Global ground handler, Swissport, has signed a three-year contract with IAG to provide services to its airlines serving Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BER). The new additions – British Airways, Iberia and Vueling – means that Swissport now provides ground handling services to 17 airlines at Germany’s new €6 billion capital city airport. A British Airways […]
Virgin Atlantic has celebrated International Women’s day by naming one of its planes ‘Lady Emmeline’ after Emmeline Pankhurst, the founder of the Suffragette movement and women’s rights activist. As the leader of the WSPU, Pankhurst’s political campaigning was instrumental in securing women in the UK the right to vote at the turn of the last […]
It is not going to be popular, but London’s Gatwick Airport is to go ahead with its decision to introduce a £5 charge for vehicles dropping off passengers directly outside its North Terminal. The UK gateway will introduce the charge from Monday, March 8, and describes it as “a new revenue stream to help protect […]
Tomorrow’s airports will need to be cleaner, quieter, and less reliant on ground-based infrastructure. Clare Williams Fannin spoke to Duncan Walker of Skyports to find out how the use of electric air-taxis can help them achieve these objectives. There can be little doubt that a journey to and from an airport can be challenging. Road […]
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) today welcomed the return of Emirates with the arrival of their first non-stop flight from Dubai in 11 months. The largest airline in the Middle East plans to operate four non-stop flights per week, using Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. Dubai based Emirates suspended operations at SFO on March 29, 2020, due […]
Pre-departure rapid testing that delivers results within 15 minutes is being trialled at Edinburgh Airport as part of recovery planning for aviation in Scotland. The week-long trial started today and uses tests that only require a saliva sample, meaning no nasal swab and a more positive testing experience. PocDoc and BioSure are running the trial, […]
ACI World today revealed the results of its annual Airport Service Quality (ASQ) customer excellence survey, with 33 airports picking up ‘hygiene’ awards in the programme which was modified for 2020 to take into account the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the airport industry’s response to it. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, […]
Gatwick Airport’s CEO, Stewart Wingate, today reiterated his confidence in the airport’s ability to bounce back from the toughest year in its history and experience international passenger growth again from the summer. Wingate says: “It will come as no surprise that, like any other international airport, the negative impact of COVID-19 resulted in a financial […]
Cork Airport has welcomed the news that Lufthansa is to commence a twice-weekly Cork-Frankfurt service for Summer 2021, connecting the two cities for the first time in eighteen years. Lufthansa (operated by Lufthansa CityLine) will operate a Bombardier CRJ-900 aircraft with 75 seats on board – 15 Business Class and 60 Economy Class – offering […]
Autonomous vehicle specialist, Aurrigo, has launched the world’s first automated baggage dolly to the market after a successful trial at London Heathrow two years ago. The company was approached by International Airlines Group (IAG) to use its driverless expertise to develop the world’s first autonomous baggage carrying dolly. The trial (pictured above) started in March […]
Oslo Airport has welcomed a new electrically operated de-icing unit, the Vestergaard Elephant e-BETA, for the final few weeks of winter. In a first of its kind trial in Europe, the airport believes that the Menzies Aviation operated vehicle will improve the performance of its aircraft de-icing operation and lower its carbon footprint. Indeed, initial tests […]
The COVID-19 pandemic refocused IT spending priorities for airlines and airports in 2020 as their revenues plunged and the industry faced new health and operational requirements needed to keep flying, according to SITA. Among the key findings from SITA’s 2020 Air Transport IT Insights, published today, was an accelerated investment in automated passenger processing focusing on […]