SASIG November Newsletter

by | Dec 21, 2018 | Uncategorised | 0 comments

Editor’s Highlights  

A shorter parliamentary session due to the recess, Brexit business and the impending Aviation Green Paper limited mainstream aviation policy development during November – the highlights are set out below.

The November main SASIG meeting and associated Airports Cities and Economic Development workshop were well attended and the Chairman and Head of Secretariat had a wide ranging and constructive meeting with Baroness Sugg, the Minister for Aviation. Notes of both will be posted on the web site.

Next month is expected to bring publication of the Green Paper and the start of 4 months of intensive activity for SASIG.

Chris Cain

Head of Secretariat

 Monthly Highlights

15th November– Stansted Airport expansion plan approved. Uttlesford Council approved plans to increase passenger numbers from 35m to 43m per year, subject to a possible call-in.

28th November– Britons can still fly to US and 8 other destinations post-Brexit. Britain secures an ‘open skies agreement’ with the US and 8 others to continue flights after Brexit.

30th November– CAA publishes an updated second edition of CAP1616 Airspace Design.  Further details can be seen here and a table of changes (CAP1616b) to the amended document may be seen here.

Events, Meetings and Conferences

SASIG Meetings

  • 6th February 2019:SASIG full meeting (Venue: LGA, Smith Square, London)
  • 10th July 2019:SASIG full meeting (Venue: LGA, Smith Square, London)

External Conferences

Parliamentary and Government News

Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords rose on 6th for the November recess and returned on the 12th.

Transport Questions:  House of Commons:

22nd November – Leaving the EU: Aviation Sector

A short debate following a question about what steps the Transport Department is taking to help the aviation sector prepare for the UK leaving the EU and what recent assessment has been made of the potential effect on the viability of the aviation sector of the UK leaving the EU can be seen here.

Transport Questions:  House of Lords

There were no Transport Questions in the House of Lords this month.

Parliamentary Questions: 

Q.1. Question (907479) asked by Ranil Jayawardena (North East Hampshire) on 1st November 2018:“To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the potential economic merits of improving the Reading to Gatwick airport road corridor”.

A. Robert Jenrick on 6th November 2018: “The first Road Investment Strategy brought over £15bn of investment to England’s strategic roads between 2015-2020. This included a number of schemes improving many of the strategic road links on the Reading-Gatwickroad corridor. At Budget 2018, the Chancellor announced that the National Roads Fund will be £28.8 billion from 2020-2025. We expect £25.3 billion of this will fund the Roads Investment Strategy 2, which is the largest ever investment in England’s strategic roads. HMT ministers and officials continue to work closely with their DfT counterparts to consider and monitor the delivery of specific investments as part of the Road Investment Strategy”.

Q.2. Question (HL11312) asked by Lord Bradshaw on 6th November 2018: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sugg on 5 November (HL10994), what proportion of the costs of the GatwickAirportStation enhancement scheme have been funded by GatwickAirportLtd”.

A. Baroness Sugg on 20th November 2018: “To date, Gatwick Airport Ltd have contributed 24.9 % of the development costs of the Gatwick Airport Station enhancement scheme”.

Q.3. Question (189684) asked by Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the capital contribution required by his Department to ensure the delivery of (a) southern rail access and (b) western rail access into Heathrow airport”.

A. Andrew Jones on 14th November 2018: “The Government’s position in relation to funding Surface Access at airports is set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework and reiterated in the Airports National Policy Statement which was designated in June 2018. Where a scheme is not solely required to deliver airport capacity and has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis. The Government is supporting these schemes subject to the development of a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry. In line with the published Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, my Department is developing the Business Case for the Western Rail Link to Heathrow. Network Rail intends to apply for planning powers in 2019, and details of the scheme funding will be published. In May 2018, my Department launched a Market Sounding to test the market’s appetite to share the risk of development for a proposed Southern Rail Link to Heathrow in order to reduce the burden on taxpayers and fare payers. A summary of responses will be published later in the Autumn”.

Q.4. Question (189685) asked by Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) air pollution, (b) noise pollution and (c) congestion of lifting the air traffic movement cap at HeathrowAirport”.

A. Jesse Norman on 14th November 2018: “The Appraisal of Sustainability that accompanies the Airports National Policy Statement provides a strategic assessment of the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of expansion, including a) air quality and b) noise. Following designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts of their scheme, and to put forward an appropriate package of mitigation measures. On c), the Airports National Policy Statement is also clear that an applicant for development consent should set out the mitigation measures that it considers are required to minimise the effect of expansion on the existing surface access arrangements. Any application, and its accompanying airport surface access strategy, must include details of how the applicant will increase the proportion of journeys made to the airport by public transport, cycling and walking”.

Q.5. Question (189686) asked by Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received assurances from HeathrowAirportthat there are no plans to increase landing charges; and if he will make a statement”.

A. Jesse Norman on 14th November 2018: “The Secretary of State has set out a clear expectation that airport charges should remain close to 2016 levels under expansion, and Heathrow Airport Limited has stated that it will seek to meet this challenge. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also confirmed in April 2018 that there are credible scenarios in which landing charges could remain close to 2016 levels in real terms. As the scheme design and regulatory framework continue to develop, the CAA will scrutinise all proposals for expansion to ensure that, in line with its primary duty, they are in the best interest of the consumer. The CAA has confirmed that this could include a small increase in airport charges if that was required to unlock the wider consumer benefits of expansion”.

Q.6. Question (189623) asked by Andy Slaughter (Hammersmith) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the expansion of HeathrowAirporton local road networks”.

A. Jesse Norman on 19th November 2018: “The Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) was designated on 26 July 2018, paving the way for a development consent application. As part of the development of the Airports NPS, an Appraisal of Sustainability was undertaken which included analysis of surface impacts for all three options shortlisted by the Airports Commission. As part of the surface access requirements in the Airports NPS, the Government has specified that any applicant for development consent must submit a surface access strategy as part of their application”.

Q.7. Question (189700) asked by Ruth Cadbury (Brentford & Isleworth) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of people who live in the 45Lden noise contour around Heathrow airport”.

A. Jesse Norman on 19th November 2018: “The Appraisal of Sustainability that accompanies the Airports National Policy Statement (NPS) provides a strategic level assessment of the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of expansion, including on noise. The Appraisal of Sustainability makes it clear that for the purposes of this strategic level assessment, it would not be suitable to produce noise contours and therefore estimate numbers of people affected below 54dB LAeq, 16 hour for the daytime or 48 dB LAeq, 8 hours for the night time. This is because variability in aircraft position in the air at these greater distances from the airport, and airport noise being closer to background noise levels, result in a lower level of certainty. The Airports NPS sets out specific mitigations for aircraft noise that the Government expects to see delivered. These include the applicant putting forward plans for a noise envelope which is tailored to local priorities and includes noise performance targets. The applicant will also need to develop plans for a runway alternation scheme that provides communities affected with predictable periods of respite. The Government also expects a ban on scheduled night flights for a period of six and a half hours. These supporting measures will be finalised through the planning process and subject to public consultation. These will then be considered by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State in determining an application for development consent”.

Q.8. Question (188167) asked by Ronnie Cowan (Inverclyde) on 5th November 2018: “To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to conduct economic modelling on the effect of air passenger duty on the UK’s global connectivity and competitiveness”.

A. Robert Jenrick on 16th November 2018: “Like all taxes, Air Passenger Duty remains under review. The UK aviationsector has demonstrated strong growth and remains competitive with our neighbours. Since 2010 passenger numbers at UK airports have grown by more than 15%. With the exception of Heathrow- which has been constrained due to capacity – the UK’s biggest airports have all achieved growth in line with their EU counterparts since 2010”.

Q.9. Question (191846) asked by Harriet Harmen (Camberwell & Peckham) on 15th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to reduce noise pollution as a result of the operation of a third runway at HeathrowAirport”.

A. Jesse Norman on 20th November 2018: “The Government sets noise controls at Heathrow Airport, including total noise limits and aircraft movement limits for night flights. These controls, in conjunction with stricter aircraft noise standards negotiated by the UK at the international level, have resulted in a long-term reduction in the number of people affected by aircraft noise near the airport. Following the designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is now down to an applicant for development consent for a Northwest runway scheme to undertake a detailed assessment of the environmental effects of their scheme, and to put forward an appropriate package of mitigation measures. The Airports National Policy Statement makes clear that the Government expects noise mitigation measures to limit, and where possible reduce, the effect of aircraft noise. It also sets out specific mitigations for aircraft noise which the Government expects to see delivered. These include the applicant putting forward plans for a noise envelope which is tailored to local priorities and includes noise performance targets; developing plans for a runway alternation scheme that provides communities affected with predictable periods of respite; and an expectation that the applicant will adopt a ban on scheduled night flights for a period of six and a half hours. These supporting measures are subject to consultation and will be finalised through the planning process. The application will then be considered by the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State in determining any application for development consent”.

Q.10. Question (HL11537) asked by Lord Trefgarne on 15th November 2018: “To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish their aviationstrategy Green Paper”.

A. Baroness Sugg on 29th November 2018: “The Government is intending to publish the Aviation Strategy Green Paper before the end of this year. The green paper publication will begin a 16 week period of consultation”.

Q.11. Question (189841) asked by Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) on 9th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that expansion at Heathrowairportis compatible with legal air quality limits”.

A. Jesse Norman on 14th November 2018: “Following designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is now down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that addresses air quality impacts and demonstrates compliance with air quality obligations. In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, including any mitigations, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations”.

Q.12. Question (191406) asked by Zac Goldsmith (Richmond Park) on 14th November 2018: “To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what level of capital funding he plans to allocate for the delivery of improvements to rail access related to the expansion of HeathrowAirport.

A. Elizabeth Truss on 19th November 2018: “The Government’s position in relation to funding Surface Access at airports is set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework and reiterated in the Airports National Policy Statement which was designated in June 2018. Where a scheme is not solely required to deliver airport capacity and has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis. The Government is supporting Heathrow Surface Access schemes subject to the development of a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry”.

Q.13. Question (190968) asked by Hugh Gaffney (Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill) on 13th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect on the viability of the aviationsector of the UK leaving the EU”.

A. Chris Grayling on 21st November 2018: “The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and is continuously updated. The Department for Transport is working closely with the sector to ensure that the requirements of the industry are factored into negotiations. The UK government and European Commission have agreed in principle that the two sides should negotiate a comprehensive air transport agreement. This will ensure that the aviationsector can continue to provide the connectivity that is vital for both the UK and EU. We are focused on securing the right arrangements for the future, so that our aviationindustry can continue to thrive and passengers across the UK and the EU continue to have high levels of connectivity and choice at attractive prices. The EU model of liberalisation has enhanced competition which has led to these benefits we see today”.

Q.14. Question (195528) asked by Gavin Shuker (Luton South) on 26th November 2018: “To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the aviationindustry can continue without disruption after the UK leaves the EU”.

A. Chris Grayling on 29th November 2018: “The Government and EU have agreed the text of a Withdrawal Agreement which includes provision for a transition or implementation period after we leave the EU. During this period flights will continue as now. We have also agreed a Political Declaration on the broad terms of our future relationship with the EU. This confirms that the future relationship for aviation will be set out in a Comprehensive Air Transport Agreement which will provide for market access for UK and EU airlines”.

National and Regional News

1st November – Injunction protecting site near Manchester Airport from unlawful parking is extended.Land owners had started to allow car parking before application was decided.

2nd November– Canada’s biggest pension fund is close to getting a stake in Gatwick Airport. The deal is likely to value the airport at over £7billion and could be decided by end of year.

6th November– CAA asks for transparency on Heathrow expansion. It’s written to DfT asking how the project for third runway will be funded.

6th November– Heathrow seeks ideas from residents on expansion.  It is holding a series of design workshops starting from today.

7th November– Birmingham Airport outlines expansion plans. It’s published a draft Master Plan which would include the investment of £500 million to increase capacity.

7th November– Petition is launched to develop an airport on Isle of Wight.It says that transport to the Island could potentially be transformed with the introduction of a developed airport.

7th November– £12m Leeds Bradford Airport expansion plan is submitted.  It aims for new arrivals hall, departure gates and shops in the terminal extension.

8th November– Union backs plan for Stansted expansion. Unite, which represents more than 2,000 airport workers, says it’s crucial that Stansted is allowed to grow.

12th November– London City Airport wants Crossrail extended to Ebbsfleet and its own station. Interview with Airport CEO Robert Sinclair, can be seen here.

12th November– Bristol Airport is planning £400,000 investment to reduce delays.  This will apply when an aircraft needs to be removed from the runway.

14th November– MP claims Durham Tees Valley airport could close by 2021. Labour’s Alex Cunningham made the comments in a Westminster Hall debate.

15th November– A6 Manchester Airport relief road officially opens. It will improve connections from the city to its airport.

15th November– Stansted Airport expansion plan approved. Uttlesford Council approved plans to increase passenger numbers from 35m to 43m per year.

16th November– Aviation Minister visits Newquay Airport. Aviation minister Baroness Sugg visited Newquay airport and highlighted the importance of regional airports.

19th November– London City Airport appoints new Chairman. Rob Holden who was chief executive of Crossrail from 2009-2011 has joined the airport board.

19th November – £15m project unveiled at Belfast City Airport. Improved retail facilities and a significant upgrade to the departures lounge are part of the refurbishment programme.

20th November– Map published that shows plans to link Heathrow with Surrey train stations.Heathrow Southern Rail (HSR) wants to cut numbers travelling to Heathrow by car.

22nd November– Newquay Airport secures link to Heathrow. It’s announced the return of direct flights to Heathrow after a gap of over 20 years with 4 daily flights from March 2019.

23rd November – Gatwick claims noise reductions as it reaches new passenger milestone. The area in the airport’s noise footprint, the standard measurement 57dB leq contour, has reduced by 9% since 2008 while numbers of flights in the last decade have grown 9%.

24th November– GACC announces new structure to help fight Gatwick Masterplan. Lisa Morris becomes Chairman and her predecessor Brendon Sewill becomes President.

26th November– Talks with landowners delay Lydd Airport runway expansion. Negotiations are still taking place six months on to secure extra land to expand a runway.

27th November– Heathrow will draw up logistics hubs shortlist next spring.In all 65 sites are competing for the work to help build the third runway at Heathrow.

27th November– Heathrow expansion will create thousands of jobs and deliver growth post-Brexit.Airport Chief Strategy Officer was speaking at GAD conference in Hamburg.

29th November– Local businesses line up to secure work with Heathrow expansion. Hundreds of SMEs look for business opportunities at the Heathrow Business Summit.

Other Aviation Industry News

1st November – ACI World Chair delivers speech at World Aviation Conference in Korea.  He says Government and industry collaboration is key to sustainable growth in global aviation.

2nd November – Edinburgh Airport drop off charges increase.Airport says the money will go towards pay for a new access road being planned although it has not been agreed yet.

2nd November– British Airways owner IAG ready to invest an extra £440m per year.  Boss Willie Walsh says he is not concerned about Brexit or afraid to invest in the future.

7th November– Studies to simulate electric taxiing operations at major airports to begin.  Could bring benefits to busy airports where taxiing can take up to 40 minutes.

7th November– The London Assembly Environment Committeewill tomorrow discuss environmental impacts of London airports.  Details can be seen here.

14th November– Sale of Flybe airline could be good for Cornwall.  CE of Visit Cornwall says someone might decide to buy an airline cheaply and ramp up investment.

19th November– An article in Business Insider ‘How one photo reveals how Amazon’s headquarters can massively shape a city’ which is affiliated to topics raised at the SASIG Airport and Economic Development workshop held on 16th November can be seen here.

20th November– Easyjet CEO is confident about flights post-Brexit. He said the airline had been preparing for Brexit for two years and could cope with a worst-case scenario.

21st November– An article in the Telegraph about some of the ways the future may change flying can be seen here.

27th November–Jersey Airport will launch remote air traffic control soon. This will be the first time ata commercial British airport and will pip larger airports to the post.

28th November– Britons can still fly to US and 8 other destinations post-Brexit. Britain has secured an ‘open skies agreement’ with the US and 8 others to continue flights after Brexit.

30th November– CAA publishes an updated second edition of CAP1616 Airspace Design.  Further details can be seen hereand a table of changes (CAP1616b) to the amended document may be seen here.

SASIG Library Additions

A future inquiry and consultation programme can be seen here.

Mark Lever, Head of Corporate Affairs at London Gatwick Airport was guest speaker at the SASIG members’ full meeting in London on Friday, 16th November 2018. His presentation titled ‘Gatwick Airport and Growth’ which also included details on their current draft Masterplan consultation, can be seen here.

Professor Dr. Ben Derudder of the Department of Geography, Ghent University was guest speaker at the SASIG Workshop on Airports and Urban and Regional Development held in London on Friday, 16th November 2018 which followed the main SASIG members’ meeting.  His presentation titled ‘Shifting links between air transport connectivity and urban/regional development’ can be seen here.

Chris Cain, Head of SASIG Secretariat also gave a presentation at the SASIG Workshop on Airports and Urban and Regional Development held in London on Friday, 16th November 2018. ‘Strategies for Maximising Economic Benefits from Airport Development’ can be seen here.