General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
British Airways Pension Deficit Rises To £3.7 billion
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Commission objects to Member State delay in complying with EU air quality legislation
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Transport committee ‘unsure about Stansted runway’
The Commons Transport Committee has published its report, entitled The Future of Aviation. It says consideration should be given to building an extra runway at Gatwick rather than Stansted, and it was "not convinced" a national case for another Stansted runway had been made. It supported Heathrow's expansion but called for assurances that it would be linked to other major airports by high-speed rail. They again said aviation is important to the regions. (BBC)
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Enviromental cost of ‘Green’ David Cameron’s private jet flights
The Mirror has a go at David Cameron for the number of domestic flights he has taken this year in private planes. The paper estimates that in the past 6 months he has flown 4,549 miles around the country and into Europe at a cost of £40,000 – all paid for by backers. Carbon emissions for his flights over the past 6 months total 45 tonnes – nearly 5 times the yearly average for a Briton.
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Airlines’ profits to soar from emissions trading, says Carbon Trust
A Carbon Trust report, soon to be publshed, for investors says that airlines could make large windfall profits - billions of pounds - from the EU ETS. The draft document argues that airlines can and will pass through the costs of buying carbon allowances onto their passengers, even though the carriers will actually be granted the great majority of these allowances free of charge. in 2012 the cap starts at 97% of the 2004 -06 level, and 95% in 2013. (ENDS)
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Carriers barred from EU airports on safety grounds
The European Commission produces a list of the airlines that are not allowed to use European airports. There is also a list of those which can only use the airports under certain operating conditions. Lists have just been updated, so now carriers from 15 countries – 228 companies in total – are completely banned from EU airspace. The majority are from African countries.
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Aviation industry not doing enough to go green – new report
A new report by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) which shows that the fuel efficiency of new aircraft has barely improved since 2000. New aircraft fuel efficiency has improved substantially in only 2 of the last 5 decades. Fuel costs alone are not sufficient to stimulate increased aircraft efficiency. An international CO2 standard for all newly built and future aircraft is needed. (FoE and AEF)
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Two thirds of corporates cut travel budget
Two thirds of European corporates have cut their travel budget in 2009, according to American Express. The TMC's European Business Travel Barometer for 2009 said the 366 companies quizzed had cut their budgets average by 18%. The survey of buyers in 10 European countries found that while 66% had cut their budgets, 23% had spent the same and only 11% saw their spend rise. The average cut of those who did reduce their budget was 31%. (ABTN)
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A380 Super-jumbo flights to seat 840
Budget flights using the world's largest aircraft are planned, which will carry 840 people on each flight. Air Austral, based on the French island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean, has ordered 2 economy-only versions of Airbus's giant A380. The flights, planned for between Paris and Reunion from 2014, will carry the most people to date in a single plane. Other carriers that bought the A380 have focused on luring premium business customers.
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Graphs showing number of air passengers by country 2002 – 2010
World Bank data showing numbers of passengers, available as graphs, as well as a table of data, for all countries over 2002 - 2010