General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
2009 saw the fastest drop in Brits travelling abroad recorded since 1970s
The number of trips made by Brits to foreign countries fell at the fastest rate since the 1970s, according to the ONS. It recorded 58.6 million trips compared to 69 million in 2008. The fall was mirrored by fewer foreign visitors coming to Britain, (a drop from 31.1 million to 29.9 million). Visits abroad have grown by 4% on average per year in the past 25 years and visits to the UK have grown at 3.2% on average. Numbers of business trips fell every more sharply.
Click here to view full story...
Passengers down -1.7% in June compared to June 2009 at BAA’s airports
BAA's passenger traffic in June was affected by the BA strike at the start of the month. BAA's UK airports handled 9.5 million passengers, a drop of 1.7% on June 2009. Without the strike BAA estimate that Heathrow would have seen 140,000 more passengers last month and would have seen a 2.5% increase on last June. Passengers were down at Stansted, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Aberdeen by -5.2%, -2.0%, -7.0% and -4.0% compared to June 2009. Cargo grew by +21.7%
Click here to view full story...
Which? says airlines fail to refund APD on flights not taken
If passengers do not take their flight, or miss it, they are rarely able to reclaim the APD. The tax ( £11 on a short haul flight in Europe, and £55 economy class for the longest) is kept by most airlines. Most charge a fee, often much larger than the value the APD to pay for administration for the fee's return. EasyJet is the only airline that refunds it without a fee. The money just goes into the airline's coffers. (BBC)
Click here to view full story...
Could the exhaust from jet engines provide wind power to generate free electricity for airports?
A US industrial designer believes he has come up with a novel concept that harnesses the jet exhaust from aircraft waiting to take off to create freely available wind-generated electrical power for airports. The FreeWind generator units would be sited in the vicinity of blast fences positioned at almost all airports to defuse jet engine exhaust that can reach 300mph. The inventor wants to build a prototype so the concept can be tested in a real-life situation.
Click here to view full story...
Aviation taxes in danger of pricing people out of flying, says Willie Walsh
Willie Walsh has said - rather predictably - that millions will not be able to afford to fly unless the Government stops hiking aviation taxes. He wants an end to APD when aviation joins the ETS in 2012. He says "We are in severe danger of pricing large numbers of people out of flying." And "We cannot go on layering ever more punitive tax burdens on this industry." He is worried about a global climate tax, and that his industry is seen as a flying cash machine.
Click here to view full story...
Beijing Airport overtakes Heathrow as world’s second-largest
This is a sign of China's growing dominance of international travel. In terms of seat capacity, it is now second only to Atlanta Hartsfield. It has been boosted by a sharp growth in the number of passenger seats to Asia, and this growth is expected to continue. The world's busiest airports by seat capacity are Atlanta, Beijing, Heathrow, Chicago O'Hare, Tokyo Haneda, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Los Angeles, Frankfurt and Dallas Fort Worth.
Click here to view full story...
Airport trolley charges double at Bristol, Luton and Cardiff
The cost is rising from £1 to £2 and is non-refundable. The cost increase will be rolled out across a number of other airports later in the year.
Click here to view full story...
Dublin airport ‘an alternative hub to Heathrow’, for North American destinations, says Aer Lingus
More on reasons why Heathrow will not be the only hub airport for UK passengers in future. Aer Lingus is expanding its long-haul business to North America and says more passengers in the north of England and Scotland are happy to fly to the US and Canada via Dublin, as opposed to Heathrow. Aer Lingus said it had a 36% increase in the number of UK passengers flying to North America via Dublin in June compared to a year earlier. It carries some 100,000 UK passengers a year to destinations in North America from Dublin. Passengers from the north of England and Scotland who transfer through Dublin can clear US customs in advance to avoid large queues in the US. Flying via Dublin also avoids Air Passenger Duty. Aer Lingus claims Dublin recently overtook Schiphol as the preferred hub for UK passengers who want to avoid flying via Heathrow to North America.
Click here to view full story...
Britain first country to curb growth in “binge flying” to aid climate
The New York Times reports that the UK coalition government has set out to curb the growth of what has been called "binge flying" by refusing to build new runways around London to accommodate more planes. Britons have become accustomed to easy, frequent flying — jetting off to weekend homes in Spain and bachelor parties in Prague — as England has become a hub for low-cost airlines. Britain is bucking a global trend while other countries build more runways.
Click here to view full story...
EU Airbus subsidies illegal, says WTO
The WTO has ruled that subsidies paid to Airbus were illegal. The US lodged a complaint with the WTO six years ago, but the decision has only now been made public. Meanwhile the EU has made a similar complaint over the US's alleged support of its rival aircraft giant Boeing. The European Commission said it would decide whether to appeal the ruling. It has 60 days to do so. (BBC)