Monthly Archives: February 2017

Shannon Airport | Norwegian Air US Flights Ireland’s Shannon Airport has welcomed the news from Norwegian Air International this week, as they announced two new US services to be launched this year.

The new flights will be twice-weekly to Stewart International Airport (90 minutes from New York), and Providence Green Airport (New England).

Matthew Thomas, CEO of Shannon Group said, ‘This is a very significant announcement for Shannon, for the wider region we serve and for transatlantic aviation generally. It not only brings another new carrier to Shannon, giving us our largest number of US services in over 17 years, but it’s introduces a new model of low cost flying for transatlantic aviation. Shannon has been at the forefront of so many major global breakthroughs in aviation and this is another. It supports the government’s objectives on balanced regional development. We look forward to working closely with Norwegian Air International in making these services a success.’

Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian Air is delighted to finally unveil their plans, ‘It has long been our ambition to grow our Irish operation with new transatlantic routes but these plans simply wouldn’t have been possible without the significant support we have received throughout Ireland over the last 3 years. We are hugely grateful for this continued support and are delighted to finally unveil our plans to shake up transatlantic travel with ground-breaking fares and never before seen routes in Ireland. The cost of transatlantic travel has been too high for too long so by connecting Irish cities with smaller US airports, we can offer some truly affordable fares, allowing as many people as possible to fly.’

First Anniversary Celebrations at Dubai International Concourse D

February 22, 2017

Business Aviation News

Dubai International Concoure D Anniversary | Aviation and Airports News This Friday marks the one-year anniversary of Concourse D at Dubai International Airport. Over the past 12 months, more than 115,000 flights have been handled by Concourse D, bringing almost 17,000,000 passengers through a state-of-the-art, integrated environment, packed with shops, restaurants, and lounges from British Airways, Qatar Airways and Lufthansa to name but three of the five new airline lounges.

Concourse D has also seen plenty of action musically, being the host location for Dubai Airports’ special events, such as Hang Out DXB, which offered surprises to passengers with discounts, games and prizes. The addition of Concourse D has significantly impacted the airports’ capacity, taking the number of annual traveller capability from 75 million to 90 million.

“Concourse D is the outcome of a well-designed and meticulously planned project that was built around the evolving needs and expectations of our customers – the hundreds of thousands of passengers that pass through our airport every day,” said HH Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Dubai Airports and president of the DCCA (Dubai Civil Aviation Authority).

“After a successful first year of operations, it is very clear that Concourse D has achieved its goal of delighting our passengers and our business partners.”

Biometric Self Service Technology Trial at Schiphol

February 11, 2017

Business Aviation News

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self-service-tech-schiphol Some of the very latest biometric technology and self service solutions are on trial at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport this year, in conjunction with Holland’s most famous airline, KLM.

The new technology on trial will involve volunteer passengers, who will board their flights without taking their passports out of their bags, or showing their boarding passes to any personnel at the airport.

Facial recognition technology will be used during the three-month trial, which will test the process thoroughly, including how user-friendly the completely self-service system will be, in addition to its effectivity, reliability and speed of processing.

Schiphol Airport spokesperson said, ‘The ultimate goal is to make the boarding process as easy and quick as possible for passengers. The trial will take place at a selected gate at the airport. To use facial recognition for boarding, passengers must register first. There is a special registration kiosk in the waiting area at the gate. KLM staff will assist with the procedure.’

Schiphol Airport has been at the forefront of trialling new technology, and is also taking part in tests and trials for a new hand baggage scanner, which in the future may negate the necessity for removal of laptops, liquids and other items from hand baggage.

Airport security providers around the world are striving to introduce solutions for passenger processing and security screening that will increase efficiency. Common use identity management solutions have been proved to improve passenger flow, while maintaining security. Such solutions can only serve to improve efficiency, productivity and passenger satisfaction, which is a welcome break for the modern, busy airport facing challenges and increasing mandatory security requirements year-on-year.