Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Text of speech by Chris Grayling to Airlines UK expressing total support for aviation growth for decades
Chris Grayling gave a speech to Airlines UK (used to be called BATA), giving the industry his strongest support for its growth. Some of his comments: (on Brexit) "... positive expression of our desire as a country to raise our ambitions and look beyond the EU. To strengthen our position as a global country. With the global connections and gateways to make that possible." ... "We already have the largest aviation network in Europe. Direct services to over 370 destinations abroad. ... (bit on routes added) ... And demand for flights continues to grow. ... though we’re awaiting the final figures, the signs are that 2016 will break [the 2015] record once more. ... Over the next 20 years, the industry estimates a doubling of the world’s aircraft fleet. That’s another 33,000 aircraft – quieter, cleaner, more efficient aircraft that can actually deliver a fall in carbon emissions. ( sic ! ) ... And as the world increasingly embraces aviation in the coming decades, in return, aviation will increasingly drive the globalisation of trade and commerce. .... We are currently working on our new aviation strategy. It’s a long-term framework covering airports, safety, security, competitiveness, consumers, regulation and capacity. [Note, no mention of environment at all !] ...It’s part of our plan to build on the momentum of the Heathrow decision - so the whole of Britain can benefit from new aviation capacity." ... and so on ...
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While BA passengers may travel to the airport by public transport, bags can go on ahead – by van
Heathrow has a problem with the number of car journeys associated with the airport, the emissions of NO2 etc from these trips, and the added road congestion. It is keen to state how there will be no more vehicles on the roads with a 3rd runway than with two, though this appears implausible - the numbers just do not stack up. British Airways has a service that they call AirPortr, by which passengers can check in their luggage from their home, and then have it delivered by a van (diesel?) to the airport for them to collect at their convenience. It is all very handy for the passenger, but it is absolutely not helping Heathrow to cut the number of vehicle journeys, even if one vehicle carries a good number of cases. AirPortr sells it scheme saying, having had your bags checked and sealed for security etc: "You’re now free to make the most of your time before you fly, either head to work without the evil glares on the tube or enjoy the day sight seeing without dragging your bags around historic monuments. Or simply avoid the balancing act of managing multiple bags and small children en route." The government and Heathrow hope that even with a new runway and 50% more passengers, there would be no more road vehicles than now – and by around 2031 about 55% of passengers would use public transport. In 2012 only about 41% of Heathrow passengers travelled to or from the airport on public transport.
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Heathrow Black Lives Matter protest: Nine people who blocked major airport route found guilty of wilful obstruction
On 5th August 2016 a group from "Black Lives Matter" blocked the M4 southbound spur road from junction 8 from around 8am. The road did not fully reopen until 12.30pm, causing a lot of traffic delays. At the road block, four of the protesters held a large black banner which said 'This is a Crisis' while six others formed a human chain on the ground, linking arms together using hollowed fire extinguishers filled with wire mesh and concrete. The activists were at Willesden Magistrates' Court for their trial, at which 9 out of the 10 protesters were found guilty of wilful obstruction and ordered to pay fines. They were all ordered to pay between £261 and £523 in fines, according to Hodge Jones & Allen, the law firm representing them. Another protester had already accepted a caution. The protesters hoped that their protest got media attention and raised awareness of the issues - Heathrow's 3rd runway will contribute to causing damage to health through both air pollution and carbon emissions. One defendant commented: "If people want to challenge us for causing a one-hour inconvenience, surely they'll want to challenge a system that sees families wait over 20 years for justice?" Black Lives Matter is an international movement set up in the US.
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At councils’ Heathrow runway hearing in High Court, DfT wants to get case struck out
Hillingdon, Richmond, Wandsworth and Windsor and Maidenhead councils together with Greenpeace UK have bought a judicial review against the DfT to the High Courts of Justice. At the hearing the councils said the government's decision to back plans for the 3rd runway "frustrates the expectations of councils and residents" who have received "clear, unequivocal and repeated promises" over the years that it would never be built. The councils also challenge the decision on the basis that the government has failed to recognise the project's air quality impacts, which would raise pollution to unlawful levels. Lawyers for the DfT have asked the judge, Mr Justice Cranston, to strike out the case now. The DfT argument (by James Maurici QC) is the case should not be heard until after the consultation on the National Policy Statement (NPS) on aviation is published - which could be anything from this year to 2018. The DfT is hoping to make the case that this is a "preliminary and insuperable obstacle" to the claim proceeding. The councils and their lawyers say that instead of trying to get the case delayed, it is vital that the issues need to be dealt with before, not after, the NPS consultation. That would otherwise be "flawed at the outset and a huge waste of time, energy and public money." A decision given at an unknown later date.
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Government’s plans on Heathrow night flights have been slammed by campaigners in Berkshire
Campaigners against Heathrow noise, in Berkshire, have sharply criticised the proposals by the DfT (published on 12th January) to make no effective cuts in the airport's night noise. Local group RAAN (Residents Against Aircraft Noise) say members of the public will be extremely disappointed with the plans. Murray Barter, chairman of RAAN said: “If the government are serious on ending night flights, this is the first test of their sincerity in doing so. The elephants in the room are the many 'unscheduled' night departures that overrun past their scheduled departures which are allowed to continue seemingly unabated and unrestricted throughout the night. ... the 'night' period is curtailed to six and a half hours, which is against the World Health Organisation guidelines of eight hours. ... Nothing within this consultation or regarding Heathrow expansion will alter this for the better.” A carefully worded statement by the minister, Lord Ahmad, attempts to conceal the fact that the plans will do almost nothing to reduce the noise. There are no proposals for anything other than "business as usual". There are no improvements planned for future years - other than changes that might, or might not, happen with a new runway.
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Gatwick’s carbon neutral commitment using renewable electricity excludes 99% of emissions
Gatwick Airport says it has joined more than 80 global companies in a programme to generate a “massive increase” in the demand for renewable electricity. It says it has been buying 100% renewable electricity since 2013, and it has plans for its airport operations to become ‘carbon neutral’ by the spring. That is all good - better if the airport's buildings etc are as low carbon as possible. But this entirely ignores the massive carbon emissions of the flights using the airport - which Gatwick wants to increase as much as it can. AEF (the Aviation Environment Federation) commented that while welcoming the use of renewable electricity, Gatwick's use is just for airport infrastructure and vehicles. "The planes that fly out of Gatwick are still powered by fossil fuels and will remain so for decades to come. Around 99% of the emissions associated with Gatwick are not from the airport itself but from the aircraft that use it. If you take into account emissions from departing planes, Gatwick has the second highest level of CO2 emissions of any airport in the UK, and this level is set to grow even though the airport was not the Government’s preferred choice for a new runway in the South East.”
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SHE has found another area of housing (in Heston) to be demolished, to cater for Heathrow 3rd runway
As many as 100 homes in Heston, around 4.5 miles from Heathrow, would have to be destroyed if the M4 motorway is widened to accommodate traffic generated by a new third runway. Stop Heathrow Expansion (SHE) has found the admission deep in a technical analysis, by Highways England, of upgrades to the road network that would be required with a new runway. This is a document published by the DfT when it announced Heathrow was its preferred location for a runway. SHE is shocked that this potential loss of homes has not been included in the figures of properties under threat. It also means that people in those homes are unlikely to know the threat, or have enough information to respond fully to the forthcoming consultations. The Highways England document has information on the stretch of the M4 that would need to be widened, with an additional lane to meet extra demand. It states that M4 J2 to J3 widening would result in “substantial acquisition of land including residential and commercial properties in the vicinity of Winchester Avenue”. That is a residential road. Location. SHE visited the residents to see if they were aware of these proposals, but none to whom they spoke were. Heathrow is unlikely to accept that all changes to roads are due to a 3rd runway because that admission would make them liable to pay for that infrastructure. The taxpayer will therefore have to pay the cost.
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Data from monitors installed by Heathrow confirms A380s are noisier than supposedly “noisier” planes they are replacing
The Teddington Action Group (TAG) has been adamant for several years that they are experiencing excessive noise from A380s overhead, especially take-offs towards the east, and especially late evening and night. TAG has now found that these supposedly "quieter aircraft" are in fact noisier than the planes they are replacing. The data from noise monitors, installed by Heathrow, at the National Physical Laboratory and Strawberry Hill House. The data, (Mar-Sept 2016), shows that "quieter" A380s departing directly over the monitors achieved an average noise of 76.5 decibels, compared to an average of 73.8 dB for "noisier" Boeing 747s. Moreover, TAG has discovered that the CAA and DfT have used "double counting" to manipulate elements of the very same data, so to to create an artificially low noise average for the A380s. Noise has been measured by two monitors and somehow this has been computed together to given an allegedly lower noise reading. TAG says: "The DfT argues that Heathrow expansion is made possible by a new generation of quieter aircraft. It's one thing to learn that this platitude is as fallacious as overflown residents have long known. But quite another to learn that data has been self evidently manipulated by the authorities to shore up the fallacy."
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One noise sufferer’s struggle to cope with the noise burden of Heathrow flights under 3,000 feet overhead
Someone who is now dealing with depression has contacted AirportWatch about the difficulties they have with high levels of Heathrow aircraft noise - living 7-8 miles from the airport. There are flights nearby or overhead at under 3,000 ft, on easterlies. Some extracts from the letter are copied below (with their permission): "We are on Easterly Winds until Sat, meaning we have so much noise to come. I am doing my best to cope, but the thought of this much noise is hard to take. ... It is not fair. ... The thing I loved doing the most has been taking away from me - to be able to sit and read a book or study something new in peace, in my own home. I can't do this anymore. It is so sad, as with the noise, I never will be able to sit in my garden and have dinner in the summer months. I brought my house and it was so lovely and quiet - now this has happened. ... The noise is just getting too much for me. ... Why this the government allowing this to happen? I have no support, no protection. My MP is in favour of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, and is unhelpful. ... I didn't choose to live under this. This government, and earlier governments, have brought this to me. I just can't understand why it is allowed to continue. ... When will it stop?" A letter received from the Dept of Health was unhelpful - just advising visiting the GP ....
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Zac’s back: Goldsmith to lead four-borough campaign against Heathrow runway
Former Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith has been appointed spokesman and organiser of the anti-third runway campaign by Richmond, Wandsworth, Hillingdon and Windsor and Maidenhead councils. The appointment was announced at Richmond Council's full council meeting on 17th January. A revised motion put forward by leader Lord True read: "(This council) endorses the appointment of Zac Goldsmith as spokesman and organiser for the public and legal campaign being waged by Richmond, Wandsworth, Windsor & Maidenhead and Hillingdon councils against the expansion of Heathrow and calls upon all elected representatives to give full assistance to Mr Goldsmith in this campaign." Richmond's Liberal Democrat opposition leader Gareth Roberts said he would support Mr Goldsmith's appointment. Mr Goldsmith's role is an unpaid one. Lord True's motion also rejected the government's recommendation to build a third runway, and reaffirmed the council's commitment of £50,000 to an "initial fighting fund" against Heathrow expansion. Zac Goldsmith lost the local election, which he had called because the government backed the runway, on 1st December - to LibDem Sarah Olney, who fought the election on Brexit, rather than on Heathrow. Sarah Olney is also deeply opposed to the runway.