Gulf Air's new winter timetable is introduced this week and the Bahrain airline says it is boosting Bahrain's credentials as the fastest hub in the region with reduced business travel time and immediate connectivity to key destinations.
British Airway took a bold stand in late September, introducing a new premier business product targeting an exclusive group of passengers willing to pay top fares for all-business-class service between New York JFK and London City Airport, which serves the Canary Wharf financial district and east London. The twice-daily service is operated on new A318s with a range of 3,200 nm. and configured with just 32 lie-flat sleeper seats.
FAA denied an application from the Glendale-Burbank-Pasadena Airport Authority to institute a nighttime curfew on air traffic at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank. The authority had sought permanently to ban operations from 10 p.m. to 6:59 a.m. local time. Airlines currently observe a voluntary curfew during those times, according to the Los Angeles Times.
A coalition of US aviation and education officials is urging members of Congress to support extension of the Alternative Minimum Tax exemption for private activity bonds and allowing full refinancing of current debt. The coalition includes ACI-NA, American Assn. of Port Authorities and the Education Finance Council.
The strategy of Fraport AG to accommodate more widebody aircraft in order to increase airport volume and extend intercontinental traffic could put additional pressure on regional aircraft operators.
UK airports operator BAA completed an agreement to sell its 100% interest in London Gatwick to a group controlled by Global Infrastructure Partners for £1.51 billion ($2.48 billion), of which £55 million is conditional on future traffic performance and the buyer's future capital structure. GIP, which was founded jointly by Credit Suisse and GE, owns 75% of London City. "We wish Gatwick well for the future and are confident that the airport will flourish under new ownership," BAA CEO Colin Matthews said, adding, "BAA will focus on improving Heathrow and our other airports."
World airport traffic rose 1.6% to 261.95 million arriving and departing passengers in September compared to September 2008, according Airport Council International's PaxFlash traffic report. Domestic airport traffic climbed 4.4% to 136.69 million while international passengers dipped 1.1% to 123.31 million.
A recent study concluded what officials at Halifax Stanfield International already knew: The airport is proving to be a powerful engine that is driving the economy along the Atlantic Canada region.
Airports have a new tool that will give them access to and the ability to share successful programs and trends in airport sustainability, thanks to a new database launched by ACI-NA. "Airports across the country and around the world have undertaken or are in the process of implementing innovative sustainability programs to improve efficiency in aviation, but until today there has been no central repository of this important information," said ACI-NA President Greg Principato when he unveiled the database on Oct. 12 at the annual ACI Annual Conference and Exhibition in Austin, Tex.
Ryanair will launch service from Bordeaux to Brussels South Charleroi (thrice-weekly on Dec. 17) and plans to serve Edinburgh, Bologna (each four-times-weekly) and Porto (thrice-weekly) beginning next March. JetBlue Airways announced a 30% increase in Boston service by next summer, when it will offer 78 daily flights to 33 destinations.
