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Ryanair to pull out of Belfast City Airport at end of OctoberRyanair is pulling out of Belfast City Airport, saying the reason is the public
inquiry delaying a planned runway extension. Ryanair has been operating from George
Best Belfast City Airport since 2007, and flies around 800,00 passengers per year
from there to 5 UK airports - Bristol, East Midlands, Prestwick, Liverpool and
London. from November, Ryanair will switch its one Belfast City-based aircraft
to another European airport, with the loss of 50 Ryanair jobs. Ryanair claims it is having to pull out of the airport because of the short runway.
The real reason is likely to be that its northern Ireland operations were not
making money, and cuts were due this winter. 31.8.2010 More....
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Aberdeen Climate 9 remain defiant after Court sentence of only small finesThe 9 Plane Stupid protesters who shut down Aberdeen airport on March 3rd 2009 appeared in court today to finally receive their sentences, from the earlier verdict of guilty to charges of Breach of the Peace. The judge and court took the protesters' urgent message on climate change seriously and gave out very modest fines ranging from £300 to £700 each adding up to a total cost of around £4000 - £5000. Work continues on raising awareness of the climate theat. |
Aberdeen Climate 9
 25.8.2010 More.....
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"Victory Against All The Odds"– new book from HACAN on the successful Heathrow CampaignA new book, written by the Chair of HACAN and of AirportWatch, John Stewart,
has been launched to tie in with, and mark, the celebration in Sipson of the 28th
August of the victory. The book outlines how the campaign to stop expansion at
Heathrow, including a 3rd runway, was won. It tells the tale of how a group of
people took on the might of the aviation industry, international business and
the UK Government and won. It outlines the strategy and the tactics used. It's
an inspiring and a very human story. But it also contains valuable lessons for
campaigners wherever they live and whatever their cause. 22.8.2010 More .....
Read the book. (52 pages, pdf)
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Family Fun Day to Celebrate the Dropping of Heathrow 3rd Runway !Saturday 28th August,
Sipson Way, Sipson, 2-7pm
Music, Stalls, Food, Drink, Speakers Details ..... AND
End domestic flights now ! Demonstrations in London and Manchester Saturday 4th SeptemberCampaign Against Climate Change. Details ..... | ||
The 13 travel companies that have gone bust this year:• Flight Options (Kiss Flights) – 17 August
• Sun4U – 12 August • Goldtrail – 16 July • International Flights – 2 July • Malachite Travel – 2 July • Birdseekers – 28 May • Wigmore Holidays and Travel (Aspects of Tunisia) – 10 May • Finlays Skiing – 27 April • Adventura (Pure Escapes) – 15 April • The Flight Bureau (Think Delta, Think Emirates, Think Flights) – 24 March • Love Holidays – 24 March • Scantours – 2 March • Business Travel Services – 28 January Details ..... | ||
UK's tourism deficit due to air travel was £15.1 billion in 2009 and £19.6 billion in 2008Adding the amount of tourism deficit from spending abroad, to the deficit from
buying travel tickets from foreign companies gives a total deficit on air travel
of £15.1 billion in 2009 compared to £19.6 billion in 2008. The tourism deficit
due to UK citizens spending money abroad was £17.7 billion in 2008 to £13.0 billion
in 2009. The deficit due to buying tickets from foreign companies fell from £2.2
billion in 2008 to £1.9 billion in 2009. 13.8.2010 More .....
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Temporary changes to Heathrow runway alternation for 6 weeks starting 13th SeptFor 6 weeks essential maintenance work will be taking place on taxiways connecting
Heathrow's northern runway with the rest of the airfield. This means that Heathrow
will not be able to alternate daytime use of the runways as published during this
period, although night time alternation will be unaffected. On westerly operations,
BAA will use the southern runway for the majority of arrivals and the northern
runway for departures. 12.8.2010 More ..... but, Theresa Villiers, Minister for Aviation, has confirmed that Runway Alternation will continue at Heathrow. 17.6.2010 More .....
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In July BAA's airports handled 0.3% more passengers than in July 2009Heathrow had its highest number of passengers during July, up +3.5% compared
to July 2009 (which was itself up +0.9% compared to July 2008). However, for
BAA's UK airports as a whole, passengers were up by only + 03% this July, and
they were down yet again at Stansted, - 7.2%. Passengers were down -3.6% at Glasgow,
down - 1.4% at Southampton, down - 4.1% at Aberdeen, but up +0.6% at Edinburgh.
Air transport movements were down slightly - 0.4% for all BAA's UK airports, and
air cargo was up by +17.9% . Gatwick passengers were down by - 3.1% in July. 10.8.2010 More .....
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In June CO2 emissions from UK aviation were 23% of total EU aviation emissionsRDC reports of European aviation emissions show the UK produces much more than
other European country. The UK generated 23%, with Germany the next highest, at
17% and Spain 3rd with 13%. France is 4th with 11%. As for airports, Heathrow
flights generated massively more CO2 than flights from any other European airport.
In June, Heathrow generated around 1.8 million tonnes of CO2. Second is Frankfurt
at 1.2 million, the third Charles de Gaulle at 1 million. 6.8.2010 More ..... (The UK's population, by contast, is around 62.2 million, and the population
of all of the EU is around 739 million. ie. 8.4%) |
In July Ryanair traffic rose by ? 13%, EasyJet's grew 7.7%, BA's fell 2.6%Air traffic for Ryanair grew by 13% while BA flew 2.6% fewer passengers during
July when compared with July 2009. EasyJet had 7.7% more. (However, Ryanair and
EasyJet include all tickets sold, rather than actual bums on seats while BA counts
actual passengers who flew). Ryanair sold 7.61 million seats - higher than its record
of 6.8 million seats sold in August 2009. BA carried 3.19 million passengers,
and easyJet sold 5 million tickets. 4.8.2010 More .....
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Belfast City residents’ concerns raised by CAA safety reportLocal residents' concerns about aircraft safety in areas close to George Best Belfast City Airport have been heightened by a CAA safety report. It investigated an incident east Belfast 2 months ago in which a man was hit by a roof tile and damage caused to two houses, due to wake vortex. The CAA’s report said its investigators could not determine what had caused the damage. However, whether or not a plane was flying too low, residents are not reassured. 3.8.2010 More ..... |
British Airways reports £164m loss in first quarterBA has revealed a steep loss for the April-June quarter after being hit by cabin
crew strikes (15 days in the reporting quarter) and disruption caused by the ash
crisis. Its pre-tax loss was £164m, larger than the £148m loss it made in the
same period last year. BA's revenues were were down 2.3%. BA and Iberia may merge,
with Iberia having till the end of September to decide. Its total costs were down
3.3% and per passenger yield rose b 12.7%. 30.7.2010 More ..... |
DfT publishes research on "Public experiences of and attitudes towards air travel"The DfT has published a new report on people’s experiences of and attitudes towards
air travel. Some of its many findings: 47% of adults had flown in the past year.
16% made 3 or more flights. 18% had made a long haul flight. 21% thought they
would fly more next year. The proportion of respondents who agree that ‘air travel
harms the environment’ fell from 70% in the 2006 survey to 66% in 2008 and 62%
in 2010. 39% did not know if flying harmed the environment.
Frequency of flying increases with income. Over two thirds (69%) of respondents
earning £26,000 or more had made at least one flight in the last 12 months compared
with a third (33%) of people earning under £13,520. 30.7.2010 More .....
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IATA says global air passenger and freight demand continued its recovery in JuneInternational scheduled traffic statistics for June showed continued strong demand
growth as the industry recovers from the impact of the global financial crisis.
Compared to June 2009, international passenger demand was up +11.9% (up + 7.8%
in Europe). Outside of Europe, all regions reported double-digit growth in passenger
traffic. The increase in capacity was low, keeping load factors at historical
highs. 28.7.2010 More .....
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Global air freight up 26.5% in June compared to June 2009, European up 15.3%International freight demand grew 26.5% in June, down from the 34.0% recorded in May 2010 which was exceptionally high as some interrupted traffic from April’s ash crisis shifted to May. Volumes remain 6% above the pre-recession peak in early 2008. Freight demand continues to follow economic recovery and Europe's growth is the lowest. Europe is the only region still 5-6% below the pre-recession peak. Europe accounts for 25% of world air freight tonnes. 28.7.2010 More ..... |
Southend Council taken to court over runway extension planning permissionSouthend group, Stop Airport Extension Now, is aware that an application for
permission to apply for a Judicial Review is being lodged with the High Court.
The claimant is a local resident SAEN member very concerned at the decision by
Southend Borough Council to grant planning permission for an extended runway and
has SAEN's full support. There is particular concern over the potential impact
of night flights and the economic case has not been made. 28.7.2010 More ..... |
NOAA data show June was the hottest month on record for both land and ocean temperaturesThe combined global land and ocean average surface temperature for June 2010
was the warmest on record at 16.2°C, which is 0.68°C above the 20th century average
of 15.5°C. The previous record for June was set in 2005.
June 2010 was the 4th consecutive warmest month on record (March, April, and May 2010 were also the warmest on record). This was the 304th consecutive month with a global temperature above the 20th century average. The last month with below-average temperature was February 1985. NOAA data for June The June worldwide averaged land surface temperature was 1.07°C above the 20th century average of 13.3°C - the warmest on record. Warming showing no sign of levelling off | ||
Farnborough airshow: aviation industry "optimism" grows over future use of biofuelsThe aviation industry has expressed its optimism for future "carbon neutral growth"
using biofuels. Exhibitors at the United Alternative Aviation Fuels Display -
algae-derived oil producer Solazyme, bioenergy company Solena and Honeywell unit
UOP - spent the week "trying to ensure the aviation community gives visibility"
to biofuel producers. Their plan is an algae derived fuel that grows in the dark
using a carbohydrate food source. Worrying. 26.7.2010 More .....
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Air France KLM reports €736 million 1st-quarter profitBoosted by a €1.03 billion capital gain from the sale of its 23.1% stake in Amadeus,
Air France KLM Group posted a net profit of €736 million for its fiscal first
quarter ended June 30, reversed from a €426 million deficit in the year-ago period.
Revenue for the 3 months rose 10.7% year-over-year to €5.72 billion and the airline
says this would have been a 15.9% rise if they had not been affected by the volcanic
ash crisis. Its passenger traffic was up over 4% in both May and June versus last
year. 28.7.2010 More .....
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EasyJet revenues up 5% in quarter up to end JuneDespite the volcanic ash disruption, Easyjet said that revenues in the 3 months
to end June rose more than 5%, to £759.2m and taking into account the volcano,
however, growth was a more modest 1.7%. It expects to make a profit for the year
as a whole of between £100m and £150m. bookings are in line with last year and
it has sold 64% of seats for the 3 months to end September. Revenue per seat rose
in the past 3 months by 3.5%. 28.7.2010 More .....
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Ryanair profits fell 24% in first quarter of 2010Ryanair forecast that fares could rise by 10 - 15% over the summer after a fall in 1st-quarter (ending June 30th) profits of 24%, partly caused by the ash cloud. Profits fell to €93.7m, but Ryanair says they would have risen by 1% without the ash crisis - which led to the cancellation of 9,400 Ryanair flightsand cost Ryanair €50m. Revenue was up +16% during the period. During the quarter average journey lengths increased 13%. 21.7.2010 More ..... |
Push up cost of air travel to cut demand, say Institute for Civil EngineersIn a new report the Institution of Civil Engineers say the price of air travel
should be increased and the Coalition’s decision to scrap Heathrow’s 3rd runway
could also leave Britain lagging behind its European rivals. The report calls
for a minimum carbon price to make flying more expensive, as APD is too low to
have any effect in reducing demand. [See tje Willie Walsh article below in comparison
!] A DfT spokesman said we cannot allow air traffic growth to continue at the
levels it has in the past. 14.7.2010 More .....
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2009 saw the fastest drop in Brits travelling abroad recorded since 1970sThe number of trips made by Brits to foreign countries fell at the fastest rate
since the 1970s, according to the ONS. It recorded 58.6 million trips compared
to 69 million in 2008. The fall was mirrored by fewer foreign visitors coming
to Britain, (a drop from 31.1 million to 29.9 million). Visits abroad have grown
by 4% on average per year in the past 25 years and visits to the UK have grown
at 3.2% on average. Numbers of business trips fell every more sharply. 13.7.2010
More ..... |
Passengers down -1.7% in June compared to June 2009 at BAA's airportsBAA's passenger traffic in June was affected by the BA strike at the start of the month. BAA's UK airports handled 9.5 million passengers, a drop of 1.7% on June 2009. Without the strike BAA estimate that Heathrow would have seen 140,000 more passengers last month and would have seen a 2.5% increase on last June. Passengers were down at Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen by -5.2%, -2.0%, -7.0% and -4.0% compared to June 2009. Cargo grew by +21.7%. 12.7.2010 More ..... |
Aviation taxes in danger of "pricing people out of flying", says Willie WalshThe Telegraph, in its anti-APD campaign, has reportetd that Willie Walsh has
said - rather predictably - that millions will not be able to afford to fly unless
the Government stops hiking aviation taxes. He wants an end to APD when aviation
joins the ETS in 2012. He says "We are in severe danger of pricing large numbers
of people out of flying." And "We cannot go on layering ever more punitive tax
burdens on this industry." He is worried about a global climate tax, and that
his industry is seen as a flying cash machine. [APD is all of £11 per ticket
for flights to Europe, and all of £55 for a flight of over 6,000 miles. Which
is not a lot compared to the total holiday price]. 9.7.2010 More .....
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Transport Minister says domestic flights are a ‘thing of the past’Philip Hammond has claimed that flying within the UK is heading for extinction.
It will be a thing of the past, he said, and fast train links will be critical
to addressing growing demand for air travel. Airlines like Flybe, the UK's largest
domestic operator, and BA doubt this and say there will still be demand from people
in the UK regions to fly to the Heathrow hub. Hammond talked of "spare capacity
at Stansted". A new working group has been set up 28.6.2010 More .....
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Climate 9: Found guilty of breach of the peace at Aberdeen AirportThe Climate 9 have been found guilty of breach of the peace. More serious charges
of vandalism were dropped. The charges were significantly reduced over the course
of the 2 week trial. Sentence was deferred until August. The protesters were campaigning
against any expansion of the airport, claiming it would lead to more harmful carbon
emissions. The 9 are celebrating their victory in showing that peaceful protest
is a necessary and legitimate way to take the action needed on climate change.
25.6.2010 More .....
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Aberdeen Climate 9 trial - for invasion of runway in 2009 - hopes to set precedentThe trial of the 9 activists who invaded the runway at Aberdeen in March 2009
has started in Aberdeen. Their action was designed to stop carbon emissions from
aviation and to highlight the links between Donald Trump’s planned hotel and golf
course complex and the expansion of Aberdeen airport. The Climate 9 are arguing
the defence of necessity. They argue that their actions were justified because
they were trying to prevent runaway climate change. Environmental lawyers say
another verdict - in addition to the Kingsnorth Six verdict in 2008 - in favour
of climate activists by a jury could mark a shift in 'social values'. 14.6.2010
More .....
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3rd runway plan for Heathrow and 2nd runway plan for Stansted finally scrapped by BAABAA today formally dropped plans for new runways at Heathrow and Stansted airports,
bringing to a close one of the most controversial parts of the last Labour government's
transport policy. BAA said late last year it was shelving its programme at Heathrow
until after the election. Today BAA has said it will stop all work on a planning
application for the 3rd Heathrow runway, and it is also withdrawing its plans
for a 2nd Stansted runway. The Stansted runway plans would have made the airport
bigger than Heathrow. Campaigners at Stop Stansted Expansion, Heathrow's No Third
Runway Action Group and HACAN are organising huge parties to celebrate. The
Stansted planning application had taken BAA more than 4 years to prepare and cost
the airport operator some £200 million - and badly damaged local communities around
the airport by years of blight and anxiety. The new government's formal coalition agreement last week promised to cancel Heathrow's 3rd runway and rule out a new runway
at Stansted, as well as at London's (and the UK's) second largest airport, Gatwick.
24.5.2010 More .....
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Bristol Airport expansion given go-aheadMulti-million pound plans to expand Bristol Airport have been passed by North
Somerset councillors. The £150m scheme was recommended for approval by 10 votes
to two. Campaigners have argued that a 60% increase in passenger numbers up to
10 million per year was too high. More than 5,500 comments were submitted during
a consultation of which 5,180 objected to the plans. The approval will have to
be referred to the Sec of State at DCLG (Pickles) because some development is
on green belt land. 24.5.2010 More .....
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Aviation now contributes 4.9% of climate change worldwideWork 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 ... | ||
What's the problem with aviation?Aviation in the UK already contributes around 6 - 7% of our CO2 emissions. Taking
into account the effects of emissions at altitude, that is about 13% or more of
the UK contribution to climate changing effects. The industry plans to double
in size, with no targets for emissions cuts for years to come. People living
near airports suffer noise, disruption and air pollution. Our increasing addiction
to binge flying is causing immense harm.
If you feel strongly about aviation's unsustainable and relentless growth
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