Press Release

Issued by Titan Airways.

July 29, 2010

His Grace Archbishop Vincent Nichols is one of the many pilgrims who flew with Titan Airways on July 25th as part of the annual Westminster pilgrimage taking place between 25-31 July.

The flight, which departed Titan's London Stansted base on Sunday, utilised a Boeing 737-300 aircraft and carried 130 pilgrims from the Westminster Diocese. Fourteen of Westminster's seminarians are attending the pilgrimage with the Archbishop and will be conducting morning and night prayers each day. Lourdes, located in south-west France, has developed into a major place of Roman Catholic pilgrimage, famous for the Marian apparitions of Our Lady of Lourdes that are reported to have occurred in 1858 to Bernadette Soubirous. Today, more than five million pilgrims and tourists visit Lourdes every year.

The pilgrimage travel was coordinated by Tangney Tours, a specialist pilgrimage travel company based in Borough Green, Kent. Tangney Tours is headed by Managing Director, Nicholas Tangney, Nicholas' brother William Tangney is a First Officer with Titan Airways. Nicholas said: "We are a family company and this really is keeping it in the family."

William Tangney said: "The flight on July 25 was one of more than 100 flights to Lourdes, which will be operated by Titan Airways on behalf of Tangney Tours during 2010. I am always delighted to fly the pilgrims myself, knowing how much the visit means to the participants."

"Some of the passengers on the pilgrimage flights have complex medical requirements and need to travel with essential specialist equipment. Titan Airways understands these requirements and the crew are always considerate of our passengers' needs, assisting where possible and allowing extra time to board and disembark whenever necessary. Jet-bridges are used wherever possible to avoid steps and enable easier access for wheelchair users."

Established in 1974, Tangney Tours has grown to be one of the largest and most successful independent pilgrimage operators in Europe, offering a wide variety of trips to individuals and groups of any size. The company organises visits to many European shrines, including Lourdes, Rome, Fatima, Lisieux, Czestochowa, Santiago de Compostella and Oberammergau, as well as to the Holy Land and destinations further afield including Australia and the USA. Tangney Tours is appointed by the majority of the UK diocese to organise annual pilgrimages to Lourdes by means of chartering aircraft, trains and coaches and providing a complete specialist travel package.

Titan Airways has been flying on behalf of Tangney Tours for the past seven years, operating a variety of jet aircraft carrying between eight and 265 passengers. Founded in 1988, Titan is renowned for its wealth of experience and attention to detail, specialising in bespoke VIP and corporate travel. Titan's reputation is built on its unique 'Go Now' policy, which guarantees that any of its fleet, can be airborne within 60 minutes of flight confirmation. The airline has flown members of the Royal Family and many household names including the Rolling Stones, the England Football Team and prominent MPs.