AirAsia X, Asia’s leading lowcost airline, has celebrated the first anniversary of its launch of operations from London Stansted Airport to Kuala Lumpur. Congratulating the airline was Nick Barton, London Stansted’s Commercial & Development Director: ‘On behalf of everyone at Stansted, I’d like to offer my congratulations to AirAsia X on a fantastic first year at the airport. As we anticipated, the Stansted-Kuala Lumpur service has proved to be extremely opular with passengers, both in the UK and across Asia,’ he said. ‘They have helped revolutionise long-haul travel and we are very proud to have them with us here. We look forward to working with them for many years to come as they develop their services here at Stansted.’

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Stansted passengers can now enjoy a taste of Asia as YamYamToGo, a new and exciting concept in Chinese and Thai cuisine the international departure lounge. ‘We know that our passengers want good quality, tasty food at an affordable price and so YamYamToGo complements perfectly our existing mix of catering outlets. I’d like to wish them every success with their new and exciting venture here at Stansted,’ said Nick Barton, Commercial and Development Director at London Stansted.

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Organisers have released the first details concerning The 2010 Canary Wharf Motorexpo in London, running from Monday 7th – Sunday 13th June 2010. The event is free to attend. It will be the UK’s biggest motor show event this summer, with an estimated audience of over 400,000 visitors. As in previous years the exhibitor line-up covers the full range of the automotive spectrum; with manufacturers including Alfa Romeo, BMW, Infiniti, Jaguar, Land Rover, Porsche, Skoda and Triumph just a few of the names set to display their latest vehicle line-ups to the Canary Wharf business community and the event’s wider family and car-loving weekend audience. New additions for this year will see the Motorexpo offer an increased number of interactive displays and test drive facilities, a dedicated Motor Sport Zone and a showcase of some of the greatest ever Le Mans vehicles in association with BEN – the automotive industry charity and official charity partner of the 2010 Canary Wharf London Motorexpo.

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Parking is an important consideration for passengers using London Stansted Airport. There is more than one option for you when parking your car, but the airport would urge that for many reasons parking at London Stansted’s designated car park is your best option – not least because London Stansted car parks hold ‘park mark’ accreditation for safety and security from the British Parking Association. It is, after all, the largest permanent open-air car park campus in Europe with over 26,500 spaces and some three million cars parked every year; each car park being served by a dedicated fleet of buses. For convenience short-term parking is adjacent to the terminal building and walking to the departure gate can be done in as little as two minutes (very useful if you’re running a little behind schedule!).

Many passengers find that off-airport car park operators are constantly moving their operations and relocating their customers’ cars. This can result in damage to vehicles. London Stansted’s own car park operates to the very highest standards including the vetting of valets and insurance coverage. ‘We have just waived over £300,000 in overstay charges as part of our commitment to customer service,’ said Nick Barton, Commercial Director of Stansted Airport, in response to our questions about the recent ash cloud incident. ‘We manage three million cars a year safely and securely and provide real value for money alternatives to customers to meet their travel needs. That’s why we have ‘Park Mark’ accreditation and endorsement from the Essex Police.’ And what of the choice? ‘We have an option to suit everyone,’ commented Kevin Midgley Operations Manager. ‘From Valet Parking with exclusive drop off and a two-minute walk to check-in, to Long Stay – which is only a 15-minute ride to the terminal. We have a service to match what the customer wants.

‘We offer a value for money service and keep our customers cars safe, why choose anyone else’. Some 90% of all car park bookings are booked and paid in advance on the web. There are five different parking options to choose from (short/ mid/long/valet /fastrack). Book online and there are no credit card fees. You can park for a week from as little as £29.99 in long stay. www.stanstedairport.com/parking

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‘We want to work in partnership with businesses from across the East of England,’ was the clear message from Stansted at the airport’s recently held Meet the Buyers event. ‘This region is a great place to do business,’ said Wendy Davies, London Stansted’s Head of Supply Chain. ‘There is little doubt that Stansted Airport plays a vital role in the regional economy, and we are determined that local suppliers should have more opportunities to share in the benefits which the airport brings to the area. By working together we can all help to each other to achieve this aim.’

Now in its ninth year, London Stansted’s Meet the Buyers is one of the largest procurement seminars in the South East. Organised for the airport by the Essex Chambers of Commerce, it focuses on pre-arranged appointments for buyers from local, national and international companies. Speaking at the event’s international trade seminar, Robert Cobley, Senior Market Adviser at the British Embassy in Copenhagen, added: ‘Companies in the East of England have a fantastic opportunity to win new business and export goods and services to Denmark thanks to their proximity to Stansted Airport. ‘Recognising cities like Copenhagen can be reached easily and quickly will open up new markets and drive growth. Stansted’s excellent facilities and route network enable buyers and suppliers to meet face-to-face to ‘do the deal’ – still the best and most trusted way to do business.

‘In this region, the only limits to a company’s ambition are those they place upon themselves, so I would urge businesses, big and small, to broaden their horizons, take advantage of the numerous opportunities that Stansted Airport can help provide and maximise the huge benefits that trade internationally can bring.’ Guest speaker for the evening was former Prime Minister’s daughter and TV’s ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here’ winner, Carol Thatcher.

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London Stansted staff are on track to tackle some of the unique and complex operational challenges they will face in 2012, thanks to the expert help from two of Great Britain’s Olympic and Paralympic competitors.

As part of London Stansted’s planning programme to deal with the influx of athletes, media and visitors expected to attend the London Games, Iain Gowans, GB Paralympics team athlete services manager and former Paralympic swimmer, was amongst guest speakers at a recent one-day training session for airport companies and organisations. Speaking at the event, Iain Gowans, the man currently responsible for ensuring the GB Paralympic team always gets to its venues around the world, said: ‘Being an ex-Paralympian myself I know what it’s like to travel through airports with lots of unusual and expensive kit. There’s not a great deal of knowledge and information out there about the Paralympic Games, so these workshops are vital in helping travel hubs, such as airports, understand what’s required when the thousands of athletes and coaches arrive in the UK in 2012.

‘It’s a very emotional time; the pinnacle of any athlete’s career, so a smooth transition through an airport is essential to keeping stress levels down to a minimum.’ Julia Gregory, Stansted’s Head of Planning and leading the airport’s Olympics preparation, added: ‘Stansted’s Olympic plans are already well developed, and the airport is very well versed in dealing with many different operating scenarios, but having expert insight into what further challenges we could face in 2012 enables us to prepare in the right way and stay ahead of the game. Our aim is to deliver an excellent experience for all our airport users.