Yes, we’re a bit late this week and even had to change the title of our regular news review as a result of it. Oh well, let’s then get straight into the main story from last week as everything else really just seemed chatter compared to it.
Continue reading Last week: Spain’s ghost airport is becoming alive
It’s Sunday again here in Australia and with that it’s time for our weekly airport news round-up. Here’s what we have for you this week:
Let’s get going. First up is our coverage from New York. There NJ.com wrote on Thursday that LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is closed today after a plane skidded off a snow-covered runway and came to rest after its nose punched through an airport fence. Officials said none of the 125 people on board was hurt. Port Authorities confirmed that Delta Flight 1086 from Atlanta to LaGuardia landing on Runway 13 skidded into a fence at approximately 11:05 that morning.
Such a disconcerting photo but so glad most seem okay! #LGA #plane #snow pic.twitter.com/rHZiK0dFP6
— Andrea J. Levy (@AndreaJobs) March 5, 2015
One of the runways remained closed until Friday. Fox News reported that [the] airport reopened its second runway Friday after removing a Delta jetliner that skidded and smashed through a fence a day earlier. Cranes were used overnight to remove the plane.
Another accident at the other side of the planet resulted in more airport headaches this week. We’re talking about the Turkish Airline near-miss at Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan International Airport (KTM). NPR.com reported that at about 7:15 a.m. [on Wednesday], the Airbus A330 with 224 passengers attempted a landing but had to abort. The plane circled and then came in again. This time, passengers say the plane hit the ground hard, its nose bouncing up and down as it veered off the runway. The front landing gear collapsed and the plane came to a stop, its nose resting on the rain-soaked, grassy earth. The plane was evacuated safely. The news service then went on by writing the airport was immediately closed to all but helicopter traffic. Flight TK726 has been sitting all day — nose down, tail up — right near the arrival terminal, with one wing just close enough to the runway to block the safe landing or takeoff of any other large aircraft. Thousands of passengers have either had their flights canceled or, if already in the air, been rerouted for an undetermined period that could last days.
Thankfully today we read that the airport reopened when The International Business Times reported that Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu reopened late Saturday, after officials finally removed a Turkish Airlines flight that had skidded off the tarmac.
Moving on and back to the United States where a familiar story repeated itself again this week. Yes, it’s like Groundhog day; sadly. The Star Telegram reported that Hundreds of flights were canceled at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport (DFW) on Thursday as airport crews worked to clear runways of several inches of snow and ice. According to Flightstats.com, 317 arrivals and 264 departures have been canceled at DFW Airport with delays expected to mount as carriers have to de-ice aircraft before take-off in the freezing temperatures.
An entirely different topic reached us via the British Mirror this week. They reported that air passengers in the UK pay the most expensive airport car parking in the world. London City (LCY) tops the table with a fee of £315 (US$475) a week, while seven of the top 10 most expensive airports for parking are in Britain. Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Stansted, Edinburgh and Manchester all make the list and Birmingham comes 11th. Other international airports making it into the list were Sydney at 3rd place, Dubai (5th) or Singapore (6th).
After this, you probably need a little nap, right? Well, you’re in luck if you’re currently at Helsinki Airport (HEL). According to the Daily Mail Helsinki Airport has become the first in Europe to offer sleeping pods for worn-out travellers who are looking to catch a little shut-eye between flights. Already billed as one of the most sleep-friendly airports in the world, Finland’s largest airport has installed 19 GoSleep pods which offer privacy and peace for weary passengers. It costs €9 per hour (approximately US$9.70) and pillows and blankets are available for the pods, which are located at two gates inside the terminal.
That’s all for this week – safe sleeping – err – travelling!
[Title Photo from Twitter via New York Post Metro]
It’s March and with that a new airport month starts. But first we look back at the last week of February and its airport related aviation headlines:
Continue reading This week: Is Singapore airport crazy? & more
The weeks seem to be flying by, don’t you think? Here’s our next overview of this week’s airport news from around the globe:
Let’s not loose any time and dig straight into this week’s airport news which has been a fairly colourful one if you ask us. Here’s the overview:
Continue reading This week: Boston’s winter struggle, wild boar in Madrid & more
Wow, we’re back in business as this week has been a super busy one with lots of interesting airport news. So here’s our selection for this week in the overview:
Continue reading This week: Beijing’s new airport, cancellations at SFO and BOS & more
Let’s get straight into it – here are our airport headlines from this week in the overview:
Continue reading This week: U.S. East Coast winter wonderland & more
We’re back with our weekly airport update and here are the topics for this week:
Continue reading This week: Atlanta’s bomb scare, best airport bars uncovered & more
Whilst the recent terror attacks in Europe have not involved airports directly, they still have a secondary effect on them. The US, for example, is stepping up airport security . Here are all of our stories for this week in our overview:
Early in the week ABC News wrote that American airports are increasing security measures across the country in the wake of dual terrorist attacks in Paris and the publication by al Qaeda of what counterterrorism experts say appears to be the most detailed, and potentially lethal, bomb recipe ever to be sent to their followers. The article continued by saying that the Department of Homeland Security said Monday the Transportation Security Administration has stepped up random searches of travellers and carry-on luggage in addition to enhanced screening that was ordered this summer at “certain foreign airports.”
Over in Europe RT.com reported that the passengers of a Niki flight to Vienna from Fiumicino airport in Rome (FCO) have been disembarked after a man told the pilot he had a bomb in his luggage. The plane was isolated for security checks which found no explosive devices on board. Over 80 passengers of a Niki Airbus A320 to Vienna were evacuated over a suspected bomb threat after a man of Slovenian nationality reportedly told the captain that he boarded the plane with a bomb in his luggage, local media report. The suspect was taken by police for questioning while transport safety units and a fire brigade surrounded the aircraft. A security check that was carried out according to standard protocol has found no explosive devices on board.
Much better news reached us later in the week in the form of an article by the Wall Street Journal: Delta Air Lines unveiled its latest expansion Tuesday at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), completing a $175 million project to add more gates and space. Delta added 11 new gates and 75,000 square feet of space to Terminal 4. This follows a $1.2 billion Delta upgrade of its facilities at the terminal completed in May 2013.
And we stay in New York for our final article of the week. This one has got to do with your small, fury friends. According to the Daily Mail the world’s first ever airport terminal for animals is set to be built at JFK Airport. Humorously called ‘The Ark,’ the facility is set to be open for business early 2016, and is scheduled to cost around $48 million. The Ark will provide both airside and landside services to board, kennel, quarantine, import, export and transport large and small animals. There will also be a Paradise 4 Paws kennels, an aviary and a veterinarian, all designed to relax the animals before they fly out.
That’s all for this week – safe travels!
[Photo Credit: Jeremy Brooks via Compfight cc]
Happy New Year, dear readers – we’re back! Let’s get straight into it – here are our topics from this week:
Continue reading This week: Dubai becomes world’s busiest airport & more
