A snapshot of stories from around Europe.
Manchester Airport
The latest figures for September show the airport’s moving annual total increased by 11% to 27.6m passengers
ADELTE has signed a contract with Manchester Airports Group (MAG) to design, manufacture and install 11 new Passenger Boarding Bridges at Manchester Airport as part of its £1bn transformation programme. The new boarding bridges will be installed by ADELTE in late 2018 and early 2019 as part of the first phase of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme (MAN-TP). In addition to protecting passengers from exposure to the often inclement weather in the north of the UK, ADELTE’s advance systems will allow for more efficient and rapid turnarounds at Pier 1 of Terminal 2.
Liège Airport
Grew by 1.7% in August to 34,600 passengers
In order to support the strong growth of its freight clients, Liège Airport has stepped up its investment by committing over €20 million for new warehouses and handling facilities at the airport. Since June, Air China Cargo, the largest Chinese cargo company, has been running a weekly flight between Shanghai and Liège and it will increase its rotations in 2018. Moreover, in early October, Air Bridge Cargo decided to establish its main hub at Liège Airport.
Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport
Handled 7.8m passengers in the first nine months of 2017 (+7.9%)
Vinci Airports has officially opened the new Terminal 1 (T1) facility at Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport in France. The terminal has been used by low-cost-carriers since April 2017, but will now be open to use by all other conventional airlines. Designed by architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the new 70,000sqm (750,000 sq ft) terminal has doubled the surface area of the airport. Although currently in use, full completion of the €215m (US$250m) project is not scheduled until summer 2018, with the opening of a link between Hall A and Hall B.
Kiruna Airport, Umeå Airport, Åre Östersund Airport and Malmö Airport
In October, Swedavia’s 10 airports handled around 3.7m passengers – a 5% increase compared with October 2016
LFV, Air Navigation Services of Sweden, and the airport company Swedavia, have signed an agreement that establishes air traffic service (ATS) from a remote position at four Swedavia airports. Concerned airports are Kiruna Airport, Umeå Airport, Åre Östersund Airport and Malmö Airport. A joint Remote Tower Centre for air traffic service from a remote position at the four airports will be located at Stockholm Arlanda Airport in connection with LFV’s current air traffic control centre. A preliminary study of remote-controlled air traffic control showed improvements in the coordination and efficiency of operations.
Geneva Airport
Experienced traffic growth in every month so far in 2017 (Jan-Oct)
Genève Aéroport has entered into a contract with public energy utility Geneva Industrial Services (SIG) to install solar panels on 50,000sqm of roof space – the equivalent of about eight football pitches. The array will produce around 7.5 GWh of electricity per year, the equivalent of the annual power consumption of 2,500 local homes. Genève Aéroport has also committed to introduce sustainable and renewable jet fuel for aircraft operations, with a target of at least one percent of the annual jet fuel consumption starting late 2018.
Sofia Airport
Handled almost 600,000 passengers in October (+20.2% year-on-year)
Stamp collectors take note! Sofia Airport celebrates its 80th anniversary this year. On the occasion, the airport launched a dedicated postage stamp. It is a miniature image of the airport, its façade reflecting the outlines of Vitosha Mountain. In support of young and talented Bulgarians, Sofia Airport chose 24-year-old artist Emilio Borata to design the stamp. The issue of the postal-philatelic edition is 11,000.
Odessa International Airport
Passed the one million passenger barrier for the first time in 2016
The outline draft of a new complex of ATC facilities at Odessa International Airport – where construction of a new runway has already started – has been approved. State aviation authorities are planning to build an air traffic management centre together with an administrative building, power plant and control tower, which will provide new modern equipment that meets European safety standards. Construction is scheduled to last 2.5 years with the total cost of the project, which also features an airport hangar, so far amounting to 1.67 billion hryvnia (US$63 million) of which 500 million have already been allocated.
Istanbul New Airport
IGA, contractor and designated operator of Istanbul New Airport, has appointed SITA to implement its innovative baggage tracking solution at what will be one of the world’s largest airports. The airport, due to open in 2018, will have capacity to accommodate 90 million passengers a year. Upon completion of all four phases, the passenger capacity will reach over 200 million passengers annually and will be required to track more than 75,000 bags an hour. The potential for bags to be mishandled in such a busy environment will be significantly reduced with SITA’s baggage solution by providing information on where every single bag is on its route through the airport.
Santorini Airport
Grew 10% in the first 10 months of 2017, welcoming over 1.8m passengers
Fraport Greece has revealed plans for the development of Santorini Airport. The modernisation and upgrades include construction of a new fire station, the expansion and remodelling of the current terminal and a reorganisation of the apron. The total size of the terminal will grow by 235% to 15,640sqm, with the replacement of a portion of the current terminal and the construction of a new one. Services within the terminal will significantly improve as well, including the doubling of check-in stations and baggage reclaim belts, more gates and an almost three-fold increase in security lanes.
