Airports & Networks

Vladivostok Air is to open new links to South East Asia from Russia’s Far East. Following a number of exploratory meetings with representatives of

Loganair is to introduce its first domestic and international flights from the Irish city of Donegal after being selected by the Irish Department of

Dutch freight carrier Martinair Cargo has become the first major overseas company to inaugurate scheduled services to Al Maktoum International Airport

Aeromexico will this month increase the frequency of its flights between Mexico City and Santiago de Chile. The airline currently serves the route

Middle Eastern carrier Bahrain Air has confirmed that it will resume flights between Bahrain and the Nepalese capital Kathmandu later this month. The

Contracts and Services Airport News

A TAV Airports-led consortium won the tender to build a new terminal at Medinah Airport in Saudi Arabia. The terminal would double the airport's yearly passenger capacity to 8 million. The consortium also won the right to operate the airport for 25 years. TAV said it achieved the highest technical points at the tender and submitted the best financial offer.

China Southern Airlines (CZ) signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Dalian Airport (DLC) as part of a plan to enhance its position in the Dalian market in northeastern China and compete with Air China (CA).

The Israeli government confirmed it will build a new international airport in Timna to replace existing airports in Ovda (VDA) and Eilat (ETH). Presently, ETH handles mostly domestic flights owing to runway length limitations while most international flights operate from/to VDA, which is located about 40 miles (60 km) north of Eilat.

New US Dept. of Transportation (DOT) regulations aimed at providing "protections" for airline passengers went into effect last month, imposing a 4-hr. tarmac delay limit on international flights at US airports.

Flughafen Wien Group, operator of Vienna International Airport (VIE), reported a €43.3 million ($61.2 million) net profit for the 2011 first-half, up from the €38.1 million it earned in the year-ago period, and a 25.5% heightening of EBIT to €66 million. EBIT margin was 23.6%, an improvement of 3.2 points on the 20.8% operating margin achieved in the year-ago period. Revenue rose 10.7% to €280.3 millionowing to traffic growth and the introduction of a new security charge.

The US Congress returned to Washington this week from its August recess with FAA reauthorization a priority issue to be addressed.

Seven consortia have confirmed their interest in the privatization of Spain's two largest airports, Madrid Barajas (MAD) and Barcelona El Prat (BCN), the country's airport operating authority Aena Aeropuertos said Monday. Five consortia submitted pre-qualification documents for both airports, while a group led by Grupo San Jose is bidding only for MAD and a group led by Abertis Airports is bidding solely for BCN.

The relationship between airports and the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA), established in November 2001 in response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, has been rocky at times, especially in the agency's earliest years. TSA was initially "faced with just a tremendous number of mandates and very, very short time frames" to implement those mandates, Airports Council International-North America VP-security and facilitation Christopher Bidwell told ATW during a recent interview discussing TSA's first decade and the state of airport security.

SkyWork Airlines launched Bern service to Rome Fiumicino (5X-weekly) and Vienna (6X-weekly). Ryanair will cease Dublin service to Kerry and Cork on Sept. 7 and Oct. 30, respectively. Eastern Airways will increase 11X weekly Bristol service to Aberdeen and Leeds Bradford to 16X weekly Oct. 3. Virgin America will launch 5X weekly San Francisco-Puerto Vallarta service Dec. 2.

Air Arabia has announced a new route to Yanbu in Saudi Arabia from the carrier's primary hub in Sharjah UAE.

United Arab Emirates (UAE) low-cost carrier Air Arabia is to further expand its network coverage in Saudi Arabia with a new three times weekly

Thai Airways International is to introduce a Boeing 777-300ER on its daily link between Bangkok and Munich from December 1. The Asian carrier

UK low-fare carrier Flybe yesterday (September 5) launched flights between Inverness and Amsterdam, marking the resumption of a regular service to one

US carrier Delta Air Lines is to resume flights to the Japanese city of Fukuoka following a ten year hiatus. The airline is to add a seasonal link

Hawaiian Airlines is to launch year-round services between Maui’s Kahului Airport and Oakland International from January 12, 2012 adding to the

Dubai Airports has cemented its commitment to improving passengers' overall airport experience with the appointment of Amor Group to implement a comprehensive service delivery measurement programme. The largest project of its kind to be undertaken by an airport operator, it will deliver intelligent, real-time information to drive better service delivery for passengers.

As anticipated, Strategic Airlines has announced that it will reposition its brand in the market as it prepares to launch long-haul flights before the

Irish budget carrier Ryanair has witnessed “greater than anticipated” sales for the new flights it will introduce from Manchester Airport later this

Estonian Air will introduce the first international scheduled link into Jyväskylä, the capital of Central Finland and the largest city on the Finnish