Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Spelthorne Council Leader admits Heathrow expansion ‘not an easy issue’ while continuing support for 3rd runway, not in his constituency
Support for the expansion of Heathrow has been reaffirmed by Spelthorne Borough Council. The decision to maintain its stance, held since 2008, when the authority withdrew from the 2M group of councils including Richmond, Hounslow and Hillingdon who opposed Heathrow expansion, was made at an extraordinary council meeting on January 16th. The meeting was called following the publication of the Airports Commission interim report on 17th December, short-listing 2 runway options at Heathrow. for an extended northern runway and the airport’s own plan of demolishing medieval villages to the north to build a third runway. Heathrow's own proposal is for a runway to the north-west, which does not affect Spelthorne (to the south) very much. It would mean demolition of Harmodsworth, or making it near impossible to live in. Spelthorne Council leader Robert Watts said: “Expanding airports is challenging. .... This is not an easy issue.” Spelthorne has always supported Heathrow expansion. In 2012 their own MP even advocated demolishing part of his borough, to build a runway - till he realised it was not a local vote-winner.
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CAA provisional UK airport data for 2013 shows very small (around 0.4%) rise in ATMs & around 3% rise in air passengers
The CAA has published its provisional airport figures for 2013, but not all have yet been submitted so the final totals are only approximate. NATS said there had been 0.4% more flights in 2013 than there were in 2012. The number of air passengers is around 3% higher than in 2012. At Heathrow passengers were up + 3.4%. At Gatwick passengers were up by + 3.5%. At Manchester they were up + 5.2%; up +2.2% at Stansted (first increase for 5 years); up + 6.3% at Edinburgh; up + 0.8% at Luton; up + 2.3% at Birmingham; up + 2.9% at Glasgow; up + 3.5% at Bristol; up + 1.4% at Newcastle; up + 6.4% at East Midlands; up + 3.4% at Aberdeen; up + 11.6% at Leeds Bradford; up + 13.2% at Belfast City airport; and up + 57.2% at Southend. Almost all airports grew, even most of the small ones. But there were a few declines in the number of passengers. Passengers decreased by - 6.1% at Liverpool; by - 6.7% at Belfast International; and by - 4.5% at Bournemouth. The number of flights grew much less than the number of passengers, as some larger planes were used, and airlines got higher load factors. The number of Air Transport Movements at Heathrow was down - 0.4% compared to 2012; at Gatwick it rose by + 1.6%. ATMs were up + 0.4% at Manchester; up + 0.6% at Stansted; up + 1.1% at Edinburgh; and up + 0.4% at Glasgow.
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Boris Johnson accused by Sir Howard Davies of ‘Vulgar Abuse’ over backing Heathrow not Thames estuary plans
Sir Howard Davies has criticised Boris for his use of "colourful language" and accused him of failing to "illuminate" the debate on airport expansion following the publication of the Airports Commission's interim findings on 17th December. Boris is fiercely opposed to the possibility of increasing capacity at Heathrow and branded the Airports Commission report, which short-listed the option, as "gloopy and tangled", "perplexing" and "biased". Sir Howard dismissed Boris', insisting the criticisms were at odds with transport experts, and said he would "press on with the job". Asked about the comments at the Transport Select Committee, the commission chairman replied: "He would say that wouldn't he?.... Unfortunately, as far as the Mayor is concerned we don't seem to have produced the answer he wants us to produce. We will proceed with our analysis in the way we have been asked to do. "The Mayor has a particular view about hub capacity and a particular view about Heathrow and that's where he starts and that's where he ends. "Anything that is at variance with that is dismissed. Personally I don't think it is at all helpful that he uses this rather colourful language but I guess that is a matter of style." Sir Howard said: "So, I will attempt to rise above this vulgar abuse and press on with the job."
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Legal challenge against Lydd airport expansion plans at the High Court by RSPB and LAAG this week
A legal challenge to the decision to allow expansion at Lydd in Kent is being heard on 21st and 22nd January, at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. A public inquiry was held into the applications by Lydd Airport in 2011 at which the RSPB raised concerns about the impact an expansion would have on the nearby protected wildlife area of Dungeness. The inspector found in favour of the airport’s proposals – and his report was subsequently endorsed by the Secretaries of State for Communities and Local Government and for Transport. After careful consideration the RSPB issued a legal challenge to the final decision based on the inspector’s report. The RSPB believes the stakes are too high to risk the future of one of the UK's best and most important places for nature without testing the basis for this decision which they consider to be flawed. Dungeness is one of the most important wildlife sites in the world and it is protected at global, European and UK levels. It is home to many threatened species and is also a crossroads for migrating birds stopping off on migration. The Lydd Airport Action Group (LAAG) have a separate appeal which will be heard after that of the RSPB. They have concerns about the airport's proximity to the nuclear power station. LAAG did not want to disclose further details of its case until the court hearing.
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Scale of taxpayer contribution needed for Heathrow or Gatwick runways shown up in KPMG report for Airports Commission
A report dated December 2013 by accountants, KPMG, for the Airports Commission, says a 3rd runway at Heathrow could require £11.5bn of government support, (ie. money from the taxpayer) while a 2nd runway at Gatwick may need as much as £17.7bn of taxpayer contributions. An airport in the Thames Estuary would need even more from the taxpayer - maybe £64 billion. The report contradict claims by airport operators that an extra runway could be financed either exclusively or predominantly by the private sector. Gatwick has said it could build a 2nd runway for £5bn to £9bn with no government aid. Heathrow has raised the prospect of £4bn to £6bn of taxpayer support to improve rail and road links, but has argued that a 3rd runway, at a cost of £17bn, would be largely funded by the private sector. The KPMG analysis also highlights the potential burden of building a new runway on passengers, who would pay higher ticket prices. KPMG says these would have to rise by 136% at Gatwick to repay the money borrowed. That would mean charges at Gatwick rising by 2.5% above inflation every year from 2019 to 2050. At Heathrow charges would need to rise by 13% initially and then by 2.5% above inflation. Repaying the money takes till 2050. Unless charges for passengers rise enough, the public (many of whom do not fly) will have to stump up the funds.
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Airports Commission now consulting on Thames estuary airport options – deadlines 14th February and 23rd May
On 16th January the Airports Commission published its consultations on Thames estuary airport options. It did not short-list an estuary option, in its interim report on 17th December. Now there will be a first consultation, ending on 14th February on four options in the inner estuary. The Commission are asking for comments on its current position on the proposed terms of reference, especially if they contain gaps or weaknesses and whether other specific analyses need to be undertaken. There will be a second deadline date, ending on 23rd May, on an inner Thames proposal in which respondents are invited to submit analysis, evidence, and additional research or comments. The Commission says this will give sufficient time to ensure that appropriate evidence can be considered to inform the final study outputs before the studies are concluded and published. The Commission says it "expects to procure expert assistance from consultants in environmental appraisal and technical support; in the provision of engineering, airport operations and logistics consultancy and in the provision of economic modelling, commercial and financial appraisal." Presumably at public expense (the Commission has a budget of £20.35 million over 4 years, from DfT). "The Commission expects to be in a position to publish many of the study outputs by July 2014, to ensure that any further evidence from interested parties is taken into account before a decision is made in September." Final public consultation on the schemes starts in October.
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TESTRAD questions Airports Commission decision to rule out their “London Britannia” estuary airport
TESTRAD (the Thames Estuary Research and Development Company has appealed to the Airports Commission for more information on how it reached its decision not to short-list a Thames Estuary Airport. The TESTRAD CEO Bridget Rosewell has written to Sir Howard Davies, saying they are "concerned about the adequacy of the assessment upon which the Commission has based its conclusions for the final short-list”. Sir Howard said that seeing merit for potential to boost economic development to the east of London and reduce noise over the Capital, the Commission would undertake further assessment of its own for a potential airport on the Estuary's Isle of Grain. A decision on whether to include it on the short-list will be made by "late summer" in time for the consultation on the chosen options in October. At the RunwaysUK conference, the Grain possibility was discussed and it was clear that arguments against it were hugely stronger than those for it. It makes little practical, economic or environmental sense. Bridget Rosewell and her team want clarification on why TESTRAD's and other Estuary proposals were deemed "not credible". She also says some projects (Heathrow?) were given preferential access to the Commission and wants details of those meetings.
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Heathrow to hold 6 week consultation (starting 3rd Feb) with households on their north-west runway plan
Heathrow will start a six week consultation with local households on 3rd February, lasting till 17th March. It will ask for their views on Heathrow's own short-listed north-west third runway plan. The airport wants to get its application as acceptable as possible to locals, to give it more chance of being permitted. "The results will help Heathrow understand what is most important to local residents and will be used to refine the runway proposal before it is resubmitted to the Airports Commission in May." The consultation will be by post, and will be sent to the 120,000 households and businesses likely to be most impacted by the proposed plans. Those outside this area will have the opportunity to share their views online. There will also be drop-in events in nine local areas, to give people the chance to ask questions and "influence the plans." The results will be shared with the Airports Commission, as part of Heathrow's evidence. Heathrow knows that the issue of noise is key, and they will fail in their runway plans if there is strong enough opposition by enough people, on noise. They are hoping "mitigation" measures will be enough to reduce opposition. In reality people from huge areas of London, currently hardly affected by Heathrow aircraft noise, would be affected by this runway.
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Local Surrey Guardian newspaper asks: “Was Leatherhead sacrificed in the floods to save Gatwick?”
After exceptionally heavy rain and wind on 23rd December, Gatwick airport had serious problems with unexpected flooding, with many flights cancelled or delayed. It is still unclear to what extent actions taken at the airport to divert water from its holding ponds and prevent the airport from flooding meant more water surged down the River Mole, making flooding worse downstream in areas such as Dorking and Cobham. It is understood that investigations are under way, and councillors for Leatherhead are seeking clarifications from the airport. The local press reported that an Environment Agency spokesman had said that Gatwick airport are constructing a further water storage reservoir directly on the Gatwick stream. The Gatwick Stream, where river levels rose rapidly, meets the River Mole south of Horley. Flooded residents feared that the contents of Gatwick airport’s balancing ponds may have been dumped into the River Mole and sluice gates further down were not opened in time.
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London Assembly Votes Against Heathrow Airport Expansion
The London Assembly has voted against the expansion of Heathrow and proposed greater use of existing airports in the south-east. They passed a motion -by 13 votes to 7 in response to the Airports Commission's Interim Report recommendation (17th December) that two options for a new Heathrow 3rd runway would be short-listed. Caroline Pidgeon, the leader of the Liberal Democrats on the Assembly, who proposed the motion, said: “Airport capacity in London is currently underused; in fact some London airports have more than half of their runway slots free. Rather than inflict further misery on the residents of west London, the Airports Commission should rule out expansion of Heathrow and focus on better use of capacity at other south-east airports.” The motion backed the Commission's proposals for improving ground transport links to existing airports. Tony Arbour, Conservative London Assembly Member for Richmond and Hounslow, proposed an amendment which said there should be a categorical opposition to any additional flights at Heathrow. He said the Lib Dem motion, which recognised the need for more airport capacity in the south-east, “opens the door for dual use of runways at Heathrow which will increase noise for millions of Londoners." All those voting against the motion were Tories.