LCY/LGW/LHR/LTN/SEN/STN | London Area Airports

[PortoNuts]

London's Proposed Thames Hub Airport Could Be the World's Biggest

Earlier this month, Foster + Partners launched their proposal for a “Thames Hub,” a master plan to radically overhaul Britain’s transport, logistics and communication networks. Together with the engineers of Halcrow and Volterra, the London-based practice has envisioned a new airport on the Isle of Grain in the Thames estuary, connecting to a Thames port and branching into an orbital railway linked to lines in the north and throughout Europe.

The self-funded study presents an integrated vision for infrastructure development in Britain, proposing a “Spine” that would synergize rail and aviation as well as energy transmission, freight logistics, flood protection, and regional development into one holistic urban system. Details of the plan include new barriers to mitigate the city from rising storm levels, methods to harness tidal power and generate carbon-free energy, a system of high-speed rail lines for passenger and freight routes, and newly developed wildlife habitats landscaped within the Spine.

Lord Foster, chairman and founder of Foster + Partners, hopes that his grand vision will significantly improve Britain’s capacities, freeing congestion and streamlining links between Britain and the rest of the world. The architect seeks to face the challenges of our time with the same bold outlook as his forebears who were driven to implement sweeping social and technological changes in light of the industrial revolution. Britain in particular was renowned for its history of innovative and ambitious engineering during the 19th century.

he firm has already demonstrated a hint of this tradition with its repertoire of sublime international airports and mega-structures. But according to the Financial Times, the Thames Hub vision is deliberately short on architectural aesthetics, not only because most of the proposed infrastructure will be subterranean, but because the scale of the project requires us to consider it “on a level that transcends appearance.” In the age of an economic downturn and the rise of small-scale, variable urban interventions, it will be interesting to see whether or not such a grand vision will grip the public enough to come off the drawing boards.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/des...est-world/442/

Thames airport backed by Downing St

Plans for an airport in the Thames estuary have won political backing in Downing Street and the Treasury as a visionary way to solve Britain’s aviation capacity crunch. Until recently the concept of a new “hub” airport in the estuary – which would supplant Heathrow as Britain’s largest airport – was seen as an eccentric option pursued only by London’s Tory mayor, Boris Johnson.

But in recent months George Osborne, the chancellor, has switched from outright scepticism and is now looking favourably on the idea, according to several sources. There is also support in Downing Street. The estimated cost of a four-runway project on reclaimed land on the Isle of Grain, put forward recently by architect Norman Foster, would be £40bn-£50bn – a big sum at any time, let alone during the current squeeze on public finances.

But supporters believe that much of the financing could be obtained from the private sector or overseas government wealth funds.
An estuary airport would pose other challenges including the danger of bird strikes, the impact on wildlife and possible use of Dutch airspace for flight paths.

Senior Tory figures are open to either the Foster project or a previous incarnation of the concept, promoted by Mr Johnson, on a so-called “Boris Island” nearby. Steve Hilton, Downing Street’s influential head of policy, has also emerged as a staunch advocate for the cause and has been seeking to persuade cabinet ministers of its potential.

Mr Hilton is understood to see the project as a latter-day equivalent of the Channel tunnel, a scheme which was seen as “lunatic” at the time but is now taken for granted by the public.

...

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/4f4e3...#axzz1eSODKM12

[Spike88bcn]

I'm not sure if its the right place but... I arrive in few days to Gatwick airport and I want to go to Winchester, what is the best ways to arrive and the cheapest??

[CurioCity]

LHR T5 yesterday morning, taken by me

[IanCleverly]

Originally Posted by Spike88bcn

I'm not sure if its the right place but... I arrive in few days to Gatwick airport and I want to go to Winchester, what is the best ways to arrive and the cheapest??

Try National Express Buses, which a quick search would involve a change at Heathrow Airport, or do a search via Transport Direct, who give you all public transport options.

[Spike88bcn]

Thank you very much!! I'll check!!!

[PortoNuts]

Emirates to Add Nairobi to London Route Flights

Emirates plans to add two daily flights from Nairobi to London to cater for increased traffic. The airline said from January 2012, it will be operating five daily flights Heathrow Airport ,through Dubai ,targeting tourists and business travelers. The additional flights will be served by the A380 superjumbos.

"As these aircraft continue to join our fleet, we can offer more seats and choice in and out of high density points, while enabling a greater number of passengers to benefit from the Emirates' A380 experience," said Essa Sulaiman Ahmad, Emirates' Regional Manager for East Africa .

Emirates operates 105 weekly flights to the UK via six gateways; London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Glasgow.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201111241284.html

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

Gatwick Airport boss: '£1bn investment will bring thousands of jobs'

The high-flying chief executive officer of Gatwick Airport is promising a £1bn investment will bring thousands of jobs to East Surrey.

Speaking from Gatwick ahead of the opening of the £73m extension to the North Terminal, Stewart Wingate promised investment in the airport – part of the Gatwick Master Plan – would benefit the local economy and guarantee additional employment in East Surrey.

He told the Mirror: "We're talking thousands of extra jobs. We already have 25,000 people directly employed on campus. We're a massive source of employment here. And most people live on our doorstep."

The £1bn investment began two years ago when Gatwick Airport Ltd, spearheaded by Mr Wingate, took over the running of the airport, and will continue for the next two-and-a-half years. The jobs are expected to be created from additional routes provided by existing carriers and new airlines using Gatwick as a base.

Mr Wingate added: "In terms of generating jobs, it's all down fundamentally to passenger volume, the number of flights and destinations that we serve." He added: "The better Gatwick does, the better it is for the economy."

Mr Wingate said a significant part of the airport's success was down to the increasing number of airlines operating out of Gatwick. But he was quick to talk down any suggestion Gatwick would reach its capacity any time soon.

He explained: "We have by far the most efficient single runway in the world with 53 movements in a peak hour. In the winter we do 650 movements a day. The next busiest, San Diego, in its peak summer season does about 650. We are world class in terms of how we use the runway.

"We happen to think we can drive that to 55 movements per hour but what we will never do is impinge on the safety of the aircraft flying – often we are categorised as being as full as Heathrow but that isn't the case.

"We will do about 33.5m passengers this year. Off the single runway, we can see ourselves growing to about 45m and at the earliest that will be in the mid-2020s." He said the growth was partly down to easyJet's success. The budget carrier has 50 aircraft stationed at Gatwick.

As for the threat from other airports, he added: "We're taking on Heathrow. I don't think the tunnel beween Heathrow and Gatwick is going to happen as the estimated cost was £5bn. It's too expensive. And I have no desire to go to Heathrow – in any capacity."

http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/G...ail/story.html

[PortoNuts]

Gatwick Airport profit boosted by traffic growth

London's Gatwick Airport reported a 43 percent rise in first-half profit, helped by strong growth in passenger traffic, which it expects to continue in final six months of the year.

Gatwick airport, owned by U.S. investment fund Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), on Tuesday said its operating profit rose to 118.6 million pounds in the six months to the end of September on turnover 15 percent higher at 314.5 million pounds.

The airport, London's second largest behind BAA's Heathrow, said 19.7 million passengers travelled through Gatwick during the period, 8.5 percent up on the first-half a year ago.

The same period last year was hit by disruption caused by the eruption of an Icelandic volcano, which led to the closure of much of Europe's airspace for around a week.

Gatwick Airport said it still expects a total of 33.6 million passengers to travel through the airport in the year to the end of March 2012. "While passenger numbers are ahead of expectations for the six months ended 30 September 2011, the expectation for the full year outturn remains unchanged," the company said in a statement.

It said retail income rose 5 percent during the period, down on the 8.5 percent growth in passenger numbers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/...7AS00T20111129

Gatwick beats rival in battle for passengers

Route expansion by EasyJet and British Airways this summer helped boost the number of passengers travelling through Gatwick airport by an underlying 3.3 per cent from last year, while a policy of cutting landing charges in winter lured in new carriers, including Air Asia X, Hong Kong Airlines and Lufthansa.

Performance at the UK’s second-biggest airport in the six months to September was flattered by last year’s figures, when volcanic ash prompted multiple closures of northern European airspace; disregarding that hit, passenger volumes rose by 8.5 per cent year-on-year.

But taking it into account, Gatwick outperformed capacity-constrained Heathrow during the summer holidays. Heathrow passenger numbers rose just 1.5 per cent in the third quarter, and 6.1 per cent for the ninth months through September.

BAA, which runs Heathrow, sold Gatwick to a consortium led by Global Infrastructure Partners in December 2009, after an order by regulators to divest certain airports. In the year to March 2010, Gatwick’s passenger traffic fell 2 per cent, thanks partly to the downturn but also as carriers switched to Heathrow.

Since the sale, Gatwick’s operators have focused on punctuality and turnround times, invested in upgrades to the retail space and introduced a policy of eliminating landing charges during the winter in order to encourage year-round use of the world’s busiest single-runway airport.

“Future passenger growth is dependent upon making the most efficient use of our single runway,” said Stewart Wingate, chief executive.

The restructuring of landing charges also means higher prices in summer, which larger aircraft are better able to absorb. “If you choose to operate in the peak, you need to pay your way,” said Nick Dunn, chief financial officer.
Airlines such as EasyJet have embraced the move, while regional airline Flybe filed a complaint with the Civil Aviation Authority. An early decision backs Gatwick, which argues it is not discriminating on aircraft size but “incentivising the efficient use of infrastructure”.

“It’s an interesting and aggressive use of peak/off-peak pricing variations,” said Gerald Khoo at Espirito Santo. “You can’t get more aggressive than on/off.”

Revenues rose 15 per cent from last year, and earnings before interest, tax and depreciation – and before exceptionals of £2.2m – jumped by more than a third, to £164.4m, helped by reductions in IT and other costs. In the first full year under new ownership, Gatwick’s operating costs fell 6.5 per cent – and have stayed at lower levels in the first half of this year.

But the airport is prospering on the back of airline strategies that have some analysts concerned – particularly over capacity growth amid an uncertain economy. Gatwick itself expects 1.5 per cent passenger growth next summer, slower than this summer’s results. “From a demand side, we’re a bit cautious,” said Mr Dunn.

http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/2a353...#axzz1f7TEBRid

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

Green light for 583-bedroom hotel at Heathrow

Plans for a 583-bedroom hotel close to Heathrow Airport have been given the green ahead by the London Borough of Hounslow.

The plans were submitted by Squared Circle Developments after the company acquired the site from airline caterer, Gate Gourmet, in December 2009.

Situated opposite Hatton Cross tube station on the junction of the A30 and Faggs Road, the six-storey hotel, which incorporates 131 car parking spaces, is to be designed by Michael Drain Architects.

Martin Drage, director of letting agent, Mason Drage Limited, said: "This decision provides a massive boost to hotel capacity at Heathrow in a micro-location under-supplied with hotels. We have already experienced strong levels of interest from budget and mid-market operators who are attracted by the high connectivity of the site and the grant of consent will allow discussions with operators to progress rapidly."

Subject to negotiations with operators, the new hotel could be ready within 18-months. Demolition of the former catering centre has already begun.

http://www.caterersearch.com/Article...t-Heathrow.htm

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

[CurioCity]

LHR of course (?)

[Space Invader]

Gatwick.

[PortoNuts]

[PortoNuts]

Eleventh consecutive month of traffic growth at Gatwick

Passenger numbers in November 2011 increased by 0.6% compared to the same month last year, with 12,800 more passengers flying through Gatwick.

Air traffic movements were down by 4.5% compared to November 2010 through a combination of factors, including reduced capacity into North African charter destinations and a reduction by some carriers in their short-haul operations. This was offset, however, by record average load factors of 78.5%, up 3.3 percentage points on the prior year, driven by short haul and domestic markets.

The start to the winter season follows a strong summer season for Gatwick in which average load factors increased year-on-year in every month since April 2011.

In December, Gatwick is to welcome two new airlines; Vietnam Airlines launched the first direct flights between the UK and Vietnam on 9 December. This will be followed by Turkish Airlines commencing a daily flight to Istanbul from 20 December.

Air China announced last week a four times a week operation between Gatwick and Beijing starting in May 2012. This follows news that Hong Kong Airlines will start a daily all business class service to Hong Kong from March 2012.

http://www.breakingtravelnews.com/ne...th-at-gatwick/

[Space Invader]

Emirates Adds 4th Daily A380 Service to London Heathrow in S12

As per 15DEC11 GDS timetable and inventory display, Emirates from 25MAR12 is introducing 4th Daily Airbus A380 flight on Dubai – London Heathrow service.

The airline in recent weeks announced it’ll add 3rd Daily A380 flight to Heathrow starting 24JAN12.

http://airlineroute.net/2011/12/15/ek-lhr-s12/

[progressing nicely]

Heathrow's current A380 operators Emirates, Singapore and Qantas all use Terminal 3 which I think has only 4 A380 gates.

I wonder what T3's A380 capacity is as Singapore and Qantas will receive more planes and most likely swap out their existing non A380 services. In addition another terminal 3 operator Thai Airlines is also planning an A380 service.

Today there are 6 A380 aircraft a day using the terminal (2 for each airline). Over the next year this will rise to 10 with Emirates adding 2 while Singapore and Thai add one each.

I guess that is still well within capacity as each gate is used on average 2.5 times a day. I guess problems will only occur if more than 4 of these aircraft land within the turnaround time of the aircraft (which I assume is 2 to 3 hours).