Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Another one! Fourth 4-runway Thames estuary hub airport proposal unveiled – Goodwin Sands off Deal
Plans to build a 24-hour £39bn hub airport on large sandbanks off the Kent coast have been unveiled. Engineering firm Beckett Rankine wants to construct a four-runway airport on reclaimed land at Goodwin Sands near Deal. Director Tim Beckett said it was the "most sustainable solution" to aviation expansion in the South East and would have the "least adverse impact". The Goodwin Sands are a series of shifting sandbanks, owned by the Crown Estate, 11 miles long and six miles wide, that are also the site of historic shipwrecks. Beckett Rankine said the location does not have the environmental and logistical issues that came with proposals for an airport in the Thames Estuary. It said the site would be linked to London by the existing HS1 high-speed rail line, the A2 and M20 and to Europe via the Eurostar service. It is not far from Manston, which cannot function properly due to being in the wrong place. Just too far east. This 4th scheme joins the Foster scheme (Hoo Peninsula); the Gensler schems (floating somewhere in the middle); and the Boris Island scheme (off Whitstable).
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MP backs call for inquiry into Sheffield airport to remain an airport rather than become a business park
The South Yorkshire Federation of Small Businesses is calling for Sheffield City Airport to be reopened, and have the backing from Labour MP, Paul Blomfield. They want the planned redevelopment of the runway as a business park to be put on hold and a public inquiry held into whether the airport could be viable. The site is 80 acres, and is owned by Peel Holdings. The MP believes there ‘does remain a role for a city airport in Sheffield’ and that Robin Hood Airport, at Finningley, near Doncaster, ‘is not a business airport’. He wants an independent public inquiry to once and for all assess the commercial viability of Sheffield City Airport and explore any outstanding concerns relating to the history and past use of the airport. Reopening it would need significant private investment. The airport closed in 2008. A mystery bidder has come forward to buy the mothballed airport.
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Boris pushing for a 4 runway hub at Stansted in his evidence to Airports Commission
The Sunday Times reports that Boris Johnson is planning to put forward the idea of a huge hub airport, with 4 runways, at Stansted. The Times says Boris will order a feasibility study into developing Stansted, and he will be submitting the findings from this study as his evidence to the Airports Commission under Sir Howard Davies. Boris is committed to opposing expansion at Heathrow, which would be deeply unpopular with thousands of Londoners, because of the noise intrusion. Boris is keen on building a huge new airport, but the Conservatives have a manifesto commitment for no new runways during the current parliament. George Osborne is not thought to favour a huge new Thames estuary airport, but he might be more supportive of expanding Stansted. In the concept of a massive Stansted hub, Heathrow would shrink. There has been fierce opposition to expanding Stansted in the past, and even building one extra runway proved difficult. Boris's plans for Stansted would be fought with passionate and determined intensity.
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IAG signs non-binding MOU with Ryanair for some 19 Heathrow slot pairs belonging to Aer Lingus
Ryanair, which owns 29.8% percent of Aer Lingus, in June renewed its effort to buy the rest of Aer Lingus, to boost its Irish operations. The EU blocked a previous takeover attempt 5 years ago, saying it would create a monopoly for Irish flights. Now IAG has signed a non-binding agreement to buy landing slots at Heathrow airport from Ryanair as part of its takeover bid for Aer Lingus. This is subject to EC approval, and Ryanair hopes the sale of the slots will help its bid to buy Aer Lingus. Ryanair proposed selling more than 85 % of Aer Lingus’s Heathrow slots and the FT says Ryanair has reached agreement with BA. Aer Lingus already has 23 daily slot pairs at Heathrow, which amounts to 3.5% of the total. It currently flies to Heathrow from Dublin, Cork, Shannon and Belfast. It recently tried - but failed - to get some of the 14 pairs of slots that had been owned by BMI. Let's see if BA uses its new slots for flights to the emerging markets - or just more lucrative tourist routes.
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London City Airport plans for larger aircraft and increased capacity – to local criticism
London City Airport already has consent to increase the number of flights per year to 120,000. The airport is now planning to submit a planning application to Newham Council in spring 2013 to allow "major infrastructure changes" (not including a runway extension) that could allow the airport larger planes. It wants to be able to handle aircraft the size of the Bombardier C-Series, [110 to 130 seats] so it can have flights to medium haul destinations like the Middle East and the east coast of the US by 2016. The plans are apparently "in their early stages, with the airport set to consult with local residents in the coming weeks." The airport, which currently handles around 3.2 million passengers a year, and some 73,000 flights. It has ambitions to increase capacity to 10 million travellers and 120,00 flights annually. The airport announced separate plans for €19 million investment on buildings, gates etc last month, with work starting in early 2013.
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New BA flights 4 times per day from Heathrow to Leeds Bradford
Direct flights between Yorkshire and Heathrow have been reinstated with the first BA service after an absence of 32 years,using a A319. There will be 4 flights per day, and the region’s business community is said to be enthusiastic, as it provides quicker access to Heathrow’s 170 destinations around the world. Tony Hallwood, commercial director at LBA, said: “It opens up the region to the rest of Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. Flights on the new route, which take 80 minutes, cost from £55 one way, including taxes. The Chamber of Commerce Chief Exec said “These new BA services connect Yorkshire to the whole of the world through Heathrow – and now the whole of the world will find it easier to get to Harrogate.” The airport wants to increase passenger from 3 million to 3.5 million over the next 18 months or so and to 4.5 million within the next 5 years.”
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More breaches of night noise limits at Leeds Bradford by Pakistan International Airlines
Pakistan International Airlines has breached night-time flying rules at Leeds-Bradford Airport. It has had 8 breaches of night-time rules in the last year. It is now being asked by Leeds City Council to give a formal commitment to introduce quieter planes, and timescale for doing so. Two years ago the Council served a breach of condition notice on the airport after warning that further contraventions by Pakinstan Airlines would not be tolerated. Improvements were made, but there are still breaches. Councillors agreed to support the approach of continued dialogue rather than formal action at this stage. At Leeds Bradford there is a restriction of planes at night that have a noise quota count greater than 1. LBIA is reviewing the designated night-time quota period of 2300—0700 as it wants to make the night period shorter, from 2330-0600.
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French First Lady Valerie Trierweiler sparks row by meeting opponents of new airport backed by prime minister
French First Lady Valerie Trierweiler,partner of Francois Hollande, is at the centre of a fresh political scandal after meeting opponents of a the planned Nantes airport, in defiance of the Jean-Marc Ayrault, the prime minister’s, support for the project. Ms Trierweiler is being accused of trying to undermine the PM;s authority by consorting with the protestors in Angers. Ms Truerweuker was happy to chat to 3 opponents’ representatives, who also asked her to deliver a letter of protest to Hollande. Ms Trierweiler has caused various controversies, such as supporting gay marriage, and is unpopular with the right wing. Her opponents also say her job as a journalist is ‘incompatible’ with her role as the President’s partner.
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Emirates keen on changing 3 degree approach slope to 5.5 degrees, to allow A380s to land at Heathrow part of the night
Giving evidence at the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, on aviation strategy, two senior staff from NATS discussed the idea of perhaps introducing a steeper approach angle for planes coming into Heathrow. At present, all airlines come in at a 3 degree angle, but at London City airport, planes approach at 5.5 degrees. However, many planes such as A380s would need to level out to a 3 degree slope some 6 miles or so from touchdown, so there would be no change for people living very close to the airport. There would be a small reduction in noise for those living from around 15 to 6 miles (approx distances) from the airport. This idea has been suggested by Emirates, as a way to be able to land more of their A380s at Heathrow and to land them until 1am each night and again from 4am. This would not be acceptable to most London residents being overflown. Andrew Haines, the chief executive of the UK CAA, told the hearing that although the idea went against the grain of international convention, “the idea ‘certainly had merit’ and that it was ‘definitely worth looking at’.
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Thames Estuary airport could mean planes taking off over Central London, NATS tells Transport Select Committee
Speaking at an evidence session of the Commons Transport Select Committee, on Aviation Strategy, Simon Hocquard, Operational Strategy & Deployment Director, NATS, said that as the prevailing wind in the south east of England is from the west, for some 75% of the time planes taking off from an estuary airport would fly, heavy and relatively low, over London. They could be persuaded to fly around London, to avoid subjecting London residents to the noise, but this would increase cost to the airlines, fuel burn and carbon emissions. He also said that a 4 runway estuary airport would have difficulty working in conjunction with other existing south east airports, but the actual problems, noise etc had not yet been modelled, and NATS had not yet been asked to model these issue. The Committee also heard from Richard Deakin about the possibilities of aircraft approaching airports at a 5.5 degree angle, till some 5 - 6 miles or so from the airport, and then reverting to the usual 3 degrees descent. This would limit noise for those further from the airport, but not for those living under the final miles of approach.