Friday 31 October 2008 - PrivatAir Boeing 757 HB-IEE makes its first visit to BHX

PrivatAir Boeing 757 HB-IEE positioned in from Athens

to operate a charter flight to Italy....

.

.... the aircraft has small Privat Air titles by the front passenger door
.

First Choice Boeing 757 G-CPEU departs on flight "FCA 3522" to
Tenerife - Friday 31 October 2008 is the final day of "FCA"/"Jetset"
operations - from tomorrow they use "TOM"/"Thomson" callsigns
.
Falcon 900 N100UP which had arrived on Thursday was
an early morning departure

BHX welcomes new Chief Executive Officer

Birmingham International Airport is delighted to announce that
its new Chief Executive Officer, Paul Kehoe, has joined today
.
Paul brings with him a wealth of experience in the aviation industry,
having worked in it for some 25 years. His previous experience
encompasses military air traffic control, British Aerospace, Serco
Aviation and his most recent roles at Bristol and Luton Airports
.
Paul Kehoe, commenting on his new role, said: "I am looking
forward to working alongside the Board, Management Team,
Staff and Stakeholders here at Birmingham. "I have joined the
Airport at a very exciting time, with the new International Pier
under construction, an extension to the Multi Storey Car Park
under way, and the recent opening of two new hotels. Added to
that the fantastic news that US Airways will be joining us next
year, and you can see why I am so enthusiastic to lead the
Airport which not only puts Birmingham on the map as the
second City, but also links the Midlands with the rest of the
World - showing that it means business
.
"My goal and passion is to drive the business forward with
the support of my team to uphold our mission to be the
Best Regional Airport in Europe"
.
John Hudson, Chairman of Birmingham International Airport,
commented: "On behalf of the Board I welcome Paul to
Birmingham. He has a wealth of experience and knowledge
behind him that will benefit Birmingham and with the
support of the super team that is already here, will ensure
that Birmingham goes from strength to strength
.
"The Board also want to thank Joe Kelly for his commitment,
hard work and professionalism over the last 21 months as he
kept the business stable following the sudden death of
Richard Heard. Joe and the rest of the Executive Team will
continue the work which has seen Birmingham receive
worldwide acclaim in recent months"

.

Monday 27 October 2008

Sunday 26 October 2008 - AMC Airlines Boeing 737 SU-BPZ operates final flight of season

AMC Airlines Boeing 737-86N SU-BPZ operated their final weekly

IT flight for the summer season from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

.

Eurocypria Boeing 737-8BK 5B-DBZ operated

their weekly IT flight to Larnaca
.

flybe Dash 8Q-402 G-ECOH arrived from Reykjavik as the

"BE 040" at the end of its delivery flight from Canada

Saturday 25 October 2008 - Air India Boeing 777 VT-AIK operates final service to Amritsar

Air India Boeing 777-200 VT-AIK departs off Runway 15 operating

the final flight "AI 187" to Amritsar and Delhi - the BHX service is

now suspended with the flights moving to Heathrow for the winter
.

PIA Boeing 777-200LR AP-BGZ arrives from Islamabad
.
Onur Air MD88 TC-ONM operated their IT flight to Bodrum

Friday 24 October 2008 - Spanair Airbus A321 EC-INB operates IT flight to Tenerife

Spanair Airbus A321 EC-INB operated an additional IT

flight to Tenerife for the "half term" holiday after arriving

from Aberbeen

.

Air Berlin Boeing 737-800 D-ABBQ operated

their weekly flight to Münster Osnabrück
.

Air India Boeing 777-200 VT-AIK departs on its final

westbound "AI 187" service to Toronto - from Sunday

the service moves to Heathrow for the winter
.

flybe Dash 8Q-400 G-ECOG which had been delivered to

BHX from Canada the previous weekend entered service

Thursday 23 October 2008 - Airbus A340 HZ-124 departs to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

Airbus A340-200 HZ-124 which had arrived on Wednesday

evening was a morning departure to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia

Wednesday 22 October 2008 - Transavia Boeing 737 PH-HZD arrives with Ajax team

Transavia Boeing 737-8K2 PH-HZD arrived from Amsterdam

with the Ajax team in advance of their UEFA Cup tie against

Aston Villa on Thursday evening. It parked up on Stand 71

.

Swiss Avro RJ100 HB-IYQ operated their lunchtime

service from Zurich
.

Robinson R-44 G-PIXX of flyingTV - which is used for aerial

filming - was a morning visitor to the Elmdon apron

US Airways to serve Philadelphia daily from Birmingham Airport!!

Birmingham International Airport is celebrating the news

that US Airways (US), the fifth largest US airline, will start
flights to Philadelphia from Wednesday 13 May 2009. The

new service will operate daily until the end of September,

offering onward flights throughout the US including

Boston, Chicago, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,

Orlando, Miami, San Francisco and Tampa
.
Peter Vella, Birmingham Airport’s Business Development

Director said, "US Airways is one of North America’s

premier airlines. Commencing new daily services to and

from Birmingham is a fantastic development because it will

give more options for linking destinations across the USA to

the Midlands for business and leisure, potentially leading to

more trade links and tourism. US Airways’ Philadelphia hub

offers Midlanders a vast list of onward flights throughout

Canada, the Caribbean, Latin America and the USA. The

significance of this new service cannot be underestimated"
.
Flights will operate daily, arriving into Birmingham
at 06:25. The service will then depart at 08:45,
arriving in Philadelphia at 11:50
.
Suzanne Boda, Senior Vice President, East Coast,
International and Cargo Operations of US Airways
said, "In addition to approximately 3,700 US Airways,
US Airways Shuttle and US Airways Express flights
per day, US Airways also offers some 17,000 daily
flights to nearly 900 destinations in 160 countries
worldwide as a member of the Star Alliance network.
We are delighted to bring this portfolio to the people

of the Midlands and offer a new destination to
Birmingham’s growing network from 2009"
.
Mike Whitby, Leader of Birmingham City Council,
commented: "This great news for the whole West Midlands
region and demonstrates Birmingham's ever growing status
as a major international hub for business, travel and tourism.
Alongside the emerging markets of China and India, the US
possesses one of the primary economies with which globally
relevant cities such as Birmingham must increasingly trade
and interact. Only by first establishing world-class transport

links of this nature can we start to build the necessary

relationships with major overseas economies which

ultimately serve as the catalyst for inward investment,

job creation and local prosperity"
.
Operating a Boeing 757-200 aircraft, US Airways will offer
a mixed cabin of 164 Economy seats and 12 business class

seats through its Envoy product which offers passengers

the following service:
.

Wider seats that recline up to 160 degrees for a truly relaxing
flight. Four-way adjustable headrest and lumbar support;
.

Amenity kit;
.

Individual, on-demand entertainment units featuring a wide

selection of movies, television and audio programming;
.

In-seat laptop power outlet (adapter free);
.

Dedicated check-in counters, priority boarding and baggage

handling;
.

Complimentary day of departure invitation to US Airways

Clubs, the Business Lounge at Birmingham Airport and the

dedicated Envoy Lounge in Philadelphia
.

Passengers interested in booking on US Airways
should visit www.usairways.co.uk or
call 0845 6003300 to make a reservation.

.

Bookings can be made after the 25 October 2008

.

Wednesday 22 October 2008

Tuesday 21 October 2008 - Thomson Boeing 737 G-FDZP operates IT flight to Alicante

Thomsonfly Boeing 737-800 G-FDZP operated

their IT flight to Alicante

.

Air Malta Airbus A320 9H-AEN which was based for XL Leisure

continues to return to BHX each Tuesday to operate an IT flight to

Malta for another tour operator before positioning to Manchester
.

VLM Fokker 50 OO-VLZ operated a charter flight from

Maastricht spending the day parked on Stand 86

Monday 20 October 2008 - First Choice Boeing 767 G-OOBK off to Montego Bay!!

First Choice Boeing 767-324ER G-OOBK operated its first flight

from BHX - the "FCA 052" to Montego Bay - replacing the

Thomsonfly 763 that had previously operated this service

.

KTHY - Cyprus Turkish Airlines - Boeing 737-86N TC-MAO
operated their final service of the summer season to Ercan,

Northern Cyprus, via Dalaman

Sunday 19 October 2008 - AMC Airlines Boeing 737 Su-BPG operates IT flight from Sharm el Sheikh

AMC Airlines Boeing 737-800 SU-BPG operated their

penultimate weekly IT flight from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

.

First Choice Boeing 767-300 G-OOBK positioned in from Glasgow

during the morning in prepartion for taking over on Monday from

the based Thomsonfly 763....
.

.... with Boeing 767-300 G-OBYJ operating the final days services
.
Gulfstream IV N770SC which had arrived on Saturday
evening departed for Teterboro, New York

Saturday 18 October 2008 - Onur Air MD 88 TC-ONM operates IT flight to Bodrum

Onur Air used MD 88 TC-ONM on their IT flight from

Bodrum in place of the usual Airbus A321

.

Atlantic Airways BAe 146-200 OY-RCA operated

the morning SAS service to Copenhagen

Friday 17 October 2008 - Sikorsky S 92 N908W visits the Elmdon apron

Another busy day on the Elmdon apron! - Sikorsky S 92 N908W

arrived with the passengers for Global 5000 N193LA....

.

.... which soon on its way to Columbus, Ohio, in the US....
.
.... while after refueling Sikorsky S 92 N908W was also on its way
.
Markross Canadair CRJ200 G-MKSA was another afternoon
visitor operating a charter flight. The aircraft retains "Viva"
titles after being used by UK rock band "Coldplay" to support
their recent "Viva La Vida" European tour
.
Swiss Avro RJ 100 HB-IYU operated their lunchtime service
to Zurich - the aircraft is in "Star Alliance" colours
.
Lufthansa Boeing 737-300 D-ABWH operated
their lunchtime service to Frankfurt

Thursday 16 October 2008 - TAG Falcon 900EX HB-IAH visits the Elmdon apron

TAG Aviation Falcon 900EX HB-IAH was an

afternoon visitor to the Elmdon apron

.

Global 5000 N193LA which had arrived on Monday

evening remained parked up on the Elmdon apron
.

Jet Aviation Citation Bravo HB-VMX - and HB-VMY - where

both day stopping visitors departing BHX in the late afternoon

Wednesday 15 October 2008 - Gulfstram IV N7UF visits the Elmdon apron

Gulfstream IV N7UF was an afternoon arrival from Las Vegas

via Goose Bay parking up on the Elmdon apron
.

Super King Air D-IDRF of DRF Luftrettung arrived on an

air ambulance flight and parked up on the Elmdon apron

Accor opens new Ibis and Etap Hotel at BHX

Perfect for frequent cost conscious flyers travelling on a business

trip or on a holiday flight, the Accor hotel group has opened an

Ibis and Etap hotel at Birmingham International Airport

.

Joining the already established Novotel, the new Ibis and Etap

hotels are conveniently located opposite Terminals 1 and 2 and

provide the perfect solution to suit every traveller’s needs and

budget. In addition to the convenient location, all three hotels are

linked to Birmingham International railway station and the NEC

by a free Air Rail Link service that operates every 90 seconds
.
The new Ibis Birmingham International Airport has 162 modern

rooms and provides guests with the full range of hotel services at

affordable rates while the Etap Hotel Birmingham International

Airport is a genuine low cost no-frills hotel

.

Celine Molle, Marketing Manager, Ibis and Etap UK, said ”With

the Etap and Ibis hotels joining the already established Novotel,

we’re excited to have such a presence at Birmingham Airport

and are delighted to be offering travellers more choice of quality

accommodation to suit all needs and budget"

.

Peter Vella, Birmingham Airport’s Business Development Director,

said, “Birmingham is a growing airport which serves the needs of a

wide mix of travellers so by extending the partnership with Accor

and developing the new Ibis and Etap hotels, we can provide

comfortable and affordable accommodation for all passengers’ needs

.

Having been partners with Accor since 1991 through the on-site

Novotel brand, we are confident that the team will make this

extended offer a success and continue to provide travellers with

comfortable and welcoming accommodation at great value for money”

.

Peter Vella, Birmingham Airport, and James Lys, Accor,

celebrate the launch of the two new hotels

Wednesday 15 October 2008

Monday 13 October 2008 - Air Slovakia Boeing 757 OM-ASA operates service from Amritsar

Air Slovakia resumed their service from BHX to Amritsar via

Bratislava on Saturday 11 October 2008 - their Boeing 757

OM-ASA operated that flight and the return rotation today

before positioning to Gatwick

Sunday 12 October 2008 - AMC Airlines Boeing 737 SU-BPG operates IT flight from Sharm el Sheikh

AMC Airlines Boeing 737-800 SU-BPG operated their
weekly IT flight from Sharm el Sheikh in Egypt

.

Fog in the South East again resulted in a number of diversions....

.

.... Monarch Airbus A330-200 G-SMAN was a Brize Norton
diversion and continued on there after refueling....

.

.... while Viking MD 83 SE-RDI which had diverted in from

Gatwick in the early hours of the morning was an afternoon

departure to Kalamata in Greece
.

RAF Islander CC2A ZF573 was an afternoon visitor
to the Elmdon apron
.
Airbus A340-200 HZ-124 was an afternoon arrival
parking up on the 80's stands
.
Swiss Avro RJ100 HB-IYS operated their lunchtime service
from Zurich - the aircraft is in the "Shopping Paradise Zurich
Airport" special colour scheme