British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport launch trials for fully vaccinated customers

British Airways made this announcement:

VeriFLY and BA

  • Later this week customers traveling on selected flights from the US, Caribbean and Europe to London Heathrow will be invited to take part in a proving trial to support the Government in lifting some of the most onerous restrictions for travelers arriving from โ€˜amber listโ€™ countries
  • Fully vaccinated travelers of all nationalities will be able to present their Covid-19 credentials in digital or paper format to help prove vaccination status can be quickly and easily checked away from the border and allow safe entry to the UK
  • Anonymized data will be shared with the UK Government at the earliest opportunity, providing real-world insights to support the introduction of a scheme to exempt fully vaccinated passengers from self-isolation
  • Participants will continue to adhere to current restrictions for travelers entering from โ€˜amber listโ€™ countries during the trial period
  • The proof-of-concept aims to support the Government to introduce exemptions for fully vaccinated travelers no later than 19 July, allowing the UK to catch-up with the EU and US, which have already introduced similar schemes
  • Routes including Los Angeles-LAX and New York-JFK have been chosen given Transatlantic air links between the US and UK are vital to re-start business, reunite families and allow people to go on holiday

British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport have joined forces to prove itโ€™s possible to quickly and easily verify those arriving into the UK who are fully vaccinated โ€“ an identification process already in place for outbound travel to several countries. Earlier this week, Germany became the latest country to confirm it would accept fully vaccinated UK travelers without the need to quarantine. The new UK proving trial, enabling inbound travelers to present their fully vaccinated status, will support the Government to move forward with its plans to remove quarantine for double jabbed passengers entering the UK from โ€˜amber listโ€™ countries.

The initiative will see fully vaccinated volunteers traveling on selected flights from Athens, Los Angeles, Montego Bay and New York to London Heathrow showing proof of their vaccine status. The trial aims to reassure Government that airlines and airports can check vaccine status upstream and away from the Border, ensuring no further pressure in UK immigration halls. Those taking part in the trial will be able to use a dedicated arrivals lane at the border and British Airways customers will be able to access a discounted rate for the mandatory arrivals tests.

Internationally recognized vaccination credentials will be accepted in the proving trial including the NHS app, CDC card, US state-level digital certification and EU Digital Covid Credential. British Airways will also support customersโ€™ vaccine verification through the VeriFLY app and Virgin Atlantic customers can verify their vaccine certificate through a new digital uploader tool, developed in partnership with Delta Air Lines and backed by TrustAssureโ„ข technology. As the proof-of-concept develops, the options for customers to show vaccine status will rapidly be expanded, across physical, digital and integrated formats, including IATA Travel Pass.

The UK has led the world with its successful vaccine program, which the Government promised would lead to the end of Covid restrictions. To date, 86% of UK adults have had a first dose of a Covid vaccine, with 64% fully vaccinated. Data from Public Health England has shown two doses of the vaccines offer 79% protection against becoming ill from the Delta variant and reduces the likelihood of needing hospitalization by 96%.

Despite this incredible achievement the UK is failing to reap the economic and social rewards, falling behind countries like France, Germany, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus and Malta, all of which accept fully vaccinated travelers, including US residents, without the need for quarantine. The US also allows its fully vaccinated residents to avoid self-isolation. The Governmentโ€™s own transparency data also continues to show very low positivity in test results from โ€˜greenโ€™ and โ€˜amberโ€™ country arrivals, with just 0.4% testing positive, and none of them had a variant of concern.

Representatives from the travel industry have been clear about the consequences for the UKโ€™s economy and jobs of not opening the corridor quickly enough, with hundreds taking part in a day of action on June 23. Today, Heathrow released new research from CEBR, reinforcing the importance of aviation to the Governmentโ€™s ambitions for Global Britain, which could help industry deliver a ยฃ204 billion trade boost to benefit every corner of the UK. Heathrow has warned that this cannot be realized unless the UKโ€™s aviation industry is supported by Government policies to resume flying as soon as possible. By capitalizing on the countryโ€™s vaccine dividend, ministers can help to deliver this economic stimulus for exporters across Britain, ensuring the UK retains its competitive edge as the country comes out of lockdown.

On Monday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson restated that this important step to exempt fully vaccinated travelers from self-isolation would happen โ€˜later this summerโ€™, with Transport Secretary Grant Shapps set to provide more detail this week. Itโ€™s hoped the proof-of-concept will encourage the Government to introduce exemptions for fully vaccinated travelers no later than 19 July, allowing the UK to catch-up with the EU and US, which have already introduced similar schemes.

 

LAX celebrates the 60th Anniversary of the ‘Jet Age’ terminals

LAWA issued this progress report for LAX:

This composite image shows the Central Terminal Area of LAX in the 1960s (left) and today. Over the past 60 years, the airport has reimagined itself several times, and is once again on the cusp of the most ambitious modernization of any U.S. airport.

A MESSAGE FROM JUSTIN ERBACCI
CEO, Los Angeles World Airports

 

In May of 1961 the New York Times proclaimed there was a “spectacular airport opening in Los Angeles.” It was a pronouncement that the “Jet Age” of airport design was here, as Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) set new standards for air travel around the world with its revolutionary design and unrivaled passenger amenities.

On opening day, June 25, 1961, the new LAX offered six new satellite terminals with a radical modular layout and underground passageways, 5,000 parking spaces, and the now iconic Theme Building โ€“ which offered admission to its observation deck at a cost of 50 cents for adults or 25 cents for children, with a coffee or cold drink included. The world was greatly impressed at this progressive, elegant airport that was the epitome of mid-century design, and that revitalized the golden age of travel using aircraft that were modern miracles of aviation.

Today, we acknowledge our proud history and heritage with the 60th anniversary of the Jet Age terminal dedication at LAX. More importantly, we also celebrate our future, which has never been brighter. For an airport that has evolved constantly during its nearly 100-year history โ€“ from a bean field in Westchester to one of the busiest airports in the world โ€“ there is a historical significance to this moment in time. We find ourselves once again on the cusp of unveiling yet another new age for air travel in Los Angeles.

Our $14.5 billion modernization is reimagining the LAX experience. The Automated People Mover train will fundamentally transform how tens of millions of people access the airport each year. Every terminal has been or will be modernized with the latest in technology and amenities. We are creating a digital marketplace in which passengers will be able to control most of the aspects of their journey from their phone, from reserved parking with automatic payment to streamlined mobile food ordering and delivery. And we will do so sustainably, with bold goals to become carbon neutral by 2045.

These and other projects allow LAWA to continue in its role as an important driver of the Southern California economy, providing thousands of local jobs and business opportunities.

At the same time, we are preparing to meet the demands of the future while staying within our existing footprint, with the environmental review process underway for airfield safety improvements, a new concourse and terminal, and elevated roadways to separate airport traffic from neighborhood traffic.ย We are doing all of this while being responsible, first-class neighbors to our community and engaging with local residents as we build the future world-class airport Los Angeles deserves ahead of the spotlight of the 2028 Olympics.

Below is a snapshot at how far we have come, and where we are going, as our history of innovation and imagination repeats itself at LAX.

Justin Erbacci
Chief Executive Officer, Los Angeles World Airports
The Past (1961)
In December 1957, Los Angeles embarked in one of the West’s most complex construction projects with the construction of the modern LAX. When the satellite terminals opened in the summer of 1961, they were a modern marvel that reset public expectations of what air travel could be. New technology included automated doors, moving walkways, automatic parking pay machines, a telephone system that took four years to engineer, covered jet bridges and complex baggage conveyers. The airport was configured around a Central Terminal Area and saw daily activity including 20,000 passengers, 40,000 visitors and 32,000 workers employed by 158 tenants.ย Click hereย to view the 1960s documentary, “#1 World Way, the Story of Los Angeles International Airport.”
Terminals: In the summer of 1961, the new Jet Age LAX opened with six satellite terminals and a seventh concourse (connected to the United Airlines ticketing building). This new, modern facility made up the original Central Terminal Area (CTA) at the airport. Each satellite building was connected to its ticketing building (located on World Way) by a 300- to 400-foot tunnel. This was a radical new approach that influenced airport design for a generation.
Airlines: Operations at the redesigned LAX began at Terminal 7 in August 1961, and a total of 19 airlines served the airport at the time. International carriers flew from Terminal 2, with Trans World Airlines at Terminal 3, American Airlines at Terminal 4, Western Air Lines at Terminal 5, a group of regional airlines at Terminal 6 and United Airlines at Terminal 7 and the connected concourse.
Shops and Dining: Each of the new satellite terminals included a coffee shop and a sit-down restaurant with an attached cocktail lounge. A total of 21 dining rooms, bars, gift shops and newsstands were open. Each of the locations had a California or Western theme, including “Early Days of the Movie Industry” and “Famous Sights of Los Angeles.” They were constructed at a cost of $3 million to be “among the most spectacular in Southern California,” according to a 1961 press announcement. It was predicted the restaurants would sell 580,000 hamburgers each year.
Parking and Access: Most parking in the Central Terminal Area was in surface lots, including the site of the future Terminal 1, with a capacity of 5,000 cars, making it the world’s largest airport parking facilities at the time. Some metered parking also was available at a cost of 25 cents for three hours. The Central Terminal Area had only the ground-level roadway until a second level was constructed in the 1980s.
Airfield: Three runways were available in 1961, two on the south side of the airfield and one on the north side. FAA controllers worked from a 172-foot tall tower that was among the first structures to open in the new Central Terminal Area. The FAA tower managed 1,000 flight operations every 24 hours with eight controllers on duty.
Theme Building: A central point of the new Jet Age facilities, the Theme Building quickly became the symbol of mid-century design and synonymous with LAX. Upon opening, the building included an observation deck, a Bank of America branch, a “Sky Gourmet Restaurant,” barber shop, gift shop, employee cafeteria and central kitchen and commissary which served all the satellite terminal restaurants and lounges. The building was designed by a team that included famed LA architectย Paul Revere Williams.
Technology: The new satellite terminals featured new technology including an underground, automated baggage movement system with magnetic coding for sorting bags. Other innovations were pre-recorded information boards activated by push button, automatic flight information display boards and covered loading bridges.
“Believe it or Not Facts” asย published by the Los Angeles Timesย (1961)
  • The project included 1.2 million square feet of buildings and 175 acres of pavement, including parking lots and airfield surface
  • The drainage complex utilized six miles of reinforced concrete pipe
  • 19 miles of underground electrical conduit were laid
  • Three miles of sewer lines were installed
  • Thirty miles of underground lines carrier jet fuel
  • 38,000 miles of wire and cable were installed by Pacific Telephone Co.
  • 6,500 rolls of roofing felt covered the new terminals
  • A half-million square yards of plaster was installed, enough for 900 average homes at the time
  • 29,000 lighting fixtures were installed
  • 165,000 tons of concrete was used
The Present (2021)
LAX has become the economic engine for the Los Angeles region, generating 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The airport is in the midst of a $14.5 billion modernization program, which will fundamentally transform how people access and experience Southern California’s premier international airport. With the 2028 Olympics around the corner, LAX is setting the stage for the next 60 years of air travel with fully modernized facilities, new technology, enhanced amenities and reimagined access via an Automated People Mover train.
Modernization: The $14.5 billion modernization of LAX continues to make significant progress, focused on not only modernizing the terminals, but creating new and better ways to access the airport. After breaking ground on four of these projects in 2019, 2021 is a year of ongoing progress and completions. So far this year, the stunning new West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal and an extension to Terminal 1 have both opened. Later this year, a new approximately 4,300-space parking facility will open to the east of the airport, followed by the opening of a new Airport Police Facility. Meanwhile, the Automated People Mover train system and Consolidated Rent-A-Car facility continue to see significant progress.ย Click hereย to learn more.
Operations: In 2019, LAX served nearly 88.1 million passengers and offered an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 113 destinations in the U.S. and 1,200 weekly nonstop flights to 91 markets in 46 countries on 72 commercial airlines. In 2019, LAX was the third-busiest airport in the world. LAX’s cargo operations also continue to grow, and so far in 2021 LAX is the No. 3 airport for total global trade by value among U.S. airports.
Technology: LAX is an industry leader with the newest technology including biometric self-boarding gates, the latest-generation Wi-Fi service, touchless check-in kiosks, mobile food ordering and gate delivery viaย LAXOrderNow.com. The West Gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal includes the most advanced baggage handling system in the country today, along with touchscreen kiosks that can send directions and information directly to passenger phones. LAX partnered with the TSA to be the first U.S. airport to include automated photo identification scanners at every security checkpoint. In the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Federal Inspection Station, a Simplified Arrivals process uses biometric photo identification to automate formerly manual document checks and saves up to 45 minutes by eliminating the need to line up a second time.
Parking: LAX in transforming its parking into a $303 million smart system that will enable a passenger-controlled journey that includes reservations, automatic payment and exit, valet service and available space overhead identification. The upgrades also include additional EV charging stations with reservations available and enhanced wayfinding. This summer, LAX will open an approximately 4,300-spaceย parking facilityย east of the airport.
Mobility:ย Los Angeles World Airports’ new Mobility Strategic Plan lays the framework for revolutionizing landside access to LAX. This plan is aย comprehensive roadmap for mobility policy, programs and initiatives that will define how passengers and employees travel to and from the airport into the 2020โ€™s and beyond. Planning is underway to take full advantage of the Automated People Mover upon its completion, and a rejuvenated FlyAwayยฎ service is anticipated soon.
Sustainability: LAX is leading the aviation industry in sustainability practices with the LAXย Sustainability Action Plan, “Boldly Moving to Zero,” setting ambitious targets for becoming carbon neutral by 2045. Those efforts have already resulted in moving to an all-electric airfield bus fleet, expanding a food donation and waste diversion program to all concessions and lounges, promoting the use of sustainable aviation fuel and investing in solar generation at Los Angeles World Airports facilities. In 2019, LAX received Level III ACI Airport Carbon Accreditation from Airport Councils International-Europe.
Equity and Inclusivity: Los Angeles World Airports is committed to supporting the local business community and providing jobs for local workers. In 2020, the airport updated its procurement standards to ensure that commitments to employ local, small, disadvantaged businesses and local workers factor significantly in vendor selections for the approximately $500 million in goods and services that LAWA purchases annually. This new policy helps translate LAWA’s core values of diversity, equity, and inclusion into strong, enforceable contract language for companies doing business at LAWA. The HireLAX apprenticeship readiness program is preparing people for a career in skilled construction, and has so farย connected more than 170 people from the local community with rewarding career opportunities and earned graduates more than $7 million in wages to date.
Community Engagement:ย LAX continues to reimagine our support for local communities in ways that reflect our commitment to the region. We focus on being good neighbors and continue to offer beneficial programs, services and opportunities as involved members of the airport community. LAX maintains a strong community presence by participating and representing LAX in a wide array of community and civic organizations. We also support tomorrowโ€™s leaders in a variety of ways including our annual Aviation Careers Education Academy, Aviation Career Day, Network For Teaching Entrepreneurship, Read Across America Day Celebration, LAX Job Shadow day, Santa Fly-In and more.
The Future
LAX is in the midst of a $14.5-billion Capital Improvement Program that will completely transform LAX into a world-class airport. With the Automated People Mover train system opening in 2023, passengers and employees will find a much easier way to access the busy Central Terminal Area, and the long-awaited connection to regional transportation. Terminals 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are also undergoing modernization projects to enhance the guest experience greatly once completed. And, the airport has proposed a Concourse 0 and Terminal 9, along with improved roads to access the airport and relieve traffic in the area. LAX is on the cusp of a reimagined airport that will be built with the future in mind.
Automated People Mover: The 2.25-mile elevated guideway is now more than 60% complete, while station construction has commenced at three of the six station locations. The assembly and testing of train cars is underway in Pittsburgh, as the first of 44 train cars that will run on the system will be delivered to LAX in 2021. The first of six steel structures for pedestrian bridges that will connect terminals to the People Mover stations was placed in June, with the remaining to be installed over the next year.
Terminals: Several terminal projects within the Central Terminal Area have made significant strides as well. The extension of Terminal 1, which provides increased baggage and screening areas, as well as a future connection to the Automated People Mover system, opened in May. The renovations of Terminals 2 and 3 took advantage of the downturn in traffic at LAX by closing Terminal 3 to the public, which in turn is helping to accelerate the project schedule by approximately 18 months, with a targeted completion date of 2023.
Intermodal Transportation Facility-West:ย The Intermodal Transportation Facility-West is a new, approximately 4,300 stall parking structure that will open later this summer, offering both short-and long-term parking. The facility will provide an economy option for travelers when it opens, and will feature the latest in smart-parking technology to create a streamlined parking experience. In 2023, the facility will connect to the Automated People Mover train system, while a shuttle bus will transport travelers to and from the Central Terminal Area in the interim.
Consolidated Rent-A-Car Facility:ย What will become the largest rental car facility in the world once completed is visible from the 405 freeway. The three buildings that comprise the 6.3 million square foot facility โ€“ the Ready Return, Idle Storage and Quick Turn Around โ€“ will top off in concrete in July. The facility will connect to an Automated People Mover station and provide a streamlined rental car experience for the hundreds of thousands of travelers who rent cars each year.
Airport Police Facility:ย The new 160,000-square-foot facility will consolidate police operations into one location on the north side of Westchester Parkway. The project officially topped out in August as it moves toward completion in the fall of 2021.
LAX Fact Sheets

Etihad Airways and El Al launch their strategic cooperation

Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, and El Al Israel Airlines, the national carrier of Israel, on July 1 launched their joint codeshare network and reciprocal loyalty agreement for frequent flyers. This builds on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) the airlines signed in 2020 following the Abraham Accords signed by the UAE and Israel.

Effective July 18, 2021, El Al will add its โ€˜LYโ€™ code to Etihadโ€™s existing twice weekly service between Abu Dhabi to Tel Aviv. Beyond Etihadโ€™s Abu Dhabi hub, this new partnership will extend further and is planned to include destinations in Australia, Bahrain, India, Korea, Philippines and Seychelles from August 1, 2021.

In the next phase of extending the codeshare agreement, subject to obtaining applicable governmental and regulatory approvals, Etihad will offer guests an additional 14 destinations across the Middle East, Europe, Asia and US by adding its โ€˜EYโ€™ code to El Al flights.

 

Tampa International (TPA) to close at 1700 (5 pm) today due to T.S. Elsa

Tampa International Airport (TPA) made this announcement:

Update: Reopened at 0830 on July 7, 2021.

Lufthansa’s 10th Airbus A321neo joins the fleet

Lufthansa made this announcement on social media:

Air Canada continues to rebuild its global network with service resuming to key destinations around the world

Air Canada today unveiled additional details of its planned international schedule for this summer, which includes the resumption of 17 routes and 11 destinations across the world from its hubs. The airline is resuming its service betweenย Calgaryย andย Frankfurt, as ofย August 1, up to four times weekly, and is also offering for the first time a unique non-stop service fromย Montrealย toย Cairo, Egypt, three times weekly.

“As travel restrictions ease across the globe, we are committed to rebuild our international network and continue as a global carrier to connectย Canadaย to the world, while also developing additional markets and targeting new opportunities. Canadians are eager to travel again, and we are ready to reunite customers with their families and friends. With vaccination rates globally increasing and our industry-leading CleanCare+ bio-safety protocols, Air Canada has your health and safety as its top priority,” saidย Mark Galardo, Senior Vice President, Network Planning and Revenue Management at Air Canada.

“We are pleased to restart our non-stop service betweenย Calgaryย andย Frankfurt, a key European market for our customers inย Western Canada. This route will operate all year long, connectingย Calgaryย to the world via the global hub ofย our trans Atlantic joint venture partner, Lufthansa, inย Frankfurt. We are also considering additional routes as restrictions continue to loosen,” Mr. Galardo added.

International flight schedule for Summer 2021

Route

Frequency

Start Date

Calgary-Frankfurt

Up to 4x weekly

August 1, 2021

Toronto-Vienna

3x weekly

July 21, 2021

Toronto-Dublin

3x weekly

August 1, 2021

Toronto-Paris

Up to 5x weekly

August 2, 2021

Toronto-Zurich

4x weekly

August 3, 2021

Montreal-Geneva

3x weekly

July 22, 2021

Montreal-Tel Aviv

2x weekly

August 1, 2021

Montreal-London

Up to 4x weekly

August 3, 2021

On top of these upcoming service resumptions, Air Canada has already resumed flights toย Greece,ย United Arab Emiratesย (UAE),ย Italy,ย Spain,ย United Kingdomย andย Moroccoย and will increase frequencies in some of these destinations as of August.

Resumed routes

Route

Frequency

Toronto-Athens

Up to 5x weekly in August

Toronto-Dubai

3x weekly

Toronto-Rome

Up to 4x weekly ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย 

Toronto-Lisbon

Up to 3x weekly

Montreal-Athens

Up to 5x weekly in August

Montreal-Casablanca

Up to 5x weekly in August

Montreal-Rome

Up to 3x weekly

Montreal-Lisbon

2x weekly

Vancouver-London

Up to daily in August

Airย Canadaย also recently launched its first and unique non-stop service toย Cairoย from itsย Montrealย hub, three times weekly, serving the large Egyptian community established inย Montrealย and throughoutย North America. This new route provides a direct gateway toย Africa and offersย convenient connectivity throughout Canadaย and the U.S. from across Air Canada’s network.

The airline continues to operate to several other destinations including:ย Brussels, Bogotรก,ย Doha,ย Hong Kong,ย Seoul,ย Shanghaiย andย Tokyo. Clickย hereย for the full schedule.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography.

IAI to open a new Boeing 737 conversion plant in Naples, Italy

Israel Aerospace Industries’ (IAI) Aviation Group has agreed to establish a passenger to freighter conversion site to convert the Boeing 737-700 and 737-800 passenger aircraft to freighters with the Atitech company, at Atitechโ€™s leading MRO center in Naples, Italy.
ย 
The cargo conversion site in Italy will join two existing cargo conversion sites in China.
ย 
Atitech MRO is a veteran global company with extensive experience in aviation and is certified by the Federal Administration Agency (FAAPart 145) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASAPart 145).ย 
Marco Finelli reporting from Italy.

Norwegian reports a positive passenger traffic trend in June

Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer

Norwegian’s traffic figures for June continue to be heavily influenced by travel restrictions and therefore low demand. However, forward bookings and demand continue to show a positive increase as a greater number of markets unlock and ease restrictions. In July, the number of aircraft and routes will gradually increase.

In June, 225 509 passengers flew with Norwegian, which is approx. 100 percent more than at the same time last year. Compared with June 2020, the total capacity (ASK) has increased by 182 percent and passenger traffic (RPK) up 102 percent. The load factor in June was 62.9 percent, a decrease of 25 percentage points compared with last year.

โ€œJune traffic results still show the impact of low demand due to reduced flying schedules and government imposed travel restrictions. However, we have seen a continued month on month increase in bookings as countries ease restrictions. As a result, we have resumed flights to a number of key European destinations, we will continue to adjust and increase our network and schedules as demand rises.โ€ Said Geir Karlsen, CEO of Norwegian.

Norwegian operated 15 aircraft in June. During the month the company operated 99.9 percent of its scheduled flights, with 94.1 percent departing on time.

Top Copyright Photo: Norwegian.com (Norwegian Air Sweden) Boeing 737-8JP WL SE-RRF (msn 39004) (Fridtjof Nansen, Norwegian explorer) ARN (Stefan Sjogren). Image: 954104.

Relaunch of route from Netherlands to Scandinavian Mountains Airport by Great Dane Airlines

Great Dane Airlines Embraer ERJ 190-200LR (ERJ 195) OY-GDA (msn 19000213) TFS (Richard Vandervord). Image: 949099.

Scandinavian Mountains Airport made this announcement:

Dutch BBI-Travel will relaunch the route to Scandinavian Mountains Airport starting onย  December 19, 2021. Two days a week, Thursdays and Sundays, Dutch passengers can now travel from Groningen Airport to Sรคlenfjรคllen and Trysil where they can enjoy real winter and skiing. The flights are in cooperation with Great Dane Airlines, which will use the pictured Embraer 195 with room for 118 passengers.

Timetable winter 2021/2022

Video:

Scandinavian Mountains Airport is located on the national border between Sweden’s largest alpine ski area of Sรคlen and Norway’s largest alpine ski resort of Trysil.

The region offers four ski resorts with more than 100,000 beds in hotels, apartments, cottages. The area has 250 pistes and a large selection of restaurants, entertainment, shopping and activities. Scandinavian Mountains Airport is a state-of-the-art airport with remotely controlled air traffic control tower. The terminal building has the capacity to handle four flights at once. Scandinavian Mountains Airport is wholly privately owned by 33 companies.

Top Copyright Photo: Great Dane Airlines Embraer ERJ 190-200LR (ERJ 195) OY-GDA (msn 19000213) TFS (Richard Vandervord). Image: 949099.

Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise Antonov An-26 with 28 people crashes in Kamchatka, Siberia

Kamchatka Aviation Enterprise was operating a flight today with 22 passengers and six crew members from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (below) to Palana in the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia.

At first. the Antonov An-26B-100 (RA-26085) went missing.

According to the Associated Press:

“Wreckage from a plane that went missing Tuesday in Russiaโ€™s Far East region of Kamchatka was found around five kilometers (three miles) away from a runway at an airport on the coast where it was supposed to land, officials said.

An Antonov An-26 plane with 22 passengers and six crew members, flying from the city of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky to the town of Palana on the Okhotsk Sea coast, missed a scheduled communication and disappeared from radar as it was on approach for landing.”

More from the BBC: Dozens missing on plane in Russian Far East Kamchatka peninsula – BBC News