Editor

Ian Sheppard

London Biggin Hill Airport (Booth No. 953) has started a new development program. The airport will add a new 54,000-sq-ft parking/ramp area for business aircraft adjacent to the passenger terminal by mid-June; a new double-span hangar for business aircraft by early 2011; and a new hotel in time for the 2012 Olympic Games in London. 
Biggin Hill competes with other airports in the London area, including Farnborough, Southend, Luton and Oxford. FBOs at Biggin include Rizon, Jet Aviation and Biggin Hill Executive Handling.
The airport has also announced that its SkyPets Executive Pet Handling Service is becoming increasingly popular “as more passengers become accustomed to having their pets travel with them to destinations throughout Europe and as far afield as the Middle East and the U.S.”
A spokesman said that more travelers with cats and dogs were taking advantage of the Pets Passport system, which replaces the former lengthy quarantine arrangements. The airport received approval from the UK government in 2004, becoming the first general aviation facility to qualify. 
The plan is currently limited to dogs, cats and ferrets and SkyPets now has Pet Passport records for 450 animals that travel through Biggin Hill. There are now more than 100 charter operators that are authorized to bring pets into the UK via an approved gateway such as Biggin Hill Airport.

New developments at airports including regulations and noise issues; legal disputes; openings, acquisitions and mergers.