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Pumpkin-coloured airline, easyJet, has introduced a new flight from Aberdeen Airport to Gatwick Airport in Crawley, West Sussex. The destination was the second to be added at the Dyce hub in just over a week, after Azerbaijan Airlines bolstered Aberdeen’s summer schedules with a long-haul trip to Baku, the capital city of its native Azerbaijan.

Speaking about the Gatwick route, Aberdeen Airport’s director, Derek Provan said, “This is an exciting time for us, and everyone is pleased to see this new service start”.

Gatwick is easyJet’s second route to London from the Dyce hub, after Luton. The flight places the airline in direct competition with regional carrier, Flybe, who currently offers an identical route from Aberdeen to Gatwick. British Airways and BMI also provide services from Eastern Scotland to London, albeit to the UK’s largest hub, Heathrow.

EasyJet’s commercial manager, Hugh Aitken, intimated that the Gatwick flight was a “key” investment. An estimated 100,000 people are expected to fly on the route during its first term. The service, again, according to Mr. Aitken, was created in response to customer demand, and with a view to opening up the “many easyJet destinations from Gatwick” to Scottish travellers.

Tickets for the Gatwick flight are priced at £27.99, taxes included, for a one-way journey. The route will operate every day. EasyJet claims that it now provides more than 300 weekly flights to London from its four Scottish bases, namely, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Inverness, catering to more than 4m passengers a year.

Azerbaijan Airline's route to Baku operates twice a week from Aberdeen, on Tuesdays and Sundays. Jamil Manizade, chief at the airline, referred to the Dyce city as, "Europe's oil capital", indicating that the flight will be marketed at natural resource barons and oil workers in the region of Aberdeen Airport.

Business at Aberdeen Airport has returned to normal, following a week of uncertainty in the wake of the eruption of the Icelandic volcano, Grimsvotn.

Grimsvotn, essentially, a volcanic ‘environment’ of underground lakes, glaciers, and of course, a volcano, is located in the southeast of Iceland, in the region of the Vatnajökull National Park. The mountain’s violent disposition is well documented, but as Grimsvotn’s caldera is buried beneath several hundred metres of ice, the biggest threat to the local populace is a ‘jökulhlaup’, or glacier burst, rather than volcanic bombs or lava flows.

However, while the UK is unlikely to feel the heat of Grimsvotn’s temper, prevailing winds frequently bring Icelandic volcanoes into contact with British and European aeroplanes, albeit through drifting ash clouds.

Grimsvotn, in a similar fashion to neighbouring volcano, Eyjafjallajokull, in April 2010, forced the cancellation of “hundreds” of flights from Aberdeen Airport on May 24 2011, after meteorologists detected the now-familiar trace of volcanic ash in the atmosphere. STV, the Scottish arm of TV network, ITV, told “tales of woe”, as travellers bound for Germany, London, and even the United States found themselves grounded.

The mood in Dyce was one of reluctant acceptance, rather than anger: “it can’t be helped, so we will just wait and see what happens”, explained a Heathrow-bound passenger.

Local newspaper, the Press and Journal, indicated that early morning commuters in the Highlands had encountered “a covering of dust on their cars”. However, despite the evidence, one outspoken airline boss was reluctant to believe that a cloud of volcanic ash was hanging over Scotland and the North of England. Michael O’Leary, boss at Ryanair, conducted his own ‘test-flights’ last week, before declaring the skies, “perfectly safe”. “The predictions are rubbish”, the Irishman said.

Ryanair currently offers a solitary flight to Dublin from Aberdeen Airport.

Aer Lingus Regional has introduced a new route from Aberdeen Airport to the city of Dublin in the Republic of Ireland.

Despite its name, the Aer Lingus Regional brand is an alliance between Aer Lingus and commuter airline, Aer Arran. The two carriers have been working together since early 2010, and currently offer flights to La Rochelle in France, Blackpool in sunny England, and Cardiff in Wales, among others. Aer Arran chief, Paul Schütz, referred to the partnership as “a major development for Irish aviation” in January, last year.

Returning to the present, the new flight from Aberdeen to Dublin will operate six times a week, using Aer Arran’s fleet of turboprop – or propeller-driven – aeroplanes. Derek Provan, Aberdeen Airport’s new boss, noted that the route was doubly important for Scottish travellers, as it opens up the ten cities in North America served by Dublin Airport, including Fort Lauderdale in Florida, Toronto in Canada, and Atlanta in Georgia. “This route comes with many benefits, but being able to clear US customs before you arrive on American soil creates an attractive proposition,” Mr. Provan explained.

Aer Lingus’ route to Ireland could also help shore up Aberdeen’s finances in the face of continuing unrest in North Africa and the Middle East. The Scottish airport feeds energy workers into Heathrow’s network of routes to oil-producing countries, such as Libya and Kazakhstan. However, the civil war in Libya has forced world airlines to flee the country, meaning that demand for the BMI route from Aberdeen to Heathrow is likely to fall, albeit temporarily.

The departure of the first Dublin-bound aircraft prompted celebrations at Aberdeen, including traditional Irish music, and a variety of free refreshments for travellers. Aer Arran boss, Sinead Murphy, said that the airline was “delighted” with recent developments.

Aberdeen Airport chief Derek Provan had all his dreams come true at the end of November, when the British Airports Authority (BAA) granted the hub permission to extend its runway by 124 metres.

The expansion, say bosses, will enable the airport to handle larger aircraft, opening up the possibility of new routes to North Africa and perhaps even the United States.

"It is impossible to understate the impact that (the extension) could have on the whole of the north east,” Provan explained. The managing director intimated that airlines that had previously voiced concerns about flying from Aberdeen would now be given a second opportunity to work with the Dyce hub.

BAA, owner of Aberdeen and five other UK airports, will provide the expected £10m investment required for the extension project when construction begins in March next year. The majority of the work will be completed at night, limiting disruption to normal operations at the airport.

Reaction to the news has been very positive. Bob Collier, CEO of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce, said that the extension could help develop the energy industry in the northeast of Scotland by improving Aberdeen’s “connectivity to the rest of the world”.

Scottish MP Brian Adam said that he was “fed up” of having to travel to London for an international flight, and was hoping for an influx of new routes in 2012, the earliest date for completion of the expansion. His sentiments will no doubt be echoed by natural resource barons in the Dyce area, who currently have to travel to Heathrow to catch a plane to oil-rich North Africa.

Aberdeen has been pushing for an expansion since 2006. Despite acquiring planning permission from the local council, the hub remained at the mercy of BAA’s piggy bank for four years. Derek Provan made the 400-foot runway extension the cornerstone of his mission for the airport in September 2010.

The airline with the longest name in aviation, Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij, better known as the Dutch carrier, KLM, has announced plans to increase the frequency of flights from Aberdeen to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to five per week.

KLM, founded in 1919, is the national airline of the Netherlands. The carrier merged with AirFrance in 2004, forming one of the largest aviation companies in the world, the unimaginatively titled, AirFrance KLM. The two airlines combined transport an average 71m passengers a year.

Henri Hourcade, UK boss at Air-France KLM, indicated that the cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow Airport was in part responsible for the airline’s decision to expand in Scotland. Henri said that KLM “will be there to answer the needs” of the country, presumably by offering Schiphol as a viable alternative to Heathrow.

The London hub is currently the airport of choice for Scottish travellers catching long-haul flights to the Middle East and the USA. Scotland’s many oil and gas workers, for example, frequently fly from Aberdeen to Heathrow using budget airline, BMI, before catching either a British Airways or second BMI flight to Tripoli, Libya.

However, according to KLM bosses, an increasing number of the airline’s customers (approaching 60%) are choosing to connect with distant destinations via Amsterdam Schiphol, rather than its London rival. The news is indeed dire for Heathrow, but if KLM’s claims are true, Aberdeen Airport could soon operate as a gateway to the continent, helping the hub’s new boss, Derek Provan, achieve his dream of a runway extension within the next two years.

Alterations to KLM’s Aberdeen-Amsterdam route should come into effect in April 2011. The change will coincide with similar expansions at Edinburgh and Glasgow airports, which will see the frequency of flights to the Dutch capital increased to six and five rotations a week, respectively.

Rumours that KLM will soon rope Inverness Airport into its Holland-Scotland flight network have not yet been confirmed.

Budget airlines, Flybe and Thomas Cook, have also expanded at Aberdeen in recent weeks. Flybe has "significantly increased" capacity on its route from the Scottish hub to Birmingham, whilst Thomas Cook is to offer more flights to Dalaman, Turkey, from May 2011.

Aberdeen Airport could soon be linked to destinations in Africa and North America, according to Scottish newspaper the Evening Express.

Derek Provan, the hub’s new managing director, suggested that an extension to the airport’s main runway would be instrumental in boosting the number of routes available from the Dyce airport.

The airport chief claims that the extension, totalling an extra 124m, could be completed within the next two years, but Aberdeen’s owner BAA has yet to be consulted on the plan.

A runway extension would cost BAA in the region of £10m, a paltry figure compared to the £9-13bn sum earmarked for developments at Heathrow Airport, which is also owned by the aviation giant.

However, even if BAA throws money at Aberdeen Airport, the government’s plan to build ‘better, not bigger’ airports could see the extension axed before the public consultation phase even begins.

BAA recently suffered the cancellation of projects at two of its London airports (Heathrow and Stansted) because the Conservative Party's election manifesto decreed that rail services and the improvement of existing air facilities should take priority over costly expansions.

Bristol Airport, on the other hand, was granted permission to proceed with a £150m expansion by the Secretary of State, which, while great news for the airport, undermines the ‘better, not bigger’ policy.

As Gatwick was also warned away from large construction projects, it would be feasible to assume that the ‘no expansions, or else’ rule only applies to London hubs at present.

Returning to Aberdeen, Derek Provan has made his airport’s runway plans his “number-one priority” in a bid to get travellers flying to exotic locations such as Egypt in North Africa.

Whether Aberdeen Airport is sufficiently popular to justify the addition of expensive routes to distant places is debatable, but Derek Provan’s plan suggests that the Dyce hub is ready to start competing with its far-larger neighbours, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

On September 4, over 100 travellers at Aberdeen Airport were allowed onto a British Airways (BA) plane to London, despite the fact that it was not able to fly. The aircraft, which was suffering from a faulty wing, remained stationary on the tarmac for several hours after boarding, much to the chagrin of those onboard.

The incident is the second of its kind in Scotland since the end of June, following a similar debacle at Prestwick Airport.

Prestwick bosses called police to the Ayrshire hub on June 25, after passengers aboard a Ryanair plane to Girona, Spain, became agitated by delays. The passengers, dubbed ‘hostages’ by the sensationalist press, were eventually soothed with chocolate and bottled water, bought at the airport by the local constabulary.

Stranded travellers at Aberdeen Airport were not so lucky with regards to refreshments, and began their respective holidays with a four-hour pit stop in blustery Dyce, where the Scottish hub is located.

Whilst BA has apologised for the delay, citing ‘safety first’ as the impetus for the hold up, travellers aboard the plane have complained to the Evening Express newspaper, denouncing Britain’s flag-carrier. Passengers claim that BA was well aware of the fault before boarding took place.

Aberdeen’s list of unfortunate incidents doesn’t end there, however; the hub endured delays to all outbound flights at the end of August, after a huge power cut knocked out the airport’s security consoles.

Then, just a few days later, on September 10, a Super Puma helicopter reported rotor trouble whilst ferrying workers from a North Sea platform to the Dyce airport. It eventually landed safely, albeit with several frightened passengers.

From August 16, travellers using Aberdeen Airport will be able to take advantage of a new bus service, designed to improve transport links between the Scottish hub and the city centre.

The route will be operated by Stagecoach Bluebird between 0.435 and 22.00 every day except Sunday. Local councillors have welcomed the addition, calling the new 727 service a ‘boon to the travelling public.’

Aberdeen councillor, Kevin Stewart, explained that previous city-airport bus routes had been disappointing; in fact, a similar service between Aberdeen and Dyce, where the airport is located, had recently been cancelled.

“I am absolutely delighted with the new service,” Stewart explained. “Buses from the city to the airport have not been the best in the past. I hope that this new service will attract more folk onto the buses.”

Departing every 30 minutes from the Union Square Shopping Centre in Aberdeen, the 727 bus travels direct to the airport, seven miles northwest of the city. The timetable alters slightly on a Sunday, beginning at 06.45, and running every 90 minutes until 21.45.

The bus service arrives as Aberdeen’s cousin, Edinburgh Airport, is exchanging blows with local councillors over its controversial £1 drop-off fee. The two events might appear unrelated, but both are ostensibly traffic calming measures, designed to unclog airport forecourts, and prevent local villages becoming car parks.

Aberdeen has refused to implement a parking levy of its own, perhaps after witnessing the backlash to Edinburgh’s drop-off fee, but the new 727 bus should still be instrumental in removing private vehicles from nearby roads.

Aberdeen Airport has bucked a growing trend in ‘pay-as-you-stay’ car parks, by declaring that it will not charge a £1 levy on drivers wanting to the use the hub’s drop-off zones. The Scottish site, which is owned by the British Airports Authority (BAA), would have been the third airport in two months to impose the fee on the travelling public.

Newcastle and Edinburgh airports faced heavy criticism when the parking scheme was introduced, with Scottish MP, Gavin Brown, calling the £1 charge, ‘opportunistic’ and ‘particularly mean.’ Drivers in Newcastle claimed to have been ‘ambushed’ with the fee at the airport gate, after advisory signs went unnoticed.

Edinburgh’s new parking policy led some observers to accuse the BAA of profiteering, an allegation that was quickly denied by airport boss, Gordon Dewar – ‘the £1 fee is not mean, as it has been described. It is a modest charge that will allow us to invest in our airport. The alternative is a higher cost to airlines.’

The BAA’s decision not to operate the same policy at Aberdeen suggests that the aviation giant is trying to save face, rather than scrapping it of its own volition. The £1 charge was regarded in the press as a means of preying on people who would otherwise spend nothing at the airport, such as the relatives of travellers.

A spokesperson for Aberdeen Airport has claimed that the BAA had nothing to do with the controversial levy, however, and that all decisions on parking policies were made by the in-house management team. If Glasgow Airport, another BAA hub, hadn't been considering a drop-off fee of its own, Aberdeen’s spirited defence of its owner might have been more convincing.

Strangely, apart from the BAA, the scheme’s biggest supporter in the aviation industry is budget airline, Ryanair. The carrier's bitter rival, EasyJet, recently criticised the £1 levy, which is likely the reason why Ryanair has defied both passengers and airlines in declaring its allegiance to Edinburgh’s new parking policy.

On Friday, nine protestors were convicted of causing a disturbance at Aberdeen Airport. The defendants, all from the Plane Stupid campaign group, were charged with disturbing the peace, and could be sent to prison when sentencing begins in August.

Plane Stupid has busied itself with 'bringing the aviation industry back down to earth' since its creation in 2005. The group claims to favour non-violent direct action, taking inspiration from Nelson Mandela's fight against apartheid and a string of other people that have come to be revered for their courage in the face of adversity.

'If it wasn't for direct action, Mandela would still be in jail. India would still be a British colony and Rosa Park's grandkids would be at the back of the bus,' explains the group's mysterious founder, Barry. Plane Stupid isn't changing the world though – the group offers minor acts of vandalism as a deterrent to building new runways.

The incident at Aberdeen Airport last year was in response to plans by US billionaire, Donald Trump, to build a £750m golf complex near the Scottish city. Protestors broke into the airport during the early hours, scaled the roof of the terminal, and played golf on the taxiway. Bosses claim that around 20 flights were delayed.

Police managed to arrest the campaigners after a constable (wrongly) informed the group's leader that their presence was preventing an air ambulance from reaching its destination. Plane Stupid then went to court on Friday convinced of a legal victory similar to that won by Greenpeace at Kingsnorth Power Station in 2008.

The famous campaign group managed to convince a jury that direct action and minor vandalism could be justified with evidence for accelerating climate change. Plane Stupid used a similar defence in its trial on Friday, but the court was not convinced, and ruled against the nine defendants.

A spokesperson for Aberdeen emphasised that the airport was not taking a stand against climate campaigners, but against individuals and groups who acted 'irresponsibly.'