http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk en-us info@finesse-escorts.co.uk Monday is the deadline for companies wanting to buy Britain's second-biggest airport, London Gatwick. Its current owner, BAA, was ordered to sell Gatwick after an inquiry found that customers were suffering from the lack of competition between airports. It is expected to receive three serious offers, although they are rumoured to to be below last year's £2bn estimates. They are understood to be from groups including General Electric, Manchester Airport and Vancouver Airport. The Span http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/monday-deadline-for-gatwick-buyer_124.html 26-04-2009 An Australian man has been charged in connection with a hoax bomb found on board a plane at Gatwick Airport. Matthew Carney, 22, from Melbourne, Victoria, was remanded in custody after appearing before Crawley magistrates' via videolink. A total of 184 passengers and crew were evacuated while an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit searched the Emirates plane on Sunday. The airport was temporarily closed and some flights were slightly delayed. The aircraft arrived at the West Sussex airport fr http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/man-charged-over-gatwick-hoax_122.html 16-04-2009 The Competition Commission is expected to confirm the break-up of airports operator BAA by ordering the sale of Gatwick and Stansted airports. In the final report of its two-year investigation to be published on Thursday, it will also require the sale of one of BAA's Scottish airports. It has been looking into BAA's dominance over airports in Scotland and the south-east of England. The regulator has already begun to vet potential bidders for Gatwick. In its provisional decision published in http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/regulator-to-order-airports-sale_117.html 19-03-2009 More than 160 jobs are to be created at Gatwick Airport when an airline introduces eight new routes to the European mainland. Aer Lingus plans to start its services to Faro, Malaga, Munich, Nice, Vienna, Dublin, Knock and Zurich in April. A spokesperson for the company said the routes would be in direct competition with EasyJet, who recently announced new flights from the airport. Aer Lingus has already sold 75,000 tickets for the routes, she added. Corporate affairs director Enda Corneille http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/airline-creates-160-gatwick-jobs_104.html 14-03-2009 By Charles Starmer-SmithThe building of a third runway at Heathrow airport could threaten the future of Gatwick, one airline chief suggested this week. Tim Jeans, managing director of Monarch Airlines, said that if British Airways were to move many of its services to Heathrow to take advantage of a new runway the result could be tumbleweed blowing down the runway at Gatwick. Gatwick one of Monarchs hubs has already suffered from the collapse of Zoom, XL, LTE and Oasis Hong Kong Airlines as wel http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/heathrow-third-runway-a-threat-to-gatwick_100.html 26-01-2009 By Mark MilnerThe airports operator BAA is understood to have received at least three bids for Gatwick airport by today's deadline for initial offers, but the final line-up could be longer. Global Infrastructure Partners, the joint venture between General Electric and Credit Suisse, which owns London City airport, confirmed it had made an offer. But it is set to face competition from Germany's Hochtief, which owns Budapest airport, and a consortium of Babcock and Brown fund and Deutsche Bank's R http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/three-bids-for-gatwick-airport_99.html 26-01-2009 British Airways has announced it is planning to cut more than 100 jobs at Gatwick airport. The company said it was planning to operate up to 15% fewer departures at the Sussex airport next summer. Four aircraft will also be withdrawn. Ground operations staff including those working at check-in desks are expected to be affected by the cuts. The GMB union said it was surprised at the announcement, adding it feared up to 180 jobs could be lost. GMB official Adrian Baker said: "We will be seeking an http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/ba-announces-job-cuts-at-gatwick_85.html 07-12-2008 GATWICK is failing to adequately check arriving immigrants for tuberculosis, is has been claimed.Health experts have told a national newspaper the airport's x-ray scans are not enough to halt the continued rise of tuberculosis (TB) due to immigrants carrying the disease.The inadequate checks could allow tens of thousands of immigrants to potentially enter the country carrying the disease.Dr Andrew Freedman, senior lecturer in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, told the Independent on Sun http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/gatwick-failing-to-stop-tb-entering-country-reports_75.html 18-11-2008 GATWICK is failing to adequately check arriving immigrants for tuberculosis, is has been claimed.Health experts have told a national newspaper the airport's x-ray scans are not enough to halt the continued rise of tuberculosis (TB) due to immigrants carrying the disease.The inadequate checks could allow tens of thousands of immigrants to potentially enter the country carrying the disease.Dr Andrew Freedman, senior lecturer in infectious diseases at Cardiff University, told the Independent on Sun http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/gatwick-failing-to-stop-tb-entering-country-reports_74.html 18-11-2008 Virgin Atlantic says it is planning a bid for Gatwick airport, which has been put up for sale by its owner, BAA, in conjunction with other parties.Virgin is talking to a group of interested parties about a bid for the airport, valued by analysts at up to £2.5bn.A decision on Gatwick could be made by the end of next year.The Competition Commission has said BAA may have to sell some airports because of market dominance concerns.Heavenly marriage?"I think it remains to be seen how much Gatwick is a http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/virgin-atlantic-plans-gatwick-bid_73.html 18-11-2008 LONDON, Nov 17 (Reuters) - The High Court has approved an application from British low-cost carrier easyJet Plc (EZJ.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for judicial review of the regulatory process that led to higher airport charges at London Gatwick airport last spring, The Financial Times newspaper reported on Monday.Britain's Civil Aviation Authority is allowing airport operator BAA to raise passenger charges at Gatwick, which is up for sale, by almost 50 percent to 8.36 pounds ($12.38) http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/easyjet-wins-review-of-gatwick-airport-charges-ft_72.html 18-11-2008 By Quentin WebbLONDON (Reuters) - 3i Infrastructure said on Monday it has taken advantage of forced selling by hedge funds to snap up 86 million pounds of utility bonds at a steep discount.The purchases, which 3i Infrastructure said offered higher-than-equity returns at lower risk, highlight the bargains on offer to less-leveraged investors after a steep rise in credit spreads driven by risk aversion and forced selling.3i Infrastructure, 43 percent owned by private equity group 3i Group Plc (III http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/3i-fund-snaps-up-utility-bonds-from-hedge-funds_71.html 12-11-2008 Work has got under way to decorate a giant Redwood tree with 1,800 lights at Kew's country garden in West Sussex.The 100ft Redwood at Wakehurst Place is said to be the UK's tallest Christmas tree - and when lit up is visible from the sky on flights to Gatwick Airport.Expert tree climbers were scaling the tree with ropes and high-level platforms from 0730 GMT on Wednesday.James Pumfrey, from the conservation and woodland unit, said work would take most of the day to complete.Mr Pumfrey is one of http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/redwood-is-giant-christmas-tree_70.html 12-11-2008 By Chris Irvine Rocco, eight, and David, three, flew into Gatwick Airport in London from Los Angeles to meet their father, with pictures showing Rocco greeting his father with a bear hug.It has been reported however that Madonna, 50, has issued a list of instructions that Ritchie must meet while the two boys stay with him in London.She has allegedly insisted that all water they drink, even when it is diluted organic juice, should be Kabbalah water - mountain spring water blessed by leaders of th http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/guy-ritchie-sees-his-boys-but-with-a-list-of-12-conditions-from-madonna_69.html 12-11-2008 LONDON, Oct 8 (Reuters) - British airports operator BAA on Wednesday said it hired HSBC (HSBA.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)(0005.HK: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and RBS (RBS.L: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) as advisers for the sale of Gatwick Airport.BAA decided to sell the London airport after Britain's Competition Commission said in a provisional ruling in August that the unit of Spain's Ferrovial (FER.MC: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) must sell three of it http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/baa-hires-hsbc-rbs-on-gatwick-airport-sale_58.html 24-10-2008 Airport operator BAA handled 13.3 million passengers at its UK seven airports this September, 5% fewer than in September 2007.A total of 113.4 million passengers used the airports - which include Heathrow and Gatwick - in the first nine months of this year, down 1.4%.Partly because of the collapse of UK carrier XL Airways, European charter airline traffic dipped 12.6% last month.The number of passengers on north Atlantic routes fell 6.8%, with other long-haul route traffic down 6%.The smallest d http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/britains-major-airports-including-heathrow-and-gatwick-have-been-feeling-the-effects-of-the-global_57.html 24-10-2008 By David LitterickIf Britain really is hurtling towards a nasty downturn, its bus and rail operators are yet to notice. Go-Ahead yesterday became the latest public transport group to report a big jump in passenger revenues high single digits on the buses and double-digit rises on its Southern and Southeastern rail franchises.How long this happy situation lasts is another question. While bus travel generally holds up well during downturns there are already hints of a slowdown outside London.Pass http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/go-aheads-not-expensive-but-the-shares-are-unlikely-to-go-anywhere-fast_56.html 24-10-2008 Diners Club has opened 18 new cardholder club lounges at 14 airports in the UK which brings its network to 123 lounges worldwide. Lounges have been opened at London Gatwick, Heathrow and Stansted airports, as well as Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds Bradford and Newcastle. Their will also be a new Diners Club presence at the four main Scottish airports of Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness. These are only accessible to the 6.5 million Diners Club® cardholders and feature freshly-br http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/diners-club-opens-uk-airport-lounges_34.html 11-10-2008 By Michael Purton A 22-year-old air steward says she cant afford to buy food after travel firm XL collapsed without paying her.When XL went into administration on September 12 more than 1,500 of its employees were made redundant.Cabin-crew member Holly Thompson, of Humber Road in Dartford, only found out she had lost her job when she turned up for work at Gatwick airport.She was due to fly to Orlando, Florida, but she says that when she arrived at XLs offices at the airport she was handed redund http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/air-steward-cant-afford-food-after-xl-goes-bust_21.html 11-10-2008 HIGHLAND airport chiefs yesterday welcomed confirmation that Loganair is introducing new scheduled flights from Kirkwall and Sumburgh to Bergen in Norway next summer. They will operate under the airlines Flybe franchise which comes into effect at the end of this month. Flybe yesterday unveiled its 2009 summer schedule, offering 40 flights a week to and from Inverness and Gatwick. The March to September programme features one-way flights from £31.99 including taxes and airport charges between t http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/flybe-unveils-40-flights-between-north-and-gatwick-each-week_17.html 10-10-2008 The budget airline Easyjet has been flying more passengers, despite the economic downturn, the company said.Passenger numbers rose 22% between September 2007 and last month at the company, based at Luton, Bedfordshire.Easyjet said its planes were also fuller than last year. Aircraft were 86.9% full in September - almost 2% higher than the same month in 2007.However the firm is being hit by high oil prices, and has warned its annual profits could be 42% down on last year.It is facing an increase http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/easyjet-attracts-more-passengers_16.html 10-10-2008 By Jeremy HodgesBruckhaus Deringer has bagged the lead role for BAA in the sale of Gatwick Airport. BAA confirmed yesterday (8 October) that the magic circle firm will provide corporate advice on the sale of the UKs second-largest airport. MandA partner Laurie McFadden will lead the Freshfields team advising BAA, which is putting the airport up for sale to comply with the Competition Commissions demand that it sell three of its seven UK airports. Herbert Smith, meanwhile, is advising the airport http://articles.finesse-escorts.co.uk/freshfields-flying-high-on-baas-gatwick-sale_15.html 10-10-2008