Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Alleged corrupt payments to Shepway District Councillors for Lydd runway extension
Private Eye's "Rotten Boroughs Awards 2011" lists Zaher Deir, former boss of Lydd Airport in Kent, who told a court that unusual spending patterns on his company credit card were accounted for by “gifts” to Shepway councillors who were to determine a planning application for a runway extension. Shepway Green Party and Lydd Airport Action Group are among those demanding a full investigation and the local MP agrees. An inspector is due to rule in March 2012 on whether the runway extension is to be allowed
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Large weekly protests against noise at Frankfurt Airport having an effect
Every Monday 3 - 5,000 people go to Frankfurt airport to protest at the unacceptable level of noise they now find themselves subjected to, from the newly opened runway. Volker Bouffier, governor of the federal state of Hesse, recently met Frankfurt Airport, as well as representatives from airlines and air traffic control, in a desperate search for ways to keep the skies above the Rhine-Main even just a bit quieter. This was a tacit admission of serious negligence. With its focus on creating growth and jobs, the state government had for years underestimated just how extensively noise from the airport expansion would impact local residents, only to discover to its shock that it may have sentenced its own voters to a life smothered in aircraft noise.
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Plymouth Airport has now closed as its routes are no longer profitable
Plymouth Airport closed today. No aircraft will be able to use the site from this evening. The site has been used for flying since the mid-1920s. The closure will see the site's last eight staff lose their jobs. The last commercial flight by Air Southwest, the airport's sole carrier, departed in July. The local MP has written to Theresa Villiers about possible state aid for regional air services, but such subsidy looks unlikely. A group of business people calling themselves "Viable" have crazily ambitious plans for the airport to be rebuilt and expanded for 1m passengers per year.
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Flybe will quit Manston airport from March 2012
Flybe will no longer fly its service from Manston to Edinburgh after March, because there are barely any passengers. The Edinburgh service was regarded as Manston's jewel in the crown. Flybe also runs a service between Manston and Belfast – which will also end. The Manchester flights were scratched earlier this year A Flybe spokesman said "It is fair to say that Manston is one of the airports with the smaller catchment areas in the UK, and you have Gatwick not too far away." Manston does not have the makings of a successful passenger airport.
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Big Protests in Frankfurt over 4th Runway
Every Monday over 1,000 people gather in Terminal 1 of Frankfurt Airport to protest against the impact of the 4th Runway which was opened on 21st October. The new runway has created noise problems for over 100,000 newresidents. 20,000 people took part in a demonstration the day before it opened. Although the authorities have (reluctantly) agreed to ban flights between 23.00 hours and 05.00 hours, a huge number of people are suffering as a result of the new runway. The runway was only built after a bitter battle with local residents and environmentalists.
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Battle over Santa Monica Airport’s future revs up
In America, Santa Monica municipal airport is situated right in the heart of the suburbs, with take off and landing routes right over thousands of homes. There are serious questions about the effects of the airport's operations on public health and quality of life. In 2015 an operating agreement between the FAA and the City of Santa Monica will expire.The city of contends that it will then have more control over how the airport is used. But the FAA has vowed to battle to keep the airport going. There were around 105.000 take offs and landings in 2010.
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Birmingham Airport sees itself as better alternative than an estuary airport
Birmingham airport, under Paul Kehoe, continues to push to expand. It hopes its runway extension will start in July 2012. It also hopes to have direct flights to China, and that this will boost the local economy. They want Birmingham airport to be the new hub, and effort and funding to be spent on that, rather than a Thames estuary airport. The airport says it has planning consent for as many as 30 million passengers per year.
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Flights delayed after whippet strays onto runway at Manchester Airport
Flights at Manchester airport were brought to a standstill for about 40 minutes, by a whippet that had got away from its owners and got into a cargo area, and (perhaps?) onto the runway. A flight from Turkey was forced to divert to Birmingham because of the Saturday morning drama – and a dozen other flights were delayed. The airport said: “Basically, if there is any lost animal on the runway, we have to stop all flights straight away. Fortunately, we’ve cleared the backlog.”
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Manston to stop fuelling Iran Air: pure coincidence?
A controversial deal allowing Iran Air to refuel at Manston airport will come to an end. It was claimed Iran Air planes were using the airport to dodge US sanctions. Iranian planes are banned from refuelling in countries that have economic ties with America. but can avoid sanctions by filling up at privately owned airports such as Manston. Iran Air has been refuelling at Manston for around eight months and they have now decided to make other arrangements.
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Buyer sought for nose-diving Durham Tees Valley Airport
Peel Airports has put their 75% stake of the airport up for sale, as it is losing money had too few passengers. Most airports have seen a drop in traffic, but for Durham Tees Valley it's been more of a nose-dive than a controlled descent. In 2006, more than 900,000 passengers passed through its doors. This year that will have come down to 200,000. The recession has hit and airlines have also increasingly deserted Durham Tees Valley for the safety of bigger airports.