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For a daily compilation of UK articles on national and regional transport issues, see Transportinfo.org.uk | For more stories about specific airports see Aviation Environment Federation Transport & Environment Anna Aero TravelMole Press releases from CAA IATA BA Ryanair easyJet Jet2.com For climate change ECEEE news and Guardian Climate and NoAA monthly analysisCheck Hansard for reports on Parliament |
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Latest news stories:
Irish Republic to scrap air travel tax – which was only €3 (had been €2 and €10 till 2010)
The Irish government has announced that it will be scrapping its tax on air travel. At present there is a tax of just €3 per flight, and this will end in April 2014. This has led to concerns about the potential impact on Northern Ireland's airports, where there is still Air Passenger duty of £13 per passenger (€26 per return flight) for short haul flights (not for long haul flights). Ryanair has immediately said it will increase its traffic at Irish airports by one million passengers a year - which is rather surprising, if the difference in tax from what it is now is just €3. It is not thought likely that many people will travel from Northern Ireland to Dublin to save €20 - the trip there and back might cost more. George Best Belfast City Airport said the move was "very unlikely to cause a stampede to Dublin for cheap flights". Stormont Finance Minister, Simon Hamilton, said the move by the Republic was "not really a surprise" and that it would be prohibitively expensive for Northern Ireland to match the cut. "The cost to the NI block grant and other public services would be significant - between £60 - £90 million a year," he said.
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European Commission proposes applying EU ETS only to European regional airspace from 1 January 2014
The European Commission has proposed amending the ETS so that aviation emissions would be covered just for the part of flights that takes place in European regional airspace (including over the North Sea or Mediterranean). The adjustment in the legislation would apply from 1 January 2014 and until a planned global market-based mechanism (MBM) becomes applicable to international aviation emissions by 2020, according to ICAO. European Commissioner, Connie Hedegaard, said "Europe is taking the responsibility to reduce emissions within its own airspace until the global measure begins'. Also that the aviation sector, like other sectors, has to contribute to cuts in EU carbon emissions, as aviation emission are increasing fast – doubling since 1990. The proposal needs to be agreed by the European Parliament and the Counci, before April 2014. The proposal covers all CO2 emissions from flights between airports in the European Economic Area (EEA), including Norway and Iceland. Parts of flights outside the EEA are not covered, and flights of developing countries - of which their aviation emissions are less than 1% of the global whole - are not included.
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Grey day for environment as Europe reduces its aviation ETS coverage to only European airspace
The European Commission has, under intense international pressure, proposed to reduce its ETS for aviation to only cover flights in European airspace. The proposal would only cover 35% of aviation emissions compared to the original aviation EU ETS. It would cover flights by all airlines, except from less developed countries, which contribute 1% or less of global aviation CO2. Bill Hemmings, aviation manager at Transport & Environment, said: “It is disgraceful that foreign and industry pressure has obliged Europe to shrink its own aviation emissions law to the bare minimum.” The EC’s text comes shortly after the conclusion of the ICAO triennial assembly, where delegates, in a political decision, finally agreed to talk about the details of a global market based measure for 2020 but rejected interim measures like the EU ETS. The current proposal would leave the vast bulk of EU aviation emissions - which come from long-haul flights – unregulated. T&E urges the European Parliament and Member States to include an option to extend the aviation emissions coverage of the ETS to a 50/50 basis in 2017.
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Airspace consultation launched by NATS and Gatwick Airport – for Gatwick, London City, Southend & Biggin Hill airport areas
NATS, the UK’s provider of air traffic services, and Gatwick Airport have started a joint consultation today on proposed airspace changes over southern England. It is called the London Airspace Consultation (LAC) and it will run for 14 weeks, until January 21st, 2014. The public can respond. The consultation is on swathes of airspace - not exact routes - which will be determined after consideration of the consultation feedback. That makes commenting difficult. NATS says this is the first stage in a wider programme of proposed changes to deliver the UK’s Future Airspace Strategy (FAS), which is being developed by the CAA. The intention is that the FAS will help airlines make efficiencies in fuel use, and perhaps reduce noise for those over-flown. New European legislation requires all member States, including the UK, to revise airspace and maximise the use of new technologies, to get noise and CO2 benefits. The current NATS consultation involves airspace around Gatwick and also London City Airport. Later stages will deal with other areas of airspace in other parts of the London airports network, and should be completed by 2020. Local residents fear the real motive is to pack in more flights.
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Osborne says UK visas will be simplified to attract more Chinese visitors to Britain
Chinese nationals visiting the EU will not need to submit separate visa applications for Britain, if they book with selected travel agents. Currently, Chinese visitors can apply for a single visa to visit much of Europe, but a separate one is required to travel to the UK. Chancellor George Osborne made the announcement during a week long trade visit to China, where a Chinese firm was announced as a substantial investor in Britain's first Airport City in Manchester. It is thought that extra paperwork and cost of UK visas is deterring many Chinese visitors from including the UK in a trip to Europe - where one cheaper visa covers the Schengen area. A mobile visa scheme which already operates in Beijing and Shanghai will be expanded where officials go out to the applicants to collect their paperwork and biometric data. According to the government, last year 210,000 visas were issue to Chinese nationals and they contributed around £300m to the economy.
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8 x 4ft fuselage panel of Air India Dreamliner falls off mid-air, but plane lands safely
A panel of the fuselage of a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight en route to Bangalore from Delhi fell off mid-air on Saturday. Detachment of the fuselage created a hole about 8 ft x 4ft in the belly of the Air India flight, but it landed safely. Surprisingly, the pilots of the Dreamliner were unaware of the hole in the aircraft, or that the panel had fallen off, as no alarm was raised inside the cockpit. The cockpit was alarmed by the ground staff who was preparing for the flight’s landing who saw the large opening in the aircraft. There were 148 passengers on board. There was no sign of the fallen panel near the airport, so it had fallen off somewhere en route - and presumably crashed to the ground. Meanwhile, aviation experts are shocked that the falling off such a big panel did not raise a cockpit alarm. Airlines remain keen to buy 787s,due to its better fuel economy. So far 60 airlines have placed orders for more than 950 aircraft. Production of the 787-8 is approaching its target of 10 aircraft a month by the end of the year, and the 787-9 is now in the test-flight phase. Boeing has also launched the 787-10, capable of carrying up to 330 people about 13,000km.
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Stop Stansted Expansion lodged papers at High Court alleging Airports Commission criteria “infected by apparent bias” due to Geoff Muirhead
The Stop Stansted Expansion group (SSE) have lodged papers at the Royal Courts of Justice alleging that the criteria being applied to decide on possible options for new runway sites in England are “infected by apparent bias”. SSE want High Court judges to order the Government-appointed Airports Commission to delay the publication of any shortlist of options until the criteria have been re-determined. They argue that there was apparent bias because Geoff Muirhead, a recently-resigned member of the Commission, had a conflict of interest. Mr Muirhead is a former chief executive of Manchester Airports Group (MAG), the owners of Stansted since February. He stepped down from the Commission three weeks ago after SSE warned Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin they would take legal action if he stayed. “For almost a year, Mr Muirhead was allowed to play a pivotal role on the Commission.” The High Court is being asked to order the Commission “to re-visit certain key decisions made by the Commission during the time that Mr Muirhead was involved”.
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Infratil sells Manston Airport for £1 (well, £350,000 with adjustments) to Ann Gloag
Infratil has agreed to sell Manston Airport to Lothian Shelf (710) Limited, an entity wholly owned by Ann Gloag, a co-founder of Stagecoach with her brother Brian Souter. She is a very rich woman. It was sold for cash consideration of £1, plus an adjustment for working capital variances and cash injected by Infratil between 14 October 2013 and transaction completion (which is expected to be around £350,000). Ann Gloag is an experienced investor who co-founded Stagecoach Group, the UK-listed public transport operator, along with her brother, Brian Souter. Infratil tried to look on the positive side, saying "Infratil Limited is very pleased to have found an acquiror with a vision for Manston Airport's future development," and "this sale will result in a more focused portfolio and improve our future cash flow position." Ann Gloag said she believes "there is real potential for growth that has not been fully captured. Having worked in the transport industry for over 30 years, I believe I am very well placed to help maximise opportunities for both freight and passengers at Manston." Sale completion will probably be on 29th November. Infratil bought Manston for £17 million in 2005.
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Failing Durham Tees Valley airport new “Master Plan”; sound strategy – or a last throw of dice?
Durham Tees Valley airport, owned by Peel Holdings, has been doing very badly in recent years. It has twice failed to secure government funding for its expansion, but has now bought land it says could be used for "engineering, storage and distribution operations". Since February it has been involved in taking apart and recycling old planes. The airport's management say they will shortly be putting out a Master Plan, which is an aspiration of how they would like the airport to develop. Peel Holdings said the proposals would safeguard the airport's flights to Schiphol and Aberdeen. A local MP said "This must not become an excuse to transition it being an industrial estate that happens to have a runway." An airport manager commented that few airports can survive from passenger traffic revenue only. Commentators say the Master Plan could be seen as either the last throw of the dice, or a viable and coherent strategy. Though it suggests the airport plans to develop the commercial potential to retain passenger services, the unstated implication is that the battle is lost. Changes in the market and the end of the low-cost air travel boom mean there is no need for another passenger airport between Leeds Bradford and Newcastle.
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Bankrupt Alitalia to get € millions of state aid from Italy’s state postal service
The near-bankrupt Italian airline Alitalia is to receive an emergency capital injection from Italy's state-owned post office. Italy's government did not say how much Poste Italiane SpA, the Italian postal service, would be investing - but it might be up to €100 million. The Italian government hope the link between Poste Italiane and Alitalia would lead to a synergy of logistics, in passengers and cargo. Italy’s civil aviation authority had warned just hours earlier that the airline risked being grounded if new financing was not found urgently. Alitalia needs some €455 million to stay afloat. The Italian government justified what amounted to state intervention saying Alitalia was considered a national asset. It filed for bankruptcy in August, as high staff costs, industrial relations issues and surging oil prices further dented its finances. It is being suggested that Alitalia might be able to merge with Air France-KLM to help get it out of its financial problems. Alitalia went bankrupt in 2008, and was re-launched in 2009.
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Richard Branson – claims to be a UK patriot but moved abroad 7 years ago to avoid UK tax. Morality?
Richard Branson, who takes pride in dressing himself in the Union Jack to display his ‘Britishness,’ has saved millions of pounds in tax from his earnings in Virgin Group by surrendering his residency status and accepting limitations on visits to the UK. He is someone who has been obsessed with money since his teenage years. He says he has been a tax exile for 7 years and claims it has nothing to do with avoiding UK tax. But the net effect is that he does indeed avoid UK tax. Branson says: “Seven years ago we decided to move permanently to Necker [Caribbean] as we feel it gives me and my wife Joan the best chance to live another productive few decades. We can also look after our health (Joan is approaching 70 and I’m not far behind)." Heaven help us if he lives decades more. One senior aide said: “He probably spends more time flying around the world than he does on Necker.” One comment about Branson and his hypocrisy said: "This is also the man who exhorts us all to 'save the planet' by reducing our CO2 emissions...... whilst flying to/from his private Caribbean resort. He may have money but he lacks morals."
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Threat of a new Gatwick runway: bad for your health – and for your wealth
New research from Imperial College and King's College, published last week, has found that deaths from stroke, heart and circulatory disease are significantly higher in areas with high levels of aircraft noise than in places with the least noise. The research compared data on day- and night-time aircraft noise with hospital admissions and mortality rates of 3.6 million people living near Heathrow. Though there are fewer people living under the flight-paths at Gatwick, the number at risk may be just as great because the lower background noise makes the noise impact worse. The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) says Councils and MPs have a duty of care for the health of the residents that they represent; that means not exposing them to more noise. Could local hospitals cope with these additional pressures of a new runway? The damage that poor sleep does to performance at work would also not help local businesses. The prospect of a new runway would mean house prices depressed in an area that could include over 10,000 home owners. Blight due to runway plans can cause anxiety about not being able to sell one’s house, and can lead people into acute depression.
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Richmond may have the highest life expectancy in the country (and high affluence) but health still damaged by aircraft noise
Research came out a few days ago, both from Imperial College and from researchers in the USA, to say that living with aircraft noise appears to cause an increase of up to 20% in stroke, heart and circulatory disease. In a blog, John Stewart looks at the retort from backers of expansion at Heathrow that one borough that is partly overflown - Richmond - has recently come out top in figures for the longest "healthy life expectancy" (HLE) for the country. "Back Heathrow" may try to imply this fact questions the medical data on exposure to noise. In reality, as has been know for many years, Richmond is one of the most affluent boroughs in London; it has 13 of the richest wards in London; its population in 2001 was 91% White, 9% BME; it has very low deprivation; high employment and high educational standards. ie. it is a very affluent borough, with consequent high levels of health. As John's blog indicates, that does not in any way discredit the high quality research done by Imperial College. Only part of the borough is directly under the approach flight paths from the east, and the impact of aircraft noise may be well masked by the overall very high health - and privilege - of the borough's population
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New rail franchise includes requirement for more night trains to serve Luton Airport
Britain’s biggest ever rail franchise will include a requirement for more trains to serve Luton Airport Parkway station. There have been complaints for years that Luton airport does not have a good enough rail service, to too many passengers arrive by road. Documents supporting the new rail franchise, issued on September 26, stipulate there must be a minimum of two trains per hour arriving at Luton Airport Parkway between 3am and 6.59am from Blackfriars on Monday to Saturday morning, with a maximum interval of 40 minutes between consecutive arrivals. The Department of Transport says the new combined Thameslink, Southern and Great Northern (TSGN) Franchise will be the largest UK rail franchise ever let. It is anticipated the successful bids will be announced in May 2014. The Thameslink and Great Northern elements of the TSGN franchise will start in September 2014 with the Southern element being phased in by July 2015. The franchise will run for seven years.
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Stop Stansted Expansion calls time on Airports Commission and DfT with High Court challenge on 14th October
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) has called time on the Airports Commission and the Secretary of State for Transport and on 14th October will file a Judicial Review application to ensure fairness in determining the way forward on the issue of aviation capacity. Specifically, SSE will be asking the High Court to order the Commission to re-determine the 'sift criteria' (in effect the selection criteria) for assessing airport expansion options and to delay the publication of any shortlist of options until the sift criteria have been re-determined. SSE's legal challenge is on the grounds of apparent bias and concerns the role played by Mr Geoff Muirhead, one of five commissioners appointed to the Airports Commission last year. Mr Muirhead resigned from the Airports Commission three weeks ago, after an initial intervention by SSE's lawyers. Details will be available from 12 noon on 14th October. Brian Ross, from SSE, said: "With proposals on the table from MAG to make Stansted the world's busiest airport with four runways handling up to 160 million passengers a year, there is far too much at stake to allow the issue of apparent bias to go unchallenged."
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MPs warn the Government not to water down UK’s long-term climate change targets in 2014 review of 4th carbon budget
At a meeting on 7th October, RSPB asked Sir Howard Davies whether environmental concerns were being used to filter the 58 proposals received by the Commission, Sir Howard stated clearly that any proposal not meeting the standard would be ruled out. The RSPB welcome this statement, and believe that rules out a Thames Estuary airport. However they remain concerned that Sir Howard seems to believe aviation expansion in the south east is still likely, even though it could compromise agreements to reduce CO2 emissions. On the 7th October there was also a meeting of Parliament's Environmental Audit Committee, chaired by Joan Walley. She said "Emissions are currently not falling fast enough to prevent a dangerous destabilisation of the global climate in the coming decades. It would be incredibly short-sighted to slacken our carbon budgets now." The Committee has found that the UK's existing carbon budgets represent the minimum level of emissions reduction required to avoid a global 2 degrees temperature rise - and the UK's leading climate scientists did not believe loosening the budgets was warranted by the science.
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New aviation minister Robert Goodwill opposed 3rd runway at Heathrow in 2010
The new aviation minister, Robert Goodwill, was previously a vehement opponent of building a 3rd runway at Heathrow Airport. He was so hostile to its expansion that he staged a ceremony in 2010 at his farm in Yorkshire, twinning it with Sipson, to show his solidarity with people living near Heathrow whose homes could be bulldozed. He marked the occasion by planting an apple tree and said: “I am delighted the Conservative party and Greenpeace are working together in opposing the third runway at Heathrow.” Now Mr Goodwill, a former Tory whip, has been promoted by David Cameron in this week’s ministerial reshuffle to take charge of air policy. One of his main tasks is to oversee the debate on what to do about south east runway capacity. His attitude to the issue may dismay supporters of Heathrow’s expansion.
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Boeing & South African Airways partnership for future aviation biofuels
Boeing has signed an agreement with South African Airways (SAA) to launch development of a "sustainable" aviation biofuel chain in Southern Africa - the first in Africa. They are looking to research new developments in technology that they believe will enable the conversion of biomass into jet fuel, which they hope will reduce aviation CO2 emissions. The new partnership will research "feedstocks and other organic sources" (they do not say what - but unlikely to be jatropha as banned in SA) in South Africa to begin developing a biofuel supply chain for airlines within the region, but there is no projected date when the first fuel might be produced. Boeing and SAA say new developments in technology will enable the conversion of biomass into jet fuel in a more sustainable manner without competing with other sectors for food and water resources. "The World Wildlife Fund-South Africa will monitor and ensure compliance to sustainability principles that would ensure that fuel is sustainable and would lead to genuine carbon reductions."
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FT article on merits of large planes and hubs cf. smaller point-to-point aircraft
An article in the Financial Times by John Gapper says with its sale of composite, fuel-efficient A350 jets to Japan Airlines this week, Airbus entered a market that Boeing has, until now, controlled. It also proved Boeing’s point. The era of the grand aviation project, symbolised by Airbus’s decision more than a decade ago to build the A380 as a superjumbo rival to the Boeing 747, is over. Airlines do not want jumbos. They want midsized aircraft that are cheap to fly and easy to deploy – as the Boeing 787 will be if the company can stop its lithium-ion batteries catching fire. He says airlines such as JAL and Lufthansa are getting rid of their fuel-inefficient 747 fleets and buying more flexible A350s and 787s. Also that Airbus is never likely to recoup the A380’s huge development costs and struggles to get the 30 orders a year it needs to make a small profit. He says future changes in aircraft sizes and fuel efficiency could have a significant impact on patterns of travel, and the balance between hubs and smaller airports. More smaller planes on point to point trips, rather than huge hubs.
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London First getting businesses to fund campaign “Let Britain Fly” to press for airport expansion
London businesses are to fund a major campaign for airport expansion after Sir Howard Davies said the Airports Commission provisionally is backing new runways in the South-East. Business group London First will put pressure on the main political parties to heed the Commissions's recommendations when published after the 2015 election. The “Let Britain Fly” campaign will cost £250,000 and London First is seeking £25,000 each from businesses, trade unions and London boroughs. The cash will be used to fund academic studies and advertising. The lobby group insists it will not campaign in favour of one particular airport. It believes extra flights can be put on at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick in the next five years regardless of the outcome of a decision on runways. The City of London Corporation is set to contribute to the campaign, with Canary Wharf Group, Sir Robert McAlpine, the Berkeley Group, John Lewis and Segro also committed. “London First” is an aggressively pro-growth lobby organisation, whose stated mission is to “make London the best city in the world in which to do business.”
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Glasgow Prestwick Airport may be given to the Scottish Government for nothing
The owners of Glasgow Prestwick, New Zealand company Infratil, have suggested they may give away the airport for nothing. The Scottish government has announced it is negotiating to buy the unprofitable airport, and hopes to conclude detailed negotiations with the company by 20 November. Scottish government said it was the "only realistic alternative to closure". In a statement on its website, the company said it did not expect any transaction "to give rise to material proceeds". Prestwick was put up for sale last March after heavy annual losses. Several investors expressed interest but no offers were made. Infratil has also been trying to sell its other unprofitable UK airport, Manston. In May 2013, Infratil announced that it had written down the value of both airports to £11m. Infratil has agreed to ensure the airport is kept fully open and operational during the negotiation process. In 2012 Prestwick had around 1 million passengers, compared to 2.4 million at its peak in 2005.
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Virgin domestic “Little Red” flights a ‘disaster’ at only 33% full, (probably less than that) as passengers stick with no-frills rivals
Virgin Atlantic’s venture into domestic aviation, with its "Little Red" airline, has proved financially disastrous. During the first 6 months flying from Heathrow to Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Manchester, the average flight has been only one-third full, [probably in fact much lower, as Virgin figures appear to be wrong] even though the Virgin plane is cheaper than a Virgin train (on the day fare £64, cf £76). "Little Red" flights from Heathrow to Manchester started in late March, and Heathrow to Scotland began early in April. Few passengers have been tempted so far. The load factor of 33% contrasts to the industry standard of close to 80%, while low-cost carriers such as easyJet and Ryanair achieve around 90%. Virgin is prepared to sustain some losses on this route, as it feeds traffic to lucrative intercontinental flights. With so few seats filled, each passenger contributes disproportionately to noise and pollution. John Stewart of HACAN, said: “This confirms what many have suspected – that a big problem at Heathrow is that so many planes are far from full. Full planes may lessen the pressure for a third runway.”
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Tests at Frankfurt airport of steeper approach path at 4.5 degrees – details awaited
It has been reported that there have been some test flights of planes at Frankfurt airport, using steeper approaches. This is in order to try and reduce the amount of noise suffered by people living under the flight paths. At Frankfurt there have been sustained and massive protests, almost weekly, since the opening of the new runway, as people have been furious about the noise to which they are subjected. The trials took place on 17th September and involved a Boeing 767 which made 7 practice landings using an approach slope of 4.5 degrees, rather than the usual 3 degrees. It seemed that there was little change in the noise reported in places less than 6 or more kilometres from the runway, but there may be some benefit for those further away. A report to the UK Parliament Transport Select Committee earlier this year gave details, from BALPA, of the practical difficulties for pilots of trying to land on a 5.5 degree slope, rather than the 3 degrees, for which most commercial planes are designed.
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Problems including local people’s fear of compulsory purchase of land around Mangalore airport, in India
Interesting story from around Mangalore airport, in south west India. It appears that villagers were persuaded some years ago to sell their land cheaply for the airport. They got little for it, and were moved to other land nearby at a place called Adyapady. One report from an Indian paper says: "Adyapady Padavu has nearly 400 houses rehabilitating the evacuees. There are Dalit families, Muslims as well as several families belonging to backward communities." These people now live in poverty, and don't even have proper road access. Back in February there were reports of surveyors coming to the land adjacent to the airport boundary, perhaps to see about heights of trees. People feared they were coming to assess compulsory purchase of the land to expand the airport. Local people refused the surveyors access and they were forced to leave. A local Indian paper says: "It is also learnt that the surveyor had threatened to cancel the ration cards and other facilities of those who opposed the survey." And "The locals have claimed that they have been facing many problems due to the Airport Authority which they say has been negligent of the issues and problems faced by them."
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Der Spiegel article: “Screaming for Quiet – Germans Crank Up Anti-Noise Protests”
An article in the German paper, Der Spiegel, says many Germans are getting fed up with all the noise pollution coming from planes, trains and cars. Despite numerous studies warning of associated health risks, politicians are merely giving lip service to the worries. The victims of rail noise in the Rhine Valley have teamed up with victims of airport noise in the Frankfurt region, and they are now calling for joint demonstrations in their respective state capitals. As well as the almost weekly protests against noise in the Frankfurt airport departure hall, citizens are also staging frequent protests against aircraft noise in Berlin, Cologne and Leipzig, as well as along the flight path into Zurich Airport. There are also protests against road noise. People are no longer willing to accept so much noise. Though it is now not in doubt that noise has health impacts, there remains uncertainty about how much noise is harmful and what the consequences are. But politicians, though starting to acknowledge the issue, continue to only make non-specific promises that there will be improvements. Nothing imminent.
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Residents near Belfast City Airport alarmed at research linking strokes and heart disease to aircraft noise
Residents affected by aircraft noise in Belfast and north Down, in Northern Ireland, have expressed concern at the findings of a new study - published in the BMJ. The study found the risk of being admitted to hospital because of a stroke or heart disease was linked to the level of aircraft noise to which an individual was exposed; the higher the level of noise, the more likely it was that they would be admitted to hospital with one of those conditions. Likewise with the risk of dying from heart disease. Dr Liz Fawcett, Chair of the Belfast City Airport Watch Steering Group, said the findings raise serious questions about the damage which aircraft noise may be inflicting on the health of people living under the flight paths. In Belfast the City Airport’s own figures show that more than 8,500 local people are impacted by aircraft noise at a level which the UK government considers likely to cause significant annoyance. These people may also be suffering effects on their health, which is unfair on them. Liz said: "It’s also unfair on the taxpayer footing the bill for hospital admissions which, in some cases, may be avoidable.”
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NATS due to launch airspace consultation on 15th October (says EADT)
The East Anglia Daily Times (EADT) reports that NATS – the air traffic management company which deals with the country’s airspace – is to begin a consultation during October, on fresh proposals to change the flightpaths over the east of England, in the Terminal Control North area. This may start on 15th October and last for 14 weeks, into mid January. Five years ago there was uproar after NATS put forward a plan to create two new holding areas for passenger planes waiting to land at Stansted. Communities in areas of Suffulk were livid at the proposal, fearing increased aircraft noise, especially over areas of countryside that - at present - are tranquil. Three years ago the plans were shelved, partly as there had been a fall, not an increase, in the numbers of planes. NATS said the consultation was the first phase of changes to UK air space and primarily affected planes going in and out of Gatwick, and were part of working towards the Single European Sky.
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Stop Stansted Expansion says of the Airports Commission: A tainted process – a dubious conclusion
Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) is disappointed that the Airports Commission has formed the preliminary view that extra runway capacity is needed in the south east of England. In his speech on 7th October 2013, the chairman of the Airports Commission, Sir Howard Davies said that his Commission had not been persuaded by the arguments against expansion. In SSE’s view, the arguments for more runway capacity in the south east are dangerously weak and they will be taking up Sir Howard’s invitation to comment on his preliminary conclusions. SSE believes the UK, as a whole, already has more than enough runway capacity to meet the DfT forecasts to 2050, and well beyond. Regarding the recent resignation of Geoff Muirhead from the Commission, due to ties with MAG, SSE said they are mounting a legal challenge on bias - due to Mr Muirhead's influence - in formulating the "sift criteria" and there will be more information on that next week.
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Tourism continues to only be a small part time ministerial concern – now under Helen Grant at DCMS
In the recent Coalition reshuffle, there was no full time tourism minister appointed. The travel press is saying travel still appears to be a low priority for the current administration, with the job of tourism minister remaining a part-time role. The last full-time tourism minister was John Penrose, who stepped down from the position in September 2012, without a like-for-like replacement. He took on the role back in May 2010. For the last 12 months, the travel industry has fallen under the workload of tourism and sports minister Hugh Robertson – who is moving to the Foreign Office as part of the reshuffle. He is being replaced by the Conservative MP for Maidstone, Helen Grant , who comes from the Ministry of Justice. Helen Grant will work under Maria Miller, the Secretary of State at DCMS. She has ten areas of responsibility including sport, same sex marriage, Olympic and paralympic legacy, gambling and licencing and national lottery. Only one of her 10 areas is tourism. Perhaps the government does not see attracting in foreign tourists as important as the airlines and airports make out that it is?
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UK and American studies both show aircraft noise may increase risk of heart disease
People who live close to an airport and are exposed to constant loud aircraft noise may face an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new studies from the UK and the US. The aircraft noise is not merely an irritation, and does not just reduce people's quality of life. It also causes actual harm to health, especially for older people. This should be factored in to future planning decisions about new airports and runways. The UK study published in the BMJ looked at admissions and mortality rates for 3.6 million people living near Heathrow in the noisiest areas. The linked American study looked at over 6 million Americans over the age of 65 living around 89 US airports. It found that, on average, their risk went up 3.5% for every extra 10 decibels of noise they experienced. Simon Calder said that 2 days ago, Sir Howard Davies gave a meticulous exposition of the factors concerning his commission, and its decision on new UK airport capacity. "He paid due regard to the concerns of local residents about noise and traffic. But 48 hours ago a correlation between airport proximity and the risk of heart attacks or strokes was not in the public domain. Now that it is, the spectrum of harm from airports has extended from nuisance to a serious public health threat."
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New study links aircraft noise from Heathrow to increased risk of heart disease and strokes
A new study by researchers at Imperial College and King's College in London - and published in the BMJ - has found that deaths from stroke, heart and circulatory disease are 20% higher in areas with high levels of aircraft noise than in places with the least noise. The research compared on day- and night-time aircraft noise with hospital admissions and mortality rates among a population of 3.6 million people living near Heathrow airport. Their study covered 12 London boroughs and 9 districts outside London where aircraft noise exceeds 50 decibels - about the volume of a normal conversation in a quiet room. The researchers made every effort to eliminate other factors that might have a relationship with stroke and heart disease, such as deprivation, South Asian ethnicity and smoking-related illness. This new study confirms the findings of the 2008 "HYENA" study, also by Imperial College, which looked at people living near Heathrow and 5 other European airports. The research is clear that living with a lot of aircraft noise damages health, though this needs further work. The study indicates that planners need to take the health impacts of aircraft noise into account when expanding airports in heavily populated areas or planning new airports.
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EasyJet to fly Newquay to Southend 4 times per week in summer, after it ends Gatwick to Newquay route
EasyJet is to increase its weekly flights between Southend to Newquay from 3 to 4 over the summer period only. This comes after EasyJet recently announced it would not continue its flights from Gatwick to Newquay. Almost 8,000 passengers flew from Southend to Newquay this summer by EasyJet. EasyJet - which took over the Gatwick route from Flybe - said there is not enough demand to run a year-round service between Newquay and Southend, and these route from Gatwick was not financially viable for them. A Cornwall MP said the loss of the link to Gatwick would be a "blow to businesses across Cornwall". EasyJet said : "Following Flybe's decision to cease operating from London Gatwick to Newquay, Easyjet carefully and thoroughly examined the commercial viability of offering year-round services on the route. Unfortunately, after much consideration, all of the evidence clearly shows that there is insufficient demand to sustain a service using an A319 aircraft with 156 seats."
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Gatwick campaign questions Sir Howard’s claim that a new runway is needed
At a meeting on 7th October, Sir Howard Davies, chairman of the Airports Commission, gave a speech concluding that ‘we will need some additional runway capacity in the south east of England in the coming decades.’ The Chairman of GACC (the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, Brendon Sewill said: "That was not surprising – if he had said that no new runway was needed he would have done himself out of a job! What was significant was that he felt the need to answer the growing volume of opinion against any new runway. But his statement is bound to add to the worry of people around Gatwick, [and other possible new runway sites] and to the misery caused by blight." In his speech, Sir Howard ignored the impact that a new runway would have on the local infrastructure – the need for more houses (in the case of Gatwick around 40,000), great pressure on local schools, on the health service and social services, and overcrowding/congestion on roads. GACC does not find convincing the case Sir Howard made for rejecting strong arguments against a new runway, and will be taking up his invitation to submit comments by the end of October.
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Sir Howard Davies speech gives provisional support for a new south east runway – but shows how borderline the decision would be
In a speech in central London Sir Howard Davies set out what he described as the Airports Commission's "emerging thinking" after their first 11 months of work. He said it " it would be helpful at this stage to set out some of our early thinking on the issue of overall capacity." He said: "Our provisional view.... is that additional capacity will need to be provided, alongside an overall framework for managing emissions growth, if we are to deliver the best outcomes in both environmental and connectivity terms." Also that: "...our provisional conclusion from this analysis ...is that we will need some net additional runway capacity in the south east of England in the coming decades." He first went through 4 sets of arguments against a new runway (less future demand for air travel than anticipated; future demand can be met by existing capacity; carbon emissions from growing aviation could breach UK climate commitments; regional airports could take the extra demand). He then gave explanations for each why he believed the optimal solution would be more runway capacity. He said, on the guidance from the CCC on aviation CO2 emissions needing to be restricted that: "We are in the process of updating the Committee on Climate Change’s analysis and will present our findings in our Interim Report". Comments on the speech are welcomed by the Commission until 31st October.
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Reshuffles: Baroness Susan Kramer replaces Simon Burns. Mary Creagh replaces Maria Eagle
Susan Kramer has replaced Simon Burns as Minister of State at the Dept for Transport. Simon Burns had responsibility for aviation, but it not likely this will be under Susan Kramer, given her fierce opposition in the past to a third runway at Heathrow. Robert Goodwill has replaced Norma Baker as Under Secretary at Department for Transport, has been given transport. In the past he twinned his farm with Sipson! Mary Creagh has replaced Maria Eagle as Shadow Secretary of State for Transport.
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Reigate & Banstead Council urges Airports Commission not to rule out 2nd runway at Gatwick for more detailed consideration
The Leader of Reigate and Banstead Borough Council has written to the Airports Commission, to ask the Gatwick runway scheme to be on the shortlist. Cllr Joan Spiers said in her letter to Sir Howard Davies that the airport is locally important for the local economy and local jobs. But she stopped short of declaring her outright support for a 2nd runway. Council chief executive John Jory said: "This council has not got a formal view yet on a 2nd runway and in no way are we trying to say to the Davies Commission we are giving this the green light and being supportive." The letter to the Commission mentions "concern about adverse and consequential impacts such as noise, air pollution, additional traffic and pressure to provide more housing" from a 2nd runway and says: "... we believe that Gatwick's proposals should be included in the Commission's shortlisted options. This will ensure the fullest possible consideration of the benefits and impacts of a second runway and will allow the Borough Council, on behalf of our local communities, to reach an informed conclusion about the proposals based on robust and comprehensive evidence."
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WWF: ICAO forgoes immediate emissions reductions for only promise of a future global plan
In their response to the disappointing outcome of the ICAO negotiations on curbing global aviation emissions, WWF said ICAO had missed the opportunity to start reducing emissions immediately. They have only committed to possibly agree an MBM in 2016, to come into effect in 2020. There is no guarantee they will agree it. This means little will be done before 2020. WWF said the science is clearer than ever - and 2020 is too late. Jean Leston, Transport Policy Officer of WWF-UK, said: “The world has waited 16 years for ICAO to demonstrate its serious commitment to reducing aviation emissions. What we got today seems a very small return for that effort. We expect a lot more ambition and commitment from ICAO over the next three years if a global, market-based mechanism is ever going to materialize. .....By essentially restricting the EU’s ETS for aviation to its own carriers and airspace, ICAO has handicapped the world's leading legislation to put a price on aviation pollution and once again allowed skyrocketing emissions to continue climbing.” With the IPCC saying we need to cut CO2, leaders need to be taking every opportunity to do so.
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EU Emissions Trading System reduced to only intra-European flights
The EU was defeated in its efforts to have ICAO recognise its right to continue charging aviation in its own market-based mechanism, the ETS. Earlier this month the EU offered to exclude emissions emitted outside EU airspace from being covered by the ETS in exchange for a deal at ICAO. Even this did not happen. “ICAO is going even beyond what the Chicago Convention allows,” said Bill Hemmings of campaign group T&E. "They're telling the EU what it can do in its own airspace.” A spokesperson for the Commission said the EU would have to consider its next steps. Any change to the ETS scope, whether to exclude non-EU airspace or to go further and exclude all foreign airlines, would need approval from member states and the European Parliament. The European aviation industry would be likely to fiercely resist any move to exclude foreign airlines but leave them included, as it would raise competitiveness concerns. Green MEPs reacted with dismay to the ICAO outcome. “The international aviation organisation (ICAO) is both seeking to block EU action and once more stalling on urgently-needed international measures"
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Weak ICAO aviation emissions deal with action delayed till at least 2016 strikes harsh blow to EU ETS
The ICAO talks in Montreal are now closed. ICAO cobbled together a weak resolution, that lays the foundation for a Market Based Measure (MBM) perhaps some time in future. This is to be brought to the next ICAO Assembly in 2016. ie more years of delay. The resolution states that, if an agreement on a global MBM is decided upon at the next Assembly, it must be implemented by 2020 – the year after which any growth within the industry must be carbon neutral. Jean Leston, Transport Policy Manager at WWF-UK, said: “There is nothing in this resolution that guarantees an MBM. All we’ve got is a decision to develop one over the next 3 years and then that has to go to Assembly for agreement in 2016.” Bill Hemmings, aviation manager at Transport & Environment, said, “The EU put its faith in the ICAO process, and because of unacceptable weakening and delay, this faith has now been shattered." The ICAO agreement has also decimated the EU's ETS, which has been reduced to the bare minimum. The EU can now only impose its ETS on flights that both depart and land from within its own airspace. For aircraft emissions emitted in EU airspace by planes that have come from outside the EU, this can only be done with the consent of the other country.
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British Airways considers transferring its hub to Madrid, as CAA lets Heathrow raise charges at rate of inflation
British Airways has warned that it will consider a future outside Heathrow after the CAA revised its proposals to cut landing charges – despite agreeing that the airport was badly managed and staff overpaid. Airlines are annoyed as the CAA ruled that charges will rise at the rate of inflation over the next 5 years instead of the RPI minus 1.3% rate it had proposed in the spring – and well above the real terms cut demanded by airlines. Heathrow has argued for higher charges, so it can give increasing returns to shareholders to ensure foreign investment continues. The airport claims if it cannot raise its charges, it will not be able to invest to make the airport better for its passengers. British Airways accounts for just over half Heathrow's traffic and now threatens making its hub at Madrid as that would be cheaper and more "realistic". The CAA said that its decision to freeze rather than cut landing charges at Heathrow reflected the increasing cost of raising capital for investment. It has allowed Gatwick to increase landing charges by RPI plus 0.5% annually for 7 years and deferred its ruling on Stansted.
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CAA proposes Heathrow charges rise in line with inflation over next 5 years
The airport regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, has proposed that Heathrow should cap its landing charges so that they rise in line with inflation for the 5 years 2014 - 2019. Heathrow is complaining about this, as it wants a much larger increase in its charges and says this price cap would have "serious and far-reaching consequences" for passengers. Heathrow had submitted its request to the CAA for charges to be allowed to rise by 4.6% above the Retail Price Index (RPI), which is a measure of UK inflation. The CAA had initially proposed that the annual increase at Heathrow should be RPI minus 1.3% but said a key reason for its proposal to allow rises in line with inflation was "due to an increase in the cost of capital driven by higher debt costs". If the proposals are accepted it will put an end to over a decade of prices rising faster than inflation at Heathrow. Airlines like BA at Heathrow had asked for a 9.8% a year cut in landing charges over the 5 years. The CAA propose allowing charges at Gatwick to rise by 0.5% above RPI for 5 years, and has deferred a decision on charges at Stansted.
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GMB union slammed for ‘scaremongering and lies’ emails to members, scaring them into signing up to “Back Heathrow”
The GMB Union has been criticised for ‘scaremongering’ its members by making alarmist and false claims on the likelihood of closure of Heathrow. The GMB has emailed members insisting they sign up to the flailing "Back Heathrow Campaign", which is funded by the airport, to try and drum up local support for a third runway. The GMB tell their members, in their email, that: ”Without a third runway, Heathrow will close. No more jobs, prosperity and opportunity.” [Full text below]. The letter says: "A number of very scary proposals are being tabled that could see the end of Heathrow as we know it." and " House prices would plummet as people moved away. Worryingly, such a nightmare scenario could soon be on the cards." In reality, Heathrow would not close, whatever the Airports Commission decides, and its closure is not a serious proposition. Aviation campaigner Alan Haughton said: "What the GMB Union have told members is reckless, unhelpful and could be seen as strong-arm bullying tactics to force them to sign up to the Back Heathrow Campaign."
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Concern at ICAO talks that Britain, France and Germany are prepared to water down EU’s position on aviation emissions
As the climate talks in Montreal drag on, with a draft text expected this Friday or Saturday, it appears there could be an impact of some of the US negotiators having to fly home - as being government employees, their offices have been closed down due to lack of funding. The US has been one of the biggest obstacles to finding an agreement, so the absence of some may have a positive impact. A very weak draft deal presented this week has been described as a “dream come true” for airlines. It will not allow the EU to cover overflights – flights that do not land or take off from somewhere in the EU – without mutual agreement. This would mean the ETS could only cover sovereign airspace and not regional airspace as previously announced. It appears that the UK, France and Germany are prepared to water down the EU's position as a way to strike a global deal, afraid of a trade war. There is concern that this would damage the whole ETS and not be agreed by the European Parliament.
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Stunned by IPCC report’s content, Wall Street Journal weather man tweets his last flight – given up flying, for the sake of the climate
Last Friday, New York meteorologist Eric Holthaus, who works for the Wall Street Journal covering weather, posted an article explaining the newly released IPCC climate report. The gist of the article, as encapsulated by its headline was “The world’s best scientists agree: On our current path, global warming is irreversible—and getting worse”. He was so stunned by the IPCC report's content that he broke down in tears, and said that to cut his own carbon footprint substantially, he live-tweeted his final flight. He said "I've never cried because of a science report before." And "I realized, just now: This has to be the last flight I ever take. I'm committing right now to stop flying. It's not worth the climate." He realised, at San Francisco Airport that his current lifestyle was no longer sustainable — or conscionable. He felt what was needed was drastic and immediate cuts to CO2 emissions. Holthaus found, on a carbon calculator, that his CO2 from flying some 75,000 miles per year put his carbon footprint at around double the average American. He plans to use rail, Skype and other electronic forms of contact for meetings.
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“Flying Clean” Alliance buzz ICAO talks trailing “Can’t Spell Procrastination Without ICAO” banner
The American Flying Clean Alliance took flight and buzzed the 38th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in a plane trailing the banner, “Can’t Spell Procrastination Without ICAO.” The flyover took place as delegates from 191 countries entered the assembly to again consider controls for aviation CO2. Flying Clean said ICAO has been talking about dealing with carbon pollution from planes for 16 years, but doing nothing. ICAO needs to know that the world is watching and expecting action. The Flying Clean Alliance, in the USA, represents thousands of elite frequent flyers and tens of thousands of everyday flyers who believe the aviation sector needs to stop blocking meaningful action on climate. The ICAO vote is expected on 2nd October, when they need to agree to a global market-based system to curb aviation climate emissions in 2016, which would go into effect in 2020. Global aircraft emissions are anticipated to almost double by 2020, if the industry expands as much as it hopes it will. This increase comes after 16 years of conversation since ICAO was first charged with addressing aviation and climate. That's procrastination for you.
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Centre for private jets at Southend wants to grow from 4 to 20 business jets per day
Southend Airport is hoping to increase the numbers of private jets it handles, and increase the number from some 3 - 4 per day at present, to more like 20 per day. Biggin Hill is its main local rival for business jets. In 2012, Biggin Hill dealt with 5,335 during the year, while Southend had 1,163. Stobart Air’s executive handling facility at London Southend Airport celebrated its first anniversary this July. In comparison, in 2012 London City airport had 264 business flights (the rest are commercial), Luton had 15,055 and Farnborough had 21,986 - so way ahead of the others. Southend claims that although it is further outside London than Biggin Hill, passengers arriving at Southend can travel into the City in little more than hour, are that they are more reasonably priced than some of their competitors. The airport says one major advantage of their executive handling facility is that it is open 24 hours a day with onsite Customs and Immigration services also available permanently. ie. night flight noise for Southend and Rochford residents nearby.
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Third runway at Heathrow would mean local surface transport chaos
One of the most pressing, but least considered problems when proposals are made to expand Heathrow is that of surface transport to and from the airport. The Campaign for Better Transport, in a recent report, says Heathrow sits in the most congested quadrant of London. The roads around Heathrow are already full and journey times are getting longer. So much so that the Department for Transport has said that it’s likely to need to take action to relieve congestion due to traffic growth regardless of what happens at the airport. The Piccadilly Line, which provides most of the public transport capacity to Heathrow, is already one of the most crowded on the underground. Even if you include Crossrail, it is clear that public transport will not have the capacity to accommodate the extra demand that Heathrow envisages from a 3rd runway - 40% more passengers by 2030 and nearly double that by 2040 - and additional pressure will therefore be placed on the roads. An additional Heathrow runway would cause widespread transport chaos.
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Carbon neutral goal for aviation won’t neutralise its climate impact – it needs Market Based Measures too
A report from the Manchester Metropolitan University shows that the emissions from global aviation will continue to have a climate impact for years and decades after they are emitted. CO2 stays in the atmosphere for a long time, and continues its warming impact. For this reason, the proposal of the aviation industry to go for "carbon neutral growth" after 2020 will have the effect of increasing the climate impact of aviation. "Carbon neutral growth" in the way the industry sees it, by use of reductions in CO2 emissions from technical, operational and biofuels measures, will not keep emissions and their climate impact low enough. For there to be real "carbon neutral growth", so argue Transport & Environment in Brussels, and the Aviation Environment Federation in the UK, requires an effective market based measure MBM) as well. The MMU report concludes that to mitigate aviation’s climate warming impact in 2050 through carbon neutral growth in 2020 will require a basket of measures, including MBMs, (such as the EU ETS) to bridge the gap between what can be achieved by the industry and ICAO’s proposed measures, and what is actually needed.
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Nobody takes a flight from London to Manchester. So why would we take HS2?
In an article in the Spectator, someone who travel for business comments about the absence of flights available from London airports to Manchester. There are now apparently only 10 flights per day (sounds a lot) from Heathrow, and no longer any flights from other London airports. The reason is presumably that the train is faster and more convenient for most people, and there is no demand for more flights (and many of the existing flights are just to link passengers to other Heathrow flights). The point made by the author is that for a businessman, making a trip to anywhere as far away as Birmingham or Manchester is basically "a day out of the office" and it would make little difference if half an hour was saved, or not. It is still basically a day, there and back. "Frankly, most businesspeople rather enjoy two hours on a train. You can read, write and look out of the window just as you do in an office — with the additional advantage that the view’s better and nobody knocks on your door to ask silly questions." The article is written to show the tiny time saving from HS2 is not of much use - but the same point can be made for several domestic air routes.
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Consultation on Southend Airport Controlled Airspace application – till mid December
Now Southend has many more flights than a couple of years ago, the airport wants to have control of its immediate airspace(which it had years ago, when it was busier). There is a 12 week consultation at Southend on its plans to introduce controlled airspace around the airport. The consultation started on 20th September and ends on 19th December. Airspace users and local community groups including borough, local and parish councils, are being consulted, though individuals are discouraged from responding, unless they channel their responses through some of the consultee organisations. Currently aircraft are permitted to come within 2.5 miles and 2000 feet of the airport without having to talk to air traffic controllers, which can lead to unplanned alterations to an aircraft’s track and possible delays to scheduled aircraft. Controlled Airspace is a defined area of the airspace around an airport where any aircraft must communicate with Air Traffic Control. The final decision over whether to reinstate the Controlled Airspace rests with the CAA.
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Heathrow hits out at Gatwick in airport tussle claiming only Heathrow can attract long haul flights
As well as the airlines doing battle with the airports (eg. BA and Heathrow), the airports are at loggerheads with each other, in deadly rivalry. How Heathrow has publicised its dissing of Gatwick, in the hope of persuading the Airports Commission of the merits of its case. Today was the final day for any submissions to the Commission, before they publish their airport shortlist some time in December. Heathrow makes out that a single massive hub airport is vital (well, they would, wouldn't they?) and Gatwick makes out that it can do very nicely with long haul point-to-point flights (well, they would, wouldn't they?). Heathrow says some 20 long haul routes from Gatwick have failed over recent years, and Gatwick disputes the figure and gives reasons why some closed down. Gatwick says Heathrow can never expand as its flight path noise already affects too many people (the most of any airport in Europe). Heathrow says Gatwick could not attract airlines as they only want to come to Heathrow. And on it goes. Good luck, on ploughing through all the competing claims, Sir Howard !
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Climate impacts from aviation 2020 Carbon Neutral Goal: stabilized emissions but increasing radiative forcing and temperatures
A new, and rather technical, paper has been produced by CATE, the Centre for Aviation Transport and the Environment, at Manchester Metropolitan University. They have looked at the climate impacts of future scenarios of aviation emissions. The ICAO process that is attempting to deal with aviation emissions only deals with international aviation, ie between countries. Not domestic aviation, which is flying within a country, and of which there is a great deal in countries like the US and China. CATE has produced various scenarios which show that even if the global aviation industry managed to achieve its stated aim of "Carbon Neutral Growth" after 2020, for domestic and international flights, there would be a continuing increase in both radiative forcing (ie. the difference of radiant energy received by the earth and energy radiated back to space) and global temperatures from the aviation emissions. This is because although 30% of CO2 emissions are removed in a few decades, some 50% is not removed for several centuries, and about 20% remain for millennia. This is why under overall climate (temperature) stabilisation scenarios, global CO2 emissions must be reduced dramatically.
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Human influence on climate clear, IPCC report says. Target of staying below 2 degrees C rise in global temp harder to attain
Co-Chair of Working Group IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) said: "Continued emissions of greenhouse gases will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of greenhouse gas emissions." Projections by the IPCC of climate change are based on a new set of 4 scenarios of future greenhouse gas concentrations and aerosols, spanning a wide range of possible futures. The Working Group I report assessed global and regional-scale climate change for the early, mid-, and later 21st century. “As the ocean warms, and glaciers and ice sheets reduce, global mean sea level will continue to rise, but at a faster rate than we have experienced over the past 40 years.” The report finds with high confidence that ocean warming dominates the increase in energy stored in the climate system, accounting for more than 90% of the energy accumulated between 1971 and 2010. “As a result of our past, present and expected future emissions of CO2, we are committed to climate change, and effects will persist for many centuries even if emissions of CO2 stop.”
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Boris objects to proposed cap by EU on state aid to airports – his estuary schemes would need minimum £20-30 billion from government
London Mayor Boris Johnson said EU proposals barring the use of state aid for the construction of airports serving more than 5 million people a year would undermine plans to grow the UK’s aviation capacity. Government subsidies for large airport projects, currently assessed on a case-by-case basis, would be outlawed starting in early 2014, whether for new infrastructure or upgrades of existing facilities, according to the draft EU guidance. In his letter to the Competition Commissioner, Joaquin Almunia, Boris wrote that there are "unintended and potentially catastrophic consequences" in "tying the hands” of member states, and he said the measures would limit London’s ability to expand vital links to emerging markets in Asia and South America [which, of course, is nonsense]. Boris said the new EU rules would limit London to expanding terminal capacity at existing airports with less ambitious, and more easily financed, plans than his over-ambitious Thames estuary schemes. TfL said in its submission that a new hub as envisaged by Boris requires an estimated £20 - 30 billion pounds of state investment. The EU consultation on state aid to airports and airlines has just ended, and the EU will now start to analyze feedback received.
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Ryanair in corporate charm offensive to get more business passengers
Ryanair is now accepting payment via American Express in a bid to boost the proportion of business passengers it carries from around 20% currently. The airline said the agreement built on its existing services aimed at corporate travellers, such as online check-in, priority boarding, reserved seating, ability to board and exit the aircraft first, or choose one of 45 pre-reserved seats, a free 10kg cabin bag and free downloads of the Ryanair app. Ryanair says it carried 81m passengers this year – more international passengers than any other airline in the world. EasyJet,which has a total of around 50million passengers per year, has also been getting as many business passengers as possible. EasyJet had about 10 million business passengers in 2012, around 9 million in 2011, and some 8 million in 2010. (Not all to or from the UK). EasyJet has stepped up its efforts in the last year by signing a series of deals with travel management companies and corporates around the UK and Europe.
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Scrap state support for flying, says Keith Taylor, MEP
Keith Taylor, the Green Party MEP for the South East of England, has called for an end to the ‘unfair and unhealthy’ subsidies given to the aviation industry. In a response to the European Commission’s “Consultation on the draft Guidelines on State aid to airports and airlines” Mr Taylor has said that he would like to see a move away from public money being spent on subsidising flying. It is estimated that the aviation industry in Europe would continue to receive around €3 billion a year in direct subsidies under new European Commission proposals. States would continue to disproportionately subsidise smaller airports, which are almost exclusively used by low-fares airlines. The direct subsidies are complemented by even larger tax exemptions, recently estimated by CE Delft at €30-42 billion every year. Mr Taylor believes EU state aid for the aviation industry should only be in the case of very isolated regions, where support can be provided under a Public Service Obligation.
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New short HACAN report giving a flavour of the stress caused to thousands of Londoners from Heathrow aircraft noise
HACAN (the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) has just released a short report on reactions to noise by Londoners who are over-flown. "A Summer of Noise - a snap-shot of the impact of aircraft noise on Londoners... in their own words" (5 Pages) It is a collection of some of the despairing emails that Hacan has received, over the summer. There are always more complaints about aircraft noise in summer than in winter, as people spend more time outside. There is also more stress caused by night flight noise, as on warm nights, people want to sleep with the windows open. There are some sad and troubling examples in the report, a few of which are copied below. HACAN concludes that there is some pattern in the complaints it receives on aircraft noise. Night noise from aircraft remains a big concern for a lot of people. In addition to the difference between summer and winter, it seems that in very hot weather it is slightly more difficult for planes to take off (the air is a bit less dense, so the engine has to work harder) and this means that in areas like Hanwell, relatively close to the airport and under a take-off route, can experience a lot more noise. It is also clear that the cluster of complaints from particular areas may reflect the fact that flight paths seem to be becoming more concentrated. HACAN is discussing the apparent concentration of flights with Heathrow Airport and National Air Traffic Control.
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Deal time in Montreal – the 50/50 basis solution for the ETS ?
It is deal time in Montreal. Over the next two weeks 191 countries will decide what to do about climate-warming emissions. If aviation were a country, it would be the 7th largest emitter in the world, based on CO2 alone. And aviation emissions are set to triple by 2050, so this is no small task. Aoife O'Leary, who is Sustainable Shipping & Aviation Officer, for Transport & Environment in Brussels, writing in the Huffington Post, says of the current position on the EU ETS, that the recent offer by the EU to only regulate aviation emissions in EU airspace would mean 60% less intercontinental emissions than were covered by the original law. Even if every country regulated aviation emissions in its own airspace, that would still mean 78% of global emissions would still not be included, with flights over international waters and third countries uncovered. Aoife says a far more sensible and politically viable solution would have been to revise the ETS on the basis of a 50/50 system, which means each country regulates half the carbon of each international flight.That means countries such as the US that do not want to be regulated do not need to include emissions in their airspace but the EU continues to exercise its sovereignty over flights landing at its airports.
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GACC says Gatwick site is too cramped and constrained for an efficient 2nd runway
GACC, the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, has submitted a document entitled "Gatwick Unzipped" to the Airports Commission, in response to their invitation to submit comments on the various plans for new runways. GACC believes, based on past evidence from British Airways and others, that the airport site is too cramped to efficiently accommodate an additional runway. The Chairman of GACC, Brendon Sewill, says those calling for a second runway at Gatwick ‘have never looked at a map’ and “When examined carefully the Gatwick runway plans are not nearly as good as they seem at first sight.” Some of the main points made in the GACC analysis include the suggestion ‘the so-called ‘wide-spaced runway’ is too close to the existing runway’; the plans for new runways at Heathrow, Stansted or in the Thames Estuary all show a wider separation between the runways; and the length of the new runway would be constrained by the main London-Brighton railway line to the east and by high ground to the west. Also that noise would be unacceptable in rural areas, as Gatwick is surrounded on 3 sides by Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
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Essex County Council warns against super-airport at Stansted
Essex County Council has warned the Airports Commission against proposals for an "unwanted and unviable" super-airport at Stansted. It has instead called for greater focus on realistic, affordable and practical options that will allow “sensible growth” in Essex. Earlier this summer, Stansted’s owner, MAG ageed with Boris Johnson that 4 runways at Stansted was one solution to the capacity issue – while stressing that making full use of the low-cost base’s 35 million passengers-a-year single-runway capacity is the priority. In a report published on 24th September ECC said that proposals like closing Heathrow and building 5-runway “super-hub airports”, either at Stansted or in the Thames Estuary, would be too costly and disruptive to deliver. Council leader Cllr David Finch said the UK does not have the time or the money to waste on impractical or undeliverable schemes that could suck up a sum of taxpayers’ money equivalent to twice the UK’s defence budget. Also that Stansted could double its passenger and freight numbers before anyone even thinks of the need for a 2nd runway.
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Lord Stern says the EU must halve its CO2 emissions by 2030 – not just cut by 40%
Renowned economist, Lord Nicholas Stern, says an ambitious climate change target would boost certainty for investors in energy efficiency and in renwables, in the UK and Europe. The EU should halve its carbon emissions, from their 1990 level, by 2030. Ahead of the launch of the IPCC 5th assessment report, Lord Stern said "vacillation" by the UK government on its commitment to cutting carbon was very damaging to investment in low carbon technologies. While the UK has adopted targets to halve CO2 emissions by 2025 and put the UK on course for a 60% cut by 2030, these are due to be reviewed next year, and could be altered if the UK finds it is out of sync with lower ambition in Brussels. The EU is considering a 40% cut by 2030, but even that is not enough - Lord Stern believes this needs to be a 50% cut in total emissions and a 30% share of renewables in the energy mix. The EU is already on track to meet its target of cutting emissions 20% by 2020, in part thanks to the economic crisis which has reduced output. Meanwhile, on EU aviation CO2 emissions, the uncertainty remains of even their inclusion in the ETS.
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Essex County Council submission to Airports Commission warns against “super-airport” at Stansted
ESSEX County Council has warned the Airports Commission against proposals for an "unwanted and unviable" super-airport at Stansted. It has instead called for greater focus on realistic, affordable and practical options that will allow “sensible growth” in Essex. Earlier this summer, Stansted’s owner, MAG agreed with Boris Johnson that 4 runways at Stansted was one solution to the alleged airport capacity shortage. Essex CC have produced a new report showing that plans to close Heathrow to replace it with a massive airport at Stansted or in the Thames estuary would be too costly and disruptive to deliver. Council leader Cllr David Finch said the UK does not have the time or the money to waste on impractical or undeliverable schemes that "could suck up a sum of taxpayers’ money equivalent to twice the UK’s defence budget." Essex say any plan for a giant super-hub airport at Stansted is completely unacceptable to the council and Essex residents, and that "If ministers in London do impose further capacity on our airport, they need to know that a bill comes with that."
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Major fossil fuel reserves must be left in the ground to protect climate, senior diplomat warns
The former Irish president and UN high commissioner for human rights, Mary Robinson, is to spearhead a new international push aimed at breaking the climate talks deadlock and silencing sceptics, with a group of senior diplomats and politicians from around the world. She says world governments must get used to the idea of leaving fossil fuel reserves - and accompanying economic value - in the ground unexploited and unburned, if runaway emissions were not to threaten the climate. That has huge implications for economic and social development. She said climate sceptics are "not based in reality" and parts of the business community are "trying to cloud and distort the science", adding that strong political leadership was needed to counter them. She acknowledged that some countries and many businesses with fossil fuel interests would be hostile to the proposal. Recently, the International Energy Agency said: “No more than one-third of proven reserves of fossil fuels can be consumed prior to 2050 if the world is to achieve the 2 °C goal unless carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is widely deployed.
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Environmental NGOs call for ICAO to bring forward global MBM adoption to 2015 for implementation in 2016
The ICAO draft resolution to be considered by the 38th Assembly later this week appears equivocal on whether to adopt a global market-based measure (MBM), leaving it to the 39th Assembly in 2016 to make a decision. However, environmental NGOs say that evidence shows early action must be taken to ensure the climate impact from rapidly increasing aviation emissions is minimised. In a submission to the Assembly by their representative body, the International Coalition for Sustainable Aviation (ICSA), they call for ICAO member states to agree now to develop a global MBM for adoption in 2015 and implementation in 2016. This would be 4 years earlier than the aviation industry is calling for under its "carbon-neutral growth" target (CNG2020). This would require the holding of an Extraordinary General Assembly in 2015, which although not unprecedented would be highly unusual. The NGOs are convinced, and backed by recent research, that a global MBM is the only feasible way to get meaningful CO2 reductions.
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Gatwick hopes to get one of the global airline alliances to shift from Heathrow
Stewart Wingate, the Chief Executive of Gatwick airport, said he thought Gatwick could lure one of the global airline alliances away from Heathrow, if they win permission to build a 2nd runway. There are 3 main alliances, SkyTeam, Star Alliance - and OneWorld, led by British Airways. Stewart Wingate conceded it was unlikely that OneWorld would ever leave its Heathrow base, but he hoped one of the others might. None of them wants to move from Heathrow, but Gatwick are hopeful that: “If an alliance were to move down at some future point into Gatwick not only would there be room for that alliance to grow, but that would create more space at Heathrow for the other remaining alliances to grow too.” Gatwick wants to build a new runway to enable the airport to deal with 87 million passengers each year by 2050 compared to 34 million now.
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Bureaucratic UK visa regime harming trade with China, says Willie Walsh
The issue of whether or not the UK has enough flights to China, and the other rapidly developing economies, is the argument most often used to call for a new runway for the south east of England, and at Heathrow in particular. Even at Heathrow, business passengers are only some 30% of the total. Willie Walsh has spoken out again against the UK visa system for Chinese visitors, which is much more costly and more onerous than obtaining a visa for the European Schengen agreement countries. A UK visa for a Chinese person for the UK costs £80 but only £56 for the Schengen area. Willie says trade with China has been harmed by the UK visa regime that makes foreign businessmen and visitors feel unwelcome. He was speaking on the inaugural flight of BA's direct service to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and said the UK needs to put a bit of effort into changing Chinese perceptions they are not welcome. UK APD adds £83 to the cost of an economy flight to China, and visa fees are a real deterrent - much more than a shortage of slots at Heathrow at popular times of day. Walsh said at other European hubs visas for transfer passengers are not required.
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Labour leader Ed Miliband warns Sir Howard over risks of extra Heathrow runways
Ed Miliband has had talks with Sir Howard Davies, Chairman of the Airports Commission. Ed has expressed concern about the possibility of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, which would put at risk Labour's chances of winning several key marginal seats, including Battersea, Brentford and Isleworth, Ealing Central and Acton. Labour understands that a 3rd runway, or 4th, at Heathrow would cause more noise and pollution misery for hundreds of thousands of Londoners. Labour also insists that any airport expansion will have to meet the target of cutting aviation CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, as the CCC advise. However, the Standard says: "Labour is not ruling out supporting a bigger Heathrow but it is likely to demand convincing evidence that extra noise and pollution can be sufficiently mitigated." It adds: "Labour could be tempted to reject Heathrow expansion before the election" to boost its electoral chances. It also says: "Aviation sources said Sir Howard ... was concerned that Ms Eagle was moving towards favouring a 2nd runway at Gatwick."
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Lord Digby Jones tells Airports Commission – “don’t just stand there. Do something!”
Lord DIgby Jones has been a vociferous supporter of a 3rd Heathrow runway for many years, as well as backer of the aviation industry. He has now written, with two other former high ranking figures in business, to the Airports Commission asking them to "be bold" and get a move on with making a decision on building a new runway. Sir Digby was briefly the chair of the aviation industry lobby body, "Flying Matters" before stepping down to become trade and industry minister in Gordon Brown's ailing government. Lord Digby believes the government should first lift the flight number cap at Heathrow to allow concurrent take-off and landing from both runways, and there should be other changes to allow Gatwick and Stansted to compete more effectively. He believes the UK is falling behind competitors, and the building of a runway would solve all the UK economy's problems - and prevent the UK losing out to rivals. He says: Politicians, please don’t just stand there. Do something! You are crippling our economy by doing nothing. Back in 2007, speaking of people troubled by noise from East Midlands airport, he said: .."rural residents should sacrifice their well-being in exchange for economic progress ..."
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Date set for February 2014 for Hearing at the High Court into Stobart’s Carlisle airport plans
Carlisle City Council’s decision to allow the development’s go-ahead is being taken to a judicial review - probably between 18th and 20th February 2014. Stobart Group wants to build a 394,000sq ft freight distribution centre and to resurface the runway for scheduled passenger flights to Southend and Dublin. Carlisle City Council granted planning permission in February, but their decision is being challenged by a local farmer who lives close to the airport, and has tenaciously persisted in his opposition for several years. He opposes the plan for the airport's expansion because it appears the legal agreement between the council and Stobart Group is “unenforceable”; because planning officers gave “erroneous and seriously misleading” advice to the councillors who made the decision; because Carlisle City Council did not properly assess the criteria on "presumption in favour of development”; the council failed to comply with its obligations under the EU habitats directive - and several other failures in the Council process. Mr Brown persuaded the Court of Appeal to quash an earlier consent, granted in 2009, after he brought judicial review proceedings.
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Global analysis of aviation CO2 shows Heathrow far above any other global airport and UK 9th highest aviation CO2 per capita
Dave Southgate is an Australian aviation expert, with many years of experience of working on the measurement of aviation emissions. He has produced a new e-book, on the carbon footprint of global scheduled domestic and international passenger flights in 2012. It contains detailed information covering some 85% of global aviation emissions, and gives some interesting insights. For the UK, domestic flights are a very much smaller proportion than in larger countries. However, Heathrow remains by a very large margin the airport with the largest carbon emissions of any worldwide, about 16,584 thousand tonnes of CO2 per year, with Los Angeles in second place with some 11,866 thousand tonnes. The book also shows the UK ranks 9th in the world for carbon emissions per capita from aviation, with (of European countries) Switzerland in 6th place, the Netherlands in 8th place, far above Germany (12th) and France (13th), with the highest per capita aviation emissions being Qatar, UAE, Singapore and Hong Kong, Australia and USA. By total emissions per airline, Lufthansa and British Airways are almost the same, ranked 5th and 6th, with Air France ranked 8th and Ryanair ranked 20th.
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Emissions Trading Will Dominate ICAO Assembly
A long and comprehensive piece in Aviation Week, discusses the likely outcomes from the ICAO Assemby, on the issue of aviation carbon emissions. The most likely scheme to be agreed in the next two weeks is for aircraft emissions during the part of the flight in EU airspace (including Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway) to be taxed. There are some technical challenges in implementing it. It would not include overflights. Whether ICAO's 191 contracting states will support the deal at the Assembly is not known, but according to one commentator: “it seems unlikely that delegates will wish to reopen substantive debate on such a hard-won consensus text.” However there are concerns about the impact of this tax on European airlines. The Federal Association of German Aviation and Space Industry, of which Lufthansa is a founding member, objects to the compromise, claiming it represents “a massive distortion of competition for European airlines.” The European Low Fares Airline Association also says it is discriminatory. An effective market based measure agreed globally still seems a very long way from agreement.
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Geoff Muirhead steps down from his position at the Airports Commission
Geoff Muirhead, who has been a commissioner at the Airports Commission, has agreed to step down. This comes in response to the challenge from Stop Stansted Expansion, due to Mr Muirhead's previous work for the Manchester Airports Group, which now owns Stansted. Mr Muirhead continued to work for MAG in an advisory capacity even when he had accepted his role on the Commission. As MAG owns Stansted, which is one of the sites being seriously considered for expansion and a new runway, there is an obvious conflict of interest. Despite the claim that he was impartial, it has been clear all along that he is very pro-aviation. The problem now remains that Mr Muirhead has been with the Commission for almost a year, and his input may already have influenced the Commission. It will be necessary to establish to what extent the process may have been tainted by his involvement. SSE included this point in their pre action protocol letter that was sent to the Secretary of State for Transport, and Howard Davies in August.
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FoI request reveals TfL has spent £1.4 million so far, with a budget of £3 million, on promoting Thames estuary airport (or Stansted)
Figures from Transport for London (TfL) - obtained from a Freedom of Information request - show Boris Johnson has spent £1.4 million promoting the idea of a Thames Estuary airport. Some £1.2 million has gone to paying consultancy fees, for work such as looking at environmental impacts of an airport and the infrastructure that would need to be built. £15,000 was spent on hiring College Public Policy, a consultancy group, to help with TfL's submission to the Airports Commission. In contrast, Medway Council budgeted £50,000 in 2012 to fight against the airport, although it is not clear how much of this was spent. Boris backs building the airport, which would be the world’s biggest airport, at Grain. This would have 4 runways and operate 24 hours a day. “Boris has been throwing away public money on his flight of fancy and it needs to stop" - Mark Reckless MP. TfL say in May 2011, £200,000 was set aside by TfL to consider the options for expanding the country’s aviation capacity. A further £3 million has been budgeted by TfL up until April 2014, of which there is around £1.7 million remaining.
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Opposition in Kerala in south west India to building of a new airport at Aranmula
In Kerala, in the south west of India, there are plans for a private company to build a large new airport, for low cost airlines, at Aranmula. The site is within 100 km of two international airports - at Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram. These airports bring in tourists to Kerala, and it is intended that it brings in pilgrims to a nearby site. The land at Aranmula is greenfield, and there are plans to take at least 350 acres, and perhaps much more for an aerotropolis. Local people fear it could destroy paddy land and damage the region’s water source. They also fear it could harm the town’s ‘heritage’ tag and damage the structure of a temple located just a few hundred metres from the project site. There are concerns that the airport would not be profitable, due to its two neighbours, which are not full. The airport has aroused intense opposition over the past two years, and there have been many protests. The opponents have a Facebook site, and have been feeling they are alone in their fight, being unaware of the extent of other airport opposition elsewhere in the world. The Indian government recently announced it proposes to build 17 new airports in 11 states.
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Give Nimbys an incentive to back infrastructure projects, says new report by consultants
A new report called "Building Blocks: How Britain Can Get Infrastructure Right" produced by the Management Consultancies Association puts forward recommendations on how the UK should build more infrastructure. Such as airports. One of their proposals is that "Nimbys" (people who, for whatever reason, don't want new building or infrastructure in their area) would have less to protest about if local communities were given a cut of increased business rates ensuing from infrastructure projects. They want to change the situation at Heathrow with opposition to a third runway, or the HS2 rail link. They hope that giving a share of tax proceeds to the people most directly affected would stop them opposing schemes. Head of transport at Arup, said: “Imagine how the relationships between the local authorities around Heathrow Airport and the debate over a third runway would have played out if the tens of million in business rates that the airport pays every year had gone directly to them.”
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Some details of how much European governments bail out failing national airlines
There is currently a consultation under way, on EU guidance on state aid to airports and airlines. This consultation ends on 25th September, unless it is extended. A paper by Rose Bridger, in July, sets out details of the extent of state aid to failing airlines across Europe. There are truly remarkable sums involved. The EU regards bail outs for failing airlines as restructuring aid, rather than merely aid for infrastructure or new route development. Some of the cases that Rose has located information on are for national flag carrier airlines. For example, the Hungarian national airline, Malev, received well over €300 million; Scandinavian airline SAS received a €400 million credit facility from three governments; Latvian airline Air Baltic got at least €100 million in share capital; Air Malta got well over €180 million over several years; Polish LOT airlines has had at least €100 million, and likewise for Estonia Air and Czech airlines. Support for airlines brings a disproportionate benefit to wealthier citizens, who fly more. Continued bailouts to airlines exacerbates the financial instability caused by excessive debt.
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Aviation lobby form new pressure group, “Runways UK” with large conference in January
The aviation industry must be a bit alarmed about its prospects of getting another runway, or more than one, in the south east of England. It has formed a new lobbying organisation, this one being called Runways UK, in order to fight its case and put pressure on government and political parties to get building, after 2015. They plan to hold a large conference ("an entirely impartial event") in London, on 16th January 2014, which they are calling the inaugural Runways UK. This will be shortly after the Airports Commission makes its interim report, in December, on whether new runway capacity is actually needed, and which schemes to short list for further detailed consideration. The conference will be very pricey, if the cost of sponsoring part of it is anything to go by. Tickets are not yet on sale. They intend to hold a similar conference annually. The lobby group says of its advisory board that it "comprises a combination of luminaries, appropriate institutions and associations and commercial partners2 including its Chair, Baroness Brenda Dean (trade unionist), Baroness Jo Valentine, Chief Executive of London First, and Michèle Dix, Managing Director of Planning at TfL. Plus many aviation lobby executives.
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London City Airport submits expansion plans – to enable 50,000 more aircraft movements per year – to Newham Council
London City Airport has submitted its expansion plans to Newham Council. The plans could see an extra 50,000 flight movements each year, from the current level of around 64,000 in 2012 to around 120,000 (the level that was permitted by Newham in July 2009). The planned expansion could see the airport handling up to 6 million passengers per year, compared to around 3 million in 2012. The plans (costing some £200 million) would include 7 new parking stands, parking stands enlarged to cater for larger aircraft, due to arrive in 2016, a new eastern passenger pier and associated works on a platform over the King George V Dock. Plans also include an extension to the aircraft taxiway running along the eastern length of the runway, and a new passenger forecourt in front of the terminal building, an extension of the terminal, a new office building (to replace City Aviation House) and a hotel. Passenger and staff car parking will re-organised. The airport says it needs these, as morning and evening business flights were almost at capacity.
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Consultation on rules for European Commission state aid to airports and airlines
Under the European Commission, state aid is granted to various sectors of the economy. However, a key issue is the impact it has on distorting the market, and giving an unfair advantage to those companies or organisations receiving it. Airports and airlines are one sector that receives large amounts of state aid through the EC. The Commission's DG Competition is tasked with overseeing state aid. There have been earlier sets of guidelines on state aid to airports and airlines, but there is a current consultation - due to end on 25th September (which may be extended). The exact amount of state aid given to the aviation sector is somewhat shady, but is at least €3 billion, for those subsidies that are fully notified.There have been widely publicised cases, such as that of Ryanair at Charleroi airport. Transport & Environment have produced an easy-to-read briefing on the state aid situation, and people are urged to respond to the consultation. The state aid gives the aviation industry unmerited subsidy, and helps to encourage very high carbon travel.
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Gatwick attempts to argue more flights from a 2nd runway = less noise, by runway alternation
The Airports Commission consultation on its aircraft noise discussion paper ended on 6th September. Gatwick airport submitted their response, which admits that expansion at Gatwick would mean the number of people impacted by noise could increased from 3,300 to 11,800. But they say they can lower the number - including use of respite periods, as at Heathrow now. The airport said one runway would be used for take-offs, and the other for landings, swapping between the two, and so giving people half a day of respite. As aircraft are increasingly able to fly an exact route, using a sort of aircraft SatNav, called PP-RNAV, flights can be concentrated along one route. The debate continues whether it is more humane to those overflown to concentrate flight paths, or to disperse them. The latter shares the misery around, so many more suffer, but to a lesser extent. However, airports judge the level of dissatisfaction by the number of people complaining, and dispersed routes mean more people complain.
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