Biggin Hill Airport – News
Bromley Council consultation on Biggin Hill Airport’s plans to greatly increase operating hours, especially at weekends
Biggin Hill airport is predominantly used by light aviation and business jets. It has operating hours at present of 6.30am to 10pm on weekdays, and 9am to 8pm on Saturdays and Sundays. However, the airport is now hoping to extend these significantly, by one hour more on weekdays, five and a half hours on Saturdays and four hours on Sundays. That would be a total of 114 hours per week. Local residents are very unhappy about this, and the local group, BRAAD (Bromley Residents Against Airport Development) is urging people to oppose this expansion, in the current consultation – which ends on on 13th March. BRAAD says Bromley is a peaceful residential borough, which attracts families from noisier environments because of the quality of life it has so far offered. However, Biggin Hill Airport has now expanded to the point of threatening the delicate balance between its business aspirations and the residents’ rights to their amenities. The 114 hours proposed by Biggin Hill is much more than its rival private jet airports (London City, Farnborough, or Northolt – an the increase is largely at weekends, early in the morning and late at night, when people may find the noise even more intrusive.
https://www.airportwatch.org.uk/2015/02/25099/
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Biggin Hill and Oxford airports sue RAF Northolt over its expansion into commercial private jet flights
Two small UK airports that depend on business jets, Oxford and Biggin Hill, are suing the military airport, RAF Northolt because it has expanded into civilian flights. It has done this to make money for the MoD, after their budget cuts. They claim that, because Northolt is operated by the MoD and therefore taxpayer funded, it has an unfair competition advantage. The expansion at Northolt also affects the number of business jet flights that Luton and Farnborough can get, and their flight numbers have fallen in recent years. In May 2013 Northolt said it would begin to more than double the number of civilian flights from a self-imposed cap of 7,000 to 17,500 by 2016. Of that total, military movements will remain at about 5,500 a year. Northolt is the closest private jet airport to central London. The MD of Biggin Hill said: “We, like Oxford, like Farnborough, have all been through a very tough time and they’ve pulled the rug from underneath us. It’s not a level playing field.” They claim Northolt has about 15% of the London market, and are cheaper as they don’t have to meet the same safety standards as commercial airports.
New Biggin Hill Airport Consultation on extending operating hours during the Olympics
Biggin Hill Airport Olympic proposals rejected by Bromley Council
24th March 2011 Councillors have thrown out an application from Biggin Hill to extend operating hours for the Olympics. The airport had requested permission from its landlord Bromley Council to change the lease so it could open from 6.30am to 11pm each day from July 13 to Sept 23 in 2012. Its current opening hours are 6.30am and 10pm in the week and 9am to 8pm at weekends. The airport also wanted a relaxation of the ban on fare-paying passengers. Click here to view full story…
17th February 2011 Jo has said he is “strongly opposed” to the airport’s plans to seek changes to its Lease, and has said so in his submission to the consultation. He feels running scheduled services and carrying individual fare paying passengers requires the explicit permission of Bromley Council, as landlord. If these restrictions are lifted, even if temporarily for the Olympics, the Council risks undermining a key point of principle and getting larger, noisier planes. Click here to view full story…
Residents unhappy over Biggin Hill Airport 2012 flights consultation
Biggin Hill airport is hopeful of cashing in on an Olympic bonus
29th January 2011 Biggin Hill airport is keen to capitalise on the Olympics, and wants to be a key gateway partly by increasing its hours so it is open from 6.30am to 11pm each day from July 13 to September 23. The lease currently permits flights between 6.30am and 10pm in the week and from 9am to 8pm at weekends. Local group BRAAD, Bromley Residents Against Airport Development, says the longer hours will badly affect residents and be of no benefit to them. Click here to view full story…
Increase in Biggin Hill Airport Traffic for Olympics in 2012
BIGGIN HILL: Airport wants to be ‘the top-rated gateway’ to London 2012
Hundreds of new jobs to be created at Biggin Hill airport
21st March 2010 Biggin Hill airport is benefitting from millions of pounds worth of investment that is set to create 300 new jobs for the area. Middle Eastern jet company Rizon is constructing a £10million, 13,000 square metre hanger with aircraft parking, maintenance and passenger processing facilities, set to open at the end of May. A new 75-bed hotel will open near the airport.(Kent News) Click here to view full story…
BIGGIN HILL: Caution over London 2012 Olympic night flight airport plans
Recession grounds corporate jets
15th May 2009 The boom in luxury air travel comes to an end as chastened executives sell the company plane and rediscover economy class. Corporate jet travel has slumped by more than 20% in the past 6 months, according to data published by the CAA, marking an end to a boom that made the UK the world’s fastest growing market for luxury air travel – which was growing at 14% a year. The worsening financial crisis has put many executives back in economy class. (Guardian) Click here to view full story…
Business travel facing fundamental changes
04.03.08 Development plans for Biggin Hill Airport (UK Airport News)
05.12.07 Biggin Hill Airport hotel plan rejected
23.08.07 Biggin Hill Airport protesters in court
16.08.07 Climate protesters ‘close’ Biggin Hill Airport’