Today we have a fairly long list of airport related news bites that reached us during the week: a fuel crisis, more iPads, a useful website, an airport extension, airport construction disruption and a 27 hour flight delay. Interestingly the first and last news articles both come from Manchester.

Let’s start with the fuel crisis: On Thursday The Mail Online informed us that thousands of holidaymakers faced delays after Manchester Airport (MAN) ran out of fuel for the first time in its history. According to the article up to 13 flights were stranded on the tarmac due to the unprecedented shortage, caused by production problems at the airport’s supplier. Remember when we posted the story about refuelling aircraft in Melbourne? Luckily we had plenty of the liquid then…

More positive news reached us from the US this week where airport restaurateur OTG announced the deployment of thousands of iPads at a number of US airports. In a statement the firm detailed that it is deploying more than 7,000 new iPads at three major airports over the next 18 months to give travelers a new level of access to tech amenities and high-quality food at the gates. OTG will deploy the new devices at LaGuardia Terminals C & D (LGA), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), and throughout Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ).

And while we’re talking about technology, let’s remind you of the story we published earlier in the week: the highly useful website that helps find the best way into town from your arrival airport. Read our story here.

Over in Europe we heard that Airport operator Flughafen Wien revealed the successful start of operations at Vienna airport’s (VIE) new Skylink Check-In 3 terminal extension, which opened on Tuesday. The new terminal doubles the retail and gastronomy space at Vienna airport to more than 19,000sq m.

Then we received the news from California that beginning Tuesday, a massive construction project at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) will result in various traffic lanes being closed to passenger terminals over the next two years. The Los Angeles Times wrote that officials at the nation’s third-busiest airport said the first closures will involve the three inner lanes on the lower arrivals level from Terminal 3 to the Tom Bradley International Terminal. There will also be closures on the upper departures level involving curbside lanes between the west side of Terminal 3 and the north side of the Bradley. The first round of traffic restrictions is expected to end in July.

Then, to finish it off, we have this for you: imagine your flight to your holiday destination being delayed. But not just a few minutes, not even a few hours, 10 hours! And just when you think it’s all over and the plane finally takes off, an announcement by the captain informs you that the plane has to return to the departing airport as the fault with the aircraft hasn’t been properly resolved. It’s a true story and happened this week for more than 220 holidaymakers when a technical issue delayed their flight from Manchester (MAN) to Greece. Read the full story in the Mail Online.

That’s all we have for now; have a save and travel disruption free new week!‎

[Photo from Flickr – Some rights reserved by simplerich]