Current Issues

Tuesday, 02, Dec 2008 03:23

THE AVIATION WHITE PAPER

In 1988 the Government promised to develop a 30-year aviation strategy. SASIG had been campaigning for such a strategy for many years and therefore welcomed that pledge. The White Paper – 'The Future of Air Transport' - was published in December 2003, and reactions to its content have been mixed.

SASIG was very active in telling Government what should, and should not, be included. in particular, that the White Paper will only be a success if it forces the aviation industry to expand in locations where economic growth is needed and environmental impact can be minimised.

AIRCRAFT NOISE

The current methods of measuring noise disturbance from aircraft have long been criticised as no longer being a good representation of the impact. Around many airports the frequency of flights has increased dramatically from the days when the social surveys, on which the current policies are based, were carried out. The current calculations are also heavily influenced by the noise of individual aircraft and are not as sensitive to the number of flights. This is well illustrated by the demise of Concorde. The removal of just a few flights by the very noisy Concorde led to the noise contour shrinking dramatically – whereas a huge increase in the number of flights would not be calculated to increase the contour more than marginally.

The Department for Transport has let a research contract aimed at giving a better understanding of attitudes to noise from aviation sources. SASIG is represented on the Steering Group, but it will be some time yet before any results are available.

Please also see below about current work on the noise impact of night flights.

NIGHT FLIGHTS

The night period has historically been between 23:00 and 07:00, but the detailed control over night flights at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted relates to the period from 23:30 to 06:00. There is conflict between allowing flights to land at night in the UK, and the quality of life for people under the flight paths.

The ruling from the European Court of Human Rights (July 2003) on the issue of night flights has resulted in a reference case in which the profitability of the airlines was considered a priority above the quality of life for 500,000 citizens under the flight path at Heathrow. The British Government has shown their willingness to place the economic interests of the aviation industry at the top of their list through their actions in this court case.

SASIG considers that all air transport movements at night, both freight and passenger, should be gradually phased out, except where these movements can take place over the sea or where the impact on people is minimal.

ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS

The Government has repeatedly stated its commitment to ensuring that the aviation industry internalises its external costs in terms of environmental impact.

In March 2003, the Department for Transport in conjunction with HM Treasury published 'Aviation and the Environment: Using Economic Instruments:

There followed two stakeholder sessions in May 2003 to discuss issues raised in the document, in which SASIG was actively involved.

SASIG also contributed to research carried out by the Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT), which started in February 2003 and was published in September 2003

AIR POLLUTION

The main considerations in terms of air pollution related to aviation are:

(i) radiative forcing (the change in the balance of incoming and outgoing solar radiation from space and the Earth's atmosphere; a decrease in outgoing solar radiation raises world temperatures, given constant incoming solar radiation);

(ii) carbon dioxide emissions (CO2);

(iii) nitrous oxide emissions (NO and NO2);

(iv) contrails (water vapour emissions at high altitude);

(v) PM10 emissions (emission of particulates with particle size less than 10nm);

(vi) sulphur dioxide (SO2); and

(vii) volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Each of these pollutants needs to be tackled in the context of EU Limit Values, and UK strategies incorporating these limits. Progress has been made in some areas, however an enormous amount remains to be done.

The Environmental Audit Committee published a report in July 2003, "Budget 2003 and Aviation"

in which it strongly urged the Government to take account of their policy already laid down in the Energy White Paper and the UK Sustainable Development. Strategy. The Committee pointed out that the Department for Transport is placing a lower priority on environmental objectives than economic and social objectives.

An 'emissions trading' scheme is being promoted by many as the most cost-effective method to tackle climate change. The scheme involves each industry sector being allocated a quota of greenhouse gas emission permits which can be traded on the open market according to the sector's performance against meeting an overall cap on air pollution. The European Commission is looking into the implementation issues of such a scheme

PERMITTED DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS FOR AIRPORTS

In mid-September this year, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) published a report by consultants Nathaniel Lichfield and Partners entitled 'Review of Permitted Development Rights'

REGIONAL AIR SERVICES TO LONDON

The Department for Transport has consulted, via their website 7, on a report which seeks to implement The Future of Air Transport White Paper’s commitment to supporting and/or protecting services between regional airports and London.

The White Paper (paragraphs 4.39 to 4.48) recognised the concern of regional stakeholders about the availability of landing and take-off 'slots' at major London airports. It noted that in deciding how to use scarce slots at congested airports, airlines would not necessarily take into account the wider economic and other benefits that domestic air services to London can bring to other parts of the UK. Where services already exist from UK regional airports to London (City, Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton and Stansted airports), the Government stated that it is prepared to intervene in well defined circumstances in order to guarantee a minimum level of scheduled air services on these routes.

Intervention would take the form of a Public Service Obligation (PSO).

The White Paper proposed that airlines currently operating regional services to London would be asked to give at least four months notice of the intention to withdraw or reduce services on those routes. This would allow time to consider whether and how to protect the route concerned, if the withdrawal or reduction meant that the provision of service fell below an adequate level and the characteristics of the route met with the other criteria discussed in the consultation document.

The mechanisms available to protect regional air services are governed by European Legislation, which must provide the framework for developing Government policy. This consultation document therefore sets out the background of European legislation and suggests interpretations for the criteria which are set out, but not defined in the relevant EC Regulation.