General News
Below are links to stories of general interest in relation to aviation and airports.
British prawns go to China to be shelled
Supermarkets and food producers are taking their products on huge globetrotting journeys, despite pledging to cut their carbon emissions. Scottish prawns are being hand-shelled in China, Atlantic haddock caught off Scotland is being prepared in Poland and Welsh cockles are being sent to Holland to be put in jars before going on sale in Britain. (Sunday Times)
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Tim Yeo wants domestic flights to be taxed out of existence – Jan 2007
Flights within the UK should be taxed almost out of existence, a leading Tory MP, said today. Tim Yeo, who chairs the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, said he wanted to see "virtually no" domestic flights taking off within a decade.
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Stern stands up to critics of his analysis
Sir Nicholas Stern hit back at critics of his analysis of the economics of climate change. The government-commissioned Stern review, published last October, found the costs of taking action on climate change now were small and the benefits large compared with much heavier penalties for delaying action.
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Spurious “Green Apple Environment Awards”. Delightful greenwash!
Ryanair plans to launch transatlantic flights with fares as low as £6 within 4 years. Michael O’Leary said he was looking to serve 6 US cities from European airports where it has bases. Though the cheapest flights for US passengers would be £6, revenues would be increased through the sale of food, duty free goods and in-flight entertainment. With taxes the one-way price would be around £86.
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Budget airlines worldwide
The proliferation of budget airlines across Asia has made air travel affordable for millions, but this week's aircraft disaster in Indonesia has underlined the challenge for governments to ensure safety standards are met.
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Eddington Transport Study – December 2006
Eddington Report – in 2005 Gordon Brown asked Rod Eddington, who had just stood down as the Chief Executive of BAA, to carry out a study examining the transport infrastructure the UK economy would need over the next 30 years. This report was published in December 2006.
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‘Progress Report’ on the 2003 Aviation White Paper – December 2006
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Letter to the Times, 11th December, from leading MPs and Environmental Groups
Letter to the Times of 11th December 2006 - from leading MPs and Environmental Groups
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Sustainable Aviation Progress Report 2006
"Sustainable Aviation Progress Report 2006" - by the aviation industry. This is the first progress report after its launch in June 2006
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OEF (Oxford Economic Forecasting) – The Economic Contribution of the Aviation Industry in the UK
This is a follow-up study, commissioned by the aviation industry, assessing the contribution of aviation to the economy. It claims the aviation industry brings huge benefits to UK economy.