Contents
SASIG 2013/14 Meeting Dates
Regional News
Industry News
European News
Government News
House of Commons Questions
House of Lords Questions
Media News
SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Dates
24 October 2014
6 March 2015
Meetings are held at Local Government House, Smith Square, SW1P 3HZ, location map.
Regional News
23 June 2014 – More than 3,000 people responded to Farnborough Airport’s consultation on their proposal to increase the airspace they control.
24 June 2014 – A study by York Aviation and Oxford Economics has concluded that a third runway at Heathrow would ‘do little to improve regional connectivity’ and that a new four-runway hub in the Thames Estuary, is required. The report suggests that passengers flying from Scotland could benefit from more direct flights to London each day with a brand new airport instead of a third runway being built at Heathrow. The report also argues that regional airports such as Durham Tees Valley could suffer as a result of expansion at Heathrow Airport.
25 June 2014 – The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council Aviation Forum was given a presentation on the Airports Commission short-listed Heathrow Hub proposal, on Wednesday, June 11. Speaking after the meeting, Councillor George Bathurst, Chairman of the Aviation Forum said, ‘their [Heathrow Hub] honesty in admitting that noise levels in Windsor would increase under their scheme was welcome’.
25 June 2014 – Passenger numbers and flight destinations are continuing to rise at Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield.
26 June 2014 – Member of the Scottish Parliament for Milngavie, Mr Gil Paterson has said that he had a ‘constructive’ meeting with the Managing Director of Glasgow Airport, Amanda McMillan. Aviation noise is reported to be a particular concern in the Bearsden and Milngavie parts of the city.
26 June 2014 – A group of Kent Parish councillors are writing to the Airports Commission to object to the level of noise any expansion at Gatwick Airport could cause. The councillors further claim that an additional runway would damage local tourism and the environment in the county.
27 June 2014 – Luton Airport is starting to prequalify firms to deliver improvements to the terminal building including construction of a new pier
Industry News
23 June 2014 – European airline shares are reported to have fallen due to the unstable socio-economic situation in Iraq. The price of Brent crude oil also rose to a nine-month high of $115 a barrel, and has risen 5 per cent since militants entered the Iraqi towns of Mosul and Tikrit on June 10.
24 June 2014 – Air India will officially become a member of the Star Alliance group of Airline Operators from July 11. The agreement means Air India will become the first Indian carrier to join a global airline alliance.
27 June 2014 – Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic Mr Craig Kreeger has called for the rate of Air Passenger Duty to be reduced for children under 12.
European News
29 June 2014 – The European Commission (EC) has released a report on Member States’ application of the European Union (EU) rules on airport charges – the fees airlines pay to airports for the use of runways and terminals – which are sometimes estimated to account for up to 10 per cent of airlines’ operating costs. The Directive currently applies to around 75 airports in the European Economic Area, which comprises the 27 member states of the EU together with three of four states that are members of the European Free Trade Association; namely Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. (Croatia has applicant status to the EU).
The report argues that since the introduction of the rules in 2011 following a 2009 Directive, larger European airports have become more transparent when taking decisions about these charges. In general, consultations between airports and airlines, as required by the Directive, are now being carried out and Member States’ independent supervisory authorities have been set up.
Government News
24 June 2014 – The Airports Commission has published dates of meetings that Sir Howard Davies and members of the Commission have had with stakeholders. The dates cover meetings held up May 2014.
House of Commons Questions
24 June 2014
Cathy Jamieson, Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury (Labour/Co-operative, Kilmarnock and Loudoun): To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he last met the Scottish Government to discuss air passenger duty.
Nicky Morgan, Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Conservative, Loughborough): Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and discussions.
House of Lords Questions
Lord Taylor of Warwick – The impact of air pollution on health
23 June 2014
Lord Taylor of Warwick (Conservative peer): To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of air pollution on the development of an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung.
Earl Howe, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Conservative peer): In 2010, the Department’s expert advisory Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) published an estimate of the mortality effect in 2008 of long-term exposure to particulate air pollution arising from human activities. The mortality burden for the United Kingdom was estimated as an effect equivalent to nearly 29,000 deaths. Air pollution has been linked with effects on the cardiovascular system. However, it has not been extensively and consistently linked to an increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and there are few studies investigating whether it raises the risk of blood clots in the lung.
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington – Work packages and General Aviation
25 June 2014
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington (Independent life peer): To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 12 March, in relation to the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR), how many work packages have to date involved general aviation.
Baroness Kramer, Minister of State for Transport (Liberal Democrat peer): The SESAR Joint Undertaking is the EU public/private partnership which is responsible for managing the SESAR programme. The SESAR Joint Undertaking seeks to involve all affected stakeholders, including General Aviation, in the development of all work packages to ensure the technologies meet their needs.
25 June 2014
Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 12 March, in relation to the United Kingdom general aviation sector, what action has been taken to ensure cross-party co-operation and support for the Civil Aviation Authority in encouraging the growth of a vibrant United Kingdom general aviation sector.
Baroness Kramer: The Government and Civil Aviation Authority are taking forward a programme of work aimed at encouraging the growth of a vibrant general aviation sector. This has involved consultation with a wide range of stakeholders. My Noble Friend, Lord Rotherwick, secured a Question for Short Debate on the regulation of general aviation on 21 January 2014 [Official Report, column GC319], at which there was wide support for our programme of work.
Media News
22 June 2014 – Dermot Murnaghan of Sky TV has interviewed the Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic, Craig Kreeger. 27 June 2014 – Speaking later in the week Mr Kreeger also said that he is confident a third runway at Heathrow Airport would be the ‘right choice’ for airport expansion in the United Kingdom, but said he felt that it is unlikely to happen during his career.
24 June 2014 – A new report published by York Aviation and Oxford Economics highlights how a decision on where to build new airport capacity in the southeast of England is of importance to other cities and regions in Great Britain. The report argues that a third runway at Heathrow Airport would fill up very quickly due to existing demand, which already runs at 99 per cent of its capacity. It goes on to argue that pressure on airlines to use landing slots for the most profitable routes would then mean domestic services would be crowded out, which would prohibit new routes being established and mean that services to cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Newcastle may lose frequency.
24 June 2014 – Her Majesty The Queen officially opened the new Terminal 2 building at Heathrow Airport.
SASIG Regional&IndustryNews Bulletin 23 June – 29 June
SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 23 June – 29 June
The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc