Airport News
Below are news items relating to specific airports
Evidence of falling numbers of Heathrow passengers on domestic flights casts further doubt on 3rd runway promises
The case for expanding Heathrow was dealt yet another blow this week as figures reveal the number of domestic passengers using the airport falling by 9% - almost half a million. Data from the CAA shows 471,000 fewer domestic passengers travelling through Heathrow Airport in 2016 compared to 2015. This compares to growth in domestic passenger at every other London airport, including 272,000 (8%) at Gatwick in the same period. The Government's backing for plans to expand Heathrow was given on the basis of "support new connections to the UK's regions, as well as safeguarding existing domestic routes". The 8 existing domestic routes offered by Heathrow now are: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Aberdeen, Belfast City, Manchester, Newcastle and Leeds Bradford. Heathrow proposed a further 6 new routes to Belfast, Liverpool, Newquay, Humberside, Prestwick and Durham Tees Valley to be added - but only if it gets a 3rd runway. It is likely that the survival of so many new domestic routes, despite a marginal decrease in passenger charge which the airport announced recently, would be put into serious doubt without a form of Government subsidy. No proposals to provide financial assistance to these routes currently exist.
Click here to view full story...
Dublin Airport blames runway switch – due to work on main runway – for rise in noise issues
Complaints about noise at Dublin Airport increased by 19% in 2017 as the 2nd runway (not a main runway, but subsidiary) was used more. Figures published by the airport show the public made 1,194 reports of excessive noise from planes landing and taking off - up from 1,003 in 2016. An airport spokesman said the lesser-used runway had been used more at night while the airport’s main runway was being upgraded. Flight paths and approaches took jets over more populated areas when landing on the 2nd runway, explaining why around two-thirds of the complaints to planes using the second runway, known as the “crosswind runway” or runway 16/34. Most were linked to cases where a southern approach was used. Work on the main runway is expected to continue until the end of April. An airport spokesman said he could not predict whether there might be fewer complaints in 2018, even with the runway work finished. DAA figures show that the 1,194 complaints last year came from 423 individuals. DAA plans to build a €320 million 2nd main runway by 2020. Houses in the 69 decibel noise contour near the airport are eligible for a voluntary purchase scheme, including 30% above market price + all legal and moving costs
Click here to view full story...
Portland will continue as Heathrow’s comms & public affairs agency after being reappointed, after 5 years already
Portland will continue as Heathrow's comms and public affairs agency after being reappointed, after the airport got companies to pitch for the work in September 2017. The brief includes internal communications, external and public affairs, media relations and crisis and issues management, and is designed to "build further trust and pride in the airport", a spokesman for Heathrow said. Portland have had the job for over 5 years. PRWeek understands that the monthly retainer on the new account is over £20,000, making it worth more than £250,000 per year, before any additional project fees are added. A major focus for Heathrow in 2018 is trying to persuade government to let it build a 3rd runway. Heathrow has spent a vast amount of comms and PR over recent years, on its lobbying and campaigning on the 3rd runway. A vote on the draft Airports NPS (ie. on the runway) is expected in Parliament towards the summer. Heathrow's review of their PR company followed the appointment of Nigel Milton as director of comms in January 2017, and Josephine Roberts as head of media, who oversees the Heathrow press office, in June 2017. Milton said Portland "will support in-house teams across our corporate communications programme, including internal and external activations".
Click here to view full story...
Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin & Harpenden, says Luton Airport expansion plans to 38 mppa ‘unsuitable’
Conservative Bim Afolami, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, has said the proposed expansion of Luton Airport is both "unsuitable" and "unsustainable", and its growth would be "Bedfordshire's gain - Hertfordshire's pain" in terms of noise and pollution. The airport, owned by Luton Borough Council, published its ambitious growth plan - to expand not only to 18 million annual passengers, but to 36 - 38 million - in December. It hopes to reach the 38 million by 2050 with 240,000 flights a year, using its one existing runway. The local geography is such that adding a second runway would be virtually impossible - slopes. Mr Afolami told a Westminster Hall debate on Tuesday that he "was not against airports" and "recognised the jobs and economic growth the airport brings to the UK and to Luton" ....but "The proposed expansion to more than double Luton's passenger numbers is both unsuitable to the local area and unsustainable in the context of the constraints that exist in rural Hertfordshire. Luton is just not the right place for an airport of the proposed size of 38m passengers." However, Transport Minister Paul Maynard said that the airport was already "actively engaged" in local consultation.
Click here to view full story...
Jo Johnson (Boris’ brother) moved to DfT as Transport Minister – role re. Heathrow not yet clear
Jo Johnson (MP for Orpington) has been moved from his job as universities minister following a row over the appointment of Toby Young to the new universities regulator. Theresa May’s decision to appoint Jo Johnson as a transport minister at the DfT also sets up a potential conflict between him and his brother, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, over the expansion of Heathrow. Jo Johnson has replaced John Hayes as Transport Minister, so it is possible he will have responsibility for expanding Heathrow. Jo Johnson expressed his opposition to a 3rd Heathrow runway in 2011. John Hayes was expert in avoiding giving answers to any question on Heathrow. The DfT website just says: "Jo Johnson was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Transport and Minister for London on 9 January 2018. Jo was Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation from July 2016 to January 2018. He was elected Conservative MP for Orpington in May 2010 and re-elected in May 2015." Boris Johnson has been a longtime vocal critic of a 3rd Heathrow runway. Jo Johnson has also been appointed minister for London ahead of what could be tough local elections in the capital in May this year for the Tories.
Click here to view full story...
BA to cut flights between Heathrow and Leeds Bradford from 20 to 10 per week – they are not profitable
British Airways says its flights from Leeds Bradford Airport to Heathrow are being cut by 50% “to match demand”. The changes are due to start in summer 2018. BA has not been making money on these flights. A spokesman for Leeds Bradford Airport said the cut in BA flights from 20 to 10 per week was a blow to their hopes that Heathrow’s ongoing runway expansion plans would have attracted more people to Yorkshire. “As the international gateway for Yorkshire and given our continued support for a 3rd runway at Heathrow, this news is disappointing for the largest region in the UK. .... “We hope the people of Yorkshire will still fully support the route, enabling us to prove to British Airways that the largest region in the UK can support a viable and profitable service going forward.” The Chair of the No 3rd Runway Coalition, Paul McGuinness commented that the pledges Heathrow had made to increase its number of domestic links are not credible. It is not in the gift of an airport to determine which air links exist - that is up to airlines, which will only fly routes that are profitable, unless they receive continuing subsidies to run routes at a loss. "It also reminds us of the short-sightedness of those who have been lulled into supporting Heathrow's campaign to concentrate (yet again) all the best tax payer funded infrastructure in the already, disproportionately well endowed South East of the country."
Click here to view full story...
Luton airport now hoping not only for 18 million annual passengers, but up to 38 million
Luton airport is planning to increase its annual number of passengers to 18 million, from around 15 million at present. Work is under way to achieve this, with new buildings, new taxiways etc. However, the airport is now saying it plans to take advantage of an apparent shortage of runway capacity in the south east, in the coming decade, to try to grow to 36 - 38 million annual passengers. This has come as a surprise to many. Only two weeks earlier an airport senior manager was asked what happens when Luton reaches 18mppa, and he said they would flat-line as the terminal could not cope with any more people. The Chairman of LLACC (the Consultative Committee) did not about it either. Also, LLAL (the arm of Luton BC that owns the airport) recently purchased a huge tract of land nearby (Wigmore Park) and said it would not be used to expand the airport but to diversify business-land investment. However it appears that the airport may be planning a new terminal on the land, as the only way to achieve new growth aspirations. Hertfordshire County Council are doubtful about the expansion, raising many possible negative impacts for the area, including surface access traffic.
Click here to view full story...
London City airport has no air passenger growth in 2017, compared to 5% in 2016 and 18% in 2015
London City Airport has announced flat passenger numbers for 2017 with no growth. Compared to that, passenger numbers rose by 5% in 2016 (with 2% rise in ATM s) and rose by 18% in 2015 (compared to 2014) with ATMs up 13%. So a very definite slow down now. There were some 4,511,100 passengers in 2017 , down from about 4,536,050 in 2016. A spokesperson for the airport said the dip was due to "a variety of factors", including some airlines choosing to move flights to other airports, "reflecting the more challenging economic environment". CityJet trimmed the size of its operation, while other airlines cut some routes. The busiest route from London City was Amsterdam in 2017, followed by Edinburgh, Dublin, Zurich and Milan. London City Airport plans to expand, with 7 new aircraft stands, a parallel taxiway to maximise runway capacity, and a terminal extension to make room for more passengers, with completion in 2021. The project was originally expected to cost £400m, but that has now risen to £480m. The airport hopes for greatly increased passenger numbers, as it adds "much needed" capacity at peak times.
Click here to view full story...
Heathrow spin on cutting (by a tiny further amount) its charges for domestic air passengers
Heathrow has put out a rather coy press release, crowing about how it is cutting charges for domestic air passengers. The aim is to encourage more to fly on domestic routes to and from Heathrow. They say they are cutting the charge by £15 per passenger, but carefully avoid giving the current or future figure. The charge per passenger is probably around £31 now, on domestic or European flights, and will be around £15. But no details are given. Earlier publications by Heathrow indicate they gave a £10 discount last year, so the £15 is only a small increase - but being used to generate positive publicity. Heathrow knows the Airports Commission believed the number of domestic links to Heathrow would actually fall over time, with a new runway. Heathrow is desperate to get regional politicians to believe the 3rd runway would give them better flights to Heathrow, to get support for the vote in Parliament on the 3rd runway, some time in the first half of 2018. The only way Heathrow can support more domestic flights is by subsidising them, with a route development fund. How long the airport would be prepared, once it has its runway, to continue the expensive subsidy is anyone's guess. The subsidy could be seen as anti-competitive, especially with (far lower carbon) rail travel.
Click here to view full story...
Speculation grows that GIP and the consortium of Gatwick owners will sell the airport soon
Gatwick’s private equity owners have had a £175 million dividend as speculation mounts over a sale of the airport. The dividend, paid in October 2017, was up from £125m a year earlier and followed 6 months of rising passenger numbers and profits. Gatwick is owned by Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) and a consortium of investors, who bought it for £1.5 billion in 2009 from the former airports monopoly BAA. They have improved the airport, attracting more airlines, and now have 44 million annual air passengers. That has increased the value of the airport to an estimated £6 - £8 billion. GIP also owned London City airport, which they sold almost 2 years ago for over £2 billion, making a huge profit. City experts believe GIP is now looking to sell one or both of its 2 remaining UK airports, Gatwick and Edinburgh - or at least reduce its stake. A sale of Gatwick would be a vast profit. There is speculation that GIP would have sold Edinburgh earlier, but held back due to the German election and complications of Brexit. Gatwick is still keen to build a 2nd runway, but the government prefers a 3rd Heathrow runway. Consultations on that will continue in 2018, and Gatwick continues to press for its runway - as that would raise the selling price.