General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Alex Chapman: Five ways the government’s irresponsible plans for aviation are putting us all at risk
In an excellent analysis, Alex Chapman (from the New Economics Foundation, NEF) looks at the reality of the UK government's hopes of reducing aviation carbon emissions, while letting the sector continue to grow for decades. The DfT will allow an increase in the UK’s air capacity by 70%, or 200 million passengers above 2018 levels, by 2050. There is no way this can be done, without increasing CO2 emissions, as there are no proven technologies for low carbon flight available at scale, and quickly. The DfT's plans are irresponsible and dangerous, and represent the epitome of the ‘burn now and cross our fingers something will save us later’ philosophy which has led our climate to the brink. A key problem is how the UK government ignores the highly significant non-CO2 impacts of aviation. Electric flight, or hydrogen powered flight, will not be available on any scale for decades (if ever) so the sector is depending on "sustainable aviation fuels" (SAF) and doing dodgy carbon life-cycle accounting for them. It also ignores the various environmental impacts, other than just carbon, created by using plant material in SAF. Then all that is left is hoping against hope that offsets might work (no) or that carbon can be captured from the air and stored. That will not happen on the scale needed.
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BA and Velocys planning to produce aviation fuels in Immingham
Velocys, a company keen to produce alternative aviation fuels, has extended its agreements with British Airways over plans for a fuel refinery on the South Humber Bank. Velocys and BA have signed up to further the joint development proposal for the £350 million Altalto Immingham project, as well as an option agreement for BA to buy 50% of it. Velocys has also entered into a contract with an un-named European renewable fuels developer to provide initial engineering services. The aim is to use "sustainable residues" (not adequately defined) into lower carbon fuels, using the energy intensive Fischer Tropsch process. BA says it has just started receiving "sustainable aviation fuel" from the nearby Phillips 66 Humber Refinery. BA originally, in 2020, joined up with Velocys and Shell, to produce "low carbon" jet fuel in Immingham, but Shell pulled out in January 2021 to develop on its own in Germany. Velocys is also developing aviation fuels with other companies, in the US.
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Dutch watchdog rules KLM’s ‘Carbon Zero’ advert is misleading
The Dutch advertising watchdog (like the UK's ASA) ruled that a KLM promotion telling customers they could fly carbon-emission free is misleading. The ad’s tag line, “Be a hero, fly CO2 zero,” is an absolute claim, the Dutch Advertising Code Committee said in their verdict and the company had the burden of proving the statement - it could not. While the ruling is limited to only one airline it touches on broader pressure on airlines to lower their carbon footprint and ‘flight-shaming’ campaigns to get people to stopping flying. Commercially viable alternatives like electric and hydrogen powered jetliners are decades away - so all airlines can do at present is "offsetting" carbon emissions (that is not an effective measure). Offsets such as tree planting and forest protection are no proper compensation for carbon emitted, by a journey or other burning of fossil fuels. There is no real chance of genuinely low carbon aviation fuel being available in significant amounts, without causing various other environmental problems. KLM has two weeks to decide whether it wants to appeal.
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Unwise to depend on future carbon removal, while continuing to emit CO2
Schemes to suck up carbon emissions and permanently remove it from the atmosphere will be essential, as humanity is unable and unwilling to cut its carbon emissions. The techniques to be used to remove carbon are CCS (carbon capture and storage), Beccs (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage - with huge potential negative impact on land use and biodiversity) and Daccs (Direct Air Capture with Carbon Capture Storage). But they will have the effect of allowing the continuation of "business as usual" and preventing the drastic carbon reductions that are needed, now and the the near future. There is not going to be the capacity, let alone the ability or willingness to pay for it, to permanently store the billions of CO2 necessary. Yet sectors like aviation are depending on these unlikely, unproven technologies, in order to continue to emit carbon for years, with almost no reduction in emissions. Regrettably the inclusion of future carbon removal technologies in the IPCC’s models is encouraging policymakers to treat carbon removal technology as a fait accompli and delay essential emissions reductions policies.
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T&E finds Europe’s largest airlines claim net zero future whilst lobbying to weaken EU’s climate laws
New analysis by Transport & Environment (T&E) finds that the 4 legacy airlines - Air France, Lufthansa, Iberia and Aer Lingus [both part of IAG] - are working to water down EU’s climate plans for aviation, letting up to 72% of EU aviation emissions off the hook. This is despite publicly committing to net zero emissions by 2050. Europe’s biggest airlines have been lobbying decision makers to weaken the environmental ambition of the EU’s climate plans for aviation, such as its sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) proposal (ReFuelEU). There are major discrepancies between the airlines’ public commitments and their tenacious lobbying efforts. Negative climate lobbying efforts are led by the IATA as well as the airlines. Analysis by T&E shows clear signs that IATA and IAG’s positions have filtered through a number of amendments submitted by decision makers to the European Parliament. The airlines are making crowd-pleasing pledges of net-zero emissions, but in the background, they send IAG and IATA to do their dirty work: lobby to weaken the EU’s climate package so they can continue to pollute for free.”
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Luton airport’s bid to set aside noise limits is called in by Secretary of State
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has called-in Luton Borough Council’s December decision to set aside the noise and growth limits imposed on Luton Airport until 2028. In its decision letter, the DLUHC cites concerns over climate change, policies for enhancing the natural environment, and the local development plan which was to be set aside to allow more airport growth. Campaigners have welcomed the decision as enabling the national Planning Inspectorate to review what many feel is a conflicted situation in which the Council derives significant revenue from the Airport but is also responsible for planning decisions which affect its environmental impacts on the whole local area. Andrew Lambourne, from anti-noise group LADACAN which led the calls for a call-in, said: “People living all around Luton Airport had to put up with far more noise, pollution and traffic congestion than they should have done between 2017 and 2019, and they deserve justice."
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Surinder Arora is rekindling his rival bid to build a new terminal at Heathrow
Hotels tycoon Surinder Arora wants to build a rival terminal at Heathrow. He is understood to have held talks with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority about his plans to a new terminal, that might be dedicated (or may not) to Virgin Atlantic, Air France and Delta flights, on Heathrow-owned land. Mr Arora wants to expand Heathrow's capacity using the new terminal by up to 18 mppa more, without building a new runway - so there would be more planes on the existing runways. Heathrow airport has plans for a third runway, that have been held up for years and look increasingly unlikely after the financial losses caused by the Covid pandemic, and the change in flying behaviour of many companies and individuals. There are also serious climate concerns, so no government should allow airport expansion when aviation carbon emissions are meant to be reducing.
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By March 2021 Teeside airport had liabilities of £27.48m and net assets of £1.8m
Teesside Airport has reported a £13.4m operating loss as the pandemic caused a 90% fall in passenger numbers in the year to March 2021. The airport's newly published show its turnover for the year fell 38% to £4.8m, down from £7.7m from the year ending March 2020. The number of passengers fell to just 14,521 from 139,448. It incurred £2.73m costs associated with contract termination, including a contact with Close Security Protection. During the year, a total of £20m was drawn down from two loan facilities - a £34.4m facility from Tees Valley Combined Authority and a further £23.6m set up last year to fund development of the airport’s Southside business park. The airport hopes to get thousands more tourists for holiday flights this year, to destinations such as Alicante, Palma, Corfu and Faro. The airport benefited from Government support packages of £886,278 - including £407,439 from the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme and £478,839 via the Airport and Ground Operations Support Scheme run by the DfT and used to cover business rates during the period. The accounts show that at the end of March 2021 the airport had liabilities of £27.48m and net assets of £1.8m.
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Airport expansion and UK climate policy: a mess that needs urgent attention
The IPCC report of 28th February was clear that action has to be taken, fast, to reduce carbon emissions, if there is to be a "liveable future" for all. Carbon emissions should halve by 2030, to give the world a chance of not increasing the temperature more than 1.5C above pre-industrial. But with the eyes of the world on the war in Ukraine, it did no get the reporting and the discussion it deserved. Airports in the UK (and elsewhere) continue to plan, not only for more flights and passengers, but for more infrastructure to enable yet more expansion. The UK is currently not on track to meet its 4th and 5th carbon budgets, going up to 2032. The government's climate advisors, the Climate Change Committee, say “there is no room for airport expansions”. Local authorities say the carbon emissions from the expansion are not their problem but for national government to decide. But the UK still has no policy on aviation carbon, assessed across all airports. National planning policy guidance for local councils about climate change and aviation is out of date and contradictory, with airports claiming the law encourages them to "make best use of" existing infrastructure. Proper joined up policy is needed quickly. See full piece by Nick Hodgkinson
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UK government paying £685 million for “sustainable aviation fuel” development over 3 years
The aviation industry, and pro-aviation governments, are doing all they can to convince themselves and the world in general that it will be possible - at some not-too-far-ahead date - to fly huge, heavy planes thousands of miles, but with no additional carbon entering the atmosphere. The trick most are banking on is "sustainable aviation fuels" (SAF). These fuels are going to have to be impressive, in being combusted in a jet engine, with no net carbon produced ... The aviation sector is keen not to have to pay the fuel research costs itself. So it wants financial assistance from governments (ie. taxpayer money). The UK Sec of State for Transport, Grant Shapps, is an aviation enthusiast (he has his own plane), and is enthusiastic about funding being given to companies trying to make flying "green." In October 2021 the UK government announced it would provide £180 million to support the development of SAF plants. In December we were told of £15 million being given to 8 companies. But now it is announced that £685 million is being given for a "sustainable aviation" programme over 3 years. The government wants to see perhaps 10% of SAF being used by planes by 2030 - even 50% by 2050 - the current figure is well below 1%.