"Gloucestershire Airport will become unviable if its runway project doesn't get the go-ahead, an independent study has said."So reads the first line of Citizen/Echo report on the airport - Tewkesbury Borough have commissioned a report to look at the Airport's plans for expanding - the Western Daily Press yesterday asked me for comments - then I only had some of the conclusions of the report - the papers website and article carries some of my comments...they write: "Philip Booth, a green warrior and Stroud district councillor, is incensed by the report. "It is deeply disappointing," he said. "If we are going to tackle climate change we need to cut CO2 emissions by 90 per cent and if we allow more aircraft to use the site then this is not going to happen. Many responsible companies are planning to reduce their flights by doing things like video conferencing, so why are we supporting companies who are not being responsible. The other argument is that the economics just do not stack up. It's basically business as usual and it's wrong. This report does not seem to be a real analysis. Even the most fuel-efficient flights are only a few per cent better. The technology is years away."
Today I've read more of the report - and indeed I've also just read the strap line of the consultants' website... "Welcome to York Aviation. We are a specialist firm of air transport consultants providing consultancy services for the airports business." This is not, in my view, the "independent endorsement" of proposals that the Airport claims - indeed I am concerned by what appears to be large amounts of tax-payers monies being spent on consultants that help airports???? This is surely an abuse of taxpayers money? Clearly further investigation is needed but I have grave concerns.....
Indeed I wonder if this York Aviation has ever recommended no expansion?
I will be looking further at the report, but on this first glance it completely fails to understand environmental considerations - indeed there seem to be serious factual mistakes.
The Airport is in Tewkesbury Borough but owned by Cheltenham Borough and Gloucester City councils - Cheltenham Borough supports the measures but Gloucester City has deferred its decision. It mainly handles business and training flights plus an increasing number of scheduled services - last year there were 80,855 flights - yet when a 100,000 cap on flights was proposed they protested - yet they say the improvements to the airport are not about expansion - we read also about more scheduled flights and more larger planes....
1 comment:
Here's a letter from one Glos Airport campaigner:
Dear Editor,
It seems that the Tewksbury council are as irresponsible with council tax payers money as Cheltenham Council. They want an independent assessment of the Gloucestershire Airports proposal, so what do they do? Just like Cheltenham Council, they go to an aviation consultant, and surprise, surprise, we get another so called independent aviation consultant recommending an expansion of the airport.
When are the airport and its supporters going to take evidence from the other side of the argument and properly recognise the dam age to the environment that this industry causes?
The report acknowledges that that the developments will allow the airport to operate turboprop planes in the 50 to 70 seat size and facilitate more private jet operations. Unless the airport does this it will never make a return on the £3million pounds that they propose to invest and which will be backed by council tax payers. This is an unequivocal expansion of operations.
As usual with an aviation consultant’s report is total omission of meaningful discussion on climate change. The Environmental section of the report says, “Typically, much of the environmental impact of Airport’s is associated with surface access rather than aircraft operations.” Are they seriously suggesting that the emissions from all the new planes that will operate from the airport are insignificant? They have omitted any reference to the IPCC report which states that even an 80% reduction in our CO2 emissions will still result in a catastrophic temperature increase above 2 deg C.
I trust the planners of Tewskesbury will see this report for what it is - another self serving piece of justification from the aviation industry.
Kevin Lister
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