Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
A Risky Business: Government spin plan over Heathrow revealed
The DfT produced a "risk register" for plans for Heathrow. It was produced by civil servants, with the task of getting approval for a 3rd runway. Greenpeace managed to get hold of it, and it reveals a lot of interesting stuff. The Government were / are very worried about losing the economic and environmental arguments over Heathrow. They are also very bothered about direct action, both because it could delay progress and it is enbarrassing. (Greenpeace)
Click here to view full story...
Why did airport boss receive huge bonus? (Newcastle)
Demands have been made for an investigation into how Newcastle Airport’s ex-chief executive was allowed to claim a bonus worth more than £2m. John Parkin’s legal battle with Newcastle International has seen his original £6.3m payout reduced by £4m – but at a cost of around £2m. The Council own 51% of the airport and finally persuaded Mr Parkin to hand back some of his bonus. It was for successfully refinancing the airport’s debt. (Journal)
Click here to view full story...
Heathrow third runway plan hits new snag
The proposed 3rd runway at Heathrow has been dealt a serious blow after a government document warned that airport group BAA cannot lodge a planning application for the project before the next general election. BAA is not expected to seek planning permission for a 3rd runway until 2012. The last possible date for an election is June 2010 and BAA's best hope for expanding Heathrow is to submit an application before then. (Guardian)
Click here to view full story...
Whitehall met aviation chiefs over Heathrow third runway
DfT civil servants repeatedly met aviation industry chiefs in advance of the decision to back a 3rd runway, though they told environmental groups there was a blanket ban on meetings with any external bodies. The disclosure comes in documents the civil service was directed to release to Greenpeace by the information commissioner after stonewalling by civil servants. The threat of disruption was seen as one of the highest risk threats to the runway. (Guardian)
Click here to view full story...
Margo wants Edinburgh and Glasgow airports to work together
MSP Margo MacDonald is urging closer co-operation between Edinburgh and Glasgow airports as an alternative to the Competition Commission's demand that one of them should be sold off. She claims it makes more strategic sense for the two Central Belt airports to work together than to compete. They could share the different types of traffic between them – freight, holidays, short-haul, long-haul – or each could concentrate on one kind of work. (Edinburgh Evening News)
Click here to view full story...
The mother of all rallies against bigger Heathrow
Novelists, film-makers and actresses are taking their children to Parliament to demonstrate against Heathrow expansion and coal-fired power stations. The rally has been organised by climate change campaign group WeCAN, made up mostly of mothers. It will be attended by pupils from Sipson, whose primary school will be demolished if plans for the third runway go ahead. WeCAN hope it will force the Government to take tougher action on climate. (Standard)
Click here to view full story...
Ryanair aiming for 1m passengers from Manchester in 2009
Ryanair hopes to carry 1 million passengers from Manchester for the first time in 2009 by adding new routes and increasing frequency on others. It will need to achieve a 57% increase on the 634,000 it carried in 2008 if the target is to be achieved. A spokesperson refused to discuss what and how many routes would be added. (Crains)
Click here to view full story...
BAA forced to sell Stansted – death knell for a 2nd runway?
Today’s news from the Competition Commission that BAA must sell Stansted is expected to sound the death knell for the proposed 2nd runway at the Essex airport, which would have made it bigger than today’s Heathrow. BAA has been given 2 years to sell Gatwick, Stansted, and then either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports – in that order. Importantly, the Commission will not insist on any new buyer of Stansted taking forward BAA’s second runway proposals. (SSE)
Click here to view full story...
Michael O’Leary’s shadow hangs over sale of Stansted
Potential bidders for Stansted are emerging before a decision by the Competition Commission leading to the break-up of BAA's airport monopoly. However, a hurdle has appeared at Stansted in the form of Ryanair. Bidders have said they would be wary of dealing with O'Leary, and that will be reflected in the price eventually. Ryanair accounts for about 60% of flights. Mr O'Leary is known among airport operators for being demanding. (Times)
Click here to view full story...
New Thames airport ‘no Heathrow threat’
Air traffic control officials - NATS - have denied suggestions Heathrow would have to close if a new airport was built in the Thames Estuary. A feasibility study into a new airport to the south-east of London, an idea first proposed nearly a decade ago, is due to be published later this month. A cross-party committee of MPs, chaired by Labour MP Nick Raynsford, has also been set up to examine the plan, strongly opposed by the Government. (BBC)