aviation

New Light Aviation Centre Planned for Biggin

London Biggin Hill Airport says it is seeking

a development partner for a new Light

Aviation Centre (LAC) to continue its role as

a general aviation airport, while at the same

time growing its business aviation activity.

The airport said the new centre will

include hangars with a minimum capacity of

21,000sq ft (1,950m) and an aircraft apron

of the same size. Much of the existing light

aircraft parking, both indoor and outdoor,

will be relocated to the LAC.

Will Curtis, managing director, London

Biggin Hill Airport commented: “We want

light aviation to continue here at the airport,

so we are constructing a dedicated centre

in support of this activity. This will enable

us to maintain safe operations, despite the

growth in business aviation activity. The

LAC development will be a high-quality and

well-managed facility, consistent with the

image and supportive service levels typical

of other businesses at the airport.

“We have selected the site for the

new centre speci cally for its proximity to

the main runway, in particular for aircraft

landing on Runway 21, thereby allowing for

a quick line-up and turn-off after landing.”

The new LAC will provide and manage all

 ying training,  ight instructors and training

facilities at the airport, as well as support

conversion training in respect of the types

of aircraft that are sold and operated within

London Biggin Hill’s business aviation sector.

CIVIL NEWS

10 Aviation News incorporating Jets November 2018

IN BRIEF

LUFTHANSA is set to complete its withdrawal

from Düsseldorf on December 1, when it

hands over control of its Newark service to

subsidiary Eurowings. The route, which will

be  own by offshoot Brussels Airlines with

an Airbus A330, will complement the budget

carrier’s six-times-weekly connection to New

York/JFK. The move leaves Lufthansa with

just two mainline-operated routes from the

North Rhine-Westphalia region to its hubs in

Frankfurt and Munich.

POBEDA AIRLINES, the Russian low-

cost carrier and part of the Aero ot

Group, will launch a new direct service to

Saint Petersburg from London Stansted.

Commencing on October 12, the new service

connects Russia’s second largest city with

London four-times a week using a Boeing

737-800 aircraft. Stansted is celebrating its

busiest ever summer after posting record

passenger  gures in August. It welcomed

8.4m for the summer and 27m for the rolling

12-month period for the  rst time in the

airport’s history.

HAWAIIAN AIRLINES is planning to  y

nonstop to Boston/Logan from its Honolulu

hub from April 2019. The route, at 5,095 miles,

will become the longest scheduled domestic

route in the US. According to the airline, the

capital of Massachusetts is the largest market

in the US without a nonstop service to Hawaii,

with nearly 500 people  ying between the

islands and the New England region every

day. The carrier is due to start  ve-times-

weekly  ights from April 4 using 278-seat

Airbus A330s.

United 787-10s for US Transcontinental Services

United Airlines has announced it is

expanding its 787 Dreamliner  eet again

with a new order for nine 787-9 airliners, the

longest-range member of the family. United

had announced the purchase of four 787-9s

in July and this latest deal brings the total

to 64. During the latest announcement the

airline also revealed that its 787-10s, due

for delivery later this year, will make their

debut on routes between New York/Newark

and Los Angeles and San Francisco. These

premium transcontinental US services

are much shorter than the 6,430nm the

-10 is capable of. United began  ying the

Dreamliner in 2012, using its 787-8s and

-9s to serve intercontinental routes such

as Houston,Texas to Sydney and San

Francisco, California to Singapore.

United Airlines has ordered more 787-9s and

announced that its soon-to-be delivered 787-

10s will be introduced on US transcontinental

routes. AirTeamImages.com/Dipankar Bhakta

California Paci c Airlines (CPA) is expected

to begin service on November 1, offering

 ights within the Golden State and

neighbouring Nevada.

The new airline is based at Carlsbad/

McClellan-Palomar Airport, around 35 miles

(56km) north of downtown San Diego, and

will start with daily nonstop  ights to San

Jose, California, and four-times weekly

services to Reno-Tahoe airport in Nevada.

Quickly following these initial two routes,

a thrice-weekly service is set to begin

linking Carlsbad and Las Vegas/McCarran

from November 15 using 50-seat Embraer

ERJ145 jets.

The carrier has been years in the making,

with the launch coming almost a decade after

company founder Ted Vallas initially planned

to start the airline. A host of administrative

setbacks, including difficulty securing an Air

Operator Certi cate from the US authorities

compounded the delay.

“[This] announcement marks the

culmination of a multi-year effort that will bring

signi cant convenience in air travel between

San Diego’s North County and the top

western region destinations our community

wants to  y to nonstop,” said California Paci c

Airlines chairman Ted Vallas.

The chairman continued stating: “Our

initial set of cities will address the needs

of both business and leisure travellers

from nearby McClellan-Palomar Airport.

Passengers can spend less time fretting

about the drive to and from the airport, and

spend more time enjoying their destination.”

California Paci c Airlines is planning to start commercial services on November 1. CPA

California Pacifi c Eyes

Launch Date