Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Hambleton Council condemned by Ombudsman for failure of planning administration
In April this year Hambleton Council was condemned by the Local Government Ombudsman for maladministration. They said the council had committed “an extreme and most serious failure of planning administration”, after it failed to monitor planning conditions at Bagby Airfield (put in place to protect local residents) for so long that it has now lost the power to intervene against longstanding unauthorised use. The airfield has been operating in contravention of its planning permission for several years but the council missed opportunities to take action. As a result the unauthorised use became immune from enforcement action. Outside of the biggest South East airports, planning conditions are the only way in which the environmental impacts of airports and airfields are regulated.
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Floating runways scheme proposed for a Thames estuary airport – by Gensler
Another week. Another dotty airport scheme announced by the Standard. It reports that there are new plans for a floating airport in the Thames Estuary by a "major global architecture firm," Gensler (from USA). Calling itself London Britannia Airport, it includes 4 floating runways tethered to the sea bed. Gensier says these could be floated in as required - allowing for future expansion to accommodate 6 runways, with several terminals on land, one in east London between Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park, and there would be high speed rail links. The Standard says Gensler have built airports elsewhere in the world, but it appears it is only now in the process of building terminals at Seoul and Denver airports. Mr Mulcahey from Gensler said: “It absolutely could be done. It’s all fairly standard technology and marine engineering is what we’re good at in Britain." Heathrow would become an eco-city.
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Competition Commission could foil Ryanair plan for Stansted stake
The Competition Commission will stamp down on Ryanair's bid to take a 24.9 % stake in any consortium that buys Stansted airport. Any more than this would definitely cause problems with regulators especially after the airline's attempts to take over Aer Lingus. Ryanair believes that by investing in the group that eventually purchases Stansted, its interests will be better served as Ryanair is Stansted's main tenant - operating 41 planes there. The Competition Commission has suggested in the past that resident airlines could own no more than a tiny slice – perhaps 5 or 10% of the airport, so that it cannot make decisions on how the airport is run which would hurt competitor airlines. Michael O'Leary has been saying Stansted has permission for a 2nd runway. It does not. The application was withdrawn.
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Cardiff airport losing money and losing passengers to Bristol
Cardiff airport has not been doing well over recent years, with passenger numbers in 2011 down by 43% compared to the peak in 2007. Now Swiss airline, Helvetic, will move its service to Bristol. Budget airline Vueling, which operates services to Barcelona, Alicante and Palma through the summer, will not run any flights from Cardiff through the winter period either. Passengers decreased 14% year-on-year in 2011, largely due to the withdrawal of budget airline bmibaby last October. The airport made a £319,000 loss in 2011, compared with a profit of more than £1m in 2010, £333,000 profit in 2009, £4m profit in 2008 and £7.2m profit in 2007.. First Minister Carwyn Jones has set up a taskforce, which met for the first time in June, to look at securing the airport’s future. Bristol airport seems to be expanding while Cardiff shrinks, with more Welsh travellers choosing Bristol instead.
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Stop Stansted Expansion welcomes independent Aviation Connectivity Commission
SSE has welcomed the Government’s decision to establish an independent commission to look at aviation connectivity issues. They are disappointed the Government is not simply adhering to the policy which it laid down at the beginning of this Parliament, that there should be no more runways in the south-east. But it has been clear for some time now that, in response to heavy lobbying by the aviation industry, it was about to review this policy, and that this would include considering expansion at Stansted. There have been 3 independent assessments in the past which all concluded there should be no more runways at Stansted, (1960s - Chelmsford Inquiry; 1960s and 1970s - Roskill Commission; 1980s - Inspector Eyre). SSE has every reason to believe that this new commission will reach the same conclusion.
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Boris to hold rival inquiry on Thames estuary airport or expanding other airports, excluding Heathrow
Boris Johnson plans to hold a rival inquiry into the future of aviation capacity which will specifically exclude a 3rd runway at Heathrow. The Aviation Commission on aviation capacity, to be chaired by Sir Howard Davies, announced last week, will include Heathrow. Boris's “call for evidence” will hear from airlines, airport operators, local authorities and aviation experts, on his proposal for a new airport in the Thames estuary or expansion on alternative sites around the capital. The inquiry will last between 9 and 12 months – reporting two years earlier than the Davies Commission. The findings of the Boris inquiry will be presented to the Davies Commission, and Boris has reluctantly decided to cooperate with because of the “realities” of the situation. Windsor MP, Adam Afriyie, is backing Boris in favouring an estuary airport.
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New hub airport west of Heathrow “wins support of UK business” – Independent
Independent reports that British business is starting to get behind nebulous plans for a £60bn four-runway airport near Heathrow. It says a "world-leading infrastructure firm", which has worked on aviation projects in Latin and North America, is assessing sites for the scheme to the west and north-west of the airport. Potentially backed by Chinese sovereign wealth fund money, a secretive consortium of UK businesses plans to throw their scheme into the mix as a potential long-term successor to Heathrow. Potential sites, which must be flat with few nearby residential areas, are thought to have been identified along the potential High Speed Two rail line, which would link London and Birmingham, and the Great Western main line, so the airport would be within 30 minutes of London.
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Is air pollution the biggest obstacle to a third runway at Heathrow?
Alan Andrews, from Client Earth (a group of environmental lawyers) writes that though Cameron's reshuffle might have removed a couple of high profile political obstacles to a third runway, it has not dealt with the more difficult obstacle: EU air quality limits. EU law sets legally binding limits on levels of harmful pollution in our air. These limits, which are based on WHO guidelines, govern a number of pollutants which are damaging to human health. The limits for NO2 are currently being broken in towns and cities throughout the UK. But they are worst in London – which is thought to have the worst levels of NO2 of any EU capital. Where limits are breached, EU law requires that an action plan be drawn up which achieves compliance in the “shortest time possible.” The Government’s plan for London shows that limits won’t be achieved until 2025. Alan explains how this means expanding Heathrow would be subject to legal challenge and EU opposition.
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Why the economic case for a third runway at Heathrow still won’t fly
In a long and comprehensive article, (worth reading it all) economist Ann Pettifor sets out the reasons why Heathrow does not need to be expanded, merely improved. The article goes through the many arguments about why Heathrow is already a much larger airport than its rivals, with better connections to significant business destinations. It looks at airport expansion in relation to economic growth (GDP), and finds no correlation. It notes Germany’s economic strength in 2010 and 2011, "which no one has suggested results in any significant way from the steady growth of Frankfurt airport." It comments "To the extent that Heathrow is a drag on London’s competitiveness, we argue that this relates far more to its poor facilities and problems around security and immigration services. Overall, the airport terminals seem more designed for the retailers than for passengers, and BAA have failed to upgrade the facilities adequately over many years" and says improving "the passenger experience would do far more at lower cost that a new R3".
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Thousands overflown by Heathrow ready to fight if the Conservatives resurrect expansion plans
Article by Gwyn Topham, on the noise issue at Heathrow. Hounslow'sdeputy leader of the council, Colin Ellar, points out: "The impact on hundreds of thousands of people is undersold, under-reported, never stated." "What we would really like is the mitigation of noise." Just in Hounslow there are dozens of schools badly affected by noise, with a plane overhead for part of the day every 90 seconds, making teaching very difficult. BAA have provided some sound insulation, but not air conditioning - making rooms stifling in summer with windows closed. There is no sound insulation possible with open windows, or when outdoors. Prestigious office blocks can afford air conditioning as well as double glazing, but this is not offered for the homes of ordinary residents. There are some 750,000 people living under Heathrow's flight paths. Slight improvements in aircraft are not enough to make a significant difference to noise perception.