Contents
SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Dates
Regional News
Industry News
Parliamentary News
Government News
House of Commons Questions
Media News
SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Dates
6 March 2014
27 June 2014
24 October 2014
13 March 2015
Meetings are held at Local Government House, Smith Square, SW1P 3HZ, location map.
Regional News
9 Nov 2013 – East Midlands Airport has been awarded the Best Regional UK Airport Customer Service 2013 award by British Travel.
10 Nov 2013 – A £70m contract to help build Heathrow’s new Terminal 2 was won by a Teddington business.
12 Nov 2013 – Durham Tees Valley Airport has announced a £3.6m pre-tax loss in the 12 months to March this year as it suffered a further drop in passenger numbers. The deficit compared with a £6.8m profit in the previous year. Bad weather and slow recovery in the UK economy were blamed for a 12 per cent plunge in passenger numbers from 192,488 to 168,756.
12 Nov 2013 – New Zealand firm Infratil has written off the assets of its UK airports, Glasgow Prestwick and Manston in Kent. The company said it had reduced the value of both assets from £14.5m a year ago to zero. The announcement comes as the Scottish government continues talks with Infratil over buying the unprofitable Prestwick operations. Manston Airport is being bought for £1 by Ann Gloag, who co-founded the Stagecoach Group.
13 Nov 2013 – A defence engineering firm has announced it is scaling back its operations, which will result in the loss of up to 39 jobs with 200 more posts at risk. Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group, based in Cambridge, said its facility in Mildenhall, Suffolk, would close early next year. It added it was looking at cutbacks to other areas of the business.
13 Nov 2013 – A London City Airport Director has warned Guernsey Airport a lack of competition on routes may have a ‘damaging’ effect.
14 Nov 2013 – Durham Tees Valley Airport are set of announce plans to protect some air links by building up to 400 houses on the airport site. It is anticipated that the sale of land for housing would fund the redevelopment of the terminal building, and pay for new aircraft hangars, warehouses and offices.
15 Nov 2013 – A new report has aimed to quantify the economic value of Stansted Airport both regionally and nationally. The report by Oxford Economics on behalf of the London Stansted Cambridge Consortium estimates that the current operation, serving 17 million passengers per annum (mppa), generates £750 million gross value added and supports 14,000 jobs. The report then looked at four scenarios for expansion at Stansted and considered the economic benefits, locally and nationally, of each. It found that the best use of the existing airport infrastructure, at 35 mppa, would generate £2.195 billion and support an additional 3,800 jobs. Maximum use of the existing airport infrastructure, at 45 mppa, would generate £2.660 billion and support an additional 8,310 jobs.The full report is available here. Uttlesford District Council has reiterated its opposition to a second runway at Stansted Airport in the wake of the report
15 Nov 2013 – Plans to expand Luton Airport are being examined by Luton Borough Council. Airport operator London Luton Airport Operations Ltd wants to increase passenger capacity from 12m to 18m a year. The project includes building a new dual carriageway, multi-storey car park and taxiway. Luton Borough Council said its approval would come with conditions and the scheme would also be referred to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
15 Nov 2013 – The airline Flybe has confirmed the closure of six of its regional bases as it set out details of job cuts – the airline’s headquarters Exeter is set to take the biggest cut, with 116 roles under consultation. The number of redundancies announced at other sites has been: Belfast, 52; Birmingham, 49; Edinburgh, 49;Isle of Man, 49; Glasgow, 37; Inverness, 35; Jersey, 35; Newcastle, 17; Southampton, 17.Manchester, 13; Aberdeen, 12; Guernsey, 12.
Industry News
9 Nov 2013 – The second Boeing 787-9 test aircraft completed its first test flight Thursday.
11 Nov 2013 – Flybe, the Exeter-based airline, has announced plans to cut 500 jobs across the business, despite reporting a return to profit. Pre-tax profits were £13.8m for the six months to 30 September, compared with a loss of £1.6m a year earlier.
14 Nov 2013 – Europe is to relax the rules about the use of electronic devices during flights. Currently smartphones, tablets and other devices can be used only while a flight is in the air. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has published guidelines saying use of such devices should also be allowed during take-off and landing. The EASA stipulates that devices must be used in ‘airplane mode’, meaning passengers cannot use voice or text services.
Parliamentary News
11 Nov 2013 – The House of Commons Transport Select Committee heard evidence on transport’s winter resilience. Topics covered included: Impact on the aviation sector; Moving flights between Heathrow and Gatwick; Welfare arrangements; Information desks and helplines; Low-cost airlines; Landing in zero visibility; and Improvements to strategy (link includes video footage). A summary is given below.
Impact on the aviation sector
Opening the session, Labour Committee Chair Louise Ellman asked how the aviation sector had dealt with the storm on 28 October. Responding, Mr Provan believed that Heathrow had made the right decision to reduce the schedule of flights on the day, adding that they were ‘well prepared’ for the capacity reduction.
Mr Colman said that Gatwick had worked with the necessary community partners, but had still been able to schedule 700 flights for that day. In addition, Mr Lord had agreed with the decision for capacity reduction, adding that British Airways had been able to redirect or reschedule any affected flights. Mr Buck said cooperation helped to minimise disruption.
Further questioned by the Chair, Mr Provan explained that Heathrow’s only option was to reduce capacity and that a trial policy had been trialled a couple of weeks ago to mitigate the impact of bad weather. Gatwick would not operate anything differently, Mr Colman explained, adding that they had a ‘bulldog spirit’ to run as many flights as possible.
Moving flights between Heathrow and Gatwick
Labour MP Sarah Champion asked what impact bad weather would have at Heathrow. Operating at 99 per cent capacity meant that ‘proactive cancellations’ were the best way to address harsh conditions, Mr Provan said.
Ms Champion asked if there were plans to redirect some flights to Gatwick to relieve stress. Responding, Mr Provan said that a certain number of flights would be redirected there as part of the strategy that had learned from the previous winter. Adding to this, Mr Colman said that it was important to examine whether there was the opportunity to move flights between airports to allow passengers to fly. He added that discussions had not yielded a way forward yet, saying that it was important to recognise that this would be the decision for the next ten to fifteen years. Mr Lord said that BA’s differing operations at Heathrow and Gatwick meant it would be difficult to move flights between the two. He also said that economic impact of ‘artificially restricting capacity’ at Heathrow would be significant.
Liberal Democrat MP Adrian Sanders asked if it was important to allow passengers to fly, whatever it took. In reply, Mr Lords said that whilst BA’s goal was to allow passengers to fly, defending the use of ‘short-term, proactive action’ following the St Jude storm. Moreover, proactive cancellations could be applied to other weather conditions, such as snow, he said.
Welfare arrangements
Labour MP Jim Fitzpatrick asked if new welfare arrangements had been put in place for delays and cancellations. Airports now had passenger welfare protocol, in addition to 850 reservists to help those whose travel was disrupted, Mr Provan said. Mr Lord said that BA had invested £18m in its disruption capability that year, including new equipment and welfare. He added that many front-line staff were now equipped with tablets to allow rebooking to take place there and then. Mr Colman said that Gatwick had put in place new provisions, including ensuring that passenger communication was good and that relevant information was relayed.
Information desks and helplines
The Chair asked if information desks and helplines would be open in the event of bad weather. Responding, Mr Lord said that BA would be providing sufficient capacity in the event of any disruption. Mr Colman said that Gatwick offered a 24 hour web and social media presence. In addition, there would be volunteer staff walking the floor of the terminal building. The BATA had been pushing for the publication of a passenger rights leaflet, Mr Buck said. Mr Provan pledged that sufficient help would be available at Heathrow.
Ms Champion asked older people and disability groups could receive help in the event of disruption. Responding, Mr Colman explained that Gatwick had been working to provide support to particularly vulnerable people. However, he added that it was important to identify those passengers who had not registered.
Low-cost airlines
Conservative MP Jason McCartney asked what investment low-cost airlines were making at airports such as Manchester or Leeds Bradford. Highlighting the example of easyJet’s investment in ground crews, Mr Buck explained that the airlines focused on the needs of their local airport. He added that they also worked with the BATA group in pushing for a passenger rights leaflet. Mr Colman explained that both low-cost airlines and full service carriers worked as one community at Gatwick, saying it was ‘equal whether you are easyJet or Emirates’. He pointed to easyJet’s work with remote de-icing at his Airport. Mr Lord felt that BA provided a ‘different business model’ on customer care, adding that easyJet were ‘a very good, capable airline’.
Landing in zero visibility
Labour MP Graham Stringer asked how many planes landing at Heathrow and Gatwick had the ability to land in zero visibility. ‘The vast majority of our planes will be fully equipped to land’ in difficult weather, Mr Colman said, with Mr Provan adding that it was a similar situation at Heathrow. Later questioned by Mr Stringer, Mr Buck said that, on another occasion, 27 per cent of flights had been cancelled on Heathrow, compared with 40 per cent at Frankfurt.
HADACAB
The Chair asked if the Heathrow ATM Demand and Capacity Balancing Group (HADACAB) were functioning effectively. In reply, Mr Provan explained that a new policy had been trialled a few weeks ago. Adding to this, Mr Lord said that HADACAB was ineffective given the difficulty of Heathrow in mandating its use. Later, Mr Colman explained that Gatwick maintained surface access by working with providers such as Network Rail and Southern Trains.
Improvements to strategy
Asked by the Chair on what improvements could be made to a winter resilience strategy, Mr Lord said that it was important to clarify that it was the duty of airlines to communicate any changes in schedule. Pressed by Mr Fitzpatrick, he felt that information given to the passengers should be the same as that given to key partners.
Government News
11 Nov 2013 – The Government has published a report which sets out its response to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee’s report, ‘Flight time limitations: follow up’, which was published on 11 September 2013. This response incorporates contributions provided by the Civil Aviation Authority. In each case the Committee’s recommendation is reproduced followed by the Government’s response. The Government states that it believes the proposals will not lead to a diminution of safety in the UK. It goes on to say that crew member fatigue has multiple causes, and must be managed in a ‘practical, hands-on way’. It believes that responsibility for managing fatigue is three-fold: effective regulation, proactive management by airlines and professional crew behaviour and full and effective reporting by crew members.
11 Nov 2013 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority has developed two online ‘fees and charges tables’ to allow passengers to compare any additional costs applied by airports and airlines. The airline table offers information on the extra charges the top 21 airlines operating in the UK apply, including options such as taking hold luggage on board, reserving a seat and ordering an in-flight meal. The airport table covers 30 UK airports and sets out the cost of compulsory charges like airport development fees, as well as optional services such as using express security lanes.
12 Nov 2013 – The Department for Transport has published tables describing road schemes that will be under construction in 2014 on local and strategic road networks. Tables include estimates of the construction start and end dates, total scheme costs and the amount costs anticipated in 2014. Analysis has also been undertaken to estimate the lifetime economic benefits of each scheme and the number of construction jobs each scheme will create in 2014.
12 Nov 2013 – Restrictions on night flights into Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports have been extended until October 2017. The restrictions were due to expire next year but aviation minister Robert Goodwill said there would be a three-year extension after a consultation. The deadline for responses to the extended consultation is 31 January 2014. Full details of the consultation can be found here.
12 Nov 2013 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a survey to help drive improvements to the experiences of disabled and older people travelling by air. Under European regulations, anyone facing difficulty moving around the airport or aircraft is entitled to assistance from their airline or airport. An estimated two million UK passengers receive this support every year and the CAA has launched this survey to get a better understanding of their experiences and attitudes to flying in general. The survey includes questions on passengers’ views of flying including asking them to rate how accessible the different stages of their recent journeys were. Respondents are also asked about the level of assistance they expect when using UK airports and airlines.The deadline for responses is the 10 January 2014.
12 Nov 2013 – The Office for National Statistics has released the Aerospace and Electronic Cost Indices, August 2013. Contains cost indices (purchase of materials and fuels, earnings and National Insurance, general expenses and combined costs) relating to four aerospace and electronics industries.
House of Commons Questions
Marsden – list of UK-registered private planes
11 Nov 2013
Gordon Marsden, Shadow Further Education, Skills and Regional Growth Minister (Labour, Blackpool South): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has a complete list of UK-registered private planes.
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is required to maintain the UK Register of Civil Aircraft under the requirements of the Air Navigation Order 2009. The register includes all aircraft registered in the UK and is publicly available through the CAA website. As of 7 November 2013, the register included 19,859 aircraft of which 18,182 were not operated by the holder of an Aeroplane or Helicopter Air Operator Certificate for the purposes of commercial air transport.
Marsden – UK Border Force representation on general aviation challenge panel
11 Nov 2013
Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the UK Border Force will be represented on the Challenge Panel which will oversee the Civil Aviation Authority’s changes to the regulatory system for general aviation.
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): I can confirm that the UK Border Force (UKBF) is not represented on the GA Challenge Panel which has been set up to provide a critical friend function to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The panel’s remit is to challenge and support CAA to deliver proportionate and risk based regulation of GA. This will support and encourage a vibrant GA sector, while ensuring that safety and security remain paramount. The panel will report directly to Ministers. The composition of the panel was announced on 6 November.
Marsden – UK Border Force’s submission to the Government’s Red Tape Challenge on general aviation
11 Nov 2013
Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the UK Border Force’s submission to the Government’s Red Tape Challenge on general aviation.
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): I can confirm that the UK Border Force did not submit a response to the General Aviation Red Tape Challenge. All aviation security regulations were looked at as part of the original aviation Red Tape Challenge which took place in 2012 and it was agreed that all of these regulations should remain unchanged.
Marsden – General aviation arrivals data and the national air traffic system
12 Nov 2013
Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to match arrivals data from general aviation entries into the UK with the National Air Traffic System.
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): There are no plans to match the arrivals data which the UK Border Force logs for general aviation arrivals at UK airfields. The Home Office is responsible for policy on border security and leads on information gathering in relation to general aviation arrivals. The data which is collected includes the names of all of those individuals arriving in the UK on these flights who are subsequently screened upon entry as a result of this process. The Home Office should continue to take the lead in relation to such matters.
12 Nov 2013
Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he or his officials had with the chief inspector of borders and immigration when drawing up their General Aviation Red Tape Challenge.
Robert Goodwill, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): Neither the Secretary of State for Transport or his officials have held discussions with the chief inspector of borders while developing the response to the General Aviation Red Tape Challenge.
Media News
12 Nov 2013 – Acoustics Design Company 24 Acoustics has produced a ‘noise map’ of London.
SASIG Regional&IndustryNews Bulletin 9 Nov – 15 Nov
SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 9 Nov – 15 Nov
The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc.