Cardiff Intl Airport - Wales

The history of the airport extends back to the early 1940s, when the Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan to set up a wartime satellite aerodrome and training base for Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilots. Construction work commenced in 1941, and the airfield officially began life on 7^Th April 1942 when it was taken over by No 53 Operational Training Unit. The commercial potential of the runway was recognised in the early 1950s with Aer Lingus starting a service to Dublin in 1952. A new terminal building followed, along with flights to France, Belfast and Cork. An escalation in holiday charter business resulted in passenger throughput exceeding 100,000 in 1962.

In the 1970s, the airport, originally known as 'Rhoose Airport', was renamed 'Glamorgan, Rhoose Airport'. Around this time the supersonic airliner Concorde made a few flights into the airport on special occasions. These were limited by the length of the runway, meaning it could only land lightly loaded, and only take off without passengers and with a minimal fuel load. In the 1980s, its name was changed to 'Cardiff-Wales Airport'.

1986 saw a further extension of 750 feet (229 m) to the runway, costing in the region of £1 million, thus attracting more business to the airport in the form of new-generation jet aircraft. Development of transatlantic links were made with charter flights to Florida , in addition to the previously-established links with Canada. The runway extension, enabling the airport to handle 747 Jumbo , was instrumental in attracting the British Airways (BA) Maintenance facility to Cardiff Airport. The maintenance hangar is one of the largest in the world at 250 m x 175 m (820 ft x 574 ft), providing heavy airframe and engineering maintenance for the British Airways fleet and third party carriers. In April 1995, due to planned Local Government re-organisation in Wales, the Airport Company was privatised, with shares being sold to property and development firm, TBI Plc , now a subsidiary of abertis airports. The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region. Cardiff Airport was used by over 2.1 million passengers in 2007, according to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, an annual growth rate of 4.3%, making it the 19th largest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers.

The airport was the main base of Air Wales until the airline ceased scheduled operations in March 2006. A new airline has been mooted as a new home carrier for Cardiff Airport. When launched, Flyforbeans say they would operate to France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. The airline, which indicates that it will begin operations in 2008, intends to operate Boeing 737 aircraft serving up to twelve destinations. It was announced on the 13th March 2008, that the Barcelona route would be reinstated by bmibaby. The route would start on 24th May with 2 flights a week and increase to 3 flights a week from 18th June - Thomson fly stopped serving the route in late 2007.

London Heliport - England

London Heliport (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGLW) at Battersea, London is the capital's main and busiest Heliport.. The facility is located on the south bank of the River Thames, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) southwest of West minister Bridge and the Palace of West minister, between Wands worth Bridge and Battersea Railway Bridge..

The heliport, once owned by West land and then Harrods, is a very small site, making use of a jetty to provide a helipad for take-off and landing, and onshore parking for between three and four aircraft, depending upon size. The heliport provides landing, parking and refuelling services between 08:00 and 21:00 (flights are permitted between 07:00 and 23:00), albeit parking is normally restricted to smaller helicopter categories.

Flight conditions and procedures at the heliport prescribe a circuit height 1000 feet above the Thames, in an extended figure-of-eight over the water, to seek to minimise noise pollution for residents in the area and to constrain flight operations to over the river, away from the built-up area. Ground running of rotors is restricted to a maximum of five minutes for the same reason.

In December 2003, the heliport was acquired by Weston Homes. Landing fees in April 2006 were from £90 to £1075 depending upon the helicopter type; additional costs accrue for parking, early or late flights, and flights in evening peak times.

In February 2007 the heliport site was acquired by Von Essen Hotels with PremiAir awarded the exclusive contract to operate the heliport. The acquisition deal also includes an exclusive new luxury hotel development under construction adjacent to the heliport site that will also house the heliport’s new terminal, executive lounge and business meeting room areas.

Glasgow Intl Airport - Scotland

The terminal has three piers: West (International), Central (Domestic) and East (Low-cost & Ireland/Northern Ireland).

The Central Pier, which was part of the original 1966 building, is now used for domestic destinations. British Airways is based in the 1971 extension to the end of the pier. There are two BA Executive Club lounges; one at Gate 18 and the second (taken over from KLM UK when this airline withdrew from the route to London - Stansted) by Gate 16. BMI and Flybe also use the Central Pier.

The East Pier, constructed in the mid 1970s, was originally used for international flights but in recent years has been redeveloped for use by easy Jet and Logan air as well as some charters. All flights to Ireland and Northern Ireland also use this pier. None of the stands on this pier are provided with air bridges. Stands 6 and 7 at the end of the East Pier are capable of receiving wide-body jets and occasionally passengers on international flights are bussed to/from the West (International) Pier to use aircraft parked there. The major users of this pier are Aer Lingus, Logan and Easy Jet.

The West Pier, built as part of the 1989 extension project, is the principal international and long haul departure point. Stands 29 and 30 are capable of handling Boeing 747 aircraft. The largest aircraft currently regularly using the airport are the Emirates Boeing 777-300 which uses Stand 30, and recently the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400. In the spring of 2006 a redevelopment of the International Departure Lounge took place including the provision of a new business/premium lounge.

Work commenced in autumn 2007 on Sky hub (located between the Main Terminal and Terminal 2) which will include a new purpose built security search area, replacing the existing three security areas – through which all departing passengers will pass – and new bars, shops and restaurants.

Further growth is hampered by the airport's location, which is constrained by the M8 Motorway to the south, the town of Renfrew to the east and the River Clyde to the north. At present the towns of Clyde Bank, Bearsden and Linwood all sit directly underneath the approach paths into the airport, meaning that further increases in traffic may be politically sensitive. Glasgow International also faces stiff competition from its old adversary at Prestwick, which has reinvented itself as a low-cost hub for budget airlines and which has a direct rail link to Central Glasgow. However, the Scottish Executive announced in 2002 that a rail link from Glasgow Central Station would be built to Glasgow International Airport. The rail link known as Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) is expected to be completed in 2009 with the first trains running early 2010. Four trains an hour will run to Glasgow Central.

Currently, the airport is easily accessed by road due to the adjoining M8 motorway and is served by a frequent and dedicated express bus (the "Glasgow Flyer") from the city centre, although this can suffer due to congestion in the centre of Glasgow during peak periods. The service is run by Arriva under contract to BAA.

The airport is home to the Scottish regional airline Logan Air, currently a British Airways franchise operator, who have hangar facilities as well as their head office located on site. British Airways itself has a maintenance hangar at the airport, capable of carrying out overhaul work on Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, as well as a cargo facility. Glasgow is also one of two main bases for Fly Globe Span though this carrier does not have major facilities on the airfield. The Royal Air Force also has a unit based within the airport - The Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron - to provide flying training to university students who plan to join the RAF.

Charles De Gaulle Airport - France

Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the largest airport serving Paris and the second busiest passenger airport in Europe after London Heathrow.

Located 23 kilometres (14 miles) north-east of Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport offers numerous transport links to the French capital city by road and rail. Paris CDG Airport was one of the first airports in Europe to have an integrated train system serving it: the RER rapid TGV train service reaches central Paris in approximately 45 minutes, Disney World in ten minutes and Lille and Brussels in an hour. Regular RATP buses, taxis and limousines also operate from Paris CDG Airport, and road access from Paris is on the A1 via Porte de la Chapelle.

Charles de Gaulle Airport - also known as Paris Roissy - has three modern terminals offering travellers quality facilities and services. An excellent choice of restaurants, bars and shops, plus extensive banking and currency, business, first aid, visitor and special needs amenities are featured at Paris CDG Airport.

The three terminals are connected by free shuttle buses and handle over 200,000 passengers daily. Terminal 1 handles international flights, excluding Air France, Terminal 2 Air France and other airlines flying to European destinations and Terminal T9 handles charter flights exclusively. Terminal 2 currently has five separate halls and is being further expanded to an eventual capacity of 50 million people by 2010.

Paris Charles de Gaulle World Airport Guide provides you with access to a complete selection of Paris airport hotels. Utilise the discounts offered directly from the hotel, with the assurance of secure booking. Extra services include airport car rental, airport car parking and flights to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.


	Cardiff Intl Airport - Wales The history of the airport extends back to the early 1940s, when the Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan to set up a wartime satellite aerodrome and training base for Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilots. Construction work commenced in 1941, and the airfield officially began life on 7^Th April 1942 when it was taken over by No 53 Operational Training Unit. The commercial potential of the runway was recognised in the early 1950s with Aer Lingus starting a service to Dublin in 1952. A new terminal building followed, along with flights to France, Belfast and Cork. An escalation in holiday charter business resulted in passenger throughput exceeding 100,000 in 1962. In the 1970s, the airport, originally known as 'Rhoose Airport', was renamed 'Glamorgan, Rhoose Airport'. Around this time the supersonic airliner Concorde made a few flights into the airport on special occasions. These were limited by the length of the runway, meaning it could only land lightly loaded, and only take off without passengers and with a minimal fuel load. In the 1980s, its name was changed to 'Cardiff-Wales Airport'. 1986 saw a further extension of 750 feet (229 m) to the runway, costing in the region of £1 million, thus attracting more business to the airport in the form of new-generation jet aircraft. Development of transatlantic links were made with charter flights to Florida , in addition to the previously-established links with Canada. The runway extension, enabling the airport to handle 747 Jumbo , was instrumental in attracting the British Airways (BA) Maintenance facility to Cardiff Airport. The maintenance hangar is one of the largest in the world at 250 m x 175 m (820 ft x 574 ft), providing heavy airframe and engineering maintenance for the British Airways fleet and third party carriers. In April 1995, due to planned Local Government re-organisation in Wales, the Airport Company was privatised, with shares being sold to property and development firm, TBI Plc , now a subsidiary of abertis airports. The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region. Cardiff Airport was used by over 2.1 million passengers in 2007, according to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, an annual growth rate of 4.3%, making it the 19th largest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers. The airport was the main base of Air Wales until the airline ceased scheduled operations in March 2006. A new airline has been mooted as a new home carrier for Cardiff Airport. When launched, Flyforbeans say they would operate to France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. The airline, which indicates that it will begin operations in 2008, intends to operate Boeing 737 aircraft serving up to twelve destinations. It was announced on the 13th March 2008, that the Barcelona route would be reinstated by bmibaby. The route would start on 24th May with 2 flights a week and increase to 3 flights a week from 18th June - Thomson fly stopped serving the route in late 2007. London Heliport - England London Heliport (IATA: N/A, ICAO: EGLW) at Battersea, London is the capital's main and busiest Heliport.. The facility is located on the south bank of the River Thames, 3 nautical miles (5.6 km) southwest of West minister Bridge and the Palace of West minister, between Wands worth Bridge and Battersea Railway Bridge.. The heliport, once owned by West land and then Harrods, is a very small site, making use of a jetty to provide a helipad for take-off and landing, and onshore parking for between three and four aircraft, depending upon size. The heliport provides landing, parking and refuelling services between 08:00 and 21:00 (flights are permitted between 07:00 and 23:00), albeit parking is normally restricted to smaller helicopter categories. Flight conditions and procedures at the heliport prescribe a circuit height 1000 feet above the Thames, in an extended figure-of-eight over the water, to seek to minimise noise pollution for residents in the area and to constrain flight operations to over the river, away from the built-up area. Ground running of rotors is restricted to a maximum of five minutes for the same reason. In December 2003, the heliport was acquired by Weston Homes. Landing fees in April 2006 were from £90 to £1075 depending upon the helicopter type; additional costs accrue for parking, early or late flights, and flights in evening peak times. In February 2007 the heliport site was acquired by Von Essen Hotels with PremiAir awarded the exclusive contract to operate the heliport. The acquisition deal also includes an exclusive new luxury hotel development under construction adjacent to the heliport site that will also house the heliport’s new terminal, executive lounge and business meeting room areas. Glasgow Intl Airport - Scotland The terminal has three piers: West (International), Central (Domestic) and East (Low-cost & Ireland/Northern Ireland). The Central Pier, which was part of the original 1966 building, is now used for domestic destinations. British Airways is based in the 1971 extension to the end of the pier. There are two BA Executive Club lounges; one at Gate 18 and the second (taken over from KLM UK when this airline withdrew from the route to London - Stansted) by Gate 16. BMI and Flybe also use the Central Pier. The East Pier, constructed in the mid 1970s, was originally used for international flights but in recent years has been redeveloped for use by easy Jet and Logan air as well as some charters. All flights to Ireland and Northern Ireland also use this pier. None of the stands on this pier are provided with air bridges. Stands 6 and 7 at the end of the East Pier are capable of receiving wide-body jets and occasionally passengers on international flights are bussed to/from the West (International) Pier to use aircraft parked there. The major users of this pier are Aer Lingus, Logan and Easy Jet. The West Pier, built as part of the 1989 extension project, is the principal international and long haul departure point. Stands 29 and 30 are capable of handling Boeing 747 aircraft. The largest aircraft currently regularly using the airport are the Emirates Boeing 777-300 which uses Stand 30, and recently the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747-400. In the spring of 2006 a redevelopment of the International Departure Lounge took place including the provision of a new business/premium lounge. Work commenced in autumn 2007 on Sky hub (located between the Main Terminal and Terminal 2) which will include a new purpose built security search area, replacing the existing three security areas – through which all departing passengers will pass – and new bars, shops and restaurants. Further growth is hampered by the airport's location, which is constrained by the M8 Motorway to the south, the town of Renfrew to the east and the River Clyde to the north. At present the towns of Clyde Bank, Bearsden and Linwood all sit directly underneath the approach paths into the airport, meaning that further increases in traffic may be politically sensitive. Glasgow International also faces stiff competition from its old adversary at Prestwick, which has reinvented itself as a low-cost hub for budget airlines and which has a direct rail link to Central Glasgow. However, the Scottish Executive announced in 2002 that a rail link from Glasgow Central Station would be built to Glasgow International Airport. The rail link known as Glasgow Airport Rail Link (GARL) is expected to be completed in 2009 with the first trains running early 2010. Four trains an hour will run to Glasgow Central. Currently, the airport is easily accessed by road due to the adjoining M8 motorway and is served by a frequent and dedicated express bus (the "Glasgow Flyer") from the city centre, although this can suffer due to congestion in the centre of Glasgow during peak periods. The service is run by Arriva under contract to BAA. The airport is home to the Scottish regional airline Logan Air, currently a British Airways franchise operator, who have hangar facilities as well as their head office located on site. British Airways itself has a maintenance hangar at the airport, capable of carrying out overhaul work on Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft, as well as a cargo facility. Glasgow is also one of two main bases for Fly Globe Span though this carrier does not have major facilities on the airfield. The Royal Air Force also has a unit based within the airport - The Universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde Air Squadron - to provide flying training to university students who plan to join the RAF. Charles De Gaulle Airport - France Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the largest airport serving Paris and the second busiest passenger airport in Europe after London Heathrow. Located 23 kilometres (14 miles) north-east of Paris, Charles de Gaulle Airport offers numerous transport links to the French capital city by road and rail. Paris CDG Airport was one of the first airports in Europe to have an integrated train system serving it: the RER rapid TGV train service reaches central Paris in approximately 45 minutes, Disney World in ten minutes and Lille and Brussels in an hour. Regular RATP buses, taxis and limousines also operate from Paris CDG Airport, and road access from Paris is on the A1 via Porte de la Chapelle. Charles de Gaulle Airport - also known as Paris Roissy - has three modern terminals offering travellers quality facilities and services. An excellent choice of restaurants, bars and shops, plus extensive banking and currency, business, first aid, visitor and special needs amenities are featured at Paris CDG Airport. The three terminals are connected by free shuttle buses and handle over 200,000 passengers daily. Terminal 1 handles international flights, excluding Air France, Terminal 2 Air France and other airlines flying to European destinations and Terminal T9 handles charter flights exclusively. Terminal 2 currently has five separate halls and is being further expanded to an eventual capacity of 50 million people by 2010. Paris Charles de Gaulle World Airport Guide provides you with access to a complete selection of Paris airport hotels. Utilise the discounts offered directly from the hotel, with the assurance of secure booking. Extra services include airport car rental, airport car parking and flights to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport.