Birmingham Airport News

Birmingham Welcome World's Largest Airliner

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:00:00 +0000

To commemorate Birmingham Airport's 70th Anniversary,

Emirates flew its Airbus A380 - the world's largest airliner -

into Birmingham on its luchtime service from Dubai on

9th September 2009, marking the first ever A380 flight to

land at a UK regional Airport.

.
On arrival, the aircraft parked on the Airport's new £50m

"International Pier" on Terminal One and was welcomed by

500 guests from the travel industry, the Midlands' business

community and media.

.
More than 20 vintage aircraft in memory of the early days at

"Elmdon", the Airport’s original 1930s terminal, made a special

appearance and parked at the original site.
.

Opening just 14 months after the construction began, the new

International Pier is the single biggest investment that the

Airport has made in over 20 years and provides a state-of-the

-art extension, replacing the former out-dated facility

constructed in 1984 when the current passenger site was

opened after moving from Elmdon.
.

The three storey construction is 240 metres long and 24 metres

wide and is in keeping with the bright and modern architecture

seen throughout the airport. It provides air-bridged aircraft

parking for seven wide-bodied aircraft and has enough space to

serve 13 smaller aircraft at any given time. Departing passengers

are accommodated on the top level and arriving passengers on

the middle level. Airlines and handling agents are housed on the

ground floor.

Paul Kehoe, the Airport’s CEO, said, “Our new International

Pier provides a high quality gateway into the Midlands and is

key as we prepare to double our passenger numbers to 18 million

in the next 10 years and meet our aspirations to improve global

connectivity from the Midlands.

.
"As demonstrated with the Airbus A380, the Pier is capable

of accommodating the largest of today’s "next generation"

environmentally-efficient aircraft, such as the Airbus A380,

Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’, as well as the aircraft

types we see at Birmingham today like the Airbus A330,

Boeing 747 and 777.

.
“Together with the future runway extension, we’ll have the

infrastructure and facilities to attract new airlines and increase

our regional market by offering new direct long haul destinations

to all corners of the globe, providing a truly International airport

for the region.”

The main sponsors of the 9th September event were Advantage

West Midlands, the Regional Development Agency, and

Laing O’Rourke Construction North Ltd, the main construction

company for the International Pier.

Nigel Russell, Head of Tourism and Culture for Advantage West

Midlands, said: “First impressions often make lasting

impressions and our support for today’s event marks the start

of a closer working relationship with BIA to ensure the

West Midlands region is recognised as the Heart of England

- a global centre where people and businesses choose to connect."

Tony Douglas, COO at Laing O’Rourke, said, “I’m delighted that

Laing O’Rourke has played a significant part in today’s

celebrations and proud that our team’s air sector expertise

has successfully delivered an exceptional building for

Birmingham International Airport. The new Pier will play its

part in the Airport’s future ambitions as an International

airport and I hope that our working partnership continues

in the realisation of future plans.”

The airport would like to also thank all the other partners

that supported the event and made it such a historic occasion.

Second Airbus A380 to visit BHX in September!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Airbus have announced that an company Airbus A380 F-WWOW
will be making an approach and go around fly through at Bimingham
on Saturday 5 September 2009 as part of a UK tour on that date!!
.
The aircraft is provisionally scheduled to visit at BHX at 1540!!
.
This visit is in addition to the planned visit by an Emirates A380
on Wednesday 9 September 2009 - for more information see -
.
http://bhxflightguide-news.blogspot.com/2009/07/emirates-airbus-a380-to-operate.html
.
Airbus A380 returning for a UK visit 5 September 2009
.
The world’s largest commercial airliner, the 525-seat Airbus A380, is returning
to the UK for a brief flying visit on September 5. The iconic aircraft will make its
first-ever visits to Scotland and Northern Ireland, and brief appearances over
England and Wales, during its time here.
.
The A380 is scheduled to first perform approach-and-go fly-throughs at the
airports in the capital city of Edinburgh and Prestwick, Scotland; followed by
a flying display at the Northern Ireland International Airshow at Portrush,
and a fly-through at Belfast City Airport in Northern Ireland. It will also fly
over Airbus’ facility in Broughton, North Wales, where Airbus employees will
be celebrating the company’s founding 40 years ago, and over Birmingham
International Airport in England.
.
Tom Willliams, Airbus Executive Vice President of Programmes said: “We
are proud to welcome the A380 back to the UK, and that it will be visiting
Scotland and Northern Ireland for the first time. This visit demonstrates
what Airbus and its UK partners do together—design and build great aircraft.”
.
Birmingham-born Jeremy Cieslik, Vice President and Plant Manager for Airbus
in the UK Industrial Operations, is proud to welcome the A380 to his hometown:
“I hope the people of Birmingham are as proud as I am of the A380. It is the
flagship of the 21st century and sets new standards in eco-efficient aviation. And
every one of them is flying with wings designed and manufactured in the UK.”
.
The aircraft will also be visiting Edinburgh (1340),
Prestwick (1400), Port Rush for the

Northern Ireland International Air Show (1420),
Belfast City (1440) and Broughton (1508)

before return to Toulouse via Birmingham (1540)

Hellenic Imperial operate inaugural Boeing 747 scheduled service to Athens and onto Jeddah

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 22:00:00 +0000

Captain Angelis and the Hellenic Imperial crew on arrival

Hellenic Imperial Airways operated their inaugural Boeing 747 service
between Birmingham and Athens, with onward connections to Jeddah

in Saudi Arabia, on Saturday 25 July 2009

Before departing the crew celebrate their first visit to BHX!
.

The Greek scheduled airline is operating a Boeing 747-200 aircraft
with 8 Business Class and 450 Economy seats seats on the route.

.
From 10 August 2009 flights will arrive into Birmingham at 17:00
on Monday's, departing back to Athens and Jeddah at 22:00 on
Tuesday evenings

Return flights start from £199 (plus taxes) to Athens and £399
(plus taxes) to Jeddah. Tickets can be booked through
www.hellenicairways.com or by calling Hellenic Imperial
on 0121-635 5796

Hellenic Imperial to launch weekly Boeing 747 from BHX to Athens and onto Jeddah

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 12:00:00 +0000

Hellenic Imperial Airways will be launching a new weekly service

between Birmingham and Athens, with onward connections to

Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, on Saturday 25 July 2009

The Greek scheduled airline will operate a Boeing 747-200 aircraft

with 450 seats. It will arrive into Birmingham on Saturday at 20:00

and depart back to Athens and Jeddah at 22:00

From 10 August 2009 flights will arrive into Birmingham at 17:00

on Monday's, departing back to Athens and Jeddah at 22:00 on

Tuesday evening

.
The Chairman of Hellenic Imperial Airways, Talal Abureyal, said

“Birmingham is our first UK airport and we are very excited about

launching services in the Midlands. Athens, which is our HQ, is not

currently served from Birmingham so we expect that our flights

will be welcomed by those travelling for business and leisure, in

particular those visiting friends and relatives.”
.

Marc Watkins, Birmingham Airport’s Market Development

Manager – Aviation, said, “We welcome this development,

particularly in today’s challenging economic climate. There is a

market for Athens in the Midlands and the convenient schedule

will suit those flying on business and leisure to both Greece and

the Middle East. We urge those who would normally travel to

other UK airports outside the region to now choose Hellenic

from Birmingham to support this new venture.”
.

Theo Silvestros, Commercial Manager, Hellenic Imperial Airways

said “As the principal gateway to Mecca, the Jeddah flights to be

used by many Pilgrims wanting to access Islam's holiest city, and

with such competitive prices Midlands people will be able to start

this important journey from their doorstep.”
.
Return flights start from £199 (plus taxes) to Athens and £399

(plus taxes) to Jeddah. Tickets can be booked through

www.hellenicairways.com or by calling Hellenic Imperial

on 0121-635 5796

Hellenic Imperial schedule to BHX -
.

Saturday 25 July 2009 only
.

Arrive 2000 HT 269 from Athens Depart 2200 HT 270 to Athens/Jeddah

Weekly from Monday 10 August 2009

Arrive Monday 1700 HT 269 from Athens and Jeddah

Depart Tuesday 2200 HT 270 to Athens and Jeddah

Airport Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Current Site‏

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Long-serving Airport staff (left to right) John Aitken, Don Jaggs,

Pete Sheppard, Paul MacDonald, Pete Turton, James Jackson,

Neil Streeter, Pat McBride and Bob Spittle

It may have been the year when Torvill and Dean skated into

the record books and Duran Duran were rocking the charts, but

closer to home 1984 was also the year when Birmingham Airport

was put firmly on the map, with the official opening of its "new"

£29m terminal, a milestone celebrated on May 30th.
.
The project was completed 12 weeks ahead of schedule and put

Birmingham in the vanguard of airport development, with one

of the most modern terminal facilities to be found anywhere in

Europe.
.
Opening to the public on April 4th 1984, the new terminal was

officially opened on May 30th by Her Majesty the Queen,

accompanied by His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh,

and comprised of what is now Terminal 1 as well as new

taxiways and related infrastructure. This included the

construction of car parks and improved commuter links,

a stark contrast to the original Elmdon site which had

served Birmingham so well since 1939.
.
By 1984 the Airport had grown to handle just over 1.7 million

passengers annually, while 25 years later the Midlands’

gateway to the world edges ever closer to the 10 million

mark, as local travellers continue to make Birmingham their

airport of choice.
.
To mark the occasion a number of employees who have

worked at the Airport since before the move to the current

site met up to share their memories of the last quarter of a

century, a time which has seen much change, not just at

Birmingham but across the aviation industry as a whole.
.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer,

said, “It is poignant that at a time when we are focusing on

the future, with planning permission secured for a runway

extension, that we should also be looking back to the opening

of the Airport’s current site. It certainly doesn’t seem 25 years

since the Airport unveiled its new terminal and it has seen

plenty of changes throughout the years!
.
“This year also marks the Airport’s 70th anniversary and

the opening of our new £40 million International Pier, so it

certainly promises to be a busy 12 months, which will see a

number of milestones marked. Hopefully people will look

back in another 25 years and recognise 2009 as a historic

year in the development of the Airport.”

Birmingham Airport launches a quieter approach to the Airport‏ at 2008 Pathfinder awards

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:00:00 +0000

John Morris, Head of Corporate and Community Affairs, Birmingham Airport

and Caroline Spelman MP celebrate with the winners

Caroline Spelman, Conservative MP for Meriden, has helped

Birmingham International Airport and NATS launch a new

scheme - Continual Decent Approaches - to further reduce the

noise of aircraft operations.
.
The basic principle of a Continual Decent Approach (CDA) is that

arriving aircraft stay higher for longer, by descending at a

continuous rate. This technique uses significantly less engine thrust

which makes life quieter for communities around the airport. Less

thrust means less fuel burn – and that’s good news for the

environment too, as it also means fewer carbon emissions.
.
Continual Decent Approaches (CDAs), will be introduced at

Birmingham from May, following the successful completion of

a trial, driven by NATS. Throughout the trial, the Air Traffic

Controllers at NATS have worked with airlines to change the

way that arriving aircraft approach the airport. Their hard work

has already led to an improvement in CDAs from 50% to 90%.
.
Caroline Spelman launched this new initiative at the annual

"Operation Pathfinder" Awards at the Airport, which are now in

their third year. The awards were inspired by Mrs Spelman,

following her regular meetings with the Airport on behalf of her

constituents.
.
The awards encourage a more open dialogue between the Airport

and its airlines, ensuring that everyone has a part to play in

maintaining defined routes, and reducing nuisance to neighbours.

Regular ‘Operation Pathfinder’ meetings take place, with more

airlines having joined the scheme in the last year. This year’s

awards were presented to Swiss International Airlines, Ryanair,

Monarch Airlines and Brussels Airlines.
.
Caroline Spelman said: “It is great to be at the Airport for two

celebrations today. This third anniversary of Operation Pathfinder

is testament to the hard work that the Airport’s Environment Team

and the airlines have undertaken to ensure that residents are not

subjected to unnecessary noise from low flying aircraft. Over the

three years, it has been encouraging to see that airlines realise the

impact that their aircraft can have over populated areas, and they

are keen to improve. I would like to congratulate the airlines,

NATS and the Airport for their continued work on this project and

the successful partnership that they have developed through

Operation Pathfinder.
.
“Additionally, the implementation of Continual Decent Approach

means that residents will be subjected to less noise from arriving

aircraft which is good news for everyone and something that I am

pleased Birmingham Airport has launched as an initiative, as it

demonstrates the company’s commitment to its environmental

promises.”
.
John Morris, Head of Corporate and Community Affairs for the

Airport, said: “As many residents are aware, the Airport constantly

strives to be a good neighbour and we often can’t achieve our goals

alone. We are delighted that so many airlines have continued to

take part in the Operation Pathfinder initiative and with the on

track results improving since last year, from 97.79% to 98.37% this

year, it shows how Birmingham Airport is aware of its close

connections with the community, and in working with the airlines

we hope that this can continue.
.
“It is not generally known that the ‘footprint’ for noise disturbance

at Birmingham has been reduced by about three quarters over the

last twenty years or so, and that far fewer people are affected by

us than used to be the case”.
.
BIA’s noise and track-keeping monitoring system, ANOMS 8, has

provided the Airport Company with the information for these

awards to take place. ANOMS 8 is an aircraft track-keeping and

noise monitoring system to assist in noise exceedences, off-track

departures, as well as providing detailed maps and sound recordings.

It also offers an advanced database to help the Airport’s

Environment Team monitor and investigate community enquiries,

thus enhancing the Airport’s ability to communicate more

effectively with its neighbours.
.
The awards for best practise track-keeping in 2008 -

.
· Swiss International Air Lines: Special Award – improved from 84.1% to 95.4%
· Ryanair: Best track-keeping in category (>200 ATMs)
· Monarch Airlines: Best track-keeping in category (>100 ATMs)
· Brussels Airlines: Best track-keeping in category (>50 ATMs)
.
The following airlines were given awards for participating

in the Operation Pathfinder meetings and providing

invaluable feedback:

Flybe, BMI Baby, Thomsonfly, Thomas Cook Airlines

The following airlines were given certificates for achieving

a 95% target of "on-track" departures in 2008:

Ryanair, Aer Lingus, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, bmibaby,

Monarch Airlines, Thomsonfly, Emirates, Eastern Airways,

Brussels Airlines, Thomas Cook, Lufthansa, Flybe, Air Malta,

City Airline, Air India, Continental Airlines,

Swiss International Air Lines, Brit Air, Loganair

Aer Lingus celebrates 60 years of flying to Birmingham

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Sat, 02 May 2009 07:30:00 +0000

The Douglas DC-3 aircraft which operated the first Aer Lingus flight to Birmingham

Photo: Will Blunt, Global Air Image Photo Archive

Today Aer Lingus celebrates 60 years of flying between Dublin and

Birmingham. On Monday May 2nd 1949, a Douglas DC–3 aircraft with

26 seats and bearing the name “St Declan” left Dublin airport bound

for Elmdon Airport, Birmingham.
.
Fares at the time were £6-0-0 single, £10-16-0 return and £9-0-0

excursion return. In 1949, the Dublin to Birmingham service operated

on week-days (in those days defined as daily except Sunday). It

carried in excess of 10,000 passengers in its first year of service.
.
“This is an important day in the history of Aer Lingus and our

evolution from a single week-day flight with a capacity for 26

passengers in 1949, to today where four A320 aircraft with a

capacity of 174 seats take to the skies four times daily. We are very

proud of our long standing association with our colleagues at

Birmingham and we look forward to the next 60 years flying,”

said Aer Lingus Corporate Affairs Director, Enda Corneille.
.
Commenting on the occasion Paul Kehoe, Birmingham International

Airport's CEO, said, "2009 is a very special year as not only is it 60

years since Aer Lingus started its operations from Birmingham, it's

also 70 years since the Airport opened its doors and 25 years of

operating from the current site. We are therefore delighted to be

sending our congratulations to the airline that has had the longest

continuous standing relationship with Birmingham Airport and we

look forward to working with the team for many more years."
.
Aer Lingus has a long history of flying to the UK, Birmingham was

the fifth destination in Britain to be served by Aer Lingus, the other

cities included London, Liverpool, Manchester and Glasgow.
.

Aer Lingus currently serve Dublin 3 times daily Cork 4 times a week

www.aerlingus.com

Akal Air to launch new service to Amritsar

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 21:00:00 +0000

A new twice weekly flight will start on Saturday 4th April 2009,

from Birmingham to the northern India city of Amritsar. The

flight will operate by brand new airlines, Akal Air, which will

operate a 228-seater Boeing 757-200, departing Birmingham

on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 18.30.
.

The flight is exciting news for the large Asian community in the

Midlands, as Daljit Singh Birring, Managing Director of Akal Air,

explains: “Birmingham is the perfect base for Akal Air. Access to

Amritsar is of huge importance to the large Punjabi and Sikh

population of the Midlands taking the pilgrimage to the Golden

Temple and visiting family and friends, as well as for business

people trading with India’s emerging and developing economy.”
.

The move comes at a tough time for the airline industry – but

the private investors behind Akal Air believe they can exploit a

gap in the market by targeting a destination which is currently

poorly served by others out of Birmingham International Airport.
.

Mr Birring said he was confident that there was a large potential

market in the Midlands despite the current economic climate. He

said: “We recognise that we are bucking the trend by launching a

new service at a time when others struggle, but the difference

between our offering compared to others is that we provide a

complete service to high and exacting standards, at a rate which

is value for money.

.
“We will provide a quality service with in-flight entertainment

system on board and a non-transfer flight for our passengers,

giving Akal Air a unique position in the market.”

.
The new service has been welcomed by the region’s business

community. Jerry Blackett, chief executive of the Birmingham

Chamber of Commerce, said: “Flights to Amritsar are a high

priority for Birmingham and the West Midlands. We are delighted

that the plans for these links are being reinstated.”
.

Akal Air flights will be operated by Gadair European Airlines

and will make a short non-transfer stop in Vienna before flying

on direct to Amritsar.

For more information see www.akalair.com

bmibaby adds summer flights from Birmingham

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:00:00 +0000

In response to consumer demand, bmibaby has announced extra

flights from the Midlands to the Mediterranean this summer. The

low cost airline has increased capacity on its popular sunshine

routes from Birmingham to Murcia, Faro, Malaga and Alicante.

.
In total bmibaby will add 24 extra flights a week to and from these

destinations over the peak summer months. The additional capacity

will mean that bmibaby is now the largest provider of flights from

the region to the Mediterranean this summer.
.

Crawford Rix, managing director, bmibaby, said:

.
"We are seeing strong demand from passengers for flights from

the Midlands to typical summer sun destinations. As a result we

are adding in extra capacity from Birmingham to Murcia, Faro,

Malaga and Alicante."
.

"The 24 additional weekly flights will allow us to carry an extra

1600 passengers from the Midlands to popular sun destinations

every week. The extra capacity will also make bmibaby the

largest low cost carrier flying from the Midlands to the

Mediterranean, and our great low fares mean that people can

still afford to get away for a holiday this year.”
.
Peter Vella, Business Development Director, Birmingham

International Airport said:
.

“These extra flights are fantastic news for our passengers and

shows that people are not willing to give up their well earned

break in the summer, despite the current economic situation.

bmibaby are a great Midlands airline and have obviously

reacted to local demand to serve local needs.”
.

bmibaby recently launched new routes from Birmingham

International Airport to Newquay.

Centre Avia Yak 42 to bring Moscow CSKA to BHX for UEFA Cup tie against Aston Villa

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 11:00:00 +0000

A Centre Avia Yak 42 will be bringing CSKA Moscow for their

UEFA Cup tie against Aston Villa on Wednesday 18 February 2009

.
The aircraft is currently planned to arrive on Friday 13 February

2009 and stay over until after the match - provisional timings are -

FRIDAY 13 FEBRUARY 2009

Arrive as the CVC9623 from Moscow Domodedovo at 1230

WEDNESDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2009

Depart as the CVC9624 to Moscow Domodedovo at 2330

All times/dates subject to change!!

A Centre Avia Yakk 42 visited BHX in February 2008 - see -

http://bhxflightguide.blogspot.com/search/label/Type%20-%20YK2

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 06:00:00 +0000

Now on line at -

.http://bhx2008-baeg.blogspot.com/.

bmi regional to operate Aberdeen - BHX

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 12:10:00 +0000

bmi regional, Britain's most punctual airline, has announced it
will operate services between Birmingham and Aberdeen from
29 March 2009. The full service airline will schedule three times
daily flights and offer more frequency on the route than any
other airline, with flights on sale now from flybmi.com.
.
bmibaby will continue to operate the daily flight from Birmingham
to Aberdeen until 27 March 2009, when bmi regional will begin to
operate the route in order to meet the demand from customers for
a higher frequency service.
.
The new schedule offered by bmi will give business and leisure
travellers maximum flexibility and choice with a number of day
return options. Additional benefits for business travellers flying
with bmi include Diamond Club, the UK's most generous frequent
flyer programme, which offers exclusive lounge access and
additional baggage allowance.
.
Peter Kenworthy, commercial director of bmi regional said: "This
is bmi regional's first route from Birmingham and we are delighted
to be operating year round services between Birmingham and
Aberdeen. The increased schedule reinforces our commitment to
key business routes within the UK and we recognise the need for
a more for a more frequent schedule and we expect the route to
be popular with both business and leisure travellers. The new
service will also provide connectivity at Aberdeen to bmi and
Star Alliance flights to Scandinavia."
.
Bookings can be made now at www.flybmi.com or by
calling 0870 60 70 555
.
Schedule:
Aberdeen to Birmingham
0700 – 0820 Mon - Fri
1410 – 1530 Mon – Fri
1815 – 1930 Mon – Fri
1445 – 1600 Sun
.
Birmingham to Aberdeen
0850 – 1005 Mon – Fri
1600 – 1715 Mon – Fri
1955 – 2110 Mon – Fri
1630 – 1745 Sun

New International Pier starts to take shape

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 15:37:00 +0000

The last piece of steel frame for the main building of the

International Pier Project was installed at Birmingham

Airport today.

The building is being constructed to provide the Airport

with state-of-the-art facilities to handle increasing demand,

and to meet the Airport’s exciting aspirations to improve

global connectivity from the Midlands.
.

The construction of the International Pier, which started

in June this year at a cost of £45m, is the single biggest

investment the Airport has made in over 20 years, and

will replace the current out-dated facility constructed in

1984 on Terminal One.
.

The building will provide enhanced air-bridged aircraft

parking for seven wide-bodied next generation

environmentally-efficient aircraft such as the Airbus

A350 or the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’, as well as the

larger aircraft types we already see at Birmingham

today like the Airbus A330 and Boeing 747 and 777.

The flexible parking arrangement can also provide more

space for up to 13 short-haul jets at any given time.

Will Heynes, the Airport’s Operations Director, who fixed the

last bolt in the final piece of steel frame, said, “Today signifies

the completion of the main steel structure and we can really

see the Pier taking shape. This building will play an important

part in our strategy for long-haul carriers and will help us meet

our aspirations to provide world-wide services from the

Midlands. It will be an essential piece of Airport infrastructure

should we get final approval for our runway extension in the

New Year.”
.

Construction of the three storey building which is 240 metres

long and 24 metres wide, is being carried out by Laing O’Rourke

Construction Limited. Colin Potts, the Project Leader for Laing

O’Rourke, “We are delighted to be undertaking the construction

of the New International Pier and to continue our long standing

association with Birmingham Airport which began nearly

30 years ago.”
.

Passengers will depart from the lounge on the top floor of the

building. On the second floor arriving passengers will be speedily

channelled through to Immigration and Customs facilities. The

second floor will also provide space for a new Executive Lounge

for Emirates Airlines. Meanwhile, the ground floor will also

provide office accommodation for airline and handling agents.
.

The Pier will also provide vertical segregation to separate

inbound and outbound passenger traffic, in line with national

security requirements. New gate lounges for passengers will

also be created.
.

The building has been designed to encompass the latest

building regulations and meets the latest environmental

standards and performances for buildings of this type. The

project team have established a collaborative working

environment to plan the works in detail using process

mapping, 3D modelling and well monitored performance

measures to ensure that all the stakeholders deliver on

programme.

.
The Project Manager on the construction is Mace Limited,

the Architect is Pascall & Watson, and the Structural,

Civil and Fire Engineering is by Buro Happold. Mechanical

and Electrical design is by Hulley and Kirkwood, the CDM

Coordinator is Mace Sustain and the Cost Management

Consultant is Faithful and Gould.

A view of the full length of the new Internation Pier

New Turkish Airlines service takes off!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 22:00:00 +0000

Birmingham International Airport has today celebrated the

Inaugural Turkish Airlines service to Istanbul. The flight will

operate five times a week from Birmingham and provides

Midlanders with the opportunity to fly from their local airport

direct to Istanbul for the first time.

The Inaugural flight, which left Birmingham at 1130 with 167

passengers on board, offers 140 worldwide onward connections

from Istanbul to major business and leisure centres, including

Bangkok, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Delhi, Bombay and

Singapore. The arrival of Turkish Airlines at Birmingham adds

a further 20 new destinations to the airport’s global connections

which has now reached 422 direct and one stop destinations.
.
Joining the celebrations at today’s Inaugural launch, Paul Kehoe,

Chief Executive Officer of Birmingham International Airport, said:
.
“We are delighted to welcome the national flag carrier of Turkey

to Birmingham and proud to have such a well established carrier

in our growing schedule. It is excellent news for the region as it

now provides even more connections throughout Turkey, the

Middle East and Asia from the Midlands.
.
“Turkish Airlines is joining Birmingham at an exciting time and

demonstrates that the airport, as well as the region, is becoming

a more attractive option for new airlines. We look forward to

working with the Turkish Airways team and making the route

a success.”
.
Flights on Mondays and Thursday will arrive in Birmingham

at 1030 hours and depart to Istanbul at 1130 hours. The

remaining flights, on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, will

arrive in Birmingham at 1215 hours and depart at 1315 hours.

The timings are to allow the shortest possible connection times

to the banks of worldwide departures from Turkish Airlines’

Istanbul hub.

Candan Karlitekin, Chairman of Turkish Airlines, Paul Kehoe, CEO of

Birmingham International Airport, Captain Koksal Koktuna, Turkish

Airlines and the Mayor of Solihull, Councillor David Bell celebrate the

inaugural Turkish Airlines’ service
.

The event attracted massive media coverage!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:40:00 +0000

For the latest news on the Runway Extension
planning application see -

http://rx-at-bhx-baeg.blogspot.com/

Monday 15 December 2008 is decision day for BHX's proposed Runway Extension!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:32:00 +0000

Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council have now confirmed

that BHX's Planning Application for the proposed Runway

extension will be considered at its planning committee

meeting on Monday 15 December 2008....

.... the Council Planning Officers are recommending that

Solihull Council approve - subject to conditions - the

Planning Application

For more information on the proposed Runway Extension

see - http://rx-at-bhx-baeg.blogspot.com/

December schedule changes

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 20:53:00 +0000

The start of December 2008 sees a number of schedule changes at BHX -
.
+ City Airline - has now suspended their morning service from
Gothenburg - it is currently planned to resume at the start of
the summer 2009 schedules
.
+ Eurowings/Lufthansa have reverted to a CR2 operation on
their 4 times daily service from Dusseldorf - it is currently planned
to revert back to a CR7 in early January 2009 - TBC!
.
+ Lufthansa will be making regular use of CR9's on their Munich

service in the run up to Christmas
.
Later in the month sees the return of easyJet and the start of the
new Turkish Airlines service to Istanbul - more information
on these and other schedule changes over Christmas and the
New Year in due course

bmibaby restructure BHX based operation for Summer 2009 - and drop 9 routes

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:17:00 +0000

bmibaby have announced that they are restructuring their BHX
operation from the start of the summer 2009 schedules
.
Previously operated seasonal routes to Bordeaux, Jersey, Krakow,
Lisbon, Madrid, Marseille, Milan Bergamo and Rome Fiumicino and
Warsaw will not be operated this year
.
As a result of these changes the bmibaby BHX based fleet for
summer 2009 will now be 5 Boeing 737 aircraft compared with
the 8 operated from BHX during 2008

October 2008 passenger figures

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Birmingham International Airport handled 844,315 passengers during

October, including 635,138 scheduled passengers and 209,177

charter passengers spread across the two passenger terminals;

a decrease of 0.7% over the previous year.

Despite passenger numbers remaining broadly flat month -on-month,

this was a far better outcome than experienced at most other UK

airports in October. Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport's

Chief Executive Officer, explains:

"This year has been an exciting one for Birmingham Airport with a

host of new airline announcements and a growing network of routes.

With passenger numbers within 0.7% of the same month last year,

October shows that we are not immune to the current economic

slowdown and that the coming year will be a challenging one".

.
"The UK recessional pressures have clearly exerted an affect on

the Airport but with the latest statistics indicating an average fall

in passenger numbers across all UK airports of around 6% last

month, Birmingham continues to perform well."

.
Despite the overall reduction, growth was achieved on flights to

the EU (+9.9%) and non-EU (+2.7%), while the Irish Republic

saw an increase of 15.4% with Ryanair, among others,

performing particularly strongly.

.
Scheduled routes that experienced growth included:
Bratislava (+141.1%), Inverness (+54.9%), Larnaca (+44.6%),

Dundee (+25%), Milan (+20.1%), Düsseldorf (+18.2%),

Waterford (+12.9%), Dubai (+9.4%), Hanover (+9.3%),

Stuttgart (+7.9%), Faro (+6.1%), Amsterdam (+5.9%),

Paris (+3.3%), Zurich (+3.2%), Isle of Man (+2.5%),

Alicante (+2.5%), Tenerife (+2.4%), Mahon (+2.2%)

and Palma (+1.6%).

.
Charter traffic which experienced growth included:

Egypt (+19.3%), Tunisia (+17.2%), Bulgaria (+3.2%),

Italy (+0.7%) and Morocco (+0.6%).

.
Scheduled traffic accounted for 75.2% of the total

passenger traffic in October whilst charter passengers

made up the remaining 24.8%.

BAEG Autumn Forum and BAESS briefing

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 19:56:00 +0000

The Airport Company hosted the local aviation enthusiasts

BAEG Autumn Forum and BAESS Briefing at BHX

on Monday 10 November 2008

The Forum was opened by Inspector Williams of the Airport Police
Unit who reviewed the success of BAESS - the Birmingham Aviation
Enthusiasts Security Scheme - and the important role it played in
helping Police the airport.

A team of his Officers then covered various issues in more detail.

Joe Kelly, Director of the Airport Company, then joined the Forum
to review developments at the Airport since his last update back in
January 2008 - topics covered included the Runway extension
planning application, the new Ryanair new base, the impact of
the recession, business aviation facilities on the Elmdon site,
and viewing facilities for enthusiasts.

For a more detailed review please see -

http://baeg.blogspot.com/2008/11/baeg-autumn-forum-and-baess-briefing.html

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

BAESS is a joint initiative of the West Midlands Police based at Birmingham

International Airport and the Birmingham Aviation Enthusiasts Group

and is sponsored by Birmingham International Airport Limited

It has the following aims:

+ The use of enthusiasts' knowledge of the aviation environment and their

observation skills to report any suspicious activity

+ To promote responsible behaviour amongst enthusiasts, discouraging

the small minority that cause damage, obstructions etc

+ To promote greater understanding of the enthusiast's cause and

consultation on enthusiasts' issues with both the West Midlands Police

and the Airport Company

An ID badge is issued (free of charge) to all members of the "'BAESS" +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Birmingham Airport helps Gossey Lane School take to the skies to Lithuania!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:50:00 +0000

One delighted student from Gossey Lane School will be taking to
the skies to visit the beautiful country of Lithuania, with the help
of Birmingham International Airport.
.
10 year old Jessica Rodrigues, from Kitts Green, and her class have
been working with the Airport and the Consul of Lithuania, Keith
Stokes-Smith, to learn all about Lithuania. Mr Stokes-Smith, who
is the Honorary Consul in Worcestershire and the West Midlands,
visited Gossey Lane School to talk to the pupils about Lithuania,
before setting them the task of producing a piece of creative writing
about the country. As an incentive, they were promised that the
pupil who produced the best piece of work would win flights for their
family to the new Ryanair destination of Kaunas and £250 towards
accommodation.
.
The children were allowed to research the country on the internet
but had to base their writing on Mr Stokes-Smith’s talk. The children
chose to tackle the challenge in a variety of ways, ranging from one
who imagined being a tour guide to another who created a world of
Secret Agents!
.
Peter Vella, Business Development Director commented:
“The standard of writing was excellent and it was very hard to pick
a winner out of the 14 entries that we read. In the end, we chose
Jessica’s piece as she imagined herself in the role of a journalist and
produced a very cleverly written piece based around Keith’s talk.
We have close links with Gossey Lane, which is one of our closest
schools. Once again, it’s been a pleasure to work alongside its
delightful children and dedicated staff.”
.
Emma Brown, Head Teacher of Gossey Lane said: “I was so
pleased when the Airport contacted me with their idea of a
Lithuania talk. At the time I did not know much about the
country, but we all now have a better feel for the place. All the
students worked really hard on their pieces but unfortunately
there could only be one winner. Jessica’s entry showed how
much she had taken on board about the country and she
presented the information in an excellent style.”
.
Jessica and her family will be jetting off from Birmingham on
Ryanair’s new Kaunas route to experience this fantastic country.
.
Kaunas is one of 15 new routes that Ryanair have launched for
their winter programme from Birmingham Airport. The other
routes are: Malaga, Alicante, Murcia, Palma, Katowice, Krakow,
Frankfurt (Hahn), Fuerteventura, Prague, Szczecin, Derry,
Düsseldorf (Weeze), Kaunas and Bologna.

Winter schedule changes at BHX!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 09:58:00 +0000

Ryanair will be basing two more Boeing 737-800 at

BHX from the start of their winter schedules
.

The start of the winter 2008 schedules tomorrow, Sunday 26 October

2008, sees a number changes at BHX in the coming months -

Air India - service now suspended until summer 2009

with Toronto flights routing via Heathrow for the winter

Air Slovakia - weekly service to Amritsar via Bratislava

resumed for the winter

easyJet - service suspended until the start of the skiing season

when both Geneva and Grenoble return

Lufthansa - CR7's continue to be used on Dusseldorf service but

should in future be an Eurowings aircraft

Monarch Scheduled - an Airbus A320 is back for the winter

in addition to the based Airbus A321's

PIA - service is reduced to three per week during Hajj season

but Boeing 777-300's will operate on Tuesday and Thursday with

the fourth weekly service planned to resume on 17 January 2009

Ryanair - two further Boeing 737-800's from based from next

week - total now 4 aircraft - and lots more new routes!!

SAS - Canadair CRJ 900's to be introduced onto evening service

to Copenhagen from 15 January 2009

Swiss - Fokker 100's replace the Swiss AR1's on lunchtime

service so all BHX flights now operated by Helvetic

Turkish - start 5 times weekly Airbus 320/Boeing 737-800

service to Istanbul on 15 December 2008

Please note all schedules subject to change!

.
Coming in May 2009 - new US Airways service to Philadelphia!!

Work will continue apace on the new "International Pier"

during the winter months

US Airways to Philadelphia!!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 15:10:00 +0000

Birmingham International Airport is celebrating the news

that US Airways, the fifth largest US airline, will start flights

to Philadelphia from Wednesday 13 May 2009. The

new service will operate daily until the end of September,

offering onward flights throughout the US including

Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,

Orlando, Miami, San Francisco and Tampa.
.
Peter Vella, Birmingham Airport’s Business Development

Director said, “US Airways is one of North America’s

premier airlines. Commencing new daily services to and

from Birmingham is a fantastic development because it will

give more options for linking destinations across the USA to

the Midlands for business and leisure, potentially leading to

more trade links and tourism. US Airways’ Philadelphia hub

offers Midlanders a vast list of onward flights throughout

Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the USA. The

significance of this new service cannot be underestimated ”
.
Flights will operate daily, arriving into Birmingham at 06:25.

The service will then depart at 08:45, arriving in Philadelphia

at 11:50.
.
Suzanne Boda, Senior Vice President, East Coast, International

and Cargo Operations of US Airways said, “In addition to

approximately 3,700 US Airways, US Airways Shuttle and

US Airways Express flights per day, US Airways also offers

some 17,000 daily flights to nearly 900 destinations in 160

countries worldwide as a member of the Star Alliance

network. We are delighted to bring this portfolio to the people

of the Midlands and offer a new destination to Birmingham’s

growing network from 2009.”
.
Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council, commented:

"This great news for the whole West Midlands region and

demonstrates Birmingham's ever growing status as a major

international hub for business, travel and tourism. "Alongside

the emerging markets of China and India, the US possesses

one of the primary economies with which globally relevant

cities such as Birmingham must increasingly trade and

interact. Only by first establishing world-class transport

links of this nature can we start to build the necessary

relationships with major overseas economies which

ultimately serve as the catalyst for inward investment,

job creation and local prosperity."
.
Operating a 757-200 aircraft, US Airways will offer a

mixed cabin of 164 Economy seats and 12 business class

seats through its Envoy product which offers passengers

the following service:
.

Wider seats that recline up to 160 degrees for a truly

relaxing flight. Four-way adjustable headrest and lumbar

support;
.

Amenity kit;
.

Individual, on-demand entertainment units featuring a wide

selection of movies, television and audio programming;
.

In-seat laptop power outlet (adapter free);
.

Dedicated check-in counters, priority boarding and baggage

handling;
.

Complimentary day of departure invitation to US Airways

Clubs, the Business Lounge at Birmingham Airport and the

dedicated Envoy Lounge in Philadelphia.
.

Passengers interested in booking on US Airways should visit

www.usairways.co.uk or call 0845 6003300 to make a reservation.

Bookings can be made after the 25th October 2008

Bulgaria Air to operate charter for Litex Lovech

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 21:37:00 +0000

Bulgaria Air will be operating a Boeing 737-300 charter

flight to BHX next Wednesday bringing Litex Lovech to

Birmingham for their UEFA Cup match against Aston Villa.

The aircraft should stay over at BHX until after the match

on Thursday evening - please see below for full details

WEDNESDAY 1 OCTOBER 2008

1130/ N/S FB6961 733 from Sofia

THURSDAY 2 OCTOBER 2008

N/S /2300 FB6962 733 to Sofia
.

Schedules subject to change!

"Bilga Air"/Monarch cancel Amritsar programme!

noreply@blogger.com (Gordon Stretch) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:10:00 +0000

.
It comes as a great disappointment that Bilga Air has decided

not to start operations from Birmingham to India following the

recent announcement.

.
We understand that this reflects an internal decision by Bilga Air

and in the current financial situation the company has reviewed

its plans.
.

The Airport continues to talk to other carries about filling this

market but stresses that the following flights are still available

from Birmingham to India:

.
• Air France via Paris to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore

and Chennai

• Brussels Airlines/Jet Airways via Brussels to Delhi,

Mumbai and Chennai

• Emirates via Dubai to Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad,

Bangalore, Kozhikode, Cochin, Hyderabad, Kolkata,

Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram

• KLM via Schipol to Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad

• Lufthansa via Frankfurt and Munich to Delhi, Mumbai,

Bangalore, Cochin, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad and Pune

• SAS via Copenhagen to Delhi

• Swiss via Zurich to Delhi and Mumbai

.
• Turkmenistan via to Amritsar and Delhi

All passengers who have booked with Bilga Air will be given

a full refund and should contact the operator directly