Contents
SASIG 2013/14 Meeting Dates
Regional News
Heathrow Airport consultation
Industry News
European News
Parliamentary News
Government News
House of Commons Questions
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
3 Feb 2014 – Following the flooding of Gatwick Airport in December 2013, the Environment Agency has developed plans for an Upper Mole Flood Alleviation Scheme. The scheme involves creating new, or improving existing, reservoirs to store water during spells of heavy rainfall. The stored water is then slowly released back into the river.
3 Feb 2014 – Gatwick Airport have said that they are ‘significantly expanding’ their noise insulation scheme. The arrangement means that 40 per cent more homes across Surrey, Sussex and Kent will be able to apply for up to £3,000 towards double glazing for their windows and doors as well as loft insulation. The extended noise insulation programme will start from April 1.
3 Feb 2014 – Heathrow Airport have launched a six-week consultation asking local residents for views on a third runway at the airport.
6 Feb 2014 – Manchester Airport has seen passenger numbers rise by 1m from 19.6m to 20.6m, while Liverpool John Lennon’s have fallen from 4.51m to 4.18m. London Gatwick saw 2.2 million passengers use the airport in January 2014 – an increase of 6.6 per cent, or 138,300 passengers, over the prior year.
6 Feb 2014 – Heathrow Airport has applied to Hillingdon Council for permission to carry out the necessary taxi-way work to enable scheduled departures to the east from the northern runway. Councillors are due to make their decision on the request on February 11, but officers have recommended refusal on the grounds too little compensation has been offered to mitigate the impact of extra noise on residents and schools in Cranford and surrounding areas.
7 Feb 2014 – Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne launched the start of the Northern Hub rail upgrades, a £600 million rail investment programme, and a part of the Government’s long-term aim to rebalance the UK economy. The Chancellor visited the start of construction at Manchester Airport station, marking the first phase of a project which spans the north of England.
Heathrow Airport consultation
3 Feb 2013 – Heathrow Airport has launched a six week consultation, asking communities close to the airport for their views on how to improve the shortlisted runway proposal to the north west of the airport. The aim of the consultation is to understand the issues which are most important to residents. These views will be used to refine a refreshed runway proposal to be resubmitted to the Airports Commission in May.
140,000 households and businesses likely to be most impacted by the proposed plans will receive booklets about the airport’s proposals, and anyone outside this area can share their views online or attend a local drop-in events. Views are being sought on how the airport is proposing to manage issues such as increased aircraft noise among others.
Further details of the consultation, including where the consultation events will take place and how to respond, can be found here.
Industry News
1 Feb 2014 – A new research study published in the British Medical Journal has found that people who live along the noisiest flight paths near airports have a higher risk of being admitted to hospital for cardiovascular disease. It has been estimated that there is a 3.5 per cent increase in the cardiovascular hospitalisation rate for every 10 decibel (dB) increase in airport-related noise. The report also presents a strong association between noise exposure and cardiovascular hospitalisations in locations with noise exposures greater than 55 decibels, but no association in locations with exposures less than 55 decibels. The full article can be found here.
4 Feb 2014 – Jeddah-based airline operator Flynas is to start offering low-cost long-haul flights to Europe and Asia.
4 Feb 2014 – Chief Executive of Norwegian Air Bjørn Kjos, talks about how low-cost US flights are financially possible.
6 Feb 2014 – Heathrow Airport will become the first airport in the world to introduce a new air traffic management system for handling arriving aircraft – using the amount of time between flights, rather than distance. The planned changes will be based on recommendations made by the Airports Commission. According to a Heathrow Airport spokesperson, the new system is expected to reduce delays caused as a result of strong head winds by landing arriving flights closer together.
European News
5 Feb 2014 – The European Parliament has voted in favour of a draft law which would see airlines required to allow passengers to carry a bag of shopping, in addition to their existing hand luggage allowances. Also the law would increase the likelihood of delayed or stranded air passengers winning compensation, while airlines would be given clear rules on how to deal with passenger complaints.
Parliamentary News
The House of Commons will be in recess from Friday 14 February until Monday 24 February.
The House of Lords will be in recess from Thursday 13 February until Monday 24 February.
Government News
3 Feb 2014 – The Government have published a letter of response to the General Aviation Challenge Panel from Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill, on behalf of MP’s Grant Shapps and Mark Harper. The letter praises the work in the Interim Report and suggests that it has ‘raised expectations’ for the final report.
House of Commons Questions
Mactaggart, F – Speeding up delivery of rolling stock for Great Western Mainline
6 Feb 2014
Fiona Mactaggart, (Labour, Slough): New rolling stock will be required on the very welcome new line planned from the Great Western main line into Heathrow, which was announced today. Will the Minister take action to speed up the delivery of that line? If we wait until 2021 to deliver that line some of the businesses in the Thames valley which have been hanging on for western access to Heathrow might leave the country. Can he do more to speed it up?
Patrick McLoughlin, Secretary of State for Transport (Conservative, Derbyshire Dales): We are investing record amounts into the rail industry. I will certainly look into the point the hon. Lady makes, but it is one of many demands as far as rail services are concerned.
Goldsmith – 10 UK Airports servicing the most oversease destinations
6 Feb 2014
Zac Goldsmith (Conservative, Richmond Park): To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which 10 UK airports service the most overseas destinations; and what proportion of transfer passengers is at each such airport.
Robert Goodwill (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, Conservative, Scarborough and Whitby): The 10 UK airports which served the most overseas destinations with at least a weekly service (defined as over 50 direct flights in the year) in 2012 are given below, together with the estimated proportion of transfer passengers at each airport: Heathrow 37, Gatwick 7, Stansted 4, Manchester 2, Luton 2, Birmingham 2, Edinburgh 2, Liverpool 2, Bristol 1, East Midlands 0.
Goldsmith – Early morning arrivals at Heathrow Airport since 1993
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many aircraft arrivals and departures have taken place at Heathrow between 6am and 7am in each year since 1993?
Robert Goodwill: The Government does not hold the information requested. We understand however that on a typical day there are around 40 arrivals and 12 departures at Heathrow between 6am and 7am.
Goldsmith – Night noise quota period arrival passengers at Heathrow Airport
6 Feb 2014
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proportion of passengers on flights scheduled to arrive at Heathrow in the night noise quota period are transfer passengers.
Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport does not hold figures as requested. Oxford Economics issued a report in December 2011 entitled ‘The Economic Value of Night flights at Heathrow’. It estimated that 38 per cent of passengers using Heathrow at night (11 pm to 7 am) in the 12 month period from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 were transfer passengers.
Goldsmith, Z – Winter and summer noise quota points in the last twenty years
6 Feb 2014
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the number of noise quota points used per winter and summer season in the night noise quota period in the last 20 years.
Robert Goodwill: The Department for Transport assessed previous noise quota points used since 2006-07 when considering proposals for future noise quota points, set out in the Stage 2 Consultation on Night Flying Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. This information can be found in Annex C of the Stage 1 Consultation on Night Flying Restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, available online at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/night-flights-consultation
Media News
4 Feb 2014 – CERTAS Energy, the Warrington-based company, has won a contract to supply fuel to Blackpool Airport.
4 Feb 2014 – More than 90 per cent of UK travel buyers believe Air Passenger Duty (APD) is ‘too high’, a rise from 45 per cent who thought this two years ago, according to a study published by the Institute of Travel and Meetings. In the Institute’s industry outlook survey of more than 100 UK based travel buyers there was a significant shift in negative feeling towards APD.
5 Feb 2014 – The campaign group Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) have called on the Government to cut the number of night flights at Stansted Airport. SSE has voiced its concerns in response to a Department for Transport consultation on night flight limits for the next three years, starting in October.
SASIG Regional&IndustryNews Bulletin 3 Feb – 9 Feb
SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 3 Feb – 9 Feb
The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc