Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
GACC reveals indicative flight paths for a 2nd Gatwick runway, showing new areas overflown
Maps illustrating probable flight paths from a new Gatwick runway have been produced by the local community group, GACC (the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign). The maps have been designed with a knowledge of the principles of air space design and aeronautical principles, and have been checked out with an air traffic control expert. The maps show the new departure routes as likely to cause disturbance in Horsham, East Grinstead, Dorking, Reigate and many villages which are at present not overflown. The arrival routes are shown as covering most of Sussex. Brendon Sewill, Chairman of GACC said of the new maps that "If Gatwick Airport Ltd don’t like them it is up to them to produce their own maps." The problem with a 2nd runway and hence huge increase in the number of flights, is that If flight paths are to be designed to minimise the risk of accidents flight paths will need to go over areas at present peaceful. The maps are based on a so-called ‘wide-spaced’ runway 1,035 m to the south of the existing one. With planes landing and taking off on each runway, there need to be 2 parallel tracks some 1,035 m apart and flight paths would need to be designed to avoid mid-air collisions.
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Airports Commission: all expansion models on the table but suggests 2 hubs, not only Heathrow, for London
The Airports Commission has produced its discussion paper on "Airport Operational Models." It looks at all options, including developing a single, massive hub airport and building new runways near London to produce two hubs. The paper accepts that Heathrow cannot be expanded in the short term and that politicians must consider the UK regions when they decide which airports to develop. It also indicates the uncertainty that Heathrow would ever get permission to build another runway. The paper puts the option of a complete airline alliance (Star Alliance or SkyTeam) moving in its entirety from Heathrow to another airport (Gatwick or Stansted) to take pressure off Heathrow. ie. building another runway there.The FT thinks the Oneworld alliance, in which BA is key, would want to stay at Heathrow. The Airports Commission paper considers having several airports competing with each other, rather than one key UK hub, would make it easier for new airlines to enter the market. It appreciates that in future, with more use of long distance planes, Britain could be relatively excluded from being a global hub because hub airports in the Gulf area would benefit.
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Build the 3rd runway at Heathrow now, says Alistair Darling – but it’s not Labour policy
Alistair Darling, who was Labour Chancellor under Gordon Brown between 2007 and 2010, is apparently keen to do that job again, if the opportunity presents itself. He has told the press that he wants this government to get on with building a third runway at Heathrow immediately, rather than wait for the Airports Commission to report in summer 2015. He was Transport Secretary between 2003 and 2007. He has been backing a 3rd Heathrow runway for many years, or another Stansted runway, and claims there is a lack of airport capacity. He has also been opposed to an estuary airport for at least 10 years. Alistair Darling wants the UK to urgently build "big-ticket infrastructure projects" such as a new runway in order "to prevent a lost decade of flat economic growth and rising debt" though quite how encouraging more foreign holidays and visits to friends and family will do that is not explained. Last October, Labour abandoned its support for expansion, when Maria Eagle, the shadow Transport Secretary, said "the 3rd runway at Heathrow is now off the agenda because of the local environmental impact".
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Rochester “Airport” in Kent (a tiny airfield) wants to build a hard surface runway
Rochester "Airport" is a tiny airfield south of the town. It has little current activity. A new lease was granted to the Rochester Airport Operating company in 2009, and this year the Conservative led Medway Council announced their wish for some of the airport land to be separated off and developed for Industrial use. This proposal would close one of the two grass runways but allow some of the monies raised by development to pay for improvements to the infrastructure that would remain. An invitation to tender was issued and the operator became the preferred bidder. The airfield has now produced a public exhibition setting out their optimistic vision for the airfield, including plans for a hard surfaced runway. This is part of a process to draw up a master plan. Local ward councillors are very enthusiastic about the hard runway proposals which they claim will make the airfield more "sustainable" and help make money. Not unlike Redhill aerodrome.
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Birmingham Airport says British exports need network of long-haul airports, not only a Heathrow hub
Paul Kehoe, the Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport, has commissioned research to back his campaign to get more long haul flights to his airport. The 400 metre runway extension at Birmingham (taking the runway to some 3,000 metres) should be in use by spring 2014. The new report says that Birmingham is well situated for a large number of UK businesses that want to do business abroad and fly abroad. It says Birmingham has the second largest business catchment - within 2 hours travel - in the UK and the biggest number of manufacturers. Therefore Kehoe argues (as he has done consistently for years) that if this government is to fulfil its promise to rebalance the UK economy towards manufacturing and exports, there have to be more long haul flights from the Midlands and further north. Business people don't want to land at Heathrow and have to treck up north by road or rail. The report says "long-haul airports at Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester could serve and support growth in economies of their sizeable catchment areas. But unlike Manchester Airport, Birmingham Airport is uniquely placed to ease congestion at Heathrow."
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Heathrow may stop pushing for mixed mode or more night flights – to improve its chance of getting another runway
The Financial Times reports that Heathrow will soon make its submission to the Airports Commission, and it will not be pushing for mixed mode (ie. take offs and landings on the same runway). The Commission's deadline for comment on ways to make better use of existing capacity is 17th May. The FT also thinks Heathrow will not be pushing for more night flights. The airport knows the extent of opposition to both mixed mode and to night flights over London. Those affected by aircraft noise hold dear their half day of respite, when flights change runway for landing at 3pm. However, this tactic by Heathrow is thought to be a calculated move in order to increase its chances of getting permission for a 3rd (and maybe even a 4th runway). The airport appears to hope it has more chance of getting what it wants, with less opposition. The fear by those already heavily over-flown is that mixed mode could increase the total number of air transport movements from some 480,000 now to around 530,000 and that could be seen as a temporary measure to increase the throughput of the airport.
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Ever larger proportion of diesel road vehicles which produce carginogenic exhaust contribute to airport air pollution
Whereas people hoped that ever more advanced engine technology would reduce the amount of air pollution produced from road vehicles, it seems that air pollution continues to rise. There is mounting evidence that the tiny particulates produced from incompletely combusted diesel fuel are carcinogenic. As diesel vehicles can be slightly more fuel-efficient in miles per gallon, there has been a shift in the UK towards more and more diesel vehicles, since around 2000. At present there are around 50% diesel and 50% petrol cars, though this balance may swing back towards petrol. Diesel engines often do not appear to be as "clean" as their manufacturer spec would indicate, especially if there is slow moving traffic or traffic jams. The net effect has been no reduction in air pollution - for example around busy airports. For airports such as Heathrow which have a higher proportion of diesel vehicles, including lorries, the air pollution - and therefore risk to health - has been growing, as the diesel proportion has grown.
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Over 30,000 people form a 25km human chain surrounding site of proposed new Nantes airport
A huge number of protesters from across France organised themselves into a human chain in the early afternoon on Saturday. There are likely to have been almost 40,000 though the authorities give a lower attendance figure. The human chain surrounded the site of the proposed new Nantes airport, at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, with its two planned runways and new passenger terminal. The airport has been intended as a replacement for the current Nantes airport. Large numbers of people had come long distances to be there, many travelling overnight by bus, and then shared their picnics in a good natured event with a festive, but determined, spirit. The opponents of the new airport say that it is not needed, the economic arguments don't stack up, it will increase carbon emissions, and will destroy valuable farmland and biodiversity. At the moment, the project is considerably delayed, but it is still going ahead. Its opponents want it stopped, and they show no sign of reducing their intense opposition.
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GACC point out that there is no robust business case for a 2nd Gatwick runway
The Select Committee on Transport, in their report published today, recommends that Gatwick Airport Ltd should ‘develop a robust business case to demonstrate the role that a two runway airport could play in increasing airport competition.’ GACC (the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) commented that they agree with the Committee that no robust business case currently exists, and that the economics of a 2nd Gatwick runway do not stack up. Gatwick Airport has said in their business plan that a new runway and a new terminal would cost £3 -5 billion, but they only paid £1.5 billion for the whole airport in 2009. It is unlikely that the airlines will want to pay the necessary rises in charges. In reality with larger planes increasingly being used, there is no need for any new south east runways. Gatwick campaigners stand shoulder to shoulder with those at Heathrow and Stansted in resisting any new runways in the UK.
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Commons Transport Committee wants a 3rd Heathrow runway + perhaps later a 4th runway
The House of Commons Transport Committee gathered evidence on airport capacity at the end of 2012, to submit to the Airports Commission. They have now produced their report "Aviation Strategy" in which they say they reject "calls for a new hub airport east of London and urge the Government to permit the expansion of Heathrow where a 3rd runway is long overdue." Its Chairman, Lousie Ellman, said “We recognise that demand for air travel across the UK is forecast to grow, believe that aviation should be permitted to expand and accept that more capacity is necessary to accommodate sustainable aviation growth." Also "We conclude that a 3rd runway at Heathrow is necessary, but also suggest that a 4-runway proposal may have merit, especially if expanding to locate 2 new runways westwards from the current site could curb the noise experienced by people affected under the flight path." It mentions establishing "a national scheme to ensure adequate compensation for people affected by noise from expansion at Heathrow." The report also want HS2 to go to Heathrow; better rail links to Gatwick and Stansted; advantages for regional airports; and reassessment of APD and its effects (which demonstrates how much industry lobbying has influenced the report). HACAN said the Committee's report was predictable.