The Week In Travel

New figures released by Airports Council International (ACI) Europe this week revealed a huge 247% rise in European airport traffic in H1 2022 compared with the same period last year. The organisation released its monthly air traffic report on Thursday, which included figures for both H1 and Q2. The report also showed that traffic numbers last month were only 17.4% lower than June 2019, the strongest monthly performance since February 2020.

There was more positive news this week, as Beijing International Airport resumed commercial incoming passenger flights for the first time since the start of the pandemic. Air China has resumed a direct weekly flight from Paris, whilst Japanese airline ANA is set to restart weekly flights from Narita next month.

It was also reported this week that construction is set to begin on Noida International Airport in India next month. The work, which will focus on the building of the airport’s main terminal alongside a 3,900m long runway, is expected to be completed by October 2024 and will give the airport a passenger handling capacity of 12 million per annum.

Over in the US, Tampa International Airport (TPA) in Florida has introduced biometric scanning technology at its departure gates to decrease boarding process time. Following a year-long pilot, TPA has implemented eight biometric scanners, a move that is expected to reduce boarding time by up to 30 minutes.

And finally, a woman travelling from Vancouver to Los Angeles for her hen party received quite the shock when she was serenaded by a member of the WestJet flight crew. The surprise was arranged courtesy of her fiancé, who asked a member of the team to sing her a song from ‘The Wedding Singer’. “It’s just like when Adam Sandler sings to Drew Barrymore on a flight like this,” she remarked, “except we don’t have first class.”