General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Birmingham Airport says British exports need network of long-haul airports, not only a Heathrow hub
Paul Kehoe, the Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport, has commissioned research to back his campaign to get more long haul flights to his airport. The 400 metre runway extension at Birmingham (taking the runway to some 3,000 metres) should be in use by spring 2014. The new report says that Birmingham is well situated for a large number of UK businesses that want to do business abroad and fly abroad. It says Birmingham has the second largest business catchment - within 2 hours travel - in the UK and the biggest number of manufacturers. Therefore Kehoe argues (as he has done consistently for years) that if this government is to fulfil its promise to rebalance the UK economy towards manufacturing and exports, there have to be more long haul flights from the Midlands and further north. Business people don't want to land at Heathrow and have to treck up north by road or rail. The report says "long-haul airports at Heathrow, Birmingham and Manchester could serve and support growth in economies of their sizeable catchment areas. But unlike Manchester Airport, Birmingham Airport is uniquely placed to ease congestion at Heathrow."
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easyJet 39 dropped routes – many to Spain, some to UK airports – but added 64 new routes
Airlines constantly monitor the financial performance of individual routes, so if they are not making money on a particular airport pair, it is axed. There is then capacity that can either be used to increase frequency on existing routes, or for a new route. Anna Aero reports that comparing the routes of EasyJet this summer, compared to summer 2012, they have dropped 39 airport pairs, but set up 64 new ones. There have been many cuts in their routes to Spain. The airport to lose the largest number of routes is Madrid (14 routes) and second is Liverpool (5 lost), followed by Barcelona and Dortmund with four each. Of the five dropped Liverpool routes, only one (Malta) is served by easyJet from its nearby base at Manchester. The net result is for the overall number of easyJet flights to increase by 2.2% in August compared to August 2012. Due to more larger planes - the growing number of A320s in the fleet - the total number of EasyJet seats is up 2.8%, while ASKs (Available Seat Kilometres) are up 3.1%, indicating a small increase in average sector (ie journey) length.
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Red Tape Challenge asks General Aviation sector which regulations it wants removed
Along with the other sectors for which this government is keen to reduce red tape and bureaucracy is general aviation (ie. small airfields and aerodromes, not commercial planes). The government is now asking everyone involved in the sector – to submit their comments on which regulations could be removed. The government wants the sector to be able to thrive and make money, with less regulation and bureaucracy. Grant Shapps said: “A flourishing aviation sector is vital to Britain winning the global race and that includes general aviation as well as the large commercial operators. ……. We want to help generate jobs and prosperity ……..let us know how we can help you to succeed.” It seems from some of the comments on the website that many users of light aircraft would like less regulation in terms of when the airfields close for the night, which is likely to be unpopular with those living near GA airfields.
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Ever larger proportion of diesel road vehicles which produce carginogenic exhaust contribute to airport air pollution
Whereas people hoped that ever more advanced engine technology would reduce the amount of air pollution produced from road vehicles, it seems that air pollution continues to rise. There is mounting evidence that the tiny particulates produced from incompletely combusted diesel fuel are carcinogenic. As diesel vehicles can be slightly more fuel-efficient in miles per gallon, there has been a shift in the UK towards more and more diesel vehicles, since around 2000. At present there are around 50% diesel and 50% petrol cars, though this balance may swing back towards petrol. Diesel engines often do not appear to be as "clean" as their manufacturer spec would indicate, especially if there is slow moving traffic or traffic jams. The net effect has been no reduction in air pollution - for example around busy airports. For airports such as Heathrow which have a higher proportion of diesel vehicles, including lorries, the air pollution - and therefore risk to health - has been growing, as the diesel proportion has grown.
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Over 30,000 people form a 25km human chain surrounding site of proposed new Nantes airport
A huge number of protesters from across France organised themselves into a human chain in the early afternoon on Saturday. There are likely to have been almost 40,000 though the authorities give a lower attendance figure. The human chain surrounded the site of the proposed new Nantes airport, at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, with its two planned runways and new passenger terminal. The airport has been intended as a replacement for the current Nantes airport. Large numbers of people had come long distances to be there, many travelling overnight by bus, and then shared their picnics in a good natured event with a festive, but determined, spirit. The opponents of the new airport say that it is not needed, the economic arguments don't stack up, it will increase carbon emissions, and will destroy valuable farmland and biodiversity. At the moment, the project is considerably delayed, but it is still going ahead. Its opponents want it stopped, and they show no sign of reducing their intense opposition.
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London Assembly restates its strong opposition to building new runways at Heathrow
In response to the publication of the Transport Select Committee report "Aviation Strategy" today, which backs expansion at Heathrow with another runway, the London Assembly restated its view that no new runways at Heathrow should be built because of serious and rising concerns about air quality and noise pollution. The Assembly has consistently opposed proposals for Heathrow expansion on the grounds that the negative environmental effects are disproportionate to the estimated benefits it might bring to London. Already some 700,000 Londoners suffer from aircraft noise due to Heathrow, and this accounts for 28% of all the people in Europe who are affected by aircraft noise. Air quality standards in the area round Heathrow already breach EU air quality limits. The Assembly has just produced its own report on airport capacity, which concluded that as there is a large amount of spare capacity at some London airports, the Airports Commission should first look at ways to use this capacity more effectively, such as improving rail links, before considering building a new runway. Luton and Stansted Airports have around half their slots free and the airline industry should be encouraged to use this existing capacity.
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GACC point out that there is no robust business case for a 2nd Gatwick runway
The Select Committee on Transport, in their report published today, recommends that Gatwick Airport Ltd should ‘develop a robust business case to demonstrate the role that a two runway airport could play in increasing airport competition.’ GACC (the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign) commented that they agree with the Committee that no robust business case currently exists, and that the economics of a 2nd Gatwick runway do not stack up. Gatwick Airport has said in their business plan that a new runway and a new terminal would cost £3 -5 billion, but they only paid £1.5 billion for the whole airport in 2009. It is unlikely that the airlines will want to pay the necessary rises in charges. In reality with larger planes increasingly being used, there is no need for any new south east runways. Gatwick campaigners stand shoulder to shoulder with those at Heathrow and Stansted in resisting any new runways in the UK.
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Commons Transport Committee wants a 3rd Heathrow runway + perhaps later a 4th runway
The House of Commons Transport Committee gathered evidence on airport capacity at the end of 2012, to submit to the Airports Commission. They have now produced their report "Aviation Strategy" in which they say they reject "calls for a new hub airport east of London and urge the Government to permit the expansion of Heathrow where a 3rd runway is long overdue." Its Chairman, Lousie Ellman, said “We recognise that demand for air travel across the UK is forecast to grow, believe that aviation should be permitted to expand and accept that more capacity is necessary to accommodate sustainable aviation growth." Also "We conclude that a 3rd runway at Heathrow is necessary, but also suggest that a 4-runway proposal may have merit, especially if expanding to locate 2 new runways westwards from the current site could curb the noise experienced by people affected under the flight path." It mentions establishing "a national scheme to ensure adequate compensation for people affected by noise from expansion at Heathrow." The report also want HS2 to go to Heathrow; better rail links to Gatwick and Stansted; advantages for regional airports; and reassessment of APD and its effects (which demonstrates how much industry lobbying has influenced the report). HACAN said the Committee's report was predictable.
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“London First” calls for more intensive use of Heathrow runways with mixed mode in submission to Airports Commission
"London First" is an aggressively pro-growth, pro London business lobby organisation, whose stated mission is to "make London the best city in the world in which to do business." It has sent in a submission to the Airports Commission, calling for expansion of Heathrow and the ending of runway alternation. This would mean both runways being used for much of the day, in "mixed mode". London First believes that fitting some 10% more fights into Heathrow will solve the UK's economic ills, and takes a dashingly cavalier attitude to the impact of the extra noise on the quality of life of Londoners overflown. They appear to either not understand how aircraft noise impinges on the lives of those under flight paths, or deliberately seek to underplay the problems, and exaggerate the small reductions in noise that aircraft manufacturers have achieved. They use noise figures from the time of Concorde to give the impression there has been a huge noise reduction. London First also recommend that Gatwick and Stansted be allowed to compete more effectively, and have better rail services, to take some business from Heathrow.
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UK remains largest no-frills market in Europe – some 8.8 million international seats
The aviation analysts, OAG, say the number of seats offered by European low-cost carriers (LCC) has increased by an average of 14% per year over the 10 years. By contrast the number of seats offered by the legacy airlines rose by about 1% per year. Over the 10 years from 2004 to 2013 the low cost airlines added some 20 million seats, and the legacy airlines added some 2.8 million seats. The UK remains the largest LCC market in Europe, with more than double the seat capacity of 10 years ago, and the UK number rose by 15% in the last year. While the UK LCC market has some 8.8 million international seats per year, Spain is the 2nd largest with 7.4 million. Then come Italy (4.5m), Germany (3.7m) and France 3.2m). The number of seats on European LCCs is of the order of 34 million, and they are somewhere around 43% of all international seats for the UK, with legacy carriers having some 57% of seats. The LCC proportion is higher in Spain than in the UK and lower in France and Germany. Across Europe, Ryanair has about 31% of the LCC seat capacity and Easyjet about 21%.