Airbus has estimated that the coming two decades will see the passenger plane fleets of world airlines more than double.

The firm made the call during a London briefing, saying that the number of planes with more than 100 seats will reach 31,000-plus by 2030, compared with the 15,000 recorded in January.

The call suggests that in the coming years more passengers could be travelling from Luton Airport to London after flying in the bigger crafts.

However the biggest demand for passenger aircraft will come from China, the US and Germany, the firm said.

Europe is expected to receive 22% of the total number of new planes, with the USA taking 22% and the Asia-Pacific region 34%

It was also forecast that airlines need some 5,000 smaller planes, seating 19-100 people, to cope with regional demand.

By 2020 domestic flights in the US are likely to account for the biggest percentage of passenger aircraft movement, according to the firm.

The firm also predicted that by 2030 the world’s middle class will swell to 4.9 billion. It said this would grow from last year’s figure of 1.84 billion to 3.25 billion in 2020 and onwards.

And it claimed that by 2020 low-cost airlines will account for 19% of all air traffic, underpinning a trend which has seen surging numbers of people flock to airports like Stansted and Gatwick before jetting off on cheap flights.

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Nearly half a million people will be flying out of Gatwick, Stansted and Luton this weekend, a survey has revealed.

The poll carried out by travel organisation Abta found some 1.8 million people overall expect to fly out of the UK over the bank holiday, with Spain and its islands being the top destination.

Around a quarter of a million people are expected to be flying from Gatwick, with 125,000 leaving Stansted and 70,000 jetting out of Luton.

Other popular destinations with sun-seeking Britons are Portugal, Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt along with the Greek islands.

Meanwhile, the main city break spots are New York, Paris, Dublin, Amsterdam and Rome.

It comes as road safety charity Brake and insurers Direct Line warned drivers of bank holiday traffic after a poll found some 71% of motorists had been distracted while at the wheel in the last 12 months, with inconsiderate road users being one of the main reasons for their lack of concentration.

Brake senior campaigns officer Ellen Booth said: “All too often these casualties result from careless errors that could easily be avoided if drivers gave their full attention to the road. If you are so upset or angry that you can’t give driving your full attention, you need to pull over and cool off.”

With the roads expected to be busier than normal, drivers have been warned to take care getting to the airports and may want to consider getting an airport transfer for a safe and stress-free start to their bank holiday break.

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The holiday season is upon us, and while people are busy organising their trips away, it appears that many do not want to venture too far from home.

A survey conducted by travel agent Sunshine found that 34% of holidaymakers from the UK have not gone on a break outside Europe.

Many of the people who choose to take a short flight abroad from airports such as Luton and Stansted said they liked how familiar European countries were.

Some 22% believe that a trip to Europe is cheaper, while 13% said they like to keep the amount of time they are on a flight to a minimum.

But 11% of those surveyed admitted they had never gone on a break in Europe, with 32% of these revealing they thought trips outside of Europe were cheaper, and 24% saying they were now familiar with certain long-haul places.

Around 4% of those who travel to further-off places said they thought going on holiday was pointless unless it was to a destination which you could only get to on a long-haul flight. 

Sunshine co-founder Chris Brown said: “I think when many people imagine a holiday, they immediately think of destinations like France, Spain and Portugal and stick to European places.

“However, people shouldn’t be afraid to look a little further afield for a holiday.”

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People heading to Corfu now have more choice of who to fly with after it was announced that Monarch will include the destination as part of its service from Luton Airport.

Corfu flights available from Luton

Flights between Luton and Corfu International Airport will be available on Mondays, Wednesday and Saturdays, with one-way fare prices starting at £68.99, including flights and taxes.

Simon Harley, business development manager at the London facility, said: “It is great to announce the start of this new scheduled service to Corfu with one of our trusted partners, Monarch, which has built on the success of its charter flights last year.”

Mr Harley said the fine beaches, good weather and historical sites of Greece make it a strong choice for Britons looking to travel abroad. Corfu also has appeal for sports fans as it is the “the home of Greek cricket”, he added.

Passengers interested in heading off to other Greek destinations can also travel to Zakynthos, Kephalonia, Thessalonika, Rhodes and Crete from Luton Airport.

Those who choose the hub as their airport base before they fly off on holiday will also have the opportunity to check their e-mails and say goodbye to their friends using a fast and reliable pay-as-you-go WiFi service.

It has been announced that communications firm Spectrum Interactive will be the exclusive provider of wireless internet access at the airport, with roaming arrangements allowing the service to offer flexibility to passengers with iPass, Boingo and Skype Access accounts.

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A leading travel agency has launched a list of the 11 best holiday hotspots for 2011, in a bid to highlight the increasing number of flights leaving UK airports such as Stansted and Luton to a widening variety of destinations.

Santorini - one of the best places to visit in 2011

For those who like to mix up city life with relaxing beach breaks, the list specifies Havana in Cuba as the ideal location.

The rest of the list is made up of Kenya’s Mombasa Island, Cancun in Mexico, the Red Sea in Egypt, the European Capital of Sport for 2011 Valencia in Spain, the 2011 European Capital of Culture Tallinn in Estonia, Goa in India, Istanbul in Turkey and Las Vegas, USA.

The destinations are presented in the form of an interactive graphic for travellers to be inspired by and explore. Customers are also invited to leave feedback on the choices via travel agent’s UK Facebook page and suggest their own top travel tips for 2011.

Once enthused by a destination, prospective travellers can browse the travel agent’s website to find the perfect deal – be it a package holiday, all inclusive holiday, or just the flight or accommodation.

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A new pay-as-you-go WiFi service has been launched at London Luton Airport. 

Luton Airport has signed a deal with Spectrum Interactive to provide the wireless internet access in its public areas.

Cardiff Airport will also offer the pay-as-you-go service in its public areas after signing a deal with the provider.

Business and leisure travellers alike will be able to take advantage of the seamless and always-on connectivity.

Passengers with iPass, Boingo and Skype Access accounts have added flexibility due to roaming agreements.

London Luton Airport is one of the largest airports in the UK and carried almost nine million passengers in 2010. A number of airlines fly to more than  90 destinations in Europe, Africa and Asia from the airport.

Jo Fyfe, London Luton Airport spokesperson said, “Reliability, speed, ease-of-use and good support were of utmost importance when specifying a new WiFi service and Spectrum has delivered. The service provides an excellent user experience across all mobile devices.”

Daniel Gray, director of Spectrum’s travel division, said: “We are very pleased to have London Luton and Cardiff Airport on board. Like our airport partners, we see WiFi as a major contributing factor to passenger satisfaction and therefore strive to offer a best-in-class solution which helps enhance the overall travel experience.”

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The Duke of Cambridge is back at work just four days after getting married to Kate Middleton in a ceremony that sparked celebrations across the country.

William has returned to his job as a search and rescue helicopter pilot after spending a quiet weekend in a secret location within the UK alongside his new wife.

The couple decided to postpone their honeymoon to a later date. The destination of the honeymoon has not yet been revealed.

Cheap flights to the Caribbean from airports such as Stansted, Luton and Gatwick are becoming increasingly popular among holidaymakers, and the newlyweds are hotly tipped to emulate this trend.

Bookies slashed the odds of William and Kate sunning themselves on a Caribbean island for their honeymoon to just 8/15, while Kenya, which was previously the bookmakers’ favourite, is now at 7/2. Jordan is looking less likely with odds of 5/1.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said of William’s first day back: “It will be a normal day at work for him after the wedding, nothing special planned.”

It will be a chance for William to thank his colleagues from the RAF for their special tribute on his wedding day however – the surprise helicopter fly-past as he drove his new wife the short distance from Buckingham Palace to Clarence House in his father’s Aston Martin.

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More than 105,000 passengers are expected to have travelled through Luton Airport over the Easter period as the hub reflects on its achievements over the past year.

The airport is likely to see a rise in the number of passengers heading to European cities such as Amsterdam, Barcelona, Budapest, Milan, Paris and Prague over the holiday season as customers flock in their droves to take advantage of low fares to such destinations.

Sun-soaked destinations such as the Canary Islands are also proving popular with families looking to make the most of the Easter break. 

Simon Harley, the airport’s airline development manager, said: “With more than 90 destinations on offer, our passengers have a great deal of choice whether they are looking for sunshine or a cultural city break; perfect for that Easter getaway.”

The bulge in passenger numbers coincided with the publication of Luton’s 2010 Community Engagement Report, which sets out its successes over the last year and looks ahead to the future.

The airport helped raise money for a number of charity projects in 2010 – generating more than £42,000 for local charity Keech Hospice Care and raising £25,000 to aid flood victims in Pakistan.

The hub has also taken steps to become more eco-friendly by reducing its CO2 emissions by 7% from airport-controlled buildings between 2008 and 2010. In addition, It bolstered its environmental credentials further by recycling 22% of its total waste between 2009 and 2010.

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Romanian carrier Blue Air has celebrated the unveiling of its winter schedule from Luton Airport to Bucharest and Bacau by offering one-way flights for £17.79.

Blue Air offers cheap Romanian flights

The airline will run 10am flights from Luton to Bucharest on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Meanwhile, its Luton to Bacau flights will operate three times a week and will depart at 4.20pm.

The Bucharest flights will touch down at Baneasa Airport, which is the closest airport to the city centre. People travelling to Bacau might want to visit the Carpathian Mountains and the tourist region of Transylvania, which are situated nearby.

Blue Air UK country manager Alina Danculea said: ”Our flights for summer 2011 are filling fast as UK based Romanian families book their flights home to visit friends and relatives, plus a growing number of independent tourists are now choosing our services for their holiday flights to Romania. 

“Our winter flying programme from London Luton Airport is now available for everyone to book and the cheapest fares are only there until they’ve all been sold.

“It’s exciting seeing the way that demand for our low cost services is growing and growing. We have a close relationship with London Luton Airport and its clear that our choice to use London Luton has been an important factor in this growth.”

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Luton Airport switched off lights for one hour from 8.30pm last Saturday in support of this year’s Earth Hour.

Even the airport’s illuminated logo on the front of the terminal building was turned off for the hour in support of action against climate change.

Earth Hour began four years ago in Sydney, Australia, as 2.2 million people and more than 2,000 businesses switched their lights off to highlight the impact of global warming and other such environmental issues. A year later, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries taking part. 

Saturday’s event was the biggest yet with 128 countries involved in the mass stand against climate change. Global landmarks across the world took part in this year’s event, including Rio de Janeiro’s Christ the Redeemer statue, the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House, Edinburgh Castle and Buckingham Palace, to name but a few.

Other airports like Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick could learn from Luton Airport’s example, while passengers could opt to take a bus to the airport to reduce their carbon footprint.

Luton Airport has taken a proactive approach towards managing energy use for years and has committed to an environmental policy that sets out to continuously review and improve its performance. 

The airport is committed to helping local people as well as the environment. It has announced that it will support the New Opportunities And Horizon (NOAH) Enterprise. The charity, which helps homeless people, will be the beneficiary of fundraising endeavours organised by the airport’s staff throughout the year.

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