ANA Invests in Additional Aviation Fuel Storage

In Search of Hope – by Sam Gannon

Seconded to the parish of Tililngdon, the Reverend Dolores has been presented with a challenge.

She’s living in an antiquated house and she’s cold. Furthermore, her new Bishop, Bishop Alice does not approve of ‘showgirls in dog collars.’

Determined to prove the Bishop wrong, she sets about warming her house – who cares if it smells of horse! There is the crochet club, jumble sale, and soup run to organise. And this year, the church bells will ring, no matter what threats are made. Even more so, the newly formed choir will spread a little joy this Christmas, even though they can’t sing – yet! And with a little help from Phil, her bassist, this year could be full of magic.

However, she has a fight on her hands as the townies out in Knob Hill – she must stop calling it that, are trying to stop her from ringing her bells. When Krystal with a K decides to do some volunteer work, Dolores sets out to see just how committed she really is.

Up to her ears in granny squares and squawking choristers, Dolores is revving up for Christmas, yet a deeper darker secret is beginning to emerge!

A secret that could blow the whole parish apart and put Dolores in danger.

(available from Amazon)

ANA – VINCI Airports is to invest around €3 million in expanding the fuel storage facilities at Madeira Airport, in a project being carried out in partnership with Exolum.

According to a statement, the investment will increase the airport’s aviation fuel storage capacity from 560 cubic metres to 1,300 cubic metres by 2029.

Exolum has already assumed responsibility for the operation and management of the fuel storage and distribution facilities, as well as the airport’s hydrant network, under an initial seven-year contract, which can be extended to nine years.

ANA says the project is intended to strengthen the reliability and responsiveness of an infrastructure considered essential to the airport’s operation. The expansion will be carried out in several phases, including the construction of new storage tanks, the modernisation of existing facilities and the installation of advanced control and safety systems.

At present, the fuel park consists of six horizontal tanks and a hydrant network extending for more than one kilometre, with 32 refuelling points. Once the expansion is completed, the airport’s operational autonomy could increase to five days, improving supply resilience and paving the way for the future introduction of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in the Autonomous Region of Madeira.

Exolum chief executive Javier Goñi said that the addition of Madeira Airport brings the number of airports served by the company to 50. He also highlighted the strategic importance of airport operations for the group, both in Europe and the Americas.

Madeira Airport currently handles more than five million passengers a year and records over 600 flights each week. Fuel demand is expected to continue rising, with annual aviation fuel consumption forecast to reach around 120,000 cubic metres by 2030, compared with the 105,000 cubic metres distributed in 2025.

For Rui Coutinho, Director of Madeira Airport, the investment demonstrates ANA | VINCI Airports’ commitment to ensuring the capacity, safety and efficiency of airport infrastructure, while keeping pace with the continued growth in air traffic and future sustainability requirements.

Samantha Gannon

info at madeira-weekly.com

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