General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
Private jet sales breaking barrier
THE private-jet boom is soaring to new heights with Honeywell, the American aerospace group that is a key supplier, saying orders are up 100% and forecasting record sales for the next decade. Honeywell expects deliveries of business jets to exceed 1,000 this year for the first time, up from 861 aircraft delivered last year. (Sunday Times)
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Airlines Seek Unified Air Traffic System for Europe
The IATA, representing 240 airlines, assailed governments for failing to create a single air traffic management system in Europe to help lower carbon emissions. IATA Chief Executive Officer Giovanni Bisignani said "Europe has achieved a single currency - the euro - but the 34 European air navigation service providers are living in a completely different age, wasting 12 million tons of C02 annually in delay and inefficiencies" (Bloomberg)
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BA facing a fierce fight at Heathrow
THE fight for the world’s most lucrative air route will heat up this week when America’s Delta Air Lines teams up with Air France to take on British Airways at Heathrow. The pair are expected to announce their first-ever transatlantic flights from the London airport. Delta is likely to serve New York, Atlanta and one other American city, with Air France studying a Los Angeles service. (Sunday Times)
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Shipping pollution ‘far more damaging than flying’
New research suggests that the impact of shipping on climate change has been seriously underestimated and that the industry is currently churning out greenhouse gases at nearly twice the rate of aviation. Shipping, although traditionally thought of as environmentally friendly, is growing so fast that the pollution it creates is at least 50% higher than previously thought. Maritime emissions are also set to leap by 75% by 2020. (Independent)
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European Investment Bank publishes its investment policy
The EIB has renewed its policy on lending to the transport sector. The new transport lending policy sets the guiding principles and selection criteria that will reinforce the Bank's contribution to this sector, in particular taking into account climate change concerns. (European Investment Bank)
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Growth in air traffic projected to continue to 2025 (ICAO)
Total world airline scheduled passenger traffic in terms of passenger-kilometres is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.6%up to the year 2025, half a % point lower than the growth rate achieved over the period 1985-2005, according to forecasts prepared by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Total freight traffic growth over the same period is forecast to be stronger, at 6.6% per annum in terms of freight tonne-kilometres. (ICAO statement)
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Friends of the Earth are asking as many people as possible to write to their MEP for a strengthened ETS including aviation
Please write to your MEP and ask for aviation to be included in the EUETS. The European Parliament's Environment Committee will soon be voting on including aviation in the EUETS (European Union Emissions Trading Scheme). This is a key opportunity to ensure that the EU tackles aviation's climate impact. Ask your MEP to improve the effectiveness of the EUETS, by asking for the strongest possible aviation ETS. FoE have a straightforward email action. Deadline - end of September !!!
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Budget airlines boost the world’s air traffic
The continued growth in budget airlines in Europe is helping to increase the number of flights worldwide. Low-cost flights now account for 22% of all flights in Europe – up 4% on last year, statistics from the flight information company OAG showed. (Independent)
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BAA pays its own staff to lobby in favour of Stansted expansion
BAA paid its security staff to protest at a public inquiry hearing evidence about the environmental damage that would be caused by the expansion of Stansted. The staff were given paid time off from carrying out security checks at the Essex airport to support their employer’s application to increase the number of flights by 75,000 a year. (The Times)
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Is Britain holidaying its way towards financial crisis?
The days of a holiday being a once a year luxury are well and truly over. As peoples working lives become increasingly busy and stress filled it seems that the idea of a regular break from the daily routine has come to assume a more and more significant place in most our lives. This is beginning to blind many of us to the financial implications inherent in taking multiple expensive holidays over the course of the year. (inthenews.co.uk)