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Birmingham base for new upmarket charter operation

 CELLO Aviation is the name of a new upmarket large executive jet operation based at Birmingham Airport.  Initially the airline will offer a 46-seat Avro ABJ (BAe 146-200), with about half the number of seats offered in a normal airline service.  Cello says Birmingham has been chosen for the base due to its central location.  The company expects that most of its business will come from sports teams, the entertainment industry and corporate hospitality.  The aircraft has enough range to cover most destinations across Europe.  The BAe/Avro 146 series has an exceptional short field performance as well as a low noise footprint enabling it to access environmentally-sensitive airports.

[Source: Air and Business Travel News]

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Emirates Goes On Safari at Birmingham

04.06.10

Emirates Airline is highlighting the wide range of destinations it offers from Birmingham Airport with the launch of eye-catching designs on the airport’s monorail system.
 
The airline, which flies twice daily from Birmingham to Dubai, has applied designs to the Air-Rail Link carriages with icons relating to the regions it flies to.
 
For the first six months, one of the trains is emblazoned with a Chinese ceremonial dragon onboard, while another will look as though African safari animals such as a lion, monkeys and zebras, are inside. After six months the 'train wrap' designs will be changed to highlight the airline's routes to Australia and the Far East.
 
Conrad Clifford, Emirates' Vice President UK & Ireland, said: "Whilst many people know we fly from Birmingham to Dubai, fewer are aware of the incredible range of onward destinations that we offer.
 
"With around a million travellers using the Air-Rail Link trains every year, it's the ideal place to highlight the breadth of our global network."
 
Emirates serves 19 destinations in Africa including three 2010 FIFA World Cup cities - Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban. In China, the airline offers a choice of services to Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong. Emirates' six Australasian destinations are Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, Auckland and Christchurch, whilst the airline serves 12 cities in the Far East including Tokyo to where it commenced services on 28th March. 
 
The Birmingham Air-Rail Link trains run every two minutes between Birmingham International Airport’s passenger terminals and the airport rail station, Birmingham International, with a connecting walkway to the NEC.

[Source: Birmingham Airport]

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Birmingham gets new luxury charter airline

02.06.10

A new VIP charter airline has launched from Birmingham airport, creating 20 jobs in the process.

Cello Aviation, based at Birmingham’s Elmdon Terminal, is operating a bespoke-fitted Avro ABJ with 46 first-class seats – half the number usually fitted in the aircraft in its scheduled configuration. Its flying range will allow it to cover destinations across Europe.

Potential business users have been getting a close-up look at the Cello Aviation operation in a series of familiarisation days over the last week.

Tony Farmer, Cello’s marketing and sales manager, said: “Customer groups including sports teams, entertainment groups, luxury weddings and product launch customers are targeted to use the specialist aircraft. 

“Enquiries to date have exceeded all expectations, with Premier League football teams as well as German and French car companies planned to be some of the first users of the aircraft in June.”

Joe Kelly, Birmingham airport’s deputy chief executive, said: “We look forward to working with the team over the coming months. This exciting new operator is a great addition to the airport’s product portfolio and we look forward to the success of the airline here at Birmingham.”

Cello is owned by the Gill group, a Birmingham-based civil engineering group specialising in airfield runway and apron civil engineering work.

[Source: Travel Trade Gazette]

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New Shannon Service Announced

01.06.10

Aer Arann and Aer Lingus have announced a new direct service to Shannon from Birmingham in phase two of the airlines franchise agreement

From July 1st, Aer Lingus Regional, operated by Aer Arann, will provide direct flights to Shannon from Birmingham six days per week with fares starting at £39.99 one way including taxes. Flights can be booked on www.aerlingus.com and are on sale from Wednesday 2nd June.

This latest announcement has been welcomed in both the Midwest of Ireland and Birmingham with the new service adding even more direct links between Ireland and Britain. Aer Arann also operates a direct service from Birmingham to Waterford in the south east of Ireland under its own operation. 

Announcing the new routes in Shannon Airport today, Aer Arann Chief Executive Paul Schütz said “We are delighted to launch the second phase of our franchise operations with Aer Lingus, including a direct link from Birmingham to the Midwest of Ireland. We are providing a unique product that combines the best of both Aer Arann and Aer Lingus and offers both business and leisure passengers a quality service with excellent frequency”.
 
Also commenting on the announcement, Stephen Kavanagh, Chief Commercial Officer at Aer Lingus said “Aer Lingus Regional services have enjoyed strong support from customers in the short time since its launch. Aer Lingus welcomes the introduction of these additional services to Shannon and wishes Aer Arann continued success."

Joe Kelly, the Airport’s Deputy CEO said, “There’s a strong Irish market in the Midlands and the Shannon service will be particularly popular with leisure travellers. We’re delighted that Aer Arann will be operating the new route on behalf of Aer Lingus. Alongside Aer Arann’s Waterford service the carrier offers real choice to passengers travelling to Ireland.”

Under the franchise agreement between the two airlines Aer Lingus Regional flights are operated by Aer Arann using its own ATR 72-500 aircraft and crew.  All franchise flights are sold and distributed through www.aerlingus.com. Aer Arann assumes full operational and commercial responsibility for the services covered by the franchise agreement with Aer Lingus receiving a franchise fee.

[Source: Birmingham Airport]

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Birmingham Airport launches new website

29.05.10

Birmingham Airport has launched a 'fresh new website', which forms the core and first phase of its new digital marketing strategy, combining social media, customer relationship marketing and mobile applications.

The new site was developed by Bristol based specialist digital marketing agency 3Sixty, and features a 'more modern, informal and customer-friendly design'. It is part of the airports campaign to position itself as a global hub for travellers and to provide information to customers through all channels.

The airport hopes the new-look will drive more visitors to the site when looking for ideas, advice or information before, during and after their journey. Joe Kelly, Deputy CEO of Birmingham Airport, comments: ‘We’re really delighted with our fresh new website, which will give us the platform to embark on many interesting and exciting digital campaigns in the future.'

The new layout also makes it easier for to search and pay for flights and organise car parking prior to travelling

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Airport Economic Regulation Bill

25.0510

Attached is a DfT briefing on this Bill which was announced in the Queens Speech on 25th May 2010

[Source: Department for Transport]

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Suspension of Planned Spanair Services

17.05.10

While we are disappointed with Spanair’s decision to suspend their planned services to Barcelona and Madrid, we are mindful of the tough economic conditions affecting the industry and the need for airlines to review their operations accordingly.

We still believe that these two routes are attractive to Midlands’ travellers and as we continue to talk to a range of carriers, we are hopeful that alternative airlines will decide to tap-into that vast potential.  Madrid, in particular, is an under-served destination for local passengers with no direct service south of Liverpool or north of the Watford Gap.

Just this week Birmingham’s importance as a national strategic asset has been recognised by the new government, with plans for Heathrow’s third runway being cancelled and a realisation that Birmingham can offer part of the solution to the over-crowded south-east. Allied with our plans for a runway extension, which will open up a host of new markets, continues to make Birmingham Airport an attractive proposition for airlines.

[Source: Birmingham Airport]

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Birmingham Airport boss reveals runway ‘plan B’

15.05.10

A ‘Cunning Plan B’ to build the runway extension at Birmingham International Airport for virtually half the published £120 million cost of the project has been drawn up, the Post reports. Airport chief executive Paul Kehoe said a new phased scheme would deliver 95 percent of the original anticipated capacity at a much lower cost.

The revised runway scheme is being mooted just six months after Mr Kehoe said the business case for a £120 million runway extension was ‘marginal at best’ and could rack up big cash losses. He told the newspaper: ‘We need to find 400 metres of concrete. The scheme costs £120 million but the company is struggling to find the cash to build that.'

‘We have a cunning plan, Plan B – we can build the runway in phases and, by losing 50 to 60 metres, we can build it at half the price. We would save half the costs and, when it is up and running, we can finish the job. It would be £65 million for phase one.’

He said the new phased plan was achievable by removing 50 metres of the project earmarked for a tunnel facility as part of an ‘overrun’ area, adding: ‘The Board has to make a decision from a financial point of view – we still have to move the A45. We have planning permission for seven years and we have to exercise that permission within seven years.'

‘We are now the only airport in the UK with significant planning permission. This puts us in a great position. We are only operating at 40 per cent of our capacity, with nine million passengers a year. All the ingredients are there so has Birmingham’s time come?’

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Terminals merger for Birmingham Airport after passenger fall

20.01.10

Birmingham Airport has announced plans to merge its two terminals, after passenger numbers fell by more than five percent last year, the Post reports. The airport will invest �13m in the redesign in a bid to improve its passenger flows and operational efficiency as well as create a larger centralised passenger security search area, an enlarged arrivals point, plus improved shopping and catering offer in both landside and airside areas.

Paul Kehoe, the airport’s CEO, said:’ These changes will enable us to come out of the current down-turn in a stronger position to attract new customers and showcase Birmingham Airport as the region’s global gateway; not only to the Midlands but also the wider catchment and show that it’s a viable alternative to London and Manchester.’

On the passenger numbers - which saw a drop of 5.5 percent, Mr Kehoe said the decline was a trend seen across the industry. He said: ‘2009 was a challenging year for the industry and we’re expecting another difficult year ahead, with consumer confidence still at a low.’

Some 7,025,369 people used scheduled flights in 2009, 77.1 percent of the total figure. The top 3 scheduled destinations were Dublin, Dubai and Amsterdam. Charter traffic accounted for 22.9 percent of the total figure with 2,083,820 people using these services last year. The top 3 charter destinations were Palma, Dalaman and Tenerife.

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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October Passenger Figures

18.11.09

During October, Birmingham International Airport handled 796,014 travellers through its two terminals, including 607,462 scheduled passengers and 188,552 charter passengers.

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s Chief Executive Officer, commented: “All indications are that the winter season will be particularly tough for the aviation industry, despite the talk of green shoots of recovery. October’s 5.8% downturn is likely to set the pattern going forward and we are constantly seeing airlines re-focusing their operations to the routes which are the most successful. As such, the Airport has been working hard to cut its cloth accordingly.

“While it might be a case of riding out the storm until the spring at least, we are confident that we have the infrastructure in place to take advantage of the upturn in business when it comes. I’ve stated before that no one can say definitively what the future will bring, but the Airport team will continue to work hard to ensure we are well positioned to help drive the economic fortunes of the Region.” 

During October significant growth was achieved on scheduled flights to destinations such as Krakow (+282.2%), Bologna (+234.3%), Londonderry (+190.1%), Arrecife (+109.5%), Larnaca (+92.4%), Prague (+46.3%), Hamburg (+44%), Jersey (+34.2%), Marseille (+33.8%), Tenerife (+27.2%), Hanover (+24.1%), Alicante (+22.2%), Malaga (+21%), Bratislava (+17.7%), Mahon (+15.7%), Gerona (+14.1%), Rzeszow (+11.3%), Biarritz (+11.3%) and Dubai (+9.7%).

Charter traffic which experienced growth included Dominican Republic (+551.1%), Egypt (+66.5%), Turkey (+35.2%) and Mexico (+5%).

Scheduled traffic accounted for 76.3% of the total passenger traffic in October whilst charter passengers made up the remaining 23.7%.

[Source: Birmingham International Airport]

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Follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bhx_official

30.10.09

Birmingham Airport has joined the world of Twitter! Follow us to get the latest news, views and offers from the Midlands’ busiest Airport www.twitter.com/bhx_official

[Source: Birmingham International Airport]

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HRH Duke of Kent Officially Opens International Pier

23.10.09

To mark the completion of Birmingham International Airport’s £50m International Pier, HRH The Duke of Kent unveiled a commemorative plaque and was given a photograph of his Mother, Princess Marina Duchess of Kent, who opened the Airport’s original terminal, Elmdon, back in 1939. 

His Royal Highness, said: “I’ve never seen this picture before. The Pier is very impressive and I wish the Airport the greatest of success in the future.”

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.

It is a three storey construction, 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.
 
Before departing on a jet from the new International Pier, HRH The Duke of Kent was introduced to children from Marston Green Junior School in Birmingham, who created a Time Capsule containing objects reflecting life in 2009 and artwork of what life might be like in another 70 years. The time capsule will be opened again in 2079.

[Source: Birmingham International Airport]

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Birmingham Airport is Awarded the 'Carbon Trust Standard'

22 September 2009

Birmingham Airport has been awarded the Carbon Trust Standard in recognition of its achievement in reducing carbon based emissions by 4% over a three year period from April 2006. This has been achieved against a background of increasing passenger growth and expansion in airport facilities.

The Carbon Trust Standard is the world’s first carbon award that requires an organisation to measure, manage and reduce its carbon footprint and actually make real reductions year-on-year. Unlike other award schemes, organisations are rewarded for actions they have taken to cut carbon across their own operations.

Despite the considerable growth in passengers and expansion at the Airport over the last few years, the reduction in carbon has still been achieved through investing in new technologies, changing procedures and improving staff awareness, which has led to positive changes in behaviour.

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, said, “We know that businesses are responsible for around half of the UK’s carbon consumption, and although we’re by no means the largest consumer, our monthly electricity usage is equivalent to that of the annual consumption of over 700 homes. We’re therefore delighted to have achieved the Carbon Trust Standard, which is a great way of showing that we are moving in the right direction.

“In the current economic climate it’s essential that we remain competitive, and the Carbon Trust Standard is another way we can stay ahead of the game and communicate our environmental credentials to those that matter. We have already cut our carbon emissions by 4% as part of the initiative and I believe it will give us the drive to work even harder and achieve greater reductions in future.”
 
Harry Morrison, General Manager of the Carbon Trust Standard, commented, “Being certified with the Carbon Trust Standard is proof an organisation has taken genuine action to reduce their direct impact on climate change by cutting carbon emissions. We congratulate Birmingham Airport on this achievement.

"Both businesses and consumers share a desire for one, credible way to prove an organisation has not only measured, but actually reduced their carbon emissions year-on-year without the use of offsetting. The Carbon Trust Standard provides this credibility and we encourage more organisations to follow Birmingham Airport in making this commitment."

Birmingham Airport is amongst just 125 other companies and only the second UK Airport to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard.

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Emirates plan Birmingham Airport lounge

13th September 2009

Emirates has announced the construction of a new premium passenger lounge at Birmingham Airport. The announcement was made when the middle eastern airline flew a giant Airbus A380 superjumbo in to the airport to help mark its 70th anniversary celebrations.

The Dubai-based carrier's Airbus A380 was the star attraction at Birmingham Airport's 70th celebrations. Seventy years after Birmingham Airport's first passengers departed in an 8-seat de Havilland Dragon Rapide aircraft, the airport hosted the largest passenger aircraft ever built.

During the anniversary event, Emirates announced plans to construct a 7,000 sq .ft. lounge. It will be the biggest lounge offered by a long-haul airline at the airport.

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Birmingham Welcome World's Largest Airliner

10 September 2009

To commemorate Birmingham Airport's 70th Anniversary, Emirates flew its Airbus A380 - the world's largest airliner - into Birmingham on its lunchtime service from Dubai on 9th September, 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 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

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Birmingham Airport to open terminal development

24.08.09

A new 45 million terminal development at Birmingham Airport that could allow it to double the number of passengers will be unveiled next month. The International Pier is the biggest single investment the airport has made in 20 years.

The extension of Terminal One means more space for aircraft and new gate lounges for passengers as the airport prepares for longer-term projects such as a new runway. It will enable passenger capacity to double to 20 million from its current figure of 9.2 million. The opening comes after airport bosses revealed they are looking to knock the two terminals into one and attract larger shops to the complex.

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Birmingham Airport wants high speed train links

22.08.09

Birmingham Airport has begun a campaign to press for high-speed trains to serve the airport and NEC. At present the Government is considering plans on how to implement a new, faster route between London and the West Midlands. The airport has written to its business partners urging them to champion the benefits of a stop at Birmingham International.

Both the borough’s MPs, Caroline Spelman and Lorely Burt, have joined calls for Birmingham Airport to be included in the proposals. But in a letter to airport stakeholders, John Morris, the airport’s head of corporate affairs, warned that there was no guarantee that the station would be served. The letter calls on businesses to write to the chief executive of High Speed Two - the company which will carry out an inquiry into the rail plans.

[Source: News @ UK Airports]

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Airport Asks for Views on Noise

01 July 2009

A 16 week consultation was launched on 1st July 2009 by Birmingham International Airport to seek the views of the local community and industry partners about its draft ‘Noise Action Plan’ to help the Airport to manage noise issues arising from aircraft operations. 

The strategy includes three key themes: Measure, Mitigate and Engage, and adopts the best practicable means to assess, manage and where possible, minimise the impact of aircraft noise, both now and in the future.

It includes a set of ‘noise actions’, which have been based upon extensive noise programmes already in place at the Airport. These actions show the Airport’s commitment to continue developing noise management programmes and mitigate the noise impact on the local community.

Paul Kehoe, the Airport’s CEO, said, “We have long recognised that noise is an often unwanted consequence of our operations so over the years we have made significant investments towards mitigation to reduce our impact on local people; and we’ve been ahead of the game in many cases. 

“More than 12 million has been invested in insulating 7000 properties close to the Airport since 1978 through our Sound Insulation Scheme, and we were one of the first airports in the world to use a noise and track keeping system to monitor our noise performance using permanently located noise monitors in the local community. 

“We also have one of the most onerous Night Flying Policies to limit the number of night flights and penalise those airlines that exceed our noise limits, and more recently we launched Continuous Descent Approaches through our highly successful Operation Pathfinder programme, which was set up to improve track-keeping and minimise noise “

The Public Consultation ends on 21st October. Following the Public Consultation, the Airport will review the responses and release its final Noise Action Plan, which is hoped to be launched in early 2010. The Draft Noise Action Plan can be downloaded from the Airport’s website at www.bhx.co.uk and responses submitted via our Consultation Response Form. 

The Airport would also like to invite people to visit its Airport’s Environment Team at local community venues, where they’ll have the opportunity to discuss the Draft Noise Action Plan. These events will take place on the following dates:-

For more information, please email: enviro@bhx.co.uk or call the Environmental Helpline on 0121 767 7433

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Birmingham Airport Celebrates 25th Anniversary at Current Site

05 June 2009

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, 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 and included 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.”

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Aer Lingus celebrates 60 years at Birmingham Airport

12.05.09

Aer Lingus is celebrating 60 years of flying between Dublin and Birmingham Airport. On May 2 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.

From June to September 1950 the schedule was increased from week-days to twice daily. Today Aer Lingus operates four flights daily between Dublin, Cork and Birmingham using a A320 aircraft with a capacity of 174. Aer Lingus Corporate Affairs Director, Enda Corneille, said: 'We are very proud of our long standing association with our colleagues at Birmingham and we look forward to the next 60 years flying.'

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Birmingham Airport introduce continual descent landings to cut emissions

12.05.09

Birmingham Airport today announced new measures to encourage airlines to operate fuel-saving continual descent approaches (CDAs). The airport said that following a successful trial period, it is to introduce more gradual descents for all operators using the airport from this month and will provide an annual award to the airline that is most successful at keeping to the new routes.

A spokeswoman for the airport said that the change had been welcomed by the airlines and is expected to deliver significant cuts in emissions, while also reducing noise levels for local residents. She said: ‘The approaches require the aircraft to use less thrust, so they are quieter and more fuel efficient.'

According to studies, CDAs cut CO2 emissions by between 160kg and 470kg per flight, while reducing noise levels around an airport by between one and five decibels. The practice is becoming increasingly popular as airlines seek to reduce both fuel use and carbon emissions.

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Government backs Birmingham Airport runway extension

08.05.09

Plans to extend the runway of Birmingham Airport to accommodate long-haul flights have been backed by the Government. The Secretary of State has decided not to call in Solihull council’s decision to grant planning permission for the scheme. This means that, subject to the signing of legal agreements with the airport, the plans have received the full go ahead.

Solihull council granted planning permission for the extension of the runway last month, after Birmingham Airport resubmitted its Section 106 agreement, which explained how it plans to counteract noise pollution and to protect the environment. Councillors had already approved the 400-metre extension in December subject to the amended guarantees that were made by the airport.

A Birmingham Airport spokeswoman said: ‘The decision by the Secretary of State, not to ‘call-in’ the planning application, is an important milestone in providing an extension to the airport’s runway. We now look forward to progressing the project.’

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Birmingham Airport expansion given go-ahead

30.03.09

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Birmingham Airport monorail plan

24.01.09

Plans for a £280 million monorail service capable of taking passengers from New Street Station to Birmingham Airport in 16 minutes are being developed as an answer to the city’s reputation for traffic chaos, the Post reports. 35,000 people an hour could travel at peak times in electric-powered carriages suspended on concrete stanchions above main roads, according to a development company set up by business leaders.

A study conducted by international engineering consultants Arup and train construction company Metrail AG says a monorail would be far more environmentally friendly than trams or trains and could become an ‘iconic tourist attraction’ for Birmingham. The proposal is being put forward by Birmingham Business Focus (BBF), a lobbying group representing leading firms across the city. A new company – Greater Birmingham Monorail – has been set up to promote the project.

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New Chief Executive Officer

04.07.08

Paul Kehoe has been appointed as the new Chief Executive Officer at Birmingham International Airport.

Paul Kehoe was previously Managing Director at London Luton and Belfast International Airports during his eight years with the Airport Group, TBI. He is currently Chief Executive at Bristol Airport. He joins the Airport's management team in October 2008.

For more information please click here

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