Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
John Holland-Kaye takes over from Colin Matthews as Heathrow CEO on 1st July
Heathrow Airport has confirmed John Holland-Kaye, its development director, will take over as chief executive on 1st July from Colin Matthews, who is leaving the company after six years in the job. Mr Holland-Kaye, aged 49, has taken an increasingly prominent role over the past year in Heathrow's campaign for a 3rd runway. He has also been overseeing Heathrow's new Terminal 2 building, which will open to passengers next month. He commented: “My aspiration is to improve Heathrow as much in the next five years as we have in the last five years.” Mr Holland-Kaye's main task will be to persuade policymakers that a third Heathrow runway is politically deliverable as the airport competes against its rival, Gatwick,to get a new runway. He must know that he’ll have a real prospect of a knighthood if he gets the runway. Details of their runway submission to the Airports Commission are due to be publicised on 13th May.
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Kent’s Manston Airport to close on 15th May
The owners of Manston Airport say it is to close on 15th May with the loss of up to 150 jobs as a buyer has not been found. The bid by a US firm, RiverOak Investment, was rejected a few days ago, and another bid fell through in April. An airport spokesman said there had not been "a viable alternative" to allow the airport to remain open. The spokesman said Manston had also considered business proposals put forward by staff but those would have still required losses to be subsidised. The local MP, Sir Roger Gale, said the airport should have negotiated over the offers. Individual consultation will now take place with all staff members "who will be supported through this process." In March, the airport said it was losing £10,000 a day. Several airlines have pulled out, including KLM, which ran two daily flights to Amsterdam. Local campaigners keep hoping this is not the end yet, and they are trying to keep fighting "to the bitter end."
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After 2 winters Southend Airport has only now applied for a permit to discharge de-icer into local brook
The local paper has revealed that Southend Airport has been discharging de-icer into Prittle Brook for more than 2 winters. The airport’s owner, the Stobart Group, has only now applied for a permit from the Environment Agency to discharge up to 79,188 gallons (360 cubic metres) of “trade effluent consisting of deicer”into the waterway every day. Stobart said the application is for surface water running off in the winter. The local Castle Point Wildlife Group are concerned that even if diluted, the de-icer may harm the natural environment. John Fuller, coordinator of the South East Essex Friends of the Earth, said: “We are very concerned about this in case it has implications on human health. We understand the EA deems it within tolerable limits..... The fact that it has been going on for 2 years shows the controls on the airport are woefully inadequate.” Local fishermen are concerned about the potential pollution of their catches, which are not tested for this sort of pollution. Stobart claim the Environment Agency has monitored the situation and found "little or no impact on water courses and wildlife.” The EA will take comments on this application till 22nd May.
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Heathrow launches new “Webtrak My Neighbourhood” website to show flight path use over time periods
Heathrow has launched a new online tool allowing people to track the routes planes fly into and out of the airport. It is called "WebTrak My Neighbourhood", and is a different variant of the existing "Webtrak" that has existed for some years. The new "My Neighbourhood" version shows landings (red) and take-offs (green) and gives a % of the amount of flights that have used that flightpath, over the past month, or quarter, or year. It also shows what % of hours have been plane-free during that time. The "i" information button on each flight path gives more information, such as the breakdown of flights over a day, showing which hours were busiest. Heathrow says it is the 2nd airport (after Eindhoven) to use the technique. The airport hopes it will help keep residents better informed about their operations. It will also help people avoid living in areas which have a lot of flights. However, though the information is welcome, it does not actually have any effect on reducing the noise. Heathrow has the unenviable task of trying to persuade the public that the planes using an extra runway will, somehow, not mean any more aircraft noise ....
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Emergency landing (May 2013 – cowls flew off) to cost BA ££s thousands in compensation
BA has backed down and compensated some of the hundreds of passengers whose flights were delayed when one of its Airbus A319 aircraft was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow almost a year ago. Flight BA762 to Oslo was forced to return to Heathrow (flying over thousands of Londoners en route, with an engine on fire) shortly after take-off when both engine cowls blew off, causing a fire in the right engine. Passengers were forced to evacuate via escape slides and the aircraft blocked one of the two runways on May 24th 2013 last year. BA initially denied passengers affected were due compensation, claiming the incident was due to exceptional circumstances beyond its control and therefore European regulation EC261 exempted it from compensating passengers. Now an investigation by the Air Accidents Investigation Branch revealed the fault was due to human error. Retaining latches, which hold the engine doors in place, had not been closed. BA has to pay compensation, of between €250 and €600 per person.
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Heathrow’s Populus opinion polls continue to show around a third opposed to runway
Heathrow airport has spent a lot of effort and money on trying to persuade people in government and in positions of influence that there is public backing for a 3rd runway, and that people in boroughs near Heathrow are likely to want to vote for pro- expansion local councillors. However, the polling results do not show any significant increase in support for a 3rd runway now, than there was back in 2007. The poll that is quoted by Heathrow was done in March 2014 and shows 48% net in favour, 34% net opposed and 18% neither support nor oppose. The figures are broadly similar from polls in November 2013 or May 2013. A Populus poll in 2007 showed 50% supported a 3rd runway and 30% were against. About a third of people stubbornly refuse to back expansion at Heathrow. Heathrow knows that unless they can shift opinion in the next year, the odds against a third runway being built will lengthen…….whatever recommendation the Airports Commission comes up with in summer 2015.
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Gatwick 2nd runway aircraft noise could threaten Hever Castle – it harms the visitor experience
Hever Castle - the childhood home of Anne Boleyn - near Edenbridge in Kent fears increased aircraft noise, from Gatwick planes, could deter people from visiting the attraction. The chief executive of Hever, Duncan Leslie, said: "If they increased aeroplanes I would be surprised if this business survived long term." The noise is already bad, though Gatwick is 21 miles away, and a 2nd runway could make the situation worse. Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII's second wife, lived at Hever, which dates back to 1270. The relentless aircraft noise, with planes some 3 - 4,000 feet overhead, detracts from the experience of Hever, and for much of the day with a westerly wind, there is a plane about once a minute. Alastair McDermid, Gatwick's airports commission director, said a new runway would be to the south of the existing one and would not necessarily increase noise at Hever. Gatwick is holding a consultation at present, and has done 16 exhibitions about it. However, they have chosen not to give any details on flight paths, which has caused a lot of annoyance.
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Woodland Trust highlights loss of 3 areas of ancient woodland for Gatwick runway
Though much of the area that would be flattened and covered in concrete and tarmac for a 2nd Gatwick runway - and associated building - would be fields and grassland, there are also three areas of ancient woodland. The Woodland Trust has assessed the woods that are threatened and found that they are significant and have important local biodiversity value. The current Gatwick consultation on its runway options (there is only one of the options that the airport wants, and the consultation has no proper way for respondents to say they oppose any new runway) barely recognises the impact a new runway will have on this irreplaceable habitat. The fact it will also wipe out the last remaining ecological network for wildlife around the whole of the south side of the airport is ignored. The Woodland Trust is urging people to respond to the consultation, either by just saying NO to any of the options, or giving more detail in the response boxes to reflect the proposed destruction of these valuable bits of high quality woodland.
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Gatwick Runway Exhibitions a huge success – for the opposition!
Gatwick Airport Ltd have held 15 exhibitions to explain their runway proposals to the public. Over 6,000 people in total will have attended but, according to local community group, GACC, some 75-80% of those visiting the exhibitions were opposed to any new runway. GACC volunteers manned a ‘picket line’ outside each exhibition, handing out leaflets and car stickers, and recruiting new members. According the GACC chairman Brendon Sewill, "people were coming out of the hall horrified at what they had seen, and queuing up to join GACC." People were frustrated by the lack of key information on aspects of the plans, such as noise and supporting infrastructure. At Edenbridge the highly respected and respectable MP for Tonbridge, Sir John Stanley, organised a mass demonstration against aircraft noise and against any new runway. At Horsham around 200 people marched through the town to protest at the new flight path over Warnham and north Horsham, and to oppose any new runway. The Gatwick exhibitions have been helpful, in that they have alerted the public and have demonstrated the strength of feeling against the proposals.
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Gatwick runway opponents march through Horsham
More than 120 people marched through Horsham town centre on Saturday, May 3, to protest against a new runway at Gatwick Airport and new flight paths. They set off from the carfax to the Drill Hall, where Gatwick was holding one of its 16 public exhibitions, showing the public the runways plans, some of which they will be submitting to the Airports Commission by 16th May. Communities Against Gatwick Noise Emissions (CAGNE), with the help of Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) and Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Sussex, organised the walk through Horsham town centre and their attendance outside the exhibition. CAGNE and GACC have between them had a presence at all of the exhibitions, and given out information to those attending on why they believe firmly that there should not be a new runway - due to the social and environmental damage it would do the area, for miles around the airport in all directions.