John Morris, Head of Government and Industry Affairs for Birmingham Airport,Geoff Inskip, Chief Executive for Centro, Councillor Mike Whitby, Leader ofBirmingham City Council, Des Steadman, MD Civil Engineering for VolkerFitzpatrick and Carl Fergusson, Operations Director for ColasVolkerFitzpatrick and Colas have been announced as the preferred
joint venture contractors for two major Midlands construction
projects – the A45 Transport Corridor Improvement Scheme
and the Runway Extension at Birmingham Airport, following
a competitive tender process run by Birmingham City Council
.
The A45 Transport Corridor Improvement Scheme will improve
the A45 Coventry Road between Damson Parkway and M42
Junction 6. It will reduce congestion, improve safety and
accessibility, and is a major catalyst for investment
.
The estimated commencement date of the A45 Transport
Corridor Improvement Scheme is July 2012, with works
expected to be completed by summer 2013. The estimated
start date for the runway extension scheme is June 2013,
with an operational date of spring 2014, following full
commissioning and flight testing
.
On completion, the 405 metre runway extension will enhance
the Airport’s capability and open up the World to the people
and economy of the Midlands, as well as helping to take
pressure off airports in the overheated South East
.John Morris, Head of Industry and Government Affairs for
Birmingham Airport said, "By meeting local demand, the
Airport will reduce unnecessary long-distance surface
journeys to other UK airports and generate sustainable
long-term economic growth inside its own local area"
.
Councillor Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City
Council, said, "Birmingham Airport and the A45, which
links Birmingham to Coventry, the motorways and beyond,
are both key strategic components of the entire West
Midlands’ transport infrastructure. Making improvements
and expanding capacity of both the road and airport will
directly benefit the regional economy, encouraging more
inward investment and enhancing our position and ability
to compete on a global scale"
.
At just 2,600 metres, the current runway length restricts
the range of destinations, markets and routes which can
be served directly from the Airport, resulting in thousands
of people each year having to make long surface journeys
to other UK airports outside the Midlands region
. Whilst the Airport can currently serve short haul and medium
haul routes into the UK and Europe, as well as limited
long-haul routes to the east coast of North America and
the Middle East, thriving business and leisure destinations
further away, such as China, South Africa and the west
coast of America, cannot be reached directly
.
Speaking on behalf of VolkerFitzpatrick and Colas, Des Steadman,
MD of Civil Engineering for VolkerFitzpatrick, said, "We’re
delighted to be chosen as preferred bidder and to be involved
in these projects. Both organisations are pleased to continue
their long standing relationships with the key stakeholders.
We recognise the strategic importance of this significant
infrastructure project to the region and look forward to its
successful delivery"
.
Monday 19 March 2012
Brit Air Canadair CRJ 100ER F-GRJU operated the final
Air Contractors ATR 72-202F EI-FXI operated their final FedEx
.... before positioning out to Edinburgh
Farnair ATR 72-201F HB-AFG which had arrived in the early hours
flybe Dash 8Q-402 G-ECOI - the second aircraft to be leased
Ryanair were also preparing for the start of the summer schedules
