Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Update from Luton – no sign of work yet on the airport expansion
Plans to allow Luton airport to expand from around 9 million to around 18 million passengers a year, were granted final approval in July 2014. Luton Borough Council gave consent for work to begin on a modernised terminal building. However, nothing much has been heard since. An update from a Luton resident says there continue to be disagreements about noise, and what the airport and the airlines are doing to keep it as low as possible. So far, as far as anyone knows, no contracts have yet been awarded to build the expanded airport and there are a number of key "planning" issues in and around the issue of Section 106 agreements yet to be resolved. Some elements of the proposal are described as "reserved matters" - only outline application was made for a multi-storey car-park and a pedestrian link building. There are concerns that the airport will have difficulty with departure noise levels, which are set out in Conditions by the Planning Authority (which also happens to own the airport). There are mutterings of "we'll lose lots of traffic to Stansted.....". Worryingly, Planning Authorities can, without further public consultation, relax Conditions if they can be shown to be "onerous."
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Crawley Council told “get off the fence” over Gatwick – key Council debate to be on 26th January
Crawley Borough Council has been told to get off the fence on a 2nd runway at Gatwick. Members of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Commission met recently to discuss the council’s response to the Airports Commission’s consultation. One councillor said: "... at this moment, what people in Crawley ... want to hear is their elected representatives taking a view. Not having an opinion and sitting on the fence won’t do any good for anybody.” Others said they had received little or no correspondence from people in favour of expansion, but plenty of opposition, and this must be communicated back to the council. Cllr Brenda Smith said: “We are here to represent the people who elected us. If we haven’t got the ability to make the decision for ourselves, then we shouldn’t be doing the job.” Several councillors found fault with the Airports Commission documents, and errors on housing and employment. There were concerns about the “unrealistic assumption” that housing growth would be spread equally over the 14 authorities surrounding the airport. One councillor said: “Crawley will be just a reserve army of labour for the airport. It will become a suburb of Gatwick.” The view of the Council will be debated at a Special Council Meeting on Monday January 26 - which the public can attend.
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“Gatwick Obviously NOT” (no longer !!!) encouraging residents to write to West Sussex County Councillors before Gatwick vote on Monday 19th January
The group, "Gatwick Obviously NOT" (GON) that is mainly representing areas to the east of Gatwick, affected by aircraft noise, is asking people to write to all 71 councillors in West Sussex County Council, (WSCC) before a council meeting. Gatwick airport is just in West Sussex, and in July 2013 a hasty decision was rushed through, for the Council to back a Gatwick 2nd runway. This will be re-considered on 19th January. GON have written to all West Sussex councillors, and want others to also write, to say they support what GON have said. GON have told WSCC that there are many concerns about the economics of a Gatwick runway and Gatwick has not been transparent on the numbers. Also that Gatwick has not been honest about flight path changes (Stewart Wingate gave the assurance on 18th July that: "the impression may be that something has changed, although I can assure you nothing has …" But then on 5th December, the CAA's CEO admitted: "The air traffic controllers tried out revised vectoring practices between the hold and landing at Gatwick … Air traffic controllers were trialling, or trying out, some new vectoring choices to see what effect they would have." Kent County Council and Tunbridge Wells councils have now voted against a Gatwick runway.
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Campaign group back’s Boris’s bid to have final say on flight numbers at London City Airport
Campaign group HACAN East supports Mayor Boris Johnson’s bid to have the final say over flight numbers at London City Airport. The group is backing Boris to have the final say over the number of planes which are allowed to use the airport., and he wants to have the authority to veto any future proposals to do away with existing cap of 120,000 aircraft a year. The Mayor has said this in his response to the airport’s current consultation on its plans for expansion. HACAN East chair John Stewart, said, “We fully support the Mayor’s request. It is a nonsense that one London borough, Newham, should decide how many planes can use the airport when the impact of the airport affects vast swathes of London.” The current consultation does not involve any request by London City to increase flight numbers. What it wants is permission to build an extended taxiway and bigger parking stands so that larger aircraft can use the airport. It also wants to double the size of the terminal and provide more car parking spaces. The consultation closes on Friday 23rd January, with Newham expected to make a decision later in the year.
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Windsor meetings on Heathrow expansion – afternoon & evening of Tuesday 20th January
The West Windsor Residents Association (WWRA) and Old Windsor Residents Associations are holding Open Public Meetings on Tuesday 20th January at Windsor Racecourse starting at 2.30pm and 7.30 pm. The aim is to inform local residents about the probably disastrous effects of extra runway capacity on life locally. Also to empower people to take action that will help to influence relevant decision makers, and ensure their voice is heard in the debate - above the noise from Heathrow, and big business. There will be presentations from local experts on noise, housing, transport, health. Those who are able to attend the afternoon session are asked to do so, in order to leave space in the evening for people who work in the daytime. There is the prospect, from another Heathrow runway, of around 50% more flights, some over previously quiet areas. There would also be a demand for around 70,000 more houses for 112,000 more employees and their families' needs, which would inevitably have a huge permanent impact. Effects would be felt across many boroughs, all already stretched to cope with current demand, each required to find space for 5,000 more houses, plus schools, hospitals, doctors, transport improvements, etc.
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MPs identify serious concerns about noise implications of Heathrow expansion
On the 18th December 2014, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Heathrow and the Wider Economy launched its report ‘Noise from Heathrow Airport’ which sets out how the Government, Parliament and the Aviation Industry have seriously underestimated the impact of noise from Heathrow’s flight paths. The report considered the present and future noise impact of Heathrow’s flight paths, with the existing two runways, and with the proposed 3rd runway. It found a substantial list of gaps in HAL’s proposals and has produced a list of actions for the Government, Airport’s Commission and HAL that are necessary to tackle the existing problem and that are central to the consideration of any 3rd runway. These include the need for noise to be measured using the WHO formula; the need for full information about future flight paths, and respite periods, so residents are properly informed; proper estimates of numbers affected by noise in future, taking into account the anticipated growth in population in affected areas; and reduction in night flights. The APPG notes that HAL’s CEO has confirmed to the APPG that a successful 3rd runway would pave the way for a 4th runway.
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Gatwick airport announces highest ever number of passengers in 2014 – 38.1 million
Gatwick has announced its highest ever number of air passengers, in 2014. There were 38.1 million passengers, which is up + 7.6% compared to 2013. Gatwick had 256,350 Air Transport Movements (flights) in 2013, which was up by 4% compared to 2013. Their air cargo was down by 8.6% compared to 2013, at 88,737 tonnes. The number of passengers at Gatwick has grown steadily since 2010, and overtook the previous peak from 2007 35,165,000 in 2013. The number of flights is still slightly below its peak level in 2007, when there were around 259,000. Gatwick said the growth was driven across a range of markets, and of course, it took the opportunity to make another plug for its 2nd runway. There were approximately 149 passengers, on average, on planes using Gatwick,compared with about 156 at Heathrow. By contrast, in 2011 there were about 134 passengers, on average, per plane using Gatwick. So along with Heathrow, there is a slow increase in the size of planes, and/or the load factor - to be expected when the majority of flights are low-cost. Gatwick says it now has more long haul flights, and passengers travelling to Dubai in 2014 increased by 8.3% compared to 2013.
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Heathrow airport announces highest ever number of passengers in 2014 – 73.4 million
Heathrow airport has announced that in 2014 they had 1.4% more passengers than in 2013, with 73.4 million compared to 72.3 million. They had just 0.2% more Air Transport Movements (= flights) than in 2013, with 470,695 compared to 469,552. And they had 5.3% more air cargo than in 2013, with 1.50 million tonnes, compared to 1.42 million. The number of air passengers has risen steadily since 2010, and is now well above the pre-recession peak of 67.8 million in 2007. The number of flights is well below the highest levels, of 476,000+ in both 2007 and in 2011, due to increasing use of larger planes. Heathrow says there were 2.5% more transfer passengers in 2014 than in 2013. The figures for the month of December, also released the same day, show Heathrow only had an average load factor of 76.6% (ie. on each plane, some 23.4% of seats are unfilled). For December 2014 Heathrow said the average number of passengers per plane was 159.6. It is more like 156 for the year. By contrast, the average number of passengers per plane was 146 in 2011 (link). Larger planes are increasingly being used. There are estimates that Heathrow could accommodate 90 million passengers per year, with its current terminal capacity (link)
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Council leaders tell Mr Holland-Kaye that he is wrong to presume councils don’t oppose his runway plans
The Leader of Richmond Council, Lord True, has accused the Chief Executive of Heathrow, John Holland-Kaye, as ‘talking utter nonsense’ in a recent interview regarding the future of the airport. Mr Holland-Kaye said: ‘Historically the five closest boroughs to us have opposed our plans. Now all are either neutral or support us and only Hillingdon opposes our plans now.” Lord True says Mr Holland-Kaye should wake up and realise the opposition to a 3rd Heathrow runway from West London boroughs is stronger now than it has ever been. Lord True, said:“Mr Holland Kaye is talking utter nonsense. When he claims councils near Heathrow are either in favour or neutral about his expansion, it is as if Caesar were claiming Gaul would welcome his legions. Sheer fantasy. Richmond remains implacably opposed to gifting a bigger Heathrow to its wealthy foreign owners at the expense of ordinary Londoners – and we and Hillingdon are certainly not alone. Mr Holland Kaye – wake up!" Leader of Wandsworth Council, Ravi Govindia has also reminded Heathrow that councils across London and the Home Counties are deeply opposed to a new runway and creation of new flightpaths. He said: “Councils surrounding Heathrow and across London are resolutely opposed to expansion and that is not going to change."
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Expansion of Heathrow could ‘destroy Windsor’ according to councillor
Another Heathrow runway could 'destroy Windsor' according to a Windsor councillor and chairman of the Royal Borough's Aviation Forum. The comments were made at a meeting of the forum,discussing the Airports Commission's options for a new south east runway. The councillor said: "If the expansion of Heathrow Airport is given the go ahead, it will destroy Windsor and the reason why people want to come here. It will affect the ability to hold state functions at Windsor Castle and the north-western option will affect Eton....It would see an increased level of noise for our residents and will affect our world heritage sights, which the commission have seemed to overlook." The Royal Borough of Windsor are now drafting a submission to the Airports Commission. Another councillor said: "The Airports Commission's paper is one of the biggest things the borough has had to respond to and the implications are enormous." Another councillor commented that the need for up to 70,800 new homes, for a 3rd runway, would created turmoil and require highly valued green belt land.