THE AIRPORT OPERATOR THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AIRPORT OPERATORS ASSOCIATION AIRPORTS INVESTMENT BOOM Multi-billion plans Features EDINBURGH AOA MANIFESTO Recipe for success Ambitious agenda CORNWALL AIRPORT NEW AIRPORT CHIEF NEWQUAY EXECUTIVES SUMMER 2017 Fastest-growing UK airport Sinclair heads for London City ADVERT 3 ED ANDERSON Introduction to the Airport Operator THE AIRPORT invisible infrastructure in the sky that OPERATOR Welcome has changed little since the 1960’s, THE OFFICIAL MAGAZINE OF THE AIRPORT OPERATORS ASSOCIATION renewed our call for a 50% cut in Air to this Passenger Duty and emphasised the AIRPORT OPERATORS ASSOCIATION importance of having a well-resourced edition Border Force that will be able to cope Ed Anderson with increased passenger flows. Chairman of the Karen Dee Operator, As I write this introduction, the Chief Executive Government is embarking on the first stages of what will no doubt be a long Peter O’Broin which is and complex negotiation to implement Policy Manager published the referendum vote for the UK to Henk van Klaveren leave the European Union. The AOA Public Affairs & PR Manager online on the occasion has worked hard over recent months Roger Koukkoullis of the summer 2017 to explain to officials and politicians of Operations, Safety all parties that aviation currently relies & Commercial Director aviation Parliamentary on the legal framework provided by Claire Humphries reception. EU-level air services agreements for Events & Member Following the General Election the flights to over 40 countries. We have Relations Manager reception will provide us with a timely also emphasised that early certainty on Patricia Page opportunity to meet newly-elected how these agreements will be replaced Executive Assistant and re-elected MPs and to explain is vital, as airlines typically plan their & Office Manager how the Government and Parliament routes 12 to 18 months in advance. Avni Patel can take action that will enable UK I am pleased to report that these Accounts Executive aviation to continue to flourish. points now seem to be increasingly well-understood in Whitehall and We are delighted that Chris Grayling, Westminster and especially in both AIRPORT OPERATORS ASSOCIATION who has been reappointed as Transport the Department for Transport and 3 Birdcage Walk, Secretary, has confirmed that the London SW1H 9JJ the Department for Exiting the Department for Transport will be United Kingdom European Union, whose Secretary of pressing ahead with its plans for a new State, David Davis, has referred to the Aviation Strategy. That will set a policy T: +44 (0)20 7799 3171 aviation sector as a priority on a par framework for our sector for the coming E: [email protected] with financial services. decade and we will be responding to F: +44 (0)20 7340 0999 all the forthcoming Aviation Strategy In addition to lobbying on Brexit and W: www.aoa.org.uk consultation documents. the Aviation Strategy, this has been a busy spring and summer for the AOA During the election campaign we team and its new Chief Executive, Michael Burrell published our own AOA manifesto for Karen Dee, on many fronts. In May Editor UK airports, setting out a five-point we co-ordinated an exceptionally plan for the incoming Government. You impressive Airports Safety Week, with can read more detail on that elsewhere airports around the country delivering THE AIRPORT OPERATOR in this edition, but, in summary, our MAGAZINE IS PRODUCED BY a huge variety of imaginative activities manifesto covered a framework for that attracted attention not only from airport growth across the country, the airport-based staff, but also from impact of Brexit on aviation, airspace passengers, local communities and Shimon Speigel modernisation, Air Passenger Duty and other European airports. Creative Director the UK’s border regime. The AOA also delivered specialist Jessica Horton We emphasised the key role that conferences for our members on the Graphic Designer airports play in helping to deliver environment, security and operations GENIUM the connectivity that the country and safety and began the planning for Studio 27 needs for a successful economy our annual conference, which is to be Quadrant Business Centre and we explained why it is vital that held in a new venue this year on 30 135 Salusbury Road the Government should prioritise a and 31 October. London NW6 6RJ new legal framework for the UK’s Meanwhile, I wish all of you a successful international aviation connectivity T: +44 (0)20 7089 2622 and prosperous summer season. E: [email protected] after Brexit. We set out a vision for W: www.geniumcreative.com modernising the UK’s airspace, the Ed Anderson, AOA Chairman 4 THE AOA IS PLEASED TO WORK WITH ITS CORPORATE PARTNERS, AND GOLD AND SILVER MEMBERS Corporate Partners Gold Members Silver Members WWW.AOA.ORG.UK 5 ANNUAL CONFERENCE BOOKING OPENS Booking has opened for the AOA Annual Conference 2017 to be held on 30 and 31 October at a new venue – the completely refurbished Royal Lancaster Hotel, overlooking London’s Hyde Park elegates who book by 13 & Policy at the Department for Security at the Civil Aviation September will be able to Transport; Ian Jopson, Chair of Authority and Phil Williams, Head of Dsave £155 on places at the Sustainable Aviation and Head of the Risk Assessment and Incident conference, dinner and awards Environmental & Community Affairs, Response team at the Department ceremony – which this year will, for NATS; Tim Johnson, Director for Transport. the first time, include three awards of the Aviation Environment for Airports Safety Week events. Federation; Carrie Harris, Group Rounding off the trio of specialist Sustainability Manager, IAG and conferences for 2017 was the The October conference will speakers from London City Airport, well-established Operations and conclude a bumper year for AOA Gatwick, London Luton Airport and Safety Conference, held in June at conferences, which began in April Manchester Airports Group. Carden Park Hotel, near Chester, with an environment specialist and attended by over a hundred conference, held at The Crystal, Next up was the security delegates and eight exhibitors. The East London, which describes conference, held in May at Mottram subjects discussed included remote itself as “one of the world’s most Hall, Cheshire, and sponsored digital control towers and drones. sustainable buildings”. by Rapiscan Systems. A panel The well-received keynote speaker discussion on the rising threat was Robert Kay, Airbus UK’s Chief Issues discussed by the 70+ to airport operations from cyber Engineer, who offered a compelling attendees included sustainable security attracted a lot of attention. vision of future aviation trends. There growth, climate change adaptation Other topics discussed included the were also presentations from NATS, and mitigation and progress in opportunities and threats caused by the Civil Aviation Authority, Heathrow cutting electricity, gas and water the rapidly growing drone market, and London Luton Airports. usage. The speakers included Tim landside security and domestic May, Director for Aviation Policy extremism. Speakers included Click here to register today & Head of Airports Noise Strategy Peter Drissell, Director of Aviation THE AIRPORT OPERATOR SUMMER 2017 6 WWW.AOA.ORG.UK 7 GORDON DEWAR’S RECIPE FOR SUCCESS The fastest growing airport in the UK for international passengers – up 21% in a year – is Edinburgh and Gordon Dewar, its Chief Executive, is very clear how that was achieved t is, he says, down to the quality of ceased to be part of the group of different culture: “Today the his team, the commercial data- airports owned by BAA and become a underlying culture is that we are a Idriven culture of today’s airport stand-alone enterprise with complete data-driven organisation. We hire and the natural advantages of its responsibility for its own future. good analytical talent who develop position close to Scotland’s dynamic a good understanding of what capital city. He believes that the new owners, the opportunities are and then we Global Infrastructure Partners, execute well. A key part of that is that When Dewar took over as Chief recruited him because he had we are taking high quality data to Executive in 2012, following BAA’s become a tried and tested airport airlines to give them confidence that decision to sell Edinburgh, the operator, with six years’ experience they will make money in Edinburgh”. airport boasted 9 million passengers (initially at rival Glasgow Airport), a year. Today that figure has risen because he already knew about Developing a long pipeline of sharply to over 12 million and further Edinburgh Airport as a business prospects requires excellent evidence international growth looks certain. and because he was already part of and hard work, he says, and can a Scottish network that would be involve “keeping the plates spinning” Dewar’s analysis of success important as the airport sought to for three to six years before a new starts with the high quality of the realise its growth potential. deal is closed. It is made easier, colleagues that he inherited and he suggests, by the quality of the recruited. “You have to be very At the outset the most pressing economy of the Edinburgh region: aware of what you bring personally” challenge, he says, was to change “the numbers really are phenomenally he says “and then make sure that the airport so that it could prosper compelling”. He points out that three you cover the bases with all the alone, which meant, for example, out of four international visitors skills that you need to have. We recruiting a new finance team. The to Scotland already go through have superb airport operators, other challenge, as he describes Edinburgh airport and says that his really exceptional support services it, was to bring in a completely optimism about the future is largely and we have invested very heavily in our commercial, projects and development teams”.