ISSUE SPONSORED BY ISSUE SPONSORED BY The official magazine of the GIBRALTAR Airport Operators Association AIRPORT: NEW SPRING 2013 TERMINAL TRANSFORMING AIR TRAVEL Policy Features News AOA launches ‘Airport Operators TV’ Bristol Airport’s dynamic development Newcastle Airport launches new website ‘A Fair Tax on Flying’ St Helena’s £201.5m Airport Project RPS: logistical masterplanning at Manchester New night noise regime moves closer LHR Runway Resilience Project Birmingham appoints new aviation strategy specialist Delivering world class integrated baggage handling solutions Babcock provides integrated solutions which support We are one of the UK’s leading organisations providing critical airport operations, helping to keep passengers through-life integrated solutions and support services for moving and fl ights on schedule. Our services airport baggage handling. With over 15 years experience, encompass designing, installing and managing Babcock uses its unrivalled baggage processing and complex baggage handling systems, through to fl eet operational knowledge, together with its specialist management and engineering support for specialist engineering skills in automated handling and control ground support vehicles. systems development, to deliver the optimum throughlife performance in terms of cost, effi ciency and reliability. www.babcock.co.uk babcock-spring2013-1.0.indd 1 27/02/2013 09:54 p.3 WWW.AOA.ORG.UK THE Airport Operator SPRING 2013 Ed Anderson, Chairman, Airport Operators Association The official magazine of the Airport Operators Association CHAIRMAN’S IntRODUctION Airport Operators’ Association 3 Birdcage Walk Welcome to this edition of to ensure that all aspects of London the Airport Operator which the passenger experience are SW1H 9JJ is published on the occasion of excellent and we therefore Tel: 020 7799 3171 Fax: 020 7340 0999 our Annual Dinner at the welcome the appointment of Grosvenor House Hotel. We are Sir Charles Montgomery as the www.aoa.org.uk delighted that the Secretary of new Chief Executive of the UK State for Transport, the Right Border Force. We look forward Honourable Patrick McLoughlin to working collaboratively with MP, has accepted our invitation the Border Force, both nationally to give the keynote address. and at the individual airport level, to ensure a top class service Annual events are always an for our inbound passengers. The Airport Operator is produced opportunity to reflect and take by PPS Publications Ltd. stock. I feel that aviation now We continue to be very has a more positive hearing supportive of the work of the Daniel Coleman from policy makers than in Sustainable Aviation coalition. Publisher some recent years. There is Following last year’s publication Ross Falconer more recognition of the very of the carbon ‘road map’ we Editor significant benefits that can flow are now looking forward to the to the economy from a thriving publication of the SA Noise Amy Hanna UK aviation sector and the Road-Map which should indicate Assistant Editor question in policy makers’ minds how aviation can grow without Callum Tennent seems to be less one of whether increasing its overall noise Assistant Editor aviation should be allowed to output for local communities. grow and rather where and when Richard Jende Head Designer that growth might take place. The topic that still concerns us massively is Air Passenger Victoria Wilkinson In that context, we welcome Duty. Following the double Designer the fact that the Government’s inflation increase last April, and Aviation Policy Framework is due the 200,000 emails sent by James Howson PPS Publication & to be published soon. We hope members of the public to MPs Exhibition Manager that the APF heeds the AOA’s urging a change of policy, the calls for a bold and integrated Chancellor is planning another Paul J. Hogan aviation policy framework which inflation increase this April. Managing Director contains a clear endorsement This will make the UK even of the benefits of allowing our less competitive with the rest PPS Publications Ltd sector to grow in a sustainable of Europe and the very high 3a Gatwick Metro Centre way. We also welcome the levels of APD are a clear brake Balcombe Road Davies Commission work on on aviation’s ability to provide Horley, Surrey RH6 9GA airport capacity and would the economic growth that is so United Kingdom urge all parties to commit to badly needed. We are urging the Tel: 01293 783851 acting upon its findings. Treasury to commit to a wide Fax: 01293 782959 study of the impact of the tax Email: [email protected] The past year has seen major and, until that is published, to www.pps-publications.com investment at our airports halt any further tax increases. to improve the passenger ©PPS Publications Ltd 2013 experience and to ensure I wish all of you who will resilience when schedules are be at the Annual Dinner a Please ensure all press releases are sent to PPS Publications disrupted. We are concerned most enjoyable evening. directly, not to AOA head office. Cover photo: Hufton and Crow AOA IS plEASED TO WORK WITH ITS CORPORATE AND SILVER SPONSORS Corporate sponsors Silver sponsors p.5 WWW.AOA.ORG.UK THE Airport Operator SPRING 2013 AOA LAUNCHES ‘AIRPORT OPERATORS 01 TV’ CHANNEL The AOA has joined new initiative will bring to life and leading organisations aviation and better we’re also excited to start forces with television the key issues in aviation as who define the sector. passenger experience. creating editorial profiles on heavyweights ITN in an exciting we reach a pivotal moment some of the organisations new video content partnership. in what is an incredibly “We’re delighted to be “Some of the industry’s that make it tick,” he added. exciting airports sector.” partnering with the AOA, biggest names are scheduled ITN Productions, the creative creating content and a voice to appear on the programme. For more information on production hub at ITN, “The focus of the programme on major themes such as Aviation is such a vital part the initiative please contact, has commissioned Airport is to cover sector development international connections, of the recovery and growth Simon Shelley, Director of Operators TV, which will be and share best practice Air Passenger Duty, tax and of the UK economy; and in Corporate Programming, ITN, hosted by national newsreader and knowledge to shape growth requests, sustainable addition to the main interviews at [email protected]. Natasha Kaplinsky, and the future of airports and will be creating content aviation. Above all, the channel specifically around the will show how important activities of the AOA and the aviation is as a sector and airport industry at large. the contribution it makes to growth and the economic The AOA’s Darren Caplan, recovery of UK plc,” he added. Chief Executive, said: “This Airport Operators TV will be shown at the AOA Annual Conference in London – as Darren Caplan: well as being hosted on the “The focus of the ITN Transport News channel. programme is to cover Simon Shelley, Corporate sector development Programming Director at ITN, and share best practice will oversee the programme and knowledge to editorial, and has said that the shape the future of aim of the channel is to drive ‘thought-leadership’ by telling airports and aviation” the story of the innovative 01 ITN Productions, the creative production hub at ITN, has commissioned Airport Operators TV, which will be hosted by national newsreader Natasha Kaplinsky. p.6 THE Airport Operator WWW.AOA.ORG.UK SPRING 2013 THE AOA CAllS FOR CHAncEllOR TO CAncEL PROPOSED 2013 APD IncREASE IN 01 THE MARCH BUDGET Cutting Air Passenger Duty (APD) would boost jobs and growth and, as a result, produce higher revenues for the Treasury. That is the main conclusion of a new report from PricewaterhouseCoopers commissioned by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair and easyJet. The report says that cutting or abolishing APD could benefit the UK economy to the tune of make an important contribution That was also the message Government to “take this a great phantom that has been 0.45% in GDP every year and to the revival of the economy delivered to the Government by grave situation into account”. created by the Treasury – a around 60,000 jobs between at a time when growth had peers in a well-attended House He accused the Treasury wonderful piece of misdirection now and 2020. It makes the become the Government’s most of Lords debate on APD. While of “a wonderful piece of of which the illusionist Derren case that lower APD levels important objective. By showing the Government’s spokesman, misdirection” over its refusal Brown would be proud.” would result in higher revenues that any lost revenues from an Lord Newby, said that APD to consider commissioning for the Government from a APD increase would be replaced was a valuable contributor a review. Claiming that the He was backed by Lord boost in growth. It would more by revenues from growth, the to the public purse at a time Treasury was refusing to launch Howell of Guildford who said than pay for itself by increasing PwC report has taken away of economic uncertainty, all a new consultation into the the current situation was revenues from other sources, the Chancellor’s last argument ten other peers who spoke contentious tax because, in its “Treasury obfuscation and such as income tax and VAT. against taking action on APD. in the debate criticised the opinion, it has been reviewed short-termism at its worst”, Government’s position on the tax. already, he argued: “There arguing that “APD in its current Darren Caplan, Chief Executive The AOA’s submission to the are plenty of other similar inflated form is working of the AOA, said that PwC’s Treasury ahead of George There was widespread support responses to very similar against our friends, against authoritative report provided Osborne’s 20 March Budget calls in the Lords debate for the view inquiries, yet there has never our foreign policy goals and powerful ammunition in support on the Chancellor to put an end that the right course for the been such a consultation.