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Summaries of, and links to, the latest aviation news stories appear below. News is archived into topics
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:
BAA says Stansted airport will rebound when UK economy recovers
BAA says it believes struggling Stansted will rebound strongly when the UK economy recovers. Stansted passenger numbers have continued to decline this year and Colin Matthews said Stansted would struggle "as long as the UK consumer is not confident". But "It's the only London airport with significant capacity to grow so when the UK consumer is confident again, we'll see growth quicker there than anywhere else." Stansted passengers have been down each month this year by between -2.5% and - 6.6% compared to the same month last year. Passenger numbers were down 24% in 2011, compared to the peak in 2007.
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BAA finally runs out of runway at Stansted and loses Appeal Court legal challenge
BAA lost its latest challenge today against a decision forcing it to sell Stansted. The appeal by the Spanish-owned company was rejected by three Court of Appeal judges in London. In 2009 the Competition Commission ruled that BAA must sell Stansted and two of its other UK airports, and BAA has since mounted a series of unsuccessful legal challenges against the decision. Earlier this year BAA lost an appeal before the Competition Appeal Tribunal. A BAA spokesperson said: "We are disappointed that the Court of Appeal has ruled in favour of the Competition Commission. We will now consider its judgement carefully and we intend to submit an appeal to the Supreme Court."
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EU moves to shore up price of carbon permits in the ETS
The EU has moved to shore up the faltering price of CO2 emissions in the ETS as current low price is failing to encourage companies to reduce their greenhouse gas output. However, the changes are relatively minor, too minor to do much good, resulting in changes in the timings of auctions of carbon permits, rather than the large-scale reforms that campaigners and green businesses had urged. The current carbon price is about €7 (£5.40) per tonne of carbon, which is well below the price of €25-40 per tonne that analysts say is needed to encourage companies to change their behaviour. The price is so low due to the recession and lelss economic activity in the EU so there is a glut of excess permits.Some companies will be able to avoid paying for carbon for years to come. Sandbag says that 2.2bn allowances need to be removed to restore the scarcity envisaged before the recession.
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Easyjet sees dip in demand over Olympics dates
Easyjet has seen a fall in demand for flights into airports around London during the Olympics – particularly from inbound business travellers. EasyJet sales are down for both inbound business and leisure customers to airports in the south-east. But forward bookings “show a recovery” after the games end on August 12. Despite the slowdown over the Olympics, Easyjet said it expected to make a pre-tax profit of between £280 million and £300 million for its financial year ending in September – better than city analysts’ forecasts of £272 million and last year’s profit of £248 million. The airline is set to benefit from lower fuel prices. Meanwhile Ryanair is offering some cheap tickets, if Irish or British athletes win medals - presumably to boost their passenger numbers after the Games too. BA seems to have done well out of the Olympics - hence their rather cynical "Home Advantage" campaign.
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Lydd Airport: Nuclear regulator forced to review aircraft crash risk
The nuclear regulator, the Office for Nuclear Regulation, acknowledges that if a large aircraft were to accidentally crash onto the Dungeness nuclear site it has the potential to cause its most severe 'Target 9' accident, killing more than 100 people. Over the last 5 years its rationale for not objecting to the proposed expansion of nearby Lydd Airport is an assertion that the probability of such an accident is low enough to be ignored. This is despite the development introducing larger, heavier planes than the small aircraft which operate from Lydd today. Finally, the ONR now admits that it may have “got it wrong”. As a result it has decided to set up a technical advisory panel to take a grass roots review of the model as well as consider a proposal to introduce a minimum separation policy as the only robust way of managing this large scale accident risk.
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The cynicism of BA’s apparent patriotism and self sacrifice in its Olympic sponsorship publicity
The British Airways advertising campaign, launched in June, to promote the Olympics was a bit mysterious. Its slogan was "Don't fly. Support Team GB". BA is official airline partner of the London 2012 Games, Team GB and ParalympicsGB and it is sponsoring the games to some huge financial extent. But why a campaign asking Brits to stay at home during the summer, and not fly? Surely this must be admirably self sacrificing, and public spirited? Not a bit of it. Just a cynical use of manipulation of people's sense of patriotism. They are only asking that flights and holidays with BA are postponed to a later date, as they are already full over the summer with Olympic travellers. So this is just to get more travellers. And now there is a new scheme to get more long haul passengers after the Games, by giving cash returns if travellers back a certain athlete and they win a medal. They are now pushing the Caribbean hard for this autumn. So cynical.
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Ryanair claims it is cutting flights to Spain due to airport tax – actually not that at all.
Ryanair has become the latest budget airline to axe flights to Spain. It says this is due to the recent doubling of Spanish airport taxes. EasyJet announced last week that it was closing its Madrid base and cutting the number of flights to Spain by 7% this winter, and says this is due to the higher charges. In practice, this has very little if anything to do with APD, it is purely a commercial decision. Ryanair always cut back on flights during the Winter. They have recognised demand is soft and demand to fly to countries in financial and political difficulty is softer than most so are cutting back there. They always find an excuse to have a pop at APD as they hate passenger's money going to anyone other than Ryanair.
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GACC welcomes the low priority given to a new runway in the Gatwick master plan
GACC, the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign, has commented on the Gatwick Airport Master Plan that was published last week. They welcome the assurance given by the Gatwick CEO, Stewart Wingate, that "Gatwick Airport is not actively pursuing, promoting or lobbying for a 2nd runway". However, GIP, the major shareholder in Gatwick, wants to sell its shares in around 2018 and the prospect of a new runway would improve the price. GACC reiterates that there is no space for an efficient new runway (as the master plan admits) and it is doubtful if a new runway would prove profitable. GACC chairman, Brendon Sewill, said: "If any new runway ever became a serious possibility, there would be massive opposition from across Surrey, Sussex and Kent." GACC have also rubbished the economic figures in the master plan, with its hugely exaggerated jobs claims, and inaccurate and inflated figures of alleged economic benefit.
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China to build 82 new airports and expand 101 existing ones by 2015 – whether needed or not
The director of the Civil Aviation Administration of China, has announced his country will build 82 new airports and expand 101 existing ones during the current five-year plan, , which ends in 2015. By then, China will have 230 airports, up from the current 182. The number was 175 in 2011. In 2011 some 130 of China's 175 airports lost money but Beijing will support them to boost local economic growth. At the end of 2006, the number of Chinese airports was 147, and it was expected that there would be 192 airports by 2010. That rate of airport building appears not to have happened.
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Debt fears by North Tyneside Council mean no loan for Newcastle Airport
North Tyneside Council have opted not to follow the region’s other local authorities in making a loan to Newcastle Airport, which is the North East’s biggest airport. The airport needs to refinance its near £300m debt. Seven local authorities in the North East own 51% of the shares in the airport and 3 of them have agreed the size of their contributions. But North Tyneside has said it is not willing to incur additional debt at a time when local authorities are being asked to make huge budget cuts. The other 6 will have to make higher contributions and hope they will get higher pay-outs in due course, if the airport gets back into being profitable. The other 49% is owned by Copenhagen Airports, which is looking to sell its stake. Annual passenger numbers using Newcastle Airport in 2011 were 4.3 million, compared to 5.6 million at their peak in 2007.
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Kehoe welcomes delay in announcing airports strategy
Birmingham Airport has welcomed the delay to the publication of the Government’s future strategy on aviation. It believes that the decision to push it back until the end of the year suggests the Government is taking the matter seriously and will be consulting more widely. Paul Kehoe said: “Birmingham Airport called for a proper debate on aviation and the delay shows that the Government has listened. “For too long, aviation strategy has been determined by narrow self-interest, and the very important needs of London and the South East have been conflated with the wider national interest. Now we all have the time to come up with a strategy which will benefit the whole of the UK.” Meaning Birmingham.
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Comment on the government aviation consultation from RSPB, Stop Stansted Expansion and AirportWatch
There have been several comments from environmental groups to the government aviation policy consultation. Below are those from RSPB, from AirportWatch, and from Stop Stansted Expansion. The RSPB said “The government has also delayed consultation on the economic arguments for a hub airport until later this year, and in doing so has harmfully segregated the debate. We cannot consider the economic arguments for expansion and specific hub proposals without taking into account the environmental impacts such as noise, pollution and climate change. We need a bold new vision for the UK’s wider transport strategy. Instead of thinking about aviation expansion, the government should be investing much more in improving the UK’s surface transport network, in new technologies for efficient and electric vehicles, and in using existing airport capacity better.”
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AirportWatch’s initial comments on the Government’s Aviation document
This is an initial comment, after a quick reading of the government's aviation policy consultation document. John Stewart comments that the consultation is still a document which envisages a lot of growth in air travel. Whether that level of growth is compatible with climate change and noise concerns is highly debatable. But the consultation document is more honest than we have seen from previous governments. It recognises that there is a tourism deficit, due to air travel, and that the UK is already about the best connected country in the world, contrary to the aviation industry's spin. It also recognises that landing slots need to be sorted out, as they are a major hindrance to efficient use of airport capacity. However, the document is weak on climate.
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MP Kwasi Kwarteng’s Heathrow report suggests Stanwell runway – in his own constituency
The lives of thousands of residents’ would be blighted if the Spelthorne MP’s plan to demolish parts of Stanwell to build a 4th runway at Heathrow go ahead, say those living under the threat of airport expansion. The report, co-written by MP Kwasi Kwarteng, advocates two more runways for Heathrow Airport, one on the traditional site of Sipson, to the north, and the other in his own constituency to the south. This has led to opponents labelling the proposals "political suicide". Geraldine Nicholson is chairman of the No Third Runway Action Group explained that residents in Spelthorne could expect blighted lives, broken down communities and death to the soul of their towns, if the plans were taken seriously. Like Sipson, which has suffered from years of blight, and dismantling of the community, from threats of a 3rd runway. It is astonishing for an MP to want to ruin a large part of his own constituency.
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Jumbo row over Leeds Bradford Airport policing hits new heights
The government has been forced to step into a row over who should pay for policing Leeds-Bradford Airport. Justine Greening will rule on the issue after police and airport bosses failed to reach agreement despite months of talks. Under the 2009 Police and Crime Act, parliament said airport operators should pay for specific policing costs caused by their activities. West Yorkshire Police last night refused to comment on the current level of policing at the airport, how much it costs or whether it is adequate.
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DfT consultation on its Draft Aviation Policy Framework
The consultation on the government's Draft Aviation Policy Framework is now available on the DfT's website. The DfT says it "sets out the Government’s high level policy and seeks responses to questions on the benefits of aviation, aviation’s climate change impacts, noise and other local environmental impacts, how the diverse interests in the aviation debate can work together and the how aviation and the planning regime interact." The consultation period runs until 31 October. The main document, 98 pages, is at Draft Aviation Policy Framework The consultation document has 23 pages on the benefits of aviation to the UK, and 12 pages on its climate change impacts. It does have 24 pages on noise and other environmental impacts.
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Birmingham FoE: New aviation policy must consider people and the planet
With the release of today's Draft Aviation Policy Framework, Birmingham Friends of the Earth say environmental campaigners have been quick to remind the government of its promises. Having been elected on a platform with a commitment to build new aviation policy around climate change and quality of life considerations, the coalition should now deliver on this. With no check on the present rapid growth of air travel, the UK’s goal to cut its total carbon emissions by 80% by 2050 is not likely to be achieved, according to Birmingham FoE. It is also important that the government endorses the April 2012 recommendation from the Committee on Climate Change that emissions from aviation must return to 2005 levels by 2050. Birmingham Airport is campaigning hard for ever more passengers and it is essential that regional airports play their role within environmental limits.
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Peter Mandelson, in the Times, says Heathrow decision needs an independent panel
Peter Mandelson says Heathrow can be massively expanded even with Committee on Climate Change carbon targets, and "more flights need not be at the expense of tackling climate change." He says "politics and the search for partisan advantage make decisions about big infrastructure projects difficult. Local communities and pressure groups usually oppose them. The economic benefits of new developments are long-term and spread widely, while the drawbacks are more immediate and tangible for those affected." And "ministers should take the ultimate decision with due accountability to Parliament and the public." But "My proposal would be for the parties to hand the issue to an independent panel of wise people which, working to a clear timetable, would assess the evidence and recommend the best approach."
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Nantes: success of the European Forum against GPII (Useless Imposed Major Projects)
Several thousand people in western France have held a 5 day meeting at Nantes, against GPII (les Grands Projets Inutiles Imposés). People came from other countries, to share their struggle against huge infrastucture projects such as the plans for a huge new airport for Nantes, at Notre Dame des Landes - a fertile farming area. They regard these large projects as unnecessary, wasteful of public funds and socially unjust, undermine local culture, and are environmentally destructive or dangerous. They also fear such huge schemes exclude people from decision making. Most of these projects take up farming land, making it less likely an area can have food sovereignty.
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Airport capacity consultation delayed by coalition tension – main policy consultation to be published today
The government will today publish its consultation on future UK aviation policy, covering noise, night flights, carbon emissions, air quality and regional airports. The more controversial part, on expanding south east airport capacity, with perhaps a new runway, or runways, has been so contentious, and caused such internal difficulties for the coalition government, that it will be postponed till an unknown date in the autumn. The line the industry and the media are all taking on the news is to bemoan the delay in dealing with the south east because expansion is, allegedly, so important to business. The media are also disappointed that for them the “sexy” part of the consultation has been delayed, particularly as many of them are under the impression that the Government will name airports, which is unlikely. The delay to the second part of the consultation is not a huge problem, but the current consultation is absolutely key, because it is the basic document which will set overall policy; if and where expansion is needed (the second paper) will fall within that framework.
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Government scraps NATS air traffic control sale plans
The Government has scrapped plans to sell its 49% stake in NATS. Transport Secretary Justine Greening said it was best for taxpayers, travellers and Nats if the Government retained its shareholding. The decision was welcomed by the Prospect union, which represents more than 3,000 air traffic controllers. But Prospect said "all eyes would now turn" on the Airline Group - a body of seven airlines including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic - which owns 42% of Nats. The Germany's state-controlled air traffic control body, Deutsche Flugsicherung, has been keen to buy this 42%. The Government can see that the strategic importance of Nats to the UK
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The Times says the aviation policy consultation to be published on 12th July, but capacity consultation delayed till autumn
The Times reports that part of the aviation policy consultation will be published tomorrow but that the call for evidence on airport expansion will be delayed until September. The consultation released on 12th July will be restricted to proposals on emissions, night flights, noise levels and regional airports. Justine Greening is expected to announce, tomorrow, that the Government is ready to listen to arguments on expanding Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, or building a new hub airport in the Thames estuary — but not yet. The delay is due to the internal political problems the coalition has on the airport issue, which it is finding hard to resolve. It is speculated that the Tory MPs keen on a 3rd Heathrow runway see the delay as evidence that the Government is coming round to accepting their case - in spite of Justine Greening's firm opposition.
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IAG to sell bonds backed by airport slots to pay for BMI purchase
IAG, the owner of BA plans to raise money from the bond market, using up to 31 of its lucrative Heathrow slots as security. It wants up to £250 million. This is to pay for the BMI acquisition. The bonds will be offered by British Airways Limited, whose assets include up to 31 daily slot pairs at Heathrow, and half of the joint venture route it runs between London City airport and New York JFK airport. It has not yet announcing the timing and terms of the offer. Secondary trading of Heathrow slots has happened for some time but the European Commission only sanctioned it this year, opening the door for European airlines to diversify their debt funding.
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Richard Branson welcomes Heathrow four runways idea … with reservations
Branson has welcomed the idea of four runways at Heathrow airport but admitted there would be "casualties", adding that the government needed to be brave and take a decision in the national interest. He said he did not know if Monday's calls by the Free Enterprise Group of Tory MPs for two more runways were realistic, and "We need more capacity, and if an airport review really takes into account the needs of Britain, it's quite likely the review will say you need a couple more runways at least." He seems to be making out that if Heathrow does not get another runway or two, people will lose their jobs anyway, so it does not matter if some lose their homes etc now. Chilling and depressing stuff. Amazing that in some circles the man is regarded as environmentally aware. Talk about self interest. The man is a menace.
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Massive “Save The Planet” and “STOP” human frescoes by Nantes protesters against “grands projets inutiles imposés”
The airport campaigners at Nantes have produced a spectacular visual image, created by hundreds of people in a green field. Their message, in English this time, to get to a wider audience than only France, reads "Save The Planet" and "STOP!" They are opposing not only the unnecessary and highly damaging airport planned for Notre Dame des Landes, but have joined with other campaigners from other parts of Europe opposing other bits of, what they call "grands projets inutiles imposés" (useless imposed mega-projects), which they describe as "white elephants". Some of these are HS2 in England; a rail line in Stuttgart; and the Lyon-Turin TGV in Italy. Susan George, attending the protest, said these bits of infrastructure were damaging and costly for communities, and there are better things to do.
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Boris will fight plans for Heathrow mixed mode with “all powers available”
Boris Johnson has attacked the Government’s “half-baked” aviation policy as he warned that ministers are preparing to announce plans for 1,000 extra flights a week at Heathrow by their plans to allow mixed mode. He said mixed mode is “a noisy and smelly intellectual cul-de-sac”. It could allow up to 60,000 more flights per year. The Standard reports that risking a huge row with the Government, Boris says he will oppose plans for these increased flights with “all powers available” on grounds of air pollution and noise. The DfT has so far ruled out mixed mode at Heathrow but it is believed the scheme will now be re-visited in the Government’s forthcoming aviation white paper. A senior Tory source today said the Government is now willing to press ahead with plans for mixed mode operation as a “short-term” solution.
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Plans for Council decision on redevelopment of Carlisle airport delayed again – till August
Carlisle City councillors have deferred a decision on Stobart’s planning application for a 394,000sq ft freight distribution centre and to resurface the runway. They will hold further consultations before the plans come back before councillors, probably on August 3. Gordon Brown, the farmer whose application for judicial review led the Court of Appeal to quash a previous airport consent, argues that the latest scheme should also have been thrown out. The application was originally submitted over a year ago, and was due to be refused in July 2012, when Stobart asked for a delay so they could challenge arguments against the plans. Now Stobart chief executive Andrew Tinkler says he is frustrated by this delay, and threatens loss jobs etc if his plans are refused.
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Foster’s estuary airport plan funding depends largely on Heathrow landing charges, and closing Heathrow
The FT writes that, needing some £50 million (or more) Lord Foster and his team have devised a funding model they claim would avoid any significant increase in the landing charges currently paid by airlines at Heathrow - which the airlines are deeply against. However, this funding model would hinge on the support of the government and regulators, plus the co-operation of Ferrovial/BAA. Foster thinks £33 billion is needed for the airport, and they could get £10 billion from closing and redeveloping Heathrow. Then they could get £4bn from the development of land around the new estuary airport for facilities needed to support it. And £8bn from the landing charges levied on airlines using Heathrow between 2018 and 2028. A further £11bn would be raised through landing charges levied at the new airport during the decade after its opening, which is earmarked for 2028. Most of the money would come from Heathrow landing charges, and this problem could be overcome by giving the Ferrovial-led consortium the opportunity to take a controlling equity stake in the estuary airport.
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Future oil supplies, peak oil, oil from shale, EROEI, oil prices etc
There is a lot of discussion in parts of the media about the existence of peak oil, whether oil from fracking shale will delay the peak for long, whether non-conventional forms of oil can keep a modern industrial society going for decades, and what changes are likely to oil prices in coming decades. In practice, there is a lot of conjecture, with different points of view and no future certainty. But it is worth looking at various articles on the subject. Here are a few that may be of interest - a very incomplete list though.
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MPs ‘fighting the tide of history’ in proposing two more runways for Heathrow
Campaign group HACAN, representing residents under the Heathrow flight paths, has claimed the group of MPs who are proposing a third and fourth runway at Heathrow are ‘fighting the tide of history’. The Free Enterprise Group - Tory MPs - are pushing for this, as part of their package to stimulate the economy. Their report is co-authored by Spelthorne MP Kwasi Kwarteng, and it was published earlier this year. HACAN says all the political parties have recognized the difficulty of expanding Heathrow and are officially opposed to a third runway.” John Stewart added, “The irony is that, if a fourth runway ever saw the light of day, it would be built south of the existing airport, straight through Kwasi Kwarteng’s Spelthorne constituency.” Positioned where it is, to the west of London, already some 725,000 people live under Heathrow's flight paths. That's with just two runways.
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Free Enterprise Group of Tories now want not only a 3rd Heathrow runway, but a 4th too. By demolishing 4 villages.
This gets dottier by the day. The group of free enterprise advocate Tory MPs, called the Free Enterprise Group, is to publish a new report, which calls for .... wait for it .... not only a 3rd Heathrow runway, but also a 4th. Some members of the Free Enterprise Group are close to George Osborne, with Sajid Javid MP one of his ministerial aides. The Sunday Telegraph says the private sector has suggested that it would finance a third runway. The Free Enterprise Group’s paper suggests a 3rd runway could be built to the south and west of the airport on the town of Bedfont and Stanwell, a town with a population of 12,000. It is striking that many of the Tory MPs proposing this have constituencies near here. One of their members, Kwasi Kwarteng, MP for Spelthorne, was good enough to comment that "it was vital that residents were compensated for the loss of their homes" and “Even if you gave every resident £500,000 it would still be cheaper than Boris Island.” Meanwhile, Heathrow continues to use its valuable slots for flights to leisure destinations.
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Luton councillor and Luton airport senior director fail to attend local community meeting
Luton Airport operators and owners failed to show up at a meeting at a local village close to Luton's runway. More than 80 residents from local towns and villages met to engage in dialogue with them about plans to expand the airport. Robin Harris, who is a Luton Borough Council councillor, and Neil Thompson is Operations Director, at Luton Airport, were meant to attend. The campaign group, HALE (Hertfordshire Against Luton Expansion) said that though the airport and the council say they want to consult with people about their views, the empty chairs show there is no real commitment to listen to what people are saying about their proposals to expand the number of passengers to 16 million per year.
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Tourists to Spain face extra airport tax
Spain has increased the amount of departure tax it charges. The increase will be, on average, only perhaps 20% above the current level, but from the largest Spanish airports, it will be almost doubled. This will mean a rise of some €5 to €9 or so. The tax is charged to the airline, and they can choose whether to pass it on to the passengers - Ryanair certainly will get its passengers to pay. The tax is applied "retrospectively to customers who booked flights before 2 July 2012 and are travelling from 1 July onwards. Spain is implementing drastic measures to try to slash its budget deficit to 5.3% from 8.5% in 2011.
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Opponents hit back on industry campaign to stop increases in Air Passenger Duty
AirportWatch has hit back at the aviation industry’s A Fair Tax on Flying campaign with its own Fair Tax on Flying campaign – suggesting that the £8 billion plus tax subsidy the aviation industry already enjoys must be reconsidered. The industry is lobbying for no further rises in Air Passenger Duty. Next week Virgin is expected to spearhead a new assault on APD. Public awareness is needed to counter the industry’s suggestions that APD is “unfair” and “too high” when the aviation industry is benefiting from tax breaks through paying no VAT or fuel duty, at a time when the Coalition Government is having to make drastic cuts to public services, to save money. The airline lobby's new A Fair Tax on Flying website highlights ‘key facts’ convenient to their cause and glosses over others. AirportWatch shares the view of the industry campaign that there should be a "comprehensive study into the full economic effects of aviation tax in the UK" which the industry is calling for. The tax does indeed need to be fair.
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Evening Standard: Let the many decide airports, not the few
(By Andrew Neather). Another day, another solution to London’s supposed airports crisis. This time Lord Sugar is talking up more flights at Stansted. Last month the Mayor called for a 2nd runway there. Whichever the solution — expansion at Heathrow, Stansted, Gatwick or a new airport — the industry’s lobbyists are in overdrive. Apparently we’re about to become a backwater sleepier than Budleigh Salterton unless we build a 3rd Heathrow runway immediately. Perhaps a bigger Stansted’s the answer. The industry’s projections are based on essentially unlimited oil supplies and ignoring other realities. We need to hope Justine Greening's decision on airport expansion reflects the wishes of London’s voters — not those of a small and well-funded industry lobby.
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19% fall in the number of employees of airlines over past decade, as passengers increased 21%
CAA data show that in 2001, airlines in the UK employed 78,309 staff - with 19.8% part time. By 2006, they employed 72,797 staff - with 21.6% part time. And in 2011 they employed 62,794 staff - with 29.6% part time (under 30 hours per week). So the number of staff has fallen by 19% over the decade from 2001 to 2011, and in that time, the number of full time staff has fallen by 30%. In the decade from 2001 to 2011, the number of passengers using UK airports rose 21% (it was higher from 2005 -8 than now). This shows how much the airlines have increased productivity per worker, and how jobs are not rising in line with passengers. An increasing proportion are also part time.
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El Al flight makes emergency landing in U.K. after mid-air engine fire
An El Al Boeing 747-400 flight with a fire in one of its 4 engines had to make an emergency landing at Heathrow yesterday. The fire developed shortly after taking off from London for Tel Aviv, and had 411 people on board. The plane landed without incident, though flames could be seen coming from one engine. If the wind was westerly, (it probably was at the time) the plane would have limped back to Heathrow on a flight path over London. Strange that apparently this story has been reported all over the world, but not in the London media.
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South East MP clash over Thames Estuary airport plans
Proposals to build an airport in the Thames Estuary airport were called both "preposterous" and essential in a debate between two South East MPs. During a parliamentary debate, MP Mark Reckless said plans by Boris for an estuary airport were outdated and proposterous, and "I think there's a very strong case for Gatwick". I think many regional airports can help with the load. MP Jo Johnnson (Boris's brother) predictably backed Boris in saying more capacity was needed, and a large new hub - pushing the usual line about the need for connections to "11 cities in mainland China that are expected to be among the 25 biggest cities in the world by 2025 and that only a hub airport can deliver that sort of connectivity?"
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EU faces prolonged wait for a global resolution in aviation ETS row
A global resolution to Europe’s battle with China and other countries over curbing aviation emissions is unlikely before October 2013, risking growing pressure from domestic airlines and trade partners. Senior EU officials say they will not retreat from enforcing obligations under the ETS, and a decision is expected shortly on how the EU will respond to defiant Chinese and Indian airlines that failed to meet a 31 March deadline. Officials say that an ICAO draft plan is not likely until March 2013 and that the full ICAO council – representing the international body’s 191 member states – would then not consider it until a meeting due in October 2013 - or if no decision is made, it could be 2016 before a resolution would be considered again.
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Rich and famous etc get to Olympics by private jet, then by helicopter to Battersea Heliport
As the Olympic and Paralympic games get under way later this month, armies of wealthy, powerful or famous people will be flocking to London, only to find they will have to rub shoulders with the great masses.So Battersea heliport is going to be making money out of the desire of the posh to travel in helicopters. Not only will the famous, the heads of state, and the rich be arriving by private jets at small airports near London, such as Farnborough, Oxford, or Biggin Hill, they are then to be rushed from there by helicopter to heliport. The helicopters on offer are luxurious affairs, some with fewer seats than some large cars, others much larger. Making matters more complex for the helicopters, however, is the way much of the airspace will be closed for non-essential travel while the games are on. There will still be a lot of extra helicopter noise, to be suffered by the many, during the Olympics, for the privileged travel of the few.
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Boeing predicts robust growth in future sales of its planes in latest 20-year forecast
ABoeing's latest forecast of its plane sales over the next 20 years have risen slightly from its last forecast. It now expects to sell a total of 34,000 planes in two decades, up from 33.500. It expects this will make it $4.5 trillion. Boeing anticipates demand from China, India and the emerging markets to be stronger than from Europe and America. It anticipates annual air passenger growth over 20 years of 5% and annual air freight growth of 5.2%. Boeing expects orders of 23,240 single-aisle planes, as low-cost carriers continue to grow at above average rates - and 7,950 twin-aisle planes, 790 large aircraft and 2,020 regional jets from 2012 to 2031. It expects the world freight fleet to nearly double from 1,740 aircraft currently to 3,200 in 20 years' time. It expects the number of aircraft in the world to double in 20 years.
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Frankfurt protesters take their “holidays” in the airport terminal with all their holiday kit
The usual Monday evening protest at Frankfurt airport, against the aircraft noise that Frankfurt residents to the south of the city are now subjected to, took a slightly unusual turn this week. Protesters went on "holiday" at the terminal for the evening, with holiday clothes, Hawaiian shirts, straw hats, beach chairs, picnics, and even a paddling pool. Earlier they had a sleep protest, saying it was quieter to sleep in the airport than in their own homes, under the flight path. There are loads of their "holiday snaps" that tell the story.
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London City Airport: 25 Years of Deception
On the weekend that the Queen visited London City, a quarter of a century after she opened it, the campaign group HACAN East has claimed that residents have suffered ‘25 years of deception’. They have issued a pamphlet outlining the list of broken promises made by the airport to local people (City Airport, 25 years of broken promises). This shows how within a few years of the airport being allowed to open on the basis that there would be no more than just over 30,000 flights a year, using turbo-prop aircraft, it applied for permission to extend the runway and use larger aircraft. By 2009 it had permission to operate 120,000 jet aircraft a year. There has been a serious con played on local people by the ruthless airport aided by the weakness of Newham council.
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IATA – global air passenger demand up 4.5% in May 2012 compared to May 2011
IATA says that globally the number of air passenger kilometres rose by 4.5% in May, compared to May 2011. They regard this as not high enough, because it is not much above the level this April. Globally air freight was down - 1.9% in May. IATA says "Traffic growth for European carriers basically stopped at the end of 2011." Also that "Domestic markets grew at slightly less than half the rate of international markets". IATA says the airline industry is fragile; that lower oil prices have helped them recently but that fears of deterioration in the European economy are hitting their industry. Business and consumer confidence are falling, causing slowing demand and softer load factors, which does not bode well for industry's profitability. Airlines are expected to return only a $3 billion profit in 2012 on $631 billion in revenues (=0.48%).
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Carlisle airport plans depend on over-optimistic future tourism passenger figures
It is possible that Carlisle City Council will decide on the redevelopment plans for Carlisle airport this week, but more likely it will be delayed. It has been due last July, but Stobart asked for it to be delayed. The upgrades are mainly for freight, but the local council and the tourism bodies want air passenger, not only freight. However, 92% of Cumbria's visitors are UK-based, though Cumbria Tourism etc want to attract more international tourists, and year to get visitors from Brazil, China, India and Russia - as well as more from America. And for these to fly up from London. One problem with the application is that Stobart have now halved the number of passengers it thinks it can get by 2025, from its initial guess of 100,000 per year, to 50,000. This lower number will reduce the alleged benefits to the local economy, and so is not likely to be approved.
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FT says Tories now back Heathrow 3rd runway, if they can get outright majority at next election
The Financial Times says that David Cameron has now quietly swung his support behind a 3rd Heathrow runway, but this is deeply opposed by the Lib Dems. Therefore, though the coalition is committed to no 3rd runway in this term of parliament, the Conservaties would now try and get it passed, if they won the next election (? May 2015) by an outright majority, without the Lib Dems. There will be the two aviation consultations this summer (July probably) on aviation policy and hub capacity, but the FT says - after discussion with a senior government figure - that "the official response to this – a final policy paper on hub airport capacity which was earmarked for March 2013 – is now set to be delayed for several years, effectively postponing any firm decision until after the general election. The next three years will therefore feature efforts by the coalition to prove it can improve Britain’s hub airport capacity, while making no big-ticket decisions.".
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ICAO drops one of its 4 possible options for a global aviation emissions scheme
The ICAO has narrowed its focus to 3 broad options to address aviation emissions, eliminating the baseline and credit system. ICAO's governing council, meeting in Montreal this week, agreed to rule the scheme, where increases or decreases from an initial emissions baseline could be traded. It is being dropped as it is similar to another option being considered, global carbon offsetting. The 3 other remaining options are: offsetting with a revenue-generating mechanism, and cap and trade emissions trading. ICAO expects to have something agreed by March 2013, though environmental commentators are sceptical they can deliver anything effective. Connie Hedegaard would like to see progress by the November ICAO meeting.
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Frankfurt airport protesters sleep in the airport terminal – as it is too noisy at home
Dozens of protesters at Frankfurt have held a sleep-in at the Departures Terminal at Frankfurt airport. Their protest is against the aircraft noise, which is causing an intolerable situation, and they say they cannot sleep in their own homes, due to noisy night flights. Their banners say "We cannot sleep at home: night flight ban from 10pm to 6am !" Many say their homes suffer 80 decibel noise at night, with 60 decibels indoors. Though there is meant to be a total ban on night flights between 23:00 to 05:00 almost every night there are late arrivals and departures or flight tests. The nights are not quiet. People say they cannot live on only 6 hours sleep per night, and that is not enough to perform properly at work or at school.
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New Aviation Environment Federation report challenges myth of airport capacity crisis
The aviation industry has been working hard to put out the message that there is a crisis in airport capacity in the South East. In fact the Government’s forecasts of air traffic demand indicate that even if no constraints on airport growth were imposed for environmental reasons, passenger demand could be entirely met with existing infrastructure until nearly 2030. Even if no new runways were built anywhere in the UK before 2030, only about 3% of air traffic would be squeezed out. The report finds that passenger demand is being overestimated. Now every time the Government has revised its forecasts, the numbers have been downgraded. In the latest set of figures, which reflect to some extent the impact of recession, demand is down from 500 million passengers per year (mppa) at 2030 in the 2007 forecasts to 343 mppa in the 2011 forecast.
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Justine Greening confirms, in Parliament, no new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted and no Heathrow mixed mode
Transport Secretary Justine Greening has insisted the Government will stick to the coalition agreement's restrictions on airport expansion, ruling out a 3rd runway at Heathrow. She also confirmed the government's support for the full agreement, signed between the Tories and Liberal Democrats, which also rules out further runways at Gatwick and Stansted. The question she was asked, in Parliament, was (by Julian Huppert, Cambridge Lib Dem) "Will the Secretary of State confirm that the Government will stand by the whole of the coalition agreement in this area? Will she confirm that they will stand by the cancellation of the third runway at Heathrow, as she has said, will refuse additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted, and will rule out mixed mode at Heathrow?". Her reply was: "I think I have been very clear: the coalition agreement, in its entirety, stands. That is the position."
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HACAN welcomes Willie Walsh’s recognition that a 3rd runway at Heathrow is off the agenda
HACAN has welcomed the recognition by British Airways chief Willie Walsh that a 3rd runway is off the agenda at Heathrow. Walsh also ruled out mixed-mode which he said would make the situation at the airport worse. Speaking in a debate organized by the Evening Standard in Central London last night Walsh admitted that, while he had supported a 3rd runway, he now recognized that it would not be built. He said that decisions about his business were now being made on that assumption. He cited, for example, that BAA had acquired BMI in order to get more landing slots at Heathrow. HACAN applauds Willie Walsh’s honesty. When a straw poll was taken at the end of the debate a large majority of the audience voted against a 3rd runway.
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Report on the Evening Standard’s Great Heathrow Debate
The debate hosted by the Evening Standard took place last night in London had an unbalanced panel, with four speakers broadly in favour of expansion, and only one against. The speakers were Alain de Botton, Willy Walsh, CBI chief policy director Katja Hall, the Mayor’s adviser Daniel Moylan with the lone “anti-expansion” voice of the panel, Tamsin Omond leading member of Climate Rush, among other things. The debate was a missed opportunity for a high level debate, not having sufficient speakers from the opposition, but it was of a higher quality than expected. Willie Walsh confirmed that he is not expecting a third runway at Heathrow, and is not planning for it. He also agreed that the presence of a new runway would not determine whether business is attracted to London. No convincing arguments on the economics of a hub airport, or of a new runway, were put forward.
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International tourism receipts surpass US$ 1 trillion in 2011
In 2011, international tourism receipts exceeded US$ 1 trillion for the first time, up from US$ 928 billion in 2010. In real terms, receipts grew by 3.8%, following a 4.6% increase in international tourist arrivals. The UN World Tourism Organisation UNWTO thinks this is a very good thing. “The past two years have shown healthy demand for international tourism out of many markets, even though economic recovery has been uneven. This is particularly important news for countries facing fiscal pressure and weak domestic consumption, where international tourism, a key export and a labour intensive activity, is increasingly strategic to balancing external deficits and stimulating employment.” International tourist arrivals grew by over 4% in 2011 to 980 million, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer, and are expected to grow to one billion this year.
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Irish Government agrees to consider Ryanair’s bid for Aer Lingus takeover
The Irish Government has announced that it would consider Ryanair’s bid to take over their Irish rival , Aer Lingus. They want 50% of it. They also admitted that they would not rule out the sale of their 25% stake and are considering it. Ryanair - which already owns 30% of Aer Lingus - launched their third bit to take over Aer Lingus last week. They offered shareholders 38% premium to the market. This deal would require regulators to drop opposition to a merger and the Irish government to agree the price. The FT reports that Ryanair said, rather pompously this would be ...."clearly beneficial in the context of the current recessionary environment and will make a valuable contribution towards budget spending in such important areas as health and education.” The FT asks "Since when, one might ask, have airlines been advising governments how to raise money for social expenditure?"
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12 areas in UK refused reprieve on air quality standard by EU (not Heathrow)
Government plans to delay air pollution improvements in 12 UK areas have been refused by the European Commission, which says air quality must improve. The UK may now face fines if it fails to improve air quality quickly. Government figures show air pollution reduces life expectancy by up to 8 months, mainly from lung problems. The pollution mainly comes from road vehicle, and around airports, a large proportion of the air pollution comes from the roads. A judgement will be made at a later date on government plans to delay meeting NO2 standards in major cities until 2020 - or in the case of London, 2025. London has the worst air of any European capital, and the UK is likely to be fined over the failure.
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BA uses its new BMI slots at Heathrow, not for emerging economies, but largely leisure destinations. As usual.
BA got 42 daily Heathrow slots from taking over BMI. And it said very publicly, in March, that it would be using these to fly to the emerging economies - in Asia, Africa and Latin America - which is part of the myth that the aviation industry is peddling at present. So what are the slots actually being used for? One flight per day to Seoul. The rest are domestic UK (Aberdeen Edinburgh, Belfast, Manchester, Leeds Bradford), or Zagreb, Las Vegas, Barcelona, Marseilles, Phoenix, Zurich and Bologna - with more flights to some. So that is where the money is. So much for the allegedly desperate need for slots to fly to second tier Chinese cities. This really proves what a lot of misleading PR is being put out by BAA and the airlines at Heathrow.
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Excellent article by Simon Jenkins, in the Standard, on Heathrow etc. “It’s all about greed”.
Jenkins has seen straight through the aviation industry spin and PR, and is not remotely taken in by it. In a brilliantly written piece, this are some quotes: "BAA and BA have been wrapping themselves in the flag of “growth” and “UK plc” for years, as if Heathrow had anything to do with some wider public interest. It does not. British aviation is chiefly about shifting millions of leisure travellers, mostly British tourists going overseas" And ". A mere 13% of British airport passengers are in any sense “business”, and that embraces company junkets, conferences and trips on expenses. The industry may present Heathrow as the throbbing hub, the nerve centre, of the nation’s economy but only 30% of its passengers are in any sense “business”, which is why it is designed like a supermarket. Gatwick and Stansted are barely 15% business travellers. This whole enterprise is dedicated to inducing Britons to holiday abroad."
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Birmingham Airport Challenges UK Aviation Policy
Birmingham Airport has released a report by Paul Kehoe that, he says, challenges orthodox opinion about aviation policy in the UK. He says that t in order for the whole of Britain to capture the economic benefits of changes in global travel the Government must fully utilise existing airport infrastructure and pursue a balanced aviation strategy. The report, Don’t put all of your eggs in one basket: a challenge to aviation orthodoxy, argues that Britain needs several airports capable of delivering point-to-point connectivity to emerging markets, and the hub and spoke concept is not working well. He wants the regional airports, especially Birmingham, to expand and take the pressure off Heathrow, with the expectation that the 6 largest regional airports could add 116 million of passenger capacity to the network by 2050.
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Two aviation lobby groups “The Aviation Foundation” and “A Fair Tax on Flying” getting themselves publicity…
The airline lobby group, called the Aviation Foundation (whose members are Virgin Atlantic, BAA, British Airways' parent company IAG, business groups and the TUC), is setting out a series of "tests" by which they believe the Government's forthcoming aviation policy statement should be measured. They want a third runway at Heathrow, and presumably the"tests" will be attempting to show that this is economically beneficial. What these "tests" are has not yet been revealed. Meanwhile the other airline lobby group, "A Fair Tax on Flying" are banging on again about APD, and making out that this tax is harming the UK economy, as it makes long haul holidays for those affluent enough to take them, more expensive.
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8,000 Frankfurt protesters form a 4 km human chain to show their opposition to aircraft noise
About 8,000 protesters linked hands to form a human chain along the bank of the Main river, which they see as the boundary between the south of the city, badly affected by aircraft noise, and the quieter north. This included a massive Mexican wave along the line. Those campaigning against the noise from Frankfurt airport are calling for the extension of the ban on night flights from 2300 to 0500 or 2200 to 0600 and a cap on aircraft movements. The huge and effective German protests against aircraft noise started at Frankfurt, after the opening of the 4th runway that opened in October 2011. Now aircraft noise is being seen not as a regional problem but a national German problem, and also a European problem. Citizen groups across Germany are collaborating with each other, and with those in other countries.
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Myths Dispelled about Heathrow Expansion
A new pamphlet from HACAN, (produced to coincide with a conference put on by the aviation lobby, the Aviation Foundation), says the health of the UK economy does not depend on the expansion of Heathrow. The pamphlet aims to expose the myth that a third runway is essential for the UK economy. The pamphlet, entitled Heathrow Expansion Myths and Facts will open people’s eyes to the fact that London won’t become a backwater if Heathrow does not expand. It aims to dispel a lot of the myths that the aviation industry has put around, such as that Heathrow lacks flights to the rapidly developing economies. In fact, Heathrow has 990 departure flights each week to the world’s key business centres - that is more than its two closest rivals, Charles de Gaulle (484) and Frankfurt (450), combined. There is also no hard evidence that London's economy will lose out if Heathrow does not expand as a hub.
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Sunday Times says Osborne pushing for mixed mode at Heathrow for 60,000 more flights per year
The Sunday Times writes that the Coalition is discussing the potential of increasing the number of flights at Heathrow by up to 60,000 per year by using mixed mode on both runways. It says George Osborne has been promoting this idea, to increase capacity without building a 3rd runway by adding over 1,000 flights a week and 20m passengers a year. The Times says discussions have been held on this between George Osborne, David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Danny Alexander. Liberal Democrats are against it, and apart from the immense upset the extra relentless aircraft noise would cause to hundreds of thousands of Londoners being overflown, there are very real problems of air pollution around Heathrow, which already breach EU limits. The industry is publishing another study tomorrow, putting its economic case for more south east flights.
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Observer: “We need a clear yes or no on Heathrow. Airlines can’t wait for ever”
Anticipating that the government's consultation on aviation and air capacity may start sooner rather than later, the media and the aviation industry have ramped themselves up into a flurry of comment, lobbying, speculation, publicity and biased information. Commenting on the piece in the Observer, John Stewart writes on Heathrow expansion: "Ministers have consistently ruled out expansion at the airport. The problem is not a lack of clarity from Government but a refusal of much of the aviation industry to accept the Government’s decision. That refusal is threatening to damage the economy of the country ...because the industry has become paralysed by its desire for a 3rd runway. The Conservatives oppose a 3rd runway not just on environmental grounds .... but because they are unconvinced about the economic case.
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Climate protest at the gates of Buckingham Palace, quoting recent statement by Prince Charles
The Prince of Wales recently warned of the "catastrophic" consequences of inaction on issues such as climate change, at the Rio+20 talks. He said he had "watched in despair" at the slow pace of progress on the "critical issues of the day," and urged world leaders to adopt a more integrated approach to issues such as climate change and food security. He said scientific evidence showed the potential consequences of ignoring the risks, and that the Doomsday clock of climate change is ticking ever faster towards midnight. We are simply not reacting fast enough. Taking up this call, protesters from Climate Siren held a peaceful banner protest, hanging banners from the gates of Buckingham Palace, quoting Charles words - calling for more effective climate action.
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Gatwick Airport renews push for second runway after 2019
Gatwick will publish a “master plan” next month setting out what the airport will look like in eight years’ time, including 2 scenarios for how it could develop after 2020 - including the case for a 2nd runway. The airport's MD, Stewart Wingate, says a 2nd runway at Gatwick or Stansted would be easier and cheaper than either a new airport in the Thames Estuary or expansion at Heathrow. Fewer people would be affected by noise at Gatwick or Stansted than at Heathrow. Gatwick is restricted from building an extra runway before 2019 but has safeguarded land for the purpose. Mr Wingate reiterated his view that many foreign airlines have been giventhe false impression London’s aviation market as a whole is “closed for business” due to an “obsession” in some parts of the industry with Heathrow. There is plenty of capacity now at Gatwick and at Stansted, to increase flights to business destinations.
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Justine Greening opens new aircraft stands at Bristol, and backs importance of regional airports to UK
Justine Greening officially opened 3 new aircraft stands at Bristol Airport, and said regional airports like Bristol are important for the UK’s economy and business success. The stands - to allow more aircraft - are the first of more than 30 projects worth around £150m which will enable Bristol airport to grow over the next decade. Bristol handled 5.8 million passengers in 2011 but hope for 10 million in due course. Justine Greening said the importance of airports such as Bristol would be underlined in the Government’s new aviation strategy. She also said electrification of the Bristol-London rail line would benefit the airport as it could bring inward investment to the city. Bristol wants some 5 million passengers who go to London airports to instead use Bristol.
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John Stewart: There is a better solution than mixed mode at Heathrow for both BAA and residents
From 1 July the Government has given BAA permission to use the “wrong” runway to prevent delays building up. There will not be an overall increase in the number of flights in and out of Heathrow but residents will lose their respite period. People living under the flight paths in to Heathrow will suffer more noise, as their quiet half of the day now has aircraft landings coming in overhead. Though Theresa Villiers has stressed that the Government remains committed to a policy of no further expansion at Heathrow, and no mixed mode, residents fear that the industry will see this as an opening to push for the eventual ending of the respite period. Heathrow's problem is operating at 99% capacity, but if larger planes were used, then the capacity situation would be eased
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Simon Calder, in the Independent, sets out how allowing mixed mode at Heathrow would increase its capacity
At present, Heathrow operates "runway alternation" by which for most of the day, planes land on one runway, and take off from the other. The runways switch at 3pm each day, to give residents under the flight paths half a day's respite. Under this scheme, Heathrow can cater for about 44 departures and 43 arrivals per hour maximum. The alternative is "mixed mode", by which planes can both land and take off on the same runway, so there can be 15 -25% more per hour. That could be 120,000 extra aircraft movements each year with no extra concrete laid. Residents of west London could expect noise from arriving aircraft every 90 seconds all day long when the wind is from the west – which it is 70% per cent of the time. Advocates of this scheme say it would relieve pressure on Heathrow - as well as remove the need for a new runway. There is already a second period of the Operational Freedoms trial, which allows simultaneous runway use for short periods if delay has built up. The fact that the DfT has agreed to tinker with long-standing rules against "mixed mode" indicates they may be willing to overrule the strong and passionate objections by local residents, to the noise stress they suffer.
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Thames Estuary Airport not the answer says South East LEP
A hub airport in the Thames Estuary is not a solution to the South East’s airport capacity problems in the foreseeable future – according to an independent report received by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership. They say that expanding use of other airports serving the South East (including Stansted, Southend and Manston) could address short term business needs, and also increasing use of Heathrow, Gatwick and London City (which would not be acceptable to local residents there). The LEP report says that due to the effect it would have on Heathrow, a Thames estuary airport is not a feasible solution.
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WWF scheme helps leading UK companies cut flights by 41% in 2 years
New figures from WWF UK show that some of the UK’s leading companies, including Lloyds TSB, BSkyB, and Marks & Spencer have reduced their business flights by 41%, as part of WWF's One in Five Challenge scheme. The scheme aims to help companies and government departments to cut 20% of flights within 5 years, reduce their reliance on business flying and transform the way they meet and travel. Member companies have used a variety of measures such as questioning the need for travel, including flights in corporate carbon reporting and increasing their use of rail travel as well as video and audio conferencing. Members say less time is being spent out of the office, and there have been benefits of productivity gains and increased collaboration.
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Anti airport campaign at Notre Dame des Landes protests against inadequate public inquiries
Several public inquiries are to be held into the proposed airport at Notre Dame des Landes, at Nantes in western France. These have been hastily announced, to start on 21st June with insufficient notice. They inquiries are only due to last for 4 weeks, and the timing coincides with a busy farming time of year, and the holiday season. Opponents are protesting that the inquiries should be held in September, and should last for 8 weeks in order to fully take account of voluminous evidence papers. Opponents tried to prevent the commissioners entering the town hall, and there were scuffles, use of police force and tear gas, and an arrest. The protester are continuing to try and get the inquiries delayed.
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Drop Thames Estuary airport plans, says London Assembly
Members of the London Assembly have urged mayor Boris Johnson to stop promoting a new airport in the Thames estuary, branding the scheme a 'vanity project'. The assembly has passed a motion - proposed by Murad Qureshi - calling for the mayor to abandon proposals which they warned would have a devastating effect on the west London economy if Heathrow is forced to close, with up to 100,000 jobs on the line. The motion also warned that the project would create "huge environmental damage to a protected area" used by migrating birds as well as increase noise, congestion and pollution. It says the mayor's plans as "simplistic and ill-considered" and called on him to "abandon this vanity project".
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Fears in Scotland & Northern Ireland that air links to London may be lost unless ring fenced
Some in northern Scotland fear they could lose their flights from Inverness to London. There was a BA servicve from Inverness to Heathrow until 1997, and then a service by BMI till 2008. Now Inverness just has a Flybe link to Gatwick, and Ryanair to Luton. Some in Scotland are saying unless there is more south east runway capacity, the less profitable domestic flights, such as to Inverness, will be replaced by more profitable long haul routes. There is also concern in Northern Ireland that they could lose some of their air links to London, though Theresa Villiers has recently said "There is a case for looking at whether there is any scope within the debate in Europe at the minute with how slots are allocated as to whether there is any scope for ringfencing certain flights to Heathrow to ensure and have a guarantee that these flights remain in the long term."
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Air France to axe 5,000 jobs by 2014
Air France says it is to cut 5,122 jobs or around 10% of its workforce in voluntary departures by 2014. The job loses would be voluntary provided a new framework agreement can be signed with unions. If new framework agreements are signed by staff then "Air France has pledged not to make redundancies". Air France-KLM has been struggling, and has launched a major cost-saving programme after posting a loss of €809 million for 2011 and a first quarter net loss in 2012 of €368 million. Air France needs to increase economic efficiency by 20% by the end of 2014.
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Government orders research into regional rate for air passenger duty
Chloe Smith, Economic Secretary to the Treasury, has said - at a meeting with the Sedgefield MP and Newcastle airport and Durham Tees Valley airport - that the Government has commissioned research into varying APD on a regional basis. The research, planned to be published this summer, will consider the potential impact of a regional APD rate as well as devolving the power to set the tax north of the border to the Scottish Government. There has been a campaign in the region, by the Journal newspaper, to get APD changed, claiming it has adverse economic consequences. Newcastle Airport wants APD to be charged at a higher rate at the biggest, most congested airports (south east), and a lower rate from uncongested regional airports.
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A couple of articles on air travel and consumerism
A few items on air travel and consumerism.
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BA tells Britons not to fly during Olympics in new ad campaign
British Airways is launching a marketing campaign urging Britons to stay at home during the Olympics, saying on their Facebook page: "Don't Fly. Support Team GB" with an advert during the Euro 2012 match between UK and Ukraine that is expected to be watched by millions. Presumably their aim is to get people to go to the Olympics. What they should be saying, but probably aren't, is that Britons could be supporting UK Plc, by holidaying at home, rather than taking their money abroad - which BA and the other airlines so effectively facilitate. But it is unlikely that BA are being that honest .... They are only asking Brits to delay their travel, not forego it.
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Smartphone app trial to capture and map Heathrow flight noise
HACAN has teamed up with University College London (UCL) to enable local communities on the flight path into Heathrowto do something about the problem of noise pollution for themselves. A new free to download app, called Widenoise, on smart phones enables them to collect their own noise readings. Isleworth has been chosen as the project location because it is directly under the Heathrow flight path. The readings taken by the phones can then be mapped and the combined information shared by all. From the launch on 19th June, the project will run for 4 weeks, and local residents are being encouraged to take part. and send in readings. The project will include the first few weeks of the 'operational trials’ due to start on 1st July. It will give residents a really useful way measuring the impact of the trials.
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Older travellers account for over half of holiday spend
Older travellers account for over half of all holiday spending, with the trend only set to increase, according to a report by escorted tours operator Travelsphere. It found those aged 45-54 take more holidays abroad than any other age group, while 55-64 year-olds were the only age group to increase long-haul travel between 2008 and 2010, when the market shrank 9%. 40% of all long-haul trips in 2010 were taken by 45-64 year-olds. 28% of those over 65 took at least 2 foreign holidays a year compared to just 19% of all British holidaymakers. "Two thirds of over 55s see holidays as necessary spend, compared to only half of 45-54 year olds and 45% of under 45s." The UK's older population is 17% of our population today, but is expected to rise to 23% by 2035. Will they still have generous pensions then?
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Vince Cable backs Birmingham, while Boris pushes for Stansted expansion (and the estuary)
The campaign to expand Birmingham Airport has gained a new ally – Business Secretary, Vince Cable. The airport recently launched a new London publicity campaign to persuade the Government to throw its support behind Birmingham at the expense of a third runway at Heathrow. Vince Cable said there was no resistance from residents to this expansion to Birmingham building up to being a "really serious international airport", and this would be a "short-term, pragmatic solution that would bring an awful lot more flights to the country” while extra runway capacity at an airport in the South East could take years to deliver. So Boris has been suggesting a 2nd Stansted runway (opposed even by the aviation industry) and Vince is backing Birmingham, as interim "solutions" to an alleged problem of capacity.
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