London Chamber of Commerce & Industry wants Heathrow to be allowed more night flights
The London Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI) has been lobbying, yet again, for a 3rd Heathrow runway. This time they are lobbying the Airports Commission, and saying that Heathrow should be allowed more night flights, because that makes the airport more efficient and there might be some economic gain for the UK. The Airports Commission is working, this year, on what can be done to improve the capacity and efficiency of UK airports in the short term. The LCCI is saying that for some not entirely clear reason, having more flights at night (and so damaging the quality of life, and the quality of sleep for several hundred thousand Londoners) will help the UK do business with BRIC countries. There is already concerted opposition to night flights, and aims to get them banned, not only in the UK but at other key European airports. The LCCI also want Heathrow to be allowed to end runway alternation, and introduce mixed mode – again hitting the quality of life of hundreds of thousands of Londoners who would lose their half day of respite from the noise.
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Heathrow Airport should be allowed to run more night flights, the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said today.
The group called on the Airports Commission to consider additional night flights so London could increase its trade links.
It follows a meeting between the chamber and the commission last week which focused on potential short-term measures to maximise efficiency and increase existing airport capacity.
The chamber’s chief executive Colin Standbridge said extra flights would help London’s relation with Brazil, Russia, India and China, known as the BRIC nations, and Columbia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Egypt, Turkey and South Africa, the group of emerging markets countries known as CIVETS.
He said: “London is at serious risk of losing out in the race with other EU states to connect with emerging global markets unless we have frequent, daily, direct flights.
“It makes sense to play to London’s existing strengths, and as most foreign airlines and passengers want to fly into Britain’s hub, why not seek to encourage that?
“Adding just a few extra arrivals at night into Heathrow would enable greater connectivity for London with the BRIC and CIVETS markets and give a major boost to the UK economy.
“Extra night-flights and mixed-mode are not long-term solutions but while we await the final Howard Davies’s final report in 2015, practical short-term, temporary measures have to be examined.”
The Airports Commission has been set up to assess the steps needed to maintain the UK’s global hub status and to recommend actions to improve the use of existing runway capacity in the next five years.
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The Liberal Democrats have launched a petition against any 3rd runway at Heathrow, and against night flights, and against mixed mode.
“We the undersigned, call on the Prime Minister and Chancellor to publicly reject all expansion at Heathrow Airport – including the building of a third runway, allowing night flights or ending runway alternation.”
On night flights, the LibDems say:
Night Flights
What’s the problem?
Hundreds of thousands of people living under the flight path are woken up at 4.30am by night flights. These flights rid residents of their few hours of respite from aircraft noise.
What are we doing about it?
The Liberal Democrats passed a new resolution at our conference in Brighton in 2012, explicitly committing the party to a policy of no night flights at Heathrow (except, of course, for emergencies).
The Liberal Democrats are representing the views of thousands of local residents with our submissions to the Night Flights consultation which is due to close on April 22nd 2013. You can read about the consultation and make your own submission here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/night-flights-consultation
How you can help
Working and campaigning together,we can get the number of night flights down to ZERO. It can’t be right that planes taking off and landing from Heathrow in the small hours of the morning are waking up thousands upon thousands of people every day.
If you agree with this, please join our campaign.
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For more information about the LibDem campaign, launched by Vince Cable, and on their protest picnic on Saturday 13th April, see http://www.no3rdrunway.org.uk/
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Earlier the Institute of Directors had yet another push for a 3rd Heathrow runway:
Businesses call for Heathrow Airport expansion
December 18, 2012 (London 24)
A group of business leaders has added its voice to the debate over the future of Heathrow Airport. The Institute of Directors (IoD) believe it should expand by at least one runway.
The Air Passenger Duty (APD) airport departure tax was “much too high” and should be frozen, and visa and immigration systems should be improved, the IoD said.
Entitled Flying into the Future, the report said: “Heathrow should expand by one, or preferably two, runways.”
In a poll, 59% of IoD members said a lack of spare capacity at Heathrow was damaging inward investment.
IoD senior economic adviser Corin Taylor, who wrote the report, said: “British aviation faces several key crunches which require swift, co-ordinated action. Aviation is economically crucial, and the world is only going to become even more interconnected.
“We cannot afford to ignore the reality that demand for air travel in south east England will soon be more than our airports can handle. This means airport capacity must expand, alongside other measures to improve our competitiveness in terms of taxes and immigration processes.”
“The world economy is shifting towards high-growth economies, including the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) nations. It is absolutely vital that we have an aviation strategy which embraces the enormous opportunities this brings.”
Aviation Minister Simon Burns said: “London is one of the best-connected cities in the world, with direct flights to more destinations and more flights each week to many global cities and emerging markets than any of our European competitors.
“We know that to stay ahead we need to plan for the future and build a strong political consensus, which is why we have asked Sir Howard Davies to conduct a detailed, independent review of all the options for maintaining our connectivity.
“By the end of next year he will have delivered a shortlist of credible proposals as well as identifying ways in which we can make even better use of the capacity which already exists.”
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Statements on Heathrow by the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in the past:
“Airport Capacity in the South East –Airport expansion in the South East, and in particular at the UK’s only hub airport, Heathrow, is essential for the future competitiveness of London. It is often forgotten that air travel is as important for the movement of freight as it is for the movement of people. The restriction of flights caused by the volcanic ash cloud and the snow in 2010 provide evidence of how many businesses are dependent on the aviation industry.
“With larger, quieter and more fuel efficient planes entering service every year, it is possible to meet commitments on carbon emissions and noise levels while expanding capacity through new runways. This is why the government’s decision to halt airport expansion in the region was a disappointing one for business in London, and one LCCI is keen to see reversed.”
http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/lcc_public/article.asp?aid=4844
14. LCCI welcomed the Government’s announcement to consult on a new hub airport as recognition of the need for both additional long-term aviation capacity and a national hub airport. The Davies Commission has now been formed and if it can provide political consensus on a long term strategy it will be a worthwhile exercise.
15. However, any decisions on a long-term solution to capacity constraints do not address the urgent issue of London’s short-term aviation capacity constraints. After exhaustive study the only viable solution to these immediate capacity constraints is a third runway at Heathrow Airport.
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26. Heathrow: LCCI’s position supporting an additional runway at Heathrow is fixed at present in the light of no new evidence to propose a preferred solution. Our stance on Heathrow is clear. A third runway is the only way to retain the UK’s leading role as an international hub which can be completed in the short-medium term.
http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/docimages/10765.pdf
Thursday 15 November 2012
Failure to deal with need for airport capacity costing the UK dear
“Commenting today on Heathrow’s response to the Davies Commission, Colin Stanbridge, Chief Executive of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said:
“We absolutely agree with Heathrow that the failure to deal with our desperate need for airport capacity is costing the UK economy dear. British businesses need the Government to stop dithering and speed up the Davies Commission report and it is important that all viable options are considered, including a third runway at Heathrow.” ”
http://www.londonchamber.co.uk/lcc_public/article.asp?id=0&did=47&aid=5801&st=&oaid=-1