General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
HS2 revises down economic benefits of £33bn railway
Originally the High Speed 2 line, from London to Birmingham was stated to provide an economic benefit of £2.40 for every £1 invested. This figure has been reduced now for the 4th time, and is down to £1.20 per £1 invested. The DfT insists it will deliver benefits of £4 for every £1 spent, compared to a conventional rail line. The full route, going north to Leeds and Manchester, now has an estimated benefit-cost ratio of between £1.50 to £1.90 for every £1 spent. The DfT is saying more affluent people in more rural areas are opposing the scheme, while those in the northern cities are in favour of it. The 51m group and the HS2 Action Alliance have launched judicial reviews of the decision to proceed, and expect their cases to be heard in the autumn.
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British Airways plans to cut almost 600 jobs at Gatwick Airport
Almost 600 BA employees at Gatwick could lose their jobs or be transferred to another company as part of BA plans to cut costs. It plans to cut 170 customer service and management support jobs and outsource 400 ramp worker roles. The jobs it plans to outsource include baggage, de-icing and coaching operations, and the arrivals baggage service. BA has begun consultation with unions over the plans. The GMB said the announcement was a "disaster for staff morale". Unite said the plans were "extremely worrying" and called for the airline to guarantee no compulsory redundancies. BA is the only airline operating out of Gatwick with its own ground staff workforce. BA overall employed 7.7% fewer staff in 2010 than in 2009.
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Nasa scientist Jim Hansen: climate change is a moral issue on a par with slavery
Prof Jim Hansen, who is leading climate scientist at NASA, says that the way in which our society now is storing up expensive and destructive consequences for society in future - by altering their climate - is an "injustice of one generation to others". Current generations have an over-riding moral duty to their children and grandchildren to take immediate action. He is also calling for a worldwide, flat rate tax on all carbon emissions to force immediate cuts in fossil fuel use, and this tax would rise each year. It would promote a dramatic increase in the investment and development of low-carbon energy sources and technologies. He says the latest climate models had shown the planet was on the brink of an emergency, with repeated natural disasters from extreme weather events which would affect large areas of the planet.
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Birmingham LEP chairman wants Heathrow 3rd runway as well as Birmingham airport growth
The Chairman of the Birmingham Local Enterprise Partnership, Andy Street, who is also MD of John Lewis, is a key member of the organisation called London First, which produced a report in Feb 2012, wanting a 3rd Heathrow runway, mixed mode on both Heathrow runways, as well as a new hub airport, more lax planning restrictions, and public subsidy for aviation. As well as pushing for growth at Birmingham airport, Mr Street is also pushing for a new Heathrow runway, and has somewhat upset his colleagues in Birmingham by not seeing "the issue from a national perspective and neglects the valuable role regional airports can play in satisfying this demand in both the short and long term.”
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Aviation should be included in the UK’s carbon budgets, Government advisers recommend
The Committee on Climate change produced its long awaited statement on how aviation should be included in the UK's 5-year carbon budgets. The Climate Act currently omits international aviation and shipping, but while setting budgets, the CCC has to "take account" of’ these emissions. The government must decide by the end of 2012 on whether to include them. The CCC recommends that international aviation and shipping should now be included, and that UK international aviation emissions should be back at the level they were in 2005 by 2050. The CCC says international aviation emissions should be added to currently legislated budgets based on the UK share of the EU ETS cap (i.e. 31 MtCO2e per year - which is 155 MtCO2e over the three 5 year budgets, taking us up to 2027). UK aviation emissions grew around 120% between 1990 and 2005. Due to the inclusion of aviation and shipping, the CO2 emissions of all other sectors have to be cut by over 80% of the 1990 level by 2005, so aviation is being given a very generous deal indeed. The CCC has decided not to include the non-CO2 effects of aviation for the time being, though these NOx etc impacts of other sectors are included, and it presumes that technology may be able to remove the problem in coming decades.
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Runways, emissions and the EU ETS: why Tim Yeo is wrong
This week Tim Yeo MP announced that he had changed his mind about Heathrow expansion and now supported the idea of building a third runway. He had two reasons: that the economic case in favour has changed, he says, and that aviation is now part of the EU ETS. He didn’t mention noise, air pollution, or destruction of local villages. But even on his own terms he’s wrong – on both counts. AEF’s new 2-page briefing Runways, emissions and the EU ETS explains why.
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Richmond Park MP Zac Goldsmith warns of Heathrow expansion backlash
Zac has warned that a Government u-turn on Heathrow expansion would have “crushing political ramifications” for his party. He says if the Tories back reconsideration of a third Heathrow runway, it would be an “unbearable betrayal” for the 2 million residents living under the flight paths - and he threatened to resign if the Conservative Party went back on its pre-election pledge to block Heathrow expansion. He appreciated that the Heathrow controversy helped him win his Richmond seat, one of the biggest victories for the Conservatives in the 2010 election. Vince Cable, MP for Twickenham, declined to say this week whether he would quit if the Government reconsidered a third runway.
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John McDonnell MP calls for publication of all contacts between aviation industry & ministers
In a letter to the Guardian, John says that since the government decided against a 3rd runway, BAA and the aviation industry have mounted a vastly expensive lobbying campaign to reverse this decision. Now we have the revelation that companies have been able to buy access to ministers with the opportunity to influence policy. "I am calling for the publication of all contacts between the aviation industry and ministers, civil servants and party officials at all levels." If the government "seeks to ride roughshod over the democratic wishes of our people on this issue, we will call up the largest environmental direct action campaign this country has seen. It won't just be a campaign about a runway it will be a campaign to reclaim democracy and demand honest politics."
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APD ‘shows little impact on sales’ for long-haul
Hayes & Jarvis is reporting an ‘unexpected’ long-haul bookings boost, with the Americas and Caribbean doing particularly well. They said bookings for the Caribbean are up 37% overall, despite fears passengers would be put off by having to pay more APD than other destinations. Dominican Republic is seeing an 800% increase in bookings; Cuba is reporting a 66% increase; and St Lucia is up 55%. Mexico has seen a bookings surge of 143%, fuelled by demand for ‘value’ among people opting for upmarket all-inclusive packages. The Caribbean destinations have argued the current APD banding system is unfair, because passengers to the Caribbean pay more than, for example, passengers to the US, even though flight times are similar.
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Government announces National Planning Policy Framework – comment from many organisations
Minister Greg Clark has released the final version of the new planning policy. Some environmental NGOs welcomed the unveiling of new planning guidance which addresses some the concerns raised. The new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) contains a definition of sustainable development which may be able to ensure local authorities can plan for vital homes, jobs and transport links without causing damage to our wildlife and countryside. The recognition of the value of undesignated countryside, and the explicit acknowledgement that use of brownfield land is a core planning objective are welcomed. WWF said it was disappointing and a lost opportunity. "Ultimately though, there's still no strong, clear guidance to local authorities on how they can use the sustainable development policy in the NPPF and apply it to their circumstances."