Birmingham Airport Photo Blog

Saturday 28 January 2012 - easyJet Swiss Airbus A320 HB-JYA makes first visit to BHX

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000Z

easyJet Swiss Airbus A320-214 HB-JYA operated their morning
service to Geneva - the aircraft had previously been registered
G-EZTW with easyJet until it was transferred to the HB- register
and entered service with easyJet Swiss on Friday
.

Austrian Airlines Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNT operated their weekly
ski IT flight to Innsbruck - the aircraft is in "Star Alliance" colours

Turkish Airlines to fly daily from Birmingham Airport to Istanbul from March 2012

2012-01-30T09:00:00.006Z

Turkish Airlines is making a further commitment to
the Midlands by increasing flights between Birmingham
Airport and Istanbul from five flights a week to a daily
service from Sunday 25 March 2012
.
The move will give business travellers better choice and
flexibility to meet in Istanbul, and will provide more
onward connectivity from Birmingham than ever before
.

Over the last year, more and more people have been using
Istanbul Ataturk Airport to connect onwards with Turkish
Airlines' over 190 strong route network, benefiting both
business and leisure travellers
.
Martyn Lloyd, Head of Air Service Development, from
Birmingham Airport, said, "Turkish Airlines began services
from Birmingham in 2008 and has offered a vital service for
Birmingham and the Midlands, whilst increasing passenger
numbers year by year"

.
"However, business travellers need both choice and flexibility
and we have worked in partnership with Turkish Airlines to
secure a daily service from the end of March. We're therefore
delighted with this development to give our business and
leisure community even more choice for long-haul
connectivity from Birmingham"
.

Mustafa Yildirim, General Manager for Turkish Airlines at

the Airport, said, "As the Best Airline in Europe, we're
committed to Birmingham Airport and the decision to
increase our operation demonstrates this. Turkish Airlines
can offer travellers excellent choice, service and punctuality
across Europe, the Indian Sub-continent, the Middle East,
the Far East and Africa, with a choice of 190 destinations
across our network. We look forward to welcoming new
passengers on this growing route and giving people from
the region even more choice. We will continue our growth
by keeping our service and quality standards"
.
Turkish Airlines will operate an Airbus 320 and Boeing
737-800, which are configured for two classes; Business
and Economy. Turkish Airlines operates the youngest
fleet in Europe, amongst scheduled airlines
.
To celebrate the launch of daily services, Turkish Airlines
will be offering the following return fares, including taxes:
Istanbul £164, Dubai £337, Hong Kong £499, Beijing £482,
Delhi £415, Johannesburg £618, Cape Town £534
- for other destinations and to book please see
- http://www.turkishairlines.com/en-uk/
.

Turkish Airlines - schedule from Sunday 25 March 2012
.
1015/1115 TK1967/1968 320/73H from/to Istanbul
- operates on Monday, Wednesday and Friday
1315/1415 TK1969/1970 320/73H from/to Istanbul
- operates on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and and Sunday
.

Monday 30 January 2012

Birmingham Airport arrivals area goes Turkish!!

2012-01-30T08:00:00.001Z

Turkish Airlines are now using the screening in the arrivals....
.

.... area at Birmingham Airport to promote their service to Istanbul
.

.... which moves to a daily operation at the end of March 2012
.

Monday 30 January 2012

Friday 27 January 2012 - RAF Puma XW223 visits the Elmdon apron

2012-01-27T18:00:00.013Z

Royal Air Force Puma HC1 XW223 was a morning visitor to the
Elmdon apron when it dropped for fuel.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... later taxiing to departing off Runway 33 Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Air Contractors Lockheed L100-30 Hercules EI-JIV which had arrived
from Saarbrucken on Thursday evening positioned out to East Midlands
.

Lufthansa Airbus A321-231 D-AISV operated their morning
service to Frankfurt in place of the usual Airbus A319

Thursday 26 January 2012 - Antonov 12 UR-DWF is 7th An 12 to visit BHX in 2012!!

2012-01-26T19:00:00.016Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov An 12BK UR-DWF became the 7th
Antonov 12 to visit BHX in 2012 when it arrived from Graz in
the early hours of the morning.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... it was an afternoon departure back to Graz
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAG was an afternoon
arrival from Graz with another load of freight....
.

.... positioning out to Amsterdam after unloading
.

Air Contractors Lockheed L100-30 Hercules EI-JIV was
an afternoon arrival from Saarbrucken Photo: Mike Hollick
.

RAF C17 ZZ177 was a morning visitor operating a medevac flight....
.

.... departing to Brize Norton off Runway 15 passing Antonov 12
UR-DWF - Birmingham were east meets west! Photos: Mike Hollick
.

Flightline Metro II EC-GXJ which had arrived on Wednesday
spent the day parked up on the Elmdon apron Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Central Counties Air Operations Unit's Eurocopter EC 135P2+

G-HEOI was an afternoon visitor Photo: Ron Kosys

Wednesday 25 January 2012 - Meridian Antonov 12 UR-CAG arrives from Graz

2012-01-25T19:00:00.007Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAG was an afternoon arrival
from Graz - the 6th Antonov 12 to visit in 2012!.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... after unloading it departed back to Graz Photo: Mike Hollick
.

BMW Gulfstream 550 N550BM was a morning arrival parking up
to night stop on the Elmdon apron Photo: Mike Hollick

Tuesday 24 January 2012 - Meridian Aviation Antonov 12 UR-CGV departs to Oslo

2012-01-24T19:00:00.007Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV which had been
parked up since arriving from Graz last Wednesday....
.

.... was a morning departure to Oslo
.

Super King Air F-HEAL was a morning arrival parking up
to night stop on the Elmdon apron

Ryanair to serve Budapest from Birmingham‏

2012-01-24T18:00:00.008Z

Ryanair will be launching a new twice weekly service to
Budapest from Birmingham on Wednesday 28 March 2012
.
Ryanair’s Maria Macken said: "Ryanair is pleased to announce
a new route from Birmingham to Budapest which will operate
twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays from March 2012.
Passengers in the West Midlands now have a choice of 24 top
Ryanair destinations from Birmingham Airport giving them
even more choice than ever"

Martyn Lloyd, Air Services Director commenting on the route
announcement said: "We are absolutely delighted that Ryanair
will be flying to Budapest. This is the first time people from
the Midlands will be able to travel direct from Birmingham to
Budapest which is cited as the most beautiful city in Europe
.

Ryanair schedule to Budapest from Wednesday 28 March 2012

.
Flight FR 5601 departs BHX to Budapest at
0730 on Wednesday and Saturday
.
Flight FR 5602 arrives BHX from Budapest at
1320 on Wednesday and Saturday
.
Schedule subject to change - all flights operated by 73H

Tuesday 24 January 2012

Monday 23 January 2012 - Learjet 45 M-LRJT visits the Elmdon apron

2012-01-23T19:00:00.006Z

Learjet 45 M-LRJT was a day stopping visitor to the Elmdon
apron departing back to Milan during the afternoon
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV was the only An 12 still
parked at BHX after Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN
had departed to Rovaniemi, Finland, on Monday evening

Tower Watch - Sunday 22 January 2012

2012-01-22T20:00:00.008Z

The external cladding is now being attached
to the lower part new ATC Tower....
.

.... which now dominates the old tower
on the top of the Elmdon building
.
Sunday 22 January 2012

Sunday 22 January 2012 - easyJet Airbus A319 G-EZGR off to Grenoble

2012-01-22T19:00:00.008Z

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZGR operated their flight to
Grenoble - it had also operated their Saturday evening
service which was its first visit to BHX
.

Then there were two! - after the departure of UR-CBG on Saturday
afternoon two Antonov 12's remained parked on the Elmdon apron
- Meridian Aviation UR-CGV (left) and Aero-Charter Airlines UR-CJN
.

Netjets Citation XLS CS-DXD which arrived on Saturday
spent the day parked up on the Elmdon apron

Saturday 21 January 2012 - Gulfstream V N253CM visits the Elmdon apron

2012-01-21T19:00:00.007Z

Gulfstream V N253CM was an afternoon arrival
parking up to night stop on the Elmdon apron
.

Austrian Airlines Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNJ operated
their weekly ski IT flight to Innsbruck
.

Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN (left), AeroVis
Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CBG (centre) and Meridian Aviation
Antonov 12BP UR-CGV all spent Friday night at BHX....
.

.... with AeroVis Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CBG
departing to Vatry at lunchtime

Friday 20 January 2012 - Denim Air Fokker 50 PH-KXX departs back to Paris CDG

2012-01-20T19:00:00.011Z

Denin Air Fokker 50 PH-KXX which had arrived on Thursday
on its first visit to BHX departed back to Paris CDG while....
.

Pan Européenne Air Embraer 135LR F-GYPE departed
back to Toulouse
.

Lufthansa Airbus A319-112 D-AIBF operated their morning
service to Frankfurt - its first visit to BHX
.

While there were no Antonov 12 movements Aero-Charter Airlines
Antonov 12BP UR-CJN (left), AeroVis Airlines Antonov 12BP
UR-CBG and Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV (back)
spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Hawker 800B G-OGFS was an afternoon visitor while....
.

.... Citation XLS D-CAWU which had arrived on Thursday departed
Photo: Ron Kosys

Historic BHX - first visit of an Antonov 12 to Birmingham on Sunday 3 July 1966

2012-01-19T20:00:00.003Z

After a week that has seen five different Antonov 12's
visit BHX a look back at the first visit of the type....

.... Cubana de Aviación Antonov 12BP CU-T827 visited
Birmingham on Sunday 3 July 1966 - this aircraft was
subsequently written off when it crashed on approach
to Mexico City on Thursday 9 February 1967
Photo: Birmingham Aviation Enthusiasts Group archive

Thursday 19 January 2012 - five Antonov 12's - two Antonov 26's - one day at Birmingham!!

2012-01-19T19:00:00.023Z

A total of five Antonov 12's and two Antonov 26's visited Birmingham
on Thursday 19 January 2012 - a UK record? Photo: Mike Hollick
.

An early morning view of the packed Elmdon apron including
four Antonov 12's and an Antonov 26 taxying for departure
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ made a morning
visit arriving from Graz.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... to where it returned after unloading it load of freight
.

Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN which arrived
a week ago was an afternoon departure.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... to Graz to collect another load of urgent freight
.

AeroVis Airlines Antonov 12AP UR-CCP made a brief afternoon
visit arriving from Graz before positioning out to Marseilles....
.

.... its first visit to BHX and the third Antonov 12
to "first visit" in 2012! Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV which had been active
on Wednesday spent the day parked up.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... while AeroVis Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CBG which had arrived
in the early hours of the morning also had the day off! Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Air Bright/RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAC which had arrived
on Tuesday spent the day parked up on Taxiway Lima before
departing to Kocise Photo: Ron Kosys
.

RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAD was a morning departure
to Sofia via Bratislava were it will operate for Air Bright
.

Denin Air Fokker 50 PH-KXX was an afternoon arrival
operating a charter from Paris CDG followed in by....
.

Pan Européenne Air Embraer 135LR F-GYPE which was
operating a charter flight from Toulouse Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Falcon 100 EC-KPP was a morning visitor to the Elmdon apron

Wednesday 18 January 2012 - Antonovs here, there and everywhere!!

2012-01-18T19:00:00.013Z

A line up of Antonovs on the Elmdon apron - from the left Bright Air
/RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAC, RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAD,
Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN with Meridian Aviation
Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ parked befind the An 26's Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV which had
arrived from Graz in the early hours of the morning....
.

.... departed back there to collect another load of freight Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ was a morning
arrival from Graz.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... with another load of freight and parking up to night stop
.

Sikorsky S-76A G-BYDF was an afternoon visitor
departing to Bristol on a training flight

Tuesday 17 January 2012 - Meridian Antonov 12 UR-CAJ departs to Lyon

2012-01-17T19:00:00.011Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ which had arrived
last Friday from Graz on its first visit .... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... was an afternoon departure off Runway 15 to Lyon
.

Citation CJ1 D-IHKW which had diverted in from RAF Shawbury
on Monday afternoon spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron
.

Gulfstream IV N317MJ was an early morning arrival
.

King Air OK-PRG was an afternoon arrival from Oxford - it had
visited BHX over the weekend but on departure on Sunday
suffered a pressurisation problem result in a return to the
airport and a departure to Oxford on Monday for repairs

flybe announces new daily service from Birmingham Airport to Waterford

2012-01-17T18:00:00.013Z

flybe, Europe’s largest regional airline and the UK’s Number
One Domestic carrier, is today, Tuesday 17 January 2012
announcing its latest new route from Birmingham that offers
daily flights to Waterford from 25 March 2012, further expanding
the airline’s schedule to a total choice of 23 routes and up to
610 flights a week from Birmingham Airport for Summer 2012
.
The additional route is expected to benefit a mix of business
and leisure passengers as the daily route offers easy access to
Waterford, Ireland’s oldest city located on the country’s
picturesque South East Coast
.
Flybe’s Managing Director, Andrew Strong, comments: "Flybe is
committed to developing our route network out of Birmingham
and to keeping business and leisure travellers moving during
these continued economically challenging times"
.
Along with Waterford Airport - which is delighted to again have
direct air access to "one of the best located airports in Britain"
and the UK’s second largest city - Martyn Lloyd, Air Services
Development Director for Birmingham Airport says: "We’re
delighted that Flybe will be operating a daily service from
Birmingham to Waterford this summer. Waterford is a popular
destination whether it is to visit the place famous for its
Waterford Crystal or to walk around its beautiful 200 year
old Cathedral. Flybe is one of our largest carriers, providing
vital air connections to thousands of passengers each year from
Birmingham and we wish them every success with the route"
.
Adds Mr Strong: “The introduction of the new route between
Birmingham and Waterford to our already extensive schedule
for summer gives our passengers a large choice of affordable
travel options and we look forward to operating our first flight
to Waterford later in the year"
.
Tickets are on sale at www.flybe.com
from £26.99 one way including taxes and charges
.
flybe schedule to Waterford from Sunday 25 March 2012
.
Flight BE 755 departs BHX to Waterford at -
1440 on Monday to Friday
1355 on Saturday and 1455 on Sunday
.
Flight BE 756 arrives BHX from Waterford at -
1740 on Monday to Friday
1655 on Saturday and 1755 on Sunday
.
All flights operated by DH4
.
Tuesday 17 January 2012

December 2011 passenger figures at BHX

2012-01-17T18:00:00.012Z

Birmingham Airport handled 510,547 passengers during
December 2011 - an increase of 4.0% on the previous year
.

As a result BHX handled 8,621,460 passengers in 2011,

an increase of 0.5% compared with 2010

.
December is another month that is not comparable with
last year! - in 2010 - when the monthly passengers fell by
11.0% - there was significant disruption as a result bad
weather throughout both the UK and Europe with many
flight cancellations in the run up to Christmas
.
As a result underlying passengers numbers again fell
slightly in the month despite a continued strong
performance on many business routes
.
During December significant growth was achieved

scheduled flights to destinations such as -

Fuerteventura 93.6%, Geneva 76.7%, Istanbul 48.0%
Edinburgh 47.1%, Turin 45.5%, Grenoble 40.2%,
Munich 27.9%, Paris CDG 27.3% and Prague 27.3%
.
Charter traffic which experience growth included -
France 88.1%, Austria 69.6% and Finland 36.1%
.
Scheduled traffic accounted for 87.1% of the total
passenger traffic in December whilst charter passengers
made up the remaining 12.9%
.
Tuesday 17 January 2012

Monday 16 January 2012 - US Airways Airbus A330 N275AY diverts to BHX

2012-01-16T19:00:00.001Z

US Airways Airbus A330-323X N275AY was an early morning
arrival when it diverted in due to landing delays at Manchester
while operating flight "US 734" from Philadelphia....
.

.... after refuelling it continued onto Manchester Photo: Ron Kosys

Sunday 15 January 2012 - Turkmenistan Boeing 737 EZ-A009 operates scheduled flight

2012-01-15T19:00:00.014Z

Turkmenistan Boeing 737-7GL EZ-A009 was a late afternoon
arrival operating an additional scheduled service
.

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZFT operated their flight from
Grenoble - it is named "Sir George White" after the founder
of the Bristol Aeroplane Company/BAC - more info here
.

City Airline/Skyways Embraer 145LR SE-RAF operated their
flight to Gothenburg - it still wears the basic colour scheme
of former operator Dniproavia (of the Ukraine)

.Former Olympic Airlines ATR 72-212 SX-BIG and SX-BII remain
parked at the end of Taxiway Lima - unfortunately the three
further aircraft expected - SX-BIH, SX-BIK and SX-BIL - will
now not be coming to Birmingham
.

Aero-Charter Antonov 12BP UR-CJN (left) and Meridian
Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ remained parked on the Elmdon apron

Saturday 14 January 2012 - Austrian Boeing 737 OE-LNT in "Star Alliance" colours

2012-01-14T19:00:00.011Z

Austrian Airlines Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNT which is in "Star Alliance"
colours operated their weekly ski IT flight from Innsbruck
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV was an early morning
departure positioning out to Haugesund in Norway
.

Eastern Saab 2000 G-CERZ which had brought Leicester Tigers
back from Belfast after their Heineken Cup match against Ulster
on Friday evening positioned out to Aberdeen....
.

.... it wears small "Jaguar" titles next to the front passenger door
- "click" on image to see full size photo!

Friday 13 January 2012 - Antonovs galore! - UR-CAJ joins UR-CJN, UR-CGV and YL-RAD!!

2012-01-13T19:00:00.015Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BK UR-CAJ arrived from Graz
in the early hours of the morning.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... resulting in three Antonov 12's and an Antonov 26
being parked on the Elmdon apron Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN had arrived
on Thursday afternoon while.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV had arrived in the
early hours of Thursday - both UR-CAJ and UR-CJN are on their
first visits to BHX and the Antonov 26 is YL-RAD which is based
.

A general view of the Elmdon apron and the four Antonovs
.

RAF Lockheed Hercules C5 ZH884 made two ILS approaches
to Runway 33 during the afternoon
.

Air Med Learjet 35A G-ZMED was an afternoon visitor
to the Elmdon apron operating an air ambulance flight
.

Piper Malibu Mirage D-EEEY was a day stopping visitor
Photo: Mike Hollick

Thursday 12 January 2012 - Aero-Charter Antonov 12 UR-CJN makes first visit to BHX

2012-01-12T19:00:00.017Z

Aero-Charter Airlines Antonov 12BP UR-CJN was an afternoon
arrival from Graz - its first visit to BHX....
.

.... it was operating a freight charter and parked up on
the Elmdon apron to night stop Photo: Mike Hollick
.

UR-CJN was previously registered EK-12006 with Air Highnesses with
its former marks still visible on the rear fuselage Photo: Ron Kosys
.

It joined Meridian Aviation Antonov 12BP UR-CGV....
.

.... which had arrived in the early hours of the morning Photos: Ron Kosys
.

Eastern Saab 2000 G-CDEA positioned in from Farnborough
to take Leicester Tigers to Belfast for their Heineken Cup match
against Ulster on Friday evening Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JHK operated their flight to
Istanbul - the first visit to BHX of this recently delivered aircraft
.

Eurocopter EC-135T-2 G-MSPT and....
.

.... Aerospatiale Ecureuil G-SPVK were visitors Photos: Mike Hollick

Wednesday 11 January 2012 - Aer Arann ATR 42 EI-BYO to the rescue!!

2012-01-11T18:00:00.008Z

Aer Arann ATR 42-300 EI-BYO which was operating a Dublin
to Cardiff service routed via BHX to drop off an engineer after
their ATR 72-212A EI-REM had gone "tech" after arriving on
the morning Aer Lingus Regional service from Cork
.

SAS MD 82 OY-KHE operated their morning service to
Copenhagen - the aircraft is in "Star Alliance" colours
.

Nightexpress Beech 99 D-IEXB was an afternoon visitor
to the Elmdon apron operating a freight charter
.

Goodrich Global 5000 N700GR....
.

.... and United Technologies Falcon 7X N12U which had both
arrived on Tuesday were afternoon departures to the USA

Tuesday 10 January 2012 - Falcon 7X N12U makes first visit to BHX

2012-01-10T19:00:00.010Z

United Technologies Falcon 7X N12U was an afternoon arrival
from Luton - its first visit to BHX Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Goodrich Global 5000 N700GR also arrived from Luton
parking up on the Elmdon apron
.

Challenger 604 N359V which had arrived on Monday
was an afternoon departure
.

Piper Seneca III OY-PPS was a morning visitor departing to Jersey
.

Lufthansa Airbus A319-114 D-AILN operated their morning
service to Frankfurt - this flight which was previously operated
by a Boeing 737 has now been upgraded to an Airbus A319
operation with effect from today

Monday 9 January 2012 - Challenger N359V makes first visit to BHX

2012-01-09T19:00:00.010Z

Challenger 604 N359V was a morning arrival parking up
on the Elmdon apron - its first visit to BHX
.

London Executive Challenger 300 G-KSFR was an
afternoon visitor Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Flairjet Embraer Phenom 100 G-CGNP was a morning visitor while....
.

.... Premiair Sikorsky S-76C G-URSA made a brief afternoon visit
Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Thomas Cook Airbus A320-214 G-TCAD positioned in
from Glasgow to operate a charter to Marrakesh

Birmingham Airport announce London 2012 Olympic Games "welcome spectacular"

2012-01-09T18:00:00.000Z

Birmingham Airport has announced that it will be the first airport
outside of the capital, to host a London 2012 Olympic Games
"welcome spectacular" to give athletes and fans flying into the
region a special Midlands welcome
.
On approach to the airport, passengers will see the five giant
Olympic Rings on the airport’s new Air Traffic Control tower,
which can also be seen from the main road into Birmingham
.
The Airport will also feature the London 2012 pictograms
along the taxiway, and will use London 2012 branding to
cover its HQ building, "Diamond House", opposite the terminal
.
Seb Coe, LOCOG Chair, said: "The Olympic Rings are an iconic

symbol, inspiring athletes and uniting people around the world.
To athletes they represent the culmination of thousands of
hours of training and reaching the highest level in sport. To
visitors travelling from around the world and arriving in
Birmingham they will excite and inspire them about the
Olympic Games taking place in the UK"
.
Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO said, "Birmingham is the
UK’s second city, in the centre of the country, and is just over
an hour from London. With both the American and Jamaican track

and field teams training in Birmingham prior to the games, plus
the City of Coventry Stadium hosting a number of football games,
the region will play a major part in this amazing occasion"
.
Birmingham Airport plans to have the Olympic Rings in place

by 26 March 2012 to coincide with the completion of the first

phase of the construction of new Air Traffic Control tower
which is planned to be completed in 2013
Photos/images: London 2012
.

Monday 9 January 2012

Sunday 8 January 2012 - former Olympic ATR 72's SX-BII and SX-BIG sitting in the sun!!

2012-01-08T19:00:00.007Z

Former Olympic Airlines ATR 72-212 SX-BII and SX-BIG are
now parked at the end of Taxiway Lima/the old cross runway
.

Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-232 TC-JMJ operated their flight from
Istanbul - the third first visit to BHX by one of their 321's in a week!
.

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZGL operated their flight
to Grenoble - its first visit to BHX

Saturday 7 January 2012 - BA Cityflyer Embraer 190 G-LCYN is the "700th" E-jet

2012-01-07T19:00:00.017Z

BA Cityflyer Embraer 190-100LR G-LCYN positioned in from
London City for attention by flybe - its first visit to BHX....
.

.... G-LCYN is the 700th Embraer Regional jet to be built
and wears special marking on the nose to celebrate this
.

It parked on the Elmdon apron and was soon inside Hangar 1
.

Lauda Air Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNK again operated the weekly
Austrian Airlines ski IT flight from Innsbruck Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Mint Airways Boeing 757-28A EC-LBC was a morning arrival
positioning back from Paris Orly after flying for Jet4you
.

Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-231 TC-JRN operated
their flight to Istanbul - its first visit to BHX

Friday 6 January 2012 - former Olympic ATR 72 SX-BII parked on Taxiway Tango

2012-01-06T19:00:00.012Z

Former Olympic Airlines ATR 72-212 SX-BII is parked at the
end of Taxiway Lima/the old cross runway.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... where it has been joined by ATR 72-212 SX-BIG which
has now been repositioned from the Elmdon apron
.

Air Bright/RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAC which had arrived
on Wednesday was an afternoon departure Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Air France Airbus A320-211 F-GFKR operated their morning
service to Paris CDG - its first visit to BHX
.

Netjets Hawker 800XP CS-DRX was an afternoon arrival
.

Piper Navajo Chieftain N350PB which is based at BHX
spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron

Birmingham voted UK's best "large airport"‏

2012-01-06T18:00:00.002Z

Birmingham Airport has been voted "Best UK Airport" by
"Which? Travel" members, in the large airports category
.
Birmingham achieved four out of five "stars" in six out
of the seven categories, which were: Airport Design,
Environment, Information/Navigation, Queues/Delays,
Parking, Catering and Shopping
.
Members were asked to rate each category by their
satisfaction with, and likelihood to recommend,
airports that they've travelled from in the last
12 months. More than 8000 members took part
in the survey, rating 28 Airports
.
"Which? Travel" states that when comparing the results
of this survey with one carried out in 2009, it suggests
that people are noticing and appreciating the investments
made by regional airports - such as Birmingham which in
undergoing a £200m investment programme
.
Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham Airport, said, "This survey

demonstrates that our hard work and investment is paying
off and that our customers are benefiting from the many
improvements we've made"
.
"We know that Birmingham Airport offers a hassle free
alternative to some Airports in the south east for both
getting to the Airport and travelling through the terminal
so these results reinforce this"
.
Since 2009, Birmingham Airport has opened a new state
of the art International Pier and last year merged the two

terminals to become a one terminal facility, providing
a larger security search area and opening more shops
and restaurants
.
The Airport is currently building a new 33m air traffic
control tower and a new aircraft hangar, and is progressing
a tender process for the runway extension to allow for
more direct long haul flights

.
Airports in the survey's large airport category included
Heathrow, Manchester and Gatwick. The survey was
conducted between 26 September and 7 October 2011
.

Friday 6 January 2012

Thursday 5 January 2012 - Air Bright Antonov 26 YL-RAC parked on the Elmdon apron

2012-01-05T19:00:00.010Z

Air Bright/RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAC spent the day parked on
the Elmdon apron after arriving from Budapest on Wednesday....
.

.... joining based RAF Avia Antonov 26B YL-RAD Photos: Ron Kosys
.

The second former Olympic Airlines ATR 72-212 SX-BII duly
arrived in the late afternoon gathering gloom and taxied directly
to the end of Taxiway Lima/the old cross runway where it is
planned to park four of the 5 ex Olympic ATR 72's due at BHX
.

Let's Fly Metro III EC-GEN spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron
.

Turkish Airlines Airbus A321-231 TC-JRR operated their flight
to Istanbul - its first visit to BHX

Wednesday 4 January 2012 - former Olympic ATR 72 SX-BIG arrives from Athens!!

2012-01-04T19:00:00.010Z

Former Olympic Airlines ATR 72-202 SX-BIG was an afternoon
arrival from Athens parking on the Elmdon apron....
.

.... the aircraft has been ferried to the UK for attention by
flybe - the former Olympic titles/insignia have been crudely
painted out! It will be joined by four further ATR 72's - SX-BIH,
SX-BII, SX-BIK and SX-BIL - in due course Photo: Ron Kosys
.

Citation Bravo G-WAIN was a morning visitor....
.

.... joining Flairjet Embraer Phenom 100 G-CGNP on the
Elmdon apron - both aircraft were on their first visits to BHX

Tuesday 3 January 2012 - Lufthansa Embraer 195 D-AEBK makes its first visit to BHX

2012-01-03T19:00:00.009Z

Lufthansa Regional Embraer 195LR D-AEBK operated their
mid morning service to Munich - its first visit to BHX
.

bmi Airbus A320-232 G-MIDY arrived on the Monday evening
Lufthansa service from Frankfurt replacing the usually based
Airbus A320 G-MIDS which is in "Star Alliance" colours
.

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-EBN operated their service to Faro
- the aircraft wears additional "Lleida" titles advertising the new
airport in the Catalonia region of Spain....
.

.... while Ryanair no longer operate to Lleida Airport it will be served
from BHX from Sunday 8 January 2012 when flybe start a weekly
Embraer 195 ski IT flight for Thomas Cook Holidays/Neilson Ski

Monday 2 January 2012 - Falcon G-JPSZ makes return visit to the Elmdon apron

2012-01-02T19:00:00.007Z

Falcon 900EX G-JPSZ return from its holiday travels to dropping
off some passengers before continuing onto its Gloucester base
.

Blink Cessna 510 Mustang G-FBKB was a day stopping
visitor the Elmdon apron

Sunday 1 January 2012 - New Years Day

2012-01-01T19:00:00.006Z

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZGJ operated their flight
from Grenoble - its first visit to BHX
.

First Choice Boeing 767-324ER G-OOBM was a morning
departure operating the Thomson Airways flight to Barbados
.

A panoramic view of the terminal site at the start of 2012
- "click" on photo to see a larger image

Birmingham Airport Review 2011

2011-12-31T20:00:00.003Z

Welcome to "BHX 2011 - The Year in Review" which brings the
"highlights" of the year at Birmingham together in a photo review

.
2011 was always going to be yet another challenging year for both
the airport and airline industry but that did not stop a constant
flow of interesting movements at BHX - Birmingham Airport....

.... the year started as 2010 had ended with Aero Contractors
EC-225 Super Puma 5N-BKH parked on the Elmdon apron
after it had diverted in while en route to Aberdeen! - one
of the star movements of both years!? - photo report here
.
Things did not stop there - set out below are some of the highlights
and major developments during 2011 at Birmingham Airport
together with links to more photos and reports ....

.... the year saw two new operators at Birmingham - Sky Wings
and Comtel Air - for what Sky Wings lacked in the way of a
colour scheme they made up with by way of a stream of sub
charters as they struggled to keep their programme of summer
IT flights on schedule - more Sky Wings photos here
.

Comtel Air commenced services from BHX to Amritsar via Vienna
on 1 October 2011 and ceased operations in mid November - photo
report here - no further comment!
.

The end of the year saw a new airliner type at BHX when flybe
finally commenced Embraer 175 operations - report here
.
Inevitability in the current economic climate we said farewell
to a number of airline operators - Air Malta and Cyprus Airways
succumbed to the arrival of Ryanair and Monarch on their BHX
routes while Viking (SX-) followed Viking (SE-) out of business....

.
.... Continental became United - again! - while City Airline is now
Skyways and CityJet have passed their Paris CDG services back
to Air France
.

Mahan Air made the news when one of their Airbus A310's
was seized at BHX by leasing company GECAS - while Mahan
subsequently managed to recover the aircraft it seems doubtful
if they will return in the foreseeable future not least given the
deteriorating relations with Iran - more photos here
.
On the positive side the network scheduled carriers - AF/CO
/EK/KL/LH/LX/SK/SN/UA etc - all had another good year
with Lufthansa in particular adding extra capacity as well as
celebrating 25 years of continuous service to BHX - report here

.
The passenger numbers were again predictable given the
economic climate - they continued to go down! - however
air cargo/priority freight had another boom year - and once
again from the aviation enthusiast point of view many of the
movements were quality - and classic - aircraft!!
.

Star freighter movement was National Air Cargo DC 8-71F N872CA
- just a pity it did not move in daylight! - photo report here ....
.

....while Egypt Air Cargo Airbus A300B4-622RF SU-GAS - photo
report here - and Star Air Boeing 767-25EF OY-SRI flying for
UPS - photo report here - completed the big jet line up
.

There were again Antonov 12's galore! - Meridian Aviation
Antonov 12B UR-CGV (illustrated) - more photos here -
and BHX even had a Let 410 based for part of the year while
other interesting freight movements varied in size....
.

.... from Air Marrakech Piper Cheyenne CN-TJL to Air Contractors
Hercules EI-JIV - photos here - and hords of ATR's!! - a big well done
to all at Blue City Aviation for putting BHX so firmly on the cargo map!!
.
Atlantic Airlines/West Atlantic finally moved their scheduled
freight operation back to Coventry Airport - it had moved to

Birmingham at short notice in December 2009 when the
previous operator of that airport went out of business
.

Diversions again brought a bit of added variety - most notable were
Airbus A300B4-608ST Beluga F-GSTD "The Super Transporter"
which diverted from Chester - photo report here ....
.

.... and Belle Air Airbus A319-132 F-ORAG which diverted
to BHX from a foggy Stansted - photo report here - while
falling into no particular category the visit by....
.

.... Bahrain Air Airbus A319-111 A9C-BAX to make two ILS
approaches to Runway 33 was another star movement even
if it never landed! - photo report here
.

Ad hoc charters again provided more variety - an influx of Italian
students over the summer provided a series of flights by airlines
not normally seen regularly in the UK including Blue Panorama
/Blu Express, Mistral Air- photo report here - ....
.

.... and Jetran Air MD 82 YR-MDS - photo report here
.
Air Caraibes also operated an Airbus A330 charter on a glorious
sunny evening making up for their previous visit on a (very) wet
Sunday morning! - photo report here and see header!
.

Air Finland returned for the summer again - this time basing two
Boeing 757's for general ad hoc charter work for the peak season
with OH-AFL in the basic scheme of US airline Allegiant Air
- to see there comings and goings see here
.

It was Birmingham City's turn in Europe this year resulting in
a varied selection of charters - Hifly Airbus A330-332 CS-TMT
took them to Funchal - as they made their way through the group
stage of the UEFA "Europa League" at which point they exited the
competition - !! - for some of the football charters/visitor see here
.

flybe again had their new Dash 8's delivered direct to their BHX
maintenance hangar which also saw two visits by Air Moldova
Embraer 190 ER-ECB - on the second time emerging from the
hangar wearing RAK Airways titles! - photo report here
.
Birmingham Airport saw a "UK first" when Thomson Boeing 757
G-OOBN operated the first commercial/passenger carrying
bio fuel flight from a UK airport - report here ....
.

.... and if that was not green enough the Goodyear Airship
made two flyby's during the year!! - more photos here
.

Delivery/transit flights can always bring surprises - this year two
Royal Moroccan Air Force Texan's decided Birmingham was a
good place for a weekend stop over - more photos here - while
later in the year two Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-900ER's passed
through on delivery from the USA- photos here
.

There was a steady flow of biz jet movements with a number
coming from afar to bring a touch of the exotic to the Elmdon
apron - Phenom CN-MBR (actually a freight charter!),
Falcon CN-TKN (ditto!) (see above), Global Express VT-JSK,
.

.... Gulfstreams LV-CAZ, VQ-BGN (first VQ- aircraft to visit)
and XA-RGB (illustrated), and Hawker 900XP TC-MOH while
"classic" Boeing 727 M-FAHD made a return visit
.

The VIP visitor of the year was Citation G-SPUR (!?) which
brought William and Kate on their first visit to Birmingham
after the Royal Wedding back in April - photo report here - ....
.

.... while Air China Boeing 747-4J6 B-2472 managed to attract
a bit more attention when it arrived with the Chinese Premier
at the start of his UK visit! - photo report here - unfortunately
the same aircraft had previously visited BHX back in 2006
.

Military movements again produced a few surprises the star
of which was US Air Force C17A 90-0532 which diverted in
from Mildenhall....
.

.... also falling under this category were a series of trooping flights
operated by Omni Air DC 10's - N603AX illustrated - photo report
here - always good to see "classic" aircraft at BHX!
.

Unfortunately Birmingham Airport continued to receive regular
visits of Royal Air Force medevac flights carrying injured service
personnel on their way to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine,
now based at the new Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham
.

The airport skyline changed forever as the new ATC Tower sprung
up from the Elmdon site - photo report here - the first tangible sign
that yes the runway extension is going to happen!!
.

The new hangar for Eurojet has also been rapidly taking shape
- photo report here - while the new Travelodge Hotel on the
Elmdon site is another new landmark
.
Meanwhile over on the Terminal site "2 became 1" as the
"One Terminal" project was completed - photo report here - and
yes there are now even more - and bigger - shops than before!!
.

That completes the "highlights" of 2011 - for more information
on the above aircraft either "click" the links or to see photos of
the many other aircraft that visited Birmingham Airport during
2011 just "click" the heading in the index in the right hand
column which will take you to the original daily postings

.
To see a larger image of any of the photos above just "click" them
.
Happy New Year!
.

Gordon Stretch
.
Thanks to Mike Hollick and Ron Kosys for their photos
.

Birmingham Airport - Saturday 31 December 2011

Saturday 31 December 2011 - New Years Eve

2011-12-31T19:00:00.007Z

A final look at Birmingham Airport for 2011 - the terminal
has now become a "One Terminal" facility....
.

.... while on the Elmdon site the new ATC Tower and the hangar
being built for Eurojet (far right) have changed the skyline
.

.... ATC services will be moving from the tower in the historic
Elmdon building to the new facility in early 2013
.

That was 2011 at Birmingham Airport!

Friday 30 December 2011 - Lauda Boeing 737 OE-LNK flying for Austrian Airlines

2011-12-30T19:00:00.007Z

Lauda Air Boeing 737-8Z9 OE-LNK operated the weekly
Austrian Airlines ski IT flight from Innsbruck
.

Netjets Citation XLS CS-DQA was an afternoon arrival
on the Elmdon apron

Thursday 29 December 2011 - flybe Embraer 175 G-FBJA now BHX based

2011-12-29T19:00:00.006Z

flybe Embraer 175 G-FBJA was an afternoon departure to Dusseldorf
- it arrived from Paris CDG on the Monday/Boxing Day evening
service replacing G-FBJC as the BHX based flybe Embraer 175
.

Eurojet Citation's G-IPAX and G-EHGW spent the day parked
on the Elmdon apron with Citation G-CBRG....
.

....Citation Bravo G-EHGW was previously registered G-FCDB

Wednesday 28 December 2011 - Ryanair Boeing 737 EI-DWT with "Comunitat Valenciana" titles

2011-12-28T19:00:00.003Z

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-DWT operated their lunchtime service to
Dublin - the aircraft wears additional "Comunitat Valenciana" titles

Tuesday 27 December 2011 - Phenom G-VKGO makes first visit to BHX

2011-12-27T19:00:00.008Z

Embraer Phenom 100 G-VKGO positioned in from East Midlands
to operate a flight to Sion, Switzerland - its first visit to BHX
.

Mint Airways Boeing 757-28A EC-LBC which arrived on Christmas
Eve spent the day parked up - the aircraft is now BHX based and
is available for general charter work
.

Emirates Boeing 777-36NER A6-ECA operated their lunchtime
service from Dubai - its first visit to BHX

Monday 26 December 2011 - Boxing Day

2011-12-26T19:00:00.004Z

Netsjets Falcon 7X CS-DSA was a morning visitor to the Elmdon apron
..... while many of the based fleet had another day off!

Sunday 25 December 2011 - Christmas Day

2011-12-25T19:00:00.002Z

Emirates Boeing 777-21HER A6-EMI operated their
.... Christmas Day lunchtime service from Dubai
.

.... while most of the based fleets had the day off!
.
Happy Christmas!!

2011-12-25T18:00:00.002Z

Sunday 25 December 2011

Saturday 24 December 2011 - Falcon 900EX G-JPSZ parked on the Elmdon apron

2011-12-24T19:00:00.009Z

Falcon 900EX G-JPSZ which had arrived on Friday spent
the day parked up on the Elmdon apron while....
.

....Netjets Falcon 7X CS-DSB was an early morning arrival
from Gander Photos: Mike Hollick
.

West Air Europe/Atlantic Airlines BAe ATP G-MANO positioned in to
operate the newspaper flights to the Isle of Man over the holiday period

Friday 23 December 2011 - Austrian Airbus A321 OE-LBF operates IT flight to Innsbruck

2011-12-23T19:00:00.009Z

Austrian Airbus A321-211 OE-LBF operated the second service
of a new weekly IT flight to Innsbruck for the ski season
.

RAF Lockheed Hercules C5 ZH884 was a lunchtime visitor
to the Elmdon apron operating a medevac flight....
.

.... with the propellers cutting through the damp atmosphere
as it departed off Runway 15
.

Air Contractors ATR 72-201 EI-REJ which operated the nightly FedEx
service from Paris CDG spent the day parked up Photo: Ron Kosys

Thursday 22 December 2011 - Ryanair Boeing 737 EI-ENJ wears "Podkarpackie" titles

2011-12-22T19:00:00.010Z

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-ENJ operated their lunchtime service
from Dublin - it wears additional titles advertising....
.

.... Podkarpackie Province in southern Poland the capital
of which is the city of Rzeszow
.

Eastern Airways Embraer 145MP G-CGWV which had brought
West Bromwich Albion back from Newcastle on Wednesday
evening positioned out to Norwich
.

Augusta Air Citation XLS D-CTTT was an afternoon visitor
to the Elmdon apron

Wednesday 21 December 2011 - Hawker 900XP TC-MOH makes return visit to BHX

2011-12-21T19:00:00.005Z

Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Hawker 900XP TC-MOH
made a return visit to BHX to collect a patient it had brought to
the Children's Hospital at the end of November Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Flairjet Embraer Phenom 100 G-NUDD was an afternoon
visitor on a crew training on the ILS

Tuesday 20 December 2011 - Emirates Boeing 777 A6-EGG makes its first visit to BHX

2011-12-20T19:00:00.008Z

Emirates Boeing 777-31HER A6-EGG operated their
lunchtime service from Dubai - its first visit to BHX
.

Lufthansa Regional Avro RJ85 D-AVRQ operated their
delayed mid morning service to Munich - a now rare visit
by a once regular Lufthansa Avro RJ85
.

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZFA operated their service
to Geneva - its first visit to BHX

Monday 19 December 2011 - Strategic Airbus A320 LX-STC off to the Arctic to see Santa!!

2011-12-19T19:00:00.008Z

Strategic Airlines Airbus A320-212 LX-STC positioned in to operate
a "Santa flight" to Enontekio in Arctic Finland - its first visit to BHX
.

Eastern Airways Embraer 145MP G-CGWV positioned in Rennes
in preparation for taking West Bromwich Albion to Newcastle on
Tuesday for their Premiership match on Wednesday evening
.

Air Hamburg Citation XLS D-CFLY was an early morning arrival
spending the day parked on the Elmdon apron Photo: Mike Hollick

Sunday 18 December 2011 - Air Berlin Boeing 737 D-ABMB makes first visit to BHX

2011-12-18T19:00:00.009Z

Air Berlin Boeing 737-86J D-ABMB operated their weekly
flight from Paderborn - its first visit to BHX
.

Thomas Cook Airbus A320-214 G-DHJZ operated a "Santa flight"
to Rovaniemen in Arctic Finland
.

Atlantic Airlines BAe ATP G-BTPA spent the day parked
on the Elmdon apron after operating an early morning
newspaper flight to the Isle of Man

Saturday 17 December 2011 - Turkish Boeing 737-900 TC-JYB diverts to BHX!!

2011-12-17T19:00:00.005Z

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-9F2ER TC-JYB made its second visit
to BHX when it diverted in from Manchester which was closed due
to a dog on the airfield! - after refuelling it continued its journey
.
More photos later!!

Friday 16 December 2011 - American Boeing 757 N185AN diverts in from Manchester

2011-12-16T19:00:00.001Z

American Airlines Boeing 757-223 N185AN was a morning arrival
from Chicago when it diverted in from Manchester which had been
closed by snow - after refuelling it continued its journey
.
More photos later!!

Strategic Airlines Airbus A320 off to see Santa in Arctic Finland

2011-12-16T18:00:00.001Z

Strategic Airlines (STU) are planning to operate an Airbus
A320 "Santa flight" to Arctic Finland next week....
.
.... the aircraft should position in from East Midlands on
Sunday evening for a Monday morning departure with
the return flight on Wednesday evening - please see
below for the timings
.

SUNDAY 18 DECEMBER 2011

.
1905/ N/S STU863P 320 from East Midlands

- positioning flight - Strategic Airlines

.
MONDAY 19 DECEMBER 2011

.
N/S /0955 STU964 320 to Enontekio

- Santa flight to Arctic Finland - Strategic Airlines

.
WEDNESDAY 21 DECEMBER 2011
.
1730/1830 STU869/869P 320 from Enontekio/to Manchester

- return of Santa flight from Arctic Finland - Strategic Airlines

.
Schedule/timings subject to change!!
.
Friday 16 December 2011

November 2011 passenger figures at BHX

2011-12-16T16:00:00.001Z

Birmingham Airport handled 547,133 passengers during
November 2011 - a increase of 0.3% on the previous year
.
Comparisons with last year are distorted by the November
2010 landing accident involving Citation G-VUEM which
resulted in the airport being closed for 20 hours starting
on a busy Friday afternoon. In addition adverse weather
also effected operations last year
.
While leisure traffic remained weak many scheduled
business routes continued to perform well
.
During November significant growth was achieved on
scheduled flights to destinations such as -
Fuerteventura 124.4%, Shannon 31.9%, Istanbul 30.9%,
Copenhagen 25.8%, Faro 21.9%, Stuttgart 21.4%,
Munich 21.2%, Malta 21.0% and Cork 15.7%
.
Charter traffic which experience growth included -
Cyprus 100.2% and Portugal 89.8%
.
Scheduled traffic accounted for 87.9% of the total
passenger traffic in November whilst charter passengers
made up the remaining 12.1%
.

Friday 16 December 2011

Thursday 15 December 2011 - Aviavilsa ATR 42 LY-ETM parked on the Elmdon apron

2011-12-15T19:00:00.001Z

Aviavilsa ATR 42-300F LY-ETM which arrived from Reus
on Wednesday evening spent the morning parked up on
the Elmdon apron before departing
.
More photos later!!

Wednesday 14 December 2011 - Adria Canadair CRJ S5-AAJ arrives with NK Maribor

2011-12-14T19:00:00.002Z

Adria Airways Canadair CRJ200ER S5-AAJ was a morning arrival
bringing in NK Maribor of Slovenia for their UEFA "Europa League"
group match against Birmingham City on Thursday evening
- after unloading it positioned out to Ljubljana
.

Cessna 510 Mustang EC-LNZ which had arrived on Tuesday spent
the day parked on the Elmdon apron before departing
Photo: Mike Hollick
.
More photos later!!

Austrian Airlines to operate weekly IT flight to Innsbruck for 2011/12 ski season

2011-12-14T18:00:00.000Z

Austrian Airlines (OS) are planning to return to Birmingham
Airport this winter to operate a series of IT flights to
Innsbruck for the 2011/12 ski season....
.
....Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year so once again
all the tour operators are operating a bespoke schedule over
the holiday period before the days of operation/times
settle down in early 2012

.
A Boeing 737-800 is planned to position in tomorrow/
Thursday 15 December 2011 to operate the first departure
to Innsbruck on Friday morning - on the following Friday
the flight is operated by an Airbus A321 and there is then
one further Friday flight - a Boeing 737-800 - before the
flights move to Saturday's for the rest of the ski season
- for the detailed schedule please see below -
.

THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2011
.
2050/ N/S OS1459 73H from Vienna
- positioning flight - Austrian
.
FRIDAY 16 DECEMBER 2011
.
N/S /0555 OS9366 73H to Innsbruck
- new weekly IT flight for the ski season - Austrian

.
FRIDAY 23 DECEMBER 2011
.
1125/1210 OS9365/9366 321 from/to Innsbruck
- weekly IT flight for the ski season - Austrian
.
FRIDAY 30 DECEMBER 2011
.
1440/1525 OS9365/9366 73H from/to Innsbruck
- weekly IT flight for the ski season
.
SATURDAY 7 JANUARY to 24 MARCH 2012
.
0915/1030 OS9365/9366 73H from/to Innsbruck
- weekly IT flight for the ski season

.
Schedule/timings subject to change!!
.

Wednesday 14 December 2011

Tuesday 13 December 2011 - Eurocopter EC-135 G-MSPT visits the Elmdon apron

2011-12-13T19:00:00.000Z

Eurocopter EC-135T-2 G-MSPT was a visitor to the Elmdon apron
Photo: Mike Hollick
.
More photos later!!

Monday 12 December 2011 - Avion Express Saab 340 LY-NSC on the Elmdon apron

2011-12-12T19:00:00.000Z

Avion Express Saab 340AF LY-NSC which has been parked up
on the Elmdon apron since last Thursday was an afternoon
departure to Dortmund operating a freight charter
.

Piper Navajo Chieftain N350PB is again based at BHX
.

Air France Airbus A320-214 F-GKXY operated their lunchtime
service from Paris CDG - its first visit to BHX

Sunday 11 December 2011 - another day - another Turkish 737-900ER on delivery!!

2011-12-11T19:00:00.005Z

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-9F2ER TC-JYB was an early morning
arrival from Charleston, USA - the second Turkish Airlines delivery
in 24 hours! - after refuelling it continued onto Istanbul
.

easyJet Airbus A319-111 G-EZID operated their service to Grenoble
after arriving from Geneva - the "100" on the nose records the fact
it was the 100th aircraft to join the easyJet fleet back in 2005

Adria Canadair CR2 bringing NK Maribor to Birmingham for UEFA "Europa League" match

2011-12-11T18:00:00.002Z

Birmingham City play NK Maribor of Slovenia at home in their
final match of the group stage of the UEFA "Europa League"
next Thursday evening 15 December 2011
.
NK Maribor have chartered an Adria Airways (JP) Canadair
CRJ200 to bring the team to Birmingham Airport from
Maribor with the aircraft not planned to stay over at BHX
- the provisional timings are set out below -
.
WEDNESDAY 14 DECEMBER 2011

.
0915/0945 JP968/969 CR2 from Maribor/to Ljubljana
- charter of NK Maribor match against the Blues
.
THURSDAY 15 DECEMBER 2011
.
2325/2355 JP968/969 CR2 from Ljubljana
- return charter for NK Maribor after match against the Blues
.

Schedule/timings subject to change!!
.

Monday 12 December 2011

Saturday 10 December 2011 - Turkish Boeing 737-900ER TC-JYA on delivery!!

2011-12-10T17:00:00.014Z

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-9F2ER TC-JYA prepares to depart off
Runway 33 on the final stage of its delivery flight to Istanbul....
.

.... it had earlier arrived from Charleston, North Carolina
.

TC-JYA (and TC-JYB) have spent the last few months at Georgetown,
Delaware, having BBJ style long range fuel tanks fitted....
.

.... and TC-JYA was the first visit of a "737-900ER" to BHX
.

easyJet Swiss Airbus A319-111 HB-JZU operated their first
flight to Geneva of the 2011/12 ski season
.

Eastern Saab 2000 G-CERZ positioned in from Norwich
to take Leicester Tigers to Clermont Ferrand for their
Heineken Cup match on Sunday

Friday 9 December 2011 - bmibaby Boeing 737 G-TOYD with a new "tiny" on the tail!!

2011-12-09T19:00:00.011Z

bmibaby Boeing 737-3Q8 G-TOYD which is named
"surf's up, baby!" is the latest aircraft in their fleet....
.

.... to wear a new style "tiny" on the tail
.

Ryanair Boeing 737-8AS EI-ESW operated their early morning
service from Dublin - its first visit to BHX - and then became
based departing to Arrecife in the Canary Islands
.

Air France Airbus A320-214 F-HEPE operated their lunchtime
service from Paris CDG - another first visit to BHX
.

Farnair ATR 72-201F HB-AFR which had arrived on Thursday
was an afternoon departure while ....
.

Avion Express Saab 340AF LY-NSC which had also arrived on
Thursday spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron with....
.

....Pilatus PC-12 LX-JFJ Photos: Mike Hollick

Thursday 8 December 2011 - AeroVis Antonov 12 UR-CBG makes early morning visit

2011-12-08T19:00:00.005Z

AeroVis Airlines Antonov An 12BP UR-CBF was an early morning
visitor operating a freight charter from Vatry....
.

.... and making a signature departure off Runway 15
.
More Photos later

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-900's TC-JYA and TC-JYB to be delivered via Birmingham

2011-12-08T15:00:00.001Z

First flight delayed 48 hours!! - now due
BHX at 1100 Saturday 10 December 2011
.
The flight can be tracked here
.
Turkish Airlines will shortly be taking delivery of their

first two Boeing 737-900's TC-JYA and TC-JYB
.
These aircraft have spent the last few months in
Georgetown, Deleware, having BBJ style long range
fuel tanks fitted and while they could fly non stop
from the Eastern USA to Istanbul they are coming
via Birmingham for a crew change

.
That as they say is the good news as the timings
are rather anti social with the first aircraft due into
BHX at 0430 tomorrow/Thursday morning with the
second aircraft following on Saturday morning - a
summary of the BHX timings is set out below
.
As with all delivery flights these dates/timing could
change and as these are only crew change/fuel stops
at BHX the onward departure time will depend on
the actual arrival time
.

Day of operation/timings subject to change
as these are delivery flights!

SATURDAY 10 DECEMBER 2011
.
1100/1200 TK6900 73J from Charleston/to Istanbul
- delivery flight

2330/0030 TK6901 73J from Charleston/to Istanbul - TBC!!

- delivery flight

Wednesday 7 December 2011

Wednesday 7 December 2011 - Cyprus Airbus A330 5B-DBS departs to Frankfurt

2011-12-07T19:00:00.013Z

Cyprus Airways Airbus A330-243 5B-DBS which had arrived on

Friday evening for short term parking departed to Frankfurt for
end of lease checks by Lufthansa Technik bringing to an end
Airbus A330 operations by Cyprus Airways
.

flybe Embraer 175 G-FBJC commenced operating three
of their weekday BHX to Dusseldorf services - it is seen
here arriving back after its first visit to Dusseldorf
.

Farnair ATR 72-201F HB-AFJ which had arrived from Saarbrucken
on Tuesday evening on its first visit to BHX was a morning
departure to collect another load of freight while....
.

WDL Aviation Cargo Fokker Friendship 600 D-AELK was an
afternoon arrival from Saarbrucken operating a freight charter

flybe commence Embraer 175 services from Birmingham Airport!!‏

2011-12-06T20:00:00.001Z

flybe commenced Embraer 175 services on Tuesday
6 December 2011 when G-FBJC operated their inaugural
"E75" flight from Birmingham Airport to Edinburgh
.
flybe took delivery of their first two Embraer 175's at Exeter
on Saturday 26 November 2011 and G-FBJC positioned to
Birmingham at lunchtime today/Tuesday - the first visit of
an Embraer 175 to Birmingham Airport
.
The inaugural flybe Embraer 175 flight was the "BE 849"
to Edinburgh which departed BHX at 1510....
.
.... from Wednesday 7 December 2011 flybe plan to use
their new Embraer 175's on three of their daily services
from Birmingham to Dusseldorf - please see below for the schedule
.
This is a double first for Birmingham Airport as flybe also
commenced Embraer 195 services from BHX when G-FBEA
operated the "BE 816" to Glasgow on Friday 22 September 2006
.

flybe Embraer 175 schedule at Birmingham Airport
.
N/S /0700 BE7041 E75 to Dusseldorf
- operates Monday to Friday
1035/1335 BE7042/7045 E75 from/to Dusseldorf
- operates Monday to Friday
1700/1750 BE7046/7047 E75 from/to Dusseldorf
- operates Monday to Friday plus dep on Sunday
2120/ N/S BE7048 E75 from Dusseldorf
- operates Monday to Friday + Sunday
.

Schedule/timings subject to change!!

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Tuesday 6 December 2011 - flybe Embraer 175 G-FBJC makes first visit to BHX

2011-12-06T19:00:00.008Z

flybe Embraer 175 G-FBJC was a lunchtime arrival when
it positioned in from Exeter as the "BE 042P"....
.

.... this was the first visit of an Embraer 175 to BHX and
G-FBJC then operated the inaugural flybe "E75" service
the "BE 849" to Edinburgh which departed at 1510
.
More photos later!!

Saturday 3 December 2011

2011-12-03T19:00:00.000Z

Friday 2 December 2011

2011-12-02T19:00:00.000Z

Thursday 1 December 2011

2011-12-01T19:00:00.000Z

Local partnership launched to develop trade between Birmingham and China

2011-12-01T17:00:00.008Z

Birmingham Airport and MG Motor UK today entered into
a formal corporate partnership which demonstrates their
long term commitment to the development of trade
between the West Midlands region and China
.
At the launch event held at Birmingham Airport, both

parties highlighted the need for a direct air link to China,
and showcased several new MG6 cars on the airfield as

well as unveiling an MG Motor UK branded airbridge

Speaking at the launch event, Paul Kehoe, CEO of Birmingham
Airport, said, "As we embark on our runway extension project
next year, we’re keen to hear from, and work with, businesses
that would benefit from a direct air link"
.
"This is particularly vital for MG Motor UK, whose parent
company is Shanghai based, SAIC Motor; the eighth largest
automotive manufacturer in the world"
.
William Wang, MD of MG Motor UK, said, "Like Birmingham
Airport, SAIC motor’s business is in an exciting period of

international growth. As the proud owners of the world famous
MG brand, SAIC Motor has made significant investment to make
Birmingham the global home of the brand, SAIC group’s
European engineering centre of excellence and most recently
a manufacturing and sales centre for our new MG6 vehicles"
.
The strength of commitment between the Birmingham region
and China was most clearly demonstrated by the visit of Chinese

Premier Wen Jiabao to Birmingham in summer 2011 - for a
photo report of his visit to Birmingham Airport "click" here

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Birmingham Airport and MG Motor launch Partnership to develop trade with China

2011-12-01T16:00:00.005Z

Wednesday 30 November 2011

2011-11-30T19:00:00.000Z

Tuesday 29 November 2011

2011-11-29T19:00:00.001Z

Monday 28 November 2011 - Turkey Ministry of Health Hawker 900XP TC-MOH visits BHX

2011-11-28T19:00:00.012Z

Republic of Turkey Ministry of Health Hawker 900XP TC-MOH
was a lunchtime visitor to the Elmdon apron operating an
air ambulance flight Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Meridian Aviation Antonov An 12BK UR-DWF which had arrived
from Luanda on Sunday evening.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... departed to Narsarsuaq, Greenland
.

Photos: Ron Kosys

Sunday 27 November 2011 - Meridian Antonov 12 UR-DWF arrives from Luanda

2011-11-27T19:00:00.012Z

Meridian Aviation Antonov An 12BK UR-DWF was an evening
arrival from Luanda via Hassi Messoud.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... operating a freight charter Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Sun Air Dornier 328JET OY-NCO was an evening visitor bringing
rock group "Deep Purple" in for their concert at the NEC....
.

.... the aircraft wears additional Joinjet titles which
is the charter division of Sun Air Photos: Ron Kosys
.

Atlantic Airlines Boeing 737-322F G-JMCL which had arrived
on Saturday evening spent the day parked on the Elmdon apron
- it was visiting BHX because of the limited weekend opening
hours at its Coventry Airport base Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Navajo G-UMMI was an afternoon visitor Photo: Mike Hollick

City Airline becomes Skyways

2011-11-27T18:00:00.001Z

City Airline which was acquired by the owner of fellow
Swedish regional airline Skyways back in April 2011
has now assumed the Skyways brand name
.
This change has been a long time coming with many
of the City Airline aircraft having long lost their colour
scheme and titles....
.
.... hopefully it will not take as long for the aircraft
to be painted in the smart new red Skyways scheme
.
In the short term the flights are still planned to operate
as the "CF017/018" however with effect from Monday
5 December 2011 the timings on Monday to Thursday
change to lunchtime until the Christmas/New Year
holiday period when a bespoke schedule operates
.
Skyways schedule from Monday 5 December 2011 until Christmas
.
1320/1350 CF017/018 ER3/ER4 from/to Gothenburg
- operates Monday to Thursday
1825/1900 CF017/018 ER3/ER4 from/to Gothenburg
- operates on Friday and Sunday
.
Flights can now be booked at www.skyways.com
.
Wednesday 30 November 2011

Saturday 26 November 2011 - KLM Boeing 737 PH-BGM off to Amsterdam

2011-11-26T19:00:00.004Z

KLM Boeing 737-7K2 PH-BGM operated their
early morning service to Amsterdam

Friday 25 November 2011 - US Air Force C17 90-0532 early morning diversion

2011-11-25T16:00:00.010Z

US Air Force C17A 90-0532 was an early morning arrival when
it diverted in because Mildenhall was closed for the Thanksgiving
Holiday - after unloading on the Elmdon apron it repositioned
to park up on Taxiway Tango Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Alpi Aviation Pioneer 200 G-CFKW which had arrived on Thursday
was loaded onto a trailer on the Elmdon apron to be moved to the
NEC for "The Flying Show".... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

.... leaving the site via Hangar Road....
.

.... and causing some rush hour queues on the A45 Coventry Road!!
.
More photos later!!

Thursday 24 November 2011 - Farnair ATR 72 HB-AFW flying with Quikjet India titles

2011-11-24T19:00:00.007Z

Farnair ATR 72-202F HB-AFW which wears Quikjet India titles....
Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... positioned back to Saarbruken to collect another load of freight
Photo: Nick Broome
.
More photos later

Wednesday 23 November 2011 - Air Contractors Hercules EI-JIV visits BHX!!

2011-11-23T17:00:00.010Z

Air Contractors Lockheed L100-30 Hercules EI-JIV arrived....
.

.... from Saarbruken operating a freight charter Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... after unloading it departed back to Germany
.

.... to return later with another load of freight parking next to
Fleet Air International Saab 340A HA-TAB Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Farnair ATR 72-202F HB-AFW was an evening arrival
- the aircraft wears Quickjet India titles Photo: Mike Hollick
.

British Airways Boeing 767-336ER G-BNWV was a morning arrival
when it diverted in while operating the BA264 from Washington to
Heathrow - after refuelling it continued its journey
.

Thomson Boeing 737-8K5 G-FDZY was an early morning arrival
from Boeing Field, Seattle, at the end of its delivery flight to
the UK - it parked up on Stand 81
.

Gama Aviation Learjet 45 G-GMAA was an afternoon visitor

to the Elmdon apron

Tuesday 22 November 2011 - Air Mana Merlin F-GZJM visits the Elmdon apron

2011-11-22T19:00:00.009Z

Air Mana Merlin IIIA F-GZJM was an evening visitor to
the Elmdon apron operating a freight charter while....
.

....Fly Logic Metro II SE-KCP which had arrived in the early hours
of the morning spent the day parked up Photos: Mike Hollick
.

Citation CJ1 HB-VWF which had arrived on Monday spent the day
parked up before departing in the early evening
.

BA Cityflyer Embraer 170 G-LCYD which had diverted in from
London City on Monday evening positioned back to Frankfurt
.

First Choice Boeing 767-324ER G-OOBK which had arrived
on Monday evening from Abu Dhabi after maintenance spent
the day parked up on Stand 25

Monday 21 November 2011 - Turkish Boeing 737 TC-JFU in new colour scheme

2011-11-21T19:00:00.003Z

Turkish Airlines Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JFU operated their service
from Istanbul - the aircraft in their new colour scheme

Sunday 20 November 2011 - Air France "retro" Airbus A320 F-GFKJ in the fog!!

2011-11-20T19:00:00.007Z

Air France Airbus A320-211 F-GFKJ operated their morning
service to Paris CDG on a very foggy day! - the aircraft is
in their "retro" colour scheme

Saturday 19 November 2011 - National Cargo DC8-71F N872CA off to the USA!!

2011-11-19T19:00:00.022Z

National Cargo Douglas DC 8-71F N872CA which had arrived on
Friday evening was loaded with a cargo of tyres.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

....destined for Rickenbacker Airport, Columbus, Ohio Photo: Ron Kosys
.

While the aircraft was loaded by lunchtime.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... departure was planned for 1800 (and in the dark!) with the flight routing
via Willow Run, Detroit, for US Customs clearance Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Boeing 737-73T BBJ N500LS was a morning arrival....
.

.... with visiting Sikorsky S 92 G-LAWX taking the passengers
onward to their final destination
.

Global Express M-GLOB was an early morning arrival when it
diverted in due to poor visibility at Stansted.... Photo: Ron Kosys
.

.... with Falcon 7X M-YNNS later diverting in from Luton
.

Gulfstream IV N124TF which had arrived on Friday spent
the day parked up on the Elmdon apron Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Eurojet Citation Bravo G-EHGW arrived from Doncaster - its first visit
since being registered from G-FCDB (and repainted) Photo: Ron Kosys

Friday 18 November 2011 - National Cargo DC8-71F N872CA arrives at BHX!!

2011-11-18T19:00:00.008Z

National Cargo Douglas DC 8-71F N872CA was an evening arrival....
.

....on the Elmdon apron when it positioned in from Edinburgh
to take a load of freight to the USA on Saturday Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Turkish Boeing 737-8F2 TC-JFH operated their flight
from Istanbul - the aircraft is in "Star Alliance" colours
.

Ryanair aircraft parked on the 70's and 80's stands
.

Gulfstream IV N124TF was an afternoon arrival bringing
in Rihanna for her concert at the NEC

Comtel Air cancel all their flights from Birmingham Airport to Amritsar, India

2011-11-18T18:00:00.010Z

Comtel Air have now cancelled all flights from Birmingham
to Amritsar via Vienna until further notice....
.
.... they made the news headlines earlier in the week when
passengers were asked to hand over more cash to complete
their flight to Birmingham when the aircraft stopped for
refuelling in Vienna - video report here
.
The flights were being sold by Takhar Travel in Smethwick
but the ATOL holder was a company called Astonbury Limited
- trading as Skyjet - which had an agreement with Comtel Air
who had chartered Mint Airways to operate the flights
.
Astonbury/Skyjet has now ceased to trade with the result the
CAA has now stepped and will be repatriating the passengers
.

Friday 18 November 2011

Thursday 17 November 2011 - Islander F-HFIT visits again on way home to France

2011-11-17T19:00:00.009Z

Britten Norman BN-2T Islander F-HFIT was an afternoon visitor
as it again stopped at BHX for fuel on its way home to France after
visiting Cumbernauld for maintenance Photo: Nick Broome
.

Westair Gulfstream 550 EI-GDL and....
.

....Hawker 800XP EI-WXP both visited the Elmdon apron
.

Air Taxi Europe Cessna 406 Caravan II D-IATE which had arrived
on Wednesday was an afternoon departure Photo: Nick Broome
.

SAS Airbus A321-232 OY-KBH operated their morning service
from Copenhagen in place of the usual MD 81

October 2011 passenger figures

2011-11-17T18:00:00.006Z

Birmingham Airport handled 763,706 passengers during
October 2011 - a decrease of 3.8% on the previous year
.
With many IT flights finishing earlier this year - a sign
of the harsh economic times - leisure passenger numbers
continued to fall dragging the overall total down despite
on excellent figures on many scheduled routes
.

During October significant growth was achieved on
scheduled flights to destinations such as -

Almeria 104.8%, Fuerteventura 83.7%, Malta 44.9%,

Milan 41.8%, Istanbul 40.6%, Arrecife 21.4%,

Munich 20.6%, Shannon 17.1% and Stuttgart 13.7%

.
Charter traffic which experience growth included -
Spain 4.4%, Greece 3.0% and Madeira 1.3%
.

Scheduled traffic accounted for 79.5% of the total
passenger traffic in October whilst charter passengers
made up the remaining 20.5%
.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Wednesday 16 November 2011 - Comtel Air making the headlines at Birmingham Airport

2011-11-16T19:00:00.023Z

Mint Airways Boeing 757-28A EC-LHL arrived on Tuesday evening
after operating the delayed Comtel Air flight from Amritsar via Vienna
and making the news headlines when the passengers were asked to
hand over more cash to complete the flight to Birmingham when
the aircraft stopped for refuelling in Vienna - video report here
.

....EC-LHL later positioned out to Madrid - this was its first visit to BHX
.

Air Service Leige Citation OO-EDV was a morning visitor....
.

.... with Haverfordwest Air Charter Navajo Chieftain G-BVYF
with both aircraft operating transplant flights while....
.

....JOTA Aviation Navajo Chieftain G-STHA was an evening visitor
operating a freight charter from Rennes Photos: Mike Hollick

Tuesday 15 November 2011 - Gulfstream IVSP N106CE visits the Elmdon apron

2011-11-15T19:00:00.010Z

Gulfstream IVSP N106CE was a morning arrival later joined by....
.

.... Challenger 601 N144MH Photos: Mike Hollick
.

Citation CJ3 F-HBPP was a day stopping visitor
.

Sikorsky S-76B G-VONB was an afternoon visitor Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Thomson Boeing 737-8K5 G-FDZW operated their flight to Alicante

Monday 14 November 2011 - Netherlands Gov Fokker 70 PH-KBX morning arrival

2011-11-14T19:00:00.013Z

Netherlands Government Fokker 70 PH-KBX was a morning arrival
bringing in Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the start of his two
day official visit to the United Kingdom
.

JetNetherlands Piaggio P.180 Avanti II PH-DLN was a morning
visitor operating an air ambulance flight Photo: Mike Hollick
.

Everjets Embraer Phenom 300 G-GEIR was a day stopping
visitor to the Elmdon apron as was.... Photo: Mike Hollick
.

....Falcon 900B EC-JBB
.

Ecureuil 2 G-OLCP was a morning visitor Photo: Mike Hollick
.

First Choice Boeing 767-35EER G-DBLA departed to Abu Dhabi
for maintenance