General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
BRITISH AIRWAYS TO GET BIGGEST CO2 PERMIT HANDOUT UNDER EU ETS
The UK government has announced that BA will get 10.34 million free carbon permits next year, or around 6% of the total allocated to airlines under the ETS. DECC allocation figures show how the UK's share of 56.7 m free carbon permits will be divided up between 249 registered airlines. BA gets around €112 million. easyJet, due to receive 4.7 million permits, will get the 2nd biggest hand-out. UK carriers will receive almost a third of the total 176 million.
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AirportWatch response to the Aviation Scoping Document Consultation
The DfT has consulted on its scoping document, to develop a "Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation". This consultation closed on 20th October. There will be a further, full, consultation next March on the developing policy, for planned adoption by government in March 2013. AirportWatch has produced a range of supporting evidence documents, to back its arguments, and these as well as the AirportWatch response are now available. Also excellent, detailed and closely argued responses from a range of AirportWatch member organisations, arguing for a truly environmental responsible and sustainable future UK aviation policy.
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Cuts to air passenger tax scandalous, says AirportWatch
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APD cut on flights from Northern Ireland
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New ‘greener’ plane – the Boeing 787 Dreamliner – to be delivered
UK airlines have welcomed the much-delayed arrival of the "green" plane - the 787 Dreamliner. It is 3 years behind schedule due to production difficulties, but the first has now flown from Seatle to Japan to join the fleet of Japanese carrier All Nippon Airways. Its first passenger flight will be Tokyo to Hong Kongat the end of October. Thomson Holidays will get 11 next year, BA has ordered 24, with the first due to arrive in 2013, and Virgin gets 15 in 2014.
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EasyJet founder, Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, to launch new airline Fastjet.com
Sir Stelios says he is preparing to launch a new airline called FastJet. He still holds a 38% stake in easyJet. But this has been dismissed by some in the industry as a bluff. It has not been revealed whether the new venture will be a low-fares carrier competing with easyJet or a medium, long-haul or premium airline. Sir Stelios continues to believe easyJet should be trimming capacity but its Board is planning for growth and buying new aircraft.
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Easyjet lifts profit forecast and pays special dividend
Easyjet has increased its estimate for full-year profits and announced a special dividend for shareholders. It said it had been helped by an increase in business travellers and now expects annual profits of £240m-£250m, up from a previous forecast of £200m-£230m made in July. It says it has particular strength on city routes used by business and short-break leisure travellers. It expects its fuel bill to be £220m higher in 2012 than in 2011.
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Aviation industry publicity onslaught on “lack of direct flights from UK threatening growth” scare
The media is awash with stories about how the UK economy is allegedly being damaged by insuffient routes to the far East, and how the only way to rectify this problem (other than the more logical one of airlines laying on these routes if they are sufficiently profitable) is to build more runways and expand Heathrow. A report by Frontier Economics was commissioned by BAA to show this, and is being used as a way to gain some publicity as the Scoping Document consultation ends on 20th October.
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IATA says global airline profits will fall by 29% in 2012 to $4.9 billion
IATA says the industry's earnings are likely to fall to $4.9bn in 2012, from $6.9bn this year. Since it expects revenues to increase, this is mainly due to rising costs. It expects European carriers' profits to drop by 80% to $300m due to the debt crisis. Profit forecasts for 2011 are now higher than they were, as the number travelling rises and in the period Jan-July, the global passenger number was up by 6.4% over that period in 2010. Profitability at 1.2% net margin.
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Cost for airlines of joining EU ETS €1.1bn in 2012, says Thomson Reuters Point Carbon
The cost for airlines of joining the EU ETS in 2012 will be approximately €1.1 billion using a carbon price of €12/ tonne, or a total of €10.4 billion between now and the end of 2020, according to Thomson Reuters Point Carbon and RDC Aviation. The EC is expected to issue 176 million allowances to airlines for free for 2012, and airlines are forecast to need to buy 88 million more. The 27 flag-carriers in the EU will get, on average, 61% free. Those with substantial long-haul networks fare better; Air France/KLM, BA, Lufthansa and Iberia on average will be allocated 81%.