Recently in Airports Category

I've been on holiday, so this is just an aviation travelogue (avialogue?), but it's a bit offbeat, so here goes. We were in Croatia, one of the places in Europe where I still get a passport stamp, though when the Croatians negotiate their way into the EU I won't anymore. We flew into Pula Airport with you know who and mixed it with the Carelesses, Cambers, and Fishbeds.

Here at Flight I've been managing the launch of a website in Chinese aimed at China's air transport business. We publish about 10 stories a day and it's been impossible to ignore the fact that all of a sudden some of them have contained some startling statistics for the month of May.

First there were the traffic figures for Beijing International airport - passenger numbers down 2.9%. Then Air China - passengers down 10.7%, RPKs down 6.7%. China Southern turned up with flat passenger numbers and RPKs up a miserable (by Chinese standards) 1%. China Eastern followed with passenger numbers down 8.1%

Here's the first of what may become an occasional series on Unusual Attitude (you never know with us bloggers...). Feel free to contribute more.

The reason I had my dalliance with the regional business recently and flew Exeter-Brussels was because I couldn't fly from Newquay, a couple of miles from where I was staying, to Brussels. In fact you can't fly to many places from Newquay, although they're working on it with increasing success. But, as of yesterday, you can fly to Dusseldorf, for which you can thank Rosamunde Pilcher. Obviously.

By a weird but genuine coincidence, a day after posting my observations on taxying times I was sent the latest US Bureau of Transportation Statistics on...aircraft taxying times. I didn't even know they collected the data. The special report is eccentrically titled "Sitting on the Runway: Current Aircraft Taxi Times Now Exceed Pre-9/11 Experience" - but you get the general idea. Below are some highlights.

The scene: the marketing department of the International Airport Authority of Ottawa / L'administration de l'aeroport internationale d'Ottawa.

OK guys, we need a nice modern, environmentally friendly, aircraft image for the top of our homepage. Stressing our go-ahead thinking while simultaneously emphasising our good-neighbour credentials. Probably best to paint out the airline logo - just keep it nice and neutral. Something Canadian - you know, Bombardier - that would be great.

Sure boss, I know just the thing. Leave it with me.

(...thinks...this'll really wow him...)

Thanks to my colleague Max Kingsley-Jones, chronicler of all things Tridentine.

Ah De Havilland....