See press release from Manchester Airport Environment Group (MAEN).

Labour leadership contender, Ed Miliband, said that if elected as leader he would abandon Labour’s support for a third runway at Heathrow. (Reported in the Evening Standard, 31/8/10).

ConLibs are holding firm on their opposition to a third runway as well as extra runways at Gatwick and Stansted.  The latest confirmation is a statement issued for the ‘Examination in Public’ of the London Plan, the spatial strategy for London.

Howvever, there are worrying signs about climate change. The Coalition has refused to confirm the previous Labour government’s commitment to keep aviation’s CO2 emissions down to 2005 levels by 2050. There are also concerns that the overall issue of climate change is low on the Coalition’s agenda.

The booklet is published as a PDF file on the HACAN web site.

Simply banning the nosiest aicraft is one of the most effective ways of reducing noise nuisance. Yet the UK and other government are reluctant to use this obvious and effective measure, despite saying they are concerned about aircraft noise.

Here is article reproduced from Cargo World.

Australia is set to press ahead with a ban on Antonov 124s and the AN225.Operators will need to apply for special exemption on public interest  grounds to land the aircraft at the country’s larger airports from September 1.  Australia is believed to be the first country to impose a ban on the  heavylift  freighters.

The federal government announced last March that it would ban hush-kitted “ marginally noise-compliant” aircraft in two stages. New services were banned from 13 major airports from July 1 and existing services through the  four main gateways of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth will follow from  September 1.

“Marginally compliant aircraft, predominantly used in the airfreight  industry, have been an ongoing source of concern for residents,” Anthony  Albanese, minister for infrastructure, transport, regional development and local government, said when he announced the new restrictions.

The new controls are based on an aviation white paper published in December 2009 and a green paper a year earlier. Albanese said the government was giving carriers enough time to make alternative arrangements. “It’s up to those airlines to make sure their business is shifted to more appropriate aircraft,” he said. “It’s simply unacceptable that we have these noisy aircraft flying in 2010 when other options are available.”

B727 freighters are also excluded under the new rules. Only Tasman Cargo Airlines, which operates services between Australia and New Zealand for DHL, and Heavylift Cargo Airlines were operating this equipment at the time of Albanese’s announcement.

To be more precise, under the current law, the supply, repair, or maintenance, of an aircraft is zero-rated for VAT purposes if it weighs 8,000 kg or more, and is not designed or adapted for recreational or pleasure use. This has allowed many large private aircraft to enjoy zero rating, but was more generous than the European legislation permits.

Following a formal request from the European Commission, changes will be made on or after 1 January 2011 to align the domestic VAT legislation with the European VAT rules. From that date, an aircraft will be zero rated only if it is used by a commercial airline operating on international routes, regardless of weight.

Airlines using aircraft on domestic flights will have to pay VAT but, since air fares are still VAT-free, will be able to claim it back. The impact will be on the larger planes used privately where VAT cannot be reclaimed.

Historically, we understand that airports in UK did not have specific legal power to fine airlines for bad track keeping.  From memory, many years ago Manchester airport did actually attempt to fine British Midland for not adhering to departure tracks – BM contested this in court and won – the court decided that the airport did not have such powers.  Please note this is from memory – we can’t trace any documentation on this.

Following this case, airports were very gentle in attempting to control airline behaviour.

However, since that case, airports’ powers have changed. The Civil Aviation Act 2006 vests in airports a legal power to create a Noise Control Scheme. A Noise Control Scheme can define takeoff and landing procedures, including track keeping, and can set legally enforceable penalties for not adhering to these procedures.

So within the context of a Noise Control Scheme, defined within powers vested in airports by Civil Aviation Act 2006, airlines can be fined for bad track keeping.

The bad news is that no airport in the UK has established a Noise Control Scheme under these powers. All UK airports have chosen not to apply their new powers under the act. So it appears that no airports intend to fine airlines for bad track keeping.

The newsletter has been sent to members.

For information about how to report objects that you believe may have fallen from aircraft, see the introduction to our safety section.

• 11 icefalls
• 3 aircraft parts
• 2 fuselage panels
• 1 door
• 1 cable and banner

There was also 1 reported stowaway in the UK or in UK airspace during this period.

Postcodes for the icefalls were as follows:

• Twyford, RG10 0LQ
• Hawarden, CH5 3TQ
• Hounslow, TW4 7AA
• Benfleet, SS7 4NE
• Buntingford, SG9 0LA
• Great Stoke Way, Nr Filton, BS34
• Haringey Park, N8 9JP
• Leicester, LE2
• South Oxhey, WD19 6HA

AEF also attended the launch of the Institution of Civil Engineers’ final report on UK airports policy, which advocated capacity constraints, a carbon price with a floor, and government regulation of both CO2 and non-CO2 climate impacts from the sector. And we met with other NGO representatives to consider methodologies and the political context for including flight emissions in regional climate strategies.

Looking beyond the UK, our current intern, Ben, has been analysing some figures from the Federal Aviation Administration to give us a better understanding of the likely climate impact of US aviation in coming decades, and has been collating a set of useful facts and statistics for our website. Tim chaired a teleconference for members of a UN working group on the aviation carbon calculator (which estimates per flight emissions), and took part in a debate at the Farnborough Airshow, organised by the pro-aviation lobby group Flying Matters, where he introduced teenagers to arguments concerning the future of aviation in a carbon-conscious world.

Reviewed in 2009: Southampton, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Inverness, Bristol and Newcastle.

To be reviewed 2010/11: Humberside, Plymouth, Gatwick, Liverpool John Lennon, Bournemouth, London City, new PSZ at Blackpool.

We do not have further information at this stage.

Update 26/7/10:

 Consultation documents and maps for 2025 PSZs at Bristol and Newcastle are now on the CAA web site.

The PSZs are predicted to shrink at Bristol but grow at Newcastle where the A696 dual carriageway is set to fall in the inner PSZ.