General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Rising number of passengers’ electronic items with lithium batteries is increasing fire risk on planes
There remains concern about the manner in which defective lithium batteries can catch fire and explode. There have been several incidents where items such as laptops and mobile phones have overheated, in planes or in airports. In June last year, police at San Diego International Airport noticed a passenger's bag was smoking as it journeyed around the carousel. Inside, a lithium-ion battery had touched a screwdriver and both had melted. In September 2012, a flight attendant and two passengers were burned when they handled a mobile phone and spare battery that overheated during a flight. In April 2012 a lithium battery inside someone's personal air purifier caught fire at 28,000ft. A recent estimate said that the average small plane carrying 100 passengers could have 500 lithium batteries on board when you tot up all the watches, laptops, cameras, e-readers, tablet computers and suchlike. The CAA say the huge growth in people carrying lithium batteries on aircraft poses a growing fire risk. In general, batteries bought from respectable retailers are regulated and safe, as long as passengers pack them in their bags properly. But there is a higher risk from cheap, copycat batteries bought online. Some can develop faults. The EU is slowly increasing access to the internet during flights, increasing the number of phones, and tablets on board.
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Birmingham business leaders condemn Airports Commission for not recognising Birmingham Airport’s economic potential
Business leaders in Birmingham have criticised the Airports Commission's interim report, released on 17th December, for overlooking the “crucial role” Birmingham Airport could play, in allegedly supporting the local and national economy. The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce (GBCC) said the potential for the airport to capture thousands of new passengers was not being considered. It has written to MPs Louise Ellman, chair of the Common’s Transport Select Committee, and committee member Chloe Smith to outline its view. The GBCC would like to invite Ms Ellman and other members of the Transport Select Committee to visit businesses in Birmingham "to showcase how Birmingham Airport can help drive the export-led recovery.” The GBCC says it is pleased that Birmingham Airport has been identified as a long-term option for development. They say that "the catchment area for Birmingham Airport is home to half a million businesses (approximately 25% of British business) and has the largest share of manufacturing activity of all airport catchment areas.” Also that the Commission "could have gone much further in exploring the role of both HS2 and other economic assets across the West Midlands."
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New £53 million platform opened at Gatwick airport station with £50 million more future government funding for more station improvements
Gatwick's new £53 million station platform has been opened. Transport Minister Susan Baroness Kramer formally opened Platform 7 and its associated facilities. First Capital Connect, hopes having this new platform will mean better services for passengers going to the airport, and that it will unblock a bottleneck on the Brighton main line. With some 14 million people arriving at, or departing from the airport by rail each year, (about one third of passengers) improvements were necessary for the "passenger experience." The Brighton Main Line is one of the busiest routes in the UK and the new platform at Gatwick should mean fewer delays for passengers using the line, as well as those getting off or on at Gatwick. The news coverage of the opening is characteristically gushy. This is part of a large redevelopment of the airport station – the Gatwick Gateway. Baroness Kramer said: “Gatwick makes a vital contribution to the UK economy and we must make sure facilities are upgraded for the benefit of passengers. That is why we have committed a further £50 million [taxpayer money] towards the complete redevelopment of the station.” Stewart Wingate said the improved station "will allow us to compete even more for passengers and airlines wanting to come to London and the South-east region.” .
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Heathrow consultation starts – 140,000 leaflets distributed – as airport hopes to minimise opposition on noise increase
Heathrow airport has started its 6-week consultation, to ask people living near the airport how they can "improve" on their runway plans - and reduce opposition to it as much as possible. The airport is sending out 140,000 short (12 page) booklets, to many neighbouring boroughs, but not Richmond (where there is fierce opposition). The thrust of the consultation is on noise. It is extremely simplistic, and should not really be considered as a proper consultation. Except for people motivated to write a lot of their own text, there is no simple way to say "No, we do not support a new runway" in the consultation response form itself. There are no questions along those lines. The form only has two questions - the first asking respondents to rank a list of criteria; the second asking if people think it is more important to have fewer communities living under flight paths affected more badly, or more communities affected a bit less. There is stunningly little detail. Colin Matthews says: “This consultation is to make sure we correctly understand what local people value and that we can take their views into account as we refine our proposal.” Everyone with an interest in Heathrow and its runway plans should reply to the questionnaire, and tell Heathrow just what they think, in the space for responses in Question 3. The consultation ends on 16th March.
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Ryanair makes a loss in 3rd quarter of 2013 and Michael O’Leary plans to do less colourful publicity stunts
Ryanair made a loss in the final three months of 2013 as lower fares and the weakness of sterling against the euro hurt trading. Ryanair's average fares were 9% lower in the quarter than a year earlier, leading to a €35m loss for the quarter. The loss came despite a 6% rise in passenger numbers, due to promotions and lower fares. Their ancillary" revenues - including reserved seating, priority boarding and credit card fees - rose by 13%. In November, Ryanair said full year profits for the year ending in March would be down on 2013 - the first annual profits fall in 5 years. To try and get over their bad public image, Ryanair are now allowing a free small second carry-on bag, a 24-hour grace period to correct minor booking errors, reduced boarding card and airport and bag fees, and allocated seating (costing €5) on all flights. After 20 years of dressing up in jester outfits and causing an outcry with claims such as “Germans will crawl b*****k-naked over broken glass to get low fares”, O’Leary has decided to step out of the public spotlight. He will make only very “rare” media appearances, as Ryanair tries to present a new, friendlier image... "he simply doesn’t need to be doing what he has been doing any more,” " analysts feel it is an important part of [Ryanair's] evolution to move on from its previous raucous image."
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Aviation Environment Federation response to DfT’s 2nd stage consultation on night noise
The DfT places restrictions on night flying at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports. These are reviewed every few years, though in 2012 it was decided to just extend the restrictions until October 2014. There have been two phases to the current consultation, for changes after October 2014, with the first consultation ending in April 2013 and the second phase ending on 3rd February 2014. The DfT believes it should take "account of the findings of the Airports Commission before making any changes to the night restrictions regime." They therefore propose not making any significant changes till October 2017. The Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) has responded to the DfT’s 2nd stage consultation. They comment that there is a need for an evidence-based target to inform a long-term night noise policy. This should be to reduce night noise below the threshold recommended by the WHO to avoid damaging health impacts. Improvements are needed soon, and therefore they oppose the intention not to make changes before 2017. Greater emphasis needs to be given to the health impacts, on which there have been more studies. There also need to be supplementary metrics to measure the impact of night noise and the performance of the existing night noise regime.
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Gatwick hopes that by giving another 1,000 homes double-glazing it will defuse opposition to a 2nd runway
Gatwick airport continues to spend a lot of money in attempting to get backing for its 2nd runway and soften up opposition. It has now set up a new scheme - starting on 1st April - to give people overflown more double glazing and house insulation, to attempt to cut some of the noise. That, of course, does not work when the windows are open, or when people are outside - in a garden, or elsewhere. Gatwick says it is expanding its noise insulation scheme, to cover over 1,000 more homes across Surrey, Sussex and Kent. People will be able to apply for up to £3,000 towards double glazing for their windows and doors as well as loft insulation; ie the scheme could cost Gatwick some £3 million in total. They are now taking the 60 Leq contour, rather than the 66 Leq contour, as in the past - hence increasing the catchment area. They are also extending the area covered by 15km to both west and east of the airport. Stewart Wingate said "We understand that the public’s tolerance to noise is much lower than it was"... Gatwick is pushing hard to compare the noise problem it causes with the much larger noise problem caused by Heathrow, where flight paths go over many more densely populated areas. They ignore the issue of the low level of background noise around Gatwick, compared to background noise in a city or large town.
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Stop Stansted Expansion calls for reduction and phasing out of Stansted’s night flights
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has made a detailed submission to the DfT consultation on night flights, calling for Government action to end the scourge of these flights. The government consultation proposes that Stansted should continue to be allowed 12,000 flights a year between 11.30pm and 6.00am. This is more than twice as many as are permitted at Heathrow and far more than are needed. The 12,000 cap was set in 2006, when Stansted was still expanding rapidly, and a 2nd runway was planned. However, today Stansted is handling 30% less traffic than in 2006. Logically allowing Stansted 12,000 night flights a year can no longer be justified. SSE argues that those living under Stansted's flight paths should have the right to an uninterrupted night's sleep, ie. a full 8 hours and not just the 6½ hours covered by the current restrictions. Stansted handled just over 8,500 night flights last year - well below the Government limit of 12,000. SSE is pressing for the limit to be cut to 7,500 night flights from October 2014 and then further reduced by 500 flights each year until night flights are totally phased out. The recent announcement by British Airways that it pulling the plug on its cargo operations at Stansted means that reducing the number of permitted night flights at Stansted from 12,000 to 7,500 should now be easily achievable.
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Member states should follow MEPs and back airspace emissions proposal
MEPs on the Environment Committee have stood up to political pressure from member states and industry by voting to endorse the European Commission’s proposal for an aviation ETS covering all of Europe’s airspace. Although the proposal regulates only 35% of airline emissions compared to the original EU ETS, it crucially captures a portion of long-haul flights – where most of aviation’s greenhouse gases originate. The proposal would see an end to a restricted ETS covering just intra-EU flights. Bill Hemmings, aviation manager at the European Federation for Transport & Environment, said: “By backing coverage of airspace, MEPs are ensuring the system captures emissions from all flights – both intra-Europe and long-haul over European territory. The decision also reinforces EU sovereignty, something a number of member states seem reluctant to uphold ...Any EU measure to fight climate change needs to be enforced. It is untenable that France, Germany and the UK are failing to enforce the 2012 legislation. This should be a precondition before talks between Parliament and Council members on agreeing changes to the ETS.” .
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Scrap HS2 and move Leeds Bradford Airport next to M1 says Wakefield council
Calls for a new airport for the Yorkshire region have emerged as a Wakefield council urged the scrapping of HS2 in favour of a wider package of transport improvements. Wakefield councillors voted to oppose HS2 scheme which would see high speed trains passing through the district to a new stop in the centre of Leeds. The […]