Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Myths Dispelled about Heathrow Expansion
A new pamphlet from HACAN, (produced to coincide with a conference put on by the aviation lobby, the Aviation Foundation), says the health of the UK economy does not depend on the expansion of Heathrow. The pamphlet aims to expose the myth that a third runway is essential for the UK economy. The pamphlet, entitled Heathrow Expansion Myths and Facts will open people’s eyes to the fact that London won’t become a backwater if Heathrow does not expand. It aims to dispel a lot of the myths that the aviation industry has put around, such as that Heathrow lacks flights to the rapidly developing economies. In fact, Heathrow has 990 departure flights each week to the world’s key business centres - that is more than its two closest rivals, Charles de Gaulle (484) and Frankfurt (450), combined. There is also no hard evidence that London's economy will lose out if Heathrow does not expand as a hub.
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Sunday Times says Osborne pushing for mixed mode at Heathrow for 60,000 more flights per year
The Sunday Times writes that the Coalition is discussing the potential of increasing the number of flights at Heathrow by up to 60,000 per year by using mixed mode on both runways. It says George Osborne has been promoting this idea, to increase capacity without building a 3rd runway by adding over 1,000 flights a week and 20m passengers a year. The Times says discussions have been held on this between George Osborne, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander. Liberal Democrats are against it, and apart from the immense upset the extra relentless aircraft noise would cause to hundreds of thousands of Londoners being overflown, there are very real problems of air pollution around Heathrow, which already breach EU limits. The industry is publishing another study tomorrow, putting its economic case for more south east flights.
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Observer: “We need a clear yes or no on Heathrow. Airlines can’t wait for ever”
Anticipating that the government's consultation on aviation and air capacity may start sooner rather than later, the media and the aviation industry have ramped themselves up into a flurry of comment, lobbying, speculation, publicity and biased information. Commenting on the piece in the Observer, John Stewart writes on Heathrow expansion: "Ministers have consistently ruled out expansion at the airport. The problem is not a lack of clarity from Government but a refusal of much of the aviation industry to accept the Government’s decision. That refusal is threatening to damage the economy of the country ...because the industry has become paralysed by its desire for a 3rd runway. The Conservatives oppose a 3rd runway not just on environmental grounds .... but because they are unconvinced about the economic case.
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Gatwick Airport renews push for second runway after 2019
Gatwick will publish a “master plan” next month setting out what the airport will look like in eight years’ time, including 2 scenarios for how it could develop after 2020 - including the case for a 2nd runway. The airport's MD, Stewart Wingate, says a 2nd runway at Gatwick or Stansted would be easier and cheaper than either a new airport in the Thames Estuary or expansion at Heathrow. Fewer people would be affected by noise at Gatwick or Stansted than at Heathrow. Gatwick is restricted from building an extra runway before 2019 but has safeguarded land for the purpose. Mr Wingate reiterated his view that many foreign airlines have been giventhe false impression London’s aviation market as a whole is “closed for business” due to an “obsession” in some parts of the industry with Heathrow. There is plenty of capacity now at Gatwick and at Stansted, to increase flights to business destinations.
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Justine Greening opens new aircraft stands at Bristol, and backs importance of regional airports to UK
Justine Greening officially opened 3 new aircraft stands at Bristol Airport, and said regional airports like Bristol are important for the UK’s economy and business success. The stands - to allow more aircraft - are the first of more than 30 projects worth around £150m which will enable Bristol airport to grow over the next decade. Bristol handled 5.8 million passengers in 2011 but hope for 10 million in due course. Justine Greening said the importance of airports such as Bristol would be underlined in the Government’s new aviation strategy. She also said electrification of the Bristol-London rail line would benefit the airport as it could bring inward investment to the city. Bristol wants some 5 million passengers who go to London airports to instead use Bristol.
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John Stewart: There is a better solution than mixed mode at Heathrow for both BAA and residents
From 1 July the Government has given BAA permission to use the “wrong” runway to prevent delays building up. There will not be an overall increase in the number of flights in and out of Heathrow but residents will lose their respite period. People living under the flight paths in to Heathrow will suffer more noise, as their quiet half of the day now has aircraft landings coming in overhead. Though Theresa Villiers has stressed that the Government remains committed to a policy of no further expansion at Heathrow, and no mixed mode, residents fear that the industry will see this as an opening to push for the eventual ending of the respite period. Heathrow's problem is operating at 99% capacity, but if larger planes were used, then the capacity situation would be eased
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Simon Calder, in the Independent, sets out how allowing mixed mode at Heathrow would increase its capacity
At present, Heathrow operates "runway alternation" by which for most of the day, planes land on one runway, and take off from the other. The runways switch at 3pm each day, to give residents under the flight paths half a day's respite. Under this scheme, Heathrow can cater for about 44 departures and 43 arrivals per hour maximum. The alternative is "mixed mode", by which planes can both land and take off on the same runway, so there can be 15 -25% more per hour. That could be 120,000 extra aircraft movements each year with no extra concrete laid. Residents of west London could expect noise from arriving aircraft every 90 seconds all day long when the wind is from the west – which it is 70% per cent of the time. Advocates of this scheme say it would relieve pressure on Heathrow - as well as remove the need for a new runway. There is already a second period of the Operational Freedoms trial, which allows simultaneous runway use for short periods if delay has built up. The fact that the DfT has agreed to tinker with long-standing rules against "mixed mode" indicates they may be willing to overrule the strong and passionate objections by local residents, to the noise stress they suffer.
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Thames Estuary Airport not the answer says South East LEP
A hub airport in the Thames Estuary is not a solution to the South East’s airport capacity problems in the foreseeable future – according to an independent report received by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership. They say that expanding use of other airports serving the South East (including Stansted, Southend and Manston) could address short term business needs, and also increasing use of Heathrow, Gatwick and London City (which would not be acceptable to local residents there). The LEP report says that due to the effect it would have on Heathrow, a Thames estuary airport is not a feasible solution.
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Anti airport campaign at Notre Dame des Landes protests against inadequate public inquiries
Several public inquiries are to be held into the proposed airport at Notre Dame des Landes, at Nantes in western France. These have been hastily announced, to start on 21st June with insufficient notice. They inquiries are only due to last for 4 weeks, and the timing coincides with a busy farming time of year, and the holiday season. Opponents are protesting that the inquiries should be held in September, and should last for 8 weeks in order to fully take account of voluminous evidence papers. Opponents tried to prevent the commissioners entering the town hall, and there were scuffles, use of police force and tear gas, and an arrest. The protester are continuing to try and get the inquiries delayed.
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Drop Thames Estuary airport plans, says London Assembly
Members of the London Assembly have urged mayor Boris Johnson to stop promoting a new airport in the Thames estuary, branding the scheme a 'vanity project'. The assembly has passed a motion - proposed by Murad Qureshi - calling for the mayor to abandon proposals which they warned would have a devastating effect on the west London economy if Heathrow is forced to close, with up to 100,000 jobs on the line. The motion also warned that the project would create "huge environmental damage to a protected area" used by migrating birds as well as increase noise, congestion and pollution. It says the mayor's plans as "simplistic and ill-considered" and called on him to "abandon this vanity project".