No High-Speed Rail for Heathrow Airport

02/02/11

A proposal to build a high-speed rail link from London to Scotland is undergoing further scrutiny by members of the business community as a detailed study carried out by Network Rail has suggested that far from generating profits, the proposed project is forecasted to generate a loss of more than £10 billion in the decades following its construction. The implication of this of course is that significant capital would need to be raised from taxpayers to get the project moving since private investors won’t be excited by the current prospects as they stand.

So what are the benefits for the taxpayer if the project was given a cash injection by the government? Firstly, it would reduce journey time between London and Scotland by half (stopping off at Birmingham, Manchester, Warrington, Liverpool, Preston, Glasgow and Edinburgh) – making the total journey possible in just over two hours. Network Rail have justified the cost of the construction by arguing it would provide a £31.4 billion boost to the UK economy through reducing travelling times – a welcome prospect without doubt for the many millions of commuters travelling in and out of city centres every day.

As some airport contractors have also commented, despite the government at one point highly favouring direct links between the new line and Heathrow airport, National Rail responded by saying that a de-tour from the most recent proposal would not make financial sense. Since then, following an announcement from the transport secretary Phillip Hammond just before Christmas, it would appear that there will be no plans for a link up with Heathrow airport in the short term.

The public consultation for the high speed rail line is scheduled for February 2011.

Full Extent of Heavy Snow on Gatwick Airport

18/01/10

As we slowly leave winter behind us and move closer towards spring, the full extent of the severe weather over the Christmas period has become more apparent as passenger reports are issued. Gatwick airport is reported to have seen a dip in passenger numbers of around 11% over December compared to those of last year, leaving commentators blaming the heavy snow and ice. In addition to flights being cancelled, the whole airport was also closed over a number of days during December affecting holiday makers, airline companies and Gatwick airport contractors alike. Due to the severe conditions, the airport employed a 150-strong team of people to help clear the snow and ice from the runways in an effort to resume service.

Airport Contractors Comment on Heavy Snow

20/12/10

With yet another year of heavy snowfall throughout the UK, our airports have once again seen a heavy spell of delays and cancellations, with many travellers being left stranded without a flight, or with delayed or limited service. Speaking with airport contractors and suppliers of airport facilities, it is evident that the public are unsure of whom is to blame – the weather, the government, the BAA, the airports themselves – and many are eager to know whether we should expect to be better prepared after the past few winters we’ve received. With some commentators such as Radio Four’s John Bell pointing out that the world was not made for our convenience and therefore we shouldn’t expect to be able to control or prepare for every eventuality, it seems that some frequent flyers are beginning to tell themselves that this is simply what we can come to expect from harsher winters and hotter summers, whether as a result of a global warming phenomena or otherwise.

Many others that rely on airport facilities however are not willing to take future interruptions in service so easily, and have passed much criticism over the lack of good information available to passengers and those wishing to travel. Whilst many critics are unsure of why runways can’t be cleared of snow quicker by airport contractors, airport officials have responded with attempts to help the public grasp something of the scale of snow that needs to be cleared when even a few inches settle on the tarmac. With such large areas to clear, small amounts of snow quickly build up to fill truck-loads in efforts to dig out just one aircraft from its terminal.

With the Scottish transport minister Stewart Stevenson resigning from his position last week due to the way he mis-handled the severe weather, perhaps there’s some assurance that government is taking this issue seriously and is looking to deliver the kind of service that the public are demanding.

Planes Frozen in Place at Gatwick and Heathrow Airports

15/11/10

Terminal workers and airport building contractors have commented this week on the extraordinary scenes of travellers stuck in the terminals due to the extreme weather conditions. Thousands of people hoping to travel over the weekend were stuck stranded in the Gatwick and Heathrow terminals with many flights cancelled and a limited service and snow on the tarmac causing huge delays. With airlines doing their best to see travellers to hotels where possible, a BA spokeswoman commented that “We are in the hands of the weather”; a comment that has infuriated many travellers confused as to why we can’t overcome or anticipate problems caused by severe weather better. With many passengers having to spend the night on the terminal floor, airport building contractors commented on the scenes describing the unfortunate passengers huddled together on the terminal floor helped by insulating blankets provided by the airports.

Despite over £6m being invested last year in technology to help with extreme weather conditions, Andrew Teacher from the BAA commented that “There comes a point where you cannot do anymore”.

Delhi’s New Airport Facilities ‘Up the Ante’

15/10/10

Despite difficulties in the airport construction market in the UK earlier in the year with the coalition’s announcement that there would be no new runway for Heathrow airport, it would seem the competition is only getting fiercer for new and original airport facilities and designs.

With a brand new Terminal 3 at Delhi’s international airport, India has smashed its current record in terms of terminal size, with the new addition boasting an area of 5.5 million square feet spread over its eight levels. The new airport facilities had to be ready for the Commonwealth games, just recently passed, and the pressure to meet this deadline meant that the construction was finished quicker than any before in India’s history.

With the controversial 2010 Commonwealth games now over, and England snapping up a total of 142 medals, perhaps the returning athletes will be back some Indian spirit to the UK airport construction market upon their return to the country.

Coalition Pulls Airport Construction for Heathrow’s 3rd Runway

14/10/10

Following the announcement in May of the Coalition Government’s decision to scrap plans for the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport, many airport contractors and construction workers have been left speculating over the implications this might have for future airport development within the South-East. The government have gone further than just this agreement over future expansion to airport facilities in Heathrow to include a confirmation that any future proposals to expand Gatwick and Stanstead airports would also be refused.

Residents faced with a potential impact from the refurbishment in airport facilities are reported to be overwhelmed with the news, and enormously relieved, particularly those living in the town of Sipson, which would effectively have been removed altogether in the construction of the new runway. Amidst these jubilations from residents, the announcement also attracted heavy criticism and concern from the business community and Sir Nigel Rudd, the chairman of The British Airports Authority (BAA), who commented that the resulting effect of scraping the construction project was that Britain would suffer in terms of competitiveness and would risk losing potential investment opportunities.