Contents:
Parliamentary News
Government News
London and South East News
Regional News
UK National and Wider Industry News
European News
Parliamentary News
The Airports Commission’s final report and supporting documents were published on 1 July: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/airports-commission-final-report. The final report sets out the Commission’s recommendations for expanding aviation capacity in the South East of England and its assessment of the shortlisted options. The supporting documentation, published concurrently, runs to some 50 volumes.
Also in July, when Parliament reconvened post-election, the Government’s response to the Transport Select Committee Special Report: Smaller Airports, Government Response was published.
Finally on 10 July the Chancellor launched the ‘National Connectivity Plan’: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/productivity-plan-launched. This important document, which clearly represents a key part of the Government’s economic strategy, makes several aviation related references.
Government News
4 August – Work has started on the steelwork stage of a new aircraft hangar at RAF Brize Norton, after DIO worked with a range of partners to develop the site. The hangar, which will be used to maintain Airbus A400 Atlas four-engine military transport aircraft, is the first construction contract DIO awarded under its Next Generation Estates Contracts (NGEC) national framework, which procures building and civil engineering projects valued at up to £50 million.
17 August – The AAIB is deploying a team to investigate a light aircraft accident at Newquay Airport, Cornwall.
19 August – A statement from Airports Commission chair Sir Howard Davies on a report pulished by Gatwick Airport.
20 August – The shortlist of new international and domestic air routes for smaller airports was announced by the government. These routes will be subject to further appraisal; successful routes will then be supported from the Regional Air Connectivity Fund will provide improved connectivity with new transport connections for businesses and passengers from their local areas.
27 August – Regulatory Notice MAA/RN/2015/09(D MAA) regarding display flying has been published. This follows the A27/Shoreham Airport crash.
London and South East News
5 August – Manston airfield in Kent will be used as a temporary measure to park lorries in a bid to reduce pressure on the M20 during Operation Stack.
6 August – London Gatwick has recently announced the launch of a luggage transfer service by AirPortr, a London-based travel tech start-up, at the airport. With the new service, Gatwick passengers will have a same day, on demand luggage service that provides bag-free travel to and from their home, workplace or holiday destination within London, Gatwick and surroundings.
7 August – London Heathrow has announced the opening of the first independent, shared use lounge at Terminal 5. Located at Gate A18 in Terminal 5, ‘Aspire, the Lounge and Spa’ will be the first lounge open to all travellers in one of the world’s busiest airport terminals.
11 August – Stansted Airport recorded its highest July passenger total for seven years last month – and also saw cargo trade boosted by problems affecting the Channel Tunnel.
24 August – British Airways has announced the launch of direct flights from London to the capital city of Lima starting summer 2016.
Regional News
4 August – A major shake-up in the regional airline business has occurred: Castle Donnington-headquartered Bmi Regional and Scottish carrier Loganair have been merged to become part of a new regional airline group.
4 August – Flybe has released its 2015-16 winter schedules to and from Stansted and Bournemouth Airports.
7 August – Wizz Air has unveiled plans to expand its route network from Bristol Airport, with a new scheduled service set to start next March.
11 August – Pre-tax profit has increased by more than 65 per cent at City of Derry Airport operator Rigby Group, although its technology division’s performance led to a £900m dip in group sales.
13 August – Flybe has announced its new 2015-16 winter schedule to and from Exeter. The airline also announced an agreement with Emirates offering expanded services from Newquay Airport.
13 August – Bournemouth Airport is set to be given the green light for a further development of commercial space at Aviation Business Park West. The proposed unit could become the new home of manufacturer Curtiss-Wright.
13 August – Plans have been submitted for a multimillion-pound development at Durham Tees Valley Airport.
19 August – Flybe has announced a partnership with Skyscanner, a global travel search engine, to offer long- haul travellers options for linked bookings such as from Newquay to Dubai, Southampton to Kuala Lumpur, Inverness to Hong Kong and such.
25 August – Flybe commenced a five times weekly operation connecting Cardiff with Munich on 31 August.
26 August – European carrier VLM Airlines is planning to introduce a new direct flight service from Birmingham to the commercial and tourist centre of Antwerp in Belgium, starting October 05, 2015.
28 August – Delta and Virgin Atlantic Airways will commence a daily service from Edinburgh Airport direct to New York JFK starting May 27, 2016.
UK National and Wider Industry News
5 August – The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that some of the UK’s existing exemptions from the Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA) will continue. The CAA will continue to work closely with the European Commission, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and UK Department for Transport (DfT) regarding the development and implementation of SERA.
7 August – The first global airport app, Flio, was launched for Apple’s iOS devices with an android version expected to become available later this year. The programme gives passengers free up-to-date travel information and advertises exclusive sales offers for users at 20 airports worldwide.
12 August – The government should make it illegal for airport shops to keep VAT savings for themselves rather than passing them on to customers, the Retail Ombudsman has said. It follows news that some airport shops are reclaiming VAT relief intended for shoppers flying to non-EU countries after checking their boarding passes.
19 August – CAA action leads to airlines changing policies and means passengers will get better support in the future. CAA action brings about policy changes from Jet2, Aer Lingus and Wizz Air, who will now offer passengers better support during disruption.
24 August – CAA announces restrictions on UK air shows. Following the accident at Shoreham Air Show, the CAA immediately began an urgent review and have, today, announced a series of immediate restrictions and changes to UK civil air displays.
28 August – CAA steps in to protect holidaymakers after specialist travel company collapses. More than 2,000 holidaymakers are being assisted by the ATOL protection scheme, following the failure of a Surrey-based travel business.
European News
The Commission tends to be in shut-down mode during August and nothing of interest emerged.