Korean Air Monthly Video Newsletter, January 2012

Dubai's flagship airline Emirates will sponsor Britain's first urban cable car spanning London's river Thames, saying it hoped the new addition to the city's skyline would be ready for next year's Olympics.

The GBP£60 million (USD$92.3 million) project, due to be completed next summer, will link the 02 arena, which hosts concerts and sporting events on the south bank, with the ExCeL conference venue on the north side.

Both arenas will host events during the 2012 Games.

Emirates will sponsor the cable car river crossing in a 10-year-deal worth GBP£36 million.

The airline has used British sport to boost its brand since 2004 when it announced a shirt sponsorship deal with Premier League football club Arsenal and naming rights on its new ground in north London.

Transport for London will look to meet the funding shortfall by applying for a grant from the European regional development fund, secondary sponsors, retail opportunities at the two stations, and income from fares.

It is hoped the cable car, to be called Emirates Air Line, will act as a catalyst for the further regeneration of east London, where the Games will be held between July 27 and August 12.

"This multi-million pound deal is tremendous news for London, helping us to deliver a new addition to the city's skyline," Mayor of London Boris Johnson said in a statement.

"The Emirates Air Line will be an exciting and innovative mode of transport easing travel for thousands and offering spectacular bird's eye vistas of our majestic Thames."

Construction began in July, but Transport for London was cautious on whether it would be ready in time for the Olympics, saying it had not been part of the transport plan for the Games.

"It would be a nice bonus if it is (ready for the Olympics)," a spokesman for Emirates said.

The cable car will be able to carry up to 2,500 people per hour in each direction during the five-minute journey, and is expected to carry two million passengers a year.

The stretch of Thames is currently served by road tunnels, but no bridges.

Tim Clark, president of Emirates, said the cable car crossing "will take off as an iconic landmark for London".

Source: Reuters

British low-cost airline easyJet said it would begin operating from London Southend Airport from April 2012, ahead of the London Olympics.
The budget carrier said on Thursday it would base three new Airbus A319 aircraft and around 150 employees at the Stobart Group-owned airport, which is around 40 miles south-east of central London. It expects to deliver around 800,000 passengers through the airport in the first year.
EasyJet, which has signed a 10-year contract with the airport, will operate 70 flights per week from LSA to 10 different European destinations including Barcelona, Faro and Ibiza.
"We expect the new routes to appeal to customers in Essex and London looking for a convenient new departure point for many top European destinations," Catherine Lynn, easyJet's customer and revenue director said.
"We also believe that the European city links will also attract a high number of inbound business and leisure passengers to London next year."
LSA plans to open a dedicated rail station with up to eight services an hour to Stratford - site of the 2012 games - and to London's Liverpool Street station in the coming months.

Source: Reuters

Britain's Civil Aviation Authority on Thursday said it was extending price controls at London's Heathrow and Gatwick airports for a further year to allow time for the UK government to introduce a new regime.

The current 5-year regime of price controls was set to run until end-March 2013 so the extra year will extend the regime until end-March 2014, under which the amount charged by airports to airlines is capped.

Ferrovial-owned BAA, which operates London's biggest airport Heathrow, supported the move.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said in a statement that the move would help the transition from the current legislative framework to a new one.

BAA was forced to sell off London's second biggest airport Gatwick to Global Infrastructure Partners in October 2009.

Source: Reuters