Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Guardian report on the huge protests against planned Nantes airport and the battle against evictions
The Guardian reports on the battle against a new Nantes airport. On 11th December a French judge will decide whether to authorise a fresh round of forced police evictions of the squatters who live on the area of the proposed airport. Previous attempts to dislodge protesters brought hundreds of French riot police who fired teargas and rubber bullets, some climbing trees and teargassing people down from tree-houses, sparking dozens of injuries and what locals described as "war scenes". In recent months, police swoops have razed wooden huts and vegetable gardens, immediately inspiring hundreds more squatters to arrive from across Europe to rebuild the camps and strengthen the protests. The protesters, including farmers, locals and green politicians, argue that building a brand new airport for France's sixth largest city, which already has an award-winning airport, is both an environmental disaster and a waste of public money during an economic crisis. Support groups have sprung up across France.
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French farmers join environmental activists in protest against Notre-Dame-des-Landes airport
Useful article in English about the protests at Notre Dame des Landes, against a new Nantes airport. It says since mid-October, the number of occupiers has grown from 150 to as many as 500 at any given time. Today, they appear ubiquitous on the roads, in the fields and in the woods, building tents and cabins. With media attention now focused on Notre-Dame-des-Landes, Ayrault has pledged to form a commission to reopen talks on the airport. It is unclear what the commission will be able to accomplish. So far, the many evictions have made Notre-Dame-des-Landes headline news across the country, drawn increasing numbers of occupiers and strengthened links between the squatters and the farmers, who are determined to stay put. “We cannot fight and look for another farm,” says Marcel Thébault. “We can do one or the other, but not both. So today, we have not looked for another farm". “If we fight, the main reason is not because it is our farm and because we have put in so much work here. It’s difficult to leave a farm, but we could do it if the project was good. But on every level, [this airport] is bad. Also, we are so many together to fight this project. So, we stay.”
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Local Councils should sell Newcastle Airport stake to save jobs and services
Conservative councillors in Northumberland and Newcastle have said the time has come for the North East’s 7 local authorities get out of the airport business and offload their shares. They could then avoid cuts to council services and jobs. The councils between them, including Northumberland and Newcastle, own a 51% stake in Newcastle airport, but have also had to spend £68m to help refinance its debts. In exchange the authorities receive on average just £500,000 a year in dividends, as well as a say over bigger airport issues. The ownership of the airport has been particularly controversial after a former airport chief executive to walk away with a multi-million £ bonus. At the hearing, which the airport lost but is trying to appeal against, a judge made repeated references to the councils’ lack of experience in running an airport.
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New book “Tangled Wings” on the history of Gatwick airport and its neighbouring village, Charlwood
"Tangled Wings" tells the story of Gatwick from its opening in 1936 to the present day, as seen from the nearby village of Charlwood. The author, Brendon Sewill, has lived in Charlwood all his life and has held key posts at the centre of government, at the centre of the banking industry (when it was respectable) and at the centre of several national environmental bodies. He brings this experience to bear on the relationship between a small but historic village and an ever-expanding brash noisy airport. Part autobiography, part village history, part an account of the tangled development of British airports, makes this full size book an easy read. And there are plenty of fascinating illustrations. With the press full of speculation about where a new runway or a new airport should be built, "Tangled Wings" is a valuable contribution to the national debate. £10 + £3 p+p
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Willie Walsh tells Transport Committee there is no business case for a Gatwick 2nd runway
At the Transport Committee evidence session, Stewart Wingate, Gatwick chief executive, said he would oppose a 3rd runway at Heathrow and wanted to see Gatwick develop as a competing hub airport. But Heathrow's Colin Mattews said airlines will only pay for expansion at one UK airport and that is Heathrow, implying he would oppose a 2nd Gatwick runway. Willie Walsh also told the committee there was no business case to expand Gatwick, and said he was not aware of any discussion with airlines about the extra amount they would have to pay for a new Gatwick runway. Willie Walsh said "the only business case you could stand over is one to invest in a 3rd runway at Heathrow, but I'm not going to waste my time because it's not going to happen." Divide and rule ?
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Heathrow begins trial of noise relief zones for early morning flights
About 17 flights arrive at Heathrow each morning between 04:30 and 06:00. Heathrow is now starting a 5 month trial, the Early Morning Noise Respite Trial, to fly these flights on more defined flight paths, at the beginning of their approach, to give residents respite from noise. The aim is to protect people in dedicated areas from unpredictable aircraft noise between 04:30 and 06:00. Normally the flight paths into the airport are spread across London. The trial will define 2 zones over each trial area - 2 to the east and 2 to the west. Each zone will take turns to be active on a weekly basis. The areas covered are Vauxhall, Wandsworth, Battersea, Clapham Common, Westminster, Bermondsey, Streatham, Binfield, Reading, Purley-on-Thames and Winnersh. The scheme is a partnership between Heathrow, BA, NATS and HACAN.
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GLA launches its own call for evidence on London airport capacity and invites comments
In addition to the inquiry into airport capacity by the Transport Select Committee of the House of Commons, which was reported on yesterday, the Greater London Authority has now announced its own call for evidence on London airport capacity. They are asking Londoners to send them views and evidence for and against expansion of capacity. The GLA says its work will identify issues that the Government's independent Airports Commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, should take into account when considering the options for airport expansion. While Boris believes London's airports will be full by 2030, aviation and environmental campaigning groups do not believe there is a crisis, and existing capacity can be used more smartly. Opponents of expansion question the estimated increase in demand for air travel in future, especially for business purposes. The deadline for written submissions is 28th February 2013. The Committee will produce its findings by May 2013. The final report will be submitted to the Airports Commission in May 2013.
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Gatwick and Heathrow attack each other in row over hub airport status, new runways and flights to Far East
Heathrow and Gatwick have given evidence to the Commons Transport Committee. Colin Matthews for Heathrow said Heathrow should be the single hub, and needs a 3rd runway. Stewart Wingate, Gatwick chief executive, said he would oppose a 3rd runway at Heathrow and wanted to see Gatwick develop as a competing hub airport. Gatwick announced plans to connect low-cost domestic and European flights to long-haul services, to the Far East or USA, with improved baggage transfer, to take on Heathow’s hub airport model. Mr Wingate also proposed London should be served by three 2-runway airports, with both Gatwick and Stansted getting an extra runway, instead of Heathrow getting a 3rd. He rejected suggestions that the South East was facing an airport crisis and said: “There’s a lot of capacity in the system. The challenge is how to make better use of it in the short term.” As well as representatives from the 4 main London airports giving evidence, there were also anti-expansion campaigners. EasyJet said "The importance of the hub airport has been massively overstated.”
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BA chief Willie Walsh comes out against a third Heathrow runway
John Stewart writes, in a blog for HACAN, that at at conference on 30th November Willie Walsh said he did not believe a 3rd runway at Heathrow would ever be built and that British Airways was basing its future plans on that belief by buying slots from other airlines at Heathrow and expanding its operations in Madrid. This has important implications for the future of UK aviation policy, and leaves Heathrow Airport without a critical ally. Walsh said BA is planning for life without a new Heathrow runway, and it appears that BA no longer sees the runway as in its commercial interesst. He also said he was opposed to mixed-mode at Heathrow. BA's newly-acquired Heathrow slots could in due course be used to serve the emerging markets of Asia and Africa and Madrid had good connections to South America.
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Blog on Nantes: How far is the government entitled to go in enforcing the building of a new airport?
Tamsin Omond, founder of Climate Rush, narrowly escaped jail yesterday after a judge decided not to keep her on remand despite a breach of bail conditions which forbade her from going near Westminster. Their march on Parliament marked the centenary of a "rush" on Parliament by the suffragettes in 1908. The judge said said: "I recognise a need for proportionality and one should hesitate from taking away bail from someone exercising their right to protest." (Indy)