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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:
Gatwick 2nd runway – GACC explains the 10 key reasons why not
GACC - Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign - has set out clearly the reasons why a 2nd runway at Gatwick should not be built. First, the runway would be only 400 yards from homes in Crawley, with the airport boundary just 100 yards away. The noise and pollution for those residents can only be imagined. The impact of an airport the size of Heathrow at Gatwick would have immense consequences on the area, in terms of noise, large inward migration of labour, additional housing, the urbanisation of rural areas, not to mention loss of peace an quiet. The runway shown on the Gatwick airport plan is too close to the existing runway to allow space for a new terminal and for aircraft to manoeuvre safely on the ground. Gatwick can never accommodate 4 runways, which would be needed if a vast hub airport was regarded as necessary for the UK. The expansion of air travel on a scale to require new runways would be ruled out by the UK's climate change targets. The forecast expansion of aviation is largely due to aviation fuel not being taxed and air tickets not being subject to VAT (APD is small by comparison).
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European airports, like those in UK, make large part of their income as shopping centres
LInvestors in airports are being drawn to the profit being made by the real estate and retail income they generate. Among European airports, Aeroports de Paris derived 39% of its revenue from real estate and retail in 2011; Zurich took in 50.3%; and Danish airport operator Koebenhavns Lufthavne A/S collected 33.6%. At TAV (Turkey), the share was 33%, and at Vienna it was 19%. Airports generally get the majority of their retail revenue after passengers check in and go through security. Goldman Sachs lists retail revenue as a major factor in recommending European airports to invest in. Two weeks ago, Fraport opened Pier-A-Plus, a terminal extension at Frankfurt, allowing Germany's biggest hub to serve up to 6 million passengers a year and adding 50% to the airport's retail space. According to ACI, air passenger numbers in Europe are up 2.3% this year compared to 2011, but Eurocontrol forecast that annual traffic growth will average 1.9% over the next 7 years in Europe, due to high oil prices and a weaker economic outlook.
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Will the Treasury exclude shipping and aviation from carbon targets?
A coalition of green groups [AirportWatch] has condemned the Treasury and DfTs move to remove international aviation and shipping from the UK's 2050 carbon targets. DfT officials told an Energy and Climate Change select committee hearing last week that the UK could save money in the future for other sectors of the economy if aviation and shipping were to remain outside of the UK's 5th carbon budget, due for consideration in 2015. The DfT did note that this would sacrifice the environmental benefit of including them in the budget, but is now thought to be working with the Treasury to highlight potential savings arising from exempting the two sectors, which are likely to account for around a quarter of the UK's total emissions by 2050. Green groups say that leaving aviation and shipping out of the UK carbon targets would put at risk the UK's target of delivering 80% emissions cuts across the economy by 2050. Instead of the 160 million tonnes of CO2 emissions the UK could emit by 2050 and keep within its goal, the country would be pumping out around 200 million tonnes should shipping and aviation be excluded.
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4-runway mega-hub at Stansted airport proposed by “Make” architects
Plans for a new four-runway London mega-hub at Stansted capable of handling 150 million passengers a year have been unveiled. The plan is by architect Ken Shuttleworth, the architect behind the Gherkin in the City. The plans from his practice, "Make" Architects, would see Heathrow either entirely redeveloped or drastically reduced in size. They would involve building three new 4km-long runways at Stansted and creating a new Crossrail link from Stansted to Stratford, reducing train journey times to 25 minutes. The Norman Foster-designed 1991 main terminal building could also be transformed into a train station under the plans but full architectural details have yet to be revealed. Timescales and construction cost have also yet to be confirmed. Boris is in favour of this new Stansted hub, if he cannot get his Thames estuary airport.
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Latest clutch of articles speculating on, or lobbying for, one or other airport option …
Though there is no news yet on the terms of reference or the composition of the Davies Commission on future airport capacity, that does not stop the papers and the aviation industry from continuing to put forth their pennyworth on the matter. Steve Ridgway, in the Telegraph, says expanding Heathrow is the only way. Digby Jones says (with various inaccuracies) that we have to have a 3rd Heathrow runway and that "we can move Heathrow to 24/7 flying. That would be a temporary fix at best and a cause of discomfort for residents living under the flight path". A cause of discomfort? And the Independent on Sunday has a stab at assessing the chances (only taking some of the issues into account) for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Thames Estuary or a 4 runway hub airport somewhere in Oxfordshire by "a business consortium, now known to include British Airways and BAA veterans".
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As many as 8,000 in Frankfurt airport protest to mark 1st anniversary of opening of 4th runway
On Sunday, a year after the opening of the 4th runway at Frankfurt airport, thousands protested peacefully against the increasing noise in the region. There may have been as many as 8,000 people there. On a bright autumn day they assembled by the fence next to the runway and showed their anger partly by making loud music. They are demanding planned construction of a new third airport terminal to be ceased. They are also demanding the closure of the 4th runway, and an extension of the ban on night flights from 22:00 and 06:00 in the morning. The government insist that the expansion of the airport provides opportunities for economic growth. However, they realise they have a real problem with aircraft noise and the extent of persistent citizen opposition. In the past week,three new measures had been adopted on noise, including an increase in the angle of approach and an increase in altitude. The protesters to not intend to give up their opposition.
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Northern Ireland Finance Minister says cutting APD on short haul flights would cost NI too much
Northern Ireland Finance Minister, Sammy Wilson, has said he would like to see APD on short-haul flights cut, but said it might cost NI too much. The tax currently adds £13 to a flight in Northern Ireland, compared to €3 in the Republic. While legislation to cut APD on long-haul flights is going through the assembly, NI does not have the power to cut it on short-haul flights. Getting this power would affect the amount it gets in the block grant that Northern Ireland gets from the Treasury in London - of some between £60-90m a year. As the devolved administration does not have responsibility for tax-gathering, when tax is gathered in Northern Ireland, it is collected by HM Revenue and Customs and it goes directly to the Treasury in London. Sammy Wilson said "Even if we did have the powers we would have to ask the question whether or not the £60m this would cost us, rising to £90m, would be better spent on other developments."
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Heathrow complaints unit too busy to deal with complaints
Heathrow Airport's noise complaints unit are so inundated that they have given up providing individual responses to disgruntled residents. Someone who complained has this response from Heathrow: ‘Thank you for your email and I hope this finds you well. Unfortunately due to the high volume of complaints we are receiving at the moment, we are currently unable to provide detailed individual responses. We aspire to providing individual responses in future.” Complaints about BAA’s ‘operational freedoms trial – which allows the airport operator to use runways simultaneously under certain circumstances – are soaring in Hammersmith & Fulham, and elsewhere. Many have found that since July the incoming plane noise has been horrendous, and much worse than usual. BAA should not try to ignore this massive groundswell of opinion and residents need more detailed answers from BAA about what has gone wrong with their trial.
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Heathrow finds space for new flights to Mexico – and Alicante
The Telegraph writes that it has taken Aeromexico four years to get some slots at Heathrow, and makes out that this is because Heathrow is full etc etc. There are already 4 flights per week to Mexico, and these new flights will bring the total number to 7 per week. The Telegraph compares this to Paris with 14 and Madrid with 19. In reality, due to the BA link with Iberia, there are relatively few flights from Heathrow to south America, as they go via Madrid. Looking at Heathrow's website, and its new destinations, one could be forgiven for thinking the airport is only looking to attract tourists, as all its publicity about new destinations is about their tourism potential, and delightful things to go and see and experience. Not one word about their business potential, or the chances for business to drive UK exports. And Heathrow has found room for as many new flights per week to Alicante as there will be to Mexico. Driving UK exports via Alicante ? Really?
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Aviation must not be dropped from UK carbon target, say campaigners
AirportWatch has condemned plans to exclude international aviation and shipping from the UK’s carbon budgets, a move they claim would seriously damage the country’s targets to cut climate change emissions. Any suggestion from DfT and the Treasury for removal of aviation and shipping from the UK’s fifth carbon budget, due for consideration in 2015 will be actively opposed. At a select committee on energy and climate change meeting this week the DfT argued that the UK could save money in future if it were to drop aviation and shipping emissions from its 2050 target. The DfT did however note that this would sacrifice the environmental benefit of including them. The Committee on Climate Change stressed at the meeting that excluding these important sectors (likely to account for around 25% of the UK’s total emissions by 2050) would mean the UK would be very likely to miss our climate objective of limiting the risk of global warming exceeding 2 degrees C and there was now no good reason for excluding them. Representatives of the aviation and shipping industries confirmed that they were comfortable with aviation and shipping being included in budgets. Neither industry would either attract further costs or need to limit expansion as a result of their inclusion.
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Airport capacity crisis? What crisis? AEF short briefing on future demand and capacity
The Aviation Environment Federation www.aef.org.uk has produced a short briefing on future demand for air travel and capacity. It shows how the government's forecasts for future air passenger growth have steadily fallen from 2003, through 2007, and 2009 and 2011. It is anticipated that new forecasts will be produced by the DfT shortly, again showing a reduction. Even the latest forecasts are probably still too high because they assume a resumption in economic growth at around 2% pa or above and continuing indefinitely, which is very uncertain; also no increase in oil prices (despite evidence of increasing demand and increasingly difficult and expensive approaches to extraction), and a continuation of aviation’s tax exemptions (including no fuel tax and no VAT). Business travel is only perhaps 21% of UK air passengers.
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Controversial Gatwick second runway could open within a decade and double travellers to 70 million a year as protesters vow to scupper the plan
A 2nd runway would double passenger number to around 70 million a year. Opponents of expansion, GACC, said: ‘We stand ready, if need be, to launch a massive campaign to defeat any new runway plan, as we have defeated such plans in the past. 'It would mean twice as many planes in the sky, twice the noise, twice the local pollution, twice the number of airport-related cars, and twice the climate change damage. Twice as many airport workers would need twice as many houses.' Gatwick serves 197 destinations compared with 163 destinations from Heathrow - largely holiday destinations. It is the UK’s largest short haul airport serving 145 destinations, excluding UK, compared with 73 destinations from Heathrow. It is the UK’s largest domestic airport serving 12 destinations compared with 7 destinations from Heathrow. A 1979 legal agreement with West Sussex Council prohibits Gatwick from constructing a new runway before 2019. Gatwick was sold in December 2009 for £1.5billion to the consortium Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP).
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Manchester Airports Group to bid for Stansted
MAG says it will make a bid to buy Stansted Airport, teaming up with Industry Funds Management (IFM) - an Australian group - to make the bid. The deal is understood to be worth around £1bn. MAG owns Manchester airport, East Midlands and Bournemouth airports. MAG is currently owned by the 10 council authorities of Greater Manchester - the largest stakeholder being Manchester City Council, which owns 55%. If the deal went ahead, IFM would take a 35% stake in the group. Under the plans, largest shareholder Manchester council would reduce its share from 55% to 35% of MAG. The remaining nine Greater Manchester councils would jointly have a 30% stake, down from 45%. Manchester council would have equal voting rights as IFM.
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A sea of protest against airport expansion across Europe as a new breed of campaigner emerges
Hacan has produced a new report outlining the huge protests against airport expansion that are taking place across Europe. This coming Sunday thousands of people are expected to converge on Frankfurt Airport to mark the first anniversary of the opening of its controversial 4th runway. Every Monday evening, since it was opened in October 2011 by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, up to 5,000 residents have occupied the airport’s terminal in protest against the impact the new runway has had on their lives. Many thousands more are expected at Sunday’s protest. In the last 2 years plans for a 3rd runway at both Munich Airport and at Heathrow, as well as new airports in the Italian towns of Siena and Viterbo, have had to be dropped in the face of public protest. The report found that a new kind of airport protester is emerging across Europe, not only concerned with local impacts such as noise, but challenging the economic need for new runways, and aviation's carbon emissions.
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Gatwick airport to push for 2nd runway – opponents say scheme has repeatedly been found impracticable
Gatwick has declared its intent to push for a 2nd runway and is to start drawing up detailed plans for government approval. The airport says the runway is "affordable and practical" and will allow it to compete with Heathrow. Although an agreement prohibits any new runway opening before 2019 at Gatwick, the airport is to start detailed work on the options, to be presented to the Davies Commission - with a view to getting the go-ahead after the next election. The airport says a 2nd runway would increase capacity to 70 million passengers a year (it handled around 33 million in 2011) and would also mean the construction of a third terminal building. Campaigners warned they would "fight tooth and nail" against any proposal. Brendon Sewill of GACC said: "The option they have got does not make for a good airport, with no proper space for planes and a new terminal between them [the runways] – unless they're demolishing part of Crawley. We are totally opposed on environmental grounds. I don't believe a new runway will be built until Stansted is full, but it's a long way off. They're putting their hat in the ring. They've said they want to sell the airport in 2018 so our guess is that they're aiming to keep the price up for when they sell it rather than building a runway."
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Boeing executive: Industry ‘begging’ for biofuels – they need quality and quantity
A Boeing executive has said the global aviation industry is actively seeking to incorporate biofuels in its aircraft. The airline industry is “begging” for biofuels and is committed to using them in their fleets. He was speaking at the Ag Innovation Showcase in St. Louis. He said his industry is a market just waiting for people biofuel producers to scale their products up, and if they can produce these fuels in large amounts, aviation will buy them. Airlines are having to reduce their carbon footprint and one means to do this is the use of biofuels. Boeing said the world’s fleet of 20,000 commercial aircraft is expected to grow to 40,000 in 20 years. That is likely to bring the % of aviation CO2 emissions to 4% (probably more) out of the global anthropogenic CO2 total. The industry is aware that CO2 emissions are a problem for their unfettered growth. The industry can only grow hugely if it can make some efficiency improvement, find a magic bullet in biofuels, or trade carbon permits with other sectors. Boeing hopes biofuels will halve aviation's CO2 emissions by 2050. (Not very likely).
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Protesters evicted from homes for demolition for future Nantes airport.
A major evacuation operation by security forces of houses squatted by opponents of the proposed airport at Notre-Dame-des-Landes, north of Nantes took place on Tuesday morning. Eleven houses and land that had been occupied on the site of the future airport were evacuated without incident by more than 500 gendarmes. At the first home some 150 protesters, some of whom are locals and some anti-globalisation activists, had gathered. Homes that have been evacuated are now subject to enhanced surveillance before being demolished "in the coming days." The airport developers want preparatory work for road improvements serving this "inter airport" between Nantes and Rennes to begin by the end of the year. Work on the airport itself must begin in 2014 for commissioning in 2017. The airport plans have been approved by the State and local socialist party, but the new airport's usefulness is disputed, on economic grounds as well as its environmental impact.
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European Commission weakens biofuel rule changes by excluding ILUC factors
The European Commission has watered down proposals to reduce the indirect climate impact of biofuels (ILUC). This means fuel suppliers will not, as originally planned, be held accountable for the ILUC biofuels cause by displacing food production into new areas, resulting in forest clearance and peatland draining. "The 5% limit is still in, but the ILUC factors are now purely for reporting purposes and not part of the sustainability accounting rules for biofuels." The plan to limit the use of crop-based biofuels to 5% of total EU transport energy demand by 2020 represents a virtual halving of the EU's existing goal for a 10% share of renewables by 2020. Fuel suppliers will be free to continue blending biodiesel made from rapeseed, palm oil and soybeans into their fuels and claiming credit for cutting emissions, despite EU scientific studies showing that overall emissions from biodiesel are higher than fossil fuel.
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Surrey County Council rejects new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick
Conservative-led Surrey County Council have rejected plans to build more runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, due to their concerns about the impact on the environment. It will write to the transport secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, to say it is against airport expansion. Council leader David Hodge said SCC opposed any plans to build additional runways "out of line with the existing county council policy". SCC had a policy agreed in March 2008 opposing expansion unless there was "comprehensive and creditable investment" satisfactorily addressing environmental issues. Lib Dem councillors said the airports have reached their limit. They want alternatives elsewhere to increase in UK airport capacity. Opposition leader Hazel Watson said increased capacity at Gatwick would lead to the loss of "precious countryside" and "irreplaceable historic buildings".
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BAA says Stansted could be run for £5m less per year than they did – to raise its price
BAA has admitted that anyone else could run Stansted for at least £5m a year less, due to lower mangement costs. The information is disclosed in the “information memorandum” sent to bidders for Stansted, which is valued at around £1bn in August. The document is aimed at getting the best possible price for Stansted but one City source said it was bizarre to now be saying this. Stansted had £141.5m operating costs in its most recent year. Ryanair says the reason for the £5 million drop is that BAA has been lumping in expenses from its other 4 airports – Heathrow, Southampton, Glasgow and Aberdeen. The sale document makes out that another operator could get passenger numbers to bounce back to 24.6m by 2019, from 17.1 million this year. Some of the possible buyers of Stansted are MAG and a consortium led by Australasian investment manager Morrison & Co, Citi Infrastructure Partners, Macquarie and Deutsche Bank’s infrastructure arm, Morgan Stanley Infrastructure, JP Morgan and Li Ka-Shing’s CKI .
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CAA data shows 1529 birdstrikes in 2011, up from 1278 in 2009
The CAA reports that bird strikes are on the increase throughout the UK, with 1529 reported last year – up from 1278 in 2009. For Scotland the CAA has said bird strikes have risen at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Inverness airports over the past 2 years, with an increase in wild flocks and air traffic blamed. Bird strikes have been blamed for bringing down huge aircraft in the past, including the incident in 2009 where an Airbus A320 was forced to ditch in the Hudson river in New York. Glasgow Airport reported 8 strikes this year involving large birds, up from the usual annual average of 3. The Herald Scotland gives information about increases at Scottish airports.
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Thousand + Frankfurt residents protest in Frankfurt airport – for the 37th Monday – against aircraft noise
The 37th Monday protest at Terminal 1 in Frankfurt airport took place on 8th October, and was attended by well over a thousand Frankfurt and surrounding area residents. They have continued to hold huge weekly protests, at the airport, in their vociferous and determined campaign against the level of noise caused to residents living under flights paths used by the new runway, that was opened last October. There will be a huge protest to mark the anniversary of its opening, on the weekend of 20th and 21st October. There will also be a nation-wide protest across Germany against night fligths, on 24th November. Feeling against aircraft noise, at night especially, is running very high in Germany.
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BAA name to be dropped – as the company is now primarily Heathrow
From today the name BAA will be dropped. Heathrow, Glasgow, Aberdeen Southampton and Stansted Airports will operate solely under their own stand-alone brand. Colin Matthews, said that as over the past few years, BAA has sold its stakes in Gatwick, Edinburgh, Budapest and Naples airports - and now Stansted - the name BAA no longer fits as it does represent all British airports; "we are not a public authority; and practically speaking the company is no longer a group as Heathrow will account for more than 95% of the business.” BAA Ltd has changed its name to Heathrow Ltd. Glasgow, Aberdeen Southampton and Stansted Airports will operate solely under their own stand-alone brand.
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‘Boris island’ is an unfundable white elephant, says boss of Dubai airport
Paul Griffiths, the British boss of Dubai airport, one of the world’s fastest growing airports in the world, says Boris's proposal for an £80 billion, 4-runway hub in the Thames Estuary is “unfundable” and a potential white elephant. (He wants a Heathrow 3rd runway instead, of course). Of the Thames airport plan, he said it requires all the expense of investing in the project without the productivity arising from it, and at the same time you are forcing other airports in the London system to stop growing. Fundamentally, he said, the location of the estuary is wrong, and though transport links to it would be hugely expensive, the airport would not be used. “Many cities have built large airports out of town and as a result have constructed white elephants because they are not successful. Montreal is a very good example.”He will say more at an AOA conference on October 22-23.
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New report says UK airport emissions today cause about 110 early deaths per year, of which 50 are due to Heathrow.
Premature deaths from Heathrow pollution would treble by 2030 if a third runway is built, according to an academic study to be published next week. The study says that even if Heathrow does not expand, increased numbers of flights will lead to a more than doubling in the number of deaths from pollution. The research is the first to analyse the health consequences of aircraft fumes at the 20 major airports of Britain. It reveals there would be major health benefits if Heathrow operations were replaced with a new hub in the Thames estuary. This is because Heathrow is located in a busy population centre, and also as the prevailing wind in London is westerly, the pollution is blown over millions of people. The research says that, based on 2005 data, UK airports contribute to 110 early deaths each year, mostly due to lung cancer and cardiopulmonary complaints. Of those, 50 can be attributed to Heathrow alone. With a 50% growth in air travel, there would be 250 early deaths in the UK. And that is not including road vehicle pollution, just that from planes.
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September showed no increase in BAA airport passengers from September 2011, but a fall in ATMs
The September figures for BAA's airports showed no growth in passenger numbers compared to September 2011, and a fall of - 2.3% in the number of air transport movements (ATMs). At Heathrow, the number of passengers was up +0.6%, with ATMs down - 2.3%, so a slightly higher load factor. At Stansted, as usual, there was a fall in the number of passengers, down - 4% on Sept 2011. There were the falls in the number of passengers at BAA's airports of 4.1% in July and 2.0% in August. In September, at Heathrow, Brazil and China passenger numbers increased 14% and 5.9% respectively whilst traffic to and from India fell 7%.(there have been problems with Indian airlines). So the rise in China and Brazil traffic indicates there is no problem for Heathrow in processing more passengers to and from the new economies. Across BAA's airports, domestic air passengers were down -7.2%, but passengers to North America up +3.7% and to other long haul destinations up + 3.2%.
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430 jobs at risk as Thomas Cook cuts airline fleet from 35 to 31
Around 430 jobs - including pilots and cabin crew - are at risk at Thomas Cook (the UK's 2nd largest travel company) after the beleaguered tour operator revealed plans to cut its aircraft fleet to slash costs. It will cut the number of planes it operates from 35 to 31, returning 4 aircraft at the end of their lease term. The group, which was recently forced to turn to its banks for an additional £200million of loans, has scaled back the size of its own airline in the past year and entered into a partnership with easyJet. It has bases in Manchester and Gatwick. Thomas Cook’s air travel division currently employs just over 3,100 staff. They hope this will be better for the remaining 2,700 people employed. In 2011 they flew 6.8 million passengers and the number has declined by some 7% since 2007.
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ABTA 2012: Holidaymakers take fewer slightly fewer trips this year than last – but more packages
ABTA's latest Consumer Trends Survey of 2,000 holidaymakers found UK consumers are taking fewer holidays but they are increasingly likely to travel on a package booked via a high street travel agency. ABTA said the holidaymakers (not the whole UK population) took an average of 3.51 holidays this year. Compared to 3.82 last year. These Britons have taken an average of 1.4 overseas holidays and 2.11 domestic holidays in 2012, down from 1.56 and 2.26, respectively, last year. Of the holidays taken in 2012, 48% were packages compared with 42% in 2011 and 37% in 2010. According to the survey, 27% of holidays were booked on the high street compared with 25% in 2011. Conversely, the number of DIY bookings shrank from 43% in 2011 to 39% this year. ABTA said the trend towards package holidays was particularly strong amongst those aged 35 to 44 years, of whom 51% said they had booked a package in 2012 compared with just 36% in 2011. Those aged from 15-34 took more overseas trips than any other age group.
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Patrick McLoughlin says ‘We will fast-track HS2 high speed rail’
Patrick McLoughlin has told the Independent that this Government will defy "grief and hassle" from its own backbenchers and fast-track plans for HS2 between London and Birmingham. He said the project had the unequivocal backing of both David Cameron and George Osborne, and indicated that there would be no significant compromises on the published HS2 route despite vocal opposition from Tory MPs through whose constituencies the line will run. He hoped it could be completed within 5 years, but expected it to take longer - but expects to bring forward the legislation needed to start work in the next Queen's Speech (date unknown) and said he was prepared to work with Labour to get HS2 through Parliament before the 2015 election. He will also publish a route for the next stage of high-speed rail in the next few months which will eventually link London and Manchester.
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Times reports that DfT could be sued about road traffic growth forecasts that are too high
Times reports that experts believe that car use will not rise sharply again and that investors may not see the returns the DfT forecasts suggest. Pension funds and other private infrastructure investors could sue the Department for Transport if their official forecasts for long-term traffic growth fail to materialise. This comes in a warning by Prof Phil Goodwin at the annual European Transport Conference in Glasgow. The Transport Planning Society — a panel of local government representatives, consultants and academics - is calling for an urgent review of the DfT’s forecasts because they are “now so far from reality”. Some academics believe we will get to “peak car”, where car use has plateaued at a lower level than previously anticipated. The DfT’s UK figures show that miles per driver peaked in the late 1990s, levelled off in the last decade, and fell in the recession. Could this happen for pension funds and investors in new runways or expanded airports?
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Greenhouse gases rise with GDP, slower to fall in recession
Greenhouse gas emissions rise when economies expand but don't fall as quickly when recession strikes, perhaps because people stick with a higher-emitting lifestyle from the boom times. This emerges from a study in the journal Nature Climate Change. The report says emissions of CO2 rose by an average of 0.73% for every 1% growth in GDP per capita. But emissions fell just 0.43% for every 1% decline in GDP per capita, based on a review of World Bank statistics of more than 150 nations from 1960 to 2008. The reason may be because new infrastructure added during times of economic growth - new homes, roads or factories - is still used during recession. When economies decline, factories don't shut down immediately, people don't stop driving and new buildings still needed heating or air-conditioning. The world economy is expected to grow by 3.5 % in 2012, including a 0.3% contraction in the euro zone
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Daniel Moylan and his bizarre plans to fund an estuary airport by cutting Heathrow down to one runway …
Daniel Moylan, who is leading Boris Johnson's submission into the hub airport review being led by Sir Howard Davies, says he does not believe the case for a new hub rested on closing Heathrow. He outlined a scenario that saw Heathrow becoming "a smaller point-to-point airport serving the West London and Home Counties premium leisure market". With one runway. Relocation of major airlines, including BA, to the new hub would see Heathrow passenger volumes fall from 70 million to 20 million a year. Daniel Moylan says his plan would involve billions of pounds of compensation BAA, as well as airlines forcibly relocated, with industry experts believing the bill could easily reach £15bn - on top of at least £50bn for the new airport. And that funds could by generated over a 10 to 15 year transitional period by raising landing charges at Heathrow, cutting capital expenditure, and partially redeveloping Heathrow for commercial use. (It doesn't make much sense at all...)
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Some of the comments from Luton campaigners about the Policy Exchange plan for a 4 runway Luton airport
The Luton campaign group, HALE (Hertfordshire Against Luton Expansion) has commented on the remarkable proposals by the Policy Exchange, to put a 4 runway airport at Luton, if 4 runways cannot be built at Heathrow. The Policy Exchange plans are full of flaws and unimpressive failures of logic. But on Luton the failings are especially apparent, appearing as if the authors do not know the area at all. HALE points out that the area round Luton is quite hilly, and levelling out the hills is a major undertaking. The numbers affected by increased noise would be huge, and some villages would need to be destroyed. The local roads, including the M1, would not be able to cope with the passengers from a 4 runway airport, and suggestions of fast trains every 5 minutes to London would cause local problems. Not to mention issues of price of oil, future passenger number projections, carbon emissions and the myth that nobody can do business unless it involves flying.
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Policy Exchange produces report hoping to shift Heathrow a few km to the west, with 4 runways over the M25 …
The Policy Exchange, which says it is a leading think tank to deliver a stronger society and a more dynamic economy (nothing about care of the environment) have put forward a proposal to expand Heathrow, by building 4 new runways. And moving the existing two a mile or two to the west, on top of the M25. Then there would be a two more runways, one parallel to each of the shifted runways. The Policy Exchange then says that if this cannot be built, 4 runways could be be built at Luton instead. They claim around 700 properties (in Poyle) would need to be demolished compared to the 1,400 that would need to go to make way for the estuary airport, and its purpose would be to send a "much needed signal to people that Britain is open for business." They dismiss the problem of carbon emissions by presuming that all homes in the UK will be insulated, so leaving fossil fuel for transport - and that travelling is much more appealing so we can "have the money and carbon allocation to see the world." A very odd report, with some very dubious logic .....
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Boris Johnson: Estuary airport to cost taxpayer £30 billion for the road and rail links alone
It has emerged that the cost of road and rail links from his proposed Thames Estuary airport to London would be around £30 billion, over 15 years, and that would have to be paid by UK taxpayers. Boris believes a new estuary airport would cost at least another £50 billion, and that could be financed entirely by the private sector. Boris gave a speech at County Hall, to business leaders, Boris attacked the so-called “dither and delay” over formulating its aviation policy, and warned that future generations "would believe the Coalition had 'frittered away their futures' by delaying a decision until after the 2015 election. Mr Johnson’s team denied that today’s remarks were intended to steal Mr Cameron’s thunder at the Conservative party conference.However, his airport comments appear to be linked with his positioning himself within the Conservative party. He is also keen on expanding Stansted, as another alternative.
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HS2 rail line could be re-routed to Heathrow if Davies Commission goes for Heathrow expansion
The Telegraph reports that Patrick McLoughlin has signalled he could reroute the new high-speed train line towards Heathrow if the Davies Commission recommends - in 2015 - developing Heathrow. This would be welcomed by campaigners trying to protect the Chilterns. Despite strong opposition, the government continues its support for HS2. Mr McLouglin has now said that HS2 may have to be “adapted” depending on what Sir Howard Davies concludes, and said: “I hope if anything needs to be adapted we will have time to do it.” Tricky with the decision being in 2015. Aides acting for the Transport Secretary made clear that HS2’s route could be redirected towards Heathrow if necessary. If the HS2 line is rerouted towards Heathrow, it will probably go to the west of the Chilterns. The blight along the proposed route means estate agents say many properties along the line are not selling at any price even though work on the London to Birmingham stretch is not set to begin until 2018.
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Canadian researchers to carry out first test flight to use 100% jet biofuel from GM Brassica carinata
GreenAir reports that a joint initiative involving the National Research Council of Canada is working on the first-ever civil aircraft flight to use 100% unblended jet biofuel, which is under the brand name ReadiJet, A twin-engined Falcon 20 aircraft belonging to NRC will use fuel derived from Canadian-grown Brassica carinata supplied by Agrisoma Biosciences. They say this is a non-food crop which is grown on the Canadian southern Prairies. It appears that Brassica carinata is being genetically modified to produce the oils wanted for jet fuel. More than 40 commercial growers in Western Canada were contracted this year to grow over 6,000 acres (2,400ha) of the crop that will be used to create the fuel for the engine performance and emissions flight testing. In April a test flight used 1% of this fuel. They say the crop is grown on marginal ground in the brown soil zone regions of western Canada.
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Draft Aviation Policy Framework consultation. Ended 31st October 2012
What is the Aviation Policy Framework (APF)? What are the key points? Why is the APF important? Why was it important to respond to it? How various AirportWatch member organisations have responded on specific questions See responses to the APF from a range of organisations, AirportWatch members and others . . Draft Aviation Policy Framework […]
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Aviation Policy Framework – Working together
Draft Aviation Policy Framework The section on Noise and local environmental effects is Pages 72 – 80 The questions on this section are: 25. Do you think Airport Consultative Committees should play a stronger role and if so, how could this be achieved? 26. Is there a case for changing the list of airports currently […]
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Global airline profit forecast raised by IATA
IATA predicts world aviation industry will make a profit of $4.1 in 2012 compared to the $8.4 billion it made in 2011, and the $7.5 bn it expects to make in 2013. They have increased the size of the profit that the $630 billion global airline industry will make this year from its earlier estimate of $3 billion, up to $4.1 billion. The increase is due to expected efficiencies and consolidation. They are expecting the price of jet fuel to be lower next year - it has beem rising steadily for the past 4 months. IATA expects an increase in global air passengers of 4.5% in 2013 and an increase in ar cargo of 2.4% above the 2012 level, on 2.5% world economic growth. IATA say the global aviation industry makes a very tiny profit margin, of only about 0.6% for all of 2012, but rising to 1.1% profit margin in 2013. European airlines, hit particularly hard by the continuing debt crisis, were in line to make a loss of $1.2bn this year, compared to profits by North American and Asia Pacific airlines.
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Scottish pressure to get more Heathrow slots for Scotland
The director of the Highlands and Islands Transport Partnership (HITRANS) - Dave Duthie - argues that in order for there to be more flights from Heathrow to Scottish airports, market intervention to protect Scottish and regional links is necessary unless the government commits to expanding Heathrow. BA plans to retain just 2 of the 6 daily Heathrow flights operated by BMI from each of the Scottish cities in its upcoming winter schedule. Tje CAA have ring-fenced 7 of the 14 Heathrow remedy slots being sold by IAG for Edinburgh and Aberdeen, but beyond that, there is no long-term guarantee of Scotland's connectivity. The problem is that Scottish links are not as valuable to airlines as international, long haul routes, and while Heathrow slots are very expensive ($15 million and more for one pair) airlines will not choose Scottish destinations. Duthie therefore argues that slots are expensive because there is a constrained supply of them, so their high price makes Scottish routes uneconomic. (This argument seems much more simply sorted out, by allocating some slots for domestic routes, than demanding a new runway).
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Draft Aviation Policy Framework – The benefits of aviation
Draft Aviation Policy Framework The section on “The benefits of aviation” is Pages 13 – 35 The questions on this section are: 1. Do you agree with our analysis of the meaning and value of connectivity, set out in Chapter 2? 2. Do you support the proposal to extend the UK’s fifth freedom policy to […]
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Draft Aviation Policy Framework – Noise and other local environmental effects
Draft Aviation Policy Framework The section on Noise and local environmental effects is Pages 48 – 73 The many questions on this section are: 8. Do you agree that the Government should continue to designate the three largest London airports for noise management purposes? If not, please provide reasons. 9 Do you agree […]
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Draft Aviation Policy Framework – Climate Change
Draft Aviation Policy Framework The section on Climate Change is Pages 37 – 47 The only questions on this section are: 6. Do you have any further ideas on how the Government could incentivise the aviation and aerospace sectors to improve the performance of aircraft with the aim of reducing emissions? 7. Do you have […]
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Concerns raised by Richmond Heathrow Campaign over BAA’s complaints log
At its public meeting, the Richmond Heathrow Campaign heard complaints that BAA had never responded to people's queries. BAA said that from July 1, the start of the second phase of operational freedom trials, to September 26 it had received slightly more than 4,000 comments about noise. A local cuoncillor advised people to also lodge complaints with Richmond Council. Professor Ian Bruce, giving a detailed review of the trials, said the first phase had not successfully proven the benefits of reducing runway alternation, and the extension of the current 2nd phase to 9 months gave the impression that BAA was trying to experiment with a long term arrangement for the future. It is important for people to register their complaints to BAA as often as possible, because this was the only way the trials would be measured from the environmental noise perspective. John Coates from the council’s environmental team, said there was also a current breach of Heathrow’s nitrogen dioxide limits, set by the European Commission, which could expose the UK Government to a £300m fine if levels were not reduced by 2015.
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2M group of London local authorities say “Heathrow won’t stop at third runway”
The 2M Group of local authorities (that now represents some 5 million people in London) has warned that allowing Heathrow to build a 3rd runway would inevitably lead to demands for a 4th. The 2M Group is an all-party campaign alliance, which includes more than 20 councils, including Wandsworth, Richmond, Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham. They understand that the 'hub' airport model needs high volumes of short-haul 'feeder flights' to attract enough passengers to fill its long haul services. And that means that if Heathrow added more long haul routes, it would want even more feeder flights to fill the extra seats. That would lead to high peaks of demand throughout the day. leading to the airport then wanting yet further runway and terminal space. 2M warns that these pressures give hub airports an insatiable appetite for expansion. That kind of growth blights the lives of too many people.
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George Monbiot says the case for expanding UK airports is based on fallacy
"The two most common justifications for expanding airport capacity are that it makes this country more "business friendly" and that it enables a higher proportion of poorer people to fly. Both justifications turn out to be false". Monbiot picks apart the fallacy that more airport capacity and more flying are changes that our future economy depends on. Those advocating airport expansion presume that it will generate more business flights, which will benefit the economy. Actually, the number of business flights has fallen, with a 25% decline since 2000. Business travel is a mere 12% or so of UK flights, compared to some 60% on leisure trips, and some 20% visiting friends and family. For many businesses, cutting the number of flights their staff take saves money, saves time and improves performance. In 2010 some 77% of flights were taken by people in socio-economic classes A, B and C1 and that proportion has barely changed since 1999. More airport capacity will largely have the effect of enabling the richer half of society to take more leisure journeys, to spend their money abroad.
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“We don’t need another runway, we need to change our flying behaviour”
Andrew Corner, an expert on psychology and communicating climate change matters, comments that the airport capacity debate has been about where – rather than whether – UK airport capacity should be increased. Discussion of the link between a new runway or new airport and the impact of aviation on climate change has been notable by its absence. Flying has for a long time existed in its own bubble in terms of behaviour change. It is simply not reasonable, argue policy makers, to expect people to fly less. There are various findings from the recent British Social Attitudes survey - including that respondents who said they were very concerned about climate change reported flying more in the past year than those who said they were not at all concerned. The link is affluence. Even in the UK, it is the wealthy who fly the most. Many of us have already become accustomed to a lifestyle that requires regular flying, and don't seem to be in a hurry to change. We should be asking how we can reduce the need for more airport capacity, not just where to put it.
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Lyria TGV – Franco-Swiss trains declare war on air travel
The Lyria TGV line, which runs between Paris and the Swiss cities of Zurich, Geneva, Berne, Lausanne, Basel and Neuchâtel, is competing strongly with air travel for the same journeys. The time between Paris-Basel takes 3 hours 3 minutes; Paris-Geneva 3 hours 5 minutes. and according to the CEO of Lyria "... three hours is the psychological threshold to transfer to air from rail," With the convenience of no long check in times, no long waits for luggage, and no journey from the airport to the city centre, the rail journey is very attractive. The article implies the train will compete directly with flights from Paris to Basel and Paris to Geneva. Lyria is trying to attract first class passengers by offering a meal ticket, free newspapers and recruiting staff speaking French, German and English.
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Transport Minister Norman Baker urges no expansion at Gatwick
Norman Baker, MP for Lewes, has said here should be no expansion at Gatwick, but a high-speed rail connection with Heathrow – dubbed 'Heathwick' – should be looked into. He made the comment at the Lib Dem conference during the debate on the Policy Motion, “A Sustainable Future for Aviation.” Mr Baker outlined his strong commitment to ensuring that the environment does not play second fiddle to airport expansion, and underlined the Lib Dem manifesto commitments - “no” to a 3rd Heathrow runway, “no” to airport expansion in the South-east and “no” to an airport in the Thames Estuary. He said the Lib Dems "will not walk away from our commitments to the environment“ and that there is spare capacity at Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Luton and Stansted, contrary to what is often reported in the press, and using this capacity better is a priority for the short term.
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MP raises Prestwick Airport investment fears
Local MP, Brian Donohue, has complained that a lack of investment in Prestwick Airport by its New Zealand-based owner Infratil is damaging prospects of a sale and jeopardising its future. Upkeep at the airport had suffered following Infratil's decision to put it on the market in March 2012 - and there is no progress yet on selling it. Numbers of passengers and freight at Prestwick have fallen markedly in recent years. Infratil said: "The reality is that when a business is for sale, the current shareholder is unlikely to spend any more than they need to." Passengers were down 47% in 2011 compared to the peak in 2007, and freight was 71% down in 2011 compared to its peak in 2000.
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Councillors pledge to protect Plymouth Airport site
Flights from Plymouth airport stopped in July 2011. Councillors have pledged to protect Plymouth's former airport from future development by using planning powers and by lobbying the government. A company called Sutton Harbour has a 150 year lease on the site, and closed the airport in December, saying it was no longer financially viable. It has issued its "vision" for an urban centre which includes housing, shops, a primary school and nursing home, public spaces and a theatre venue. The airport site is protected until 2021. The council wants the site protected for airport use in future, and wants government intervention to prevent other use. But the council does not have money to subsidise it. A group of businesspeople called Viable believes the airport has a commercial future as an airport.
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Lib Dems resolute on no 3rd Heathrow runway and no Gatwick or Stansted runways
At the Liberal Democrats' autumn conference in Brighton, they have voted against new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted. They also voted against a Thames estuary airport. Dr Julian Huppert told members it was time for the party to set out an aviation policy which "balances the need for growth with the clear environmental threat that we face". He said we simply must not build airport capacity which would force us to miss carbon reduction targets, and that there is space at existing airports with existing infrastructure for growth in passenger numbers. Many have spare capacity, including Gatwick, Stansted, Manchester and Birmingham. We need to use existing capacity better. The would like a new hub airport however, but only if other runways are closed to make up for it, so there's no net increase in runways or total capacity. However, Nick Clegg has said he will wait to see the outcome of the Davies commission.
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Lufthansa turns to algae and municipal solid waste as sources of jet biofuel
In a long and detailed article, with customary thoroughness, Green Air examines what is happening with Lufthansa and jet biofuel. While Solena has still not announced progress on building a plant in east London to produce jet fuel from London's municipal waste for BA, it is progressing in Germany. There are plans in the Schwedt/Oder region of eastern Germany to build a Solena facility, using waste from landfills and incinerators. They hope to convert more than 520,000 tonnes of waste biomass into jet fuel, diesel fuel and electricity. Lufthansa is also looking to obtain jet fuel made from algae by Australian based Algae.Tec, which plans to grow algae in 40 ft shipping containers, using light capture arrays and light tubes, and CO2 from an industrial source - as well as water and minerals. Algae.Tec have so far opened a one-container test facility south of Sydney.
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US Senate votes to shield US airlines from EU ETS
The US Senate unanimously passed a bill on Saturday 22nd September that would shield US airlines from paying the EU ETS. The Senate approved the bill in a scramble to complete business ahead of the Nov. 6 congressional and presidential elections. The message was that the EU "cannot impose taxes on the United States." It is being spun that the ETS is a way of the EU "paying down European debt through this illegal tax" and the money should instead be"investing in creating jobs and stimulating our own economy." There was backing from both parties. The House of Representatives has passed a similar measure, and could either work out differences with the Senate's version or accept the Senate bill when Congress returns for a post-election session. The Senate bill gives the US transportation secretary authority to stop US airlines from complying with the ETS. The bill increases pressure on the ICAO to devise a global alternative to the EU ETS.
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Rival group of Morrison, NZSF and Infratil enters battle for Stansted airport
The process of the sale of Stansted is believed to have started. A team that is headed by Morrison & Co, which operates in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong, is making a bid. The team also includes the New Zealand Superannuation Fund and Infratil. The interest of Infratil in Stansted has surprised some industry observers because it is currently trying to sell its two smaller British airports – Prestwick and Manston – which have both lost Infratil a lot of money. Infratil, which runs about £2.5bn of assets, has twice written down Manston and Prestwick in the past two years, with their carrying value almost halving from £70m to £36m today. The two airports lost around £6m last year. The Morrison consortium is believed to have held early talks with Ryanair, and is in competition with Manchester Airports Group, which is in a potential deal with Australia’s Industry Funds Management. And others. The sale is complicated by the Government’s review of airport capacity in the south east, led Sir Howard Davies
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Manchester airport bosses enlist Hallé Orchestra in bid to land China flights
Manchester Airport’s wants direct flights to China, which would make sense as there are some 9,000 flights per year between Manchester and Heathrow, some for transfers to China flights from Heathrow. Direct flights would make more sense. Manchester airport is supporting the Hallé Orchestra on its first tour of China, in a bid to boost trade and increase exports from the north west. The delegation will enjoy receptions at the British Ambassador’s residence in Beijing. Local businesses are being offered the chance to join the 11-day tour – and take part in the trade mission. Companies may be eligible for government grants to help with travel costs and UK Trade & Investments will help firms to identify potential customers or partners in China and arrange meetings to set up deals. The airport wants to attract Chinese firms to its "Airport City".
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Heathrow third runway: London councils to hold local referenda
TBoris has backed local referenda across the capital to give Londoners a say on the prospect of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, and signalled he may conduct a London-wide poll on the issue in the future. He said this after Richmond announced they will hold a referendum soon to send a message to the government about the strength of feeling against Heathrow expansion. Another Tory-led council, Hillingdon, is also considering a local referendum on Heathrow. The leader of the council, Ray Puddifoot, said it was in favour of Johnson holding a London-wide poll. Boris says it is vital to knock the "foolish" idea of a third runway once and for all "because as long as business thinks that option is still alive, that is going to be the one the Treasury will continue to push." And if there was a 3rd runway, there would then be pressure for a 4th.
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Heathrow expansion referendum call by Richmond Council
Richmond Council Leader, Lord True, has said that people in Richmond are to have their say on Heathrow expansion in a referendum-style vote. The ballot would be held in May 2013, and give the borough's residents the chance to say "No" to expansion. Meanwhile, the Davies Commission on connectivity will provide an interim report to the Government no later than the end of 2013. Lord True said: "I deeply regret that the nightmare vision of Heathrow expansion that had been so wisely laid to rest by our coalition government has been resurrected. This time we must kill it off for good." He said Richmond residents were given hope, in 2010, of permanent relief from expansion - they trusted the word of those who gave that promise and it should not be broken. The leader of the opposition in Richmond questioned whether the vote would be a good use of taxpayers' money.
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Cameron likely to lose seats in constituencies affected by airport expansion
A Bloomberg article says voters affected by noise from Heathrow flights paths are likely to vote against the Conservatives at the next election, if they do not oppose expansion at Heathrow. Zac Goldsmith only won the Richmond Park district 2 years ago by 4,091 votes out of 59,268 from the Liberal Democrats. Cameron can’t afford to lose seats if he wants to retain power after the next election, scheduled for 2015. Conservative Brentford & Isleworth MP, Mary McLeod - with a majority of 2.000 - , says she was elected on the basis of no Heathrow expansion. Data from the EC and Britain’s CAA show that 725,000 people are affected by aircraft noise around Heathrow. Justine Greening's Putney constituency was held by Labour before 2005. Districts to the SE of London in Dartford, Chatham and Gillingham, all of which the Tories won from Labour in 2010, might be vulnerable if an estuary airport went ahead.
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Danny Alexander admits some of the Govt £50bn infrastructure fund could go to build Heathrow 3rd runway
Chief Secretary to the Treasury: Danny Alexander's admitted in Parliament that some of the £50 billion funding from the Infrastructure (Financial Assistance) Bill could be used for a third runway at Heathrow. This emerged as Danny Alexander laid out the details of the Bill in the Commons. He acknowledged that in principle some of the £50 billion fund intended to kick-start the UK economy could be used on a 3rd runway. He also admitted the Government was not imposing a time limit on the fund (sunset clause), leaving the door open for it to be allocated to the controversial third runway at a later date. The intention of this funding is to create 140,000 jobs in the construction industry, and would not be added to the country's borrowing figures, but the companies benefiting from loans would pay a commercial interest rate to offset the risk to the taxpayer.
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BBC: Heathrow expansion: The alternatives to a third runway
The BBC has done a short analysis on the main suggestions for adding more runway capacity in the south east of England, and include a section on not building any more. They put a couple of points in favour and against, for Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Thames Estuary, Northolt and Birmingham - though many other points are left out. However, they include a comment from Jane Thomas, a senior FoE campaigner that "There should be a moratorium on any airport expansion at all. A bigger threat to our economy and our future is climate change. We need to look at the switch from short haul flights to rail." And a comment from John Stewart (Chair of AirportWatch) that "We don't have any hard evidence yet on demand. Former Transport SecretaryJustine Greening had the right approach, 'Is extra capacity needed? How much? Then, where?' "
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‘High value’ air passengers may get fast-track passport checks
The UK Border Agency told the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee that it is working on plans for fast-track passport lanes for rich travellers at Heathrow and other British airports, to avoid such long immigration queues. "High-value" people who were considered valuable passengers by the airlines or valuable to the British economy would be given priority treatment at immigration control. Already people from "old Commonwealth" countries, who do not need a visa to enter Britain are fast-tracked. It is for the committee to decide if this happens. The UKBA said it is intended to demonstrate that Britain was "open for business" but it will be controversial and divisive. UKBA declined to give any further detail on who would qualify as a "high-value business person" but it is likely to include frequent business-class flyers.
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EasyJet strikes deal for Parliamentary air travel
A year after offering free flights to MPs returning to deal with the summer riots, easyJet has been added to the list of preferred airlines for both Houses of Parliament. A deal for one year will allow cheaper flights than flag carriers for European flights, and works through the Parliament travel management company Hillgate Travel. They will get discounts on EasyJet fares. EasyJet is increasingly marketing itself as a business airline and wants more business passengers. They say they have over 9.5 million business passengers per year. From this winter it will be offering reserved seating and has been actively selling packages to the corporate market. Ryanair has complained in the past that the European parliament uses a flight booking system that excludes budget airlines.
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Nantes airport protest at the Eiffel Tower, complete with sheep and tractor
Over the weekend, the very active and energetic protest group against a new airport at Notre Dame des Landes, near Nantes, took their protest to Paris. This coincides with an environmental conference taking place in Paris, but which will not discuss the airport issue. The protesters managed to quickly get a tractor close to the Eiffel Tower, the main symbolic image of Paris, and erect a pen for some sheep they had brought with them, which they grazed on the grass around the tower in the Champ-de-Mars. All this was watched with great interest by bemused tourists, who took loads of photos, as seeing sheep, tractor and protesters under the Eiffel Tower is not something one expects to see every day. The protest is against President Hollande's support for building the airport, and his refusal to meet them. The protest continued over night.
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New PPS to George Osborne is sister of PR executive Roland Rudd who advises BAA
Amber Rudd has been appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to George Osborne. Her brother is a very successful and influential PR man, who was ranked in March as the most powerful PR professional in the country. "This is Money" commented last year that: in 2010 he "enjoyed a £2.9 million salary. His clients include controversial commodities trader Glencore, Spanish-owned airports operator BAA, BSkyB and Vodafone." For BAA he campaigned for a third runway at Heathrow. Amber Rudd has expressed her enthusiasm about a Thames estuary airport.
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Viterbo – the 3rd Rome airport that is not going to happen
Note from a local resident in the area, involved in opposing the airport: The Viterbo committee put messages out nearly every day, countering the presumption that there will be a new Viterbo airport for Rome. The idea of Viterbo airport is a scam to keep the people of Ciampino quiet, including the mayors of two municipalities on the flight path, because it makes it look as if something is being done about the problem there, namely three times the traffic allowed for the airport. The authorities are saying "Look, we are doing something about overuse of this airport. When Viterbo airport is finished the air traffic will go there." But there isn't even a decent train line to Rome from VT and the whole operation would cost money that no govt has at the moment.
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Village of Mole Hill Green would be demolished by a 2nd Stansted runway
Simon Calder writes about prospects of another Stansted runway, which Michael O'Leary has told him "would account for all the growth you need in the South-east for 10 or 20 years." BAA withdrew a planning application for a 2nd runway shortly after the last election, but Stansted is now for sale. It a 2nd runway was built, the village of Molehill Green would be demolished. Stop Stansted Expansion says the weakening of this Government's position on runways is deplorable, but they expect the new Davies Commission to draw the same conclusion as a 1980s report, that an extra runway at Stansted would be: "An unprecedented and wholly unacceptable major environmental and visual disaster."
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Germany and the US strengthen ties to develop alternative aviation fuels with intergovernmental agreement
The German Aviation Initiative for Renewable Energy in Germany (aireg) and the American Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), have signed an agreement to co-operate on developing biofuels for aviation. Aireg wants biofuel making up 10% of aviation fuel in Germany by 2015. They both want government help in getting aviation biofuel started, and scaling it up commercially. They want harmonisation of standards between Europe and the USA until a global standard could be agreed. They want government to ensure that biomass and biofuels are available for use by airlines. They say “Governments need to ensure policies and incentives are in place and venture capital is available for financing research and infrastructure towards the transition to large-scale production. And they talk about jobs and growth, from bio jet fuels. No specific feed stock is mentioned.
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You-Gov poll shows huge majority believe airport expansion would cause environmental damage
A YouGov-Cambridge forum poll of voters has shown that 34% believed a new Heathrow runway would help trade, while 34% were more concerned by the potential damage of noise and carbon emissions. By a two-to-one margin of 50% to 25%, Conservatives emphasise the economic gains over the environmental damage. By contrast, Labour voters are slightly more inclined to take the environmental perspective – by a 35%-33% margin – as are Liberal Democrats more emphatically, by 45% to 34%. Of Conservatives, 63% believe airport expansion will cause a great deal or a fair amount of damage, which is less than the 72% of Lib Dems. New coal power stations are rated as the most damaging, with a score of 48% and expanding Heathrow comes close behind with a score of 43%.
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Objections to plans for a 3rd runway at Vienna airport
Vienna airport has plans for a third runway, saying it is necessary due to increasing numbers of passengers etc. In July a consultation process started, on the environmental impact assessment. This has now closed, and there have been at least 25 appeals sent in. The second phase of the decision process will be handled by the Department of the Environment. Realistically, a final decision on the runway will not happen before 2014/15. Expansion opponents fear that their objections will not be listened to. A spokesman for the initiative opposing the runway plans said a few weeks ago that the construction of the road is already a foregone conclusion. The airport's dialogue forum says residents groups are happy that more stringent noise and night flight regulations had been incorporated than provided by law.
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Why is the allegedly responsible, green, Co-op sponsoring the anti-APD campaign?
The Co-op's travel company, Co-operative Travel, which last year merged with Thomas Cook, is backing the campaign against Air Passenger Duty. The Co-op prides itself on being ethical, and states that "Our pioneering involvement in Fairtrade and combating climate change reflects the values of our members and their desire to build a better future for themselves, their families, their communities and the wider world." But not, apparently, when it comes to its Travel company. On learning of the Co-op's support for the anti-APD campaign, Cait Hewitt from the Aviation Environment Federation said: "It's extraordinary that it seems the Co-op is using their customers' money to support industry lobbying to cut aviation taxes". John Stewart commented: "The involvement of Co-operative Travel with this campaign badly tarnishes its claim to be green and ethical. Many of its members will be shocked at its decision to join this alliance." The Co-op could do with some complaints about this double standard.
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Hambleton Council condemned by Ombudsman for failure of planning administration
In April this year Hambleton Council was condemned by the Local Government Ombudsman for maladministration. They said the council had committed “an extreme and most serious failure of planning administration”, after it failed to monitor planning conditions at Bagby Airfield (put in place to protect local residents) for so long that it has now lost the power to intervene against longstanding unauthorised use. The airfield has been operating in contravention of its planning permission for several years but the council missed opportunities to take action. As a result the unauthorised use became immune from enforcement action. Outside of the biggest South East airports, planning conditions are the only way in which the environmental impacts of airports and airfields are regulated.
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Commons Transport Committee set up inquiry to scrutinise the Government’s aviation strategy
The Transport Committee has published the terms of reference for a new inquiry that will examine the Government's aviation strategy and will focus on aviation capacity in the UK. The Davies Commission will not produce its final report until 2015. Louise Ellman, the Transport Committee's Chair, said she believed a strategy for aviation capacity should not be delayed further. She is inviting the public to submit their views, by 19th October. Her committee aims to influence the Government during the policy development process "with sensible but challenging recommendations and to make sure that aviation policy stays high on the political agenda." The Committee will look at connectivity, economic impacts, APD, making best use of existing airport capacity, noise and carbon emissions.And "Do we need a step-change in UK aviation capacity? Why?"
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Airbus tries to get inclusion of aviation in ETS suspended. EU confirms no change.
There have been press stories suggesting that European officials backing Airbus are recommending the suspension of ETS in order to avert a trade war with major economic powers such as China and the USA. China and India do not allow their airlines to participate in the ETS because the charge is for the whole flight distance, not just the section over Europe. Beijing has blocked purchases of European aircraft (Airbus) by its carriers, so Airbus is unhappy about losing its fastest-growing market and is putting strong pressure on the EU as they may lose plane sales. Those backing Airbus want a "solution" before April 2013, but the matter is not due to be dealt with by ICAO till September 2013. Connie Hedegaard has confirmed that there are "no changes in EU and member states approach on the ETS and aviation" and this is just pressure from Airbus. The EU has repeatedly said it won’t give up its pollution curbs on airlines.
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Airbus and Boeing collaborating with Chinese on aviation biofuels – using “gutter oil”
Airbus has joined forces with China’s Tsinghua University to promote the production and use of aviation biofuel in China. They will look at a wide range of feedstocks, including used cooking oil, that might (?) otherwise be wasted, and also algae. The full sustainability analysis should be completed by the beginning of 2013. It hopes to produce useful quantities of aviation fuel for commercial use. In August, Boeing and Commercial Aircraft Corp of China (COMAC) opened a joint technology center in Beijing dedicated to aviation fuel and emissions. They say China annually consumes approximately 29 million tons of cooking oil, while its aviation system uses 20 million tons of jet fuel. There is a lot of dirty "gutter oil" from restaurants, which has been illicitly re-used in food. There are forecasts that passenger traffic in China will surpass 300 million this year and will reach 1.5 billion passengers by 2030.
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‘Olympics effect’ sees passenger numbers fall at Heathrow and Stansted in August
Passengers at BAA's London airports, Heathrow and Stansted fell in both August and in July, due largely to the Olympics. Heathrow passengers were down, compared to August 2011, by - 1.9% (with ATMs down -0.3%) and Stansted passengers were down - 5.2%, (with ATMs down -4.4%). In July Heathrow passengers were down, compared to July 2011, by - 4.4% and at Stansted by - 5.3%. In August, passengers were up slightly at its Scottish airports, Glasgow and Aberdeen. BAA said it did not expect to make up the shortfall this year. Gatwick, which only hosted a minority of Olympic arrivals, saw marginal growth of + 0.2%. Virgin Trains has also reported that Olympic revenues were far below the forecasts.
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Commons Transport Committee shortly to hold inquiry into airport capacity – to report by summer 2013
The Commons' Transport Committee will launch a major inquiry into aviation tomorrow - 13th September - pre-empting the interim results of the Government’s independent Davies Commission report on UK airports - which are expected by the end of 2013. The transport select committee is likely to reach a conclusion in 6 -9 months, so by early next year, on whether there is a need for more capacity, or as the Standard puts it " on where a major London hub airport should be sited." Boris will be invited to give evidence to the committee, as will Government ministers, airline chiefs, environmentalists and campaigners against airport expansion. The inquiry will also examine regional airports, passenger experience and APD.
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Floating runways scheme proposed for a Thames estuary airport – by Gensler
Another week. Another dotty airport scheme announced by the Standard. It reports that there are new plans for a floating airport in the Thames Estuary by a "major global architecture firm," Gensler (from USA). Calling itself London Britannia Airport, it includes 4 floating runways tethered to the sea bed. Gensier says these could be floated in as required - allowing for future expansion to accommodate 6 runways, with several terminals on land, one in east London between Canary Wharf and the Olympic Park, and there would be high speed rail links. The Standard says Gensler have built airports elsewhere in the world, but it appears it is only now in the process of building terminals at Seoul and Denver airports. Mr Mulcahey from Gensler said: “It absolutely could be done. It’s all fairly standard technology and marine engineering is what we’re good at in Britain." Heathrow would become an eco-city.
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Competition Commission could foil Ryanair plan for Stansted stake
The Competition Commission will stamp down on Ryanair's bid to take a 24.9 % stake in any consortium that buys Stansted airport. Any more than this would definitely cause problems with regulators especially after the airline's attempts to take over Aer Lingus. Ryanair believes that by investing in the group that eventually purchases Stansted, its interests will be better served as Ryanair is Stansted's main tenant - operating 41 planes there. The Competition Commission has suggested in the past that resident airlines could own no more than a tiny slice – perhaps 5 or 10% of the airport, so that it cannot make decisions on how the airport is run which would hurt competitor airlines. Michael O'Leary has been saying Stansted has permission for a 2nd runway. It does not. The application was withdrawn.
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