Category : Airport News

The Kent Green Party have responded to plans for the expansion of Manston Airport in Kent as ‘flights of fancy’. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has also responded by saying that the plans put forward by Infratil, the current owners of Manston Airport, are unrealistic.

Manston Airport which was taken over by Infratil three years ago currently handles some 16,000 travellers per year. Infratil hopes that passenger numbers will increase dramatically over the next couple of years to reach one million by 2011.

Infratil claims that with the right investment opportunities, Manston Airport could offer a valuable alternative for tourism and freight as London Airports such as Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and Luton become more congested.

With improved road networks and passenger facilities such as airport parking, Infratil predict that Manston Airport could potentially handle up to six million passengers a year by 2033. Further claims are that…

• Freight traffic  would increase from 33,000 tonnes to 500,000 tonnes
• Jobs generated by the airport would reach 3,500 by 2018 and up to 7,500 by 2033

With the final version of the master plan due to be published in early 2009, many opponents to the expansion are claiming that the plan is flawed and does not take into account the rapidly contracting air industry or the severe economic slow down.

Industry Future

Steve Dawe, spokesman for the Kent Green Party said that “Coupled with the current recession which is already beginning to reduce the number of flights being taken, plans for Manston Airport to expand are literally ‘flights of fancy’. The party has called for a “more relistic” use of the site including allotments and other leisure and agricultural  uses to benefit the surrounding area and local communities.

Spokesman for The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) Chris Lowe said that the airport plan put forward by Infratil fell far short of the mark. He went on to say that “The master plan is full of aspirations, but is very light on justification”.

“It is impossible to see what the impacts of such major growth will be – not only on Thanet, but on Kent and beyond – as the necessary supporting work has not been done.”

“As it stands, the master plan raises more questions than providing answers.”

In a provisional decision announced today, the Competition Commission has advised BAA to sell Gatwick, Stansted and Edinburgh Airports.

BAA, who put Gatwick up for sale after the Commission’s initial report in August, have stated they believe there is no compelling evidence that Stansted should be sold.  They’ve also added that there was no justification for specifying which airport in Scotland should be sold.

There are several international firms who are said to be interested in purchasing Gatwick, and Virgin Atlantic has said it is preparing a bid as part of a consortium.

The Competition Commission is considering responses to today’s provisional decision, and will publish their final report in late February or early March.

A reward of £1000 has been offered for information leading to the conviction of arsonists responsible for a blaze which destroyed 19 travellers cars parked in a car park serving Gatwick Airport.

The fire occurred last Monday night at the Forgewood Industrial Estate near Gatwick Airport. The fire began in the early hours at around 02:30 and quickly spread amongst the tightly parked vehicles. Several cars exploded in the blaze which was attended by four appliances from West Sussex Fire and Rescue service who’d been called by a passer by.

The company responsible for parking the cars on behalf of travellers have issued a statement expressing their disgust with this mindless arson attack and offering their apologies to those whose cars may have been damaged. Gatwick Airport parking customers affected by this attack were assured that they would be provided with free car hire to get them home.

Around 300 people a year, in the UK, are losing their lives as a result of fatigued drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

Being tired adversely affects driver performance as much as being drunk. Several studies, conducted by road safety experts, have confirmed that inadequate rest, driving for too long and driving at times when you would normally be asleep can all result in a degradation of driver performance which is similar to that caused by alcohol in the blood stream.

Those who drive for a living, including truck drivers and delivery drivers, are at the highest risk of being involved in fatigue related accidents. Around 4 in 10 tiredness related accidents involve a commercial vehicle. But people involved in other demanding roles, such as doctors who work long shifts and business people returning from overseas meetings, are also high on the tiredness risk list.

It is recommended that, if you are feeling even slightly fatigued, you should stop for a 15 minute break. Drink an energy drink or a couple of cups of coffee and then take a cat knap for no more than 15 minutes. When you wake the caffeine will have begun to take effect. Don’t snooze for any longer as you will enter a different sleep phase.

If returning from a business trip, maybe flying into Heathrow in the early hours, it is advisable to take a room at a Heathrow Hotel and rest properly before driving.

Always remember that safety is more important than sticking to a schedule.

References:

Driver Tiredness Advice from Brake, the Road Safety Charity

It is estimated that over 100 homeless people are living at Heathrow airport much like the Tom Hanks character in the Spielberg film ‘The Terminal’.

In recent months it has been discovered that over 100 homeless people are permanently residing at the airport and this number is on the increase. As one homeless person has said, Heathrow is like a hotel. It is warm, clean, reasonably safe and has excellent facilities.

Many of these seasoned airport dwellers have developed techniques to avoid detection by airport security staff. They dress like holidaymakers and carry their belongings in suitcases that make them look like travellers using the airport.

Some of the homeless people receive a Giro cheque payment of £60 each week which they must collect from the Samaritans headquarters in central London. This doesn’t go very far being used to buy food and essentials from various airport outlets.

Occasional security sweeps result in many homeless people being ejected, only to return to the warmth and safety of the airport terminals once security is out of the way.

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We have a great selection of heathrow airport hotels with impartial reviews and the best prices.

Thinking of travelling over the Bank holiday?

We have been informed that there could be severe disruption if you are flying from Gatwick or Stansted Airport. Unions have said that baggage handlers and check-in staff at Gatwick and Stansted Airport are going on strike on Bank Holiday Monday 25th 2008 for 24 hours in a row over pay.

At Gatwick Airport, 318 Swissport workers will walk out, halting services at some airlines. A second strike is planned for Friday 29 August 2008 also.

After staff were offered a 3% pay offer it was rejected by Unite Union due to being below inflation – they said it was “an insult”. Workers from two unions at Stansted Airport also have voted to strike as well. Unite have hinted that industrial action could spread to other airports in the forth coming weeks.

Unite members working for Swissport at Stansted Airport will be joined by 30 members of the GMB union when they walk out on Monday 25th August 2008 and possibly Friday 29th August 2008.

If delays are imminent, it does not mean you have to completely cancel your plans, just check that you have a decent level of travel insurance that covers baggage delays and airport disruption.

UPDATE ON BAGGAGE STRIKE…

The strikes planned by airport workers that would have caused Bank Holiday travel misery have finally been called off. The dispute involved airport services business Swissport, and cabin staff and baggage handlers who are members of the Unite and GMB unions.

It would have affected Gatwick, Stansted and Manchester airports.

After hours of talks at conciliation service Acas, both unions suspended the planned strikes.