The media this week mainly focused on the developments of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant. With that there were various reports about Tokyo’s International airport (IATA: NRT) becoming overwhelmed with people wanting to leave the country. Also we heard of several airlines (e.g. Lufthansa and Air China) stopping services to the country’s busiest hub altogether and of the opposite where airlines increased their capacities to fly their people out (e.g. Air India). But there even was “Japan nuclear” news from well outside Japan: On Thursday the Chicago Tribune reported that passengers on a flight from Tokyo had set off radiation detectors at O’Hare International Airport (IATA: ORD).

Better news came from Spain as we heard that the threats of strike actions were called off as reported by the Telegraph. We also learned that Hungary’s Budapest Airport (IATA: BUD) gets a new terminal. How nice! And finally, something for the environmentally interested travellers among you, Eurocontrol said this week that they implemented the first phase of a direct route network resulting in, well, more direct flights allowing airlines to cut carbon emissions.

But we wouldn’t want to let you go into the new week without the news of a change in the ranking of the world’s busiest airports as the “Airports Council International” reported the “Preliminary World Airport Traffic 2010” this week. In there they said that Atlanta (IATA: ATL) still remains the world’s busiest airport, but is now followed by Beijing (IATA: PEK) and Chicago’s O’Hare (IATA: ORD). London Heathrow (IATA: LHR) droped two places to fourth place.

That’s all for this week – have a good start into the new one and read you soon again!

[Picture from Flickr, edited – Some rights reserved by freshyk]