Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
New nature reserve to be created by London Wildlife Trust under northern runway approach, at Cranford
An area of green space, called Crane Meadows in Cranford, which cannot be used for housing due to its proximity to Heathrow under the flight path, was previously owned by BAA, and Hillingdon and Hounslow councils. It passed into the hands of the London Wildlife Trust in 2010 after boundary changes. The land has not until now been open to the public, but the London Wildlife Trust intends to make it an accessible public nature reserve and open space. It has a public consultation with local people on its plans - ending at the end of March 2014. Though very noisy when planes are landing, the area has a mix of grasslands, woods, meadow and wetlands and a range of animals and plants. The Trust wants to know how people want to see the space altered and where access should be provided. The Trust wants to provide volunteering opportunities, organised activities, outdoor education sessions for children and adults [these sessions could only be possible for the half day, with runway alternation, when planes are not thundering overhead]. The site was once market gardens and still contains old fruit trees, from the days before Heathrow was built in the 1940s.
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York Aviation report says ending Heathrow runway alternation and other short term measures would financially benefit UK
It is rather quiet on the aviation news front at the moment, so time for some publicity for the airports trying to get their runway plans accepted. Backers of Heathrow expansion (London First and the City of London Corporation and Let Britain Fly) have quoted from a report that they hope strengthens their case for a runway to be built as soon as possible. The report is by a firm called York Aviation - which has done a great many reports in the past, with dubious economics that exaggerates one case, while ignoring inconvenient facts that detract from their argument. The York Aviation report says there would be £206 million of economic benefit to the British economy if runway alternation was ended at Heathrow, so both runways were used in mixed mode. This would be deeply unpopular with tens of thousands (even hundreds of thousands perhaps as some 725,000 are overflown) and is why Heathrow airport itself is wary of advocating this. York Aviation also says reducing delays at Heathrow by an average of 2 minutes would result in further savings of £125m. [Really?? for 2 minutes for each person?] But - they say - these benefits are limited compared to the huge benefits of a new runway .... so better get on with it......
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Belfast International Airport loses out to Dublin in the race for long-haul routes
Planned new long-haul routes from Northern Ireland' Belfast International airport to Toronto and Abu Dhabi will not be introduced this year, raising fears that our main airport is being allowed to stagnate. The routes won't operate till the end of 2014, at the earliest. There are fears that the airport has little or no future as an international hub without immediate government help, as it cannot compete with Dublin for lucrative international air routes. Dublin has almost 5 times as many passengers. It has been stagnating for years. By contrast, Dublin Airport is booming. BIA has only one long-haul route – a New York-Newark service – which was only saved three years ago after an 11th hour U-turn by Chancellor George Osborne allowing Northern Ireland to stop charging APD. Northern Ireland cannot compete with the Republic, which can offer airlines huge financial incentives. BIA had around 4,022,470 passengers in 2013, down - 6.7% on 2012.
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Fears in Heathrow area that a 3rd runway with associated infrastructure could add to local flood risk
The western end of Heathrow is within 3 miles of the River Thames. The western end of the airport is within 3 - 4 miles of Datchet, Old Windsor and Wraysbury, as well as Staines. These areas are currently experiencing unprecedented flooding, due to some of the wettest weather and more continuous storms and rainfall for several hundred years (which is consistent with predictions of climate change from rising global CO2 emissions). Heathrow airport itself covers a huge area in impermeable surfaces, and its storm drainage is on a vast scale. There were already fears from previous years of its impact on the drainage of the area. It has the River Colne running along its western edge, and the River Crane along its eastern edge. A report in 2003 for Hacan recommended that a full EIA should be carried out on the impact of a 3rd runway on the Heathrow flood plain; and that as expansion of Heathrow would have a significant impact on water levels in an area much wider than just the Heathrow flood plain a detailed analysis is carried out in the impact a 3rd runway would have on rivers across a wider area. In addition that no decision should be made on a 3rd runway until full analysis has been done and has been put out to wide public consultation.
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Even if only 10% of those newly overflown by a 3rd Heathrow runway are deeply disturbed by the noise, that is 15,000 more people
In a recent blog, John Stewart considers the issue that is key for Heathrow airport - noise - and how it can affect people differently. Some people are much more bothered and distressed by it than others. The airport is currently carrying out focus group research in an attempt to find more about these differences. Currently there are over 725,000 people under Heathrow flight paths; a 3rd north-west runway would add around another 150,000 = total 875,000. What is much less clear is how many of these people are, or will be, deeply disturbed by aircraft noise. Research from Germany indicates that about 10% of people are much more noise sensitive than others. It is know that people will be more annoyed by noise if they believe it is not good for them. Also if they feel they have no control over the noise or cannot stop it getting worse. Noise is less disturbing when people believe the authorities are doing everything they can to reduce the problem. Heathrow believes around 10% of those who would be newly over-flown by a new runway's flight paths would be deeply disturbed. The numbers are huge. 10% means an extra 15,000 people. Considering those under flight paths for all 3 runways, 10% means 87,000 people (out of the 875,000 overflown). Even 5% is 43,000 people seriously upset by the noise. That is a pretty terrifying statistic.
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Lowfield Heath remembered – the ‘ghost village’ destroyed to build Gatwick airport
Memories of a village that was demolished as Gatwick Airport grew have resurfaced as campaigners fight plans for a 2nd Gatwick runway. Lowfield Heath disappeared in the 1970s after the then Gatwick aerodrome expanded into an international airport from the 1950s onwards. Today the only buildings that remain of the village are its windmill and Grade II* listed church. The windmill was moved but the church still stands - surrounded by industrial estates. In the church is a plaque commemorates a reunion in 1989 of "those who formed the village community at the outbreak of the second world war in 1939 and whose homes and village were subsequently displaced by Gatwick international airport". The sad fate of Lowfield Heath is a "salutary reminder" of what can happen to a village next to an airport determined to expand. It was once a nice little community with a cricket club, a school and a WI. After the present Gatwick runway was built in 1958, people remained in Lowfield Heath because of a lack of compensation, but life became intolerable by the 1970s because of the noise of airport jets. But then in 1973 the area became an industrial development zone, so residents could sell their homes at "a large price" for warehousing and hangars. So they moved away.
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George Osborne kicks off Northern Hub investment with start of 4th platform at Manchester Airport station
George Osborne has launched the start of work to build a 4th platform at Manchester airport's railway station. This marks the start of the £600n Northern Hub project. The airport says the 4th platform project – costing £20m - will be delivered 18 months earlier than hoped, with works carried out in parallel to the expansion of Metrolink lines to the airport. It is due to be completed by the end of 2015. The aim is to lay more track to improve the region's heavily-congested rail network, on which other work is also ongoing. The local MP talked about how this rail platform will help us to "compete in the global race" !? The hope is that better rail in the north of England will "ensure growth is not concentrated in any one place by keeping Britain connected and creating thousands of local jobs, delivering a brighter economic future for the whole country.” The airport said the new rail scheme would be "key to boosting passenger numbers, luring businesses to its £800m Airport City scheme". The Beijing Construction Engineering Group is teaming-up with Manchester Airports Group, the Greater Manchester Pension Fund and UK construction firm Carillion to invest in the project, "which aims to create up to 16,000 jobs."
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Manchester Airport City to boost its marketing efforts to attract global companies
Manchester airports "Airport City" says it will be a "£800 million landmark property development, creating a globally connected business destination" and a "vibrant economic hub with connectivity at its heart, the UK’s first Airport City will provide 5m sq ft of development, a mix of offices, hotels, advanced manufacturing, logistics and warehousing. Airport City is expected to be one of the largest regeneration schemes in the UK since the 2012 Olympics redevelopment". It executives are now trying to create thousands of jobs by luring global firms to the area. They have now appointed two Manchester marketing agencies,Start JudgeGill and theEword to "focus on a strong and impactful international strategy to take Airport City to key territories" such as China and the Middle East. Airport City sits at the heart of Greater Manchester’s Enterprise Zone, which means companies relocating there can get tax breaks and other incentives. Last year, a deal was done to secure investment in the scheme from the Beijing Construction and Engineering Group. Meanwhile work is starting on a 4th platform at the airport's rail station, which the airport say is key to boosting passenger numbers, and luring businesses to its Airport City scheme.
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Heathrow’s plans to end 60-year-old gentlemen’s agreement over Cranford could be prevented by Hillingdon Council
Officers at Hillingdon Council are recommending refusal of Heathrow's planning application, which would enable regular take-offs over Cranford (a residential area just east of Heathrow's northern runway). There has been a 60-year old gentlemen's agreement that planes do not take off over Cranford, which would become an impossible place to live, if take-offs to the east were allowed. This was a verbal agreement made in 1952. Heathrow has applied to Hillingdon Council for permission to carry out the necessary taxi-way work to enable scheduled departures to the east from the northern runway. Hillingdon Councillors are due to make their decision at a Planning meeting on 11th February, but officers have recommended refusal on the grounds too little compensation has been offered to mitigate the impact of extra noise on residents and schools in Cranford and surrounding areas. The Cranford Agreement was repealed in 2009 by the Labour government to reduce the noise burden on those to the airport's west, in Windsor and Maidenhead, who consequently have to put up with more planes overhead.
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Cardiff Airport shuttle bus from Cardiff centre to attract more traffic averages 4 passengers per journey
A shuttle bus to transport passengers from Cardiff centre to the airport has carried on average fewer than 4 passengers a journey since its launch in August 2013. The service is funded by the Welsh government, with the cost suggested to be around half a million ££s. The bus runes every 20 minutes and has so carried an average of 2,778 passengers a week. Last month the Conservatives said the service was "unsustainable". A review of the service has been carried out by Prof Stuart Cole from the University of South Wales. Cardiff airport was bought by the Welsh government for £52m in March 2013 and the bus service is part of the strategy to reverse a slump in passenger numbers.A local MP said: "At almost half a million (pounds) in Welsh Labour government subsidy, that's an exceptionally expensive service to support and on current passenger numbers is simply unsustainable." But a Cardiff Business School transport expert said such services were needed to convince airlines there would be passengers available. "Airlines planning cycles are such that they're not just going to start routes instantly. It's going to take [6 - 12] months, to attract routes into the airport and, therefore, it's a bit like the chicken and egg."