Contents

SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Date

Regional News

Industry News

European News

Parliamentary News

Government News

Media News

 

SASIG 2014/15 Meeting Date

6 March 2015

Meetings are held at Local Government House, Smith Square, SW1P 3HZ, location map.

 

Regional News

2 November 2014 – Heathrow Airport has announced plans to move an incinerator away from Stanwell and create a 15 mile ‘green ring’ around the town. The airport said it altered its plans after residents raised concerns over its plans to relocate its incinerator to the Bedfont Road area. Councillor for Stanwell and Stanwell Moor Cllr Robert Evans has welcomed the changes.

3 November 2014 – The Chancellor of the Exchequer Mr George Osborne visited Manchester to see the new Metrolink rail connection between the city centre and Manchester Airport. The visit saw Mr Osborne spend time at a Metrolink maintenance depot to meet staff and inspect new trams. Mr Osborne saw a new initiative to support the introduction of an integrated multi-modal smart ticketing system across all forms of public transport in the area – currently being introduced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM). Mr Osborne spoke about the need for local management of Greater Manchester’s railway stations, and working arrangements between TfGM and the Highways Agency (who manage motorways around the region).

3 November 2014 – Work has started on a new ‘environmentally sustainable’ office scheme at Doncaster Sheffield Robin Hood Airport. Henry Boot Construction has won a contract to carry out the first phase of the development, known as Fountain Court Workpods, in a competitive tender for Leeds-based developer Prospect Property Group.

4 November 2014 – The Conservative parliamentary candidate for Feltham and Heston at the next UK general election, Mr Simon Nayyar has said he is ‘very receptive’ to the idea of a third runway at Heathrow Airport. Mr Nayyar, who will stand at next May’s election, said he had encountered strong support for expansion on the area’s doorsteps since being selected in September.

4 November 2014 – Aircraft recyclers Sycamore Aviation, based at Durham Tees Valley Airport, have entered into administration. The business has ceased trading and administrators of the firm say they are in the final negotiations for the sale of the firm’s assets.

5 November 2014 – The Chief Executive of Gatwick Airport Stewart Wingate will be attending the ‘Develop Croydon conference’ at Fairfield Halls on November 25 to explain how a second runway at the site could benefit the area.

6 November 2014 – Aviation Minister Robert Goodwill, Member of Parliament for Brentford & Isleworth Mary Macleod and Chief Executive of Hounslow Borough Council Mary Harpley have visited a school in Hounslow to experience lessons under the Heathrow Airport flight path.

 

Industry News

3 November 2014 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched the public consultation ‘Draft Prioritisation Principles for the CAA’s Consumer Protection, Competition Law and Economic Regulation Work’. The draft prioritisation principles explain the CAA’s approach in deciding which pieces of work to prioritise in the areas of consumer protection, competition law and economic regulation. This consultation replaces the previous prioritisation principles consulted on in 2011 and reissued in 2013. The CAA welcomes views on the draft principles no later than Thursday 8 January 2015. Any representations to [email protected]. A full copy of the consultation document can be found here.

3 November 2014 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched the public consultation ‘Aviation competition powers’. The guidance on the application of the CAA’s Competition Powers covers the whole breadth of the Authority’s powers in relation to airport operation services and air traffic services. This includes undertaking sector reviews, carrying out market studies, making market investigation references to the Competition and Markets Authority, and investigating competition infringements and super complaints. The guidance has been prepared to inform stakeholders – businesses and their advisers, consumers, consumer groups, and other interested parties about how they apply competition powers and duties, and the interface between generally applicable competition law and aviation sector specific legislation. The CAA are consulting to gain stakeholders’ views on how they propose to apply competition powers. The CAA is asking for views on the draft guidance no later than Thursday 8 January 2015. Any representations to [email protected]. A full copy of the consultation document can be found here.

3 November 2014 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched the public consultation ‘Draft Economic Licensing Enforcement Guidance’. The Economic Licence Enforcement Guidance covers the Authority’s approach to enforcing airport economic licences under the Civil Aviation Act 2012 and air traffic services licences under the Transport Act 2000, outlining the legal framework in which the work fits. The guidance has been prepared to inform stakeholders of the enforcement powers the Authority has under each Act and how they will use them. The Authority are consulting to gain stakeholders’ views on the way they propose to apply the enforcement powers. The CAA welcomes views on this draft Guidance no later than Thursday 8 January 2015. Any representations to [email protected]. A full copy of the consultation document can be found here.

3 November 2014 – The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has today confirmed the appointment of three new members to the Air Travel Insolvency Protection Advisory Committee (ATIPAC). Helen Knapman (MoneySavingExpert.com), Keith Richards (Chair of the CAA Consumer Panel) and Sue Russell (Citizens Advice) have all been appointed by Dame Deirdre Hutton, Chair of the CAA and will join the committee for a period of four years effective from 1 November 2014. All three newly appointed members will bring vast experience and expertise to ATIPAC, which was established in 2000 by the Secretary of State for Transport to provide advice on financial protection for air travellers and the customers of air travel organisers. ATIPAC members are drawn from the various market sectors of the travel industry and independent representatives. More information on the three new independent members is provided on the CAA website at the link above.

3 November 2014 – American Airlines will start daily direct flights between Birmingham Airport and New York JFK from May 2015. The flight will operate with a British Airways code share.

3 November 2014 – Heathrow Airport has completed the refinancing of its core revolving credit and liquidity facilities. The aim is that the new facilities will provide support over the coming years for the airport’s investment programme and capital markets issuance activities.

4 November 2014 – Global airline passenger demand fell to 5.3 per cent in September against the August rise of 6.3 per cent according the latest figures from the International Air Transport Association.

4 November 2014 – Engineering company Rolls-Royce is planning to cut 2,600 jobs and has replaced its Finance Director following two profit warnings in eight months.

5 November 2014 – Chief Executive of Virgin Atlantic Craig Kreeger has said that the company would make a decision in the next five to nine months over which type of jets will replace its fleet of seven Boeing 747s based at London’s Gatwick Airport.

8 November 2014 – Airline operator Air India has said that it plans to increase the flight frequency of its Delhi-Birmingham flights to daily services from four times a week.

9 November 2014 – The Chief Executive of Belfast City Airport, Brian Ambrose has said there is a high level of interest amongst airlines for new, direct flights to Northern Ireland. Mr Ambrose said talks with the Northern Ireland Government had taken place to establish if Stormont could aid the airport.

 

European News

5 November 2014 – European aviation industry partners are looking to underline their commitment to the Single European Sky initiative.

 

Parliamentary News

3 November 2014 – Early day motion 455 – Air Passenger Duty for children. Early Day Motion (EDM) 455 was put down on 3 November 2014 by Andrew Bridgen (North West Leicestershire, Conservative): That this House believes that the UK’s air passenger duty is acting as a barrier to allowing hardworking families to take holidays abroad, when the majority already have to pay a premium due to school term-time restrictions; and calls on the Government to reduce the financial impact on hardworking families by scrapping the air passenger duty applicable to children. This EDM has been signed by 13 MPs.

3 November 2014 – Members of Parliament have debated the future of Blackpool Airport. The debate covered the history of the site and Member’s desires to bring the airport back into general use. A full transcript of the debate is also available on the SASIG website.

5 November 2014 – Mr Michael Dugher has been appointed as the new Shadow Transport Minister replacing Mary Creagh who moves to International Development.

 

Government News

3 November 2014 – The Chancellor of the Exchequer and leaders of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority have signed a devolution agreement. The agreement will result in devolving new powers and responsibilities to Greater Manchester, and Greater Manchester adopting a directly elected Mayor for the city-region. A full copy of the agreement is available here.

5 November 2014 – The Government has announced that it will continue with proposals to speed up and simplify the process for making changes to planning consents for major infrastructure projects after they have been granted.

6 November 2014 – Speaking at the World Travel Market conference in London, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Sajid Jarvid, said that the Government is working in partnership with the events sector to ‘develop a joint strategy to support growth’ in the conference and events market.

 

Media News

5 November 2014 – Network Rail have published the report ‘Anglia Route Study’ and launched a public consultation into a number of issues connected with rail in the region. The route study identifies a number of constraints across the network, the most significant of which is on-train crowding on peak services into London Liverpool Street and London Fenchurch Street. Other constraints examined include regional and suburban connectivity and access to diversionary routes. The study identifies a range of choices for funders for Control Period 6 (2019-2024) to address these constraints, comprising train lengthening and additional services to increase capacity in order to accommodate the growth in passenger and freight services whilst maintaining performance. The consultation period will close on 3 February 2015. Further details on the report and the consultation are available at the link above, with the full report available here.

7 November 2014- Chief Executive of Heathrow Airport John Holland-Kaye asserts that Heathrow is likely to be overtaken by rivals as the busiest airport in Europe within the next ten years. The most recent traffic figures from each airport show that Heathrow is showing the slowest rate of growth among its closest competitors. Paris has increased most quickly in the twelve months since August, up 4 per cent, followed by Amsterdam (3.8 per cent), and Frankfurt (3.1 per cent). Heathrow showed the lowest growth rate, at 2.1 per cent and this is almost entirely based on higher loads factors and larger aircraft.

7 November 2014- The BBC’s Transport Correspondent Richard Westcott takes a flight above Gatwick Airport to report on what a second runway at the site would look like (contains video footage).

 

PDF Icon SASIG Regional&IndustryNews Bulletin 3 November – 9 November

PDF Icon SASIG ParliamentaryNews Bulletin 3 November – 9 November

 The Parliamentary information in this Bulletin is sourced from De Havilland Information Services plc .