Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Setback for Ferrovial as Gatwick bidder quits
Ferrovial's hopes of securing a higher price for Gatwick have been hit by the withdrawal of one of its two remaining bidders. The departure of Global Infrastructure Partners from the current sale process leaves the Spanish infrastructure group with only one remaining offer, from a consortium led by Manchester Airports Group and Borealis, the Canadian infrastructure fund. BAA must repay £1bn of its existing bank debt in March next year. (FT)
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BAA to challenge airport break-up
BAA says it will appeal against the decision by the Competition Commission ordering it to sell 3 airports. The commission told BAA in March that it must sell Gatwick and Stansted and either Edinburgh or Glasgow. BAA said the ruling did not take into account current economic conditions, and the commission's report was "affected by apparent bias". BAA has raised questions about Professor Peter Moizer, one of 6Competition Commission panelists. (BBC)
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GIP’s Gatwick Bid of More Than $2 Billion Said to Be Rejected
It is rumoured that Global Infrastructure Partners, the owner of London City airport, which made a £1.3 billion to £1.4 billion bid for Gatwick airport was rejected by BAA. Sources said the fully financed offer was turned down May 17 on the grounds that it was too low, BAA was seeking at least £1.5 billion, and said BAA it planned to appeal a UK antitrust ruling forcing it to sell 3 airports by 2011 because it didn’t take account of the recession. (Bloomberg)
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Heathrow State BAA takeover plans
Heathrow could be taken under State control under emergency powers designed to protect passengers from the financial woes of BAA. Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon has drawn up plans to place Heathrow in a "special administration" regime if debt-laden BAA went bust. It would also give Hoon and the Civil Aviation Authority a direct say in the future ownership of the airport. Similar emergency powers are held for the rail and water firms. (Daily Express)
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Airline scraps Manchester to London City route
Belgian-based VLM has ended services between Manchester and London City Airport. The airline, part of Air France/ KLM group, also flies to both Antwerp and Rotterdam from Manchester, but those services have not been affected. The route has been heavily loss-making and, a spokesman said they are impeded by unfair competition from a subsidised rail network and airline ticket taxes that often make up over 50% of the overall fare. (Crains)
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Crossrail gets out of the sidings after two decades
Work has started on a new railway under London that will transform travel across the capital. Crossrail, which joins east and west London, is finally getting built after 20 years of wrangling and at a cost of at least £16 billion. Crossrail will be capable of operating 24 trains an hour at peak, and includes a spur line to Heathrow, and improve links to the airport. It will be funded by central government, TfL and the private sector. (Standard)
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Heathrow Airport Activists In ‘Euroflashmob’
Flash mob protesters descended on Heathrow to sing against airport expansion in a Eurovision-themed demonstration. On the day of the Eurovision song contest, activists wearing bright red 'Stop Airport Expansion' T-shirts gathered at Terminal 1 while similar protests took place at Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Brussels, Dublin and Paris. Emphasising the plight of the villagers of Sipson, protesters performed an adaptation of the 1996 hit, "Just a Little Bit", by Gina G. Waving European flags, they sang: "Ooh ahh - no 3rd runway, ooh ahh, we don't want more, ooh ahh - saving Sipson, It's a fight you can't ignore." (Sky)
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Case made for Inverness to Heathrow link
The Commons Transport committee will be urged to back calls for the restoration of direct air links between Inverness and Heathrow. It is conducting an inquiry into "The Future of Aviation" and may want to support the proposition that airports on the periphery, like Inverness and Aberdeen, should receive favourable treatment at the UK’s main hub compared with closer regional airports with quicker ground transport routes to London. (Press & Journal)
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‘Pay-as-you-go’ puts Stobart in fast lane
Stobart said underlying profits surged last year as the recession forced retailers to turn to cheaper distributors. Stobart also confirmed that it would buy Carlisle airport in north-west England, where it hopes to build a distribution centre. In December, it bought Southend airport, where it plans to extend the terminal and build a new railway station this year, and may provide passenger services. (FT)
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TV’s Richard Briers and Alys Fowler help Garden Organic to plant allotment on proposed Heathrow runway site
Good Life actor Richard Briers and Gardeners' World presenter Alys Fowler have joined the fight against a 3rd runway at Heathrow by planting an allotment on the proposed runway site. The land in Sipson was bought by Greenpeace in November and is now owned by 45,000 of its members including Emma Thompson, Zac Goldsmith and Alistair McGowan. A joint venture between Garden Organic and Greenpeace aims to make use of the land to grow vegetables. (Greenpeace)