Airport tours axed
20.01.09
Aviation enthusiasts have been let down after plans for guided tours of Norwich Airport were axed following Government intervention, the Evening News reports. Dozens of aviation fans had booked the tours, which were due to start this month, but an official from the Department for Transport (DfT) objected, warning that the tours do not meet its regulations, and they have therefore been withdrawn. The ruling is also a blow to the airport, as it was hoped the tours would help generate extra income for the hub, which has made a loss over the last 3 years.
The £40 tours were aimed at giving members of the public a unique opportunity to find out what goes on behind the scenes at the airport, including access to the airfield, visits to the air traffic control tower and demonstrations by airport firefighters tackling a blaze on the new £1m Boeing 757 simulator. They were also to feature presentations and question-and-answer sessions with airport bosses. Instead customers are being contacted, informed about the cancellations and issued refunds.
Elliott Summers, who was appointed general manager at the airport on January 1, said the DfT had raised no objections to the tours when it was first informed about them last November. He told the newspaper: ‘They were informed about the tours 2 months ago when they were first announced. We had a routine visit from a DfT official last week and was told then that the tours did not comply with regulations.'
‘I am disappointed that the DfT did not say anything 2 months ago when it was first informed about the tours. Those who had booked are being contacted and their money is being refunded.’
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