Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Expansion plans for Newcastle airport
Labour, Tory and Independent councillors in South Tyneside have voiced their support for a plea for the airport, which moved 5.6m passengers last year, to be expanded. This comes after "Flying Matters" said both Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley airports should be extended to safeguard the region's jobs. Seven local authorities have a stake in the airport, and South Tyneside Council is the lead authority among them in its management. (Shields Gazette)
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Revealed: Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plan
Controversial plans to expand the terminal building at Leeds Bradford Airport, possibly creating up to 3,000 jobs, have gone before planning officials. The scheme, announced by the airport's new private equity owners Bridgepoint, is at the centre of a £70m masterplan to increase passenger numbers to 5 million a year by 2013, and increase medium and long haul flights. Local residents have complained about increased traffic and aircraft noise. (Yorkshire Post)
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Stansted Second runway programme – realism beginning to prevail?
A marathon meeting to discuss the timing, duration and other aspects of the proposed Public Inquiry into a Stansted 2nd runway has left SSE cautiously optimistic that a sense of realism is beginning to prevail. There was a consensus that between 144 - 200 sitting days would be required for the inquiry. The inspector appeared to recognise that concurrent sessions could compromise the inquiry’s fairness and would not necessarily be more efficient.
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Mayor Boris Johnson blasts Heathrow vote ruling
Boris Johnson has accused the prime minister of not having the "guts" to let MPs vote on plans to build Heathrow's third runway. Pledging to support a legal challenge, the Tory mayor said: "I have absolutely no doubt we are going to be successful. This runway will not be built." He confirmed he would contribute £15,000 of public money to help support a legal challenge, possibly on the grounds of noise, congestion and the security risks. + videoclip. (BBC)
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Some Guardian letters on the Heathrow 3rd runway decision
Several letters. One states: Unless supporters for expansion can demonstrate a high probability that sufficient fuel at an acceptable price will remain available for the next 40 years, it seems likely that a 3rd runway would soon be redundant - a divisive and expensive white elephant. Another: Obviously we cannot build long-lasting infrastructure that locks us into a high-emissions future and drastically cut CO2 emissions. This is scientific fact.
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Comedian Alistair McGowan fights Heathrow expansion plans
Interview with Alistair. It’s not a middle-class thing!" If sea levels are rising and you have a £2m house, forget it! Everyone is affected by it. And referring to La Thompson’s air miles, "I’m sure Emma flew to the Golden Globes. This is the sort of thing which riles me! Every time small companies such as Greenpeace campaign about something, people say, ‘How did you get there? Did you fly? Did you go by car?’" He groans at the clichéd nature of it all.
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Heathrow rebel alliance is cleared for take-off
While the government’s decision was a bitter disappointment, "Now, at last, we’ve actually got something to fight against," said one opponent. Hoon’s statement lit the touchpaper of a wide-ranging protest movement - a campaign that will be waged by a hotchpotch but effective army, from the front bench of the Tory opposition, to long-suffering families living under flight paths in west London and Greenpeace’s direct action demonstrators. (Sunday Times)
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Mandelson bangs head on table in bitter Cabinet feud over Heathrow runway
Peter Mandelson, the Business Secretary, banged his head on the Cabinet table in frustration during a bitter ministerial row over the decision to give the go-ahead for a 3rd runway at Heathrow Airport. This came at the height of what government sources described as Brown's most ill-tempered Cabinet meeting. The new details of Tuesday's meeting show that the rift among senior ministers is even deeper and more damaging than has been suggested up to now. (Telegraph)
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Hoon and Emma Thompson exchange flak over flights
The cabinet minister who is pushing through the expansion of Heathrow has hit out at celebrity environmentalists who talk green politics while flying across the globe. Geoff Hoon picked on the Oscar winner Emma Thompson who emerged as a leading figure in the campaign to stop the 3rd runway. Emma replied: "Get a grip Geoff. This is not a campaign against flying - we're trying to stop the expansion of Heathrow in the face of climate change." (Guardian)
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Heathrow to cost 70 social homes
The expansion of Heathrow will mean 70 council homes will be demolished and many more affected by noise and disruption. Hillingdon Council confirmed that about one in ten of the 700 homes earmarked to be bulldozed in Sipson and Harmondsworth will be social housing, run by arm’s-length management organisation Hillingdon Homes. The council said it was prepared for increased demand for social housing and temporary housing. (Inside Housing)