop flights from Birmingham to India, China and the west coast of America. They claim that the extension would boost the region"s economy besides creating thousands of jobs and attracting inward investment.

BAA has accepted to delegate auditors to supervise the disposal of its London Gatwick airport, who would have the responsibility to report to the competition watchdog regarding the transparency and fairness of the process.

Following a discussion with the Competition Commission, the firm has commissioned Grant Thornton as shadow monitoring trustee in an attempt to rule out concerns among potential bidders and airlines operating at Gatwick regarding the proceeding of the entire deal.

It is said the final binding bids could be demanded by late March. However, the timing is still open.

In a recent statement, Qantas has confirmed its decision to commence flight services from Heathrow using its newly purchased Airbus A380 superjumbo. As per the announcement, flights would start on 17th January between Heathrow and Sydney via Singapore served by the giant plane, the third A380 purchased by the airline.

Deploying the double-decker aircraft, Qantas will offer three return flights a week. Commenting on the launch, Stephen Thompson, the regional manager remarked, "For our customers travelling to both Singapore and beyond to Australia, the A380 means extra space and comfort in every class. Qantas offers an all-new suite in first class and a fully flat Sky-bed sleeper seat in business class. The aircraft features a 32 seat Premium Economy cabin and an all new Economy Class seat featuring a sliding base that moves with the seat back to create a more comfortable, ergonomically tested position to aid sleep."

Listing some of the interesting highlights of this service, the airline said it would offer its passengers over 100 on demand films, 500 audio CDs and 350 television selections in addition to 30 PC-style games. The passengers can also enjoy a select range of audio books, destination information, language tutorials, business education and radio channels during their journey.

In a recent development with respect to the highly controversial proposal, an expert engineer has been appointed to coordinate an investigation to decide whether a new airport could be constructed in the Thames Estuary. Recently, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the mayor Boris Johnson have recruited Doug Oakervee, the executive chair of Crossrail, to help them decide whether the proposal to build a new airport in the area should be given a go ahead, despite the dismissal of the project by the government on claims that it is unrealistic.

Early findings published following the research by GLA suggested that the construction of the airport was "technically feasible" and said once completed, it would contribute to the regeneration of the Thames Gateway.

Commenting on the importance of appointing Doug Oakervee to decide upon the feasibility of the project, Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor, remarked, "To have such a colossal figure from the engineering world bringing his extensive skills and judgement to this unique and important project is great news.”

Train services have been facing continuous disruptions since the outbreak of a devastating fire in the channel tunnel that saw the evacuation of 32 people from the site. The recent statement made by the Euro Tunnel Operator has estimated that the repair works undertaken to set right the damages caused to the north tunnel by the fire would be somewhere around £46.8 million. On account of the disruption in rail services, Eurostar has been implementing a revised timetable. In addition, journeys at present are taking 20 minutes longer than usual.

Due to the delays in service, the operator has lost the time gained while opening the high-speed link in November 2007 to connect London"s St Pancras station and Channel tunnel in November 2007. On its launch, the new high-speed link significantly reduced the journey time between London and Paris to about two hours and 13 minutes thereby causing a considerable surge in passenger demand. The launch of this service affected airlines serving the same route.

In related news, there was a short strike by port control officers on the French side leading to disruption in ferry service between Dover and Calais. The walkout by the port officer was expected to last for 24 hours. However, it ended within 8 hours of its start after which both SeaFrance and P&O could resume their ferry operations. Though a short one, the strike resulted in lorries found queued on the M20. The Kent Police had to implement Operation Stack, their standard response to cross-channel service disruptions.

A recent report published in The Evening Times has stated that the largest operator of tours to Canada has declared its plans to offer flights to around 25,000 additional passengers out of Glasgow Airport during next summer alone.

It appears that Canadian Affair is planning this move, with the firm attempting to respond to the recent demise of Zoom Airlines. Zoom was one of the main carriers offering its flights from the Scottish capital to the North American country.

The tour operator"s summer schedule already featured about six flights a week operated between Glasgow and Toronto. However, the airline has stated that it could still increase that number to about nine - well in time to meet the significant demand during the peak season next year.

A recent report published by ABTN has noted that Japan Airlines (JAL) has decided to withdraw its Heathrow - Osaka service. The present move is coming into effect next spring. Once this service is withdrawn, there will not be any direct connection to the city. In addition to this, the daily service to Kansai offered by Boeing 777 aircraft is to be stopped on 29th March 2009. Once this is done, it will leave the airline with a single service operated between Heathrow and Tokyo.

Most notably, the Heathrow - Osaka flights are one among the three long-haul routes that are to be cut by the carrier. The cut is necessitated by the high oil prices. Notably, this move is part of the biggest operational review made by the airline since the year 2002. On the whole, the carrier is suspending more than 12 routes in addition to considerably decreasing the frequency on four other routes.

Commenting on the present move contemplated by the airline, a spokeswoman for the airline noted that it would offer good connections departing from Tokyo to both Kansai and Itami Airports of Osaka. She too noted that she did not know what the airline has decided to do with the seven daily slots reserved for the airline's carriers at the Heathrow Airport that are left unused due to the present withdrawal of services. The present moves by the airline are part of the carrier's strategy to combat the challenges faced by the airline amidst the present crisis in the industry.

In a highly welcomed move, Virgin Atlantic and Cathay Pacific have decided to expand their capacity on their Hong Kong services that are departing from Heathrow. The present move by these airlines is in response to the significant demand created by the collapse of the no-frills carrier Oasis Hong Kong Airlines. The above said routes are said to be highly lucrative and the two airlines are now significantly increasing the number of seats on these routes.

Most notably, after the collapse of the Hong Kong airline in the month of April, the number of weekly flights operated between these two cities fell from 80 to 70, thereby significantly increasing the demand for the said route. According to the recent decision made by the airline, it is noted that the airline will add a second daily flight flying three times a week starting from 28th October. Eventually with effect from 4th December, the airline will extend its service to all days of the week. Now Virgin is adding a second daily flight operated three times a week from October 28, before extending the service to all days of the week with effect from 4th December.

Over and above, according to the announcement made by Cathay Pacific, it appears that the airline will replace the two Airbus A340-300s that are being currently deployed on the long-haul route, drafting in Boeing 747s. This move is expected to add 288 seats on the route every week.

With the Manchester Airport planning to join the proposed industry action next week, those Britons heading on with their late summer holidays might face misery during this period. Following the voting by the baggage handlers and check-in staff for action, two 24-hour strikes have been called at the airport scheduled on Wednesday, the 27th of August and Monday, the 1st of September.

At the outset, the staff under these two segments has been appointed by ground services company Swissport. The stoppage announcement at the Manchester Airport follows the two 24-hour strikes that have been already called by Unite at Gatwick and Stansted. Most notably, those strikes have been scheduled to take place on Monday, the 25th of August and Friday, the 29th of August.

The principal reason behind these demonstrations is that Unite is totally unhappy with the 'paltry' pay offer of Swissport and is not ready to accept the new arrangements pertaining to sick-pay. Things are highly probable that action could eventually and rapidly escalate across the nation, with the members of the Unite at Swissport also to be balloted at Birmingham and Newcastle airports very shortly.

In an important milestone at enhancing the security process and reducing the passenger congestion at the Manchester Airport, the airport is trialling facial recognition scanners. This move also comes as part of the initiatives taken by the government in this regard. Most notably, adult biometric passport holders from the UK and the Europe can effectively use this system. The system works by scanning the faces of passengers and comparing them to the photographs digitally stored on their passports. On the other hand, the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS) have raised a concern that the technology is untested and untried.

It is important to note that the facial recognition technology is part of the e-Borders programme of the Home Office, which aims at significantly enhancing the border control at UK besides ensuring greater efficiency and security. According to the ministers, the facial recognition technology will help in identifying criminals and terrorists attempting to enter the UK illegally.

Analysing the efficiency of the process, the machines require only 13-15 seconds per passenger, while a human takes about 20 seconds for the same process. Provided the trail run comes our successfully, the ministers would like to see that the machines replace the majority of front line airport immigration officers over the next five years.

A series of factors like slowing economy, capacity cuts, rising fares and a serious credit crunch have been accounting for a significant drop in the number of passengers at several UK airports. Notably, BAA, the operator of seven airports across the UK including Gatwick and Stansted have seen the fall of passenger numbers by 1.7% during July when compared to the figures recorded during last year. Most remarkably, last year around 14.8m passengers passed through the hubs.

Above all, Stansted Airport witnessed the biggest drop in the number of passengers among all the airports operated by BAA, with 5.3% fewer people using the airport when compared to the figures noted last year. All the three BAA airports at Scotland have also seen a notable reduction with the rate of reduction recorded as 3.2% at Glasgow, 1.3% at Edinburgh and 2.6% at Aberdeen.

Possibly as a result of the Open Skies Agreement, Heathrow was virtually unchanged when compared to last year. In fact, the airport has remarkably shown a significant increase of about 6.5% on long haul routes. However, the loss of Gatwick from the same source is said to be on account of the shift of long-haul traffic to Heathrow that has contributed to an overall drop of 1.8% despite an increase of 11.9% in the European Scheduled Traffic. In fact, the Southampton airport witnessed a drop of passengers by about 1.8%. Among the key markets affected the most by the slowdown noted during last month were the European Flights that saw a 1.4% drop and UK domestic, that saw a 4.5 percent drop.

Addressing Crain's an aviation industry expert has pointed out that the recent decision by Singapore Airlines (SIA) to bring down the number of its services from Manchester Airport is a clear example of the danger faced by the regional airports by the arrival of giant new Airbus A380.

According to the recent move, SIA has decided to bring down the number of direct flights operated between Manchester and Singapore from seven services a week to five services a week. This move comes into effect on 5th November, which will see the scrapping of the outbound flights operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays. As an alternative, those passengers who wish to fly between the two cities on Tuesdays and Thursdays need to take a bmi shuttle to Heathrow to get a connection from there.

The entire scenario follows the increase of capacity by SIA on its Heathrow to Singapore route by introducing the Airbus A380 aircraft with effect from September. The gigantic double-decker A380, that can carry 471 passengers, will offer two flights every day from London. In addition, a Boeing 747 will offer a third daily flight.

According to a report published in the Guardian, it appears that the EU has serious concerns regarding the development of a third runway at Heathrow, which it strongly feels would give way to a 'significant' breach of permitted air pollution limits. Based on a letter from European Commissioner Stavros Dimas, the newspaper says that he is most likely to contact the Government to express his serious concern over this issue that the plans will certainly lead to the airport missing nitrogen oxide targets imposed by the EU.

The letter from Mr Dimas reads thus, "Technical reports underpinning the Heathrow expansion suggest that nitrogen limit values near the airport will be significantly exceeded in 2010, the year in which those limit values become mandatory, and that this will be the case even after 2015.”

Notably, the above said news is a further blow to the proposed plans that have been put forward for constructing a third runway at the sixth terminal at the busiest international airport across the globe. Over and above, it also appears that a final decision on the said plans is likely to be taken before the end of this year following the review of more than 70,000 responses received by the government in response to its recent public consultation.

With the strong possibilities of the break up of BAA remaining on the horizon, the rumours centred on the creation of a second runway at the Gatwick Airport are significantly growing. Later during this week, it is expected that the Competition Commission is most likely to publish a report to the airport operator, which is expected to feature a suggestion regarding the breakup of the firm in a move to remove the relative monopoly of BAA over UK airports.

According to a statement made by The Observer, it appears that the commission is most likely to make a criticism of the government for favouring an idea related to the expansion of Heathrow and Stansted over Gatwick. It is also expected that the said report will also include a recommendation to sell away Gatwick Airport. In this connection, BAA has stated that already several parties have expressed their interest in buying it, though officially it is not yet ready for sale.

As per the note made in the newspaper, it is most likely that a new owner of Gatwick will be genuinely interested in a second runway at least in a bid to boost the competition with other airports that are based in the south-east.

Recently, International infrastructure groups have held talks with BAA offering to sell London's Gatwick Airport. The deal as initiated by the groups is fixed at around GBP3 billion pounds (USD$5.62 billion). This information has been reported in the Sunday Times. However, the newspaper has not cited any sources. When asked about this, a BAA spokeswoman did not come forward to comment anything in this connection.

The paper has also stated that several other firms like Germany's Hochtief, Global Infrastructure Partners, Australia's Macquarie, the GE-Credit Suisse investment fund, and Britain's Manchester Airport Group have all voiced out their sincere interest to Ferrovial-owned BAA. Their interest has been conveyed even ahead of the Competition Commission's report that is expected to be published during this week.

Most notably, the report has also added further that the competition watchdog is expected to declare a serious concern that the group's ownership of London's three largest airports namely Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted is against the public interest. In fact experts strongly believe that it could be asked to sell two of the London hubs in addition to one of its largest airports in Scotland.

Once the key structural works are accomplished at the Heathrow Terminal4 next week, the refurbishment works that are in progress are said to have reached a significant milestone. Notably, it is reported that the first phase of steel works is due to be completed in a matter of a few days. Once this particular work is completed, it will pave way for the further works in connection to beginning the construction of the new check-in hall and lounges in the terminal.

The new works taken up by the airport aims at nearly doubling the check-in capacity of the terminal. Notably, this is just one of the several schemes that are in progress. Yet another significant work includes the replacing of terminals 1 and 2 to Heathrow East. In addition, the re-designing work planned at the airport will also include a fully transparent ETFE canopy besides a full-height frameless glazed façade. The work will also feature a three-story airside building that will partly cantilever over the existing airfield grounds. Once all the works are accomplished, the refurbishment project is expected to bestow a new facelift to the terminal in addition to significantly enhancing the facilities.

While commenting on the scheme, Julian Sheppard of Buro Happold told The New Civil Engineer, "The existing physical site-specific constraints and 'live' environment have made the project extremely challenging. However, we believe that once the project is complete, Heathrow's Terminal 4 will offer a far more pleasant experience and environment for passengers, as well as being more spacious and secure.”

Boris Johnson, The Lord Mayor of London has invited a study to explore the possibilities of constructing a sixth airport at London to considerably ease the congestion of London air traffic. Notably, the Mayor was elected to the post during the month of May this year. In a statement made by to the newspaper, the mayor said that a serious though must be given to construct a new airport to the east of London city that would significantly reduce the burden of the airports across the city in addition to enhancing the air traffic at the city to a considerable extent.

Writing for a column in Daily Telegraph, the mayor wrote, "It is … ever more urgent that we investigate the possibility of a long-term solution, in the form of a new and more eco-friendly international airport.”

In addition to feeling that it is very unlikely to see the construction of a third runway at the Heathrow airport, he too added that Gatwick, the second largest airport of London was actually full to bursting. Notably, Heathrow Airport is the busiest on the globe, which handles more than 68 million passengers in an average year.

Achieving a significant milestone in its growth, Emirates has become the first airline on the globe to offer the facility to use mobile phones aboard a flight in the routes to and from London. When the facility was launched last Thursday, the passengers aboard a service into Heathrow made not less than 30 calls as the Emirates Boeing 777 was flying into the London City from Dubai.

Back in the month of March, the airline started fitting a system enabling in-flight mobile usage in its aircrafts. At present, the service is made available on about 10% of the Emirates flights. Over and above, the service can be accessed only above 23,000 feet. It is necessary that the passengers need to keep their phones on silent throughout, while the crew can make the system text only or can turn it off anytime.

According to an Emirates spokesperson, about one in five passengers onboard made use of this facility making about 30 calls and forwarding and receiving about 100 text messages. The system called as AeroMobile system, which is capable of reducing the strength of phone signals to bare minimum so that it does not interfere with the equipments of the aircraft. Most interestingly, the airline has confirmed that it will not be charging the passengers for using a mobile onboard.

GlAccording to a recent report published in The Herald, it appears that Glasgow Airport is 'on the brink of a sell-off'. Most notably, the newspaper observes that the owners of Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial, the owners of BAA are actually contemplating on plans to take the airport to the market during this month in an effort to avoid a full-scale break-up of BAA that is expected to be imposed by UK watchdogs.

In a warning issued earlier during this year, the Competition Commission warned that the BAA monopoly in both Scotland and the south-east of England might be actually hurting passengers. According to the suggestions made by the Media reports, the commission was now certain about its stand that BAA's control exercised over seven British airports with the list including Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh was truly harmful to the market. According to the Financial Times, this factor has made the sell-offs more probable.

In addition, the report has also cited certain unnamed 'legal sources' that say that the next round of findings would prove to be a crucial step towards an order for BAA to sell away an airport in the Scotland region in addition to an airport in England. In fact, it is said that the commission has consulted the officials from rival airport operators in order to ascertain what wider ownership would mean for the industry. It is significant to note that any such sale would invariably put an end to the monopoly enjoyed by BAA in Scotland.

An annual survey of passengers featuring a major number of Asian and Gulf Arab carriers including Qantas of Australia selected Singapore Airlines as the best on the globe. Most notably, Singapore Airlines retains this coveted position for the second consecutive year.

The 2008 survey of Skytrax, the British-based consultancy, involved over 15 million questionnaires which were completed by passengers across an 11 month period, which also included categories like catering, airport lounges and in-flight entertainment. Singapore Airlines secured the top spot as the world's best airline on the whole in addition to grabbing the award for the best business class. Notably, the airline is also the first across the globe to fly the Airbus A380.

Cathay Pacific, the Hong-Kong based airline, secured the overall second place. Most notably, Cathay Pacific was also voted as the best first class airline in addition to the first in first class catering. Since Qantas had a number of safety scars recently in addition to introducing belt tightening due to high fuel costs, it could only get the third best place. However, the airline could secure the rating of the best first class lounge.

With regard to the traffic throughput for the first half of 2008, the Suvarnabhumi Airport of Bangkok significantly outpaced that of its principal rivals in the southeast namely Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore's Changi Airport. Most notably, the airport which is the main international air facility for Thailand managed more than 21 million passengers during the course of this period, when compared to 18.7 million at Changi Airport and 13.4 million at Kuala Lumpur. The data supplied by each of these three airports have revealed the above said facts.

It is interesting to note that all these three airports have showed a remarkable growth despite the adverse conditions haunting the airline industry namely the dramatic increase in fuel costs and the decrease in customer demand. Among these three airports, Suvarnabhumi showed the lowest passenger growth. The year on increase of passenger growth for this airport was just 1.94 per cent. On the other hand, the figures for Chengi and Kuala Lumpur are 5.4 per cent and 7.4 per cent respectively.

The figures for the Airports of Thailand (AoT) reveal a consistent increase in the growth of international traffic. However, there had been a downturn in the domestic volume for the period stretching between January and June 2008. Also, the traffic of international passengers at Suvarnabhumi for this period significantly increased by 8.17 per cent and was calculated at 17.57 million. However, the domestic numbers came down by 29.4 per cent to 3.64 million.

A recent industry analysis has observed that the Liverpool Airport in addition to several other regional airports is facing an alarming multi-million pound bill due to the escalating costs of security. With the government contemplating on considerably reducing the financial burden on the police forces, it is expected that legislation will be drawn up that will transfer the responsibility for threat and risk analysis at regional airports in addition to paying the cost of policing from the local police force to the owner of the airport as per the report published in the Echo, one of the leading newspapers.

Presently, nine most important British Airports have been designated to bear the expenditure of their own policing, with the list including Manchester and Birmingham. Under the significant growth reported by other airports, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly has decided that such a split does not make any sense. Therefore, he has strictly decided to create a level playing field. He feels that it is not proper to see that the taxpayers are subsidizing the profit making private enterprises, when the local police force is forced to meet the bills.

Addressing the Echo, Andy Gower, Liverpool Airport director said, "We are committed to provide a safe and secure environment for our passengers. We invest in the region of £3.5m each year to provide aviation and car park security employing in excess of 200 people in the process. The level of any future policing presence at UK Airports is a matter for the Police Authority who are consulting with us at present.”

A recent report published by TTG observes that the Birmingham Airport is all set to receive the benefit ensuing from the opening of a new route offered to Istanbul during this winter.

With effect from 15th December, Turkish Airlines will offer these five times weekly service. Most notably, this service will be first connection that is offered directly to the Turkish City from a Midland Airport. The airline has decided to deploy a Boeing 737-800 carrier on this route. Most notably, the aircraft features a dual cabin configuration offering 135 seats in economy class and 20 seats in the club.

The schedule for this service will be as follows. The outbound Monday and Thursday flights will depart the airport at 11.30am. In addition, the Tuesday, Friday and Sunday services will depart from the airport at 1.15pm. The airline is also offering attractive prices on this route with the prices of tickets starting from £180 return with the price including all taxes and additional charges.

According to the recent report published by the Department of Transportation and FlightStats, the three New York City airports are found to report the largest number of delays over scheduled flights during the month of July among all the major hubs scattered across the US. Over and above, the report says that JetBlue carries the worst on-time record for the month.

At the outset, this summer has proved to be a delay nightmare for most of the customers, especially for those who travel through the airports located in the New York City area, as reported by the two reports.

Flight-tracking firm FlightStats and the DOT have said that among the major US hubs, the three major New York City-area airports reported the greatest number of delayed arrivals during this summer. FlightStats also noted that JetBlue Airways showed the worst on-time performance among all the major carriers during the month of July. In addition, according to DOT, the performance of American Airlines was the worst for the month of June.

In a significant move, Boston's Logan International Airport has decided to install X-ray screening machines that will make an effective addition to the security screening lines. It has been reported by The Boston Globe that Logan Airport is to receive two of the new scanning machines by the month of October.
 
Most notably, the Transportation Security Administration has introduced the new X-ray machines earlier during this year at the Atlanta International Airport.

Some of the notably highlights of the X-ray machines are a millimeter wave machine and a backscatter that can ably create clear outlines and holograms of passengers without their clothes. According to TSA, the ultimate motive behind this technology is to significantly speed up the screening process at security. The images obtained from the new machine will help the screeners easily detect if they carry any forbidden items with them.

Earlier when the information about the new security machines was released in the media, invariably it caused some privacy concerns. However, the TSA has promised and assured that no one other than the trained security agents will be able to see the images. According to the TSA, the scans will be immediately deleted following the completion of check-in.

As part of the several exclusive tours planned for the aircraft, Emirates Airline showcased its brand new, double-decker Airbus A380 during last two days in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Hosted by Emirates, San Francisco and Los Angeles International Airports, each city offered an exciting two-hour flight. Notably, this followed the inaugural launch of the aircraft on 1st August from Dubai to New York's JFK Airport.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates Executive Vice President, Engineering and Operations observed during his address to media and guests in these two cities, "We are very confident these flights are a symbol of a strong future relationship between Emirates and the state of California and we are very appreciative of the support we receive from our many friends here at local, state and federal levels.”

The events organised at both these cities offered the guests a rare opportunity to tour the magnificent aircraft that features about 489 seats in total arranged in a three-class configuration with 14 seats in the first class, 76 seats in the business class and 399 seats in the economy class. Over and above, the guests too enjoyed Emirates' award-winning on-board amenities that included the airline's onboard lounges and the brand new Shower Spas, in addition to the premier service aboard.
 
The aircraft is powered by GP7200 engines offered by American aircraft engine maker Engine Alliance. Most notably, Emirates' A380s can fly not less than 7,456 miles with a full load and has 13 tons of bellyhold capacity meant for cargo. The aircraft offers better fuel economy than several hybrid passenger cars and is quieter.

In a survey pertaining to the launch of new service from this base, the residents of the Dundee area have been asked to voice their opinion on the prospects of a demand for a link that connects the city's airport with Amsterdam.

Recently, the Dundee Airport has published an online survey to collect useful data on the potential for a direct air link operated to one of the leading international hub airports across the globe, that shall eventually enable the airport to determine how many people would use the service if introduced and how often they would make use of it, so that the profitability of the route could be ascertained even before the launch.

A good number of people residing in the airport's catchments area presently fly to Amsterdam through Aberdeen and Edinburgh. Amidst this circumstance, the survey will gauge the potential market to offer direct flights from the Dundee Airport.

Recently, Japan Airlines has announced its decision to cut around five of its international routes. This present move by the airline comes forth as part of the airline's efforts to offset the soaring fuel bills, as per the report published in the business daily Nikkei. Recently, the national carrier suspended certain popular services including its London Heathrow to Kansai service in addition to not less than 12 domestic routes. Over and above, it is expected that the carrier might reduce several other frequencies.

Amidst these moves by Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, its principal rival too has announced its decision recently confirming that it has decided to scrap not less than ten routes. Most notably, this list also includes two international routes offered by the airline.

Like several other airlines, both the airlines have primarily blamed the rising oil prices for this serious set back in the industry. In fact, a spokesperson for JAL stated in no undeniable terms, "We are reviewing flights due to surging fuel prices."

In a highly significant move, SriLankan Airlines has recently signed up for SkyChain. Most notably, this is the end to end cargo reservation and business management solution championed by Mercator, the reputed business technology provider based in Dubai and a part of the Emirates Group.
 
Head of Mercator, Patrick Naef, observed, "The timing of this partnership is significant - coming as it does when skyrocketing fuel prices are having a tremendous economic impact on the airline industry. This partnership clearly demonstrates that major players have confidence in our IT solutions to reduce costs and increase revenue."
 
He too added further, "SkyChain has been built for the air cargo business of today and the changing dynamics of the foreseeable future. We are confident SkyChain will have a significant and positive impact on our customers' financial bottom line and make waves in the air cargo industry."
 
Interestingly, Mercator has decided to carryout the implementation before the end of the second quarter of 2009. Mercator's data centres based in Dubai will host the solution to be made available for the use of authorised SriLankan cargo users out of Colombo in addition to other outstation cargo offices located across the globe.
 
The solution has been totally developed by Mercator based in Dubai, and has been has been designed in such a way to carryout and manage every aspect of the cargo business of an airline. The principal feature of the solution employs the latest JAVA technology to convert information into a powerful asset with the full utilization of the data for maximum performance.

In a strategic move to combat the challenges haunting the airline industry, Singapore Airlines (SIA) has decided to reduce the frequency of its direct services operated between Manchester and Singapore route. Once implemented, the move will see that the frequency in this route comes down by two flights per week. With effect from 5th November, the national carrier will suspend its outbound services operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays to these destinations, which will eventually see the number of weekly flights coming down to five.

Alternatively, any residents of Manchester wishing to make a flight between these two cities on any one of these days must now make use of a connecting service to Heathrow offered by bmi, the alliance partner of the airline.

Over and above, the airline has also made arrangements to free up the extra seats on the carrier's flagship connection between London and Singapore. In this regard, the airline has deployed its brand new A380 superjumbos.

In a significant move, Menzies Aviation has recently announced that it has secured the contract for ramp handling and cabin cleaning by Virgin America at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with effect on 5th August. This move makes it the third awarded location among the seven destinations served at present by Virgin America.

Notably, Menzies Aviation presently offers ground handling & cabin cleaning services for Virgin America in Los Angeles and in San Francisco. Inaugurated in August 2007, Virgin America is a California based airline featuring attractive fare, high-end service and a portfolio of fun, attractive features like mood-lit cabins, custom-made leather seats, power outlets and a video touch-screen at every seatback offering 25 films, video games, live TV, seat-to-seat chat and an on-demand food ordering system in addition to several others.

Vice President Commercial and Corporate Services-Americas at Menzies Aviation, Phil Harnden, observed, "We are delighted to have been chosen by Virgin America for ground handling and cabin cleaning services in Seattle. Since their inception in 2007, Virgin America continues to impress travelers in the domestic airline market with their innovative and high-value customer experience. These values drive Menzies Aviation to partner with Virgin America as a safe, reliable, and trusting provider that they can depend on as they grow their airline to future destinations."

Most remarkably, Hong Kong Express Airways is continuously strengthening its presence and position in Asia, as the carrier of choice in Hong Kong. This enviable status has been achieved with the inclusion of increased services and new routes. Having firmly understood the present needs of the market and demands, Hong Kong Express Airways has recently introduced daily services to Shanghai and Beijing, in addition to a four-flights-a-week service to Seoul. Over and above, the carrier is planning new routes to Osaka, Phuket, Denpasar and Manila during September, besides several additional routes to various cities located in Japan in the month of October.

Director, Commercial, Hong Kong Express Airways, Raymond Ng observed, "We are delighted to strengthen and diversify our network, and provide passengers with increased flexibility to travel throughout the region."

Most interestingly, during recent days, Okinawa has emerged as a cherished hot spot for Hong Kong travellers, especially attracting beach lovers and divers. Starting from 1st August 2008, Hong Kong Express Airways' Hong Kong to Okinawa service will be operated daily in order to cater to the growing demand.

Owing to the problems associated with the checked baggage sorting system employed by the American Airlines, there were unusually long delays that highly bothered the passengers on 35 flights operated by the airline. According to a report published in the Reuters, a software malfunction was the main reason behind all of the delays at the New York's John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport.

The software problem in turn paralysed the conveyer belt that is meant for sorting out the checked baggage. American Airlines tried its level best to sort out the issue. In this regard, the airport even took the help of ground staff to sort out the checked bags manually. Eventually, this resulted in a remarkable slowing down of the entire process.

With most American flights facing a delay of about an hour and a half, there were notably no cancellations whatsoever. The passengers making their way to the JFK Airport are advised to check the schedules for the flight departures online well in advance to ensure that they are aware of delays that might be lengthier.

In a recent announcement that was enthusiastically welcomed, Etihad Airways has confirmed that it has decided to increase the frequency of its connecting UK services to Melbourne.

With effect from March 2009, the Abu Dhabi-based airline is to commence offering daily services from London Heathrow and Manchester airports through its base located in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Already the carrier is offering about 17 flights in a week from Heathrow and seven flights from Manchester. However, with effect from next spring, the airline's timetable will be updated to provide daily connections to the Australian city.

A recent news published in the Telegraph observes that Emirates Airlines has decided to operate five Airbus A380 superjumbos into London Heathrow Airport on a daily basis.
 
According to a statement made by the Dubai-based carrier, the airline has decided to use the largest passenger airliner on the globe on all its slots into the global hub. The airline has further insisted that it will have little difficulty in filling the extra 550 seats.

Most notably, Emirates took the delivery of its first A380 from Hamburg during this week. The delivery followed a delay of 18 months. There are also outstanding orders for a further 57 numbers of the giant aircraft.

Featuring a multiple-class configuration, the A380 is well capable of transporting not less than 525 passengers. The capacity of the aircraft means that about 2,600 travellers can fly out of Heathrow with the services of the carrier on every single day of the week.

According to a recent report, the obvious solution to the congestion problem at the gateway is said to be developing a third runway at the London Heathrow Airport. The study was earlier commissioned by the City of London Authority, which deemed that significant environmental costs fail to outweigh the benefits bestowed by of extra capacity.

The report also totally dismissed any alternative proposals that are in place for the expansion at London Stansted Airport or even for a new airport at the Thames Estuary. Without a second thought, the report did acknowledge that there are bound to be discernible "local environmental impacts." However, the researchers invariably labelled Heathrow as the "obvious preferred candidate" for any capacity enlargement, when compared to any of the other options available at present.

The researchers cautioned that failing to expand could result in jeopardising the status of the capital as a global financial hub. They pointed out to the fact that already several executives have been voicing their discontent over the issue of delays at the Heathrow terminal.

In a recent significant move, Lords have sanctioned the permission for a £16 billion railway link connecting Canary Wharf and London Heathrow Airport.

Most notably, the connection that has been proposed now will form part of the most welcomed Crossrail project. Notably, this is one of the largest development projects in the transport sector of London during the past 50 years.

On its completion, the present proposal is expected to significantly ease the congestion on the tube network in addition to the dampening calls for more services at the London City Airport, which is situated very close to Canary Wharf.