Lisbon Oceanarium

The Oceanarium in Lisbon, Portugal is one of the largest aquariums in the world, and has a large collection of marine species – birds, mammals, fishes, and other marine organisms.

The exhibition is arranged around four smaller aquaria, displaying the fauna and flora of the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and of the Antarctic and a large central tank to exhibit species of the open ocean, from sharks and large groupers to tuna fish and small wrasses.

The world's longest bridge will connect Bahrain and Qatar

The Bahrain-Qatar bridge will be the longest bridge in the world, VINCI Construction Grands Projets announced, which have signed the design-build contract for the causeway.

The $3 billion project calls for the design and construction of a 40 km two-lane dual carriageway motorway between Qatar and Bahrain. The road will run over a total of 18 km of embankments where the sea is shallow and 22 km of viaducts and bridges over deep water, including two 400 metre cable-stayed bridges over shipping channels. The Friendship Bridge will create a direct link between Qatar and Bahrain, promoting trade and travel between the two countries. At present, the journey by road takes five hours; with the causeway, it will only take about 30 minutes.

The project will have to comply with stringent environmental standards and ecological requirements and is expected to be completed in four years.

The announcement comes only a week after the Hangzhou Bay Bridge in China was opened to the public – currently the longest bridge in the world (36 km).

Love is in the air..

Love was in the air on a low-cost airline flight from Robin Hood Airport, when a passenger proposed to his girlfriend at 35,000 feet.

David Christie, 39, from Cleethorpes, popped the question to school nurse Jayne Terry over the public address system of the Ryanair flight to Barcelona. And the 38-year-old, from Burstwick, near Hull, ensured their engagement got off to a flying start after saying ‘yes’, prompting applause among the 187 other passengers.

Heathrow hotels benefit from T5 chaos

Hoteliers near Heathrow Airport are the big winners from the chaotic opening of the new Terminal 5. After problems with BA’s baggage system led to over 400 flights being cancelled during T5’s first week in operation, average room rates and occupancy levels at Heathrow hotels hit a five-month high.

The statistics reveal that average occupancy for Heathrow hotels in March was 78.3% while average room rate was £79.25, the highest levels since last November.

Other figures reveal that a total of 42.4 million bags were mishandled or delayed in 2007 by airports and airlines last year.

The air transport industry lost $3.8 billion (£1.9 billion) because of growing pressures on baggage management linked to passenger volumes, tight aircraft turnaround times, and heightened security measures.

Photos from the "Bird's Nest"

This is the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the "Bird's Nest" for its architecture. It was completed in March this year and will host the main track and field competitions for the 2008 Summer Olympics, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Source: www.andyryan.com

EU allows mobile phone use on planes

The European Commission has approved today a regulation that sets a common standard by which passengers can safely use their mobile phones during flights. With the approval by EU regulators, airlines will be able to launch onboard mobile services later this year.

EU officials said the service will only be activated when the aircraft is at cruising altitude and will not be available during take off or landing. The cabin crew will have control over the system and will be able to switch off the onboard network, for example during night flights.

Viviane Reding, the EU's telecommunications commissioner, warned phone operators not to set rates for the service too high and urged airlines to protect passengers from excessive phone use.

Already, national regulators in Britain have said they are ready to grant licenses, and Air France, Ryanair and BMI have already launched a trial or have plans to make an in-flight phone service available.

Germany's Lufthansa, however, said Monday it does not want to introduce the service, because surveys had shown that a large majority of customers were against it.

BA drafts in volunteers to tackle T5 baggage mountain

More than 400 volunteers from across the airline have been trying to relieve a massive luggage backlog at Heathrow's Terminal 5.

British Airways' effort to return 15,000 lost bags to their owners came after the disastrous opening of the £4.3 million new building last Thursday which saw baggage system problems and flights delayed or cancelled over the weekend.

The airline had to use hundreds of volunteer staff as part-time baggage handlers at T5 at the weekend and bring in IT specialists to fix the malfunctioning luggage system.

BA faces the prospect of multi-million pound compensation claims from disrupted passengers and the likely loss of £20 million due to the cancellation of more than 200 flights, according to reports.

Dubai plans low-cost airline

The Dubai Government has unveiled plans to launch a low-cost carrier to cater to the growing budget travel market in the U.A.E., according to state-owned Emirates News Agency (WAM).

The airline, which as yet has no name, will be initially supported by Emirates Group during the set-up period and will serve destinations within four and a half hours of Dubai.

The new carrier will be headed by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, chairman of Emirates Group, and is expected to start operations within a year.

The U.A.E. already has one low-cost airline, Sharjah-based Air Arabia.

Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 unveiled

Terminal 5 was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in a ceremony on Friday. It is scheduled to open to passengers on 27 March 2008 and will be the new home of British Airways. The first to use the new terminal will be a BA flight 26 from Hong Kong, while flight 302 to Paris will be the first flight departure from the Terminal 5.

The £4.3 billion complex features 60 new aircraft stands, 2 satellite buildings, rail links to London Underground and Heathrow Express, a new multi-storey car park and landscaping.

BAA says the new terminal is set to help transform the passenger experience at Heathrow, and relieve the immense pressure on the airport by handling up to 35 million passengers a year.

Watch video from Heathrow Terminal 5:

Rolls Royce engines to power Virgin Dreamliners

Virgin Atlantic has selected Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engines to power its new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft fleet. The £1.3 billion deal, announced by Virgin Chairman Richard Branson in New York, includes 15 sets of installed Derby-built engines which will be delivered in 2011. Virgin currently uses General Electric engines on its Boeing 747 jumbos, so this is a big win for the UK engine maker.

Branson said the Rolls Royce engines would help cut emissions by nearly 30% per flight, which equates to an equivalent reduction in carbon emissions per passenger.

Virgin has 15 firm orders for 787s, worth £1.4 billion, plus further eight options and 20 purchase rights. Deliveries are due from 2011, but may be delayed as Boeing struggles to put the first few 787s together for test flights.