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Latest news stories:
CAGNE sends complaint to Airports Commission on poor level of local engagement by Gatwick
CAGNE, the local group set up in 2014 at Gatwick, in response to the trial of new, concentrated flight paths, has written to the Airports Commission, to complain about the activities of Gatwick Airport. Local groups have persistently complained that senior airport staff have declined invitations to attend meetings of communities around the airport. The airport is aware of the huge amount of local opposition. Instead, Gatwick has focused its advertising money and its PR on the London area. It has also contacted a large number of councils, in areas closer to Heathrow (where a Heathrow runway would be opposed) to try to get them to support a Gatwick runway instead. CAGNE points out that the Airports Commission's own work, in its Appraisal Framework, expects runway scheme promoters will show "evidence of sustained and meaningful engagement with local and community stakeholders including highlighting any changes of features of scheme designs arising as a result of this engagement." The Commission also expects the runway promoters to work on managing their "engagement with communities throughout the lifespan of the proposed project, including the period after any new infrastructure is delivered.” CAGNE has little confidence, considering the poor record of Gatwick airport so far, in its future engagement with local people.
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Heathrow display 2 versions of their “economic benefit” poster – one saying £100 billion, the other “up to £211 billion” … (Over 60 years)
Heathrow airport has two different versions of its massive poster near Terminal 5. They have the same text, with claims of the alleged economic benefits to the UK of a new runway. One poster says "Expand Heathrow and you grow the economy by £100 billion." And other nearby says "Expand Heathrow and you grow the economy by up to £211 billion." They cannot both be right. Is this merely a matter of picking wildly different figures out of the air? Heathrow airport responded that: "£100bn was our conservative estimate. When the Airports Commission analysed it they estimated up to £211bn across UK." What the massive posters fail to say it these purported benefit are not for one year. They are over a 60 year period, 2026 to 2086. ie. not a huge amount per year, (£2 - 3 billion maximum, on a generous estimate) bearing in mind the huge tourism deficit (perhaps £10 - £13 billion per year); or the loss to the Treasury as air travel pays no VAT and no fuel duty, (amounting to perhaps £10 billion per year). But the Airports Commission estimate of £211 billion economic benefit from a new NW Heathrow runway comes with many caveats - by the Commission itself. They say the "results should be interpreted with caution, given the innovative methodology used..." So more that are difficult to substantiate.
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Heathrow funded report suggests using RAF Northolt as an interim 3rd runway for domestic flights
Heathrow airport set up and funds a body called the "National Connectivity Task Force" (NCTF). This produced a report in March, looking at regional connectivity - and putting arguments that suit Heathrow. (Gatwick airport, unsurprisingly strongly disagrees with it). As well as saying how important links to regional airports are from Heathrow, though these have progressively been cut as long haul flights are more profitable, the NCTF report says RAF Northolt airport, just a few miles north of Heathrow, should be used as an extension to Heathrow, for smaller planes to regional airports. As this news broke about the same time as the Germanwings plane tragedy, it did not get press attention. What Heathrow wants is to have Northolt brought into service, as an interim measure, before it can get a new runway. If Gatwick was chosen for a runway, Heathrow could use Northolt for domestic flights it has been promising regional airports, in order to get their backing for a Heathrow runway. Heathrow says the Northolt runway could not be used at the same time as a Heathrow north-west runway. RAF Northolt does not comply with the safety standards required for a civilian airport. Its runway ends just short of the busy A40.
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Let Britain Fly and pro-runway lobbies want MPs to commit to rapid runway decision, post election
The election campaign starts in earnest on 30th March, and voters are not to be given proper information on what their MPs and parliamentary candidates think about a new runway, or whether they back one at Heathrow or Gatwick. Or neither. The government deliberately told the Airports Commission it should not report till after this general election. The Lib Dems have confirmed they do not back either runway (though individual MPs appear to back a Gatwick runway). The official line by Conservatives is that they will be waiting for the Commission's recommendation (expected by the end of June). Labour has also said this and Ed Balls announced that Labour would quickly set up an Infrastructure Commission, to get things like a new runway approved quickly. Now an article in the Independent, sourced largely from the lobby group "Let Britain Fly" and the right wing Conservative 1922 committee, wants a rapid decision after the election, for at least one more runway. This ignores the fact that the Airports Commission's own work shows this cannot be built, without threatening the UK's carbon target. The Commission's analysis has left much to still be considered. It would not be possible to agree on a runway, till a great deal more work has been done by government, on carbon, noise, air quality, cost to the taxpayer, extent of economic benefit and local social and health impacts. Among other things.
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Boris turns down London City Airport expansion plans on noise grounds
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has refused London City Airport's plan to expand on noise grounds. In a letter he has instructed Newham Council, who had approved the application, to refuse it. The Mayor says the application does not "adequately mitigate and manage its adverse noise impacts." Newham's decision was always dependent on the Mayor's approval. London City Airport wanted permission to build new taxiways to permit larger planes to use the airport. It also wanted more car parking spaces. The decision will be a bitter blow to the airport as it will now no longer be able to bring in the larger planes it wanted to serve new destinations. John Stewart, chair of HACAN East, which campaigned against the expansion plans, said "The airport is paying the price for being so cavalier about noise. Quite simply, Boris did not believe its claims that it was dealing adequately with noise. We salute his decision". The decision appears to be final, and it is unclear whether London City Airport can appeal to the Secretary of State. They may do so.
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The liberal case for a new runway: debunked point by point by the AEF
A Liberal think tank, Centre Forum, has produced a report backing a new runway - but it has made various mistakes in its analyses. James Lees, of AEF, sets out some of these. The report is ((!?) funded by Heathrow, Gatwick, Let Britain Fly and GTMC. They ask to what extent one person’s "freedom" to fly can be curtailed in the interests of protecting the "freedom" of another (to enjoy peace and quiet, clean air and to avoid catastrophic climate change). The report claims that a runway is needed to enable flying to be cheap enough for everyone, not just the rich. James argues that the demand for flights comes largely from those affluent to take several flights per year - not those on low incomes flying once per year. The report says the CO2 emissions from aviation can be tackled entirely through economic measures such as carbon taxes or carbon trading. It says restrictions on runway capacity are a crude and inefficient alternative. James argues that analysis by the Airports Commission indicates that if a new runway is built, the cost of emitting a tonne of CO2 would have to rise from around £5 today to somewhere between £364 to £1316 (which is entirely unrealistic) in order to keep emissions at a sustainable level. And more points ...
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Speculation on whether Heathrow Hub will be able to sell its ideas to Heathrow Airport for a huge sum
Sky News reports that the Board of Heathrow Airport Holdings (HAH) has been in discussions recently about buying the intellectual property rights held by the company putting forward the "Heathrow Hub" runway proposal. While Heathrow airport wants to build a north west runway, the Heathrow Hub idea is to extend the northern runway to the west, making it double length. The company behind the Heathrow Hub idea is "Runway Innovations"and in the past Heathrow has been moderately dismissive of their proposals. However, it is understood that though Heathrow's Board would not yet pursue a deal with Runway Innovations, it could reconsider its position if the Airports Commission recommended Heathrow Hub's proposal - rather than their own. A source believed Runway Innovations had been seeking at least £50m, though the figure may be lower. It was unclear if this included land options that could be developed to provide new rail facilities if the Heathrow Hub option is selected. The company's land options are north west of Heathrow, where a rail intersection forms part of the Hub's plan. Work on the Heathrow Hub proposal has been funded by 4 rich individuals with links to London's financial sector. It has always been their plan to sell the intellectual property of their plans, for a substantial sum.
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Heathrow would spend £10 million to increase some domestic flights, only if granted a 3rd runway, to get backing from regions
Heathrow has increasingly cut the number of flights to UK regional airports, as it has become more uneconomic for the airlines to run them - and long haul international routes are more profitable. But Heathrow is aware that it needs to get the backing of regional airports, in order to lobby to be allowed a 3rd runway. Heathrow therefore suggested the setting up of a National Connectivity Task Force. In order to boost flights to the regions, Heathrow now says that - only IF it gets a new runway - it will spend £10 million on for the development of 5 new domestic routes, for 3 years. These would include Newquay, Humberside and Liverpool. That would be in addition to the 4 extra routes that easyJet has said it wants to operate if there is a Heathrow runway, to Inverness, Belfast International, the Isle of Man and Jersey. There are currently 6 domestic routes from Heathrow (Leeds Bradford, Belfast City, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Newcastle). Heathrow also said it would launch a review of its airport charges in the coming weeks to focus on making domestic flights more commercially attractive (cheaper) to airlines. The results of this consultation, which is not dependent upon getting a new runway, will be effective from January 2016.
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Aviation most obvious sector for environmental tax shift – away from taxation of labour. T&E blog
In a recent blog, Andrew Murphy from the NGO, T&E (Transport & Environment) writes about how ending the generous tax exemptions aviation enjoys would create a level playing field between all transport modes. It would also help meet our 2030 climate targets, and answer the EU’s call for a shift away from labour taxation. The European Commission has highlighted the need for a shift away from high labour taxation and towards environmental and consumption charges instead. That would be an effective way to boost employment, but little has been done on this during the past year. The OECD reported last year that European countries have some of the highest taxes on labour. In looking for concrete ideas for an environmental tax shift, aviation is the most obvious source. It is less carbon efficient than other forms of transport and within the EU is it expected to grow almost twice as fast as its lower-carbon competitor, rail. Despite this, aviation receives some of the most favourable tax treatment of any industry. In the EU it pays no VAT and no fuel duty, and these exemptions add up to almost €40 billion every year – meaning member states are missing out on labour tax cuts that might be able to create 400,000 jobs.
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Gatwick opposition groups and MPs hand in letter to Downing Street, asking PM to recognise devastating impact of Gatwick runway
Six local groups and four MPs opposing a 2nd Gatwick runway, and the increased noise nuisance caused by Gatwick airport, handed in a letter to 10 Downing Street today. They urge the government to recognise the strength of local opposition to a 2nd Gatwick runway, and changes to flight paths. They are asking the Prime Minister to recognise the devastating impact of a 2nd runway, the lack of local political support and the strength of feeling among local residents against changes to flight paths already in and out of Gatwick. The delegation will hand in the letter, signed by the chairs of the groups representing residents in Sussex, Kent and Surrey, that surround Gatwick and are affected by it. Together, the groups represent tens of thousands of people. Sally Pavey, Chair of local group CAGNE commented: "Throughout this process, we’ve been hugely disappointed with Gatwick’s lack of consultation with the local area. CEO Stewart Wingate continues to portray the airport as an ‘easy option’ for expansion, while ignoring the concerns of thousands of local residents. Also that it will cost the taxpayer billions in infrastructure bills and the devaluation of vast areas of the south-east with aircraft noise." CAGNE have also submitted an official complaint to the Airports Commission, on the actions of Gatwick airport in lobbying Heathrow councils to back a Gatwick runway.
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Launch of the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) as the number of planned Aerotropolis developments is rising fast
An aerotropolis is a sort of "airport city" with the urban development centred around an airport, and with the airport at its core. They are the focus of rapid growth in aviation-dependent tourism and trade, and can vary greatly in scale and sectoral focus. Increasingly, aerotropolis developments not only deal with logistics, warehousing, manufacture, assembly and business, but also funnel inbound tourists - arriving by air - through shopping malls, hotels, entertainment complexes and cultural venues. The rapid and intense urbanisation requires large, preferably greenfield, sites. Some of these sites are literally 100 square kilometres in area.This means building over huge areas of farmland, loss of good agricultural land, and often the eviction of rural communities. The briefing "What is an Aerotropolis, and why must these developments be stopped." sets out many of the negative impacts of these developments. Environmental and climate justice campaigners, aviation and tourism critics, human rights activists, and other concerned citizens and groups have now formed the Global Anti-Aerotropolis Movement (GAAM) to raise awareness of this new sort of socially and ecologically harmful mega-airport development.
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Dr Phillip Lee, MP for Bracknell, says Heathrow and NATS claims on flight paths “outrageous and unacceptable”
The MP for Bracknell, Dr Phillip Lee called staff from NATS and the airport to a meeting at the House of Commons on Wednesday 18th March, to answer questions about flight path changes affecting his constituency. He asked Jane Johnston, head of corporate affairs at NATS, and Heathrow senior staff to explain the situation of increased aircraft noise, and Heathrow's claim that they did not know there had been a change. Since the start of the "procedural change" to flights on the Compton route, there has been a huge degree of protest by affected residents, with thousands of complaints made. Heathrow repeatedly told people who complained about noise that "trials" ended on 12th November. Only now, four months later, has it emerged that these procedural changes continued, and NATS has no intention of reverting to the previous system, before June 2014. Dr Lee was told that NATS "didn’t make the connection" between the changes, and the increased complaints. The staff told Dr Lee they were simply following procedure. Dr Lee said: “This is a wholly outrageous and unacceptable situation. Given all the publicity that surrounded the additional noise caused by the flight path trials, I find it completely unbelievable that these changes in the procedures were simply overlooked by NATS as a possible cause for increased activity over residents’ homes."
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Candidates in Uxbridge & South Ruislip pledge to oppose Heathrow runway, though Labour candidate doubtful
Prospective parliamentary candidates for Uxbridge and South Ruislip made promises - if they got in to parliament - about how they would vote on HS2 and Heathrow Airport at a hustings debate. Candidates from 4 of the 5 main political parties took part - but not the Conservative candidate, Boris Johnson. All four candidates said they would vote against any bill seeking to approve a Heathrow runway. However, there were doubts about the position of the Labour candidate, Chris Summers (a councillor in Ealing). Mr Summers suggested that any future government should follow whatever recommendation is published in June by the Airports Commission. He said: “I think it is right we have this Davies Commission that's looking into the issue, and I think there is something to be argued that they are the experts, and if they recommend a certain way, then it does seem that it will be a basic political decision if whichever government rejects that...” The constituency contains much of Hillingdon, which is one of the councils most deeply opposed to a new runway. In a Hillingdon borough referendum in May 2013 66% were against a third runway. The ballot also showed the same number (66.3 per cent) do not want see any more flights in and out of the airport. The extent to which Mr Summers is listening to his residents, or just following Labour party policy, is questioned.
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Gatwick claims support for 2nd runway – but does not reveal necessary methodological detail about its polls
Gatwick Airport has had two surveys done, to try to show there is support for their runway. One is of councils in London. Gatwick knows almost every council, except East Sussex, in its area has voted to oppose a 2nd runway. So Gatwick has been asking London councils instead, in the hope of better results. Many London councils know the highly negative impacts Heathrow, and its flight noise, cause for their residents, and therefore are opposed to any more. Some have said they back a Gatwick runway (believing, questionably, that there must be a new runway somewhere) in order to save their residents more problems. Some London councils hope Gatwick could provide jobs for their workers. The second survey is of residents in Kent and in West Sussex, and again, Gatwick claims significant support for their runway, compared to Heathrow. However,Gatwick does not publicise any of the actual data of their surveys. That is very significant, because without knowing the questions asked, the script leading up to the questions, and the options given, the results are almost meaningless. Their earlier consultation, in spring 2014, contained (till forced to add another option) no means of saying "No" to either options, but just various shades of "Yes." Who knows whether these surveys contained the appropriate alternative response options?
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Windsor MP, Adam Afriye, says on NATS/flightpath fiasco, Heathrow has either been wilfully misleading or incompetent
Following sustained pressure from Adam Afriyie, MP for Windsor, Heathrow finally admitted changes to flight paths that have inflicted more flights and greater noise on residents in Ascot, Binfield, Bracknell Forest, Cheapside, Sunninghill, Warfield and other nearby areas. John Holland-Kaye, CEO of Heathrow, wrote in a letter to Mr Afriyie: “I recognise that as an airport community we have let you down in this instance. We need to do better to be a good neighbour and I would like to unequivocally apologise to you and your constituents.” Commenting on the letter, Mr Afriyie said: “I am deeply concerned on behalf of the residents who have suffered from extra aircraft noise without so much as a warning...What beggars belief is Heathrow’s insulting accusation that residents were imagining the extra noise! ... Heathrow must take the blame for misleading residents and being dismissive of their concerns. And I now call on Heathrow and NATS to release all flightpath data on arrivals, which Heathrow is yet to disclose to me....Heathrow has either been wilfully misleading or rather incompetent. Heathrow and NATS have serious questions to answer and must be held to account in Parliament.
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Ryanair announce to Stock Exchange it has “not considered or approved any transatlantic project and does not intend to do so.”
In September Ryanair announced it was buying 100 Boeing 737-MAX planes, and has also secured options on another 100 of the slightly larger, 737 200 (200 seats). These planes, in the plans of Ryanair, are to thrash the low cost opposition in Europe.Their range is not long enough for transatlantic flights as they could barely reach New York. Ryanair needs to buy a large number of longer haul planes, to make a transatlantic service viable, and Mr O'Leary has said he cannot get those planes for 4 - 5 years, at least. But in February, Michael O'Leary told a conference he was planning £8 transatlantic flights after perhaps 5 years. This got Gatwick airport very excited, putting out a blog on their website that states: “The announcement this week that Ryanair’s Board has approved plans to launch new low-cost long-haul services is significant news but really should come as no surprise to many of us in the aviation industry as this is a development that has been signposted for some time." Today Ryanair has had to put out an announcement to the Stock Exchange, to avoid confusion caused by press speculation that: "In the light of recent press coverage, the Board of Ryanair Holdings Plc wishes to clarify that it has not considered or approved any transatlantic project and does not intend to do so."
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Crispin Blunt MP: Too many unanswered questions make Gatwick obviously NOT the right choice
Crispin Blunt is the MP for Reigate and Chair of the group of MPs against a new Gatwick runway, the Gatwick Coordination Group. In an article, he sets out why there must not be a 2nd Gatwick runway. He writes that Gatwick wrongly puts about the view that one runway will solve our (alleged) "aviation crisis" and that it doesn’t matter where it’s put. He says the local impacts of a Gatwick runway cannot be justified and would not provide the sort of airport capacity needed. "Gatwick talk about the importance of trust. Yet, they have eroded trust by refusing countless times to speak to the local public about the impact of expansion on surrounding communities, while this week senior representatives found time to attend political events organised by local politicians around Heathrow." Some of the many reasons not to allow Gatwick a runway are insufficient workforce, severe housing and infrastructure pressures, lack of transport resilience, and doubts about Gatwick's business calculations - which are kept secret. Unfortunately, Crisipin Blunt is now advocating a runway at Heathrow - apparently oblivious of the equally horrendous consequences for the areas to be badly affected there.
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Gatwick area MPs hope to have CAA assurance that aircraft noise misery from PR-NAV will soon be addressed
MPs Paul Beresford, Crispin Blunt and Sam Gyimah, representing the people being overflown by the new departure routes from Gatwick have had a meeting with Mark Swan, the Director for Safety and Airspace regulation for the CAA. They needed to discuss the CAA's implementation of PR-NAV use of flight paths and its impact on local residents. The CAA asked for the public to comment on the implementation (named PIR) and that ended on 5th January. People in south Reigate, Redhill and Holmwood have been badly affected by aircraft noise pollution, for the first time, as they are outside the NPR (Noise Preferential Route) which were adhered to in the past. The CAA has the authority to require Gatwick to alter these flight paths following their PIR review. Mark Swan told the MPs that "We will not allow the status quo to be sustained". The MPs want the routes to be returned as soon as possible to the pre-PRNAV pattern. Mr Swan also stated that the CAA had sufficient authority to approve appropriate technical solutions that return paths towards the previous pattern. Gatwick Airport management have avoided attending meetings with angry and upset local residents, and have been slow to acknowledge there was a serious problems caused by flight paths. The MPs said: "We will sustain the pressure to try and deliver a summer less blighted than last year."
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Manchester Airport says it is the main airport for the north – Heathrow expansion is not needed for the regions
Charlie Cornish, the CEO of Manchester airport and MAG, says "it is just plain wrong to say that only Heathrow can connect the UK to global growth." His comments were in response to a report by a body called the National Connectivity Task Force NCTF), that is pushing for a 3rd Heathrow runway, in the belief it would be the best option for regional airports like Newcastle and Durham Tees Valley, if they get more Heathrow slots for their flights. The NCTF are submitting their report to the Airports Commission, hoping to influence them. Mr Cornish said Manchester Airport, the only UK airport other than Heathrow to have 2 runways, was thriving as an international hub in its own right. He said: “It is just plain wrong to say that only Heathrow can connect the UK to global growth, or that businesses in the UK’s regions need to fly through Heathrow to reach these markets....“Manchester Airport is truly the international gateway for the North, demonstrated by the fact that it serves over 4 million long haul passengers a year, up by 20% over the last 5 years....The north does not need another runway at Heathrow to connect to global markets....The biggest economic benefit will come from new services direct from the regions, with passengers not having to fly through a London airport to reach their final destination.”
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Heathrow says it did not know flight path changes were continuing – blames NATS for not telling them
Heathrow and NATS had flight path trials during summer 2014, which ended on 12th November, due to intense opposition. See details. But complaints have continued and people have been adamant that the trials have not ended. Heathrow has given assurance after assurance that the trials have ceased, implying people are imagining the noise - or have become over-sensitive to it. Now Heathrow and NATS have had to apologise. Heathrow says it did not know the trial affecting the "Compton" route to the south west and west of Heathrow had not ended, as NATS had not informed them. As NATS and Heathrow work closely together, that is very hard to believe. Even if it could be credible, it reveals a markedly dismissive attitude to the thousands of upset residents, who have complained week after week. The airport had made no apparent effort to establish the facts, for many months. The areas particularly affected by this change are Virginia Water, Ascot, Binfield and some parts of Bracknell, which are experiencing a concentrated flight path. John Holland-Kaye said: "Because of the assurances we received [from NATS], we in turn told residents in good faith that no changes had occurred. That is unacceptable and I unequivocally apologise to local residents." However, NATS say they changed the route to improve the safe and efficient management of traffic departing from Heathrow and they are not planning to revert to previous procedures.
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Gatwick says Birmingham backs its runway – they definitely don’t want the competition of an expanded Heathrow
Gatwick Airport has a blog on its website by Karen Lumley, the Conservative MP for Redditch. She is a keen aviation expansion supporter, and in her blog backs Gatwick over Heathrow, for a new runway. Ideally she - and other MPs in the Birmingham area - would like to see Birmingham airport expanded. But they are nervous of Heathrow expanding, as it is close enough to take trade away from Birmingham. But Gatwick is far enough away not to be a direct threat. Birmingham is too far south to have a flight to a London airport (train travel is fast and easy), so the new London runway idea cannot be "sold" to them with promises of new connecting flights in future - which works for airports further away. The attitude of Manchester airport, significantly further north than Birmingham, is to oppose either new runway, at Heathrow or Gatwick, due to the amount of public money which would inevitably have to be spent on transport and social infrastructure - even if the airports paid for all the on-airport costs of the expansion.
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Firm behind report calling for a 50% cut in APD – York Aviation – linked to airlines. Hence bias.
The Herald Scotland reports that a report claiming a reduction in Air Passenger Duty (APD) could boost the Scottish economy by £1 billion was based on research by a firm that has worked for major aviation companies. This is York Aviation - which has done numerous reports for the industry over the years, each biased in favour of aviation, with very partial and incomplete analysis. The study is at Edinburgh Airport The impact of reducing APD on Scotland’s airports March 2015 The new report was done for Edinburgh airport, presenting findings useful to their client. Ryanair is another of York Aviation's clients, which again stands to benefit if the report is taken seriously. Green MSP Alison Johnstone said she was not surprised that an "aviation-friendly consultancy" was involved in a "PR exercise" for big business. The new York Aviation report makes claims, such as how cutting APD by 50% would create 4,000 jobs and boost the economy by £1bn within five years. However, as with all York Aviation reports, it makes no mention whatsoever of downsides - or of money taken out of Scotland by cheaper holiday flights by Scottish people. Links to many other York Aviation reports are given here. A spokeswoman for York Aviation said: "We do relatively little work for airlines."
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GACC says Gatwick’s rash promise to cap landing charge at £15 puts its runway plan in doubt
Gatwick airport have made a very rash promise not to raise their landing charges above £15 (plus inflation) for 30 years, if they get a 30 contract from the government (details not specified). Brendon Sewill, of GACC said: “The whole runway project is in doubt.... Gatwick’s rash promise not to raise airport charges above £15 per head .... seriously puts in question whether building a new runway at Gatwick is a viable business proposal – either for the present owners or for the new owners if Gatwick is sold.” The Airports Commission calculate that Gatwick charges would need to rise to ‘between £15 and £18, with peak charges of up to £23. GACC points out that Gatwick’s promises are meaningless unless they are put into a legal agreement binding on the present airport owners - and future owners. If so, the £15 would become a legal maximum - rather than the current £9. Even at £15, some airlines, and passengers might well decide instead to use much cheaper airports such as Stansted or Luton. GACC has pointed out to the Airports Commission the risk that Gatwick may have fewer passengers than forecast, in which case the cap of £15 may not be sufficient to cover the costs of a new runway and new terminal. Brendon Sewill asks: “What would happen if the money runs out when the new runway is only half built?”
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Gatwick “promises” to cap landing charges to £15 + inflation for 30 years (if it gets an unspecified 30 year “contract” from Government)
Gatwick airport, in frenetic publicity in the months before the Airports Commission runway recommendation (expected late June) has made various pledges - in the hope of currying favour. It says it will "bear all the main risks" of a new runway. Sir Roy McNulty, chairman of Gatwick, has written to Sir Howard Davies saying - among other things - that the landing charge will be kept at £15 (plus inflation) for 30 years. As long as there is no new Heathrow runway. (It is currently £9). Sir Roy said it is "in return for Government agreeing a 30 year contract" though exactly what that means is not explained. Presumably a contract that there will be no other runway? Gatwick also says it will "bear all the main risks of the expansion programme . . . including long-term risks related to traffic levels, market pricing, construction and operating costs”. How exactly? Gatwick's main airline, EasyJet, is not happy with charges rising to £15. The Airports Commission consultation documents considered Gatwick's estimate of £15 to be too low, and instead considered "average charges rising to between £15 and £18, with peak charges of up to £23." These higher levels were due to lower estimated levels of air passenger demand than Gatwick's optimistic figures, and higher infrastructure costs. [ Airports Commission’s consultation document Page 47].
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Open email to the aviation industry & Government – from people suffering from aircraft noise
Someone living near Heathrow, now experiencing significantly worse noise from more concentrated flight paths, has written an open email to complain about the noise, and the repeated assurances that "nothing has changed." Thousands living under Heathrow take off routes believe things have indeed changed. The writer says: "I am gravely concerned at the level of anger which is rising in the blogs, tweets, Facebook and other social media as I am seeing increasing desperation within these groups. People are genuinely suffering noise disturbance, sleep disruption, disruption to concentration, interference with normal activities - and a high degree of stress and depression..... If this matter doesn't get resolved soon ... I can see even the most moderate and respectable members of the community losing the plot and undertaking actions that are out of character with their positions in society....[I] don't know what to do to resolve the disparity between the lies we are being told and the truth, to calm people down..... And am utterly dismayed by the apparent lack of concern or expedited action by senior politicians and councillors...The people or persons responsible for this noise onslaught need to bow their heads in shame at the mental and physical stress that they are causing."
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Scandinavian Airlines sells a 2nd pair of Heathrow slots – now leaving it 19 pairs (after October)
In February, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) announced that it was selling one of its 21 slot pairs at Heathrow, to an unknown buyer airline, for perhaps $60 million, from 29th March. SAS said they would be maintaining their seat capacity to/from Heathrow through the use of larger aircraft on remaining flights. Furthermore, SAS saidit would consider the use of other London airports instead. SAS holds the 5th highest number of Heathrow slot pairs. It has now also announced that it is to sell another slot pair,leaving it just 19 pairs, to Turkish Airlines. This sale will take place from 25th October, and is an afternoon slot - which is less expensive at around $22 million, than the earlier sale, of a morning slot. SAS is not thought to want to sell any more slots. ATW has reported that "Over recent months, Virgin Atlantic has said it was looking to lease out two of its Heathrow slot pairs, while now-defunct Cyprus Airways missed out on a deal to sell some of its slots to Qatar Airways." But Cyprus Airways sold a slot for $31 million in June 2014.
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Gatwick’s Tom Denton says the controversial new flight navigation system is here to stay at Gatwick
Tom Denton, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Gatwick, has admitted that the airport would not rush to making changes to the use of PRNAV despite public opposition. He said: "There was an acceptance that SHOULD there be detrimental impact we would seek to revert to previous methods." However, there have been perceived detrimental impacts, and Gatwick does not intend to revert. Residents in many areas - to the north and north west of the airport in particular - have been complaining about the use of more concentrated flight paths, which is what PRNAV (also called PBN - Performance Based Navigation) creates. This has meant that more planes fly in these new narrow corridors - though fewer planes fly in some other areas. The Chairman of GATCOM (Gatwick Consultative Committee) wrote to Stewart Wingate.to ask Gatwick to honour a previous agreement to stop using PRNAV. Gatwick is one of the first UK airports to introduce the system, because Mr Denton said the quieter airspace around Gatwick meant PRNAV was easier to implement there. Tom Denton said the matter would be assessed "on a factual basis" and not emotional responses.
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Troubled Berlin Brandenburg airport, due to open in June 2012, could be shut down in late summer unless €1.1 billion is raised
Berlin Brandenburg (BER) airport was intended to be a huge new airport for Berlin, so Berlin-Schönefeld and Tegel airports could close. The BER was initially due to open in June 2012. It had a catalogue of problems with fire safety, smoke extraction system, and fresh air supply in the event of fire. The launch has been delayed and delayed .... last year it was hoped it might open this year. Now the airport's CEO has announced that it is possible the construction of the airport may need to be shut down this summer, if a further €1.1 billion cannot be raised. Some €4.3 billion has already been spent, but that only lasts till this summer. Extra costs have been incurred due to the late opening, as well as the extra construction costs. A decision on how €1.1 billion can be raised is needed urgently, perhaps through bank loans, government grants or from an investor. The money has to not only be agreed by Berlin, Brandenburg and the federal government, but also needs approval from the EU Commission. Current total costs amount to €5.4 billion. Additional plans suggest additional costs amounting to an extra €2.19 billion. Although the airport has yet to open, officials are planning a possible third runway for approximately €1 billion and other new projects such as an additional terminal, expanded baggage system and another freight facility. The total additional spending would amount to €3.2 billion.
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“Gatwick Obviously NOT” serves Judicial Review upon the CAA, on airspace change, with Gatwick Airport as an “Interested Party”
The relatively new campaign, "Gatwick Obviously NOT", (GON) which was set up in response to changes to flight paths to the east of Gatwick airport during summer 2014, has served a Judicial Review upon the CAA, with Gatwick Airport Limited and the Secretary of State for Transport listed under the CAA as an 'Interested Party'. The claim is being brought by Martin Baraud, the Chair of GON. The "Ground of Claim" is that there has indeed been a change in the use of airspace and that the CAA should first have consulted on such change before it was put into effect by GAL and NATS. To date no consultation has taken place and this whole procedure has been bypassed. GON wants proper consultation, and that a full airspace change process is carried out. They also want there to be no airspace changes by the CAA without approval by the Secretary of State. GON has already succeeded in raising over £100,000 and they will be fundraising further, for more legal costs.
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Manchester Airport hopes to have over 30 million passengers per year by 2025
Manchester Airports Group boss Charlie Cornish says he hopes 30 million people will be using Manchester airport within 10 years. He also hopes it will have 55 million passengers in due course. The airport has finally this year reached its pre-recession level of 22 million passengers and is aiming to have 23.5 million next year. He said: "In three years, Manchester Airport will be vastly different to what it is today and in three years, it will be hugely different." He hailed the success of Cathay Pacific's direct route to Hong Kong, launched in December, which may increase to a daily service. He said rail links were very important: "If you have got northern cities linking to Manchester Airport, that allows Manchester Airport to operate more as a true northern gateway and will give people very quick and very efficient access to us....That will lead to the opportunity for more long haul flights and, in turn, the creation of economic wealth....HS2 is an interesting one. Northern cities have to take account of the fact it is a huge opportunity and it is a huge risk, as it will take people both north and south ..."
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HS2 Heathrow spur plans dropped by transport minister, before Airports Commission report
Plans for a new rail spur to Heathrow as part of the HS2 high-speed network have been ruled out by the transport minister Patrick McLoughlin. He was responding to a question by MP Dominic Grieve (MP for Beaconsfield) about the Heathrow spur. Mr McLoughlin said: "I would now like to make clear that we do not intend to build the spur as part of Phase 1 or 2 of the HS2 scheme". Previously the government had said any decision about the Heathrow spur would be delayed until the Airports Commission's report with its runway recommendation - which is probably due at the end of June. Mr McLoughlin cited the Airports Commission's findings - published as part of its consultation in November 2014 - which said: "This review ... supports the view that an HS2 spur to Heathrow airport (whether to the airport site or a hub station) is not necessary to support expansion of the airport." Nick Hurd, Conservative MP for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner was "delighted" that the spur had been dropped, and believed the best way of connecting passengers to Heathrow was via Old Oak Common. Paul Prentice of Rail magazine said it was a "very sensible decision. Bearing in mind there is already a spur tunnel to Heathrow and another western link being built".
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Airlines reported to be ignoring chancellor by not passing on oil price cut benefits to passengers
Airlines are on a reported collision course with chancellor George Osborne for ignoring his call to pass on the benefits of lower oil prices by cutting fares. A dramatically lower oil price has slashed the cost of jet fuel but critics claim airlines have resisted passing on the savings by lower ticket prices. The price of crude oil fell from more than $100 a barrel last September to $60 a barrel this month and the cost of jet fuel has dropped 39% in the past year. But the Sunday Times reported that latest figures show the cost of UK air fares in January was up 4% compared with the same month in 2014. Airlines claim they are unable to pass on the benefit of lower oil prices at the moment partly because they have hedged a large proportion of their fuel this year, effectively buying it in advance when its cost was much higher. Airline industry sources accused the chancellor of posturing, according to the Sunday Times, and trying to appear "as a man of the people." Qantas has announced that it is abolishing fuel surcharges — but is raising its base fares to compensate for the cut. Emirates is considering what action to take.
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DfT hires Heathrow PR director Simon Baugh – to start briefing ministers etc on runways after 30th September
Simon Baugh, who is currently director of PR at Heathrow Airport, is moving to the DfT to take up the role of group director of comms. He takes up the new job on 30th March. Baugh said: "I can’t think of a more exciting time to be joining the team or to be promoting the role that transport plays in driving UK economic growth." He has been overseeing PR at Heathrow, which included the launch in late 2013 of Back Heathrow, a 'grassroots' (astoturfing - deeply controversial) campaign. On 20th February Zac Goldsmith put a written question in Parliament: "To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recruitment process was used when hiring Simon Baugh, Group Director of Communications for his Department; and what role Mr Baugh will have in his Department after the Airports Commission has made its recommendation on airport expansion in the South East." Reply by DfT spokesperson: "As Mr Baugh was previously employed by Heathrow Airport Ltd, he will not be involved in advising Ministers on issues relating to the work of the Airports Commission for the 6 months following his appointment, which starts on 30 March 2015." ie. the Commission may report at the end of June, and Simon Baugh can start briefing etc by 30th September.
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Study by York Aviation for Edinburgh airport suggests a 50% + cut in APD in Scotland could “boost Scottish economy by £200m per year”
Another study by York Aviation (who have done numerous studies giving huge figures of the amount of benefit created by the aviation industry ....) says that cutting APD by 50% in Scotland could boost Scotland's economy by £1bn by 2020 and create almost 4,000 new jobs. The study was commissioned by Edinburgh Airport. Powers over APD are to be devolved to Holyrood following recommendations by the Smith Commission. However, a specific date has yet to be set as the move requires UK legislation to be passed. York Aviation believe a 50% cut in APD would "create £200m per annum in GVA (gross value added) by 2020". They also believe Scottish airports could get 700,000 more passengers coming through Scotland's airports in the first year, if APD in Scotland was cut by at least 50%. These would be passengers either coming from England, or not using English airports. The number might rise to about 900,000 passengers, after five years. York Aviation never considers the loss to the economy of the money taken out of the country by people going on holidays abroad - which would rise if APD was cut. They only ever consider inbound tourism and business flights. If Scotland lost the tax revenue from APD it would need to make up the shortfall from elsewhere.
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To conceal the real number of aircraft noise complaints, Gatwick now just records one per person per day
Gatwick Airport's figures on noise complaints are no longer of much use, as they do not publicly report the full numbers. The airport changed the system to only record one complaint per person per day, no matter how many complaints about separate flights they may make. Gatwick says they have introduced this system because people can use phone Apps to make multiple complaints. Gatwick is being urged to record separately the number of people making complaints; the number of total complaints when only one-a-day is counted; and the total number of complaints (including number of planes). At the recent noise seminar held by Gatwick airport on 4th March, Tom Denton (Gatwick's Head of Corporate Responsibility) said, when questioned about the decision by GAL to only record one complaint, per person, per day that this has been the case for the last "2 - 3 years". The wording on the GAL website was changed, to show one complaint only per day, in August 2014. Tom Denton says - incorrectly - that this is the practice at other airports like Heathrow. Heathrow records "enquiries" (number of planes complained about), and "contacts" (number of complaint contacts/forms submitted), and "caller" (number of people). Every complaint, unless there are many on one form/email, is counted by Heathrow, even if several per day. But not by Gatwick - meaning complaint figures are not comparable. Gatwick's are now artificially low.
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Polar bear flashmob at Heathrow Terminal Two draws attention to aviation threat to UK CO2 target
Over 30 polar bears invaded Heathrow’s recently opened Terminal Two in a protest against plans for a 3rd runway. In a lively flash-mob, the polar bears hung up banners, played in the terminal and danced to music produced by sound systems. They were watched by somewhat bemused travellers .......The action, which started on the dot of 11am, lasted about 30 minutes. No arrests were made, as the protesters left of their own accord. The direct action network Plane Stupid is thought to have been behind the protest which was timed to coincide with the big "Time to Act" climate change march that took place in central London at lunchtime. Many of the polar bears travelled to Westminster, to take part in the march. The building of a new south east runway, whether at Heathrow or at Gatwick, would mean that UK aviation carbon targets would be breached (the Airports Commission is aware of this) and UK carbon targets would also be at risk. To permit expansion of aviation CO2 emissions, all other sectors have to make cuts of over 85% - even 90% - in their carbon emissions. Otherwise the UK would not meet its legally binding carbon target for 2050. A Plane Stupid spokesperson said: “If the Government is serious about tackling climate change, it should not even be thinking about a third runway at Heathrow.”
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Strong “No New Runways” bloc gets its message across at the London Time To Act Climate March
The huge "Time To Act" on Climate Change march was held in London on Saturday 7th March. There was a good turnout, described by some as "over 5,000" and by others as nearer 20,000 (numbers are always hard to be accurate on). The "No New Runways" bloc had a good attendance, from Gatwick and from Heathrow opposition groups, as well as many individuals. Gatwick protesters from CAGNE wore pantomime devil horns, and T-shirts with the logo "Gatwick, Neighbour From Hell." Many people who stand to lose their homes, to be bulldozed for a new Heathrow runway, too part. The AirportWatch banner read "No New Runways", and another" Aviation Expansion = Climate Threat. The runway bloc were with others in the transport bloc, and marched from Lincoln's Inn Fields to Parliament, where the speeches took place. During the speeches John McDonnell (the MP for Hayes and Harlington, which the Heathrow north west runway would wipe out) spoke of the need for climate action, not least to oppose a new runway - digging up the village of Harmondsworth. He described the level of protest and direct action that would happen, if the north west runway was recommended, as unprecedented and the "mother of" all environmental battles. The aim of the march is to put pressure on political parties before the general election, and raise the profile of climate change ahead of crucial climate talks in Paris in December.
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Germany fines aircraft operators €5.36 million as it publishes first Aviation EU ETS non-compliance list
GreenAir online reports that Germany has become the first EU country to publish a list of aircraft operators that have not complied with the EU ETS for emissions in 2012. Other countries have not published lists, but the number not complying is thought to be quite high. According to the German Emissions Trading Authority (DEHSt), fines totalling €5,363,400 have been levied on the 44 operators named. Most are small aircraft operators. Under Article 16 of the EU directive that brought aviation into the EU ETS, EU member states must publish the names of aircraft operators they administer that are in breach of requirements to surrender sufficient allowances to cover their emissions. For 2012, the allowances were required to be submitted by the end of April 2013 but nearly two years on, an unspecified number of airlines and smaller aircraft operators remain non-compliant. The penalties are €100 for each tonne of CO2 emitted for which the aircraft operator has not surrendered allowances. It is clear that there is a reluctance by states to publish publicly-available lists of non-compliant airlines, particularly those from outside Europe. This is likely to be due to "political sensitivities" as discussions continue at an international level to agree a global market-based measure for aviation CO2.
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Heathrow opposition rally shows united cross-party rejection of 3rd runway
Simply No. That was the message of a cross-party rally staged by HACAN in central London on March 3rd. MPs from across the political spectrum lined up with environmental NGOs, local authority leaders, businessmen and trade union leaders to pledge opposition to a 3rd runway at Heathrow. Hundreds of people from London and the South East, including many whose homes are threatened by a new runway, showed their determination that the runway will not be built. Twickenham MP Vince Cable made it clear that Liberal Democrat policy remained one of total opposition to a third runway. He said there was no sound economic reason why Heathrow needed to expand. John McDonnell, the Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington, thousands of whose constituents are facing the loss of their homes, predicted that any decision to go-ahead with a new runway would result in the biggest direct action environmental protest in Europe. As a reminder of the determined and successful campaign against the runway, last time around, people at the rally held up pictures of the huge "NO" spelt out on the ground in Sipson, at the May 2008 protest. HACAN chair John Stewart said: “The rally sent a loud and clear message to the next Government: build a new runway at your peril. The coalition which saw it off last time round is still alive, well and fighting.”
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Disproportionate investment in the south east unfair to regions – and taxpayers – disadvantaging the north
There is often well informed comment on the PPRuNe (the Professional Pilots Rumour Network) forum. A recent discussion was on the price to be paid by the UK for a new Heathrow, or Gatwick, runway. The contributors are amazed by the scale of the costs involved, not only the price of a runway, but the cost to the taxpayer. And those who are not focused on the south east are unimpressed by the amount the government would be spending on the south east, only to disadvantage airports in the regions. It would not only be the regional airports that would suffer, but the regional economies. While in theory there would be "trickle down" of economic benefits, from the south east to the regions, the reality is very little trickle indeed. The south east has had huge investment projects (Crossrail 2, HSI, Channel Tunnel, Thameslink...) "The 70% of us Brits who don't reside in the SE wish you well with all your recently-added super-infrastructure. But we kind of feel that it is time for a bit of state largesse to head in our direction for a change. It is not an unreasonable idea. The non-SE 70% are taxed at exactly the same rates as Londoners." "The North has not yet had a single standalone publicly-funded infrastructure project approved at a price tag exceeding £1 billion ...and to the best of my knowledge neither has any other region of the UK outside the SE." See the Pprune forum discussion for more.
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In USA the FAA’s new air traffic control system NextGen is causing major noise pollution
The American Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s new air traffic control system NextGen is causing considerable upset in parts of the USA, in the same way that precision navigation that is being promoted by the CAA is in the UK. The overhaul of airspace and flight paths in the USA is intended to save airlines fuel and time. But the new routes are causing misery to the people who now find themselves, unexpectedly and with no warning, under them. One resident, in Phoenix, said: "If you can imagine yourself at an air show, that's what it would sound like." Planes sometimes every 30 seconds for hours at a time. "Am I angry? Absolutely. I'm furious." In Phoenix planes now fly low over heavily populated neighbourhoods. The Mayor said the FAA did not hold a single public hearing notifying neighbours of the change, nor did the agency ever meet with him. The Mayor commented: "I think that the choice that was made to have such a disproportionate impact over such a small number of people is really fundamentally unfair and unacceptable." A 2012 Congressional FAA authorization bill fast-tracked the roll out of NextGen by exempting it from normal environmental impact reviews and public hearings. NextGen is also causing problems for people at JFK and LaGuardia airports.
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Blog by Ralph Smyth (CPRE) on likely negative impact of a new runway on re-balancing UK economy and regions
In a blog, Ralph Smyth - Transport Campaign Manager at CPRE - writes of the negative impacts of a new south east runway, not only locally but also on the wider UK economy and the regions. In all other areas of endeavour, other than the runway issue, politicians and businesses are are enthusiastic about rebalancing England’s economic activity, to give the north a boost. "But the moment you mention aviation, they all scramble back to the safety of London, focusing on providing ever more runways to the capital’s airports." An expanded Heathrow would become the biggest airport in the world, equal only to the Istanbul New Airport. An expanded Gatwick would become as big as Heathrow now. The fundamental problem though is the lack of any ‘larger than local’ planning in England: as a country we are unique in the developed world in not having any national spatial plan. England has nothing to assess the wider strategic fit of such enormous airport expansion proposals. Not only would another runway put more pressure on the south-east, it could make it harder to regenerate brownfield sites in the north. Worse still, the more aviation grows, the more the risk is that other sectors will have to do more to reduce CO2 emissions if overall UK targets for carbon reduction are to be met.
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Passionate letter from a distressed victim of Gatwick’s concentrated flight path noise
Dear Mr Wingate. On weekdays my alarm is normally set for 06:40 am. At 05:52 today one of your metal gods tore through the sky above my house and woke my entire family. This happens on a daily basis now and more often than not earlier than this. One child in tears, a wife in despair and I, with an ever growing sense of rage and contempt towards your airport. I also understand that the narrow and concentrated flight path which you began in 2013 may have wiped £XX,000 off the value of my house, for which I paid a hefty premium to live in a quiet Tudor village. If you do not understand or appreciate the horror your concentrated narrow flight path has created, it is time someone made you wake up to it. My family, my neighbours and I have had enough, Mr Wingate. You should act on this email and the thousands of other similar letter you have received, and revert to multiple broad flight paths arriving at Gatwick. This needs to be done sooner rather than later..... The actions of a private company (Gatwick Airport) should not be bringing about emotional and financial ruin for thousands of people. And this is precisely what is happening. Imagine if Jaguar Land Rover built a testing track next to their factory without any kind of permission which generated this amount of noise and ran it from before 6am to 12pm incessantly, every day. Would that be permitted to carry on?
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Committee on Climate Change writes to Sir Howard to say aviation CO2 emissions must not be over 2005 level by 2050
The Committee on Climate Change (CCC) has written to the Airports Commission (AC) in response to its consultation. The letter reiterates the Committee’s earlier recommendation that the Airports Commission’s economic analysis of the expansion options should reflect the need to restrain aviation growth in order to manage emissions from the sector. This in effect means that the costs of limiting emissions – which may be transferred to passengers or industry – are included in the cost-benefit analysis for each of the 3 runway schemes. The AC has yet to complete this assessment. The CCC is clear that the Government’s airports policy should reflect the need for aviation emissions to be no higher in 2050 than in 2005, this being the maximum level of emissions that would be compatible with the Climate Change Act. However, the ‘uncapped’ forecasts for national aviation emissions produced by the AC exceed the 2005 emissions levels under all three possible expansion options. In the absence of some unspecified policy that would limit emissions, therefore, a new runway would result in the UK failing in its legal climate commitments. The CCC letter says "Higher aviation emissions than 2005 levels in 2050 should not be planned for, since this would imply greater than 85% cuts in other sectors; there is limited confidence about the scope for this."
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After voting against Heathrow runway, Runnymede councillor puts new motion to reverse decision
On 22nd January, Runnymede Borough Council voted against a Heathrow 3rd runway. They have previously been supportive. However, Councillor Furey (also a Surrey County Councillor) has put down a motion for discussion at a Council meeting on 5th March, to reverse that position. The motion states: "This Council reconsiders the current policy to support Gatwick Airport expansion at the expense of Heathrow. I call on Members to consider the economic and social benefits that could be derived from a third runway and the harmful impact of undermining Heathrow's position as Europe's most important aviation hub. Members are asked to support reconsideration of the recent policy change and restore support for Heathrow expansion, subject to suitable noise, transport and infrastructural mitigation." Local campaigners are dismayed by this attempt to reverse the runway decision, after such a short time. They do not believe the somewhat nebulous claims of 'social and economic' benefits of Heathrow expansion. No local councillor has been able to adequately quantify or qualify what exactly these benefits are for local residents. Residents of Runnymede are urged to attend the Council meeting on 5th March at 7.30pm at the Civic Centre, Addlestone.
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Noise demonstration blasts 80 dB recorded plane noise outside home of Frankfurt airport CEO for 2 hours
As a protest against the level of aircraft noise that people living near Frankfurt airport are exposed to - especially since the opening of the 4th runway in October 2011 - people have bombarded the home of the airport Chief Executive, Stefan Schulte, with noise. Citizens in a convoy of about 40 cars parked outside his house, in a small town north of Frankfurt,. They set up loudspeakers and ghetto blasters in their cars, and rolled down the car windows in order to blast out noise, at about 80 decibels. That is loudest the police allowed them to use. The noise went on for two hours, with two breaks. The protest was by people living in areas across Rhein-Main who are badly affected by noise from flight paths. The noise they used was of planes, recorded at Niederrad Sachsenhausen, which is an area about 3 km to the north east of the airport. After some time of the noise bombardment, the CEO's automatic garage door opened, and he set off in his car for work at the airport. One of the protesters commented that they did not understand how Herr Schulte is able to say society must just endure such levels of noise. Asked if the protest had been successful, one protester commented that it had been if the media and more members of the public are aware of the issue.
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DHL shrugs off threat from Heathrow Hub to move forward with new Poyle headquarters
The local paper, Colnbrook Views, reports that despite the possibility that the Airports Commission just might recommend that Heathrow builds a 3rd runway using the Heathrow Hub plan (northern runway extended to the west), DHL are taking the (small?) risk and planning a massive new distribution hub on the run-down Poyle estate, almost in the path of the runway. The application considered at a recent Planning meeting. Colnbrook Views says DHL is moving its headquarters to Poyle, from Hounslow. Property agents acting for DHL have secured a large chunk of the Poyle trading estate, which currently contains 17 partly unoccupied units. The plan is to build a vast 21,373 square metre facility with a 5-storey warehouse and distribution hub, plus HQ. There will be a 24x7 parcel delivery hub, and 60 HGV loading bays plus 585 car parking spaces. And nearly 700 new jobs. DHL acknowledges the risk as well as the benefits of its close proximity to Heathrow. Both its Colnbrook Lakeside and Poyle headquarters will be at risk from both the north-west runway, or the extended northern runway options. DHL's Board say they have taken the risks into account and “DHL are fully committed to this site as it is ideally located...." They hope the new warehouse will be completed in April 2016.
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Airports Commission “Senior Delivery Group” report – on implementing (unpopular?) airspace changes
The Airports Commission's Senior Delivery Group - for implementation of airspace changes - was set up in the summer of 2014, by Patrick McLoughlin, on the suggestion of the Commission. It is led by the CAA. It produced its first report in July 2014 when it stated “the SDG will encourage the gathering of evidence to help strike the right balance between operational benefits and the impact on local communities affected by aircraft noise.” It has now produced its second report, a technical paper on the "Implementation of Performance-Based Navigation in the UK." This says: "The measures included in FAS are a pre-requisite for accommodating future growth in demand for aviation, regardless of whether there is a decision to build new runway capacity." It aims to ensure "local communities have a say in how the modernisation programme is delivered. Effective engagement with those that may be impacted by the changes is critical to the development of a modern, sustainable air transport route network." And "Before an airspace trial commences, there should always be a consideration of what level of consultation is appropriate and proportionate to the objectives of the trial and in view of its likely impact". The presumption throughout is that there will be more air travel, more flight paths, and these will be concentrated. Consultation with affected communities should be enough to solve the problem.... ?
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Airports report will fail to come up with long-term strategy, warns Justine Greening
Justine Greening, MP for Putney, Roehampton and Southfields, has warned that the Airports Commission’s long-awaited final report (expected probably in June, before Sir Howard leaves for RBS?) will fail to provide the long-term aviation strategy Britain needs. Justine Greening is deeply opposed to a new Heathrow runway, knowing how miserable it would make life for thousands of her constituents, under flight paths - so she backs a runway at Gatwick instead. She considers a Gatwick runway would provide a “competitive capacity stop-gap”. But she says Gatwick "is not a substitute for the longer term aviation strategy" that she considers Britain needs. In her submission to the Airports Commission consultation, Ms Greening condemned the “incremental, ‘next step’ approach being consulted on”, warning it “continues the short-termism and lack of strategic vision to date, which has led to the capacity constraints we see today”. She goes on to say a 4th Heathrow runway would lead to an overall decrease in airspace capacity over London because it would take up space for flights landing at other London airports. So she is thinking of a new Boris Island airport in the Thames estuary ...?
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Heathrow tells Commission its devastating impact on local villages will have a “neutral” effect on community cohesion
Heathrow's submission to the Airports Commission attempts to say that the impact on local communities, the Heathrow Villages in particular, would be "neutral". The Commission has considered it, rightly, to be "adverse" - which is a fairly staggering understatement anyway. The local paper, Colnbrook Views, is understandably stunned by this. They say "Heathrow has actually suggested to Sir Howard that he is wrong to say that losing large tracts of the village to tarmac while subjecting an untold number to as yet unquantified noise and air pollution is actually, on balance, going to be a good thing. ....Far from being an “adverse” effect on the village, Sir Howard Davies has been told to rethink his conclusion and find instead that mitigations proposed by the airport will “set remaining communities on a new footing underpinned by facility provision and other community support mechanisms”. The Heathrow logic's glaring inadequacy is shown in their statement: ”We do acknowledge that the effect of the airport expansion on Harmondsworth and Sipson would be considerable and that Longford would be removed completely. However, we do believe that, even for these communities, although the local dynamic may change, there will still be community cohesion for those that wish to continue living in these villages. (sic .... Longford would be removed .... but Heathrow says it will be good for people still living there ??)
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Prestwick Airport taxpayer bailout doubles to £40 million by 2021/22
Nicola Sturgeon has been accused of covering up the true cost to the taxpayer of buying Prestwick Airport after she kept secret the existence of a new estimate predicting it would almost double to £40 million. An Audit Scotland investigation into the purchase found that a revised business plan produced in May last year forecast that public loans to loss-making Prestwick would reach £39.6 million by 2021/22. Ms Sturgeon did not tell MSPs that the predicted cost had increased from the original estimate of £21.3 million when she gave evidence to a Holyrood inquiry the following month. She also did not reveal that the passenger forecasts for the first 5 years had been dramatically cut. Labour are complaining about the handling of the airport problem by the SNP. Prestwick was losing £800,000 per month, and passenger numbers had more than halved to 1.1 million between 2007 and 2013. It was on the market for 18 months but no private buyer emerged. The Scottish government bought it for £1 hoping to protect 3,200 jobs and safeguard a “strategic” asset. So far the government has handed over £9 million and have committed to provide a further £16.2 million by the end of March 2016.
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Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond, says Heathrow 3rd runway permission “cannot be bought”
Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary and MP for Runnymede & Weybridge, has said that Heathrow will not be able to "buy" planning permission for a proposed runway expansion. His comment came after Heathrow had said it could contribute to a £300m flood relief scheme, if it was allowed to expand. The government will pay £220 million for the scheme, with the RFCC paying £30 million - leaving an extra £50 million needs to be raised - from business etc..Mr Hammond said Heathrow should join other local businesses in helping to fund new River Thames defences. Heathrow claims that expansion "would allow environmental issues to be addressed." (Unclear logic why it has to be allowed to expand before it can do so ...?) Heathrow would directly benefit from the river defence scheme. Mr Hammond commented: "We've got a long tradition in this county that we don't allow people to buy planning permission for controversial schemes simply by offering money.....As a very large local business that was negatively affected by the disruption in the area last February I would expect Heathrow and businesses around Heathrow to be among those we ask for a contribution."
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Uncertainties about if, and how comprehensively, Gatwick is logging aircraft noise complaints
Gatwick airport (and Heathrow too) were inundated with noise complaint since trialling new concentrated flight paths last year. However, there remains uncertainty about how the Gatwick process for counting and recording complaints. People who have felt the need to complain about numerous noisy flights have been informed that they can log no more than one complaint per day. People have been told they cannot use a "template" for their complaints, even though the airport's own reporting form is a template. The airport has now been asked to explain just what constitutes a "template" is, in their opinion. And how does this differ from being a bone fide 'enquiry' via email or letter? People are asking what has happened to the numerous complaints they have made over the past year or so, since the flight paths were altered. How many of these have been recorded, and how many have been dismissed? The lack of clarity means yet further reduction in trust in the airport by affected communities. There is concern that Gatwick gets to self regulate on the matter of collation of complaint data, which is seen as flawed. Gatwick downplays the extent of the problem saying "Complaint statistics can be extremely difficult to interpret as a large proportion of all our complaints originate from a very small group of individuals."
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Heathrow claims “larger, fuller, quieter” planes – but load factor still just 70 – 76%
Heathrow says it had its busiest ever January with 5.45 million passengers travelling through the airport’s terminals. But the figures mask a decline in the number of flight movements and planes are still flying on average one third empty. There were about 37,130 air transport movements (commercial flights) using Heathrow in January, compared to 4 earlier years when there were over 39,000 flights. The reason why Heathrow can increase its number of passengers, with fewer flights is having more passengers per flight. Heathrow's own figures show a lower number of flights at the airport contrasts with its claims that lack of hub capacity is "a ticking time bomb". While the central premise of the airport’s drive for expansion has been its claim that it is 98% full, aircraft movements actually fell by 0.8% last month compared to January 2014. Details of Passengers by Market show growth in numbers of passengers to and from emerging economies. However, overall the load factor (the % of the seats in the plane are used) are far lower at Heathrow than many other UK airports, with 70.1% in January. Over recent months, the load factor was 71.3% in November, and about 76% in October and December 2014. It was 76.4% for the full year 2013 and 75% in 2012. Heathrow will say, if there is a fall in numbers, that this means it is losing ground to other hubs, and if they rise, it reinforces their case for new hub capacity.
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Chairman of Gatwick GATCOM writes to Stewart Wingate, on withdrawal of routes with “detrimental effect”
The Chairman of GATCOM (the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee) has written to Stewart Wingate, to try to get some clarification for his committee, on PRNAV departure SID implementation at Gatwick. GAL had undertaken to revert to conventional navigation and the withdrawal of P-RNAV where there has been a "detrimental effect" on local communities. GATCOM is disappointed that GAL does not appear to be honouring this undertaking and many members and local communities feel badly let down, particularly in view of the negative effects some of them are now experiencing. GATCOM is asking Gatwick Airport to withdraw a/any P-RNAV SID where it is deemed that there has been a detrimental effect on local communities and revert to conventional navigation at the earliest opportunity. They are asking Mr Wingate quite how such "detrimental effect" has been quantified in the CAA’s airspace change process. GATCOM says it is important that the way in which the Government’s policy of minimising the number of people impacted by aircraft overflight and noise is fully understood and measures put in place to fully compensate those suffering significant disturbance as a result of changes for loss of property value. Also GATCOM want the CEO of the CAA, Andrew Haines, to attend a meeting of GATCOM to explain his interpretation of the present position to members.
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Defra data on NO2 emissions show Heathrow would breach limits by 2030, even with just 2 runways – let alone 3
Defra data showing 50 UK roads with highest nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels suggests the A4 road, that runs along the north border of Heathrow Airport, will still exceed EU air pollution limits by 2030 - even without the addition of a 3rd runway. The Defra figures (obtained by Clean Air in London by an FoI request) show that, in 2030, after the A501 (Marylebone Road in London) the A4 will be the road with the 2nd highest NO2 concentrations in the UK - with just two runways. A 3rd runway would inevitably lead to an increase in the number of passengers and associated road traffic coming, including freight. Air pollution is therefore likely to rise, and substantially. Environmental NGO the Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) says a 3rd runway at Heathrow “now looks impossible” before 2030, due to the projections of the air quality impacts of expansion. And “Questions must be asked about the Airports Commission’s decision not to carry out detailed modelling of the air quality impact of a new runway prior to publishing its final consultation.” Heathrow produced a bland statement about "managing our environmental responsibilities" which did not address the problem - hoping to persuade passengers not to travel to/from the airport by car. And the air freight? The UK is currently facing legal action from the European Commission due to its failure to meet EU annual average NO2 limits.
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Caroline Spelman says Birmingham Airport’s introduction of trial flight paths has risked permanently damaging relations with nearby residents
Caroline Spelman, MP for Meriden, has said that Birmingham Airport's poor handling of the introduction of new flight paths has risked permanently damaging relations with nearby residents. After the runway extension was completed, new flight paths were tested from May 2014 and people newly overflown were not treated well; they were not listened to and their suggestions were ignored. More than 2,000 residents living near the airport signed a petition, saying their lives were being made a misery by the aircraft noise. People around the airport have now lost trust in it, and this will take a lot to restore. Mrs Spelman said many in the local community had traditionally supported the airport, but this was changing due to the bad feeling created by the introduction of new flight paths. Transport Minister Robert Goodwill told the Commons: “I hope that the airport will listen to the concerns raised tonight and will act on them.” Birmingham airport has now announced its preferred flight path, which will involve planes turning so that they minimise noise levels over the village of Hampton-in-Arden. However, there needs to be a trial period to ensure this route does indeed minimise the level of noise experienced by residents. The airport will submit its preferred Option to the CAA in May for approval by the CAA in September.”
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UN climate negotiations need to get agreed emissions targets for international aviation and shipping
Bill Hemmings, of Transport & Environment, writing in Euractiv after the recent UNFCCC talks, says the relevant UN bodies should identify an emission reduction pathway, and ensure that any measures adopted are done so in a fair and equitable way. The UNFCCC negotiating text now includes wording calling for the setting of emission reduction targets for international shipping and aviation, in the context of the objective of the agreement – which is to limit any temperature increase to 2 degrees. There will be more dialogue between parties on why this wording should be included in the Paris Agreement at COP 21. In a "business-as-usual" scenario, CO2 emissions from shipping could increase by up to 250% and from aviation by 270% by 2050. These would account for one-quarter of all allowable emissions under a 2-degree scenario in 2050 and one-third under a 1.5-degree scenario. Despite this reality, the IMO and ICAO have a long record of inaction. ICAO says it will agree by 2016 the details of a measure to deliver carbon neutral growth in 2020, but even that is uncertain and it will depend heavily on the quality of offsets used. However, in any case "carbon neutral growth" by the aviation industry globally will be insufficient to meet a 2-degree scenario.
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Boris wants Network Rail to work on improved rail link between London and Stansted
Boris Johnson has told Network Rail that it should fast-track upgrades of the rail line between London and Stansted and Cambridge, which he says are of national importance. In autumn 2014 Network Rail put forward a 30-year plan for the rail links in the East Anglian region, but an upgrade of the line to Stansted was not included. It was just mentioned as part of a wish list out to beyond 2040. Part of the investigation by the Airports Commission has been looking at how current airport capacity could be used better, including improvement of rail links - and the Stansted line was included. Sir Howard Davies has said Network Rail's plans for the track to Stansted were not ambitious enough. Boris wants a four-track solution, to get fast trains between London and Stansted taking just over 20 minutes, which is under half the present journey time. Boris says the 4-track line would be of national importance, and a precursor to Crossrail 2, which is planned to run underground from south west to north east of London, and be built by 2030. Boris says good rail lines from north east London need to be in place before Crossrail 2 is finished. He wants the preparatory works for the Stansted line to be in Network Rail's present 5-year plan up to 2019.
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Heathrow claims “Those living around us are behind us” – those living under its flight paths do not agree
Heathrow airport has made much of its recent survey, from which it felt able to say - in yet more of its vast (expensive) adverts that "Those Living Around Us Are Behind Us." The survey, done in November and December 2014, managed to get the level of net support in a list of boroughs near Heathrow, just up to 50%. The net level of opposition was 33%, with 16% neither supporting nor opposing. The earlier poll, done in September 2014, showed 49% support and 32% opposition, with 18% unsure. The scripts used for these telephone polls are not published, so it is difficult to know how much the questions lead people being questioned towards certain answers. Back Heathrow, in its submission to the Airports Commission, did something very unorthodox (ie. wrong) with the data. By leaving out the % of people who did not express a view in favour or against (16% in the December poll) they got the level of support up to 60%. But that is an incorrect use of data. By contrast, 22 out of 24 local councils in the Heathrow area and across London are against a new runway. The only two that are still in favour are Slough and Spelthorne.
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John Holland-Kaye complains Heathrow pays too much in business rates (while paying little Corporation Tax)
John Holland-Kaye is complaining that the £168 million per year it pays in its business rates is too high, and it is "punishing investment." He claims it is risking "jobs and growth" and it should be reformed. Mr Holland-Kays says Heathrow has the highest business rates bill in England, and the cost is so large that it was beginning to affect investment decisions. (Heathrow is also one of the largest emitters of CO2 in the country - not far behind Drax power station). Heathrow has paid little corporation tax for many years, as it invests money in its infrastructure. This benefits its overseas owners, but means the company does not make a profit - hence avoiding UK corporation tax. Heathrow argues that the £11 billion of investment, from its foreign owners, for its infrastructure benefits people and businesses in the UK, so other businesses pay more tax .... The foreign owners hope to make a good return on their investment. On the level of business rates, Mr Holland-Kaye says the level or rates "disincentivises significant investment like ours which has a huge benefit for the jobs that have been created while we've been investing." Five years ago, Heathrow's business rates bill was about £93.4 million. Gatwick's bill is about £30 million this year. George Osborne pledged to conduct a review of the business rates system by March 2016 if the Tories are re-elected.
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City Airport wants to press ahead with controversial flight changes despite only 3% support in recent consultation
London City Airport wants to press ahead with controversial plans to concentrate flight paths despite only 3% of people backing them in the recent consultation. Its consultation ended in November 2014, and the airport produced a report report on the consultation on 13th February. The report now goes to the CAA for approval. London City Airport’s consultation was widely criticized in 2014. The airport had refused to leaflet or hold meetings in the areas that would be worst affected by the new concentrated flight paths. It justified its minimal consultation on the grounds that the changes it was proposing were not significant. Despite criticism from MPs, local authorities, residents’ groups and members of the Greater London Authority, London City has defended its consultation in its report to the CAA. It is also refusing to withdraw or modify its original plans. Residents’ organisation HACAN East, which coordinated much of the opposition to the changes, believes the airport has been typically arrogant and unresponsive - and not given any consideration to the possibility of respite for various areas, at different times of day. London City Airport expresses very little concern for its neighbouring communities. HACAN East say the fight by residents will continue, and they will be pressing the CAA to order the airport to carry out a fresh consultation.
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Global Subsidies Initiative report calls on governments to include commitment to cut fossil fuel subsidies, for climate
A recent report by the Global Subsidies Initiative calls on governments to include commitment to cut fossil fuel subsidies in their pre-Paris climate action plans. It says that phasing out the $543 billion of consumer subsidies handed to fossil fuels globally each year could cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 6 – 13% by 2050. Leading governments, such as the UK, need to made good on their long-standing pledges to phase out these subsidies. It says this is a “feasible and cost-effective option for reducing GHG emissions and staying within a 2C target of warming". The money spent on subsidising fossil fuel would be more effectively used on greater energy efficiency or on renewables. A study by the Overseas Development Institute in November 2014 said the G20 nations had been spending almost $90bn a year on finding more oil, gas and coal. The UK Government has implemented massive subsidies – largely through the tax regime - to promote exploration and development of risky and unconventional oil and gas in recent years, including deep-water offshore resources and shale gas. UK national exploration subsidies in the UK total up to $1.2 billion per year on average. There is also spending overseas for fossil fuel exploration, which totalled $3.3 billion from 2010 to 2013 – an annual average of $825 million.
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Virgin, Thales and TUI promise not to leave Crawley even if Gatwick doesn’t get a 2nd runway
There has been discussion in the Gatwick and Crawley areas about what impact a new Gatwick runway could have on businesses and jobs locally, and what impact there would be either if there was no runway, or Heathrow was permitted to build a runway. Now some of Crawley's biggest employers have confirmed that they will stay at Gatwick, regardless of whether there is no new runway there. The Crawley News contacted 5 of the biggest employers in the town, including Thales and Virgin, (also TUI, Nestlé and Elekta) to find out if they are committed to staying in the town even if Heathrow got a new runway. Four of the five pledged to stay put. Thales, based in Manor Royal, says it will not be leaving and around 2,000 of their employees are currently based there. Virgin Holidays has 600 staff working in Crawley centre, and a total of 2,100 staff in the area, including the airport. They have "no plans to relocate our base to Heathrow." The TUI Group has around 500 staff in the Crawley area, with their HR, finance, investor relations, PR and IT. As their airline operations are at Luton, they have no reason to leave Gatwick. Nestlé has its head office in Manor Royal, with some 840 jobs - it refused to comment on the issue. Elekta has just spent a lot of money on a new building in Manor Royal.
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Talks in Geneva target a carbon emissions cap on international aviation and shipping
Work is progressing on text for the climate talks in Paris in December. In Geneva work has started, with representatives from over 190 countries, on negotiating texts on how there could be caps on carbon emissions from international aviation and shipping. The EU has been supportive of this sort of cap, having been the first to have an Emissions Trading System including aviation, till the ETS was scuppered last year. Brussels eventually had to cut the range of the ETS to only include flights within the EU, after trade threats from the USA, China and others. Air travel is one of the fastest growing sources of CO2, and the Paris negotiating text might encourage the global aviation industry to levy funds to be used to help poor countries adapt to climate change. However, any measures to limit aviation CO2 emissions are expected to be opposed by many countries. Including shipping and aviation emissions in a global climate deal has proved difficult in the past. If emissions from these sectors are not addressed effectively by 2050, bunker emissions could swell to account for a quarter of all emissions. ICAO is working on a proposal for some form of market based measure on carbon, due to be considered in 2016. Bill Hemmings, of T&E, said: "ICAO has promised action by 2016 but operates in complete secrecy."
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Heathrow has paid numerous Chambers of Commerce around the country to hold events, to drum up business support
Heathrow Airport has spent a lot of time and energy arranging seminars at as many Chambers of Commerce as possible, across the country. Heathrow has offered each Chamber around £3,000 to hold these seminars, where they can pitch their case for a 3rd runway. About 25 Chambers have agreed - costing Heathrow around £75,000 - and given Heathrow their support. However, when approached by Heathrow, the Manchester Chamber of Commerce was not impressed, and declined the seminar offer. The Manchester Chamber speaking for the local business community said there was increasing evidence that there is no need for a larger hub airport, and the UK should instead make better use of the network airports - including Manchester Airport. Manchester council leader Sir Richard Leese described Heathrow’s approach as ‘desperate’. John Holland-Kaye has been speaking at events, spreading the word that only a new Heathrow runway will enable British companies to trade with the rest of the world .. etc etc. He mentions the "need" for a runway, because we "need" to be able to export live Scottish languostines to Singapore .... Truly a "First World Problem." Or the "need" to be able to air freight chocolate to Mexico ..... John H-K speech with the source of those lunacies
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Heathrow 3rd runway would affect south Buckinghamshire, especially Heathrow Hub impact on Iver area
People in south Buckinghamshire are very concerned about the threat of an expanded Heathrow, and the impact it would have on the south of the county. How badly they would be affected depends on whether a 3rd runway was built as Heathrow Airport Ltd wants, to the north west, or an extension of the northern runway, as Heathrow Hub wants. With either they face much more noise, and much more traffic. If the Heathrow Hub design was permitted, it includes plans for a transport hub near Iver (to the north west of the junction of the M25 and the M4.) It would mean building on green belt land between Richings Park and Iver village centre, with access to it from local roads. Iver Parish Council are very concerned about the increased traffic, especially HGVs, which would change Iver massively. They have been given no proper information about how the traffic scheme would work, and there are real fears this would change Iver and Richings Park forever. People in this area will be attending the large rally being held on 3rd March in central London, against a 3rd Heathrow runway. .
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Heathrow’s improved offer of £700 million for noise compensation, if there was a 3rd runway, wouldn’t help residents in many areas
On the last day of the Airports Commission consultation about its 3 short-listed runway schemes, Heathrow Airport came up with a new, more widespread and more generous offer of compensation against aircraft noise, IF it got a new runway. However, this offer is not to be offered to residents in many affected areas, including Bracknell, Ascot or Wokingham. The £700 million that Heathrow says it would spend on noise insulation etc would only be for homes judged the worst affected by noise - with no homes south of Wraysbury included. The number of homes eligible for offered compensation will depend on the final design of flight paths from an expanded Heathrow, and those are not yet known. Residents in Bracknell and Ascot, who have been incensed by the aircraft noise to which they have been subjected this year, say that even if they were offered compensation it still would not be enough, and it would not solve the problem. Heathrow claims that flight paths and use of airspace in the area has reverted to its pre-trail state, but residents believe it has not. People are now much more aware of aircraft noise, and their tolerance for it has declined - and they know that no amount of money would be enough to keep the level of noise outside the house down, in gardens, parks, playgrounds and streets. Many believe the increased Heathrow offer, and its timing, is merely a PR stunt.
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Manchester wants to persuade more in its catchment area not to fly via London airports
Manchester airport, the only UK airport apart from Heathrow to have two runways, had around 22 million passengers per year in 2005 and 2006, but then slumped down to a low point of 17.7 million by 2010. Passenger numbers have now grown, to return to the high point of 2006, and Manchester airport is feeling confident. It chief commercial officer says that their customers - leisure travellers and businesses - say they often prefer flying from Manchester, rather than having to travel to a London airport. However, around 4 million passengers from the airport's catchment area still make the unnecessary journey to London airports every year. Manchester hopes to encourage more routes and better frequency services, to win these passengers and deter them from using London. He hopes this would help ease congestion at the London airport. Manchester is hoping to win increasing numbers of passengers, and it has its "Airport City" project close to the airport and hopes to "bolster our city’s growing presence as an international business and leisure destination." The Greater Manchester built up area is the 2nd largest in the UK, after London, with a population of about 2.6 million, compared to about 9.8 million in London. There is logic in using Manchester's capacity rather than building another south east runway.
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National Trust claims Gatwick expansion would harm Wakehurst Place – and other historic properties
Wakehurst Place is a beautiful stately home in Sussex, owned by the National Trust. It is the country part of Kew Gardens botanical garden, with the world's largest seed conservation project. The wonderful old house has been used in many films. It is now one of the 13 historic properties that the National Trust says could be affected by a new Gatwick runway. These also include Penshurst Place in Kent, which was used as a location for current BBC Tudor drama "Wolf Hall." The National Trust said it was “highly sceptical” about proposed expansions to either Gatwick or Heathrow in its submission to the Airports Commission. The NT believes any airport expansion at either Heathrow or Gatwick would increase noise impact to residents and affect how people spend their leisure time. It has an impact on visitors to these historic and unique buildings. It also said it could affect filming possibilities at the venues because of increased aircraft noise. Hever Castle (former home of Anne Bolyen) is also very badly affected by noise from Gatwick landings, with real fears of reduced visitor numbers, if the amount of aircraft noise prevents the visit being a pleasant and peaceful experience.
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Bromley Council consultation on Biggin Hill Airport’s plans to greatly increase operating hours, especially at weekends
Biggin Hill airport is predominantly used by light aviation and business jets. It has operating hours at present of 6.30am to 10pm on weekdays, and 9am to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. However, the airport is now hoping to extend these significantly, by one hour more on weekdays, five and a half hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays. That would be a total of 114 hours per week. Local residents are very unhappy about this, and the local group, BRAAD (Bromley Residents Against Airport Development) is urging people to oppose this expansion, in the current consultation - which ends on on 13th March. BRAAD says Bromley is a peaceful residential borough, which attracts families from noisier environments because of the quality of life it has so far offered. However, Biggin Hill Airport has now expanded to the point of threatening the delicate balance between its business aspirations and the residents' rights to their amenities. The 114 hours proposed by Biggin Hill is much more than its rival private jet airports (London City, Farnborough, or Northolt - an the increase is largely at weekends, early in the morning and late at night, when people may find the noise even more intrusive.
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NetworkRail plans for improved rail link to Heathrow T5 from the west, by tunnel, go on show
NetworkRail has put plans for consultation, for a new rail tunnel, connecting the main line into London from the west with Heathrow Terminal 5. The proposed link, subject to planning permission, includes a 3.1 mile (5km) tunnel from the Great Western Main Line at Langley to T5. This could cut journey times between Reading and Heathrow and reduce road congestion, if passengers travelled by train instead of by car. A series of public consultation events is to be held in Iver and Slough. The rail plan was given the go-ahead by the government in 2012. There would need to be a new junction created between Langley and Iver stations. There are claims that the rail link would mean a quarter of people in the UK "within one interchange" of Heathrow. The tunnel only travels under 2 houses so is not expected to cause too much disruption locally. The tunnel would go ahead regardless of whether there is a new runway, or not. It is expected the tunnelling would take a year. It has the potential to make journeys from the west faster and easier. The timetable is for informal consultation now; formal public consultation in summer 2015; submission of application in early 2016; work starts spring / summer 2017; work completed and trains running by the end of 2021.
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Daniel Moylan considers it possible there will be no decision on a new runway any time soon
Daniel Moylan, one of whose tasks is advisor to the Mayor of London on aviation, has said it is quite possible there will be no decision on a new runway any time soon. Daniel Moylan and Boris are resolutely against a Heathrow runway, preferring a mega-airport in the Thames estuary instead. Daniel Moylan, speaking at a conference in London, said: “I’ve reached a rather gloomy conclusion....I don’t think that as a result of the Airports Commission anything determined will happen. It’s quite possible no decision will be taken.” Having no idea who will form the next government he said: "I don’t doubt the government can force through a policy against opposition. But it has to be a priority for them....I don’t see any of the parties has that level of commitment, and I don’t see the Commission has generated that level of commitment.” He warned that the next London Mayor would oppose expansion at Heathrow ...."all the evidence is that there will be cross-party opposition to expanding Heathrow....So whoever is Mayor after Boris is likely to oppose expanding Heathrow.” The Mayoral election will be on 5th May 2016 and the nominations must be completed by the end of March 2016.
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All Party Parliamentary Group analysis shows a 3rd runway at Heathrow would be at the expense of surrounding airports
The All-Party Parliamentary Group of MPs (APPG) has submitted a report to the Airports Commission (and to the Government) showing that, according to the Commission’s own figures, there would be no overall increase in the number of UK passengers, flights or destinations as a result of a 3rd Heathrow runway. Instead, any increased activity at Heathrow airport itself would be fed almost entirely by re-distributing growth from other UK airports. This would me an more activity at Heathrow at the expense of regional airports, customers and the wider economy. The All Party Parliamentary Group's "Wider Economy" Report raises serious doubts about there being any net benefit to the wider UK economy, or to the regions, from a new Heathrow runway. It suggests the runway could even have a significant negative impacts on them. The Commission's figures show that with or without an extra runway at Heathrow, the growth rate of the UK passenger market from 2030 to 2050 is anticipated to be 1.4% per annum. It is predicted that a 3rd runway would cause a reduction of 207,000 flights per year, to and from regional airports by 2050. The total number of destination airports for flights from UK airports might also be lower, if there is a 3rd Heathrow runway.
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NATS to introduce “Time Based Separation” (TBS) at Heathrow to cut delays in windy conditions
Heathrow Airport is close to its maximum number of flights per year (480,000) and its runways take close to the most flights they can, most of the day. During periods when there is strong wind, there are currently often flight delays -causing inefficiency. Aircraft fly more slowly in relation to the ground (groundspeed) against a headwind, though the plane may be flying at the same speed as usual, in relation to the air (airspeed). Now NATS is introducing a system, called Time Based Separation (TBS), which it has been working on for some years. The aim is to reduce delays in windy conditions, so as many planes can land per hour as in still conditions, even if it is windy. The system works by separating arriving aircraft by time, rather than by distance. The separation distances are needed because of the wake vortices that planes generate - which can be dangerous for a following aircraft. However, the stronger the wind, the more rapidly a vortex is dissipated, so a smaller separation distance can be used. The Time Based Separation system will allow fewer delays during windy conditions, so more efficient operation. The system will start to be used at Heathrow at the end of March 2015 and NATS hope the system will be used at other capacity constrained airports around the world.
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East Grinstead Town Council states opposition to 2nd Gatwick runway plans
East Grinstead Town Council has voted against plans to expand Gatwick. At the meeting councillors were asked to vote for or against proposals for a 2nd runway, and 14 voted against the proposals, with three abstentions, due to conflicts of interests. Councillors agreed they still had "grave reservations" about the impact on the environment and community from the expansion plans. Council Leader Rex Whittaker said: "At this stage it would appear to this council that the commission has underestimated the potential negative impact on a beautiful, natural, mostly rural area, underestimated the costs needed to bring this option to Gatwick in local infrastructure, and over-estimated the economic benefits." Reasons for the opposition included pressures on housing, roads, the impact on the environment and Ashdown Forest, and reduced quality of life for residents. Councillors agreed that "the negatives far outweigh the positives....The roads and housing situation is bad enough without a second runway at Gatwick." An East Grinstead resident says she is being plagued by problem parkers outside her home who leave their cars, then head off to Gatwick on holiday. Recently one car parked outside her house and was left there for 9 days.
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Back Heathrow supporter number doubts after Zac Goldsmith sent supporter email
Some doubt has been cast on the validity of "Back Heathrow" after it emerged that anti-expansion campaigners were sent emails thanking them for their support for "Back Heathrow." Zac Goldsmith, MP for Richmond and north Kingston, was among those to receive an email thanking him for supporting the campaign, despite being well known for his strong opposition to a 3rd Heathrow runway. It would appear that someone has mischievously signed Zac up to the Back Heathrow website, without his knowledge or consent. It appears that other people (unconfirmed) in neighbouring boroughs have also had a letter from Back Heathrow, thanking them for their support, and this could amount to a “manipulation of data”. Back Heathrow has used deliberate scare tactics, to make people afraid of losing their jobs if there is no new runway. Zac said there are concerns that the supporter figures claimed by Back Heathrow need to be treated with caution, if there may be names on the list that should not be there. Back Heathrow said it was confident its system was not abused for bogus sign-ups and believed its supporter numbers were genuine. There are concerns that Heathrow may have been getting large numbers of its own employees to sign up, to back the runway, which would benefit HAL (Heathrow Airport Ltd) itself.
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Labour Party plans “Infrastructure Commission” if it gets into power, to get things like runways agreed quickly
Ed Balls, the Shadow Chancellor for the Labour Party, has announced - if it gets into government - that legislation to set up an independent National Infrastructure Commission will be in Labour’s first Queen’s Speech after the election. He wants to stop long-term decisions, like building a runway, being "kicked into the long grass" with no action taken. A draft Bill has already been published by Labour, to ensure the plans could be fast-tracked through Parliament during the second half of 2015. There is also a consultation on a draft remit for the new Commission which sets out 10 National Infrastructure Goals for Britain. One of these goals is for the UK to be "The most connected and open trading nation in the world." Another goal is for "A transport network which spreads growth and prosperity to every part of the country." And it says the National Infrastructure Commission should consider (note, only consider) "environmental and climate change considerations." Ed Balls says of the Commission it will "ensure government comes up with credible plans" to meet the goals "and hold Ministers’ feet to the fire to deliver those plans." The review has been done by Sir John Armitt, who is on the Airports Commission. It is thought that the Infrastructure Commission would be instrumental in getting a new runway built.
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Southwark Council backs Gatwick runway, hoping its residents will commute to airport jobs
Southwark Council has decided to back a Gatwick runway, and has entered into a partnership which it hopes would bring jobs and growth to the borough - if there is a runway. Southwark's Council Leader has written to Stewart Wingate to propose a Memorandum of Understanding that would mean the airport and council would work together on jobs.Southwark believes "Government policy makes airport expansion inevitable" so they want to get the most out of it for their residents. There is the hope that more frequent trains from London Bridge to Gatwick will enable local people "to access thousands of new jobs and apprenticeships and opportunities for businesses" - so they would all be using the already highly crowded rail links. The Council also says: "Noise from aircraft, particularly in the south of the borough is a real headache for local people as flights come in to land at Heathrow. Gatwick flights predominantly fly south of London over less built up areas so far fewer people will be affected." And Southwark is happy for all that misery to be put over the heads of others. Croydon also wants the jobs.
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Conservatives demand more routes for Cardiff Airport after £3.5m government loan
Tory party members have called for the value of Cardiff Airport to be made public - two years after it was sold to the Welsh Government for £52 million. Conservative politicians have criticised the airport's failure to attract new flights, but the Labour Welsh Government said securing routes was a long term process and that a route development loan had yet to come into play. In November 2014 ministers announced that Cardiff Airport was to get a £3.5m loan to help develop new routes, as part of the Welsh Government budget for 2015/16. That happened after Lufthansa-owned Germanwings said it would close its service to Dusseldorf in 2015. The Tories want the airport improved and then sold back to the private sector, and so far there is evidence that the money from hard-pressed taxpayers has achieved much. A LibDem councilor commented: “The big question remains... where is the plan?” Labour said: “The Conservatives need to show some patience, especially when demanding to see the results of a £3m loan that will not be available until the next financial year.”
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