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We are an umbrella movement uniting the national environmental organisations, airport community groups, and individuals opposed to unsustainable aviation expansion, and its damaging environmental effects, including climate change

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New Gatwick owner rules out second runway Sir David Rowlands, Chairman of the Board of Gatwick Airport, says a 2nd runway will not be considered any time in the foreseeable future, and "We at Gatwick have not a shred of interest in a 2nd runway. It’s not government policy and it’s not in our policy. Even if the Government started to look more favourably at the prospect, we would have to think very hard about spending £100 to £200 million on a planning application with an uncertain decision." 8.2.2010 More .....
Manchester Airport protesters join forces with Sipson Campaigners against the expansion of Manchester Airport have joined forces with Sipson, due for destruction if Heathrow gets a 3rd runway. A number of 200-year-old cottages would be demolished if the airport builds a new cargo unit. Residents held a tea party with Sipson village via video link on Sunday, and one is hoping to take the airport's proposals to a judicial review in a bid to stop the expansion. Manchester City passed the proposals in December. 8.2.2010 More .....
DfT criminal investigation over Heathrow airport expansion cover-up The DfT is facing a criminal investigation following a complaint that it deleted sensitive internal emails about the expansion of Heathrow. It is accused of disposing of emails to and from BAA, between Sept and Nov 2007 as the government prepared to push through its plans for a 3rd runway. The investigation unit of the Information Commissioner’s Office has asked to interview DfT civil servants about the apparent destruction of evidence. 7.2.2010 More .....
2M Group urges European Environment Commissioner Dimas to take urgent action against Heathrow pollution The 2M group is warning that the UK Government could face daily fines after allowing air pollution at Heathrow to breach European limits. Ministers have so far taken no action to improve air quality of the area despite previously admitting that NOx levels around the airport were above permitted levels. "They know they are breaking EU law and damaging the health of UK citizens yet they are still hell-bent on building a 3rd runway, which will increase pollution". 6.2.2010 More .....
British Airways' £50m loss in the 3rd quarter smaller-than-expected BA has announced it made a pre-tax loss of £50m in the 3 months to December 2009. This was down from the £122m it lost in the same period in 2008 and smaller than many analysts had expected. But BA's pre-tax loss in the 9 months to December rose to £342m from £70m in the same period in 2008. Analysts had predicted BA would announce a loss of £151m in the third quarter. 5.2.2010 More .....	South Koreans to take 12% stake in Gatwick Airport South Korea’s National Pension Service, the world’s 5th biggest pension fund, will next week take a 12% stake in Gatwick airport, an investment of a little less than £100m. The NPS last year bought the headquarters of HSBC in Canary Wharf for £773m in cash. GIP, which owns Gatwick, said the deal was part of plans on the purchase of Gatwick to sell a minority interest in the airport in its portfolio management. 2.2.2010 More .....	Abu Dhabi fund to take 15% Gatwick stake The owners of Gatwick have sold another stake - about 15% - in the airport, this time to the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the world’s leading sovereign wealth funds. Earlier in the week, South Korea’s National Pension Service took a 12% stake in Gatwick. GIP plans to retain overall control. The spokesman declined to say precisely how much Adia had paid. 5.2.2010 More .....
Lower fuel costs help reduce Ryanair’s losses and raise its profit predictions Ryanair has raised its annual profit predictions after a fall in fuel costs cut its quarterly losses, and passenger numbers continue to rise. It expected full-year net profits of about 275m euros, as it reported a 10.9m-euro loss in October-December. The result had been helped by a 37% fall in fuel costs, which had offset a 12% cut in fares. Passenger numbers increased by 14%, but spending on Ryanair's extras - such as paying for checking in baggage - rose by just 6%. It aims to increase passengers by 10% to 73 million in 2011. 2.2.2010 More .....
Heathrow protesters plan 3rd runway site 'fortress' and launch a competition for the fortification design Protesters plan to build a "fortress" occupied by ordinary people on land earmarked for a 3rd runway. Last year a Greenpeace coalition bought an acre of land near Sipson village and gave ownership to 60,000 people. Greenpeace has now invited architects, and non-architects, to submit designs for a "fortress" to resist bulldozers, if the runway goes ahead. If Labour are returned to power, the runway is due to be built in 2015, but Conservatives and Lib Dems are fighting the £7bn plans. 28.1.2010 More .....		Join Airplot and buy a bit of land
London Assembly say Heathrow third runway pollution plan is 'inadequate' The London Assembly have said there are "clear inadequacies" in pollution safeguards imposed on the planned expansion of Heathrow. The GLA environment committee say measures against the impact of a 3rd runway were not "fit for purpose", and is concerned no single authority would ensure BAA and airlines complied with pollution rules. Murah Qureshi said "We would also question whether the suggested noise benchmark is fit for purpose and if the aviation emissions targets are achievable." 29.1.2010 More .....
IATA: 2009 - worst demand decline in history, but year-end "improvements" IATA global aviation figures for December and all of 2009 show the largest ever post-war decline in scheduled air traffic, down - 3.5%. Average load factor was 75%. Freight showed a full-year decline of 10.1% with an average load factor of 49.1%. In Europe, passenger demand was down - 5% for the year, and down -1.2% in December, compared to Dec 2008. ” We have permanently lost 2.5 years of growth in passenger markets and 3.5 years of growth in the freight business,”said Bisignani." 2010 will be "another spartan year focused on matching capacity carefully to demand and controlling costs, 27.1.2010 More .....
Bristol campaigners ask Government to step in on airport decision Campaigners fighting the expansion of Bristol airport have asked the GOSW to step in and refer the decision on the airport’s plans to the Secretary of State. Stop Bristol Airport Expansion said they decided to request a ‘call-in’, which would result in a direct decision from Government, or a public inquiry, because they believe that the ramifications of the decision, such as the impact of increased traffic, noise and carbon emissions, stretch beyond North Somerset Council’s area of control. 27.1.2010 More .....
Cameron rules out Thames island airport David Cameron has effectively ruled out building a new airport in the Thames Estuary. He said if elected to government in the election it would not be the policy to construct the four-runway airport. He said the Tories don't want a 3rd runway at Heathrow and can stop that from happening. They want rail to replace flights for those trips for which it is a sensible option. Opponents in Kent are delighted by Cameron's comment. 22.1.2010 More .....	Southend Airport plan: Government intervenes with Article 14 Direction The runway extension at Southend Airport will not now go ahead without the authorisation of a Government minister. Communities Secretary, John Denham, has issued an Article 14 Direction about the application to extend the runway. The effect of the direction is to prevent Southend Council granting planning permission without his authorisation. It will still be considered at a Development Control Committee on 20th. 19.1.2010 More .....	Southend runway extension given go-ahead Go-ahead has been given for a 300 metre runway extension at Southend. The Development Control Committee voted 14 to 3 in favour..but planners must now refer proposals to the government before work can start. Secretary of State at DCLG, John Denham, has claimed the right to a final say on the extension and may call for a public inquiry. Campaigners are concerned about a rise in passenger numbers to 2m a year, and that expansion will have an adverse impact on the Southend area. 20.1.2010 More .....
Heseltine and Bow Group back Heathrow expansion report David Cameron's decision to oppose the expansion of Heathrow has been questioned in a report backed by Lord Heseltine. Mr Cameron wants to cancel Heathrow's 3rd runway and spend the money on high-speed rail. But a report by Tory think tank the Bow Group says rail versus air is a "false debate" and there was a need for extra capacity at Heathrow. The Bow group argues that the new rail link will actually create demand for more flights 21.1.2010 More .....	Boris backs call for public review of controversial new City Airport flight path At a packed meeting in Ilford on 18th the London Mayor Boris Johnson backed calls for a public review of the controversial new London City Airport flight path introduced last year. The CAA will review the flight path later this year but local residents fear it will be carried out in private. MPs and local authorities have been inundated with complaints from residents since the introduction of the new flight path. 19.1.2010 More .....	High Court Gives Fight the Flights Green Light to Judicial Review on London City Airport Expansion The High Court has granted permission for Fight the Flights to take their legal challenge against Newham Council to a full hearing in the High Court. The Judicial Review will look at the legality of Newham Council's decision to approve the expansion of London City Airport. The Court granted permission to proceed on all 3 limbs of FtF’s case, saying that all aspects of the case were properly arguable. The 3 points are that Newham failed to take account of climate change, failed to consult neighbouring local authorities, and also their residents. 7.1.2010 More .....
Analysis: What are we left with on aviation and shipping after Copenhagen? IATA is trumpeting the Copenhagen Accord as an endorsement of global measures and a vindication of its own position on emission reductions. It is neither. The Accord is extremely weak and has no direct reference to aviation, which only creeps in implicitly under 'innovative sources of finance'. There are no targets for aviation emissions cuts. ICAO made clear at its Copenhagen side event that it believes the 2% fleet efficiency improvement aspirational goal (which is nothing new, and just on-going improvements as new planes are bought) is a target in itself – possibly to be supplemented by some version of IATA's carbon neutral growth in 2020 concept. What is needed is a way to make global mitigation policies fair to the developing world, and this has now become the central element, with many forgetting the need to reduce the emissions in the first place. Meanwhile, aviation emissions continue to grow and the industry's reputation continues to decline. 5.1.2009 More .....		Airport passenger numbers plummet in 2009 as Britons stay at home BAA's figures for all 2009 are now out, for its remaining 6 UK airports (not Gatwick). Britain's major airports bore the brunt of last year's "staycation". They carried 4.7 million passengers fewer than in 2008. The 4.1% drop reflected a year in which the recession saw demand for overseas holidays drop. Worst hit was Stansted, with 2.3 million drop – representing 10% of total as both Ryanair and easyJet cut back on capacity. 11.1.2010 More .....
Airports raise global safety levels after terror attack on US jet is foiled Security at airports around the world has been stepped up after a failed attempt to blow up a transatlantic airliner minutes before it was due to land in the US. Yesterday Britons travelling to the US were told their hand luggage allowance had been reduced to one item and all passengers were being body-searched. The incident has raised fresh questions about security screening at airports. "The processes are relatively robust but we can't head off every single threat." 26.12.2009 More .....
BAA partly wins Competition Commission appeal on airports sale BAA has won its appeal against an order to sell 3 of the 7 UK airports it runs on the grounds that the ruling panel was affected by "apparent bias". This was because one of the panel members had long standing connections with MAG. But the appeal tribunal rejected BAA's argument that it was being forced to sell the airports too quickly. The CAT said it would now allow more time to hear arguments on what should happen next. Airports may still need to be sold. SSE has called on BAA to withdraw its 2nd runway plans as issues over the future ownership of Stansted threaten to drag on for years, prolonging the blight and uncertainty for the local community 21.12.2009 More .....	IATA says (!?) the Copenhagen Agreement is a "Step in Right Direction" IATA says it welcomes the Copenhagen Accord, and says aviation was not part of it because everyone is so impressed by the amazingly high standards the industry is setting for itself in cutting carbon. They aim to do this by continuing to grow as much as possible, finally making some carbon savings through carbon trading ....... and so on ....... “Airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and manufacturers are reinforced in their commitment (1) to improve fuel efficiency by an average of 1.5% per year to 2020, (2) to stabilize carbon emissions from 2020 with carbon-neutral growth, and (3) to a net reduction in carbon emissions of 50% by 2050 compared to 2005,” 20.12.2009 More .....	US$5.6 Billion Loss in 2010 - Low Yields and Rising Costs Keep Global Aviation Industry in the Red IATA forcasts the full net losses for the global aviation industry for 2009 will be US$11 billion. They now forecast the loss for 2010 will be US$5.6 billion - much larger than the US$3.8 billion forecast earlier. IATA says "We are ending an Annus Horribilis that brings to a close the 10 challenging years of an aviation Decennis Horribilis". A total of 2.28 billion people are expected to fly in 2010, bringing total passenger numbers back in line with the peak recorded in 2007. European carriers are expected to generate the largest losses of any region at US$2.5 billion. This is an improvement over the US$3.5 billion loss that the region’s carriers are expected to post in 2009. 16.12.2009 More .....
Rescue scramble as Globespan enters administration The CAA has stepped in to protect thousands of travellers booked on Globespan package holidays as Scotland’s largest travel company went into administration. The airline had around 1,100 ATOL protected holidaymakers currently abroad on holiday, and an estimated 27,000 people with forward bookings for air holiday packages who have had their breaks cancelled. As a result of the appointment of administrators, Flyglobespan flight operations ceased last night. 17.12.2009 More .....
AirportWatch launches new report on air freight, and calls for a night air freight tax AirportWatch is calling for a Night Air Freight Tax. The call comes on the day AirportWatch launches a major report on air freight. The report, "Air Freight: The Impacts" is taking place in Southend to coincide with the last day on consultation of plans to extend the runway. Air freight pays no tax on aviation fuel. It is exempt from VAT. And it does not pay the equivalent of Air Passenger Duty. AirportWatch is calling for Air Passenger Duty to be replaced by a Plane Tax, and a higher rate on planes using airports at night, when the noise causes even greater disturbance. 10.12.2009 More ..... Full report "Air Freight: the Impacts" full report (pdf) 38 pages 5 page summary "Air Freight: the Impacts" Summary Airport-by-airport analysis Airport by Airport analysis 15 pages
The Aviation White Paper is now ‘Dead in the Water’ 8.12.2009 Comment by AirportWatch on the Committee on Climate Change report on aviation A murder has just taken place. The victim is the Government’s controversial 2003 Air Transport White Paper. The murderer is the government-appointed Committee on Climate Change. The Committee was asked to examine whether the Government’s aviation policy was consistent with its target to cut all CO2 emissions in the UK by 80% by 2050. It has concluded that, for emissions to remain on target, the number of passengers using the UK’s airports can grow by 60% instead of the 200% the Government was planning for. Dead: one Air Transport White Paper. The Committee is very careful not to say where expansion could take place. They say that decision must be taken at a political level. They say that a third runway at Heathrow, plus a couple of other new runways (possibly at Gatwick and Stansted), would not breach the 60% target but only if there was virtually no growth anywhere else. The message of the report is not that it endorses new runways - but that it has killed off the Government’s programme of aggressive expansion of aviation.
Committee on Climate Changes sets out options to meet the UK's aviation emissions target A report from the CCC today says that UK aviation policy should be based on the assumption that demand growth between now and 2050 cannot exceed 60% if the UK is to meet the Government’s target that aviation emissions in 2050 must not exceed 2005 levels. However, the report says growth may need to be less than 60%, to take account of non-CO2 effects of aviation emissions, and the uncertainties about biofuels in future. Even with the anticipated carbon price, modal shift and increased use of video-conferencing in business, it is unlikely that demand growth will be constrained to 60%. Airport expansion cannot happen across the board. 8.12.2009 More ..... Leo Murray, from Plane Stupid, did a really good interview, on Channel 4 against Adair Turner. Worth seeing. Sets out the arguments clearly. http://www.channel4.com/news/
FoI documents now prove Whitehall hid evidence on Heathrow expansion Secret documents revealed through a Freedom of Information request by MP Justine Greening show the government colluded with BAA to skew evidence in favour of expanding Heathrow and play down facts that could help opponents. The government was so concerned about the content of internal emails and memos about Heathrow expansion that it spent 18 months trying to prevent them being revealed. BAA and the DfT relied on research that they knew would not stand up to scrutiny. The documents also show that officials discussed taking out references to technical notes containing crucial evidence, so that opponents of expansion would not know they existed. The papers also suggest that BAA and not the government was in the driving seat of the public consultation. Some of the internal emails show officials at the DfT asking BAA to include “drafting points” in documents prepared for the public consultation. 29.11.2009 More .....
Government refuses public inquiry on Gatwick expansion The Government has refused to hold a public inquiry into plans to expand the North Terminal, saying it should be left to "local democracy". The planned developemnt is bigger than the total size of many regional airports - increasing passengers to 40 million per year, an increase of 5 million. The Gatwick Area Conservation Campaign (GACC) believes that to permit it with no detailed examination and no safeguards for the environment is a disgrace. Mole Valley Council and Tandridge Council asked for conditions to be imposed to prevent any increase in noise or pollution. These requests were ignored by Crawley Council. 23.11.2009 More .....	Local tourism jobs lose out with Bristol airport growth Thousands of jobs in the local tourism industry have been lost despite Bristol Airport’s huge growth in recent years. This is shown in a new report from Stop Bristol Airport Expansion, which for the first time compares tourism data for the South West with airport growth figures. The soaring passenger numbers at Bristol Airport between 2001 and 2007 did not result in a boom for local tourism. In fact the tourism sector shrank by 10% in real terms. Report author Jeremy Birch said that given the figures in the study, there was no reason to think that BIA’s proposed 60% expansion is likely to reverse this trend. 19.11.2009 More .....	Manston airport's crazy ambitions Kent International Airport has published the final version of its master plan, which was first set out in October last year. It has cut its forecast for passenger numbers in 2018 to 2.2 million from the previous 2.7 million and in 2033 to 4.7 million instead of 5.7 million. It hopes to have 6 times as much air freight by 2018. The figures look like pie in the sky, as the airport only has around 11,000 passengers per year now. Master Plans are always just wishful thinking and excess optimism by airports. This one is no exception. 28.11.2009 More .....
IATA's hopes for aviation's future carbon emissions Giovanni Bisigiani says he wants governments to set global targets for CO2 cuts. He wants aviation emissions managed through ICAO, (which has been ineffective so far). Also better air traffic management; more biofuels and global 1.5% average annual fuel efficiency improvements till 2020. Not overall emissions cuts. Then aviation growth (just the growth) will - they hope - be "carbon neutral" after 2020. This would allow unconstrained growth before 2020. After 2020, if they can get the carbon offsets, biofuels and other technological miracles of startling proportions, they will try to make the growth "carbon neutral". And finally they will try to cut aviation emissions by 2050, to half of 2005 levels. It is a long time till 2050. 8.10.2009 More ..... 22.9.2009 More ..... and the IATA press release
"The Expansion of Regional Airports - Really a good thing?" AirportWatch report (September 2009) The report argues the case against the expansion of regional airports. There are strong arguments on grounds of the air tourism deficit losing local economies billions; on the carbon emissions generated by these airports, and the local environmental and noise implications. The Expansion of Regional Airports and one page summary.
Aviation now contributes 4.9% of climate change worldwide Work by the IPCC now estimates that aviation accounted for 4.9% of man-made climate impacts in 2005. This contrasts with the 2% figure that is constantly quoted by aviation lobbyists, and 3% which the same authors quoted two years ago. They have now revised their estimates with 2 important changes: including for the first time estimates of cirrus cloud formation and allowing for aviation growth between 2000 and 2005. The effect of these is to increase aviation’s impacts to 3.5% without cirrus and 4.9% including cirrus. 23.5.2009 More ...
What's the problem with aviation? Aviation in the UK already contributes around 6 - 7% of our CO2 emissions. Taking into account the effects of emissions at altitude, that is about 13% or more of the UK contribution to climate changing effects. The industry plans to double in size, with no targets for emissions cuts for years to come. People living near airports suffer noise, disruption and air pollution. Our increasing addiction to binge flying is causing immense harm. If you feel strongly about aviation's unsustainable and relentless growth Join us!