Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Call to expand flights at Anglesey airport
The Welsh Assembly is set to release a report on future options for Anglesey Airport at RAF Valley after revealing 17,000 passengers had used the airlink to Cardiff since the service was launched in May 2007. Assembly officials have already urged airlines to step forward to declare an interest in expanding services to other destinations. (Daily Post)
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(Heathrow) Ambassador for airports in a rallying cry for runways
Ed Anderson is the chairman of the Airport Operators Association. He has landed the job just as London Mayor Boris Johnson is denouncing plans for a third runway at Heathrow. The lack of terminal capacity at Heathrow, he says, means that the regional airports do not have the landing slots at the hub that they require in order to develop. Mr Anderson is a keep supporter of a third runway at Heathrow, and he supports the Planning Bill. (Independent)
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Growth stalls at London City Airport
London City Airport is expecting a slowdown in passenger growth this year as the global financial crisis takes its toll, but still expects a 12 to 15% jump to around 3.4 million travellers. The airport expects to treble in size to 9 to 10 million passengers a year in 25 years. 70% of its passengers are business travellers. It hopes to add more 'medium haul' travel to locations such as Dubai and Moscow. (UK Airport News)
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Heathrow ‘could get third runway’ a minister has indicated
The government is due to make a decision on the future development of the UK's largest airport by the end of the year. Business secretary John Hutton said at the Farnborough airshow that the government might take "difficult decisions on airport expansion". Mr Hutton said: "British businesses, and ultimately the British people, would not forgive us if we shirked our responsibility to do what's right because we wanted an easy ride from green lobby groups." (BBC)
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(Exeter) airport rejects Greens’ funds claim
Airport bosses have hit back at claims by AirportWatch South West that their expansion plans could be starved of regional funding because of a change of policy. SWRDA's report 'Economic Assessment of South West Regional Airports' was written in December 2007, and its decision made in January. Neither were made public, although the management at Plymouth, Exeter, Newquay, Bristol, Staverton and Bournemouth airports were told. (Western Morning News)
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Bristol Airport expansion doesn’t need environmental impact assessment
An environmental impact assessment does not need to be carried out at Bristol Airport on the building of a controversial new walkway, according to a response from the Government Office of the South West. In May, North Somerset Council voted that a full planning application would be needed before the new £7m development was allowed. (UK Airport News)
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Newquay – Airport expansion grants scrapped
Airports in the South West will no longer get grants to expand from the South West Regional Development Agency. Instead the SWRDA wants to encourage airports to become "greener" and lessen their environmental impact, and it said it will not be investing in further airport expansion across the region. Newwquay hopes to double its passenger numbers.
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(Heathrow) Airport expansion hits NOx pollution claim
The government has failed to take on board expert recommendations in its research on the impact of Heathrow Airport's expansion, a key adviser has warned. Government air quality expert group chairman Mike Pilling argued that the extent of modelling work to assess future concentrations of nitrogen dioxide around Heathrow has not been as thorough as was recommended. (Planning Resource)
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HACAN: Aviation consultation document gives no hope for backers of Heathrow 3rd runway
HACAN, the community group that campaigns against excessive aircraft noise generated by Heathrow, says today's consultation on the government's draft aviation strategy, gives no hope to the backers of a third Heathrow runway. The consultation document restates that it is not Government policy to expand Heathrow, and building a new runway would be politically very difficult and would "not be possible for any government to deliver new capacity, however hard some shout for it”. The government's decision on Heathrow is largely due to concern about the scale of the noise impacts of the airport. Speaking of the delay to the airport capacity part of the DfT consultation, John Stewart (Chair of Hacan) said "in many ways today’s consultation paper is the more important as it lays out the overall policy framework. This policy consultation may be less sexy than expected one about new runways but it is the more important.”
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More talks on Heathrow expansion – decision delayed
Those for and against expansion of the UK's biggest airport will have to wait a few more months before learning if the Government backs the plans, it has been revealed. The decision will probably be before the end of the year. Ruth Kelly had been expected to give a ruling in August. Further work is being undertaken to deliver a full equalities impact assessment on how airport development might affect different racial, disability etc. groups. (AOL)