Newcastle Airport Blog

Newcastle recycles 82% of its waste

Sat, 02 Apr 2011 16:46:44 BST

The largest airport in the northeast, Newcastle, is taking steps to become one of the most eco-friendly businesses in the country. The Woolsington-based hub boosted recycling to 82% in 2010, according to news agency, Reuters, and achieved the coveted Carbon Trust Standard Award, an accolade that rewards companies who reduce their carbon footprint.

Bosses at Newcastle created an ‘energy policy’ late last year, which outlined the short and long-term goals that would allow the airport to operate in a sustainable manner. The eight-point manifesto included a 2.5% cut in energy usage by the end of March 2011, plans to upgrade lighting inside the airport terminal, and a 15% reduction in the hub’s carbon footprint within the next four years.

Of course, there is more to sustainability than light bulbs and emissions, and Newcastle has been encouraging holidaymakers to place their bottles and newspapers into special recycling bins located throughout the airport’s main terminal. The scheme’s success is perhaps best represented in figures: bosses claim to have recycled three tonnes of material since October 2010.

The airport’s quest to reduce the consumption of electricity got off to a flying start last year, courtesy of the Icelandic volcano, Eyjafjallajokull. During the volcanic ash crisis of mid-2010, the northeast hub was ‘powered down’ for a number of days, as flights were cancelled and customers stayed at home. The brief hiatus in flights lowered energy usage by 7%, significantly higher than the 2.5% reduction called for in the hub’s energy policy.

Simon Fisher, finance director at Newcastle, previously said that the airport takes its “environmental and climate change obligations seriously”. However, Newcastle is not the only UK airport to have improved its environmental karma in recent months. Bristol Airport has installed a wind turbine, while East Midlands Airport near Castle Donnington became the host of a new eco-awareness campaign, Climate Week 2011, in March.

Norwegian airline aims to please

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 17:11:13 GMT

Norwegian airline, Wideroe, has announced plans to increase flight capacity on routes from Newcastle International to the third largest city in Norway, Stavanger. From March 31 2011, the veteran carrier will add an extra flight between the two airports, increasing the service to a total of four per week, and introduce a new Bombardier Dash aircraft onto the route.

Founded in 1934, Wideroe is the Scandinavian equivalent of the UK’s Air Southwest – a predominantly domestic airline that serves small to mid-sized airports. Norway's far-flung settlements, such as the frozen archipelago of Longyearbyen, and the port town of Kirkenes, are connected to the Norwegian capital, Oslo, courtesy of Wideroe.

Wideroe, a resident at Newcastle for more than a decade, says that its upcoming expansion in the northeast will double the number of seats available on its Stavanger route, and cut the overall flight time by 25 minutes. The flight holds a unique position in the airline’s schedules being one of just ten routes operated by the airline to travel outside its native Norway.

Sverre Sletten, regional chief at Wideroe, was elated with recent developments. “We’re delighted to be able to bring in these big improvements to our Newcastle service.” Mr. Sletten said that his airline was “confident” that customer demand was high enough to support the capacity boost.

The Newcastle-Stavanger flight currently operates on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays. However, the March 31 expansion will see an extra daily connection added on Thursdays. Wideroe will also alter the timetable of Monday flights, to give business travellers “a full day at work” before departing for the UK in the evening.

Stavanger, located in south-western Norway, is an archetypical port city, and the banks of central Vaagen Harbour are lined with recreational boats. The settlement is situated close to the Lysefjord, a 26 mile long fjord ringed by huge rocky slopes. The Lysefjord is alleged to be “as deep as the mountains are high”.

Newcastle creates 'tweeting team'

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 17:07:22 GMT

Newcastle International has joined Southampton and Gatwick airports, in becoming the latest hub to embrace social networks as a means of interacting with regular and prospective customers. The northeast hub has created the @NCLairport Twitter page, and unveiled a mobile-friendly version of its website, allowing visitors to check the status of their flight from anywhere in the UK. The airport’s website says that the new tools are part of a plan to “join up social media tools with customer service operations.”

The airport’s Twitter page has been online for just over a month, but it was only revealed to the world, via a press release on Newcastle’s website, on January 27 2011. The Woolsington hub is therefore, making a rather belated entry to the world of social networking, behind almost every airport in the UK, including local rival, Durham, East Devon hub, Exeter, and in Scotland, Prestwick.

A glance at the @NCLairport site reveals that road works, flight delays, and announcements regarding resident airlines form the majority of the airport’s ‘tweets’. However, the website has also drawn comments, both good and bad, from visitors. Some, like @misspipkelly, requested a “bar or an area with Sky Sports,” while others, such as @peterjnixon, were concerned that the departure lounge “wobbles” in the wind.

Newcastle has created a special ‘tweeting team’ to address customers’ concerns. “We look forward to hearing from (our passengers) to see how we can help,” explained Graeme Mason, planning director at the northeast hub.

The Twitter service, whilst providing users with information in ‘real time,’ can also be a liability for airports. Last year, Robin Hood Airport’s Twitter page, @dsa_airport, caused a media storm when a visitor was arrested on charges of sending “menacing” messages to the South Yorkshire hub. The man, Paul Chambers, threatened to blow the airport “sky high,” after bad weather forced the hub to close.

Newcastle Airport’s new mobile website is accessible from any internet-capable device at the usual web address.

KLM expands in the Northeast

Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:24:35 GMT

From March 27 2011, travellers in the northeast of England will benefit from an extra daily flight from Newcastle Airport to Amsterdam Schiphol in the Netherlands, courtesy of Dutch airline KLM. The carrier says that the boost is a “tangible symbol” of KLM’s strength and popularity in the northeast.

KLM, known as Royal Dutch Airlines in the English-speaking world, is the oldest airline on the planet. The blue and white carrier is also one of just nine world airlines founded before 1930 to have kept its original name throughout its life, alongside Australian airline Qantas, founded in 1920, and ex-Soviet carrier Aeroflot.

History lesson aside, Newcastle is one of KLM’s largest bases in the UK, currently offering four daily flights to Amsterdam. The addition of a fifth rotation from March will boost KLM’s capacity on the route by a quarter over summer 2010. Newcastle’s planning director, Graeme Mason, referred to the expansion as a “strong signal of confidence” in the airport.

German airline Lufthansa has also showered praise on the northeast hub, according to Graeme. The director noted that only the December snows had prevented the airport recording year-on-year growth. The hub stands in stark contrast to its neighbour and rival Durham Tees Valley Airport, which has resorted to charging travellers to pass through security in a desperate attempt to survive the winter.

The flight boost at Newcastle will coincide with a general reshuffling of KLM’s schedules at the airport. Flight times on all Newcastle-Amsterdam connections will change at the end of March, with the earliest departure taking off at 06:05. Passengers can choose to return the same day from the Dutch capital at 21:55.

KLM has also pledged to improve the choice of flights available for travellers who want to travel on to Hong Kong and Dubai from Amsterdam.

Fly to paradise in 2011

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 10:13:55 GMT

Newcastle is about as far away from Barbados as you can get. One is an industrial city, famed for its bridges and the frequently unfortunate football team, Newcastle United, while the other is a Caribbean island, the type of haven that British super spies retreat to at the end of a Hollywood blockbuster.

However, Thomson and First Choice have taken steps to bring the two destinations closer together by announcing a new flight from Newcastle International to Grantley Adams Airport on Barbados. The route, which travels direct to the island, will begin in winter 2011, just as the snowfall begins anew in the UK.

Chris Sanders, aviation director at Newcastle Airport, referred to Thomson’s latest addition as “something a bit different,” noting the “excellent prices” available on the idyllic island.

The North East has never had a direct route to Barbados before, but Thomson flights from Newcastle to Cancún in Mexico, and the Dominican Republic in the Greater Antilles, continue to be popular with local travellers.

From Barbados Airport, holidaymakers can choose to join the Thomson Dream cruise ship on its voyage around the Caribbean. The vessel stops at Saint Martin, famed for its unusual airport, Grenada, Antigua and the Barbadian capital, Bridgetown, among others. Thomson claims that the Dream is one of the biggest cruise ships in the world.

Prices for the flight begin at £679 per person for a return journey. Tickets for the Caribbean Treasures and Tropical Delights cruises are priced between £845 and £1,409, and come with an inclusive £100 to spend on board the ship. The cruises typically last for 7-16 days.

Northeast flyers are 'lowest earners' - CAA

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 14:00:56 GMT

At the end of October, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) published the results of its annual Air Passenger Survey.

The survey, undertaken every year since 1968, is designed to help aviation barons understand the “characteristics of air travel to and from the United Kingdom,” and details the results of more than 200,000 interviews with outbound UK travellers.

Questions ranged from the duration of holidays and the size of travelling groups, to a person’s annual income. The latest survey also introduced questions on environmental issues, such as carbon offsetting.

Passengers at 12 UK airports were surveyed, including four of the five London airports: Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick, and Luton. Manchester, Newcastle and Durham made up the remainder of the English airports included in the survey.

In Scotland, the two largest airports, Edinburgh and Glasgow, were included, as were Inverness, Aberdeen and Prestwick.

Whilst the project will be of little interest to most people, the survey threw up some interesting statistics, especially with regard to the annual income of respondents. Leisure travellers at Newcastle are the “worst off,” to use the CAA’s phrase, earning an average of £37,663 per year.

In comparison, holidaymakers jetting off from Heathrow earn around £57,532 per year, the highest traveller salary in the country. The London hub also topped the wages poll in the business category, with the average executive departing Heathrow pulling in a salary of almost £80,000 a year.

On the topic of the environment, 60% of passengers at Gatwick and Stansted said that they understood the concept of ‘carbon offsetting,’ a scheme that encourages travellers to pay a higher ticket price to fund eco-friendly projects, such as new wind farms.

However, only a disappointing 6% of interviewees had taken the plunge and offset the flight they had booked, a figure that can only fall unless airlines and airports make a conscious effort to promote the scheme.

The recent rise of the Air Passenger Duty is likely to exacerbate low interest in carbon offsetting by making plane tickets even more expensive, adding up to 50% to the cost of a long-haul flight to the West Indies or South Africa, for example.

Other figures of note include the size of travelling groups: almost 80% of passengers interviewed at Aberdeen were “singletons,” compared to 35% at Manchester Airport. Southwest of Aberdeen, Prestwick Airport was host to the largest family groups in the UK, with 8.4% of families boasting five or more members.

To read a summary of the CAA’s report, visit the official website. The results are also available in tabulated form (.pdf), if you are feeling brave.