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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:
Connie Hedegaard: Time to get the proportions right on ETS and aviation
Connie's website gives basic figures of what the ETS will actually cost foreign airlines. For example, the estimated CO2 emissions per passenger of a one-way flight from Paris to Beijing would be around 627 kg. The value of the allowances that need to be surrendered would be €7.52 per passenger at current carbon prices. Given the high level of free allocation of allowances to airlines, it is estimated that the cost for the airline in purchasing additional allowances to cover the emissions would be €1.50. And for a one way flight from Delhi to London, about €0.65
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Suspension of EU-ETS ‘out of the question’, says top EU climate official
Europe’s top climate official, Jos Delbeke, has said Europe will ‘not accept’ retaliatory action against the inclusion of aviation emissions in the ETS. Speaking at an event in Brussels organised by an international coalition of environmental groups, Mr Delbeke also said that suspension of the EU-ETS was “out of the question”. “ He laid out the conditions under which a global system could eventually replace the EU-ETS for aviation. The EU would consider “modifying its legislation” if ICAO made significant progress towards a global deal later this year. Contrary to popular belief, aviation emissions have continued to grow strongly throughout the financial crisis with an 11.2% increase seen over the period 2005-2010. Bill Hemmings of T&E said: “The ball is now firmly back in ICAO’s court. The international community needs to come up with a timely, effective and workable global solution through a transparent process that all stakeholders can contribute to.”
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Civil Aviation Bill passed 2nd reading and now at Committee stage
On 30th January the Civil Aviation Bill had its 2nd reading in Parliament. It will be in its Committee Stage until 15th March, and written submissions can be made until then. The Bill's purpose it to legislate on regulation of operators of dominant airports and determine the powers and functions of the CAA. This includes its remit on aviation security, airport charges, services provided at airports and the service given to air passengers. However, it contains very little on environmental matters, including noise. It is important that there should be an environmental duty in the context of economic regulation, so the CAA is not just focused on the rights of passengers, but also has environmental responsibilities. There also needs to be a more general community duty for the CAA. looking at the welfare of people being overflown or affected by airports, not only the passengers.
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EU says it won’t back down in airline emissions row
The EC has stood by its position in an ongoing dispute with China over the ETS ahead of an EU-China summit in Beijing on 14th Feb. The EC "remains confident that Chinese airlines will comply with EU legislation when operating through EU airports." The Chinese government said it had barred its airlines from joining the ETS. The EC warned that financial penalties would apply to airlines that refuse to comply with it. The ETS would add less than €2 to the price of a flight from Shanghai to Europe, but the cost of an airline not complying is a fine of €100 for each tonne of CO2 emitted. Chinese airlines have already applied for free carbon allowances to which they are entitled. Foreign countries could exempt their airlines from the EU scheme if they adopted similar "equivalent measures" at home.
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Leader of Swale Borough Council says North Kent would become “strip of tarmac” under airport plans
Swale Council Leader warns that if an airport was built in the Thames Estuary, the area would become a massive house building site. There are not enough houses to accommodate people moving to the area for jobs at the proposed hub. “We would have to tarmac over the whole of north Kent to provide housing.”
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European Energy Exchange (EEX) to launch EU aviation carbon permits in April
The European Energy Exchange will launch a derivatives market for EU carbon permits for airlines in April and a spot market by mid-year. They say this opens its market for a new group of participants. So-called EU Aviation Allowances (EUAA) can only be used by airlines to comply with the EU’s emissions trading scheme, the world’s biggest carbon market. Leipzig-based EEX is not alone in offering trade in EUAAs. Last month, commodity Exchange Bratislava (CEB) said it would launch trade in EU aviation emissions permits before the end of February. London-based ICE Futures Europe accounts for about 90% of all traded volume in EU carbon permits
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Opponents of EU airline CO2 scheme to meet in Moscow
A group of 26 countries vehemently opposed to the EU ETS will meet in Moscow on February 21 to discuss a plan of action. The governments, which include Russia, India, China and the US, claim the ETS is discriminatory and illegal, and some are prohibiting their carriers from complying. They argue the scheme violates the Chicago Convention and some WTO provisions. The group last met in New Delhi in late September 2011, where it issued a joint declaration against the scheme and agreed to lodge a formal protest with the ICAO. Since then the European Court of Justice found that the EU plan was within international law. The EU is not going to back down, as there is no other working scheme to check aviation emissions.
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Leeds Bradford Airport bosses vow to change Canada Geese cull
Airport chiefs, who ordered a cull of 10 Canada Geese at a Leeds beauty spot, YeadonTarn, have said they find other ways to control the population. There was no local consultation about the cull beforehand.Food and Environment Research Agency officers shot the flock, which was deemed “a significant risk to aircraft”, in September by closing the green space to dog walkers in the early hours. Plans for an £11million expansion of the airport, which could be completed by this summer, had sparked further fears of culls. A meeting took place recently between the airport and angry local residents.
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Birmingham Airport to get solar panels, to save 22 tonnes CO2 per year – compared to the 900,000 tonnes CO2 the airport is responsible for each year
Birmingham Airport is getting some solar panels on its terminal roof, so will be emitting a tiny bit less carbon for its electricity generation. The 200 solar PV panels will perhaps save some 22 tonnes of CO2 per year, while perhaps generating some 40,000 kWh per year. Paul Kehoe says "...Managing our greenhouse gas emissions is a high priority for the company and we're always seeking new opportunities to work with partners to reduce our carbon footprint." So let's put the CO2 savings into context. Planes using Birmingham airport in 2010 were responsible for about 0.9 million (= 900,000) tonnes of CO2. The DfT's forecasts for passengers and carbon emissions by flights using the airport put Birmingham, on its lowest forecasts, as emitting 1.7 million tonnes of CO2 per year by 2030, or emitting 4.3 million tonnes of CO2 on its central forecast. So the 20 tonnes is lovely, but putting out publicity about this being significantly green is disingenuous.
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Heathrow cancels 50% of flights – more than the 30% it planned – due to 3 inches of snow
Heathrow airport, which says it operates at over 99% of capacity, planned to cancel 30% of flights due to the accurately forecasted snow that fell on Saturday night. However, it has cancelled 50%, saying this is partly due to the threat of freezing fog. There is a great deal of disruption to passengers, and cynics or those fond of conspiracy theories are wondering whether Heathrow has made the most of its problems due to the snowy conditions to improve its case for a third runway, or other increases in flights. Since the snow problems Heathrow had in winter 2010 BAA has increased its Heathrow snowplough fleet by 68 to 185 at a cost of £32.4 million. But still Heathrow seems to have fared much worse with just 3 inches of snow than other airports like Gatwick, Stansted, Luton etc. No doubt BAA will once again blame the chaos on there being no third runway.
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Poll finds only one in five supports a Thames estuary airport
A recent small telephone poll of 250 Kent people, by the Kent newspaper company, asked “Do you support plans for a new international airport in the Thames estuary or on the Isle of Grain." Responses showed that of those questioned, 31% were undecided on their opinion on an estuary airport. (So about 52% were opposed, and about 17% were in favour).
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Aircraft Noise demos from Frankfurt to Berlin Thousands of German noise opponents protest in several cities
There have been major protests at several German airports today, against aircraft noise, with whistles, drums and banners. There were about 20,000 protestors at Frankfurt protesting against noise from the new runway that opened in October. This was the largest protest at the airport since the opening . The police estimated the number of participants to 7,700, the organizers - a coalition of citizens' groups against the airport expansion - spoke of 20,000 people. There were also demonstrations at Berlin, Leipzig, Munich and Dusseldorf.
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Birmingham airport continues to promote itself as the alternative to a “Boris island” airport
John Morris, head of government and industry affairs, Birmingham Airport has a long article in the Birmingham Mail and the Post, saying how ideally suited his airport is to take extra traffic and expand hugely, being the best solution to the alleged lack of airport capacity. He says Boris is "quite right to ask how Britain’s airports can meet the growing demand from holiday-making families and business travellers" and asks "....it hardly seems possible that an estuary airport could be built within 20 years. So how is Boris going to fill the gap in the meantime?" Answer: Birmingham. The DfT future passenger forecasts in August 2011 suggested Birmingham might reach 27 million passengers by 2050, but the airport puts this at 30 million by 2030. They want the focus moved from the south east, and they want what they describe as courageous thinking. i.e. expand Birmingham.
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Hard times for airlines. Malev collapses. American Airlines lays of 13,000 staff and Air India cannot pay for fuel
Hungarian airline, Malev, has folded, after 66 years. The EC had asked it to repay the €130 m it had received in state aid from 2007 to 2010. This comes soon after the collapse of Spanair. Malev is part of the Oneworld airline alliance, which also includes American Airlines and BA. Also American Airlines has announced it will cut 13,000 jobs, maintenance staff, flight attendants, pilots and management - about 15% of its staff. It wants to cut staff costs by 20% in a bid to reduce spending by $2bn per year. And Air India has got behind in its payments for jet fuel to three state-owned oil and its fuel supplies were cut. The fuel suppliers say Air India has not paid them for fuel even after the expiry of a 90-day grace period.
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Number of premium passengers falling on European – and global – airlines
IATA said in December that the share of premium seats as a portion of total travel is contracting, with premium seat share falling back towards the lows of early 2009 when it touched 7.5% of total traffic. Also that there has been a degree of substitution away from premium travel to economy, as businesses seek to cut cost in difficult economic conditions. IATA said that Europe’s airlines had the lowest average profitability of all the world’s regions. So they want higher numbers of business passengers, which inreases profit. In January IATA said demand for premium travel had been weaker in the 2nd half of 2011, and on in some areas a contraction or slowdown in economic activity has reduced business travel. Also business travellers have switched from premium to economy, especially on flights within Europe.
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EU funds spent on ‘environmentally harmful’ projects including 2 Polish airports
Bankwatch and Friends of the Earth Europe have produced a study that shows the EU is funding a range of projects in central and eastern Europe, such as roads, incinerators, biomass power stations, railways and airports, which are environmentally harmful. They list 33 projects, including two airports (Białystok and Modlin) which are both in Poland. The study says while EU leaders are in the "hot phase" of negotiating the next EU budget for 2014-2020, current spending practices need to be altered if Europe is serious about its climate change and environmental targets. They say "What we have found is that they are funding unsustainable, unmodern investments. Decision makers have not learnt from the past experience." Both the airports are shown to have problems for birds, including serious risk of birdstrike.
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Plans for new Doncaster Robin Hood Airport link road from M18
Plans for a new link road to Robin Hood Airport in South Yorkshire are to be unveiled at 3 public meetings. The road, including a route to Rossington and a bridge over the East Coast Main Line, will run for 2.5 miles (4km) from junction 3 of the M18 to the A638 near the airport. Doncaster Council received £18m funding from the Regional Growth Fund. Subject to planning permission being granted, work on the road could start in summer 2012 with it opening in early 2014. FoE says the new link road doesn't go to the airport; instead there’s less than 1 mile of new dual carriageway from the M18, followed by a single carriageway extension of about another 2 miles, but then they’re back on the existing road network for the last 3+ miles. Clearly the airport will gain some advantage by this but not excessively.
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Caroline Spelman refuses to deny plans to slash environmental regulations
The environment secretary, Caroline Spelman, has refused to deny that the Cabinet Office is proposing to rip up of thousands of pages of environmental regulations and guidance as part of the government's "red tape challenge". This proposal is causing deep concern among green MPs and campaigners. It follows the cutting of planning regulation guidance from 1,000 pages to just 50 pages. The red tape challenge on environmental regulations included all existing rules including those protecting against air and water pollution, industrial discharges and noise. According to a Guardian analysis, 97% of the responses on the red tape challenge expressing an opinion in the "air pollution" and "biodiversity, wildlife management, landscape, countryside and recreation" categories demanded no changes or stronger protection for the environment.
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US Congress ups the ante on EU aircraft emissions law
US Congress will soon pass a bill opposing the EU ETS. Compromise language expressing opposition to the law is less strident than a Congressional bill passed in October that sought to exempt US carriers entirely from the EU measure that took effect on 1 January. The American airlines complain that the EU law amounts to a new tax. However, research by a US FAA-funded group of academics found that US airlines could net a windfall of €2 billion from the ETS, because of the amount of free allowances involved, and the airlines ability to pass costs on to the consumer. The EU has said that any congressional action over the law could harden diplomacy on both sides of the Atlantic and potentially spark a trade conflict.
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London First report wants 3rd Heathrow runway, and mixed mode on both its runways, as well as a new south east hub airport
London First, which calls themselves "an influential business membership organisation with the mission to make London the best city in the world in which to do business" have today produced a report called "London, Britain and the world: Transport links for economic growth". The report says that an expanded at Heathrow as the "only credible option" for the capital. It accuses the government of being unwilling to consider "politically difficult solutions". London First believes the connectivity of London is key in its success, and that "congested roads, overcrowded trains and aircraft circling above the South East waiting for permission to land at Britain’s only hub airport, Heathrow, are all signs of our critical strategic transport infrastructure operating at its limits and lacking resilience when put under pressure." They are calling for significant improvement in London’s connectivity, both with the rest of the UK and with emerging international markets. They want easier planning and suggest varioius recommendations "to deliver short, medium and long-term improvements to London’s road, rail and air links." They are asking for an expanded Heathrow, flights landing and taking off on both Heathrow runways (mixed mode) and a new south east airport ........
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Stansted sale: BAA loses appeal against ruling
BAA has lost its appeal against a ruling by the Competition that it must sell Stansted airport. The CC first ruled 3 years ago that BAA's dominance in London and Scotland meant it must sell Gatwick, Stansted and either Glasgow or Edinburgh airports. BAA continued to fight the Stansted decision. Its appeal has now been dismissed by the UK Competition Appeal Tribunal, a judicial body whose panel is made up of judges and industry experts. BAA had argued that Stansted served a different market from Heathrow, and are used by different airlines, so they argued it was not anti-competitive for it to operate both airports. BAA does not want to have to sell Stansted in such an unfavourable economic climate.
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The anti noise protests continue in Germany with much debate on the noise impact of airport expansion
Several articles from German news websites, badly translated in to English, but giving a feeling of what is happening in Germany, and how the protests against the unexpectedly bad noise produced by the new Frankfurt airport runway, opened in October, are having an impact politically. The Germans, in their thousands (and these are articulate and purposeful Germans protesting) are not going to put up with the new noise intrusion into their lives, and especially not at night, whatever Fraport (the airport) and Lufthansa say about the night flights being essential for business. The benefits are far less than the social harm the night flights are doing, and the ability to quietly enjoy their homes without a flight path overhead is not something that the residents near Frankfurt airport are prepared to lose.
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Update on Dunsfold Aerodrome – now gone to Appeal for Certificate of Lawfulness
The Aerodrome's Appeal, against the rejection by Waverley Borough Council, of their application for a Certificate of Lawfulness started on 31st January. It may take 10 days, or less. In addition, Dunsfold Park has also applied for an increase in Annual Traffic Movements from 5,000 per year up to 6,600, and the removal of flight restrictions during the Olympics. They now want to have flights permitted after 8.30pm on weekdays, and after 3pm at weekends, though that is currently not allowed. Local residents are very concerned that if Dunsfold Park are successful in their appeal against Waverley Borough Councils’ refusal to grant a Certificate of Lawfulness, or if they are successful in their most recent applications then Dunsfold aerodrome will have UNRESTRICTED AVIATION ACTIVITIES. Not even the major airports in the UK have approval for totally unrestricted aviation.
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BAA agrees finally to sell back the 279 houses it has been hanging onto at Stansted. It has also lost its appeal against sale of the airport
BAA has finally agreed to sell back all the 279 houses around that airport that it bought, when hoping to build a second runway. Most were bought around 8 years ago, but some as much as 30 years ago. But there is no timescale yet for the sales. This is a major shift in the company’s position; in March 2011, Mr Matthews declared that just some of the BAA-owned houses around the airport would be sold, whilst those which might one day be needed for a 2nd runway would be retained. However, BAA is still refusing to sell back the houses it owns around Heathrow on the grounds that they might one day be needed to make way for a 3rd runway there. Stop Stansted Expansion welcomed the news, which is long overdue, and will help remove the blight and uncertainty which has overshadowed the community for far too long.
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New report claims poor environment, not lack of airport capacity, threatens London’s status as top city to do business
A new report produced by HACAN shows that though the excellent transport links to the rest of the world make it Europe's premier business city, London fares less well on other issues which influence businesses in deciding where to locate. The annual survey by Cushman & Wakefield in 2011 “London is still ranked – by some distance from its closest competitors – as the leading city in which to do business.” However London performed badly in all the surveys on the quality of life it offered, scoring particularly poorly on air pollution and traffic congestion. HACAN says the message is clear. London has got to clean up its act if its wants remain the top city for business. London First's Connectivity Commission is due tomorrow to release its report "the policy and investment required to secure London's road, rail and air links, for the capital to remain globally competitive and support the UK’s long-term growth."
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Birmingham Airport’s long-awaited runway extension finally set to fly
£100 million contract to build Birmingham Airport’s long-awaited runway extension and carry out major improvements to the A45 is expected to be approved within weeks. The airport and Birmingham City Council have shortlisted 4 construction companies for the work. The successful bidder is likely to be announced by March, with work likely to begin in the summer. The project claims it will bring jobs, boost the regional economy etc etc but has proved controversial with environmental groups including Friends of the Earth questioning the value of increasing the number of flights. FoE has been critical of the funding arrangements, with £26 million towards the £32 million cost of diverting the A45 coming from the public purse. Work to the A45 and the runway extension is expected to be completed by 2014.
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Spanair Collapse Puts Europe’s ‘Zombie’ Airlines on Alert
The first collapse of a scheduled European airline since the last recession comes as cash-strapped governments mull disposing of at least half a dozen other carriers. This pits various emerging-market bidders against Air France- KLM Group, Lufthansa and British Airways parent IAG. Governments are becoming reluctant to save ailing airlines as the debt crisis forces austerity programs in other parts of the economy. State investors in Stockholm-based SAS AB, Aer Lingus Group Plc of Ireland, Portugal’s TAP and the flag carriers of Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic have all signaled plans to reduce direct support and seek new investors. They can no longer financially support these airlines. There is a lot of detail about which governments own shares in their airlines, and which airlines may buy others in the near future.
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Tourism gold? Olympics set to lose Britain billions
The organising committee for the London 2012 Games, Locog, says it had over-estimated by a quarter the number of rooms needed by officials, media and sponsors. It has now handed back 120,000 of the total 600,000 nights it had booked. The large-scale reservation of rooms in early preparation for the Games has caused increased prices across the capital and has put many regular tourists off visiting this summer. Hotel prices have broadly tripled in London during the Olympics. There are estimates that up to a million rooms may not be occupied over the Olympics, and ordinary tourists will stay away. The likelihood is that London's hotels will be less than 80% full. One trade association estimated income could slump by up to £3.5bn during July and August. The slump will spread beyond the capital. Meanwhile Heathrow hopes to have huge numbers of passengers, visiting the games, though numbers may be over-estimated.
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Spanair halts flights after Government lifeline runs out and Qatar Airways pulls out
Spanair was hoping that Qatar Airways would buy it, but take over talks ended and the Spanish regional government refused to provide more funding. The airline may now file for bankruptcy and stopped all its operations, with around 20,000 passengers left stranded. The airline is based in Catalonia, one of the most indebted regions in Spain, and Spain’s regions are slashing spending to cut debt as the country grapples with the euro area’s 3rd-largest budget deficit. Spanair, founded in 1986, operated from 15 Spanish airports and had routes to Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
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Aviation Partners, in the USA, estimate that blended winglets save 6-7% of emissions
The blended wingtips can be installed during production or retrofitted to existing aircraft, and are certified on a range of Gulfstream, Hawker and Falcon aircraft types. Through its joint venture with Boeing, they can also be retrofitted to 737-300 to -900, 757-200 and -300, and 767-300ER/F series aircraft.
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Etihad Airways operates first biofuel (recycled cooking oil) powered delivery flight
For Etihad, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, has taken delivery of a new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft, which flew from Seattle to Abu Dhabi using a blend of plant-based jet fuel sourced from recycled vegetable cooking oil and traditional jet kerosene. The biofuel blend was supplied by SkyNRG. As a member of the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Users Group, Etihad says it is committed to complying with a stringent set of sustainability principles when looking at biofuels, including ensuring feedstocks are non-competitive with food sources and that drinking water supplies are not jeopardised. Airlines are keen to use whatever biofuels they can now, as these fuels are classed as exempt under the EU ETS. They are working with the Masdar Institute to develop biofuels grown in sea water, with a 2km square test area.
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BioJet and US Indian Tribes to develop jet biofuel feedstock and refining projects worth $1 billion over 10 years
BioJet International has formed a business alliance with the Council of Energy Resource Tribes (CERT)., which represents 57 sovereign Indian Tribes that manage millions of acres of agricultural lands in the United States on which feedstocks for biofuels may be grown. BioJet last year received $1.2 billion in funding from Equity Partners Fund, to invest and make strategic acquisitions over 10 years. CERT manages 56 millions of acres of agricultural land of which BioJet will use about 1 million acres to grow feedstock, using these funds to do so. A Memorandum of Agreement is expected to be concluded within the next two months to define the participation terms of the two sides. CERT tribal lands are supported by financial incentives, so they are exempt in varying degrees from state and local taxation as well as permitting and licensing requirements.
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Risk of bird strikes would make Thames Estuary UK’s ‘most dangerous airport’
A report commissioned by Labour in 2003 says that an airport in the Thames estuary would have a high risk of birdstrike, with the chance of a plane being hit being one per 100 to 300 years, much higher than the risk at other airports. And this even after extensive work to make the area as unattractive as possible to birds, such as cutting down woodland, draining ponds, planting artificial grass and shooting birds when necessary. Even with all that work to be as unfriendly to birds as possible, it is "not considered possible to reduce the risk to a level similar to that experienced at other UK airports." This report is as one reason Labour rejected the Cliffe proposal, but it was not published at the time. Ministers have not yet announced the exact site for the proposed airport that they will consider in the aviation consultation, staring in March.
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Luton Airport starting consultation process on possible future expansion
Luton airport is owned by Luton Borough Council. It owns the airport through the London Luton Airport Ltd. (LLAL), a wholly-owned holding company. This leases the operating rights to London Luton Airport Operations. In 2013, there can be a break point in the lease. This provides the opportunity to reconsider the lease. LLAL has decided that it needs to explore its future options, using the “break clause” to do this, though no decision has been made to invoke the break. If thy are going to make the change, then a plan, and the resulting planning application, need to be in place very soon. At a meeting of the Consultative Committee on 17th January LLAL announced a project, which they’ve named future LuToN, to push throughput to 18 million passengers a year on the existing runway and within the curtilage of the existing airport. There is a timetable for the project, with the first phase of Pre-consultation and public information starting 6th February to March 2012. followed by a 16-week statutory consultation on LLAL’s planning application from April to August.
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Availability and sustainability key challenges, says Lufthansa, as biofuel trials end with first commercial transatlantic flight
The six-month trial by Lufthansa using biofuel blends on the route between Hamburg and Frankfurt has ended with its first scheduled commercial transatlantic biofuel flight on January 12. In all, 1,187 scheduled flights were carried out between July and December using an Airbus A321 with a 50-50 blend of regular fuel and biosynthetic kerosene in one engine. Total consumption of the biokerosene mix amounted to 1,556 tonnes, says the airline, and initial calculations suggest CO2 emissions were reduced by 1,471 tonnes as a result. [Based on what evidence ?? That is assuming the fuel produces overall about two thirds less carbon than conventional kerosene ? **]
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Proportion of business passengers fell between 2000 and 2010 at 5 main UK airports
UK government figures show that the proportion of business passengers, international and domestic, have fallen at the 5 largest UK airports over the past 10 years. In 2000 around 38% of Heathrow passengers were on business, around 35% in 2005, but in 2010 it was 30.2%. At Gatwick 17.4% of passengers were on business in 2000, but only 14.6% in 2010. At Stansted it was 18.4% down to 16.4%. At Manchester 19.4% down to 17.9%. At Luton, 24.5% of passengers were on business in 2000, but 19.1% in 2010. Data from the CAA annual passenger surveys each year give the details. While the proportion of business passengers fell, those visiting friends and family, or on holiday, increased.
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David Cameron faces Tory revolt over Thames Estuary airport on ‘Boris Island’
Already facing opposition from a swathe of Tory MPs to proposals to HS2, the PM is now facing the threat of a revolt over the estuary airport issue. Six backbenchers have written to Cameron urging him to kill the “Boris Island” scheme off, warning that it would cause huge environmental damage to the area. It is understood that several ministers and Tory whips, who are not signatories to the letter, are also unhappy at the prospect of a massive new hub airport either on the Isle of Grain or on reclaimed land in the Thames Estuary. The MPs signing the letter are Remhan Chishti (Gillingham and Rainham); Tracey Crouch (Chatham & Aylesford); Gordon Henderson (Sittingbourne & Sheppey); Adam Holloway (Gravesham); Gareth Johnson (Dartford) and Mark Reckless (Rochester & Strood).
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Thanet District Council Report Pans Manston Night Flights Proposal
A report by consultants Parsons Brinckerhoff for Thanet District Council has been long awaited. Some key findings from the Parsons Brinckerhoff report are that: Manston wants night flights for freight. If this was a planning application, it would be rejected. Having night flights will not generate passenger growth. The noise analysis supporting Manston's application is flawed. The economic analysis supporting Manston's application is flawed. The S106 agreement and the planning status of the airport is a shambles. They say Manston airport is in the wrong place and that given its geographic location," it is unlikely that carriers would show much interest for inbound traffic from key European city links – we would argue this would only be relevant if Manston was strategically placed near to a large city or a region with a large catchment area."
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RAF Northolt may be sold to raise defence funds
The MoD is considering selling off one of its oldest and most internationally renowned airfields, RAF Northolt in Hillingdon, as it seeks to raise money to help cope with swingeing budget cuts. All or parts of the site on the outskirts of north London could be sold for commercial development, and there have been high-level talks in Whitehall about whether the airfield could even become a satellite for Heathrow. This would enrage local residents but it has not been discounted by ministers, who are trying to reconcile the decision not to go ahead with a third runway at Heathrow with industry clamour for more capacity. DfT ministers are considering whether to include Northolt in the forthcoming aviation policy consultation.
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Environmental protection rules may be headed for government shredder
On 12 January, cabinet office minister Oliver Letwin met senior officials from Defra, the Environment Agency and Natural England and made a startling proposition - that he wanted all environmental guidance replaced with a single 50-page document, just as the government aims to do with the 1,000 pages of planning guidance. Details of the meeting are difficult to obtain. However, this is part of the government's Red Tape Challenge, to simplify regulations in order to help business. Damian Carrington writes: "Businesses should be encouraged to thrive by developing sustainable goods and services fit for the 21st century, not by cutting costs through a return to pumping their waste into rivers and the air." Earlier the RSPB said "we will fight tooth and nail any unnecessary destruction of our environment for a short termist approach to economic recovery."
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YouGov poll shows 47% of Britons oppose a Thames Estuary airport – few support it
A YouGov poll, conducted on 19th and 20th January, asked 1711 British adults a range of questions, including their views on a Thames estuary airport. 47% were opposed to such an airport. 23% were in favour, of which only 6% were strongly in favour. 49% thought that the UK would not lose its status as an international hub if capacity is not increased (27% believed it might be). 25% thought there was no need for more airport capacity in the south east, and 29th felt there should be expansion at other airports. 39% believed the environmental damage that would be caused by building a new airport at the Thames Estuary outweighs the economic benefits. Only 21% thought its economic benefits would be greater than its environmental cost. Many more women are concerned about the environmental impact than men, who think more along economic lines.
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Gatwick: A sensible approach. GACC meeting with GAL
The community group representing residents near Gatwick Airport (GAL), the Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC), recently met senior staff at the airport to discuss issues of common concern. GACC welcomed the realistic approach taken by GAL to the new aviation policy, concentrating first on improving the passenger experience and keeping out of the overheated press speculation about new runways or a new Estuary airport. GACC welcomes the airport’s recognition that ‘Heathwick’ (Gatwick linked to Heathrow by high speed rail to make a virtual hub) makes no sense.” The airport says it operates generally at around 78% capacity.
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Nations opposed to EU emission tax to meet next few weeks
There will be a meeting in early February of nations opposed to the EU ETS, in Delhi or Moscow. India seems to be talking up the potential of a trade war, with European airlines being restricted on flights in Asia and the east. IATA opposes the ETS and the motivations of those opposing appear to be financial, as it raises costs (of course - that it what it is intended to do, to pay for carbon) but veiled in thin arguments about there being better ways to cut aviation carbon. Which are not being actively sought by any nation, other than the EU.
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NOAA data show globally 2011 was the 11th warmest year since 1880
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data for all of 2011 show that global combined land and ocean surface temperature was 0.51°C above the 20th century average of 13.9°C. This was the 11th warmest since 1880. This marks the 35th consecutive year, since 1976, that the yearly global temperature was above average. Global land surface temperature was the 8th warmest on record, and global ocean surface temperature the 11th warmest ever. When compared to previous La Niña years, the 2011 global surface temperature was the warmest observed during such a year. Including 2011, all 11 years in the 21st century so far (2001–2011) rank among the 13 warmest in the 132-year period of record.
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Janet Street Porter: “Lord Gherkin and the £50bn airport that we don’t need”
Janet writes that architects like Norman Foster (tax exile architect) have notoriously huge egos and want to leave a legacy of important monuments so they can be revered after their death. He’s already given us the Gherkin and Wembley Stadium, but this monstrous white elephant of an airport in the Thames Estuary must be consigned to the recycling bin. And that Lord Foster says the problem with Brits is that we endlessly argue about what to do. Stansted (which he designed) took 24 years to build, whereas the airport for Beijing in China took just four. The reason for that, Lord Foster, is that we live in a democracy — it’s not dithering, it’s called letting voters have their say. And Janet says that Lord Foster cares so much about the UK that he has based himself in Switzerland for many years.
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Thomas Cook’s summer bookings down in UK
The FT says Thomas Cook's sales fell 33% in the first 2 weeks of January compared to the same period a year earlier. This is partly as they have cut the number of holidays offered for sale. The FT says the fall at Thomas Cook is greater than that at their rival, TUI. Thomas Cook say its bookings in December were good. It plans to cut the holidays for summer 2012 on sale in Britain by 8% given weak consumer sentiment. The company has been hit by tough trading, especially in Britain, where its core customer base of families with young children is struggling in tough economic conditions. The group has 1,300 outlets, and plans to close 200 of its branches over the next two years. The airline carries around 8 million passenger per year, declining.
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London City Airport expected to be sold by GIP later this year or 2013
The Chief Executive of London City Airport, Declan Collier, has been asked to review the options for selling the airport. About 60% of its passengers are on business trips, so the airport is seen as of value to the City. However, the local residents in the area, some living very close to the airport and under its flight paths, derive little benefit from the airport and suffer its adverse impacts. This comes at a time of unprecedented upheaval for the airport industry. Edinburgh is up for sale, Stansted could be soon, and the Government is proposing an airport in the Thames estuary.The airport opened in 1987. It was bought by Dermot Desmond for £23.5m in 1995 after it had struggled to build business in its early years. It was then sold by Mr Desmond in May 2006, for about £750m, to a consortium of the American insurer AIG and GIP. AIG then sold its 50% stake to GIP in 2008. The prospect of the 2012 Olympics raised its price. At present it is unlikely to sell for much more than the £750m, but in a buoyant market, its owners GIP and the current minority stake partner Highstar Capital could expect as much as £1.25bn.
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Civil Aviation Bill – on powers for the CAA – introduced into Parliament
TThe Government's Civil Aviation Bill, the purpose of which is to update the economic regulation duties and powers of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has begun its passage through Parliament. These new powers will put passengers at the heart of how the UK's major airports are run. The Civil Aviation Bill (which was earlier referred to as the Airport Economic Regulation Bill) will replace the current economic regulation duties of the CAA with a single primary duty to promote the interests of passengers. The Bill is designed to modernise the key elements of how the industry is regulated and contribute to economic growth.
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Frankfurt airport – protest continues
German article about the continuing protests most Mondays (first this year on 16th Jan) at Frankfurt airport, by hundreds or thousand, who are profoundly disturbed by - and opposed to - the new noise nuisance caused by flights from the runway that was opened in October 2011. The protesters include wealthy citizens, as well as students and environmental activists. Lufthansa is arguing that it should be allowed a large proportion of the night flights that are permitted. The matter goes to the Federal Administrative Court in March 2012 for decision.
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Some Olympics flights to land at Kent airports – a proportion at night
Kent airports - Manston, Lydd and Rochester - are getting excited about their chance, through the arrangements for flights over the period of the Olympics made by Airport Coordination Ltd (ACL) for many hundreds of extra flights. Manston has apparently been told it can have up to 192 arrivals and departures every day with a maximum of 44 between 10pm and 7am. Lydd hopes to have up to 126 planes per day, 20 of which will leave or arrive at night. Rochester's might have 56 aircraft a day, although no flights will operate between midnight and 6am. It is likely that many of these are private jets, as Heathrow expects to deal with most scheduled flights, even opening a new, temporary terminal.
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Southend Tory MPs line up to fight estuary airport proposals
Two MPs have publicly opposed plans for the estuary airport. Castle Point MP Rebecca Harris and James Duddridge MP for Rochford and Southend East, fear the plan would be detrimental to south Essex. Mrs Harris, who met with London mayor Boris Johnson before Christmas, said: “I will be opposing anything which would spoil the tranquillity of my constituency. Mr Duddridge added: “I do not think this airport is right, sensible, realistic or deliverable." [However, the worrying feature is that some in Southend want to press for expansion instead at Manston, which would be deeply unacceptable to people there. This sort of passing the buck is not sensible, and does nobody any favours] .
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Letter from key green groups in UK against Thames Estuary airport plan
The letter, in the Telegraph, from 16 environmental and development groups in the UK concludes that action on climate change is now needed more urgently than ever. Aviation is already responsible for more than a fifth of the UK transport sector’s greenhouse gas emissions, and an airport accommodating 180 million passengers each year, as proposed by Boris Johnson, would be much larger than any airport in operation in the world today. Such a scheme would effectively be the death-knell for the Government’s promise to be the greenest ever, and would undermine its ability to show international climate leadership. "That’s why we will be opposing it every step of the way."
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Biodiesels pollute more than crude oil, leaked data show
Greenhouse gas emissions from biofuels such as palm oil, soybean and rapeseed are higher than those for fossil fuels when the effects of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) are counted, according to leaked EU data seen by EurActiv. In its recent review of the Fuel Quality Directive, the EU proposed a default value of 107g CO2 equivalent per megajoule of fuel for oil from tar sands, as compared to 87.5g CO2/mj for crude oil. The data propose ILUC-incorporating CO2/mj values for biofuels as Palm Oil - 105g ;Soybean – 103g ;Rapeseed – 95g; Sunflower – 86g. Some 2nd generation biofuels come out very much lower. The EU’s new biofuels certification plan, (for road vehicles, planes are not included) announced last August stipulates that certification only be awarded to biofuels which emit 35% less greenhouse gas than petrol, with the figure rising to 60% from 2018.
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Conservative MPs urge rethink on Heathrow 3rd runway and improved links with emerging economies
A group of 30 Conservative MPs, calling themselves the "Free Enterprise Group" have produced a report, which attempts to make the case for a 3rd Heathrow runway, and for new runways at Gatwick or Stansted. It presents no new research, and ignores the environmental impacts of their proposals, giving no thought to climate change, and very vague suggestions of payments of up to £40,000 per household near Heathrow as compensation. It makes out that Heathrow cannot produce enough flights to China. In practice, there were 606,800 passengers travelling between China and Heathrow in 2010, with another 1,386,770 travelling to Hong Kong. Heathrow flew 954,000 people to Miami last year (2011), compared to 311,000 to Beijing and 352,000 to Shanghai. It seems beach holidays are a greater priority to airlines than Chinese business.
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KCC opposes estuary airport but says Manston is the short term answer to airport shortage
Both Medway Council and Kent County Council have described plans for a Thames estuary airport as a "pie in the sky" idea, and believe Manston airport should be developed instead. Kent County Council has recently said "The building of a new airport will take at least a few years to come to fruitition. Increasing the use of Manston airport could help the government’s initiative to boost airport capacity in the South East in the short term.” This is very troubling to people living around Manston. Leaders on Medway Council have called on Transport Secretary Justine Greening to look at "fully utilising the capacity of existing airports including Manston and Birmingham, which could both be joined to London by high speed rail."
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World Tourism Organisation says tourism accounts for about half of all global air passengers
UN World Tourism Organisation says tourism's contribution to global climate change is about 5%. If tourism were a country, it would be the 5th largest emitter worldwide, ahead of Germany (6th) and Canada (7th). About 75% of total tourism carbon emissions are from travel. Of this air travel accounts for 40% of tourism's contribution of CO2. Around half of air passengers globally are tourists. The number of air travellers is projected to double from 2007 to 2025 to more than 9 billion travellers a year. The industry would need to cut its carbon intensity in half by 2025 just to keep total emissions at 2007 levels. Globally, the number of international tourists is thought likely to reach one billion during 2012 - so perhaps half a billion tourists in Europe.
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London 2012: Heathrow outlines Olympics strategy with temporary terminal
Heathrow is planning to build and open a temporary Games Terminal for the Olympics. BAA is spending more than £20m on the Games in total and they say it won't use any public funds. Heathrow says 27 June to 1 October will be its critical period, with 80% of Games visitors expected to pass through the airport. On its busiest expected days - 26 July and 13 August - it predicted passenger levels would increase from an estimated 95,000 on a usual day to 138,000. However, various sources suggest that there will be many fewer non-Olympic tourists during the period with bookings down.
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How Boris Island is blocked by his father’s great work
If "Boris Island" is ever to become a fully fledged £50bn international aviation hub with six runways and links to Europe and London, as Boris hopes, the government will need to get round, weaken or somehow overcome the EU Habitats directive, the gold standard legislation that has protected the wild north Kent marshes and its myriad birds, plants, insects, bats and newts from development for nearly 30 years.That was his dad's great work. The EU Habitats directive is the great and lasting endeavour Stanley Johnson, working in Brussels in the late 1970s.
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Medway open letter calls for urgent meeting with Secretary of State over Thames estuary airport
The Leader of Medway Council, Rodney Chambers, and the leaders of three main groups of Medway councillors, have written an open letter to Theresa Villiers, asking for a meeting on the subject of an estuary airport. They say they need to discuss face to face the ramifications of such proposals for Medway, the historic county of Kent and all communities near the Thames estuary. They say "We strongly urge you to keep to government policy and continue looking at fully utilising the capacity of existing airports".
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‘Boris Island’ airport plan grounded over Johnson’s briefing to Telegraph
The Guardian reports that Downing Street is not happy about how Boris and his team gave the Telegraph their story about the estuary airport, and how this has backfired by producing a united and concerted opposition from the Lib Dems. It is thought that the Lib Dems will support a consultation by Justine Greening on how to maintain a hub airport, but they will oppose any new airport. Boris and some business people persist in pushing the line that the UK must have a huge airport in order to compete with European countries (which in turn build larger airports to compete with London), and that this is the only way in which the UK can get flights to lesser known Chinese cities. The only attraction for the government of a massive airport project would be the hope of large numbers of attractive jobs for years.
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John Stewart on Cameron’s change of heart about Boris and his airport
John - Chair of AirportWatch - writes that the high-profile way David Cameron chose to make the announcement that the government will look at the merits of a new airport in the Thames Estuary suggests that it has as much to do with political calculation as aviation policy. He will be hoping that the London mayor’s persistent championing of the proposal will garner him votes from West London in the forthcoming mayoral elections. His announcement also serves the political purpose of reassuring business, which for years has been calling for new infrastructure. The prime minister is aware he is creating a mirage of economic activity. He also knows that the estuary airport may never happen and has staged a drama for political effect.
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ICAO chief promises global emissions proposal by end 2012
Emissions from airlines, currently about 2 percent of the world total, may surge as the number of passenger flights almost doubles to 5 billion a year by 2020, according to the group’s own estimates.
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David Cameron to give his provisional support to estuary airport
T Cameron is expected to offer his provisional support to Boris's estuary airport scheme. He is now thought to back the project, though he was initially against it. The Thames airport proposal will be in the government's aviation policy consultation that starts in March, though Downing Street says the government will make a final decision on the basis of the consultation process. This announcement may have been intended for earlier in the month, and may have been delayed by doubts by Nick Clegg. The Lib Dems used to have a policy to oppose airport expansion. Since we have committed to spend £32 billion on HST, there isn't a lot of spare money for other projects.
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Luton Airport hopes to boost passenger numbers by 7- 9 million per year
Luton airport - the UK's 5th biggest - has announced a 4 week consultation on its plans that will start on 6 th February. It has plans to increase the annual number of passengers. It would handle 18 million passengers a year under the plan, up from 11.5 million. Work "can be achieved within the airport's existing boundary and using the existing runway". Once the consultation ends, the airport hopes to submit a planning application in April. The airport says: "Impacts on the environment, noise and road traffic flows will be fully evaluated as part of the process." The airport announced plans for road improvements in November to reduce anticipated congestion at the time of the Olympics. Some of the work is paid for by public funds.
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Flybe shares slump 20% on revenue warning due to declining demand
Flybe has warned that weak UK sales are causing it problems. Sales in the three months to December 2011 were down 8% on a year earlier. Flybe said conditions in the UK domestic air travel market had continued to deteriorate and this trend would continue. There has been a general decline in demand for air travel during the economic downturn. Flybe said these conditions "will force" rationalisation of the European short-haul airline market. Shares in the airline have fallen more than 80% since the start of 2011. UK sales make up about 70% of Flybe’s revenue, but the airline is looking to expand into Europe.
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BAA believes that by 2032 HS2 will cut Heathrow domestic flights. Numbers have been falling over the past 10 years anyway
BAA Heathrow backs HS2, and believes that once the spur to Heathrow is built by 2032 it will boost the airport. It does not see a great benefit from the first phase of HS2 to Birmingham only, but the benefit starts once the Y shaped links to Leeds and Manchester are built. BAA estimates that there might be some 22% fewer domestic flights from Heathrow after 2032. (There were around 45 - 46,000 domestic flights in 2010, so 9 - 10,000 might be cut). However, unless the ETS deterred a switch from domestic flights to long haul, it is likely that the slots previously used for short flights would be used for long haul, so greatly increasing overall carbon emissions. The GMB continues to press for a third Heathrow runway.
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More Operating Restrictions Loom For Frankfurt Airport
Airlines may face not only a permanent ban on night flights at Frankfurt Airport, but also more restrictions on daytime operations following protests about noise since the 4th runway was opened in October. The state Prime Minister - who was earlier against a night time ban - now hopes Germany's highest administrative court will uphold a lower court ruling that imposed a curfew from 11pm to 5am. When the runway opened there was an initial agreement for a curfew in return for the expansion, but the government later temporarily dropped this commitment. Protests are beginning to show their effect ahead of the 2013 elections.
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Manchester Airports Group could float to fund Stansted bid
Manchester Airports Group is considering a partial floatation as it looks to raise funds for the acquisition of Stansted or Edinburgh airport. They might form a joint venture with others - including Greater Manchester Pension Fund and Canadian infrastructure investor Borealis - to buy another airport. MAG is also trying to build an Airport City. They regard Stansted or Edinburgh as adding quality to the group. MAG earlier made a bid for Gatwick, but withdrew the bid. Manchester city council has a 55% stake in MAG, while each of the 9 other Greater Manchester local authorities own 5% each. First-round bids for Edinburgh airport are due in by mid-February. Analysts estimate it could fetch up to £600m.
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Edinburgh Airport sale attracts interest of JP Morgan
JP MORGAN, the US financial institution, is believed to be the latest to express an interest in bidding for Edinburgh airport. The bank is believed to be sounding out interested parties ahead of the deadline for offers in March. Potential bidders will submit bids in excess of £400 million. A preferred bidder will be selected by the summer. The growing list of those interested in buying Edinburgh 3i and the US-based Carlyle Group (included Sir Brian Souter) and GIP. Arcus European Infrastructure Fund may also table an offer. Also a consortium of Scottish businessmen. A price of £400 - 600 million is likely.
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Air France-KLM to restructure short and medium-haul network
Air France-KLM (the biggest carrier in Europe based on annual revenue) will cut its short and medium-haul fleet and freeze the pay of its French employees for the next 2 years as part of a 3-year plan to return to profitability and turn the business around by 2014. It wants to cut its net debt from the current €4.5 billion to €2.5 billion over this period. One of its central aims is to get its short and medium-haul business back to break-even within three years – this part of the company lost €700 milion last year – through a major restructure. It is planning to shrink its fleet by deferring the arrival of mid-haul aircraft and not taking up options on aircraft orders.
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Times Leader pushing for Heathrow expansion
The Times writes - heavily influenced by the aviation industry lobby - that the only hope for the UK economy is to expand Heathrow, build a third runway , and to hell with any adverse effects on anyone. The Leader writer appears not to be aware of some of the basic facts and has swallowed entirely the mantra of the aviation industry that aviation is the driving force of all economic activity - which is not true. This Leader continues the long campaign to put pressure on the government to grow Heathrow and produce an aviation policy that greatly expands UK aviation capacity.
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Ryanair adds 25p tax levy to fares per passenger per flight to cover ETS
Ryanair is to charge all its passengers 25p per flight from 17th January - in theory due to the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. Ryanair in practice does not need to pay for carbon until January 2013. Ryanair is calling the ETS an "eco-looney tax". They are complaining strenuously about this miniscule charge, even though they think nothing of slapping large charges on to everything else they can. Many other airlines are also starting to charge. For example Delta with $3 for one way. Brussels Airlines €3 - 10. AirAsia €5 one way. American $3 one way. Qantas probably $5. British Airways - no rise yet.
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CAA consults on its environmental role
The CAA is now consulting - until 12th April 2012 - on its ambition to help improve the environmental performance of UK aviation. A final document is set for publication later in 2012. The CAA has only recently produced their Insight Note on "Aviation Policy for the Environment". Environmental issues cover carbon emissions, noise and local air pollution. The CAA has not been tasked by the government to take on an environmental role, though in the Transport Committee on 13th December Theresa Villiers said that "there is no explicit inclusion (in the draft Civil Aviation Bill)of a duty to take on board environmental factors. That would not stop the CAA from taking a balanced approach...." The CAA questions are vague, but they have set themselves activities and desired outcomes by 2016 on which stakeholders can comment.
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Manchester’s £650m Airport City master plan unveiled
Manchester Airports Group has produced its plans for an 150 acre Airport City , close to Manchester Airport. In April 2011 Government announced that Manchester Airport would be one of the first four Enterprise Zones, with Airport City at the core of the zone. The Airport City (also elsewhere called an Aerotropolis) would be in two zones, one with hotel, office, retail and advanced manufacturing space, and the other focusingn on freight and logistics. MAG will submit a planning application within weeks for the scheme's main link road, with work set to start by spring and due for completion in 12-15 months. The rest of the building will take several years. MAG hopes to attract global businesses to work in their airport city, and create a project to compete with other locations in Barcelona, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Dusseldorf and Heathrow.
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WWF disputes aviation authority’s call for new runways
WWF and the AEF (Aviation Environment Federation) disagree with the CAA arguments of needing more airport capacity in the south-east. A recent WWF report shows that there is enough capacity in the south-east and other regions to meet demand, in line with the recommended limits on aviation growth laid down by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) to ensure the sector plays a role in limiting its carbon emissions. Presuming larger planes in coming decades, for increased efficiency per passenger, it is likely that there would only be perhaps a 1% shortfall in capacity by 2050. WWF says the CAA and others pressing for more airport capacity should take proper account of the climate implications of their plans. They are just the latest in aviation industry 'groupthink' that new runways will magically lift us out of recession. They will not.
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Airlines could net £1.6bn windfall from EU carbon trading scheme, report says
Far from damaging US airlines, the EU ETS could deliver it a €2 billion windfall profit, according to a new report by a US Federal Aviation Administration-funded group of academics. Bill Hemmings, the aviation spokesman for the European environmental pressure group Transport & Environment, said that it "called seriously into question" air industry claims that the ETS would leave them out of pocket. Instead they can pass them on to passengers with minimal impact on their businesses. This US government-funded report says they could make windfall profits, so T&E are not sympathetic to their cries that the ETS will cost them billions.
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The CAA (owned by airlines) produces advice to government to increase capacity in the south east
TThe CAA has now produced the third of its three "Insight Papers" for the DfT. It hopes these will influence the formation of new UK aviation policy, on which a public consultation will start in March. The CAA is not a neutral government agency; its membership is entirely airlines and air travel companies, and all its funding comes from them. It is therefore entirely biased in favour of aviation growth. The latest Insight Note, entitled "Aviation Policy for the Future" wants more airport capacity in the south east. It also wants policies to keep the price of flying cheap, and stresses the importance of aviation growth to the UK's economic prosperity, while keeping remarkably silent on the impact of air travel in taking UK money out of the country. It includes strange suggestions on noise like introducing a cap and trade system, and increasing the degree of community trust in airports.
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Birmingham business leaders jubilant on HS2 – but rail link does not go to the airport
Birmingham believes it will benefit from the HS2 link. However, the rail link will not go to the airport, or even to the main rail station but under the plans, a new station will be built in Curzon Street, which is about a 15-minute walk from New Street Station. This is the so called interchange station which is on the other side of the M42 and will be linked to the airport and international station by a people mover of which we know little else but it could be a futuristic monorail or something similar ... Birmingham Friends of the Earth want money spent on transport within the city - what is the point in a super-fast link to London if it takes an hour to reach the station, across the suburbs?
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HS2 high-speed rail project gets green light
Justine Greening has given the go ahead for the rail link from London to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, on 10th January. It will cost at least £32bn. This is the first phase of the route on which high-speed trains will start running in 2026 and this first phase should be only the foundation of a future network. Opponents question the huge expenditure for time savings of just half an hour between London and Birmingham. Between 2026 and 2032 other northern cities (Manchester, Leeds, will get their high speed links from the Y shaped network. There will be huge opposition and anger in constituencies through which HS2 would pass, which will face the prospect of years of construction for no direct local benefit. Legislation to enable the building of HS2 would go through Parliament in 2013.
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