United Kingdom - Articles and news items

“Better, not bigger”

Issue 5 2010 / 1 October 2010 /

The aviation sector generates billions of pounds worth of economic output and tax revenue, provides large scale employment and enables the UK to compete in the globalised economy. It also delivers significant social benefits as people travel for leisure or to visit friends and family. It is therefore an industry that I want to see thrive and one this Government takes seriously. (more…)

Volcanic ash… Minimising disruption without compromising passenger safety

Issue 4 2010 / 10 August 2010 /

Over the past thousand years, Icelandic volcanic ash has been deposited in the UK at least ten times, the last occasion being in 1947. In geological terms, the gap between 1947 and 2010 is an instant, but in that time, UK civil aviation grew from carrying just one million passengers a year, to carrying over 218 million. The possibility of volcanic ash reducing the number of flights in UK airspace to zero for six days was similarly unprecedented until earlier this year, and it took a unique combination of events to bring it about. (more…)

Defence vehicle procurement: striking a balance

Issue 4 2010 / 9 August 2010 /

Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) is the name of the merged procurement and Support organisation within the UK Ministry of Defence. It came into being in early 2007, bringing together the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) and the Defence Logistics Organisation (DLO) under the leadership of Sir Kevin O’Donoghue as the first Chief of Defence Material.

DE&S is charged with providing the UK’s armed forces with its equipment and support services. It has an annual expenditure of £13 billion, which equates to 43% of the UK Defence budget. It operates from a variety of sites across the UK and further afield, but its main headquarters are located in Abbey Wood, Bristol, South West England. (more…)

British Airways at T5 – minimising environmental impact

Issue 6 2009, Past issues / 11 December 2009 /

British Airways is the UK’s largest international scheduled airline and the largest operator at Heathrow. As the UK’s premier international hub airport, Heathrow plays a central – and unique – role in UK plc. Terminal 5, opened in March 2008 at a cost of £4.3 billion, is a state-of-the-art world leading facility capable of handling 30 million passengers annually. Home to some 92% of British Airways’ Heathrow flights, BAA and British Airways have worked in partnership to improve the environmental performance of the airport’s ground handling operation. (more…)

Taxiway Resurfacing – A night in the life of Taxiway Alpha

Issue 6 2009, Past issues / 11 December 2009 /

The time, 21.45, the date, 19th October 2009. The project report forecast informs me that the team will take possession of the taxiway at 22.00, one hour ahead of plan. The weather, dry, 9-11 degrees Celsius, with light to moderate winds. Details of the planned civils, electrical and asphalting works fill the pages in minute detail, as time is crucial to this team.

Tonight they will continue to resurface the alpha taxiway and replace the airfield ground lighting system (AGL) that lies within it, as part of the ongoing investment in our airport infrastructure.

As I enter the contractors’ compound at Crash Gate 1, I am surprised by the immediate feeling of concern and dread that washes over me. As we drive past, swarms of contractors’ vehicles and personnel are moving deliberately and efficiently around us.

As an international airport, airside security is paramount. The security team spend every hour of the day ensuring the safety and security of the personnel, equipment and aircraft that operate on this airfield. Our security infrastructure includes an electronic security fence, thermal imaging CCTV, and security patrols carried out by our security team, police and other agencies both internal and external, up to the perimeter fence. All to ensure the prevention of unwanted intruders, who may wish to cause harm to the people and property that constitute our airport. (more…)

BAA’s collaborative approach

Issue 4 2009, Past issues / 16 July 2009 /

Heathrow is the world’s busiest international airport, handling approximately 471,000 air traffic movements annually and employing over 72,000 people, of which a large number are airside workers. The scale and importance of ensuring efficiency among such a vast number of organisations is clear.

As the airport operator, Heathrow is taking an innovative approach in leading and uniting the airport community in best practice. Traditionally in airport management the operator takes a landlord type role, focusing more on compliance and placing little emphasis on managing ‘tenants’, while airlines often work in isolation from each other. However, Heathrow’s airside operations team is now leading a collaborative approach, engaging more than 400 companies operating airside at Heathrow. This means that rather than working separately, they are working together as a community to ensure safety and improved operational performance to make every journey better. (more…)

A visibly strong force at the UK border: UK Border Agency – a year of achievement and strategic objectives

Issue 3 2009, Past issues / 26 May 2009 /

Immigration has been high on the political and media agenda for the last fifteen years. The government is committed to modernising and strengthening UK Border controls. On 1 April 2009 the UK Border Agency became a full executive agency of the Home Office. This follows a successful year as a shadow agency in which we brought together the work of the former Border and Immigration Agency, customs detection work at the border and UK visas, to establish a single and much stronger border agency.

With a 25,000 strong workforce and a presence in 135 countries across the world, the launch of the UK Border Agency creates a new global organisation and one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the UK.

The UK Border Agency will strengthen the UK’s security through strong border controls, protecting the country from illegal immigration, organised crime and terrorism, while welcoming and facilitating legitimate travellers and trade. It will protect our border with single immigration and customs checks, tackle smuggling, immigration crime and border tax fraud, and it will implement fast and fair decisions. (more…)

Supporting aviation during the global economic downturn

Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 31 March 2009 /

The transport industry has long been seen as a barometer of economic health. When times are good, we travel more and freight volumes grow. But when the economy weakens, transport is often among the first industrial sectors to feel the impact.

It is unsurprising, therefore, that the unprecedented global economic downturn that we have experienced over the past year has proved particularly challenging for airlines, airport operators, and the broader air industry.

Although oil prices have returned to more affordable and sustainable levels since the record highs of last summer, the immediate outlook for aviation around the world remains turbulent. But despite these concerns, I believe that the long-term prospects for the industry are very positive. (more…)

Transforming the passenger experience

Issue 2 2009, Past issues / 31 March 2009 /

With a £6billion investment programme underway, BAA has a very clear goal: to transform its airports for its airline customers and passengers. Working over seven airports, the capital programme will deliver world class facilities, more space for security and improved environmental performance. (more…)

Manchester Airports Group – Environmental Agenda

Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 30 May 2008 /

Manchester Airports Group (MAG) announced in 2006 that all ground operations within the Group – Manchester, East Midlands, Bournemouth and Humberside – would be carbon neutral by 2015. Considerable environmental pressures hang over the aviation sector at present with concern over the growth of the industry prevalent in the minds of the media, the public and regarded highly on the political agenda. With this in mind the future growth of our business depends on our ability to meet our environmental commitments, so we are aiming to ensure that everyone working at our airports is playing their part in our move towards being carbon neutral, and this desire is now driving the development of the business.

MAG has a proven track record on the environment. Having invested £18m in ecology and land reconstruction work around the development of Runway 2 at Manchester this is an area that we continue to invest in to this day. As part of the same process, legal limits on noise were set down as part of the legal agreement around the construction project, and we continue to enforce them today. Our record has been strengthened with a twenty-year history of working with the Centre for Air Transport and the Environment (CATE) at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to understand and mitigate against the effects of aviation. (more…)

The UK Border Agency

Issue 3 2008, Past issues / 30 May 2008 /

Richard Piper speaks to Lin Homer, Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency, about what is being done to strengthen UK borders and how they are utilising the latest advances in technology. (more…)

Gatwick lines up for the future

Issue 6 2007, Past issues / 30 November 2007 /

BAA Gatwick Airport is the second largest UK airport and the world’s busiest international single runway operation airport. With two terminals linked by a rapid transit system, BAA Gatwick currently welcomes almost 35 million passengers a year, serving a growing route network of over 200 destinations worldwide with around 90 airline partners.

Recently voted ‘Best Major UK Airport’ by Travel Bulletin readers and regularly winning awards, Gatwick has come a long way since the opening of ‘The Beehive’, the world’s first circular terminal at Gatwick 70 years ago. Next year, the airports’ South Terminal celebrates its 50th birthday and the North Terminal its 20th birthday.

On a busy day in the peak summer season, the airport handles upwards of 800 aircraft movements and around 138,000 passengers fly in and out. On 31 August this year, Gatwick Airport exceeded all records by handling 876 flights in one day. On 2 September a new record of 74,081 arriving passengers was set. These figures show the potential of future growth at the airport. (more…)

An interview with Jim Fitzpatrick, UK Aviation Minister

Issue 4 2007, Past issues / 31 July 2007 /

The minister answers our questions on the subject of current UK security restrictions with regard to baggage and the carrying of liquids aboard aircraft. (more…)

A logistical dream

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

Restricted to the north and south by two of the world’s most heavily utilised runways, to the east by existing terminals and to the west by Europe’s busiest motorway interchange, space is at a premium at Heathrow’s new Terminal 5 site. There’s little room and a large logistical challenge: how to complete one of Europe’s largest and most complex infrastructure projects at one of the world’s busiest airports.

The opening of Terminal 5 (T5) in March 2008 is widely anticipated to be one of the aviation industry’s most exciting events. T5 will be the first terminal to open at Heathrow for over 20 years and is expected to transform terminal design and passenger experience.

To date, the construction of Terminal 5 has enjoyed unprecedented success, remaining on time and on budget with an outstanding safety record. This is no small feat given the scale and complexity of the construction programme – 16 major projects including rail extensions; an M25 spur road; a new control tower and two satellite buildings – and 134 sub projects. Added to this is T5’s location adjacent to the world’s busiest international airport and the numerous constraints and planning requirements imposed by the T5 Public Inquiry. (more…)

Meeting passenger needs

Issue 1 2007, Past issues / 6 February 2007 /

Due to an increasing number of visitors to London Luton Airport, the recent redevelopment of the departure and arrival lounges has helped to produce a relaxed atmosphere, which provides passengers with an ideal terminal building.

In September 2004, London Luton embarked on a 10 month project to develop the departure and arrivals lounges and other facilities at the airport. At a cost of £38 million the project was devised to create more space and a relaxed environment for passengers to eat, shop, and pass their time.

The redevelopment of London Luton’s lounges was deemed essential as the facility was at capacity and the airport, being London’s fastest growing, was expecting further significant growth.

As well as an increase in passenger numbers, passenger demographics and tastes had also changed dramatically since the original lounges were designed. Once a base for charter flights, London Luton has grown and continues to expand as the airport of choice for many low cost airlines such as Easyjet and Ryanair. (more…)