Anger over axed Birmingham to Europe rail link

COUNCILLORS will tonight be asked to support a motion decrying the decision to scrap a direct rail link between Birmingham International and France.

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Knowle meetings on runway expansion

TWO consultation meetings are to be held in Knowle over the forthcoming extension to the runway at Birmingham Airport.

                 

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Airport bids to fly more at night

BIRMINGHAM Aiport is bidding to fly more planes at night to help ailing profits.

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New website for airport

BIRMINGHAM International Airport has a new website. 

Spain flights plan axed

AN airline has cancelled a planned new service from Birmingham International Airport to Barcelona and Madrid. Click the headline or link below to read the rest of this story.

M&S to open at airport

A MARKS & Spencer Simply Food store will open at Birmingham International Airport in December.

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Training centre for airport

A SKILLS Academy has opened at Birmingham International Airport.

The training facility is a partnership between the airport and Solihull College and is the first of its kind at a UK airport.

It located next to the terminal buildings and will train workers in all sectors for the airport, which hosts about 7,000 workers.

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49 minute London trains backed

THE Government today backed running a high speed train line near to Birmingham International – raising the prospect of 49 minute journeys to London.

Ministers want to build a new station in the area of the existing station and by the National Exhibition Centre.

The move would cut journey times from an hour and 24 minutes said ministers and trains would take about seven minutes to International.

Although in the Green Belt a report said the station would be acceptable under planning law as it is ‘bordered on all sides by motorways and airport infrastructure’ (see map below).

Local MPs today welcomed the news, which will lead to a full public consultation which could see a route open by 2026.

Solihull MP Lorely Burt said: “This is brilliant news for the whole West Midlands.

“That High speed rail will come straight into Birmingham means that Birmingham will be just a short commute from London: a realistic alternative for companies who want to be close to the capital but not have to pay capital prices or suffer capital congestion.”

She said the move would boost the NEC and, coupled with a runway extension, be the ‘icing on the cake’ for Birmingham International Airport.

Meriden MP Caroline Spelman said: “This will give a much needed boost for Birmingham Airport and the NEC and provide a shot in the arm for the West Midlands economy as we have been badly hit by the recession.”

Yet laws which compensate people affected by the line had to be changed, she said and added: “I want to ensure that the effect to people along the route is minimised.”

She was previously accused of going cold on support for the long-mooted plans.

Yet the BBC reports that shadow transport secretary Theresa Villiers said the party were not prepared to "blindly accept" the route.

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New French destination for airport

PLANES from Birmingham International Airport will fly to Perpignan in the south of France from July 13, bosses have announced.

Airport boss hits out at Heathrow plan

FLYERS want to use Birmingham International Airport rather than a third runway at Heathrow, strengthening the case for high speed trains to the Midlands, airport chiefs say.

Airport bosses say a survey of 3,000 people found one in four do not want the third runway and half of Londoners would fly from Birmingham if the Midlands airport had a stop for a proposed high speed rail link. It did not name the source of the survey.

Birmingham International chiefs are calling for the ‘High Speed 2’ trains – set to go from London to Birmingham city centre in 45 minutes – to stop at the airport.

Chief executive Paul Kehoe said in a press release: “It’s time to take a deep breath and revisit the deeply unpopular plans for a third runway at Heathrow. It has long been said that Heathrow is in the wrong place.”

He said: “We have made a very strong case for HS2 to serve Birmingham airport, and the outlook is favourable.

“A joined-up transport system should incorporate the best elements of road, rail and air, all of which have a part to play.”

The airport is running at 40 per cent capacity, he said, making it ideal to take on an extra 30 million passengers by 2030.

It ditched plans to build a second runway in 2007 but has run into controversy for its plan – now green lighted – to extend the existing runway.

Mr Kehoe said: “Birmingham took this issue on board several years ago when we realised that a second runway here no longer made sense.

“Rather than press on regardless, Birmingham decided to concentrate on incrementally developing the infrastructure that we already have, and making best use of it.”

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Arrive early, airport says, after terror alert

FLYERS are being urged to leave plenty of time if flying to the United States from Birmingham International Airport after a terror alert.

Security has been stepped up after an alleged attempt by a Nigerian man to blow up a plane over Detroit.

A statement from the airport said: “Due to increased security checks at the departure gate, passengers are advised to check-in for flights to America in plenty of time so that they can relax and take advantage of the retail and catering experience in Terminal One.

“For specific details on security at the departure gate passengers are advised to contact their airlines.”

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Passengers down at airport

PASSENGER numbers at Birmingham International Airport fell by 8.6 per cent in November.

It welcomed 567,524 passengers last month.

Chief executive Paul Kehoe said in a press release: “It remains the case that the winter season will be particularly tough for the aviation industry, despite indications that confidence is slowly returning to the market.

“November’s 8.6% downturn is indicative of the difficult conditions facing the industry as a whole, however the airport team continues to discuss a number of possibilities with new airlines.”

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Four new destinations for airport

FOUR new French destinations are to fly from Birmingham International Airport next year.

Flybe will begin flights to Avignon, Bordeaux, Limoges and Rennes from next summer. Prices start from £35.99.

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Airport slams "preposterous" report

BIRMINGHAM International Airport bosses today said a major report on climate change and aircraft is “London-centric” and “preposterous”. The firm spoke out after the Committee on Climate Change published its report this morning. An airport spokesperson said: “We are surprised and concerned that it seems to have adopted such a London-centric stance. “To advocate massive expansion in the South East, while denying regional airports such as Birmingham the chance to meet local demand.” It said the airport was 40 per cent full and could “could handle about another nine million passengers tomorrow”. It said: “Birmingham, together with other regional airports, are strategic national transport assets and it is time that they were recognised as such. “Ultimately, the whole of the UK should benefit from aviation expansion.” Solihull MP Lorely Burt today called for a planned high speed rail scheme to between London and Birmingham to stop at the airport. This was “crucial for the economy of the West Midlands, which has suffered the worst increase in unemployment and the greatest economic downturn of any region” she said. She said: “Coupled with the runway extension which will allow long haul flights, this will make BIA a truly international airport.” The train is expected to take 45 minutes between Birmingham and the capital.

Iraq flights from B'ham International

FLIGHTS to Iraq have begun at Birmingham International Airport. Swedish operator Aer Olympic will offer weekly departures to the cities of Erbil and Sulaymaniyah via Stockholm on alternate weeks. A statement said: “The new route provides the local Iraqi-Kurdish market with a direct link back to the region, without the need to battle up and down congested motorways to fly from airports outside the Midlands.” Akes Kefalas, CEO of Aer Olympic, said, “The diverse ethnic communities of the Midlands will now have a direct link to northern Iraq and the feedback we have already received has been overwhelmingly positive.”

MP's "rendition" fears over airport

SOLIHULL MP Lorely Burt has written to Ministers over the landing of planes at Birmingham airport that were allegedly used in “rendition” torture flights.

She said she was “deeply concerned” by reports which said plane spotters saw a jet land at the airport and met by two army helicopters in October last year.

The 22-seat plane is named in an inquiry by the European parliament into alleged CIA torture flights, The Guardian reports. The Ministry of Defence denied rendition links.

The MP said in a statement: “I have challenged Birmingham Airport on this matter, and they inform me it is not their job to 'police' the flights or to ascertain their origin or destination.

“Neither do they have a responsibility to determine who might be on board, whether or not Birmingham is the final destination or passengers are in transit.”

She added: “Ultimately, Government must take responsibility for ensuring that British airports are never used as staging posts for prisoners who may be subject to torture anywhere in the world.

“That means that more information must be made available to aviation authorities.

“Airport operators also deserve clearer guidance to ensure that adequate checks and balances are in place.”

Mrs Burt, whose constituency includes the airport, said she had asked ministers and air traffic control chiefs to state:

1. The nature of the flights recently reported.

2. The owners of the Aircraft involved.

3. The operators of the Aircraft involved.

4. The charterer of the Aircraft involved.

5. The origin (s) of the aircraft involved.

6. The final destinations of the aircraft involved

7. The people on each aircraft involved, their origin and final destinations.

8. The role played by the Contro Authorities in attending the flights.

9. Which control authorities attended the flights.

10. What flight plans were filed for the fights.

11. What responsibility Birmingham Airport has towards such flights in investigating alleged illegal activity.

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