A quiet month for industry related news, as the airwaves and newspaper pages are dominated by elections here and in France and whatever ramifications the latest tweet from Trump have set off in US or global politics. I wonder if his mobile phone will find its way to the Smithsonian in Washington for future generations to wonder at.
SASIG did, however, submit two responses to DfT’s consultations that closed on 25th May. They can be found on the SASIG website, as can two very interesting articles on the potential implications of Brexit for UK aviation – both are recommended reading.
The next SASIG meeting, which is also the AGM, is on 6th July. By then we will know the result of the election and whether aviation policy is set on its present course, or if it will be all change again. The latest polling reminds me of a view, which I suspect was originally sourced from HAL, that I heard at the turn of the year – namely: “As long as Theresa May is PM the third runway will go ahead”. I suspect there are a few nerves jangling in the Compass Centre at the moment.
As Apollo 8 pilot James Lovell said: “See you on the other side …..”
Chris Cain,
Head of Secretariat
Monthly Highlights
3rd May – Parliament rises; Select Committees dissolved – all inquiries terminated or suspended until the new Parliament sits.
23rd May – SASIG submitted its response to Government for the consultation regarding the draft Airports National Policy Statement. The response can be read here.
25th May – SASIG submitted its response to Government for the consultation regarding the UK Airspace Modernisation Policy. The response can be read here.
Editor’s Forward Look
Other consultations, anticipated or ongoing, can be found on the Milestone Timetable accessible via this link.
This list gathers European Commission public consultations in one place and replaces the former ‘Your voice in Europe’ website: http://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations_en
Contents
- Meetings and Conferences
- Parliamentary and Government News
- National and Regional News
- Other Aviation Industry News
- SASIG Library Additions
SASIG Meetings
– Postponed: 7th June: Technical Working Group: Airports, Cities & Economic Growth. Venue: East India Club, London. (This has now been postponed to a later date to be advised).
– 6th July: SASIG AGM/Full meeting: Venue: CIHT, London.
External Meetings and Conferences
– 7th-8th June 2017: 2nd British-Irish Airports Expo: NEC, Birmingham
– 4th-6th July 2017: LGA Annual Conference & Exhibition: International Convention Centre, Birmingham. This is the local Government event of the year.
– 14th September 2017: Westminster Energy, Environment & Transport Forum– Central London. Title: Developing a UK Aviation Strategy: Heathrow Implementation and the future of airport capacity across the UK.
– 23rd-26th September 2017: World Routes 2017, Barcelona. The 23rd World Route Development Forum.
– 13th-14th November 2017: 6th European Aviation Conference: Dublin City University, Ireland
– 6th-7th December 2017: AEI: 2017: Airport Expansion and Improvements: Hosted and Sponsored by Heathrow Airport, London Heathrow Marriott Hotel.
Parliamentary and Government News
Parliamentary Questions
There were no Parliamentary Questions this month as both Houses did not sit due to prorogration.
Government News
Previously on 18th April – Prime Minister called snap General Election for 8th June. Said it is in order to ‘unify Westminster’ ahead of Brexit negotiations.
3rd May – Gatwick aims to become world’s most technologically advanced airport. Electronic sniffer dogs, technology that reads minds and drones to inspect the runway are all being considered.
3rd May – Glasgow Airport parking charge causes trouble on M8. Delays linked to the controversial scheme caused severe congestion, with tailbacks stretching on to Scotland’s busiest motorway.
3rd May – Heathrow denies that Tories are cooling on expansion. It has rubbished claims following national news reports that the 3rd runway will not be included in the Conservatives’ manifesto.
3rd May – Bristol Airport celebrates 60 years of operation at its current site.
3rd May – Gatwick becomes world’s top international low-cost airport. This is according to a report published by the Centre for Aviation (CAPA).
4th May – Gloucestershire Airport receives emergency loan to keep going. Part-owners, Gloucester City Council and Cheltenham Borough Council will lend around £750,000.
4th May – Hillingdon investigates rogue meet-and-greet parking at Heathrow Airport. Trading standards officials will investigate possible unauthorised parking.
5th May – Government is under pressure regarding 3rd runway air pollution. Clarification is being called for on how 3rd Heathrow runway could be delivered without breaching air quality and CO2 dioxide emissions targets.
5th May – Campaign group appeals for support as consultation deadline approaches. CHATR (Chiswick against Third Runway) says so far there has been little evidence of a high level of complaints or objections being submitted by local residents.
8th May – bmi regional’s new service from Stansted to City of Derry commenced operations. The route runs twice daily on a 49-seater jet aircraft.
9th May – Stop Stansted Expansion wants CAA and NATS to reverse 2016 flight path change. NATS and the CAA are conducting a review of the changes, to assess the impacts and benefits against what was expected when the plans were introduced.
10th May – Cornwall Airport Newquay celebrates its busiest April ever. It has shown a 39% increase over the same period last year.
10th May – Heathrow aims to double the amount of freight it carries. Says it hopes to do this if it gets the 3rd runway.
10th May – London firms demand 2nd runway at Gatwick. The London Chamber of Commerce and Industry has called for a commitment to a new runway at Gatwick, following construction at Heathrow, and a brownfield audit to identify new land for housing.
11th May – Plans submitted for £11m college at Stansted Airport. It is hoped the college will provide a steam of students looking for careers in aviation after finishing their studies.
11th May – Heathrow secures its best April on record. CEO says growth in 2017 has been faster than most expected, reinforcing the need for more capacity at the nation’s hub.
12th May – Late Easter boosts April traffic at Stansted and Manchester Airports. Manchester saw a 17% rise in passengers and Stansted an 11% increase.
12th May – Gatwick names framework consultants under £2.5b upgrade. It chooses three consultants for a key planning framework covering the design and management of existing infrastructure as part of a £2.5bn upgrade.
18th May – Durham Tees Valley Airport announces ‘significant’ improvements. The first phase of a major investment programme will be completed by the end of September.
18th May – WWF report says UK Government must not use international climate deal as a “smokescreen” to force through Heathrow expansion. The report can be read here.
19th May – London City Airport will be first in UK to get remote ATC. Instead of sitting in a tower overlooking the runway, controllers will be 120 miles away, watching live footage from high-definition cameras.
19th May – Institute of Directors calls for next Government to allow two new runways – not just Heathrow. They say this is one of 3 priorities to upgrade UK infrastructure and also want a follow-up Airports Commission to be established.
19th May – Birmingham Airport to introduce free drop and go parking. Drivers collecting passengers will be able to park for free again.
20th May – Luton Airport confirmed as London’s busiest airport for private jets. Around 30,000 will land or take off there this year, roughly a quarter of all such flights in the UK, a 6% increase on last year.
21st May – Heathrow and Crossrail in legal dispute over fees. The dispute is over how much TfL would have to pay to use 5 miles of track already being used by Heathrow Express.
22nd May – Community groups from across the UK, deliver statement to No. 10. They want the next government to take action to reduce aviation noise and emissions.
24th May – Man charged with cyber attack on Norwich Airport website. He has been charged under the Computer Misuse Act for the incident which dates back to 2015.
25th May – Gatwick Airport is first in world to use augmented reality navigation to guide lost passengers. Indoor beacons broadcast augmented reality arrows in an app to avoid missed flights.
26th May – IAG warns bridging M25 could be major problem for Heathrow runway plans. BA’s owner estimates bridging the M25, close to the M4 junction, would cost £2-£3 billion.
30th May – New route is to start from Southampton to Ibiza for this summer. The new route is part of TUI’s strategy to use more regional airports.
3rd May – Airlines set out manifesto ahead of General Election. Airlines UK, the industry association that represents UK-registered carriers, has set out a number of manifesto ‘asks’ with Brexit, taxation and airport capacity at the top of its list of priorities.
5th May – EASA proposes new rules for drone operation. It says its proposal would allow member countries the flexibility to define areas where drones are prohibited or where some requirements are relaxed.
6th May – Former Heathrow executive to head up Transport for London’s new major project division. Ian Ballentine left Heathrow last month.
8th May – Passenger traffic at European airports rose by an average 6.9% during the first quarter of the year says ACI. However ACI Director said the outlook for UK airports in particular remains cloudy largely due to uncertainty over Brexit.
9th May – Environment group launches legal action over plans for new runway at Dublin. The original permission for the proposed 3.1km runway was granted in 2007, and was due to expire this August. A 5 year extension was granted by Fingal County Council in March.
9th May – US considers expanding electronics ban to include all departing UK and European flights. Final decision expected in the next few weeks but looking likely says reports.
10th May – Traffic handled by Irish Aviation Authority up 5.5% in April. Over 94,300 aircraft travelled through the Republic’s airspace or landed or took off from its airports last month.
11th May – AOA releases its General Election manifesto. It sets out how a new Government can build on the success of the aviation sector and enable aviation to deliver vital overseas connectivity post Brexit. The manifesto can be seen here.
11th May – Royal Aeronautical Society issues its manifesto ahead of General Election. Calls on the next Government to keep the UK globally connected, competitive and secure ahead of and beyond Brexit.
16th May – Lap top ban on European flights will create ‘economic tsunami’. The warning from business travel leaders was contained in an open letter to the EU as it prepares to meet with the US Department of Homeland Security to discuss its proposals tomorrow.
16th May – Regional airports issue warning on Brexit. ACI press release says this is becoming a deeply concerning and consuming issue for many regional airports across Europe.
18th May – Aviation is vulnerable to control rules and technology. Capa’s Airline Leader Summit held in Dublin this month focused largely on where the key threats lie and what the industry can do about them.
18th May – ‘Lap top ban’ may not be extended on flights from Europe. Proposal appears to have been dropped after a meeting between EU and US officials.
24th May – Transparency is essential to make aviation climate deal work. Countries are meeting soon to discuss the rules that will govern the climate agreement deal made last October between 190 countries.
25th May – Aviation could face ‘disturbance’ after Brexit. Aviation set to become the most difficult travel issue during the Brexit negotiations, according to a Brussels-based lawyer.
30th May – Brexit impasse could mean months of flight cancellations, warns Ryanair. If the U.K. government doesn’t strike any sort of deal with the EU regarding flying regulations, airlines will have to stop their activities in the country says the airline.
30th May – British Airways owner IAG shares fly lower after IT troubles. IAG shares went to the bottom of FTSE 100 this morning, after a global IT outage caused bank holiday chaos.
31st May – BA brand will need rebuilding. Experts are questioning British Airways’ IT set-up and predicting a swathe of cheap fares from BA following the technological meltdown.
SASIG submitted its responses to Government for the consultations regarding the draft Airports National Policy Statement and the UK Airspace Modernisation Policy.
The following articles regarding the impact of Brexit on the UK airline industry may be of interest:
Brexit Impact on UK Airlines and Airport
Brexit Analysis by Regis Doganis