Russian airline KD avia is to increase the frequency of its flights between Gatwick and Kaliningrad this summer from 3 flights a week to a daily service. The daily flights, operated using a single class Boeing 737-300, will leave Gatwick at 17:15, arriving in Kaliningrad at 21:35 local time. Journey duration is around two hours 20 minutes and passengers will be able to connect to 12 cities in Russia and Astana in Kazakhstan from the airline's Kalingrad hub. Cities served in Russia include: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Chelyabinsk, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Omsk, Rostov, Samara, Perm, Kazan and Volgograd. In addition to its Gatwick flights, KD avia offers flights from Berlin, Barcelona, Hamburg, Prague, Rome and a number of other European cities.

A mechanical defect was not to blame for the crash landing of a British Airways Boeing 777 at Heathrow Airport last month, a preliminary investigation has concluded. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) said yesterday that the plane's engines showed no evidence of a mechanical defect, and there was no evidence that ice or birds were to blame. The cause remains under investigation.

Manx2 is to add more flights to its route network from the Isle of Man to both Gloucester and Belfast. An extra flight will leave the Isle of Man for Gloucester at 14:30 every Thursday, heading back at 16:00. The airline's Belfast service will see a 20 percent increase in the number of flights available.

A homeless chef was locked up after making Gatwick Airport his home for three years. It would appear that he was previously jailed for a string of thefts from passengers whilst living in the airport in 2005.

Anthony Delaney ate, showered and slept at the busy airport, brushing off security staff who stopped him more then 30 times. He told his lawyers he was happier staying at the airport because he was 'clean, dry and warm'. In fact he rarely left the busy south terminal, popping out only occasionally to collect his Jobseeker's Allowance.

Lewes Crown Court was told he did not suffer mental health problems, was neither a drug nor alcohol addict, and did not cause 'a stink'. The court was told that he had repeatedly defied an anti-social behaviour order (Asbo). Even when he was jailed for breaching his Asbo, he returned to the airport as soon as he was released, passing his days watching holidaymakers and airline staff going about their business.

Mr Delaney yesterday admitted breaching his order for the third time. The court heard that he was sentenced to 95 days in prison for the last breach when he appeared at the same court on January 10. Because he had spent time behind bars on remand waiting for his court appearance, he was released immediately. He then made his way back to the airport where he was arrested in the south terminal later the same day.

Judge Richard Hayward remanded Mr Delaney in custody for sentence believing his urge to return to Gatwick would be too strong should he be released. He said: 'It is a bit cheeky to go straight back to Gatwick. There are other places you can have a shower. This is just going on and on. It is all very strange.'

A spokeswoman for Gatwick airport declined to comment.

Scottish holidaymakers face a 460 mile detour after dozens of flights between Glasgow Airport and Spain were scrapped. Thomas Cook has told Glasgow passengers they can still fly to and from Costa Almeria - if they travel nearly 230 miles each way to Manchester Airport.

The move comes just months after the travel agent bought MyTravel, whose subsidiary Direct Holidays flew almost 5000 holidaymakers on more than 50 flights between Glasgow and Almeria in southern Spain last year. However, its new owners have now decided to scrap the direct flights - even though hundreds of holidaymakers had already booked flights.

A spokesman for Glasgow Airport said: ‘With flights to nearby Malaga and Alicante, visitors to the south of Spain continue to be well served.’

Birmingham Airport is preparing to launch a Single Border Force when the UK Border Agency is launched in April. Visiting the airport yesterday, Immigration Minister Liam Byrne saw first hand how customs and immigration officers are working together to tackle the organised gangs smuggling drugs and supplying illegal workers to fuel the black economy.

Mr Byrne explained why customs and immigration officers are being brought together as one agency later this year. He said: ‘I came to Birmingham Airport today to find out how immigration and customs officers can work together more closely to protect the UK border. Our single border force, with new police powers, is the public face of the biggest shake-up of Britain's border security for 45 years.'

‘Criminals don't make the distinction between people and goods - they smuggle both because they stand to make a lot of money from the illegal trade. That's why we need one organisation - the UK Border Agency - to stop it.’