News updates from around the UK

Exeter Airport to get more Egypt flights

Following excellent sales in the first ever season of flights from Exeter to Sharm el-Sheikh this winter, Thomson and First Choice have announced that the route will operate again for the winter 2011/12, and they will be adding a weekly second flight from November 2011 until the end of April 2012.

Jamie Christon, Managing Director of Exeter Airport, said: ‘This is great news. We are only part way through the first season of flights to Egypt and already Thomson has acknowledged its success by doubling capacity for next year. This means that more of our customers are able to travel further afield from their local airport.’


Complaints after military planes diverted to East Midlands Airport

Military aircraft have been diverted to East Midlands Airport during the recent snow and ice problems. This has resulted in noise complaints from local residents.

A spokesperson for the airport said that the military had to divert some of their aircraft (VC10's and DC10's) to East Midlands from snowbound military airfields. The airport has subsequently received noise complaints regarding these flights. She said that the aircraft may continue to be diverted to East Midlands Airport over the next few days due to the current adverse weather conditions.


Bristol Airport gains new Turkey flights

From summer 2011 holidaymakers will be able to fly from Bristol Airport to Bodrum in Turkey with SunWings. The holiday specialist will operate a weekly flight on the route from May to October.

A spokesman for Bristol Airport said: ‘Turkey is a very popular destination, and the SunWings flight makes more seats available for holidaymakers looking to fly there from their local airport. It is great to see an established operator making a strong commitment to serve the South West.'


Finnair consider Edinburgh – Helsinki flights

Finnair is closely evaluating the idea of relaunching flights from Edinburgh to Helsinki, ABTN reports. It says if the route is launched, traffic between Helsinki and Edinburgh is unlikely to be be the first priority, as Finnair wants to increase the use of Helsinki as a hub airport for onward connections to Asian destinations.

Edinburgh is the financial capital of Scotland, and a link between Asian financial hubs such as Singapore, Tokyo and Beijing would be welcome, ABTN suggests.

Jarko Konttinen, Finnair’s VP global brand and marketing communications, said the airline used to serve Edinburgh from Helsinki, and is currently looking at expansion in the UK, adding: 'We are serving London with four daily flights and Manchester with two flights – so far so good. But, if there is a business opportunity to add, for example, a destination in the UK, of course we are looking into that as well.’


Gatwick boss opposed to new airport regulation

Non-BAA owned airports want lighter regulation from the Government following the snow that brought chaos to many travellers before Christmas. Responding in the Times to a suggestion that the poor performance of some airports, in particular Heathrow, should prompt greater regulatory powers, a Gatwick spokesman said: ‘In a competitive marketplace where Gatwick is working closely with its airlines and partners to drive higher service standards we expect less regulation – not more.'

‘The real answer is not more bureaucracy and regulation. It is to break BAA up and introduce more competition and, in the longer term, build more capacity for greater resilience and to further enhance competition.’

A spokesman for Manchester Airport also questioned the need for general regulation on the basis of two London airports - Gatwick struggled during the first snow and ice, Heathrow during the second period - failing to cope with the recent wintry weather. Current rules do not allow airports to be fined for long delays caused by weather.


100,000 fly out from Manchester for New Year

Thousands of people are jetting abroad to celebrate the New Year away from the cold and gloom at home, with more than 100,000 passengers set to pass through Manchester Airport, making the exodus even bigger than last year’s ‘great escape’. The airport expects to enjoy its busiest New Year since 2006 – when passenger numbers were at their peak.

An airport spokesman said the winter break was traditionally one of the first victims of the recession, but booking figures – particularly for ski resorts – showed that the economy was recovering. Early snow in Europe has also meant that the ski season has got off to a flying start. Families are also heading abroad in search of warmer temperatures after the coldest December in years.
Some of the most popular destinations include hot spots Egypt and Dubai. Long-haul routes are also popular, with thousands heading to Las Vegas and New York – but those heading for the east coast of the United States are being warned that blizzards have been sweeping the area.