Latest News
Latest news stories:
Thomson Airways’ 50% cooking oil biofuel flight grounded after fuel delivery hitch
Date added: 27 July, 2011
The UK's first commercial flight powered by "sustainable" biofuels has been postponed
after delivery problems. Thomson Airways' flight TOM7424 from Birmingham to Palma was scheduled for 28th July.
However, the airline said the green fuel pilot had been scraped as a delay beyond their control during the transportation of the fuel from the USA
meant the testing process could not be done in time for the flight. Will probably
take place in September.
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In Birmingham Ed Miliband says it was a mistake for Labour to push for 3rd Heathrow runway
Date added: 25 July, 2011
In reply to a question from Birmingham FoE, Ed Miliband said: "We can’t exclude
air travel from thinking about the environment and thinking about our carbon emissions.
We decided in Government to go ahead with the Heathrow terminal third runway –
it was a mistake. You can’t just stop people flying, but you’ve got to do it in
a way that is consistent with your environmental care of the planet.”
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Ryanair predicts up to 12% rise in average fares from now to March 2012
Date added: 25 July, 2011
Ryanair has said that its fares will rise by an average of up to 12% in the year
to the end of March 2012 as fuel prices rise. It has already bought 90% of its fuel for this year, at a price 18% above last year's,
but below current prices. It has reported that pre-tax profits for the 3 months to the end of June came
in at £138m, up 50% from the same period last year (due to ash cloud in 2010). Passenger numbers (seats sold) rose 18% to 18m. Fuel price 49%.
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IUCN and WWF International give their backing to “sustainable” biofuels and their use by the EU
Date added: 25 July, 2011
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and WWF have welcomed
the recognition of the new Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels certification system by the European Commission, for meeting the sustainability criteria of the Renewable
Energy Directive. They believe it is crucial for biofuels to be produced in a
way that is consistent with sustainable resource management, contributing to both
positive economic and social development.
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BAA considers appeal to EU human rights court over forced ‘fire sale’ of two airports
Date added: 25 July, 2011
BAA is considering appealing to the European Court of Human Rights in a last-ditch
attempt to avoid having to sell 2 airports, saying having to sell them now is
unfair as they will fetch a poor price. Last week the CC issued what it claimed was a final ruling, after years, that
BAA must sell Stansted and Edinburgh or Glasgow. BAA's Spanish owner, Ferrovial,
is considering a judicial review, which even if unsuccessful could delay a sale
process until 2012.
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Newcastle and Manchester Airports oppose devolution of APD powers to Scotland
Date added: 25 July, 2011
Ministers are facing a backlash from Newcastle and Manchester airports over plans
to devolve power on aviation taxes amid fears it could lead to an exodus of passengers
travelling north of the Border to catch flights. The Scottish Government has promised to lower APD to cut fares and encourage
the development of new routes and wants Westminster to hand over responsibility
for the tax to Holyrood. There are fears passengers will drive to Scotland to
fly.
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Ryanair to take legal action against Stansted on ‘overcharges’
Date added: 25 July, 2011
Ryanair has announced it will shortly be launching legal action against BAA Stansted,
seeking a recovery of “substantial overcharges”. It claims it has suffered at the BAA Stansted monopoly’s hands in recent years,
along with other Stansted airlines.
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Wandsworth residents worried over possible Heathrow emergency flight measures abuses
Date added: 24 July, 2011
Campaigners have warned they will be "up in arms" if BAA abuses new emergency
measures at Heathrow to introduce more flights. John Stewart said the Government's task force has proposed granting BAA more flexibility
to land planes on both runways to avoid disruption at critical times, such as
severe weather and the Olympic Games. But it is vital that there are safeguards which to ensure BAA does not abuse its new-found freedom.
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Tree pruning around Southend Airport leads to fears about low flights
Date added: 23 July, 2011
The pruning of trees in the flightpath of Southend Airport has caused concerns
about low-flying aircraft. Trees in the council-owned Millennium Park have been
cut back. Airport bosses said because the trees could obstruct planes, it is a
legal requirement for the work to be done by the council. Councillors and residents
fear it suggests planes will fly low over densely-populated areas. Just how low
are these planes planning to fly over homes?
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Business flyers help easyJet profits to soar
Date added: 23 July, 2011
easyJet has forecast profits would take off after more business travellers
have been using its planes. easyJet predicted annual profits of up to £230million, above the £174million expected
by some brokers. EasyJet said business people were using its high‑frequency flights between European
cities such as Berlin, London, Madrid, Milan and Paris. The number of business travellers taking its services rose by a fifth in the 3
months to June 30 .
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Airlines doing more to recycle old aircraft components at end of life as low re-sale value
Date added: 22 July, 2011
Boeing says recycling end-of-life airplanes is key to delivering environmental
performance. More than 13,000 airplanes will be retired over the next 20 years, as they are
replaced with newer and more fuel-efficient
ones, so re-using and recycling components is important. The annual meeting of the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association recently took
place in the USA. They need to develop new aerospace applications for parts and materials recycled from aircraft
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Lufthansa will get its biofuel from Neste Oil, with palm oil likely to be sneaked into the mix
Date added: 22 July, 2011
This is a very worrying article about biofuel Lufthansa will be getting from
Neste Oil, which is well known for using large quantities of palm oil. It appears that though Lufthansa is saying all the suitable greenwash things
about its flights at present, using only camelina, jatropha and animal fats, as
Neste Oil deals largely with palm oil, it is likely that so called "sustainably
sourced" palm oil will get into the mix, and Lufthansa is not bothered about that.
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House Lawmakers Seek to Bar Airlines From EU Carbon Program
Date added: 21 July, 2011
Members of the House of Representatives are seeking to keep US airlines from
being part of the European Union’s cap-and-trade program for carbon emissions. A group of lawmakers has introduced a bill to bar US carriers from participating
in the EU ETS next year. It would cost US carriers $1.3 billion in its first
year and may top $3.5 billion. The EU will not back down unless the US adopts
similar measures with comparable CO2 effects for its airlines
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Arctic sea cover lowest ever for July and shrinking at record pace
Date added: 21 July, 2011
Sea ice in the Arctic is melting at a record pace this year, suggesting warming at the north pole is
speeding up and a largely ice-free Arctic can be expected in summer months within
30 years. The area of the Arctic ocean partly covered in ice is now, mid July, about 8.5m
sq kilometres – lower than the previous record low set in 2007 – according to
US satellite monitoreing. New data also shows that the thickness of Arctic ice this year is the lowest on record.
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American Airlines orders 460 Boeing and Airbus aircraft
Date added: 21 July, 2011
American Airlines said it would have the youngest fleet in the US within 5 years.
American Airlines has announced multi-billion dollar orders for 460 new Boeing
and Airbus planes. It is the world's fourth-largest airline by number of passengers, and now buying 200
Boeing 737s and 260 Airbus A320 aircraft. American described the twin deals as "the largest aircraft order in history". The new aircraft will be delivered between 2013 and 2022.
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Finnair flies commercial flight Amsterdam to Helsinki on 50% cooking oil
Date added: 21 July, 2011
Finnair has joined KLM and Lufthansa to use blended sustainable jet biofuel on
a commercial scheduled flight.
Both engines of an Airbus A319 were fuelled with a mix of 50% biofuel derived
from used cooking oil and 50% conventional jet fuel. The 1,500km journey between
Amsterdam and Helsinki was the longest scheduled flight so far to use biofuel. Finnair plans to carry out a series of 4 such flights over the coming weeks.
The fuel is from SkyNRG.
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Shipping becomes first industry with global climate standard
Date added: 20 July, 2011
Shipping has become the first industry to agree a global CO2reduction strategy.
This month’s vote at the IMO approved the establishment of an Energy Efficiency
Design Index for new ships built after 2013. Though welcome, this cannot be seen
as a solution on its own, especially as the EEDI will take many years to be truly
effective. After 2013 ships will have to meet a minimum level of energy efficiency and these will
strengthen over time.
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Stansted, Edinburgh and Glasgow airports’ fate in balance as BAA mulls sell-off order
Date added: 20 July, 2011
BAA says it may seek a judicial review into the competition watchdog's ruling
it must sell Stansted, and this would prolong the legal wrangle that has continued
since a commission investigation concluded three years ago. It is thought Glasgow
is more likely to be sold as it underperforms Edinburgh, but Edinburgh could be
favoured if BAA needs to maximise sale proceeds to cut its debts. Now MAG has
cooled its interest in buying one of the airports.
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Southend Air Traffic Control Tower and Station opened
Date added: 19 July, 2011
Minister for the Thames Gateway, Bob Neill MP, opened the first of the airport’s
completed new development projects – a state-of-the-art air traffic control tower,
which has actually been operational since March. Southend airport is also working
on various developments, including a new dedicated train station - now open, with
services to Stratford - new terminal building, runway extension and a new hotel.
They want this to make money from the Olympics
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BAA must sell off two airports
Date added: 19 July, 2011
The Competition Commission has givenits final ruling, that BAA must sell 2 of
its UK airports - Stansted followed by either Edinburgh or Glasgow. The sale process
will start in 3 months "or sooner if undertakings are accepted from BAA in the
meantime," the CC said. This follows a provisional ruling on the sales made in
March this year and ends a two-year saga which began in March 2009 when the CC
made what was seen then as a final report on BAA's airport ownership.
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SSE says: Time for BAA to accept defeat at Stansted
Date added: 19 July, 2011
Stop Stansted Expansion has condemned BAA’s suggestion that it will apply for
judicial review of today’s final verdict from the Competition Commission ordering
BAA to sell Stansted Airport by the end of next year. SSE say the uncertainty has gone on far too long and BAA should now respect the CC's ruling
and the courts and sell Stansted as quickly as possible. BAA should not be allowed
a repetition of the previous lengthy appeal process.
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HS2 a £32 billion recipe for disaster, claims think-tank IEA
Date added: 19 July, 2011
A leading UK think-tank, the Institute of Economic Affairs, has labelled plans
for the new high-speed rail link between London and the Midlands as “economically
flawed”. They claim the HS2 rail link is not commercially viable, that taxpayers will bear a high
proportion of the financial risk, and the London to Birmingham line would require a contribution of £1,000 per taxpayer. The construction costs of the first phase are abpit £17 billion, with a total
£33 billion.
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Protest against military aviation at Fairford Air Tattoo
Date added: 18 July, 2011
A small, but passionate, protest took place at this year's Fairford Air Tattoo -part of which is for the sale of military planes and weapons. The main reasons for the protest were both the massive pollution and carbon emissions caused by the military, and the use of bombs that contain depleted uranium. These cause a degree of pollution and probably health effects which would be regarded as completely unacceptable in western nations such as the UK.
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BAA set for legal fight if ordered to sell airports
Date added: 18 July, 2011
BAA could seek a judicial review against the Competition Commission if, as expected,
it is ordered to sell Stansted and one of its Scottish airports. The CC indicated
earlier this year in a preliminary review of a 2009 ruling that it was still minded
to order the forced divestments in order to increase competition in the airport
market in south-east England and Scotland. The final report on 19th is expected
to give BAA 18 months to arrange an auction.
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Virgin calls for rise in short-haul APD
Date added: 18 July, 2011
The industry cannot decide within itself what to do on APD. Virgin Atlantic claims passengers travelling to long-haul destinations are subsidising
short-haul travel to the tune of £222 million. Virgin wants a new £20 rate of APD for short-haul journeys which could bring in nearly £650
million to the Treasury. Virgin pointed out that last year over 2 m passengers flew from London to destinations in Europe easily reachable within
around 2 hours by Eurostar.
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Blackpool Airport may lose homes block bid
Date added: 17 July, 2011
A plea to turn down housing estate plans amid fears it could halt Blackpool Airport’s
expansion plans looks to have failed. The airport want more time to prove the damaging impact the homes could have
on tourism after stepping in at the 11th hour last month to stop Fylde Council
approving the application. But plans for 73 homes on the former Pontins site is due before planners again
next week – and councillors likely to disregard the airport’s objections.
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The pros and cons of regional airports – feature by ABTN
Date added: 17 July, 2011
The article discusses, from a travel manager's point of view, the benefits of
long haul flights from regional airports, rather than hubbed through Heathrow,
or other major airport. Will travellers going to the USA bother to go via Amsterdam to save a bit on
APD? Direct regional long-haul flight fare can be a bit more expensive than those
from London, but the price differential weighs heavily in the regions’ favour
once hotel and travel costs to a distant hub airport are factored in.
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Carlisle Airport planning decision postponed till August as plans appear unrealistic
Date added: 16 July, 2011
Carlisle Council has put off a decision until after 19th August on whether to
give Stobart Group permission to build a 394,000sq ft freight-distribution centre
and resurface the runway. Councillors had been expected to turn down the application on 15th. Failure
to get planning could significantly affect the valuation of Carlisle Airport, which Stobart bought 2
years ago. Aviation consultants working for the council advised that passenger flights would
not be “commercially viable” and there was “very little potential” for air freight.
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Attempts to rank airlines by the CO2 emissions per passenger come up with mixed results
Date added: 14 July, 2011
Two articles from GreenAir online report on attempts by various studies to rank
the carbon emissions per passenger for different airlines. They conclude that there is no single way in which to do this successfully, as
there are so many variables. Some of these are length of journey, weight of fuel carried on long haul flights, number of take-offs and landings per journey, type of plane, its age or any modifications, whether the flight would have taken place had the fare not been so low
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Bill Bryson presents Bristol anti-airport expansion campaigners with award
Date added: 14 July, 2011
SBAE has received national recognition for its work opposing the proposed plans
to increase airport traffic at Bristol Airport from 6 m passengers to 10 m passengers
by 2019. The group’s campaigning achievements were acknowledged by CPRE President Bill
Bryson who presented them the Marsh Award for the Benefit of Rural England + £450.
Bill said: "These extraordinary people finish their working week only to sit down
and do another week’s worth in their spare time.”
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Mallee trees to provide biomass for Virgin Australia sustainable aviation biofuel venture
Date added: 14 July, 2011
Virgin Australia is to partner with renewable fuel technology and agriculture
interests to develop a biofuel project. The consortium plans to process a species
of eucalypt tree that can be grown sustainably in many parts of Australia. They
hope a demonstration unit will be operational in 2012 and commercial scale by
2014. A recent report by Australia’sscience agency said Australian aviation could
be using 5% of their fuel as biofuel by 2020, and 40% by 2050.
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Heathrow to be given more freedom to use both runways in emergencies
Date added: 14 July, 2011
Heathrow is to be given more freedom to land aircraft on both runways at the
same time to recover from periods of serious disruption. The plan is included in the report of the South East Airports Task Force, chaired
by aviation minister Theresa Villiers. It was set up by the current government
last year to look at ways of improving the efficiency of Heathrow and other south
east airports. The new practice will be trialled for a period. If it is decided to continue
with it, there would be public consultation.
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Deutsche Bahn applies to run trains through Channel Tunnel
Date added: 13 July, 2011
Direct rail services from London to Germany and Holland have moved a step closer
after Deutsche Bahn made a formal application (to the Intergovernmental Commission,
which is responsible for safety in the tunnel) to run trains through the Channel
Tunnel. If approved, St Pancras will be able to serve passengers to Rotterdam,
Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Cologne by the end of 2013. Other operators have been
able to apply since Jan 2010.
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Lydd Airport Inquiry – local MP backs airport expansion, and there is noise concern for local schoolchildren
Date added: 13 July, 2011
Damian Collins gave his backing to the expansion plans of Lydd airport at the
public inquiry. His information was not entirely accurate. As usual, any expansion
will be backed locally if there is the prospect of jobs - Lydd is suggesting there
will be 200 new jobs. CPRE Kent has taken up the cause of the local primary school
which is within a third of a mile of the extended runway, and given evidence on
damage to cognitive skills in school from aircraft noise
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Nantes plans to build a new airport – could it become the French Heathrow?
Date added: 13 July, 2011
John Stewart reports from his recent visit to the Nantes campaign. 4,500 people
demonstrated against plans for a new airport on Sunday 12th July and 14,000 over
2 days. This could become the 'French Heathrow'. The site of a victory as iconic as the
struggle against the third runway. The campaigners have succeeded in making their
fight a national issue, and the biggest airport campaign in Europe. Nantes already
has an airport, but wants to build a huge new one instead.
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BAA airports June 2011 traffic figures – passengers up +4.4% on June 2010
Date added: 12 July, 2011
Third month of record passenger numbers at Heathrow. Heathrow reports busiest ever June (up +6.3% on June 2010), following record
April and May. Heathrow growth driven by long-haul traffic and strengthening transfer performance. Group wide traffic up 4.4% to 9.9 million in June. But June 2010 saw some impact from industrial action at BA so figures skewed.
Removing the effects of this, Heathrow achieved underlying growth of around 3.8%.
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Theresa Vlliers gives her support to aviation biofuels, including Thomson cooking oil flights
Date added: 12 July, 2011
Welcoming Thomson's announcement it will be using 50% fuel from used cooking
oil (which contains animal fats) and the aviation industry’s drive towards technological
change, UK Aviation Minister Theresa Villiers said sustainable biofuels fuels
had a role to play in efforts to tackle climate change. She wished them well with
the project. On 28th July, Thomson will start flying a plane from Birmingham to
Palma on the new fuel.
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Lufthansa A321 partially powered (50%) by biofuel to enter service Friday
Date added: 12 July, 2011
Lufthansa plans start its scheduled biofuel flights Friday, launching a 6-month
trial in which an IAE V2500-powered Airbus A321 will operate on the Frankfurt-Hamburg
route. It will use a 50-50 mix of biofuel and traditional kerosene in one engine, and is due
to operate 8 daily legs between FRA and HAM. LH estimates it will save around
1,500 tons of CO2 emissions over the 6 months - but give no indication how this
figure is obtained.
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Airlines launch a new campaign ‘Hands off our holiday, Mr Taxman!’
Date added: 11 July, 2011
The airlines and the travel industry continue their long complaint about Air
Passenger Duty, and claim how unfair it is etc etc .... yawn. They fail to add
that aviation still receives massive benefits by not paying any VAT on , and by
not paying any tax on aviation fuel. Flying is therefore unfairly cheap, compared
to other forms of travel. This is a cynical campaign to keep their income up.
The poorest in the UK do not fly - the richest fly most, and so obtain the greatest
subsidy through low flight taxes. APD to Europe is £12.
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Infratil airport results for year ending March 2011 show £5 million loss – could be job losses
Date added: 11 July, 2011
Jobs could be lost at Kent International Airport after it launched a widescale
review of all staff on 23rd March. Charles Buchanan, chief executive of Infratil,
the company which owns Manston airport, said it was reviewing "working patterns and conditions of all staff". The consultation would last for at least 90 days. Nothing has been heard yet.
Infratil is making huge losses at its two UK airport, Manston and Prestwick, as
traffic weakens.
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SAEN letter to Daily Mail about proposed easyJet flights from Southend
Date added: 11 July, 2011
EasyJet’s recent announcement was a political move by both parties. Stobart want
to pressure the Government into bringing in the result of the Public Inquiry to
approve the closure of Eastwoodbury Lane, which runs across the current end of
the runway. While EasyJet want to lean on Stansted and Luton to lower their landing
charges. The extension to the runway is by no means a done deal, with vital decisions
not being made until October or later. (SAEN)
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Andrew Davis’ Von Essen Aviation could lose Battersea Heliport
Date added: 11 July, 2011
Accountant Deloitte has been appointed by bankers to the company that owns London's
only commercial helipad to begin a review of the business. Von Essen Aviation, which owns Battersea Heliport, is one of Mr Davis's last
significant assets. It also runs a fleet of private aircraft. It is not certain how much debt Von Essen Aviation is carrying. According to
its last set of accounts, for the year ending December 2009, its net debt was
£32.5m.
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Edinburgh Airport Master Plan released – barely changed from the draft
Date added: 11 July, 2011
The airport Master Plan goes up till 2040. They anticipate passenger numbers
will grow from 9 million per annum now, to 12.3 million (central forecast) by
2020. (The central forecast in the 2006 Master Plan was 17.6 million by 2020).
They anticipate 20.5 million passengers per year by 2040 (the central forecast
in the 2006 Master Plan was 23 million by 2030). They expect 141,300 aircraft
movements per year by 2020 and 200,600 per year by 2040. Cargo and mail might
grow to 56,300 tonnes by 2020 and 81,900 tonnes per year by 2040. They do not
anticipate "needing" a 2nd runway until 2040, but have plans to set aside land
before 2040 for such a runway.
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Gatwick Aviation museum permission refused
Date added: 11 July, 2011
After a hotly argued debate, planning permission has been refused by Mole Valley
District Councl for a new aviation museum in the Green Belt, on the northern boundary
of Gatwick Airport. Reasons for refusal were largely due to the site being in
Metropolitan Green Belt land, as well as the application needing to fellTree Preservation
Order trees, and not meeting various sustainability grounds.
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Australia’s carbon-reduction scheme – Airlines predict fares will rise
Date added: 10 July, 2011
The Australian government has unveiled ambitious plans to tackle climate change,
taxing CO2 emissions from the country's worst polluters. From July next year
500 companies would pay $23 (£15) a tonne for their CO2 emissions in the largest
emissions trading scheme outside Europe. Airlines are complaining they will pay
the tax indirectly through a rise in an existing aviation fuel excise, though
fuel for international flights will be excluded.
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New briefings from Belfast City Airport Watch on noise and jobs at the airport
Date added: 10 July, 2011
Two new briefings have just been produced by Belfast City Airport Watch. BCAW
says the number of people exposed to ‘significant’ levels of aircraft noise near the
airport has tripled over the past 3 years – and is now higher than at Gatwick
or Stansted. And on jobs they say the airport claim it employs 1,500 people –
but it only employs 90 people driectly, and just makes assumptions about there being 570 jobs created
or induced indirectly by the airport’s activities.
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Fight the Flights (London City) and HACAN to merge with FtF becoming HACAN East London
Date added: 10 July, 2011
HACAN, the organisation which represents residents under the Heathrow flight
paths, and Fight the Flights, which fought the expansion of London City Airport,
are to merge. Fight the Flights will become HACAN East London. The move makes
a lot of sense as both airports affect London in a growing way. These days hundreds
of thousands of residents are affected by flights to and from both airports. The
merger will happen during July.
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FT reports that airlines may back government plans to sell part of its share in NATS
Date added: 9 July, 2011
The FT says that the 7 airlines that control NATS (National Air Traffic Services)
will agree to the UK government selling part of its share in NATS. It currently
owns 49% with look and the airlines want it to keep at least 25% so the UK retains its influence at the European level, where there are plans to
streamline all European air traffic. The Airline Group, (BA, EasyJet and Virgin Atlantic), owns 42% of NATS and has
management control of it.
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EasyJet passengers up around +11% or more every month in 2011 over the same month in 2010
Date added: 9 July, 2011
EasyJet monthly passenger figures show substantial increases in passengers who
bought tickets (EasyJet does not count the actual number who fly, just those who
have paid) for each month this year, over the same month in 2010. June - up 12%.
May - up 11.3%. April (unrepresentative due to 2010 ash cloud) - up 35%. March
- up 11.95. February - up 13.1%. January - up 19.1%. Load factor is virtually
unchanged.
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Ryanair passenger figures so far in 2011 – around 25% up on 2009
Date added: 9 July, 2011
Ryanair produces its monthly passenger figures, which show substantial increases
over the same months last year, and huge increases over the years - growth each
year. Ryanair, like easyJet, count all seats sold rather than actual passengers
who flew. All figures since 2002 at http://www.ryanair.com/en/investor/traffic-figures
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Northern Ireland MPs call for NI air passenger duty to be abolished
Date added: 9 July, 2011
APD should be abolished on all flights from Northern Ireland, the NI Affairs
Committee has said. A report by the group has also suggested services to Northern Ireland from Great
Britain should be exempt. It says this is needed to counter the threat the tax poses to the economy. Continental Airlines warned that the region's only transatlantic route could
be axed if passenger duty was not cut. It adds £60 to every flight to the US - but nothing in Ireland.
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BioJet to release 1 billion gallons of jet fuel in the USA
Date added: 9 July, 2011
After the recent ASTM International Committee on Petroleum Products and Lubricants'
approval of bio-derived jet fuel for commercial use, USA firm BioJet International said
it will release one billion gallons of renewable jet fuel priced at $2.97 /gallon
to airlines to "aid in the development" of biofuel in the commercial aviation
market. BioJet, through its subsidiaries, owns and controls multiple, very large biofuels
feedstock projects around the world.
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Munich Airport to make 3rd runway construction a priority
Date added: 8 July, 2011
Munich Airport plans to urgently push through plans to construct a 3rd runway,
following considerable growth in passenger and cargo volumes in 2010. Passenger numbers grew 6% year-over-year in 2010 to 35 million. Freight was up
27% to 300,000t, marking the largest increase in the 19-year operational history
of the Bavarian hub. The company started the planning process for a new parallel runway to the NE
of the existing two runways in 2005.
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Air Southwest moving Plymouth flights to Cornwall for month – it shuts in December
Date added: 8 July, 2011
Air Southwest flights at Plymouth Airport are to be transferred to Newquay, Cornwall
for a month between 29 July and 29 August. Ground transport will be provided for affected passengers and a timetable will
be provided on the Air Southwest website. The airport, owned by the Sutton Harbour Group, is to close in December. It is
because a military radar service it used from the Plymouth Military Radar Station would
be unavailable during that time.
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Safety suffers in airline boom, says union
Date added: 8 July, 2011
The civil aviation secretary at the International Transport Workers Federation
(ITF), which represents more than 275 unions in aviation, said that many airlines
now "prioritise cost over safety" and called on authorities to address growing
concern among its members. This follows the grounding of the Singapore-based Tiger Airways' Australian operations on
July 2 after authorities ruled that the budget carrier posed a "serious and imminent
risk to air safety".
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Heathrow charge row – BMI says landing charges are unfair
Date added: 8 July, 2011
Heathrow is to face a probe into its charges following complaints from domestic
airline BMI that changes made earlier this year were unfair. The CAA said it would formally investigate complaints that BAA had “unreasonably discriminated”
against UK-focused airlines by making domestic and EU passenger charges equal. BMI also complained landing charges were now being based solely on how noisy
planes are.
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Green groups warn Government over aviation CO2 emissions as major new report launched
Date added: 8 July, 2011
A major new report from AirportWatch entitled “Aviation and Climate Change Policy in the UK” is published today, setting out a sophisticated policy mix of tough measures
to control and reduce UK aviation’s growing carbon footprint that endorses the
seminal December 2009 Committee on Climate Change (CCC) report “Meeting the UK
Aviation Target”. It says Government must retain the current UK aviation CO2 target and adopt the Committee
on Climate Change recommended flight limits in full. “Back door” airport expansion via planning system needs to be stopped right away
until a new UK-wide aviation policy in place. This comes a few days before the
DfT will respond to the CCC on how aviation growth can be compatible with climate
change targets.
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Application for a Certificate of Lawfulness for Dunsfold Aerodrome refused by Waverley Borough Council
Date added: 7 July, 2011
On 6th July, Waverley Borough Council refused the application by Dunsfold Aerodrome
for a Certificate of Lawfulness. The Aerodrome had sought permission to continue with unrestricted flying, with
no limitations, restrictions or conditions on number of aircraft, number of take
offs and landings, type of aircraft (whether fixed wing or rotary civil or military
etc), size or weight of aircraft, freight, duration, period of use etc etc.
A very good outcome.
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Climate change will increase threat of war, Chris Huhne to warn
Date added: 7 July, 2011
Climate change will lead to an increased threat of wars, violence and military
action against the UK, and risks reversing the progress of civilisation, according
to the energy and climate secretary Chris Huhne, in his strongest warning yet
that the lack of progress on greenhouse gas emission cuts would damage the UK's
national interests. Climate change is a threat multiplier. It will make unstable states more unstable,
poor nations poorer, conflict more likely.
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UK Ex Principle Planning Inspector tells Public Inquiry that application for Lydd Airport’s expansion should be refused
Date added: 6 July, 2011
The UK’s former Principal Planning Inspector Anthony Bingham, with 50 years experience
in planning and development, told the public inquiry that he had never encountered proposals that were so contrary to so many planning policies
and said ”I urge the Inspector to come to the same conclusion and to recommend
refusal of the application to the Secretary of State”. He showed how the plans
fail to satisfy over 20 specific policies from the Shepway Local Plan
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Carbon price crash warning – predicted oversupply of 1.9 bn tonnes of carbon permits by 2020 in ETS
Date added: 6 July, 2011
A predicted oversupply of 1.9 billion tonnes of carbon permits in the EU ETS between
now and 2020 is risking a carbon price slump, according to a report by Sandbag. The group estimates that in Phase 2 of the ETS between 2008-2012, around 672
Mt of carbon will be banked, from an excess of 855 Mt, and carried over into Phase
3. Added to the inflated Phase 3 baseline (totalling 1.2 billion over 2012–2020)
this gives a total of 1.9 billion permits.
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Lobby fury as MEPs trash CO2 emissions cut – EU to stick with 20% cut, not 30%, by 2020
Date added: 6 July, 2011
A lobbying row has broken out as the European Parliament decisively rejected
increasing the EU's 2020 CO2 emissions reduction target from 20% to 30%, on 1990
levels. The Parliament voted down a draft resolution after it was watered down by an
amendment. It appears the vote was distorted by undemocratic lobbyists with heavy lobbying from industry (BusinessEurope and Eurofer). The vote, postponed from last month, saw a majority of 347-258 against.
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Airline attack on EU emissions trading system meets powerful opposition
Date added: 6 July, 2011
The EU, backed by 6 of its member states, Norway and an international coalition
of environmental organisations robustly defended the law integrating aviation
into the EU ETS at a hearing at the European Court of Justice. EU countries including France, Spain, Sweden, Poland, and Denmark, and led by
the UK strongly rejected the airline’s contention that aviation emissions can
only be addressed by the ICAO and that the system amounts to a unilateral tax.
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Dreamliner delivered across Pacific to Japanese ANA airline after 3 year wait
Date added: 4 July, 2011
The long-awaited 787 Dreamliner made its first trip across the Pacific from Boeing
HQ in Seattle to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport to start a week of tests for launch airline
ANA. It was originally supposed to be delivered 3 years ago but a series of developmental
problems hindered its manufacture. It is meant to take off on domestic routes
this autumn. It is lighter than traditional aluminium planes and perhaps 20% more fuel efficient than other
planes its size.
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Pressure mounts over biofuels – they should not be classed as zero-carbon under the EU ETS
Date added: 2 July, 2011
A report has been published by ClientEarth, reflecting mounting concerns over
the use of biofuels as a substitute for fossil fuel. Not only are there serious
concerns about land use, competition with food and deforestation, but when a full
lifecycle analysis is carried out, the total emissions can be comparable or even
higher than those from burning fossil fuel. Under the ETS biofuels are currently
exempted so the system of capping, and this needs to change.
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Environmental NGOs make a case for the EU ETS as US airlines finally near their day in court over inclusion
Date added: 2 July, 2011
Ahead of the hearing by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) over the inclusion
of US airlines into the EU ETS, environmental groups from the US and Europe have
repeated their support for the scheme on both legal and climate change grounds. Tim Johnson of the AEF believed the scheme was “affordable for consumers, environmentally
effective and, above all, fair to industry.” The main question from the ECJ is if the EU directive should apply to those parts
of flights that take place outside the EU.
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Chipping in to help the environment: Thomson Airways launches aircraft powered by COOKING OIL (Mail)
Date added: 2 July, 2011
Next month, Thomson Airways will become Britain's 1st airline to fly customers
on biofuel - in this case cooking oil - when it operates a service to Spain.
It plans to operate the flight from Birmingham to Palma, on July 28 once final
safety clearance is received. Flights will use a 50/50 blend of Jet A1 fuel and
hydroprocessed esters and fatty acids (HEFA) fuel -- made from used cooking oil.
After that weekly flights to Spain using biofuel will begin in September.
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Flybe confident of developing its UK and European routes – made a loss of £4.3 million last year
Date added: 2 July, 2011
FLYBE, the airline connecting Liverpool John Lennon airport with Belfast and
the Isle of Man, has made a £4.3m pre-tax loss for the year to March 31. That compares with a £24.6m profit the previous year. This was partly due to
its stock market flotation last December,losses on fuel hedging and on foreign
exchange, compared with gains the previous year. Underlying figures showed a pre-tax profit of £22.3m on a turnover of £595.5m
compared with £570.5m in 2010.
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Extreme weather link ‘can no longer be ignored’
Date added: 1 July, 2011
Scientists are to end their 20-year reluctance to link climate change with extreme
weather – the heavy storms, floods and droughts which often fill news bulletins
– as part of a radical departure from a previous equivocal position that many
now see as increasingly untenable. Climate researchers intend to assess each unusual event in terms of the probability that it has been
exacerbated or even caused by the global temperature increase seen over the past
century
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Flybe teams with Finnair to bid for Finnish Commuter Airlines (FCA)
Date added: 1 July, 2011
Flybe has made a joint bid for Finland’s biggest domestic operator. It has teamed up with Finnair to buy Finnish Commuter Airlines (FCA) in a joint venture
that will be 60% owned by Flybe. They will pay €12m and Finnair €13m and the
deal still needs regulatory approval. Flybe will operate 8 of FCA’s 15 aircraft under a contract with Finnair. Jim French said
it is a very important deal for us and "the lowest-risk way of getting into continental
Europe.”
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KLM operates first scheduled flight on 50% biokerosene from used cooking oil in both engines
Date added: 30 June, 2011
KLM has became the first airline to operate a commercial flight carrying 171
passengers on 50% biokerosene. A Boeing 737-800 flew from Schiphol to Paris.
KLM says they would be operating more than 200 flights to Paris on biokerosene in September.
The fuel was supplied by Dynamic Fuels via SkyNRG, the consortium co-founded by
KLM in 2009. "KLM is open to using different raw materials .... as long as they
meet a range of sustainability criteria".
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IATA figures for May show growth in global passenger numbers of + 6.8% compared to May 2010
Date added: 30 June, 2011
IATA traffic results for May showed a +6.8% increase in passenger traffic over
May 2010. This is +4% higher than the beginning of the year. International passenger
load factors rebounded by 0.8% to 75.8%. European carriers’ traffic expanded
by +10.9%, boosted by increased northern European economic activity and a weaker
Euro encouraging trade and inbound travel. Capacity expanded by 10.6%, and load
factor rose to 77.7%
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The Ecologist: Peak oil is ‘getting closer’ but the world is not ready
Date added: 30 June, 2011
The end of cheap oil has got governments panicking to control prices rather than
planning for a post-oil era. The major oil consuming countries agreed last week to release some of their emergency
reserves of oil in an attempt to try and cut its high market price. It was only
the 3rd time such collective action had been taken. There are suggestions the
US and others had lost faith in Saudi Arabia being able to increase oil production
enough to keep prices stable.
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Global maritime carbon deal dead in the water
Date added: 30 June, 2011
EU officials believe a global deal to cut maritime CO2 emissions is currently
unachievable. It is unrealistic to expect a MBM deal according to a senior EU source. Shipping currently
emits around 5% of global CO2. EU finance ministers havecalled on the IMO and ICAO to "develop without delay"
a global framework for a carbon pricing system. In a business as usual scenario, shipping emissions – which like aviation, are
not covered by the Kyoto Protocol – are expected to increase up to 75% by 2027.
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IATA figures for May show a fall in global air freight of – 4% compared to May 2010
Date added: 30 June, 2011
IATA says freight traffic showed a drop of - 4% against the post-recession peak
of the re-stocking cycle in May 2010. However, recent months show a renewed upward
trend with freight volumes 2% higher than the start of the year. Since the start
of 2011, freight volumes have increased by +2.0% - rather than the +5.5% IATA
forecast for 2011. European and North American carriers had falls of - 2.2% and
-1.4% respectively, and Asia-Pacific down - 9.2%
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Apparently “Four Million Britons Give up Flying Due to Airport Stress” ?
Date added: 28 June, 2011
Bad airport experiences have led close to four million travellers to give up flying altogether, with more than a third of Britons who
have flown now claiming the airport experience is more stressful than the working
week. According to new findings from CPP, 42% say airports make them feel stressed
and 23% find the prospect of getting on to their flight as stress inducing if
not more stressful than moving house. Mislaid baggage, delays ....
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The UK economy does not need another Heathrow runway or other new runways in the south east
Date added: 28 June, 2011
Responding to a long article in the Times, John Stewart (Chair of HACAN and of
AirportWatch) writes that the Government was right to scrap plans for expansion
at Heathrow. If a third runway had been built, Heathrow would have become the
largest single emitter of greenhouse gases in the UK. In 2009 more people used
London's airports than those of any other city. London is a pre-eminent financial
centre, and Heathrow already has sufficient business passengers and key business
destinations to make these flights profitable. The UK economy is not dependent
on airport expansion in the South East.
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Telegraph says: “Heathrow data shows capacity crisis costing thousands”
Date added: 28 June, 2011
NATS figures show 60% of arrivals into Heathrow are caught up in holding patterns
above the capital, at a massive cost to the economy and great frustration to passengers.
This shows jets circling for a cumulative 55 hours a day are burning 190 tonnes of fuel
and discharging 600 tonnes of CO2 into the skies above London, costing £119,000
in wasted fuel every day. Heathrow currently operates at 98% capacity and accommodates more flights on 2
runways than any other airport.
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Cambridge technology resolves airport versus wind farms conflict
Date added: 28 June, 2011
Cambridge technology could end conflict between airports and wind farm developers. They
may have found a solution using a holographic radar mitigation system to counteract
the threat of interference by wind farms. This could remove a major barrier to
wind farms. Holographic Radar is a non-scanning, continuously tracking 3D radar
that can reliably discriminate between turbines and aircraft based on easily observable
differences in their behaviour.
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Farnborough Airport recognised for cutting carbon emissions (! What a laugh !)
Date added: 28 June, 2011
Planes from Farnborough pump CO2 into the sky but the airport has been awarded Airport Carbon Accreditation at the ‘reduction’ level, the 2nd
highest of 4 possible ratings and one up from the airport’s previous rating. The award relates to the airport’s buildings & operations but not the planes
that land & take off. Airport bosses said the accreditation demonstrates the airport's commitment to
minimising the effects of business aviation on the environment.
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@AirportWatch