Heathrow airport news July to December 2013

 

back to Heathrow page See also Hillingdon Times on Heathrow, for a local perspective and  Blog by John Stewart, for comment on news

 

HACAN’s New Year Quiz

December 31, 2013 HACAN’s quiz. Test yourself with these 10 questions on Heatthow (mainly). You may be surprised by some of the answers … For example, Who said: “Whatever technological advances in noise and air pollution reduction have been — or will be — made, common sense dictates that the additional 260,000 annual flights facilitated by a third runway would entail a commensurate reduction in the quality of life of many Londoners”.    Click here to view full story…


 

Why the Commission’s ‘green light’ for a new runway could still turn out to be a ‘red light’ – due to local environmental impacts

December 20, 2013 James Lees, from the Aviation Environment Federation, writing in the Huffington Post, says that while recent days have seen the 3 major parties edge towards a potential about-face on the desirability of a new runway for the south east, the underlying reasons for their opposition to it back in 2010 have not changed. In 2010 David Cameron famously promised “no ifs, no buts, no third runway” at Heathrow; Nick Clegg warned a 3rd runway would be a “disaster”, and Ed Miliband threatened to resign from Cabinet over the issue. The reason that politicians came out against a new runway in 2010, reversing a decision in favour of new runways at Heathrow and Stansted, wasn’t for a lack of perceived need but down to the power of local opposition. This came from the impact of aircraft noise, its associated health impacts – and also local air pollution and air quality limits. The Airports Commission has so far only paid lip service to the importance of community opposition, mainly addressing only the issues of demand and capacity. The interim report provided no more than vague reassurances to the affected communities. Without satisfactory reassurances from the Commission, communities will look to politicians to provide these. The Airports Commission has failed for now to achieve its purpose to take the politics out of the airports issue. The Interim Report has just re-opened the political debate.     Click here to view full story…


 

It’s ‘Like being on death row’: residents facing devastating impact of Heathrow runway plans

December 19, 2013

Residents of a historic village that could be obliterated under today’s proposals to expand Heathrow said the plans would have a “devastating” impact on their lives. Some 1,500 buildings would be lost in Harmondsworth and neighbouring Longworth by a north west Heathrow runway – one of the options short-listed by the Airports Commission. People fear the prospect of being as little compensation as the airport can get away with. Residents and business owners in Harmondsworth urged the Government to speed up their decision-making – comparing the impact to “being on death row”. Parts of Harmondsworth are over 1,000 years old and the village contains the Tithe Barn and St Mary’s Church, both places of heritage value. The vicar of St Mary’s Church said: “We lost one-third of our congregation due to the uncertainty over the runway. We used to have 45 on a regular Sunday; it’s come down to 25 or 30, half of whom come from outside the village.” Geraldine Nicholson, who lives in West Drayton just 100m away from one of the proposed runways, said it is not just the villages that would be affected, and 10,000 homes north of the M4 would suffer too – there would be very negative social, as well as environmental, impacts.     Click here to view full story…


 

Closing stretch of M25 for years, to build new Heathrow runway, is ‘unthinkable’ and a ‘non-starter’

December 18, 2013

Both locations for a new Heathrow runway, suggested by the Airports Commission, involve building a runway over a particularly wide and busy section of the M25. As the map below shows. The Standard reports that the UK’s main motoring organisations are united in horror at the prospect of closing this stretch of the M25 for up to 5 years to build a runway. The plans would mean the six-lane motorway having to be sunk into a tunnel for at least a half-a-mile south of junction 14. In its runway submission to the Commission in July, Heathrow just said the M4/M25 motorway junction requires “major reconfiguration” but did not add further detail. A spokesman for the AA said: “If you thought the protests from residents was bad just wait for the howls from motorists if this goes ahead. They are already stuck in daily traffic jams on this stretch of the M25 and the prospect of something on this scale doesn’t bear thinking about. For the millions of drivers who use the M25 regularly this is a non-starter. The M25 is the artery on which millions of commuters and businesses rely. Any suggestion of large-scale disruption there will cause major backlash.” Another said: “A five year closure borders on the unthinkable. It’s a hugely busy section of motorway where are they going to put all the vehicles?”    Click here to view full story…


 

“Back to the Heathrow barricades as government gets ready for an airport U-turn”

December 16, 2013 Those who fought the plans for a 3rd Heathrow runway only 3 – 4 years ago have not gone away. The young environmental campaigners, who care passionately about the world’s future climate and their future, are deeply concerned about the climate implications of another runway. They know that ensuring the UK meets its target of cutting CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050 will be virtually impossible if any of the new runway options proposed by Sir Howard Davies are taken up. There really is no airport capacity crisis. An activist summed it up as: “The truth is that Heathrow has long been Europe’s biggest hub airport. Already more passengers fly in and out of London than any other city in the world, and the airport has more flights to the top business destinations than any other in Europe. A [recent] study ….showed that 9 of the 10 top destinations served by the airport are short-haul. Plenty of capacity could become available if we moved most of these journeys to alternative and less polluting methods of travel, such as rail on routes from London to Paris and Edinburgh, which are the fifth and sixth most popular Heathrow destinations.” No new runway is needed – certainly not in the short term. He adds that they are “wiping the dust off our d-Locks. Thousands of climate change protesters are on alert. Here we go again.”    Click here to view full story…


 

Heathrow residents to demand financial compensation for impact of Airports Commission report on their house prices

December 16, 2013 People with homes near Heathrow will press for financial compensation if the Airports Commission announces on 17th that they are backing a new Heathrow runway. As the Commission is not due to report till summer 2015, at the least they face blight and an impact on their house prices over the next 18 months, while they are held in limbo. Anti-Heathrow campaigners will appeal to Sir Howard Davies, chairman of the Airports Commission, to ensure homeowners receive financial support for the uncertainty and potential damage that the 17th December announcement may cause. The leak of the report suggests the Commission favours first one runway, and also a second runway at Heathrow. That would mean a large number of people across west London affected by one or other proposal. The issue of blight and house prices is key for thousands, let alone the threat of compulsory purchase and demolition. Boris Johnson has accused the Prime Minister of using the Commission just “to provide cover for a U-turn on Heathrow” and he continues to fiercely oppose Heathrow expanding.     Click here to view full story…


 

Zac Goldsmith warns Cameron that going back on his promise on Heathrow would never be forgiven in west London

December 15, 2013 Zac Goldsmith. the Conservative MP for Richmond Park and North Kingston, has said the main party leaders should “come clean” about the expansion of Heathrow. He also questioned the independence of the Airports Commission’s interim report, to be published on 17th. The Conservative Party insisted the Commission’s report was independent – but Zac said: “It looks very much like George Osborne in particular has been knocking it about in the last few days so that what finally emerges on Tuesday will not just be about Heathrow expansion. We will have a few other synthetic options thrown in as well just to enable the government to maintain that ambiguity, cynically I believe, until after the next election.” Zac also said that David Cameron himself has to think very carefully about what he says on Heathrow. “Politically a U-turn on this issue would be catastrophic for him. You have to remember it wasn’t just a few party speeches, David Cameron went to every single constituency affected and stood up and said ‘no ifs, no buts, there will be no Heathrow expansion’.” If Cameron went back on this promise it “would be an off-the-scale betrayal and he will never be forgiven in west London”. Click here to view full story…


 

Heathrow residents fears as 3rd runway threatens homes and their communities’ futures

December 13, 2013 Barely three years after plans for a third runway were scrapped by the incoming government and abandoned by Heathrow, the airport has restated its case and returned with even bolder expansion plans. One local historian living in Stanwell remembered the Terminal 4 inquiry: “I sat in the room for the Terminal 4 inquiry – not even Terminal 5 – and the planning inspector said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, I can promise you this is the very last one.’ You can’t believe them when they say this is the end.” According to a single well-placed source, the draft shortlist to be presented by the Airports Commission on 17th December contained three options, each including a Heathrow runway. People due to be badly affected if Heathrow is allowed a runway fear it will “swallow up the borough”. Although Stanwell Moor is threatened with total destruction, the people in its 850 homes will be compensated and can move away – regarded by some, at least, as better than being trapped in unsaleable houses. A local councillor said: “I liken it to a funeral – it’s not so much the people who die as the ones who are left behind.” Communities both to the north and the south fear the dreadful prospect of being left close to the end of a runway, but not near enough to be demolished.      Click here to view full story…

Extra runways at both Gatwick and Heathrow not viable without ‘illegal’ state aid

December 13, 2013 Gatwick has complained that “massive” and potentially illegal public subsidies would be needed to support the construction of additional runways at more than one airport in the South East. They say there will be insufficient demand from passengers to support building a second runway at Gatwick and a third at Heathrow at the same time. An injection of taxpayer funds would, therefore, be required to justify the costs, the airport said, although that could potentially breach state aid rules. Gatwick has published a report listing 10 reasons why Heathrow expansion would be bad for Britain in a last ditch attempt to persuade the Airports Commission that its own proposals should be included on a short-list to be published on Tuesday 17th. Rival airports have been growing increasingly concerned after leaks that Sir Howard is likely to short-list only 3 potential options for new runways, all including at least one at Heathrow. Charlie Cornish, chief executive of MAG, said: “We firmly believe all credible options should be considered and taken forward for more detailed assessment during the next phase of the process. This is not, and should not be a two horse race.”    Click here to view full story…

Heathrow airport plans in relation to the reservoirs that supply part of London’s water

December 13, 2013 Plans drawn up by Heathrow airport, or others, to show indicative locations for new runways to the south and west show them in the areas where reservoirs are now. There are the Queen Mother reservoir; the Wraysbury; the King George VI; and the Staines reservoirs. Together they are an important water resource for London, for which water requirements grow each year as the city’s population increases. There are huge technical problems in building a runway across part of an important reservoir, the ground levels being one. With climate change likely to make future water supplies less predictable, Thames Water anticipates that there will be a slight drop, of perhaps 5%, in its water availability in 2040 compared to 2012. Meanwhile it forecast “a total increase in population in our area of between 2.0 million and 2.9 million people by 2040 – three quarters of which is forecast in London. Overall, we forecast household water demand to increase by approximately 250 Ml/d” (mega litres per day). Household water is only one sector using water. Creating a huge new reservoir to replace one removed by a Heathrow runway would be an immense undertaking. One was proposed, and rejected, near Abingdon, in 2011. Even transporting water into the Thames from the Severn would have huge costs and environmental implications.       Click here to view full story…

Report by Hounslow, Ealing and Slough councils says Heathrow closure would create 70,000 job losses

Date added: December 13, 2013 A new report commissioned by the London boroughs of Hounslow, Ealing and Slough Borough Council into the economic effect of Heathrow on the area, and the likely repercussions if it was to close. The report concludes that if Heathrow was to close, “up to 70,000 jobs across 3 boroughs neighbouring Heathrow would vanish, with devastating economic consequences, if the airport were to close in favour of a new hub airport elsewhere.” The three local authorities, all of which have differing positions on the future of Heathrow, were concerned that the local impact of any decision was not being given sufficient weight in the deliberations into how to increase airport capacity in the south east. The report, by Parsons Brinkerhof and Berkeley Hanover Consulting, sets out 6 possible scenarios for the airport – but it came out just before the Airports Commission leak indicating that it proposes one – or even two – Heathrow runways, with no suggestion whatsoever of it closing. The report contains estimates of the number of direct and catalysed jobs, caused by Heathrow, or proximity to it. The Leader of Ealing Council, said: “Thousands of local families depend on Heathrow for their livelihoods and the airport plays a critical role in the local economy. Closing it should not be contemplated.” It would appear that its closure is, indeed, not being contemplated. At all.    Click here to view full story…

David Cameron had talks with Sir Howard Davies as a row looms over leaked new runway proposals

Date added: December 13, 2013 Sky News reports that David Cameron has held a secret summit on 11th December with Sir Howard Davies in the run-up to the interim announcement on 17th December, due to the anticipated row generated by the report being leaked. It has been revealed that the report will shortlist just 3 favoured options, each of which includes the construction of at least one new runway at Heathrow. Boris has expressed his fury that Heathrow has been chosen, for not only one – but 3 – options. Sky says “People close to the Commission’s work said that Sir Howard had been irritated by the speculation, suggesting that much of it had been inaccurate.” As Gatwick has said there would be no point in them building a 2nd runway if Heathrow builds one, that leaves only 2 out of the 3 recommended options (ie. a 3rd runway, or a 3rd + 4th). Mr Cameron is understood to have urged Sir Howard to include in next week’s report an alternative option not involving Heathrow. ie. perhaps estuary or Stansted, though the Commission has thoughts against both of these. However, the Airports Commission is meant to be independent; it is not meant to carry out the government’s instructions. Sir Howard met George Osborne earlier this week, and Sky says Boris met Patrick McLoughlin on 12th to discuss a range of issues including the Airports Commission’s review.   Click here to view full story…

Labour denies Heathrow third runway U-turn – but there has been a shift away from opposition

December 12, 2013 Labour has played down reports that Ed Miliband is set to abandon his opposition to a 3rd Heathrow runway. But he is under pressure from the shadow chancellor Ed Balls to be more supportive when the Airports Commission reports next week (though the report has been leaked already). A parliamentary row has been brewing over claims that No 10 has pressured the Commission into keeping a broader shortlist to avoid an early row focused on Heathrow – though Heathrow appears to be the main focus. Ed Balls in a recent speech to the CBI said he would like to see the Airports Commission make recommendations before the general election. The party’s previous shadow transport secretary, Maria Eagle, was shifted in the recent shadow cabinet reshuffle partly due to disagreements with Balls over HS2 and Heathrow. Eagle’s replacement as shadow transport secretary, Mary Creagh, has tried to be non-committal towards the Airports Commission, saying: “No party can say now that it will implement its recommendations when we simply don’t know what the costs of any proposals will be. Obviously the Conservatives and Lib Dems haven’t made any such commitments.” She said Labour would not rule any runway options in or out while the Commission was still deliberating.     Click here to view full story…

Boris Johnson’s warfare threat if Airports Commission report pushes “catastrophic mistake” of Heathrow expansion

December 12, 2013 Boris has threatened open warfare against the Airports Commission if it makes the “catastrophic mistake” of pushing for Heathrow expansion, in its interim report. He launched a pre-emptive strike after it emerged that commission head Sir Howard Davies has briefed senior Government figures (including Osborne) a few days ago, a week in advance of the report’s launch, that it opposes every runway option other than Heathrow. The leaks indicate that Sir Howard indicated he planned a shortlist of three options, all of which involved expanding Heathrow. The first was to revive a 3rd runway, which David Cameron originally pledged to stop, only to change his mind in the face of business pressure. Option two was to approve Heathrow’s latest expansion blueprint, for 2 extra runways. Option three was one extra runway at Heathrow plus one extra runway at Gatwick. Speaking from Doha where he is on a trade mission, Boris said: “I cannot conceivably believe that Howard Davies would inflict the misery of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, let alone a 4th, on a million people or more in west London.” Mind you, Boris still wants his mega airport in the Thames estuary. The Standard says: Mr Johnson’s mood was said to be of shock and incredulity — but also a “steely resolve” to fight the plan.     Click here to view full story…

Heathrow campaigners furious over leak that Sir Howard Davies is backing 2 new runways at Heathrow

December 11, 2013 Heathrow campaigners have reacted with anger and disbelief to the leaked news that the Airports Commission Interim Report, which is due to be published on 17th December, favours 2 more runways at Heathrow. From the leaks, the Commission is expected to go for a 3rd runway at Heathrow followed by a 4th Heathrow runway or a second runway at Gatwick. The draft of the report, presented to Chancellor George Osborne, ruled out new runways at Stansted or an Estuary Airport. It is thought, however, that Tuesday’s report may formally retain more options in an attempt to give it some balance. This news will cause fury across whole swathes of London and the Home Counties. with the Airports Commission’s work over the next two years in selecting from its “short list” seen as a “busted flush” with its decision already taken. John Stewart, Chair of HACAN – which represents residents under the Heathrow flight paths, said: “It is astonishing that Davies has put so much faith in an option he must know is politically the hardest to deliver. The one good thing is that he will force political parties to come out for or against a 3rd runway before the 2015 General Election.” Another Heathrow runway means thousands of people stand to lose their homes. They are not going to stand by and let that happen. The campaign against a 3rd runway starts today.    Click here to view full story…

Heathrow 3rd runway being pushed ahead by government, says Goldsmith

December 11, 2013 Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith – on Twitter – has claimed the government was trying to push through a 3rd runway at Heathrow by hiding behind initial recommendations made by the independent Airports Commission,chaired by Sir Howard Davies, whose interim report is due out next week. Zac has accused George Osborne of “yearning for a China-style government”, saying on Twitter: “Osborne has spent public money on a review whose only purpose is to make a 3rd runway decision look like it was reached independently.” This comes after “sources close to the inquiry,” which will recommend where a new runway for London should be built, claimed Davies would set out 3 options for extra airport capacity in the south-east in the interim report – which is due to be revealed on the morning of 17th December. The 3 are thought to be: 1). A 3rd Heathrow runway. 2). A 3rd and 4th runway at Heathrow. 3). Another runway at both Heathrow and Gatwick. The Guardian says if the initial speculation is correct and Heathrow is the main focus, this is a potential source of embarrassment for the government. The Guardian adds that: ” One source said Davies had been asked by No 10 to broaden the shortlist to avert any outcry about Heathrow. But this could not be verified.”     Click here to view full story…

Airports Commission input into National Infrastructure Plan on improvements to surface access to main airports – Heathrow  recommendations

December 5, 2013 Sir Howard Davies wrote to George Osborne on 26th November, on surface access to airports. This has influenced the National Infrastructure Plan for 2013, now released. The Airports Commission says that as adding any new runways will take a decade (or decades), in the interim “there is a strong case for attaching a greater strategic priority to transport investments which improve surface access to our airports.” The letter gives specific recommendations on improving surface access at UK main airports. On Heathrow it recommends: “Recognising the importance of encouraging modal shift towards more environmentally sustainable forms of transport at Heathrow, not only for supporting future expansion plans [!?] but also for optimising the airport’s operations within its current capacity constraints, the Government should work with Network Rail to undertake a detailed study to find the best option for enhancing rail access into Heathrow from the south. Initial indications are that up to roughly 15% of Heathrow’s passengers in the London and South East region could benefit from improved Southern Access.” They “remain concerned that the proportion of users (particularly workforce) accessing Heathrow using private cars remains high, with consequent implications for air quality.”       Click here to view full story…

Chiswick group says new hi-tech BA ‘Magic of Flying’ adverts may become ‘tragic roundabout’ if drivers distracted

November 29, 2013                BA hopes it has hit upon a dramatic new form of advertising, with massive ad billboards, near roads, which can detect the presence of a BA plane overhead. When one is detected, it plays a film of a child looking up excitedly at the plane, and then shows which flight it is, and where from. BA hope this will make viewers “.. dream of an amazing holiday or warm destination.” and “We hope it will create a real ‘wow’ and people will be reminded how amazing flying is and how accessible the world can be” (and get them to buy flights, of course). A bit of slick marketing. They have put one of the massive billboards at the Chiswick Roundabout, which is several hundred yards north of the northern runway approach path and has exceptionally heavy traffic. The local West Chiswick and Gunnersbury Society, which opposed the building of the advert towers originally, are very concerned the BA ads are a safety issue, distracting drivers. They say when the billboards were approved, the displays had to be “identical at all times and shall be static and two dimensional only with no moving or apparently moving images” etc, Hounslow Council need to decide if the BA ads breach their planning condition.      Click here to view full story…

Thousands Heathrow of T5 high ceiling light bulbs to be replaced by high-wire artists – as no records kept of agreement on how to maintain them

November 25, 2013       .Heathrow is calling in a team of high-wire artists to replace thousands of out-of-reach light bulbs at Terminal 5. The departure concourse has got progressively darker as bulb after bulb has failed, till now some 60% are blown. No bulbs have been replaced over 5 years, as no safe and effective means had been found of doing so. Now a specialist company using staff hanging off ropes will change all the bulbs for LEDs that should last at least 5 years, over some 4 months. It may cost several million pounds. T5 has one of the world’s largest controlled-lighting system, with 120,000 light fittings and 2,600 sensors designed to switch off lights when no motion is detected. Heathrow Airport Holdings confirmed that it was taking responsibility for changing the bulbs. All minutes and information relating to discussion with the architects, RSHP, some 8 years ago about the maintenance of the lights had been lost. No record remains of what was agreed then. “No-one can remember how they were supposed to change light bulbs and the manufacturer’s instruction book/ facilities management manual has been lost………” The architects said the number of bulbs to be changed is more like 1,000 rather than 120,000.     Click here to view full story…

 

“Let Britain Fly” taken to task for exaggerating and wrongly claiming London’s economy is being damaged by any lack of runway capacity

November 20, 2013      In a blog, John Stewart pours some cold water on the infant “Let Britain Fly” campaign launched today. Its proud parent, London First, surrounded by a glittering array of big names from the business world, overdid the hyperbole. Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First, said that it was not acceptable for politicians “to dither” over new runways “and let our economy wither.” She even went on to ask somewhat over-dramatically, “Do we really want to become an also-ran in the global race?” Baroness Valentine must know this is exaggeration, even scaremongering. Whatever the pros and cons of expansion in the longer term, the facts are clear: there is no rush for a decision to be taken. The DfT has said that there is enough spare runway capacity in London and the South East until nearly 2030. And survey after survey shows that London remains the top city for business in Europe because of its unparalleled air connections to the rest of the world. Let Britain Fly – and London First – will lose credibility if they continue to exaggerate the urgency of the need for expansion. Giving the impression that London’s economy is in crisis because of a lack of runways is simply not true.    Click here to view full story…

Campaign – ‘Let Britain Fly’ – launched by London First, calls for urgent action to increase airport capacity

November 20, 2013      On 10th October, business lobby group London First announced it would be launching a new campaign called “Let Britain Fly”. It has now had its blast of publicity, with a splurge of media coverage. The campaign will cost £250,000 and London First is seeking £25,000 each from businesses, trade unions and London boroughs to fund it. They have got a number of Britain’s large companies, including Aberdeen Asset Management, Land Securities, Lloyds Banking Group, Next, Associated British Foods, WPP and many others to sign up. They want a new runway built somewhere, complaing the UK has not built a new one in the south east for 70 years. They want politicians of all parties to agree on the principle that airport capacity must be expanded in the South East “to ensure Britain remains competitive”. They want there to be no delays in getting a new runway built. The campaign stems from the questionable belief that airport capacity constraints threaten “to hamper the UK’s success as a global business centre and at the same time the ability to forge a lasting economic recovery”.       Click here to view full story…

In response to the frequently asked question: “If not Heathrow, what….?” John Stewart sets out the arguments

November 18, 2013     Often asked, when campaigning against a third (or even fourth) runway at Heathrow, what are the alternatives, John has set some out. The options are not just to push the expansion to another site, like Gatwick or Stansted. The main points, replying to “If not Heathrow, what…?” are: 1. No new runways would be a viable solution if government chose to manage future air travel demand (through taxation on aviation) to meet existing capacity but at present there are no signs of that happening and it might need international or at least European agreement. 2. Even without demand management, there is enough capacity at airports in London and the South East for about the next 20 years. With capacity restricted, market forces would kick in: airlines would choose to concentrate their long-haul, intercontinental flights at Heathrow, with some of the short-haul currently using the airport being moved elsewhere to take up existing spare capacity at those airports. 3. If a new runway is required, it is not essential for the health of London’s economy that it is built at Heathrow – because of the power of the attractiveness of London as an international destination.     Click here to view full story…

BA fears cuts to early morning Heathrow flights before 7am – says cuts would have “dramatic impact” on business travellers

Date added: November 16, 2013 British Airways wants to keep as many flights into Heathrow in the early morning as it can. It is saying it does not want restrictions on flights before 7am. BA’s head of sales and marketing Richard Tams said any further restrictions on landings at Heathrow between 04.30 and 07.00 each day could have a “dramatic impact on business travellers.” Currently only 16 flights are allowed to land at Heathrow between 04.30 and 06.00 with a total of 65 take-offs and landings allowed between 06.00 and 07.00 each day. The current night flights regime will remain in place till October 2017. BA says “These early morning flights are critical because a lot of flights from the US and the Far East land during this period – they are critical for people transiting through London.” Not letting BA have these flights – which are deeply unpopular with thousands of Londoners, who get woken up too early – would, says BA, “dramatically impact the schedule we could offer out of London.” Usual situation – it’s a question of the health and quality of life (and sleep) for thousands, up against t he ability of BA to make more money.    Click here to view full story…

Opinion (LibDem Robin Meltzer): “Heathrow expansion: big money versus public health”

November 15, 2013 Robin Meltzer is the prospective LIb Dem candidate for the Richmond Park seat (current incumbent is Zac Goldsmith). In a blog in Liberal Democrat Voice he says the LibDems are strictly against any 3rd Heathrow runway, and against all night flights at Heathrow. He reiterates the fact that over 725,000 people are already affected by noise from Heathrow, making it the airport the noise from which affects more than any other in Europe. This causes health problems. He says: “A 3rd or 4th new runway ….. would lead to the destruction of homes and entire villages. It would be an environmental outrage and a noise pollution disaster for hundreds of thousands of residents, including people not currently affected. Yet the whole pro-expansion side of the issue, which is rolling in money and spending it furiously, is able to get its views across forcefully and frequently in the media. So it is important to challenge the assumptions and myths.”….”It’s not exactly rocket science to realise that the massive industry that has grown up around lobbying for expansion serves well the people who would benefit from it. ”    Click here to view full story…

Villages opposing a new runway either to the north, or south, of Heathrow unite in their opposition

Date added: November 14, 2013 Stanwell and its neighbouring communities are uniting to oppose plans to expand Heathrow. More than 100 people packed a meeting at the Grade I-listed St Mary’s Church for a debate on Heathrow’s expansion plans. The meeting agreed that villages north and south of Heathrow should be protected and moves to demolish them fought. There was one exception – a councillor from Spelthorne Borough Council (which wants Heathrow expansion, but not in their borough – to the north instead. Rather irresponsible to try and pass the misery to another borough …). “Her words were met with jeers.” The 3 main speakers at the meeting were Father William Whittaker, Surrey county councillor Robert Evans and John Stewart, of HACAN. John said the case for a 3rd runway still does not add up. Some 725,000 people now live under the Heathrow flight path, and if a 3rd runway was built, that would rise by 150,000. Geraldine Nicholson, who led the No Third Runway Action Group (NOTRAG) also spoke and was warmly received. Further meetings are planned, with residents now looking to form their own action group.    Click here to view full story…

Heathrow Hub” proposers, claiming to be without vested interests, revealed to stand to make millions from options on land

November 13, 2013      The “Heathrow Hub” proposal for a 4 runway Heathrow got some very expensive full page ads in the main broadsheet papers recently, probably costing a total of well over £200,000. Now the Guardian reports that the group behind the “Heathrow Hub” scheme, which said in its adverts that it was without the “lobbying of vested interests” stands to make millions from options on nearby land should its £12.5bn plan be accepted by the government. Heathrow Hub adverts aimed to persuade the public that its expansionist solution could mean “quieter Heathrow expansion” despite almost doubling the number of planes over London. Their plan includes building on a 200-acre site north of Heathrow that the group could buy for a fraction of its future value. If the government approves the Heathrow expansion scheme, the value of the land currently might rise from around £10,000 per acre to £2m or more – an increase in value from £2m to at least £400m for the site. The 4 Heathrow Hub directors are shareholders in the land, and have a vested interest in its development.    Click here to view full story…

Government to make no significant change to night flights regime at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted until Airports Commission report

November 11, 2013           In January 2013 the DfT put out the first part of its consultation on the night flight regime at the UK’s 3 designated airports,Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. The DfT said then that the 2nd consultation would be publishes later this year, to include specific proposals for the new regime, such as the number of permitted night flights – informed by the evidence from the first consultation. The DfT has now published this 2nd stage, but instead of any specific measures, it proposes no significant change to the night flight regime at Heathrow until 2017. It says it does not want to pre-empt the findings of the Airports Commission which is due to publish its final report in summer 2015. The current night flight regime for the 3 airports ends in October 2014. Normally a new regime is put in place to cover the next 5 – 6 years. This time the Government has decided in effect to roll-over the existing regime until 2017. The only change for Heathrow is a proposal “to extend the operational ban on the noisiest types of aircraft to include an extra half hour, the 23.00-23.30 period.            Click here to view full story…

Evidence on how the 57 Leq noise contours for Heathrow fail to fully reflect aircraft noise impacts

November 11, 2013     In a blog on the anomalies of how aircraft noise is currently measured, John Stewart writes of the odd situation where roads in London are regarded as quiet, ignoring the obvious impact of Heathrow flightpaths overhead. This arises in areas such as Clapham, which are well outside the 57 Leq contour, which it is wrongly alleged, is the limit at which aircraft noise is a problem, or annoys/upsets people. The number of complaints about aircraft noise that come from areas well beyond the 57 Leq contour are evidence that it is not a measure that reflects reality. A better system for measuring aircraft noise experienced is Lden (day, evening, night) with noise in evening and night given a higher weighting, to reflect the greater impact, and greater annoyance, it has on those overflown. The European Commission requires member states to use 55Lden when drawing up their noise maps. That is more realistic than 57 Leq. It is understood that Sir Howard Davies, Chairman of the Airports Commission, is looking seriously at a more realistic noise metric.     Click here to view full story…

Heathrow has highest weekly number of (noisy) 747 flights of any world airport

November 10, 2013      Figures from Anna aero, which celebrates routes, flights, links etc and associated airports, show that Heathrow continues to have by far the highest number of Boeing 747s of any other global airport. 747s are noisy planes, as well as being huge. They are likely to be as noisy as – or even noisier than – the A380. Some studies show the A380 being up to 5 decibels quieter at some measurement stations, though it depends on which engines the planes are using; the noise is both from engines and airframe. The 747 – 400 is ranked as Quote count 4 on departure and 2 on arrival. By comparison the A320 series is ranked at about 2 and 1 respectively. Anna aero shows Heathrow has 298 weekly departures of Boeing 747s, with the next highest airport Taipei with 174. Then third is Frankfurt, with 150. Now the A380 has taken over for new orders, there have been fewer and fewer new 747s being delivered, with just 20 ordered in the past 5 years and zero ordered in 2013.     Click here to view full story…

Heathrow pays £1.8m for noise-reducing adobe huts in playgrounds of 21 schools under its flightpaths

November 9, 2013       It was reported in April 2013 that four adobe domes had been put up in the grounds of Hounslow Primary school, which is under the southern runway at Heathrow, in order to enable the children to use the playground despite the plane noise. Now Heathrow says it will spend £1.8 million to extend the scheme to 21 schools that are badly affected by aircraft noise. Heathrow is desperate to try and persuade London residents that aircraft noise is being dealt with, and a 3rd runway will not cause intolerable noise to those overflown. The 21 schools, which have not been named, will each get around £85,000 for the building of these structures. The largest can hold 30 children, and the level of noise can be 17 decibels lower than outside. Children can hear the teachers inside the domes, so teaching does not have to stop for a considerable time every 90 seconds or so, when planes go over. Children can also hear each other, and so develop their language skills. However, the domes do not solve the problem of providing ventilation and soundproofing of classrooms.     Click here to view full story…

London First suggests an independent ombudsman is needed to deal with aircraft noise in London

November 7, 2013       .London First is the business organisation that aims to “make London the best city in the world in which to do business” and which supports expanding London airport capacity, especially at Heathrow. It has produced a new short report called “More Flights, Less Noise” which recommends that, in order to get more flights over London, there should be a noise pollution tsar, to protect people living under flight paths. They say an independent noise ombudsman, with a range of powers including the ability to fine an airline that persistently broke noise pollution limits, would address a “basic lack of trust and transparency” between those pressing the economic case for airport expansion and local communities. London First say a similar scheme running in Paris since 2000 has been successful. Their hope of there being less noise stems from slight improvements by modern planes on aircraft noise. However, in reality the improvements are very small and these are more than outweighed if there are more flights. Communities being well informed about the noise is no substitute for reducing it.   Click here to view full story…

Heathrow launches a “Fly Quiet” programme + quarterly “Fly Quiet” table – in a bid to reduce opposition on noise grounds

November 6, 2013        Heathrow airport has launched its ‘Fly Quiet programme’ which will produce a “Fly Quiet” table 4 times per year, ranking the 50 airlines that use the airport most on various noise measures. The airlines are listed according to six noise related criteria. These are given a red/amber/green rating for each criterion, as well as an overall score. The criteria are: Noise quota count/seat/movement, which adjusts noise according to seat capacity and movements per airline; the noise certification Chapter number; the number of Continuous Descent Approach violations; the number of track deviations on departure; the number of arrivals before their 4.30am slot, and those arriving before their 6am landing slot. Heathrow says it will work closely with airlines to improve their rating – it knows that noise will be the issue on which their bid for a new runway will fail, so are attempting to overcome opposition on noise grounds. The terminology of “quiet” planes, rather than “less noisy” planes is part of the PR spin. These planes are not “quiet” in any normal sense. Fractionally less noisy would be a better description.     Click here to view full story…

Scotsman speculates that Heathrow Holdings may sell Glasgow, Aberdeen and Southampton airport to raise cash for Heathrow runway

November 4, 2013       The Scotsman speculates that Heathrow Holdings Ltd (aka BAA) is considering selling Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports, for a figure in the range of £1 billion, so it can focus more on Heathrow and getting a third runway. Some 8 0 – 905 of its business comes from Heathrow. The Scotsman says it has learnt that Heathrow Airport Holdings has held talks with advisers with a view to seeking buyers. Ferrovial, which has reduced its stake in Heathrow to 25% since buying BAA in 2006, is thought to be considering a deal to buy out the other shareholders in the 3 regional airports. Heathrow Airports declined to comment, but analysts believe a decision to sell makes sense, particularly if the airport was to secure approval for the extra runway. The sale would help Heathrow raise capital for a new runway. The potential prices will depend on passenger numbers. It is speculated that Glasgow might sell for £600 million, and Aberdeen + Southampton might go for £450 – 500 million for the two. They are all thought to be marketable.       Click here to view full story…

Justine Greening: Expand Heathrow and we risk a plane crash in London

November 3, 2013       Cabinet minister Justine Greening has warned that expanding Heathrow would increase the risk of a plane crashing on London, stressing that “we cannot beat the odds forever”. She said it would be more likely that a plane would crash into a highly populated area of west London — either due to human error or a terrorist attack — if there were more flights. If that happened, there could be a lot of deaths and injuries. She was giving evidence to the Airports Commission when she said that despite Heathrow’s good safety record, human error meant that the risk of a crash could never be reduced to zero. She added: “In addition to that, aviation clearly faces other risks, not least terrorism. …The higher the absolute number of aircraft movements, the higher the danger that even an ‘extremely low probability’ event may occur.” She warned that allowing expansion at Heathrow would be “one of the biggest planning and transport strategy mistakes of this century, irreversibly blighting Londoners’ quality of life”.    Click here to view full story…

Heathrow payment of £160 million boosts profits at Ferrovial

Date added: October 31, 2013 Heathrow Airport paid out £160m to its majority shareholder Ferrovial in the first nine months of the year, helping to boost net profit at Ferrovial by 2%. Ferrovial received dividends of €355m from its investments in airports and toll roads – causing Ferrovial’s net profit to rise to €485m (£414m) in the nine months to September 30th. Heathrow had performed “exceptionally well” during the period, paying out £476m to its shareholders – including the Qatari and Chinese sovereign wealth funds -during the period, although the sum was inflated by a £300m one-off return from the sale of Stansted to MAG in February. Last week Ferrovial sold an 8.65% stake in Heathrow to the Universities Superannuation Scheme, for £392m, pushing its holding down to 25%. Ferrovial said funds from the USS deal would “greatly enhance the company’s flexibility to undertake new investments orientated towards international expansion”. British Airways has accused Heathrow of generating “excessive” returns for its shareholders at the cost of its customers.    Click here to view full story…

Heathrow spreading ‘scare stories’ over investors, claims Willie Walsh

October 28, 2013      Willie Walsh, the boss of IAG, has rebuked Heathrow over investment claims and accused Heathrow of spreading “scare stories” and expertly “gaming” Britain’s regulatory system to bump up prices for airlines and passengers. He hit out at Heathrow over claims that it will lose investors if it is not allowed to generate higher returns. He said last week’s £392m purchase by Britain’s 2nd biggest pension scheme of a stake in the hub “blows a hole” in the airport’s arguments. The deal saw the Universities Superannuation Scheme buy an 8.65% holding from Ferrovial, Heathrow’s top investor. The sale was struck at a 13% premium to Heathrow’s Regulatory Asset Base – the regulator’s proxy for the airport’s value. Willie Walsh said that without question there is no shortage of investors who would be willing to take a stake in Heathrow. “It is almost insulting that they announce the sale of a stake to a significant player like USS at the same time that they have been arguing that if they don’t get excessive reward at Heathrow, investors will leave.”      Click here to view full story…

Ferrovial sells Heathrow stake to UK pension fund – the Universities Superannualtion Scheme – for £392m

Date added: October 22, 2013 Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial has further reduced its stake in Heathrow after agreeing to sell 8.65% of the airports group to UK pension fund, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), for £392m. The USS is one of the UK’s largest pension funds and is the scheme for universities and other higher education institutions in the UK. The deal, which values Heathrow at £4.5 billion,(plus the extra value of some £10 billion in debts) is the 4th time Ferrovial has trimmed its holding in Heathrow (or BAA as it was) in 2 years. It reduces Ferrovial’s stake to 25%, down from 62% when it bought BAA in 2006 in a £10.3 billion deal. Heathrow Airport Holdings has, since 2006, had to sell Edinburgh, Gatwick and Stansted, but still owns Aberdeen, Glasgow and Southampton airports. Ferrovial will remain the largest shareholder in Heathrow following the deal with USS, which is expected to complete on Thursday. USS will hold the 7th biggest stake behind China Investment Corporation which bought 10% of Heathrow in October 2012.      Click here to view full story…

Verdict on Heathrow runways Operational Freedoms trial – a ‘lot of pain for very little gain’

Date added: October 23, 2013 Campaigners against Heathrow expansion have said tests on using runways more intensively had been “a lot of pain for very little gain”. It follows an official verdict – by the CAA – that experiments carried out into methods of speeding up take-offs and landings had been “inconclusive”. John Stewart, of Hacan, said: “It appears that these trials brought little benefit to the airport. But they did deprive residents of their much-valued half-day’s break from the noise. To bring them back would be a lot of pain for very little gain.” Heathrow is seeking operational freedoms to make itself more resilient to disruptions. The two sets of trials held last year and in early 2012 failed to show clear-cut benefits, leading the CAA to conclude: “It is extremely difficult to reach any strong conclusions on the benefit or otherwise of the trial.” There had been a surge in complaints during the tests. Aviation minister Robert Goodwill has asked the Airports Commission to make a recommendation on the operational freedoms in its interim report in December.     Click here to view full story…

“BackHeathrow” (paid for by airport – not a grass roots campaign), send biased scare-mongering survey to half a million

October 18, 2013 A lobbying group – called BackHeathrow – funded by Heathrow Airport is to distribute a survey to half a million homes, to try and get some favourable views on a new Heathrow runway.They are using fear as a tactic, to get local people worried that they might lose their jobs if the airport was not allowed to expand. There is, of course, no prospect of Heathrow being closed – the BackHeathrow tactic is irresponsible and ill-advised. John McDonnell, the MP for Hayes and Harlington, bordering Heathrow to the north and under threat from a northern runway, said it was just another front organisation funded by the airport and another cynical spurious public relations exercise. John Stewart, chairman of HACAN, said BackHeathrow claims it is a grass roots campaign but no grass roots campaign has the sort of funding to send out half a million surveys. This is astoturfing, not a real citizens’ initiative. BackHeathrow survey results must be treated with great scepticism, when/if they come out. It’s so badly worded & biased as to be valueless. The “Have you stopped beating your wife?” type questions in the BackHeathrow survey are so loaded they’d make you laugh if they didn’t make you angry.     Click here to view full story…

Richmond may have the highest life expectancy in the country (and high affluence) but health still damaged by aircraft noise

October 14, 2013        Research came out a few days ago, both from Imperial College and from researchers in the USA, to say that living with aircraft noise appears to cause an increase of up to 20% in stroke, heart and circulatory disease. In a blog, John Stewart looks at the retort from backers of expansion at Heathrow that one borough that is partly overflown – Richmond – has recently come out top in figures for the longest “healthy life expectancy” (HLE) for the country. “Back Heathrow” may try to imply this fact questions the medical data on exposure to noise. In reality, as has been know for many years, Richmond is one of the most affluent boroughs in London; it has 13 of the richest wards in London; its population in 2001 was 91% White, 9% BME; it has very low deprivation; high employment and high educational standards. ie. it is a very affluent borough, with consequent high levels of health. As John’s blog indicates, that does not in any way discredit the high quality research done by Imperial College. Only part of the borough is directly under the approach flight paths from the east, and the impact of aircraft noise may be well masked by the overall very high health – and privilege – of the borough’s population.     Click here to view full story…

New study links aircraft noise from Heathrow to increased risk of heart disease and strokes

October 9, 2013     A new study by researchers at Imperial College and King’s College in London – and published in the BMJ – has found that deaths from stroke, heart and circulatory disease are 20% higher in areas with high levels of aircraft noise than in places with the least noise. The research compared on day- and night-time aircraft noise with hospital admissions and mortality rates among a population of 3.6 million people living near Heathrow airport. Their study covered 12 London boroughs and 9 districts outside London where aircraft noise exceeds 50 decibels – about the volume of a normal conversation in a quiet room. The researchers made every effort to eliminate other factors that might have a relationship with stroke and heart disease, such as deprivation, South Asian ethnicity and smoking-related illness. This new study confirms the findings of the 2008 “HYENA” study, also by Imperial College, which looked at people living near Heathrow and 5 other European airports. The research is clear that living with a lot of aircraft noise damages health, though this needs further work. The study indicates that planners need to take the health impacts of aircraft noise into account when expanding airports in heavily populated areas or planning new airports.    Click here to view full story…

British Airways considers transferring its hub to Madrid, as CAA lets Heathrow raise charges at rate of inflation

October 4, 2013    .British Airways has warned that it will consider a future outside Heathrow after the CAA revised its proposals to cut landing charges – despite agreeing that the airport was badly managed and staff overpaid. Airlines are annoyed as the CAA ruled that charges will rise at the rate of inflation over the next 5 years instead of the RPI minus 1.3% rate it had proposed in the spring – and well above the real terms cut demanded by airlines. Heathrow has argued for higher charges, so it can give increasing returns to shareholders to ensure foreign investment continues. The airport claims if it cannot raise its charges, it will not be able to invest to make the airport better for its passengers. British Airways accounts for just over half Heathrow’s traffic and now threatens making its hub at Madrid as that would be cheaper and more “realistic”. The CAA said that its decision to freeze rather than cut landing charges at Heathrow reflected the increasing cost of raising capital for investment. It has allowed Gatwick to increase landing charges by RPI plus 0.5% annually for 7 years and deferred its ruling on Stansted.    Click here to view full story…

CAA proposes Heathrow charges rise in line with inflation over next 5 years

October 4, 2013      .The airport regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, has proposed that Heathrow should cap its landing charges so that they rise in line with inflation for the 5 years 2014 – 2019. Heathrow is complaining about this, as it wants a much larger increase in its charges and says this price cap would have “serious and far-reaching consequences” for passengers. Heathrow had submitted its request to the CAA for charges to be allowed to rise by 4.6% above the Retail Price Index (RPI), which is a measure of UK inflation. The CAA had initially proposed that the annual increase at Heathrow should be RPI minus 1.3% but said a key reason for its proposal to allow rises in line with inflation was “due to an increase in the cost of capital driven by higher debt costs”. If the proposals are accepted it will put an end to over a decade of prices rising faster than inflation at Heathrow. Airlines like BA at Heathrow had asked for a 9.8% a year cut in landing charges over the 5 years. The CAA propose allowing charges at Gatwick to rise by 0.5% above RPI for 5 years, and has deferred a decision on charges at Stansted.   Click here to view full story…

GMB union slammed for ‘scaremongering and lies’ emails to members, scaring them into signing up to “Back Heathrow”

October 3, 2013     The GMB Union has been criticised for ‘scaremongering’ its members by making alarmist and false claims on the likelihood of closure of Heathrow. The GMB has emailed members insisting they sign up to the flailing “Back Heathrow Campaign”, which is funded by the airport, to try and drum up local support for a third runway. The GMB tell their members, in their email, that: ”Without a third runway, Heathrow will close. No more jobs, prosperity and opportunity.” [Full text below]. The letter says: “A number of very scary proposals are being tabled that could see the end of Heathrow as we know it.” and ” House prices would plummet as people moved away. Worryingly, such a nightmare scenario could soon be on the cards.” In reality, Heathrow would not close, whatever the Airports Commission decides, and its closure is not a serious proposition. Aviation campaigner Alan Haughton said: “What the GMB Union have told members is reckless, unhelpful and could be seen as strong-arm bullying tactics to force them to sign up to the Back Heathrow Campaign.”    Click here to view full story…

Third runway at Heathrow would mean local surface transport chaos

October 1, 2013      .One of the most pressing, but least considered problems when proposals are made to expand Heathrow is that of surface transport to and from the airport. The Campaign for Better Transport, in a recent report, says Heathrow sits in the most congested quadrant of London. The roads around Heathrow are already full and journey times are getting longer. So much so that the Department for Transport has said that it’s likely to need to take action to relieve congestion due to traffic growth regardless of what happens at the airport. The Piccadilly Line, which provides most of the public transport capacity to Heathrow, is already one of the most crowded on the underground. Even if you include Crossrail, it is clear that public transport will not have the capacity to accommodate the extra demand that Heathrow envisages from a 3rd runway – 40% more passengers by 2030 and nearly double that by 2040 – and additional pressure will therefore be placed on the roads. An additional Heathrow runway would cause widespread transport chaos. Click here to view full story..

Noise Exposure Contours for Heathrow Airport 2012 published

29.9.2013 Prepared by the Civil Aviation Authority on behalf of the Department for Transport, September 2013.  The report summary says: This report presents the year 2012 noise exposure contours for London Heathrow Airport. The 57 dBA Leq contour area for 2012 based on the actual runway modal split was calculated to be 110.1 km2 , 1% higher than in 2011. The population enclosed within the actual 57 dBA contour decreased by 2% compared to 2011 to 239,600.  P22 of the CAA noise study for Heathrow says (comparing 2012 to 2011) there were 2% less people in the 57 dBA contour, 2% more in the 60 dbA contour.   P21 of the CAA noise studyhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/244529/lhr-2012.pdf  shows in 2012 there were 57 schools in 60 dBA area and 150 schools in the 57 dBA area

Inquiry finds flaws in Heathrow’s expansion plan

29.9.2013    . The FT reports that Heathrow’s case for expansion is flawed because it has failed to account for how London’s roads and public transport will cope with millions more passengers. It says submissions by the Major of London and Hillingdon and Houslow counicls say that the capital’s roads and trains will struggle to keep pace with demand from population growth alone,let alone a third Heathrow runway.  The corresponding increase in travel to the west London site cannot be supported by the transport network. TfL says even with planned upgrades, the Piccadilly line would be full.  Heathrow has not produced no figures on how many additional road and public transport journeys the extra passengers would generate.   Click here to view full story ……

Heathrow hits out at Gatwick in airport tussle claiming only Heathrow can attract long haul flights

September 27, 2013      .As well as the airlines doing battle with the airports (eg. BA and Heathrow), the airports are at loggerheads with each other, in deadly rivalry. How Heathrow has publicised its dissing of Gatwick, in the hope of persuading the Airports Commission of the merits of its case. Today was the final day for any submissions to the Commission, before they publish their airport shortlist some time in December. Heathrow makes out that a single massive hub airport is vital (well, they would, wouldn’t they?) and Gatwick makes out that it can do very nicely with long haul point-to-point flights (well, they would, wouldn’t they?). Heathrow says some 20 long haul routes from Gatwick have failed over recent years, and Gatwick disputes the figure and gives reasons why some closed down. Gatwick says Heathrow can never expand as its flight path noise already affects too many people (the most of any airport in Europe). Heathrow says Gatwick could not attract airlines as they only want to come to Heathrow. And on it goes. Good luck, on ploughing through all the competing claims, Sir Howard !   .Click here to view full story…

New short HACAN report giving a flavour of the stress caused to thousands of Londoners from Heathrow aircraft noise

September 25, 2013    .HACAN (the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise) has just released a short report on reactions to noise by Londoners who are over-flown. “A Summer of Noise – a snap-shot of the impact of aircraft noise on Londoners… in their own words” (5 Pages) It is a collection of some of the despairing emails that Hacan has received, over the summer. There are always more complaints about aircraft noise in summer than in winter, as people spend more time outside. There is also more stress caused by night flight noise, as on warm nights, people want to sleep with the windows open. There are some sad and troubling examples in the report, a few of which are copied below. HACAN concludes that there is some pattern in the complaints it receives on aircraft noise. Night noise from aircraft remains a big concern for a lot of people. In addition to the difference between summer and winter, it seems that in very hot weather it is slightly more difficult for planes to take off (the air is a bit less dense, so the engine has to work harder) and this means that in areas like Hanwell, relatively close to the airport and under a take-off route, can experience a lot more noise. It is also clear that the cluster of complaints from particular areas may reflect the fact that flight paths seem to be becoming more concentrated. HACAN is discussing the apparent concentration of flights with Heathrow Airport and National Air Traffic Control.    Click here to view full story…

Bureaucratic UK visa regime harming trade with China, says Willie Walsh

September 23, 2013     .The issue of whether or not the UK has enough flights to China, and the other rapidly developing economies, is the argument most often used to call for a new runway for the south east of England, and at Heathrow in particular. Even at Heathrow, business passengers are only some 30% of the total. Willie Walsh has spoken out again against the UK visa system for Chinese visitors, which is much more costly and more onerous than obtaining a visa for the European Schengen agreement countries. A UK visa for a Chinese person for the UK costs £80 but only £56 for the Schengen area. Willie says trade with China has been harmed by the UK visa regime that makes foreign businessmen and visitors feel unwelcome. He was speaking on the inaugural flight of BA’s direct service to Chengdu, capital of Sichuan province, and said the UK needs to put a bit of effort into changing Chinese perceptions they are not welcome. UK APD adds £83 to the cost of an economy flight to China, and visa fees are a real deterrent – much more than a shortage of slots at Heathrow at popular times of day. Walsh said at other European hubs visas for transfer passengers are not required.      .Click here to view full story…

Labour leader Ed Miliband warns Sir Howard over risks of extra Heathrow runways

September 23, 2013     .Ed Miliband has had talks with Sir Howard Davies, Chairman of the Airports Commission. Ed has expressed concern about the possibility of a 3rd runway at Heathrow, which would put at risk Labour’s chances of winning several key marginal seats, including Battersea, Brentford and Isleworth, Ealing Central and Acton. Labour understands that a 3rd runway, or 4th, at Heathrow would cause more noise and pollution misery for hundreds of thousands of Londoners. Labour also insists that any airport expansion will have to meet the target of cutting aviation CO2 emissions by 80% by 2050, as the CCC advise. However, the Standard says: “Labour is not ruling out supporting a bigger Heathrow but it is likely to demand convincing evidence that extra noise and pollution can be sufficiently mitigated.” It adds: “Labour could be tempted to reject Heathrow expansion before the election” to boost its electoral chances. It also says: “Aviation sources said Sir Howard … was concerned that Ms Eagle was moving towards favouring a 2nd runway at Gatwick.”     .Click here to view full story…

Lord Digby Jones tells Airports Commission – “don’t just stand there. Do something!”

September 23, 2013     .Lord DIgby Jones has been a vociferous supporter of a 3rd Heathrow runway for many years, as well as backer of the aviation industry. He has now written, with two other former high ranking figures in business, to the Airports Commission asking them to “be bold” and get a move on with making a decision on building a new runway. Sir Digby was briefly the chair of the aviation industry lobby body, “Flying Matters” before stepping down to become trade and industry minister in Gordon Brown’s ailing government. Lord Digby believes the government should first lift the flight number cap at Heathrow to allow concurrent take-off and landing from both runways, and there should be other changes to allow Gatwick and Stansted to compete more effectively. He believes the UK is falling behind competitors, and the building of a runway would solve all the UK economy’s problems – and prevent the UK losing out to rivals. He says: Politicians, please don’t just stand there. Do something! You are crippling our economy by doing nothing. Back in 2007, speaking of people troubled by noise from East Midlands airport, he said: ..”rural residents should sacrifice their well-being in exchange for economic progress …”      .Click here to view full story…

New long-distance Dreamliner 787 and A350 nullify need for larger Heathrow hub, says Zac Goldsmith

September 18, 2013     .Conservative MP for Richmond Park, Zac Goldsmith, has said a massive increase in smaller, more fuel efficient planes during the next decade blows apart Heathrow’s argument for the need for a single hub airport. The 9-fold increase in the new generation of planes – the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and the Airbus A350, which can fly non-stop from London to the northern edge of Australia [eg. Darwin – but not as far as the main cities in southern Australia] will have a massive impact on the way airports are run. The new planes, nicknamed “hub busters”, can fly more than 1,000 miles further non-stop than older planes, and will reduce the scale of passenger demand needed to make long-haul routes viable as they are smaller and need fewer passengers to transfer in from other planes, to fill them up. This will encourage airlines to bypass hub airports to serve direct connections – and is an important factor for the Airports Commission to consider. It means better use could be made of existing airports for point to point direct flights. “This ….moves us away from the traditional hub and spoke transfer model, and towards a model where air travel, even over very long distances, is primarily non-stop.”     .Click here to view full story…

Murad Qureshi: Boris has failed to get to grips with aircraft noise and needs to re-establish the GLA Noise Team

September 12, 2013 London Assembly Member, Murad Qureshi, writing in Left Foot Forward, says that in the aviation debate, the concerns of Londoners about aircraft noise are too frequently dismissed or regarded as secondary to other issues. “The Mayor of London has comprehensively failed to get to grips with aviation noise.” Aabout 28% of all people in Europe affected by aircraft noise live under the Heathrow flight paths, and in the last decade the problem has spread across London with disturbance now being felt up to 20 km away from the airport. Heathrow’s noise mitigation scheme for affected residents is much less than that offered by London City Airport. “The first step to mitigate the issue of noise pollution must be for the Mayor to re-establish the GLA Noise Team which was shut down when the Mayor came to office. The team would be able to undertake a comprehensive update of the Mayor’s noise strategy which has not been revised in nine years.”     .Click here to view full story..

Blog: Heathrow lost the 3rd runway battle last time – will its new approach succeed?

Date added: September 13, 2013 In a blog, Chair of Hacan, John Stewart, writes about the announcement that Heathrow is prepared to fund residents groups which support a third Heathrow runway, in a campaign called “Back Heathrow”. MPs and councillors from the wider Heathrow area have had letters and half a million newsletters will be sent to homes in West London, by Back Heathrow. In his blog, John looks at how successful this campaign could be, bearing in mind just how fierce the opposition is due to aircraft noise. Heathrow knows it has an uphill struggle to persuade politicians that a third runway in west London would not be political suicide. Presumably this is why it has launched “Back Heathrow” so early – at least two years before any decision is taken. It needs time to try to change the political climate. Nobody seriously believes that with 50% more planes over London, it is going to get quieter. This time round, it is Heathrow, not the campaign groups, that has the mountain to climb in terms of persuading the people and the politicians. It is now Heathrow that is trying to achieve victory against all the odds.    Click here to view full story…

“Back Heathrow” campaign formed, by the airport, to demonstrate – and boost – local support for a 3rd runway

Date added: September 12, 2013 “Back Heathrow” is a lobby group that has recently been formed, by supporters of a third Heathrow runway. Its aim is to get people who favour Heathrow expansion to declare their support, and “give a voice to the hundreds of thousands of residents who support Heathrow.” It has been set up with funding from the airport, and 400,000 local tabloid-style propaganda newspapers have been delivered to local communities surrounding the airport. The text of the paper is shown below. It pushes the scaremongering idea that there is a risk of Heathrow shutting down, causing the loss of “114,000 jobs” and that “200 of the UK’s biggest companies may move from Heathrow.” In reality, there is little prospect of Heathrow closing – and this is just a tactic to get publicity and worry people. Back Heathrow have written to local councillors, giving them the misleading impressing that it is a “new community campaign”. It isn’t. It is organised by the industry, not by the community. Hacan said the formation of “Back Heathrow” was “the actions of a desperate organisation, not confident of the arguments it is making.”   Click here to view full story…

Packed public meeting in Stanwell Moor hears of threat of 850 house demolitions, noise and blight from Heathrow runway plans

Date added: September 12, 2013 Over 200 people attended a meeting in Stanwell Moor Village Hall, organised through the residents’ association, on 3rd September, with standing room only. The people of Stanwell Moor face eviction and the demolition of their houses, and those in Stanwell face blight and an uncertain future – the possibility of intense aircraft noise and air pollution if another runway is allowed. There were people queuing outside trying to get in, such was the demand to hear what the Heathrow airport operators had in mind for their area. Nigel Milton, Heathrow’s director of policy, said 850 homes in Stamwell Moor village would be demolished to make way for a 3,500 metre runway – if it was ever allowed. Kathy Croft, chairman of the Stanwell Moor Residents’ Association, said: “It will then be for the next government to act. Kwasi Kwarteng was invited but he gave his apologies … “. The problem of large areas of blight that will inevitably be caused if the Airports Commission put Heathrow on their short list in December is a very real one. There will be another meeting on 18th September, organised by Spelthorne Borough Council.     Click here to view full story…

2M group of councils call for new study into attitudes to aircraft noise

September 8, 2013     The 2M group of Councils opposed to Heathrow expansion – which initially included some 2 million residents, but now includes many more – has called for a new study to be carried out into attitudes to aircraft noise. Without an updated study, the councils fear the Airports Commission will be limited to basing their recommendations on sites for new airport capacity on surveys carried out more than 30 years ago. The 2M Group – made up of Wandsworth, Hounslow, Hillingdon, Richmond, Windsor and Maidenhead, Southwark, Brent, Hammersmith and Fulham, and South Bucks councils, have also republished the ANASE study into attitudes to aircraft noise which was rejected by the last Government in 2007. The study showed the official method for measuring community annoyance did not take account of the rising numbers of aircraft. The councils say that, while adopting the ANASE findings would provide the commission with a more robust benchmark, the real answer is to order a brand new study that properly reflects current attitudes.    Click here to view full story…

Former Cabinet Secretary Gus O’Donnell to head Frontier Economics, which is pushing for Heathrow growth

July 30, 2013     Lord Gus O’Donnell, the former Cabinet Secretary, has been announced as the new chair of the economics consultancy, Frontier Economics. He will work on day a week, starting towards the end of this year. His role will involve seeking to change government policies on the behalf of Frontier’s corporate clients, which include Heathrow airport. Frontier has been advising Heathrow on its plans for a 3rd runway and expansion. Frontier Economics produced a report for Heathrow, backing its case as the key hub airport for the UK and its expansion, in September 2011. The Frontier report claimed that London would become only Europe’s 3rd busiest airport (behind Paris and Frankfurt) unless the Government freed up more capacity and enabled more direct flights to emerging markets. The Times comments on how Sir Gus is not the first senior civil servant who has been able to get a very well paid and influential job in consultancy because of their experience in Government, and their contacts there.     Click here to view full story…

Heathrow to track customers through airport to avoid delays and improve efficiency

July 29, 2013     People who fail to turn up for flights cost airlines dearly, especially if their luggage has to be removed from the plane. So Heathrow is rolling out a new system of smart boarding cards that it believes will improve the punctuality of nearly half of flights. And so enable the airport to deal with more flights, with no new runway. Boarding passes already include a bar code in which the passenger’s flight details are embedded, including the gate and terminal. Instead of being read by airport staff, the pass is scanned by an automatic gate and can be used to tell airlines if, for example, a passenger has entered the departure lounge. In a week of trials at Terminals 1 and 3, Virgin Atlantic and Little Red found that 44% of the 35,000 departing passengers were in danger of arriving at the gate late. Offloading luggage because owners have failed to turn up can lead to planes losing their take-off slots, leading to delays which, according to industry estimates, cost £67 for each minute the plane is on the Tarmac or stuck on the stand. “Should the information show passengers are in danger of not reaching the gate in time, a message on a screen warns them to hurry up and not dawdle at the duty-free shops.”    Click here to view full story…

Emirates considers direct flights to the USA from UK northern airports, not Heathrow

July 26, 2013     Dubai’s Emirates Airline is interested in getting into the competitive transatlantic market, and offer flights from Dubai to the US via the UK. This market is currently dominated by BA, Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines. Emirates will need to get regulatory approval first. Emirates believes there is strong unmet demand for flights from the north of England to the USA and last year carried 800,000 passengers on its routes in and out of its hubs in the north of England: Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and Birmingham. There are growing numbers of Emirates passengers and services from these northern UK airports. In October, Emirates will launch flights from Dubai to New York via Milan. Their UK vice president said they are asking the Airports Commission to look at making all the regional airports completely open skies, so anyone can fly anywhere. If they use the northern airports, there is less pressure on the south east airports, and less rationale for building another runway. “Heathrow sits in the south of England, but Manchester has a bigger catchment area in terms of a two-hour drive.” If Emirates goes through with the plan BA and Virgin will be the big losers.    Click here to view full story..

Heathrow says its investment plans are at risk if CAA limits its charges to airlines

July 25, 2013      Heathrow wants to put up its charges to airlines significantly. The CAA controls how much the airport can charge, and it has indicated that it will limit the rise in the amount Heathrow can charge to the rate of inflation plus 4.6% per year. However, Heathrow says its shareholders would not be willing to proceed with plans to invest £3bn in the airport over the next 5 years if the CAA imposes stricter controls on price rises. Colin Matthews, chief executive of Heathrow. said they would not proceed with capital spending of no more than £2bn if the CAA does not let them charge the amount they consider acceptable as a return for investors. There is a long term battle between Heathrow and the airlines, and Heathrow has some of the highest charges of any global airport. Heathrow has just reported a pre-tax profit of £186 million for the half year up to June 2013, though they made a loss of £51 million in the same period in 2012. This is largely due to the sale of Stansted. Heathrow’s passenger traffic rose 2.4% in the 6 months to June 2013, compared to 2012, to 34.4 million. Most of the growth was European traffic, which rose 4.9% to 14.3 million passengers.      Click here to view full story…

Heathrow proposes cutting airline landing charge rise to 4.6% above RPI for 5 years

July 23, 2013      In February Heathrow announced it was intending to increase its airline landing charges, from the current level of £17 per passenger to perhaps up to £25. This caused very negative responses from airlines that use the airport. Now Heathrow has moved to appease airlines by offering to reduce the rise it is seeking to charge between 2014 and 2019. Heathrow has submitted a plan to the CAA seeking approval to raise tariffs by 4.6% above inflation, as measured by the retail prices index (RPI), for the 5 years from April 2014. That is 1.3% lower than their earlier offer of a rise of 5.9%. Gatwick has also agreed to scale back their planned fee increases. Earlier this year Willie Walsh called the airport “over-priced, over-rewarded and inefficient”. However, the investors, including Ferrovial and the sovereign wealth funds of Qatar, China and Singapore, who have spent more than £10 billion on the airport over the last decade, expect to see a good return on their investment ie. they want high fees to airlines.     Click here to view full story…

Council confirms commitment to preserving Heathrow’s UK hub status

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Surrey County Council has confirmed its commitment to preserving Heathrow’s status as the UK’s hub airport because of the huge economic benefits it brings. Around 10,000 people in Surrey work at Heathrow with a further 4,000 in related jobs and more than 200 of the UK’s top 300 companies are based within 25 miles of the airport. “It is estimated that tens of thousands further jobs have been created by firms that have moved to be close to Heathrow.”  At a meeting of the Full Council, Surrey County Council Deputy Leader Peter Martin set out Heathrow’s economic importance. In addition, he underlined that thousands more people in Surrey depend on Gatwick Airport for work.  http://news.surreycc.gov.uk/2013/07/19/10533/

“Heathrow may have shot itself in the foot” – Blog by John Stewart on airport’s runway plans

Date added: July 18, 2013 John Stewart has written a blog about the announcement by Heathrow yesterday on its new runway proposals. The perception is that huge expansion is on the cards; that Heathrow has become a city state on the edge of London which is threatening to blight large swathes of the capital and beyond. There is considerable scepticism about Heathrow’s claims that the overall noise climate could improve with a 3rd, and even a 4th runway, given that a 3rd runway would increase flight numbers by 250,000 a year, resulting in a total of 740,000 flights using Heathrow, rising to almost a million with a 4th. Communities finding themselves under a noisy flight path for the first time, in Ham or Tooting Bec, will not just accept this. The overall impression of the proposals is for concrete and destruction. John Stewart suspects that the sheer scale of Heathrow’s proposals have hardened and widened opposition to expansion: from local residents, the public at large, local authorities and climate activists. “The climate movement will now be limbering up for another battle of Heathrow.” Click here to view full story…

HACAN will fight tooth and nail against Heathrow’s plans for a 3rd runway

July 17, 2013          HACAN, representing residents under the Heathrow flight paths, has vowed to ‘fight tooth and nail’ against the proposals for a 3rd runway released by Heathrow Airport. HACAN welcomed the measures announced by Heathrow to cut noise but argued that these will be negated by the huge increase there will be in the number of planes using the airport if a 3rd runway is given the go-ahead. Heathrow has confirmed that flight numbers will rise by nearly 250,000 a year to a total of 740,000 (from the current 480,000) if a new runway is built. Heathrow’s 3 options are for: (1). A south west option which requires demolition of the 850 properties in the Stanwell Moor area. (2). A north west option in the Harmondsworth Moor area involving demolition of 950 properties. (3). A northern option, very similar to the previous plans for a 3rd runway, involving demolition of Sipson and parts of Harlington. Heathrow has ruled out a 4th runway until at least 2040 as it is not convinced there will be the demand. But it has said that, if a 4th runway was required, one of the options for a 3rd runway would be used. A fourth runway would result in a total of around a million flights per year using the airport.    Click here to view full story…

“Heathrow unveils a new approach to third runway”

17 July, 2013 (Heathrow Airport  press release)
Heathrow submitted three runway options to the Airports Commission  “for solving the lack of hub airport capacity in the UK”. These see a third runway placed to the north, north west or south west of the existing airport.  [Its report is at Heathrow: A New Approach ]. Heathrow prefers the southwestern option, in the Staines Moor area. 
Third runway south west

Fire breaks out on an empty, parked Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner, at Heathrow

July 12, 2013      A fire occurred in an Ethiopian Airlines Dreamliner, parked at a remote parking stand. There were no passengers on board and the plane was not due to fly for several more hours. Pictures showed the aircraft on the runway, surrounded by fire engines and covered in flame-retardant foam; TV footage showed an area on the fuselage in front of the tail that appeared to be scorched. It is not known if the battery system was associated with the fire, and the batteries are not in that part of the plane. A statement released by Ethiopian Airlines said the jet had been “parked at the airport for more than eight hours” before the fire. The lithium batteries were the cause of the previous incidents that led to the grounding of the Dreamliner in January.Flights at Heathrow were suspended for an hour and a half. Heathrow said suspension is a standard procedure if fire crews are occupied with an incident. BA now has two Dreamliners and a BA spokesman said it was too early to say whether its two would now be grounded. On April 27, Ethiopian Airlines was the first carrier to resume flights with Dreamliners.    Click here to view full story…

‘Quick death’ might be better for Stanwell Moor in Heathrow debate

July 12, 2013       A “quick death” for Stanwell Moor is the best-case result for residents – that was the feeling after a meeting on 1st July to discuss the blight of a potential third Heathrow runway through the village. The threat of long term blight and community death are some of the most serious concerns. Kathy Croft, chairman of Stanwell Moor Residents’ Association, said after the gathering: “I would rather a quick death for Stanwell Moor than endure the fate suffered by Sipson.” Heathrow has yet to confirm or deny the reports of plans for a third runway to be built over the Stanwell Moor area – it will publish its submission to the Airports Commission on 17th July. The Stanwell Moor Residents have another meeting with Heathrow scheduled for July 18. A spokesman for Heathrow said: “It is important that those who are most affected by the airport are given the opportunity to put their concerns to Heathrow first hand, and that we listen and respond to them. “We will continue to meet regularly with local communities, such as Stanwell Moor as we move forward through this process.” Mrs Croft said: “I would just like a decision, the last thing we want is to be like Sipson.”     Click here to view full story…

British Airways is thinking long-haul to Asia with Heathrow slots and Dreamliners

8.7.2013      BA to use former BMI slots at Heathrow for long-haul flights. More links to emerging markets poss without new runway.   British Airways plans to utilize its new fleet of Boeing Co. 787 Dreamliners to develop a series of long-haul destinations in untapped markets using a dozen pairs of takeoff and landing slots at its London Heathrow hub. BA acquired 42 Heathrow slots with last year’s purchase of short-haul operator BMI and has reserved 12 for intercontinental services, The 214-seat 787-8s are well-suited to trialing destinations where initial demand may be modest.   British Airways, which has taken delivery of two 787-8s, the smallest version of the Dreamliner, is a top carrier on trans-Atlantic routes while lagging behind some European and Gulf rivals in serving high-growth Asian markets. The carrier starts flying to Chengdu in China from Sept. 22 and is exploring other opportunities in emerging markets,  http://skift.com/2013/07/08/british-airways-is-thinking-long-haul-to-asia-with-heathrow-slots-and-dreamliners/

BA flight emergency landing at Heathrow due to engine covers unlocked: 9 passengers sue

July 12, 2013    A group of 9 British and Norwegian passengers have begun legal action against Airbus and Aero Engines, after the BA plane made an emergency landing at Heathrow in May. The flight to Oslo had to make an emergency landing, soon after take off, as the engine covers few open and fell off during take-off. The cover on the right engine split a fuel pipe on the engine which subsequently caught fire. The plane flew back with an engine burning, right across London, but landed safely and though passengers had to use the emergency shutes, no-one was hurt. The covers had not been closed and locked properly following maintenance checks the night before. The 9 passengers have now filed a complaint in the US saying that they have suffered severe psychological trauma as a result of the emergency landing, which has affected their personal and professional lives. There have been more than 30 other cases when engine covers have not been closed properly. It is likely that there will be more passengers joining the claim, which could total $25m      Click here to view full story…

Only a 4-runway hub airport will do, says new study for Boris (done by York Aviation)

July 4, 2013     As their response to the Airports Commission discussion paper on airport operational models the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has had a report commissioned from York Aviation – a company that has produced many reports for the aviation industry over recent years. (And see CE Delft criticism of their earlier work). This report, (not yet publicly available) not surprisingly bearing in mind Boris’s continuing support for a huge new hub airport for London, comes out saying London needs a new huge, 4 runway hub airport. The findings of the report were made public by City Hall two weeks before the Mayor submits his proposals to the Airports Commission. Boris is against Heathrow expansion, so unsurprisingly, the York Aviation report says Heathrow is not the right site for a 4 runway hub, as it lacks the space to configure the facilities and its expansion would be a blight on local residents (ignoring the blight that would be caused for others elsewhere?). York Aviation comes up with all the usual stuff about need for flights to emerging markets, need for the UK to retain its hub supremacy, and so on. Nothing new.   Click here to view full story…


 

For earlier Heathrow airport news, see