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We are an umbrella movement uniting the national environmental organisations, airport community groups, and individuals opposed to unsustainable aviation expansion, and its damaging environmental effects, including climate change.
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London First report wants 3rd Heathrow runway, and mixed mode on both its runways, as well as a new south east hub airport
February 1, 2012 London First, which calls themselves “an influential business membership organisation with the mission to make London the best city in the world in which to do business” have today produced a report called “London, Britain and the world: Transport links for economic growth”. The report says that an expanded at Heathrow as the “only credible option” for the capital. It accuses the government of being unwilling to consider “politically difficult solutions”. London First believes the connectivity of London is key in its success, and that “congested roads, overcrowded trains and aircraft circling above the South East waiting for permission to land at Britain’s only hub airport, Heathrow, are all signs of our critical strategic transport infrastructure operating at its limits and lacking resilience when put under pressure.” They are calling for significant improvement in London’s connectivity, both with the rest of the UK and with emerging international markets. They want easier planning and suggest varioius recommendations “to deliver short, medium and long-term improvements to London’s road, rail and air links.” They are asking for an expanded Heathrow, flights landing and taking off on both Heathrow runways (mixed mode) and a new south east airport …….. Click here to view full story…
BAA agrees finally to sell back the 279 houses it has been hanging on to at Stansted. It has lost its appeal against having to sell Stansted, and given up on the 2nd runway
January 31, 2012 BAA has finally agreed to sell back all the 279 houses around that airport that it bought, when hoping to build a second runway. Most were bought around 8 years ago, but some as much as 30 years ago. But there is no timescale yet for the sales. This is a major shift in the company’s position; in March 2011, Mr Matthews declared that just some of the BAA-owned houses around the airport would be sold, whilst those which might one day be needed for a 2nd runway would be retained. However, BAA is still refusing to sell back the houses it owns around Heathrow on the grounds that they might one day be needed to make way for a 3rd runway there. Stop Stansted Expansion welcomed the news, which is long overdue, and will help remove the blight and uncertainty which has overshadowed the community for far too long. Click here to view full story…
Work on Birmingham Airport’s long-awaited runway extension may start in summer
January 30, 2012 £100 million contract to build Birmingham Airport’s long-awaited runway extension and carry out major improvements to the A45 is expected to be approved within weeks. The airport and Birmingham City Council have shortlisted 4 construction companies for the work. The successful bidder is likely to be announced by March, with work likely to begin in the summer. The project claims it will bring jobs, boost the regional economy etc etc but has proved controversial with environmental groups including Friends of the Earth questioning the value of increasing the number of flights. FoE has been critical of the funding arrangements, with £26 million towards the £32 million cost of diverting the A45 coming from the public purse. Work to the A45 and the runway extension is expected to be completed by 2014. Click here to view full story…
Proportion of business passengers fell between 2000 and 2010 at the five main UK airports
January 26, 2012 UK government figures show that the proportion of business passengers, international and domestic, have fallen at the 5 largest UK airports over the past 10 years. In 2000 around 38% of Heathrow passengers were on business, around 35% in 2005, but in 2010 it was 30.2%. At Gatwick 17.4% of passengers were on business in 2000, but only 14.6% in 2010. At Stansted it was 18.4% down to 16.4%. At Manchester 19.4% down to 17.9%. At Luton, 24.5% of passengers were on business in 2000, but 19.1% in 2010. Data from the CAA annual passenger surveys each year give the details. While the proportion of business passengers fell, those visiting friends and family, or on holiday, increased. Click here to view full story…
London City Airport expected to be sold by GIP later this year or 2013
January 23, 2012 The Chief Executive of London City Airport, Declan Collier, has been asked to review the options for selling the airport. About 60% of its passengers are on business trips, so the airport is seen as of value to the City. However, the local residents in the area, some living very close to the airport and under its flight paths, derive little benefit from the airport and suffer its adverse impacts. This comes at a time of unprecedented upheaval for the airport industry. Edinburgh is up for sale, Stansted could be soon, and the Government is proposing an airport in the Thames estuary.The airport opened in 1987. It was bought by Dermot Desmond for £23.5m in 1995 after it had struggled to build business in its early years. It was then sold by Mr Desmond in May 2006, for about £750m, to a consortium of the American insurer AIG and GIP. AIG then sold its 50% stake to GIP in 2008. The prospect of the 2012 Olympics raised its price. At present it is unlikely to sell for much more than the £750m, but in a buoyant market, its owners GIP and the current minority stake partner Highstar Capital could expect as much as £1.25bn. Click here to view full story…
David Cameron to give his provisional support to Thames estuary airport
January 17, 2012 Cameron is expected to offer his provisional support to Boris’s estuary airport scheme. He is now thought to back the project, though he was initially against it. The Thames airport proposal will be in the government’s aviation policy consultation that starts in March, though Downing Street says the government will make a final decision on the basis of the consultation process. This announcement may have been intended for earlier in the month, and may have been delayed by doubts by Nick Clegg. The Lib Dems used to have a policy to oppose airport expansion. Since we have committed to spend £32 billion on HST, there isn’t a lot of spare money for other projects. Click here to view full story…
There are many stories on this airport idea at Thames Estuary airport news
Luton Airport hopes to boost passenger numbers by 7- 9 million per year
January 16, 2012 Luton airport – the UK’s 5th biggest – has announced a 4 week consultation on its plans that will start on 6 th February. It has plans to increase the annual number of passenger – up to 18 million passengers a year, up from below 10 million. Work “can be achieved within the airport’s existing boundary and using the existing runway”. Once the consultation ends, the airport hopes to submit a planning application in April. The airport says: “Impacts on the environment, noise and road traffic flows will be fully evaluated as part of the process.” The airport announced plans for road improvements in November to reduce anticipated congestion at the time of the Olympics. Some of the work is paid for by public funds. Click here to view full story…
Manchester’s £650m Airport City master plan unveiled
January 12, 2012 Manchester Airports Group has produced its plans for an 150 acre Airport City , close to Manchester Airport. In April 2011 Government announced that Manchester Airport would be one of the first four Enterprise Zones, with Airport City at the core of the zone. The Airport City (also elsewhere called an Aerotropolis) would be in two zones, one with hotel, office, retail and advanced manufacturing space, and the other focusingn on freight and logistics. MAG will submit a planning application within weeks for the scheme’s main link road, with work set to start by spring and due for completion in 12-15 months. The rest of the building will take several years. MAG hopes to attract global businesses to work in their airport city, and create a project to compete with other locations in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Dusseldorf and Heathrow. Click here to view full story…
The CAA (owned by airlines) produces advice to government to increase capacity in the south east
January 10, 2012 The CAA has now produced the third of its three “Insight Papers” for the DfT. It hopes these will influence the formation of new UK aviation policy, on which a public consultation will start in March. The CAA is not a neutral government agency; its membership is entirely airlines and air travel companies, and all its funding comes from them. It is therefore entirely biased in favour of aviation growth. The latest Insight Note, entitled “Aviation Policy for the Future” wants more airport capacity in the south east. It also wants policies to keep the price of flying cheap, and stresses the importance of aviation growth to the UK’s economic prosperity, while keeping remarkably silent on the impact of air travel in taking UK money out of the country. It includes strange suggestions on noise like introducing a cap and trade system, and increasing the degree of community trust in airports. Click here to view full story…
HS2 high-speed rail project gets green light
January 10, 2012 Justine Greening has given the go ahead for the rail link from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, on 10th January. It will cost at least £32bn. This is the first phase of the route on which high-speed trains will start running in 2026 and this first phase should be only the foundation of a future network. Opponents question the huge expenditure for time savings of just half an hour between London and Birmingham. Between 2026 and 2032 other northern cities (Manchester, Leeds, will get their high speed links from the Y shaped network. There will be huge opposition and anger in constituencies through which HS2 would pass, which will face the prospect of years of construction for no direct local benefit. Legislation to enable the building of HS2 would go through Parliament in 2013. Click here to view full story…
Aircraft noise measurements over London ‘inaccurate and misleading’
January 2, 2012 HACAN East, the new group representing residents affected by London City Airport, says that the way the government currently measure aircraft noise over much of London is both inaccurate and misleading. Now that aircraft approaching Heathrow join the approach path much further to the east than they used to, residents affected by planes using London City Airport are also overflown by planes descending to Heathrow. But the noise data for flights using each airport are measured separately and not combined. This problem has been known since 2007, and recognized as underestimating the total noise heard by residents. If the noise levels are combined, aircraft noise levels in parts of East London matches those in West London Click here to view full story…
Airlines enter emissions trading scheme from 1st January 2012
December 31, 2011 On 1st January, aviation joins the European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). Airlines will have to obtain carbon credits for all carbon emitted during flights into and out of Europe. This could save around 183 million tonnes of CO2 each year by 2020. Passengers could expect between €0.5 and just under €3 to be added to ticket prices as a direct consequence of the ETS and easyJet said the cost would be about 30 – 50p per passenger for flights within Europe. Permits do not need to actually be handed over till 2013. In practice airlines are getting 85% of the permits they need in the first year free, so they are in a good position to make windfall profits out of them scheme. Airlines are trying to make out that they are already being charged an environmental tax, in APD. But APD is not seen by the government as being an environmental tax. Air passengers are therefore not being charged twice for their travel carbon emissions. Click here to view full story…
Large weekly protests against noise at Frankfurt Airport having an effect
December 28, 2011 Every Monday 3 – 5,000 people go to Frankfurt airport to protest at the unacceptable level of noise they now find themselves subjected to, from the newly opened runway. Volker Bouffier, governor of the federal state of Hesse, recently met Frankfurt Airport, as well as representatives from airlines and air traffic control, in a desperate search for ways to keep the skies above the Rhine-Main even just a bit quieter. This was a tacit admission of serious negligence. With its focus on creating growth and jobs, the state government had for years underestimated just how extensively noise from the airport expansion would impact local residents, only to discover to its shock that it may have sentenced its own voters to a life smothered in aircraft noise. Click here to view full story…
EU airline carbon tax (Emissions Trading System) backed by European Court
December 21, 2011 EU plans to levy an emissions tax on airlines are valid, according to the European Court of Justice. The decision means all airlines flying to and from the 27 states of the EU will face a tax on emissions from 1 January. US, Canadian and other carriers argue the charges violate climate change and aviation pacts but the ECJ ruled that the ETS does not infringe the principles of customary international law at issue or the Open Skies Agreement. Airlines can choose whether to fly to EU countries, or not. The US House of Representatives passed a measure two months ago directing the US transport secretary to prohibit US carriers from participating in the scheme if it were to come into force. Click here to view full story…
CAA (whose membership is airlines and travel companies) says London has good connectivity now, but will need more airport capacity in future
December 15, 2011 The CAA, whose membership is air travel companies and operators, has produced an “insight note” to add to its contribution to input into the government’s work on developing a new aviation policy for the UK. There will be another major consultation on this next spring. The CAA says that whereas London has good connectivity now, “We conclude that choice, value and resilience are all likely to be affected in the absence of additional aviation capacity.” ie. The airlines and the tour operators want more airport capacity, and the CAA is lobbying for them. Click here to view full story…
Business Jets over 5.7 tonnes to be charged APD after April 2013
December 10, 2011 Business jets will be charged Air Passenger Duty from April 2013. The Treasury says the reason for not charging it from April 2012 is that “changes will bring a substantial number of new operators into the APD regime and will require the introduction of special rules tailored to business aviation.” APD will be charged on any jet with more than around 6 – 8 seats, depending on the model. Many private jets in practice carry just 2 or 3 passengers. AEF figures on the CO2 emissions per private jet passenger, compared to premium class on a commercial airline, show them to be 3 – 8 times higher. Click here to view full story…
AirportWatch welcomes Government announcement that APD will rise in April and APD distance and class bands are retained
December 6, 2011 Air Passenger Duty rate banding for both distances and seat class will not be changed, the government has said. The 4 distance bands will be retained. There will be no reduced APD rate for premium economy. The government said any banding system would produce some anomalies, and the 4 band system produces fewer than a 2 band system. APD will increase 10% from 1 April 2012 as announced in the Budget last week and business jets of 5.7 tonnes or more will be included from 1 April 2013. Click here to view full story…
Autumn statement by Chancellor. U-turn on Gatwick and Stansted airports and consideration of estuary airport. But APD will rise in April
November 29, 2011 In this autumn statement, George Osborne – in a desperate attempt to boost the economy – has turned his back on environmental safeguards and the green economy, to encourage high carbon infrastructure. He has said he wants to improve, performance and resilience of airports. He says the Government is committed to maintaining the status of the UK as an international hub for aviation, with excellent connectivity to both developed as well as emerging markets. He said ”And we will explore all the options for maintaining the UK’s aviation hub status, with the exception of a third runway at Heathrow.” So that means runways at Gatwick and Stansted are to be considered again, as well as looking at an estuary hub. However, on the plus side, even with all the lobbying by the aviation industry for APD to be reduced or frozen, the rates will rise in April 2012 in line with inflation. [APD announcement on 6th December for a 8% approx rise from 1st April 2012] . Click here to view full story…
Draft Civil Aviation Bill published putting passengers first and largely ignoring environmental concerns
November 24, 2011 Transport secretary Justine Greening has published a draft version of the new Civil Aviation Bill, which is expected to be introduced by parliament early next year. She said the DfT’s new airports legislation was centred around the experience of the passenger. “This Bill couples our commitment to make our airports better rather than bigger with the Government’s wider agenda on better regulation”. There is almost nothing on environmental impacts of airports or aviation, with the CAA’s responsibilities on noise, emissions etc reduced – it just has to publish environmental information. Click here to view full story…
Thames Estuary airport plans delayed until next year
The final nail in the coffin of plans to build a huge Thames Estuary airport may not be hammered in until next year, according to The Times. It says ministers have ruled out making any decision on the issue until mid-2012 – and even then are likely to reject the proposals. Ministers are dubious of the viability of either scheme with the biggest stumbling block being the cost of the project, as well as seriously adverse impacts on jobs and the economy round Heathrow. 21.11.2011 Click here to view full story…
Expensive and ineffective: Boris Johnson’s island airport (even Tories think so)
November 21, 2011 Writing in Left Foot Forward, John Stewart (Chair of AirportWatch) says the carefully-placed article today, exclusive to the Times, looks like an attempt to distance the government from the mayor’s speech to the IoD. which his aides have been using as proof that the idea of an estuary airport is gaining traction. With the announcement earlier by Maria Eagle that Labour no longer support a 3rd Heathrow runway, the industry is not clear what it should unite behind. Most city firms are not keen on an estuary airport. Click here to view full story…
AirportWatch says airlines must pay their fair share of the fuel tax burden
UK’s domestic air travel boom is over, says Flybe
Flybe has declared an end to the boom in domestic air travel and reports a deepening drop in demand for British routes. The unreliability of demand has led to 2 profit warnings this year. Flybe said winter bookings were down 1% compared with last year, while last month they forecast a 1% increase. UK domestic routets are 70% of Flybe’s passengers. The CAA says domestic air travel fell 20% over the past 4 years, as an over-supplied market bottomed out. 10.11.2011 More …..
United Airlines biofuel flight on 7th Nov and Alaska Airlines 75 flights on used cooking oil
The United flight was a Boeing 737-800 from Houston to Chicago, using 40% Solarzyme fuel, with allegedly “sustainable” of unknown composition. The Alaska Airlines’ 1st commercial biofuel flight on 9th was Seattle to Washington. Alaska & its sister, Horizon Air, plan to fly 75 “selected” flights over the next few weeks using 20% fuel made from used cooking oil (a gimmick, as there is so little of the stuff) made by Dynamic Fuels. The fuel companies are in a race to scale up profitably. 9.11.2011 More …..
Lord Foster’s Hoo Peninsula plans unveiled, and government says it will not rule out an estuary airport
Lord Foster has revealed ambitious plans for a multi-billion pound transport hub connecting the UK’s main sea ports and creating a huge new airport in Kent. The Thames Hub plans bring together a new river barrier and crossing, a 4 runway international airport on the Hoo Peninsula, and a shipping and rail complex. Foster says it will “lay the foundations for the future prosperity of Britain” and “create jobs across the UK and boost the economies …” etc. Meanwhile it appears the government has not completely ruled out plans for a new estuary airport.
An aerial image of the Thames Hub airport, designed by Lord Foster.
Justine Greening said the coalition was willing to examine options to increase capacity in the region. They also back expansion at many airports, though not new runways at Heathrow, Stansted or Gatwick (yet). 2.11.1011 More …..
US-wide activist network to be set up to oppose aviation growth
A new US-wide activist network is to be set up to oppose the soaring growth of aviation in America. The decision was taken after Americans heard from British campaigners John Stewart & Dan Glass about the success of similar networks in the UK. The new network will bring together local airport community campaigns with climate change activists and will press for investment in fast, affordable rail and coach systems as viable alternatives to many short distance flights. 31.10.2011 More …..
Reponses from numerous AirportWatch member organisations to the Scoping Document consultation
The DfT has consulted on its scoping document, to develop a “Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation”. This consultation closed on 20th October. There will be a further, full, consultation next March on the developing policy, for planned adoption by government in March 2013. AirportWatch has produced a range of supporting evidence documents, to back its arguments, and these as well as the AirportWatch response are now available. Also excellent, detailed, comprehensive and closely argued responses from a range of AirportWatch member organisations, arguing for a truly environmental responsible and sustainable future UK aviation policy. 20.10.2011 More …..
BAA opts to sell Edinburgh airport for £500m and keep Glasgow
BAA is putting Edinburgh Airport up for sale with an estimated price tag of about £500m. They chose Edinburgh instead of Glasgow, as it would fetch a higher price, is performing better and would be easier to sell. Bidders include GIP (owns Gatwick), Manchester Airports Group, Borealis Infrastructure, and Macquarie. BAA is now starting sale preparations and expects to formally approach the market in the New Year in order to agreeing a sale by Summer 2012. 19.10.2011 More …..
GACC finds Gatwick Master Plan contains serious misrepresentations and is deeply flawed
The GACC committee finds the master plan contains several serious misrepresentations. It conceals the increase in noise that will occur from a rise in number of flights by 60%. It says the aviation industry contributes £53 billion to UK’s economy per year, while the DfT gave the figure of £9 billion. They have committed the elementary economic error of using gross turnover rather than net output. It omits mention of jobs exported due to outward-bound tourism and makes over optimistic jobs claims. 24.10.2011 More …..
Gatwick master plan consultation launched, with 2nd runway in prospect after 2020
The new Gatwick master plan, published today, contains plans for a possible new runway some time after 2020. “If that were ever to become a serious threat it would be fought tooth and nail by GACC, with support from hundreds of thousands of people throughout Surrey, Sussex and Kent, said Brendon Sewill, GACC chairman. “But we believe it will never happen. It is Government policy that no new runways should be built in the South East. The official forecasts show that the London airports will not be full until 2030, and it would make no commercial or environmental sense to build a new runway while there is still unused capacity. If oil prices rise the date may well be much later.” 13.10.2011 More …..
Green campaigners condemn Thomson Airways’ biofuels flight
The UK’s first commercial flight to be powered by biofuels headed off to the Canary Islands and a storm of controversy. The flight from Birmingham had one engine running on a mixture of 50% standard fuel and 50% biofuel made from waste cooking oil. Environmental campaigners said the pilot project was a gimmick that would end up harming the environment. FoE said biofuels won’t make flying any greener, but their production is wrecking rainforests, pushing up food prices and causing yet more climate-changing emissions. 6.10.2011 More …..
Heathrow and Gatwick airports: Ministers mull rail link to form a single hub from the two combined = “Heathwick”
The DfT confirmed ministers will be studying the idea of a 180 mph rail link between Heathrow & Gatwick, while government reviews its aviation policy. BAA is opposed, saying it faced “seemingly insurmountable technical, operational, political financial challenges, and would take many years to deliver”. The aim would be to improve connectivity between the two, so both Heathrow could focus on profitable long haul, and low budget carriers would choose cheaper Stansted. BAA, British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair are opposed. Gatwick in favour. 7.10.2011 More ….. See GACC’s comment and cartoon on Heathwick
European Court’s Preliminary Opinion Supports Legality of EU Law That Curbs Aviation Pollution
A transatlantic coalition of environmental groups applauded today’s European Court of Justice’s Advocate General’s preliminary opinion, which supports Europe’s right to tackle carbon emissions from airlines that use its airports. The coalition said the preliminary opinion was very encouraging. The Court is expected to hand down its final opinion in early 2012. The opinion says that airlines excluded from the ETS would have an unjustfied competitive advantage. 6.10.2011 More …..
Heathrow runway trial will relax noise limits and cause more noise for many
People living under Heathrow flight paths face increased noise after the introduction of new runway rules. BAA is to trial a scheme allowing the use of both runways simultaneously from July to Sept 2012. Currently, those living under the flight path have a respite from noise when the runways alternate at 3pm. Under the trial, which will also run from November to February, the threshold for triggering emergency dual use of the runways will be lowered. Residents could face increased noise from losing some of their respite periods. 3.10.2011 More …..
APD cut on long haul flights from Northern Ireland due to Dublin competition
The Government is to cut APD on all long-haul scheduled flights from Northern Ireland, from 1st November. The rate will be reduced from £60 to £12 for passengers travelling in economy class, and from £120 to £24 for those in business class. APD on short-haul and domestic flights from Northern Ireland, and duty paid by travellers elsewhere int the UK is not affected. But this has not stopped the industry upping its campaigning, trying to make out that the tax is too high, damaging their business etc etc. Aviation remains under-taxed, as it continues to pay no VAT and no fuel tax – which is the equivalent of around a £10 billiion annual subsidy. 28.9.2011 More …..
Aviation now contributes 4.9% of climate change worldwide
Work by the IPCC now estimates that aviation accounted for 4.9% of man-made climate impacts in 2005. This contrasts with the 2% figure that is constantly quoted by aviation lobbyists, and 3% which the same authors quoted two years ago. They have now revised their estimates with 2 important changes: including for the first time estimates of cirrus cloud formation and allowing for aviation growth between 2000 and 2005. The effect of these is to increase aviation’s impacts to 3.5% without cirrus and 4.9% including cirrus. 23.5.2009 More …
Committee on Climate Change.
4th Carbon Budget UK should commit to a 60% cut in emissions by 2030 as a contribution to global efforts to combat climate change.
Aviation emissions must be no higher in 2050 than in 2005, and to do this, all other sectors must cut by 85% by 2050 to allow aviation to grow by 60%
The Committee on Climate Change today recommended a Carbon Budget for 2023-27 and a target for emissions reductions in 2030 – halfway between now and 2050. The recommended target for 2030, to cut emissions by 60% relative to 1990 levels (46% relative to current levels), would then require a 62% emissions reduction from 2030 to meet the 2050 target in the Climate Change Act. The Carbon Budget says international aviation and shipping should be included, and it is vital that UK aviation emissions in 2050 are no higher than in 2005. Also that, as technologies to cut aviation emissions are not readily available, other sectors of the economy will need to cut by 85% in 2050 in order to let aviation grow by 60%. 7.12.2010 More …..