Contents
SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Dates
Regional News
European News
Government News
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
21 Dec 2013 – First Minister of Wales Carwyn Jones has said news of Cardiff Airport securing a new airline to run the Glasgow and Paris routes, ‘demonstrates the commercial attraction and strong potential’ of the airport. CityJet, part of the Air France airline group, will operate the routes from next month, after the airline Flybe withdrew from the route.
21 Dec 2013 – Plans to expand London Luton Airport have been supported by the Borough Council but Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has now asked to review the decision. London Luton Airport Operations wants to increase capacity from 12 million to 18 million passengers a year, which could mean 45,000 extra flights. Councillors approved the planning application at a meeting on 20 Dec. 28 Dec 2013 – Michael Nidd, secretary of the London Luton Airport Town and Village Community Committee, has described the meeting in which the decision was made as a ‘very, very expensive charade’. Mr Nidd was also critical of the fact that that six of the development control committee’s 11 members attended the meeting.
23 Dec 2013 – The owner of Stansted Airport is reportedly planning to challenge figures used by the Airport Commission to rule it out of contention for a new runway. Heathrow and Gatwick Airports were shortlisted for possible expansion last week in the Commission’s Interim Report while Stansted’s plans were omitted. Charlie Cornish, Chief Executive of the Essex airport’s owner Manchester Airports Group (MAG), has questioned the Commission’s forecasts for passenger growth and the cost of building a second runway
24 Dec 2013 – UK Power Networks will place one of its 30 new apprentices, selected from 820 applicants, at Stansted Airport.
25 Dec 2013 – Passengers faced large scale disruption after a power failure at Gatwick Airport. 27 Dec 2013 – The Civil Aviation Authority is to investigate the problems.
27 Dec 2013 – Saad Hammad, the new Chief Executive of the ariline Flybe, has said the infrastructure projects in the UK, such as the proposed HS2 rail project, are too ‘London centric’. He also argues that Air Passenger Duty, is ‘unjust’ as he believes it affects regional airlines such as Flybe harder than other carriers.
27 Dec 2013 – Conservative MP for Tonbridge Sir John Stanley has expressed his opposition to a second runway at Gatwick Airport, while (28 Dec 2013) Conservative Party 2015 parliamentary candidate for Eastbourne, Caroline Ansell has said that she supports a second runway at Gatwick Airport.
European News
Government News
19 Dec 2013 – The Department for Transport has published ‘public service obligation: regional air access to London’. The guidance clarifies how Government ordinarily expects to interpret public service obligation (PSO) criteria and how a Devolved Administration or Local Authority can access funding for supporting an airline to operate a service on the PSO route. EU member states may impose PSOs on air routes which are vital for the economic and social development of the region in order to maintain appropriate air services. The PSO fund is to be used for the protection of existing UK air services to London where there is a risk that regional connectivity may be lost.
21 Dec 2013 – The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has published the open consultation: ‘Completing a separate market power determination for the cargo market at Stansted airport’ today. A market power assessment is required to make a market power determination (MPD) under the Civil Aviation Act 2012 as part of the process to decide whether and how Stansted Airport will be regulated in the future. The CAA has decided to complete 2 MPDs for Stansted airport. These are an MPD for the passenger airline market and an MPD for the cargo airline market at Stansted airport. The consultation is open until 20 January 2014.
23 Dec 2013 – Guidance on the operation of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund 2015 to 2016 revenue competition has been launched today by the Department for Transport. The guidance invites local transport authorities in England (outside London) to apply for revenue funding up to a maximum of £1 million to support the cost of a range of sustainable travel measures. The DfT are asking for proposals to consider the importance of integrating sustainable transport to make it easier and more convenient for people to make their journey from door-to-door by public transport, cycling and walking. The guidance sets out the criteria against which decisions on the allocation of funding will be taken and the need to demonstrate value for money, deliverability and affordability of package proposals. Additional information about the application process, including the application form, will be published on the Department’s website in the New Year. Current details of the fund can be found here.
23 Dec 2013 – The Airports Commission has published its ‘summary of non-technical responses to the Airports Commission’s Emerging Thinking Consultation’. The consultation elicited over one hundred responses from a wide range of stakeholders. Eighty-five technical responses were received from institutions and members of the public. Technical responses have been published in full here.
The remainder of the responses (23 in total) were largely non-technical. These were all received from members of the public. The majority voiced opposition to airport proposals and particularly those schemes which proposed development within the Thames Estuary region. The non-technical responses are summarised in the following nine groups.
1. Opposing Thames Estuary and Hoo Peninsula developments.
2. Opposing developments at Heathrow Airport.
3. Promoting development at Manston Airport.
4. Promoting development of RAF Lyneham.
5. Opposing development at Bristol Airport; promoting development at Exeter or Cardiff Airports.
6. Supporting the linking of the High Speed 2 Rail scheme with a hub airport in the Midlands region of England.
7. General support for non-specified additional runway in the South East of England.
8. Opposing any additional airports.
9. Questions whether the Airports Commission is applying sufficient consideration to noise.
SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 21 Dec-28 Dec
SASIG Regional&IndustryNews Bulletin 21 Dec – 28 Dec
Please note there is reduced Parliamentary coverage during the Christmas/NewYear recess period.