Happy New Year to all our readers! Before we move on to this year’s news, here’s a round up of some of the biggest stories we covered on this blog in 2011, it certainly was an eventful year!

January started with the troubled BMI threatening to withdraw its Heathrow – Glasgow route after passenger charges at Heathrow were raised (this was confirmed a month later). Ryanair returned to Manchester with four new routes. And the political troubles in Egypt disrupted flights.

Spiraling conflict in Egypt caused complete cancellation of routes to popular holiday destinations in February. Meanwhile, Which? launched a super complaint on airline card fee charges,the cost of Qantas’ engine troubles were revealed, and airlines flying from the UK finally started to show clearer air fares.

March brought faster flight times under a deal signed by traffic controllers. But by far the biggest news of the month was the huge tsunami which hit Japan and led to re-routing of flights to avoid possible radiation risk, and advice to leave Tokyo.

A Skyscanner survey found Spain back in favour for British holidaymakers in April.

In May Belfast Airport started to charge for going for a cigarette break, and the ongoing battle between Unite and British Airways was finally settled!

More natural disasters happened in June with violent aftershocks in Christchurch, New Zealand and volcanic eruptions in Chile.

The News of the World phone-hacking scandal broke in July with airlines withdrawing their advertisements as a result.

In August research revealed the use of smartphones were ruining people’s holidays.

The Rugby World Cup was held in New Zealand in September, where Wales’ hopes were dashed.

The first biofuel passenger flight took place in October, however green campaigners claimed it wasn’t as environmentally friendly as everyone thought.

Europe announced a ban on body scanners at airports in November, but the UK decided to go against the decision.

Finally, December saw 150mph winds hit parts of Scotland, which is where we are now at the start of 2012 as tremendous winds continue to batter the UK once more.

So, what travel news is in store for 2012? Keep up to date here!

Winds have been battering Scotland and part of England today. The worst of the weather has definitely been in Scotland so far with 150mph winds due to a large Atlantic storm.

The Met Office has issued a red alert, and police in Scotland have told people not to travel. There are long delays at Glasgow and Edinburgh airports as the wind speeds have made it unsafe for many aircraft to travel.

Network Rail has imposed a 50mph speed restriction on trains operating north and west of Edinburgh. The Tay Rail Bridge has also been closed. Passengers are advised not to travel north of Edinburgh for the time being as the conditions worsen.

The River Clyde has burst its banks in Glasgow, parts of buildings have fallen down as well as the city’s large Christmas decorations strewn across pavements.

The Atlantic storm is expected to cause further disruption across Scotland, Northern Ireland and the North east of England tomorrow.

The strongest winds are expected to affect central, southern and north eastern Scotland, northern parts of Northern Ireland, and North East England. The risk of snow is also likely in Western Scotland, Northern Ireland and Northwest England on Friday and Saturday for which there are also weather warnings.

The Met Office have published a selection of some of the highest winds recorded around the UK today (Thursday 8th November):

Cairngorm Summit: 165 mph

Aonach Mor: 145 mph

Tiree: 90 mph

Dunstaffnage: 86 mph

Aberdaron: 81 mph

Church Fenton: 73 mph

Glasgow, Bishopton: 71 mph

Edinburgh, Gogarbank: 69 mph

St Bees Head: 74 mph

Mumbles Head: 62 mph

Earlier this year, BAA was ordered to sell either Glasgow or Edinburgh Airport by the Competition Commission. Today it announced it is to sell Edinburgh Airport based on passenger numbers. It is expected to formally approach the market in 2012 with a view to agreeing a sale by the summer.

Chief executive Colin Matthews said: “Edinburgh is a great airport with a great team and a great future and we will be very sorry to see it leave BAA.

“We remain committed to Scotland and we will continue our long-term investment to improve passenger and airline experience at Aberdeen and Glasgow, as well as at Edinburgh until the sale is complete.

“Choosing which airport to sell has been a difficult decision. Edinburgh Airport has shown itself to be a strong and resilient asset throughout the economic downturn.

“Passenger numbers at Edinburgh have grown by more than 6% over the past year and in an uncertain market we expect it to be an attractive asset to prospective buyers.

“Glasgow Airport has great opportunities for future growth and development and we think BAA is well-placed to build on its recent success. Both airports are of national importance and have a bright future.”

Glasgow handles less passengers (6.8m compared to 9.2m at Edinburgh), but it attracts more long-haul business, making it a more attractive prospect. Passenger numbers at Glasgow have also grown 5.7% since the start of the year.

Managing director of Edinburgh Airport Jim O’Sullivan said: “Today’s announcement brings the clarification that many had been calling for and although we will be sorry to leave BAA, we do so in the knowledge we’re in an extremely strong and healthy position.

“Not only has Edinburgh Airport benefited from considerable investment in recent years but we have an excellent team in place which has been the driving force behind our success to date.

“We will now begin preparing for the sale process, but irrespective of who may own it, the team at Edinburgh Airport will undoubtedly continue to deliver for its passengers, the city and Scotland as a whole.”

Watch this space to see who will buy…

Jet2.com is expanding its Glasgow base by adding five new routes to Spain in its 2012 schedule.

Flights to Malaga, Barcelona and Murcia begin March 2012 while Ibiza and Lanzarote services start next May.

There are also sale flights for next year to the airline’s most popular destinations, Alicante, Faro, Majorca and Tenerife.

Managing director Ian Doubtfire said: “There’s no doubt this is an exciting time for us at Glasgow Airport. In just two months since we started flying from our newest base we have launched five new routes and also increased capacity to some of our most popular destinations – this demonstrates how committed we are to growing the range of great value destinations we offer to customers across Glasgow and the west of Scotland.

He added: “We are really pleased with bookings so far with 150,000 seats already sold, covering both Jet2.com and Jet2holidays passengers.”