Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
BAA denies seeking blanket ban on airport protest
BAA backtracked yesterday from trying to get one of the widest-ranging injunctions ever sought in Britain and denied it was trying to stop 5 million members of the National Trust and other groups going to Heathrow to demonstrate against climate change. Story in The Guardian by John Vidal
Click here to view full story...
BAA ‘tried to criminalise 5 million people’ over protests at Heathrow
BAA, the owner of Heathrow, backed down yesterday in its attempt to secure a far-reaching injunction that could have resulted in 5 million people being banned from using roads and public transport near the airport. Bringing its application in the High Court, the company said that the injunction would apply only to "protesters" against airport expansion who were acting unlawfully during the Camp for Climate Action, from August 14 to 21. Ben Webster story from The Times
Click here to view full story...
High Court confusion over exactly who BAA wants to ban from protesting at Heathrow
BAA suffered further embarrassment in its attempt to block a climate change demonstration at Heathrow, when a High Court judge admitted yesterday to being confused over exactly who the company wanted to ban from travelling to the airport. Amid scenes of near farce at the Royal Courts of Justice, Justice Caroline Swift, asked Timothy Lawson-Cruttenden, the lawyer representing BAA's subsidiary, Heathrow Airport Limited, to clarify the terms of the injunction he was seeking, stating: "I have to know what I am being asked to do."
Click here to view full story...
Heathrow puts up legal barricades to keep away protesters
If you're a member of the National Trust, the RSPB, the Woodland Trust or FoE, then you could be banned from Britain's biggest airport. And the Piccadilly line. And parts of Paddington station. And sections of the M4. All because the authorities want to halt a protest against climate change... BAA has begun moves that would allow police to arrest members of 15 environmental groups to prevent them taking part in demonstrations against airport expansion.
Click here to view full story...
Heathrow asks court to block protesters
Britain's largest airport operator is to ask the High Court to block a climate protest which threatens to wreck the travel plans of nearly 1.5 million Heathrow passengers. Up to 2,000 environmentalists are planning a day of direct action "aiming to disrupt the activities of the airport and aviation industry" next month, during a week-long camp starting on August 14.
Click here to view full story...
Birmingham airport to get runway extension by 2012
Birmingham International Airport will get its long-awaited runway extension by 2012, it was confirmed last night. The two companies bidding to buy a 48.25% shareholding in BIA are prepared to enter into a formal agreement to build the 400-metre extension across the A45 which will cost £120 million and open up direct flights to China and the west coast of America.
Click here to view full story...
STOP STANSTED EXPANSION PUBLIC INQUIRY EVIDENCE STARTS
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) will begin giving evidence on Tuesday 17 July at the Public Inquiry into plans to expand the capacity of Stansted’s single runway. Their evidence continues all week, and also from 24th to 27th July.
Click here to view full story...
Manchester: Grounded – Another victory in battle to curb airport growth
Against all expectations, the local Macclesfield borough council has won a planning inquiry to prevent Manchester airport expanding onto Cheshire green belt land, to create extra car parking as it seeks to increase passenger numbers, from 22 million a year to 50 million by 2030, doubling its revenue to £2.1bn.
Click here to view full story...
New runway plans at Luton shelved
Bosses at London Luton Airport have unexpectedly withdrawn plans to build a new runway. TBI, the company which owns the airport, planned to build a full length replacement runway to the south of the existing runway, with a new terminal. They said the reason plans had been shelved was because it would take too long to make a return on the money that it would cost to build.
Click here to view full story...
Carlisle – £25m airport expansion unveiled
A £25m plan has been unveiled to bring passenger services to Carlisle Airport. The airport only has one 65-year-old runway, no radar or instrument landing equipment and is only suitable for private aircraft and flight training. But Stobart Air wants to build a new runway, control tower, hangars and additional facilities, with a view to launching passenger services. The firm is to submit a planning application and proposes services to London, Dublin, Amsterdam and Paris.