Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
St Albans Council calls for Luton night flight restrictions
St Albans District Councillors last night voted in support of calls for restrictions to be placed upon the number night flights from Luton Airport, amid increasing local concerns about noise nuisance. Unlike other London airports, no restrictions on the number of flights have so far been placed upon Luton. Currently around 36 aircraft fly from Luton during the night period, by comparison with Heathrow which is limited to just 16 flights per night.
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Financial crisis puts cloud over Edinburgh
Passengers arriving at Edinburgh Airport notice few signs of recession. From having been the most vibrant part of the Scottish capital's economy, financial services - or at least banking - has been transformed in a few months into its most vulnerable sector. RBS has suffered. There is nervousness over whether the city's plethora of summer arts festivals will suffer from a reduction in corporate sponsorship as the recession bites. (FT)
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Bristol Airport expansion plans unveiled
Development plans for Bristol International Airport are being showcased as part of a six-week pre-application consultation. The airport is planning to extend the terminal building, provide additional car parking and create new aircraft stands. The expansion will enable it to handle 10 million passengers per year, compared to just over 6 million in 2008. Following consultation, the airport will submit a planning application to North Somerset Council. (TravelMole)
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Claim of “4,000 jobs to be created” in Bristol Airport expansion application
Bristol Airport has launched a pre-application consultation for its expansion plan. It claims this would generate up to 4,000 new jobs, and the majority of the proposed development would sit within its 176 hectare site. There will be a 6-week consultation. Proposals inclued extending the terminal building, additional car parking and new aircraft stands. This will enable the airport to handle 10 m passengers a year - up from around 6 m now. (Wales online)
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240 jobs could go at Prestwick Airport
Almost half of the workforce at Prestwick airport are in danger of losing their jobs. Prestwick announced a redundancy consultation which could see as many as 240 jobs go, and said a decline in passenger numbers was to blame. The airport employs about 500 people. Behind the decline was a steep drop in the number of people taking charter holidays. (Daily Record)
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Heathrow 3rd runway decision criticised by Monarch airline boss
The managing director of Monarch Airlines has denounced Government plans to expand Heathrow, due to the environmental impact on homes in west London. He said the expansion of the airport would have a detrimental impact on the lives of a million people in west London, and would prevent the aviation industry from being taken seriously over environmental issues - and he doubted new technology and fuels could mean aircraft will emit 50% less CO2. (Telegraph)
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£1.5bn Heathrow East terminal delayed
BAA has confirmed that the construction schedule on its £1.5bn Heathrow East project has slipped until the end of this year. The news came as the government gave its backing to ambitious plans to build a 3rd runway and 6th terminal at the airport worth up to £7.6bn. A BAA spokeswoman said that full construction work would not start until the end of 2009. It had been due to be ready in 2012. However BAA is struggling to raise funds. (Contract Journal)
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Reading MP on attack over third Heathrow runway
Reading East MP Rob Wilson laid into Hoon over his announcement on plans for a 3rd Heathrow runway. Mr Wilson told Geoff Hoon in the House of Commons: "Can I suggest to the Secretary of State that few people in my constituency will take any comfort from either of his two statements. People now have a clear choice. If they don’t want the runway, vote Conservative, if they do and are happy to see our environment destroyed, vote Labour."
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I’ll stand in front of the bulldozers if I have to – Sipson
In the village of Sipson, thousands of lawyers' letters have started falling through the letterboxes. They talk of "compulsory purchase" and "compensation" and "acting on behalf of" residents "to secure the best price" for their properties. But their arrival, just 4 days after the Government gave BAA the go-ahead to build a 3rd runway, a decision that spells demolition for the 1,000-year-old hamlet and its 700 homes, is seen as indecently hasty. (Standard)
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Bukinghamshire CC says ‘no’ to 3rd Runway and demands answers to concerns about potential impact of new rail ‘hub’
Buckinghamshire County has slammed the Government’s go ahead for a 3rd runway at Heathrow. It has also raised serious concerns about the new proposed ‘Heathrow Rail Hub’. It said "The health risks alone should rule this proposal out. Air pollution around the airport (including parts of southern Bucks) is already above EU limits and there is no guarantee at all that they can be got down to target levels if this proposal goes ahead." (Bucks CC)