Airport Consultant Lets Slip Real Gameplan

A consultant employed by Belfast City Airport has strongly hinted at the airport’s real gameplan – to become Northern Ireland’s second international airport.

Writing in the ‘Belfast Telegraph’, Gordon Bevan, from Manchester-based consultants, ASM, opened up the vista of round-the-clock operations on long-haul and freight services.

For the sake of clarity, this is what the airport’s ‘hired gun’ had to say:

“At present, Belfast International has a monopoly on long-haul charter operations, air-freight operations, long-haul scheduled operations and medium-haul charter services. Competition only takes place on domestic and near-Europe sectors.

“Preventing Belfast City’s proposed runway extension is merely going to restrict choice and competition. That’s good news for those who dominate current services, but not for consumers”.

There it is – the cat is definitely out of the bag!

This is why this planning application was lodged to extend the runway.

And this is precisely why it needs to be vehemently opposed!

So the truth appears to be that Belfast City Airport wants the runway extended to international length to compete head-to-head with Belfast International for long haul and air-freight operations.

That means:

• Removal of the curfew for 24/7 operations necessary to operate long haul and air freight services
• Bigger, noisier aircraft
• Air-freight would mean even heavier, therefore noisier planes
• Yet more increases in the 2008 Planning Agreement for passenger numbers and the number of flights allowed per year

Campaigner Fiona McKinley said the contribution from Mr Bevan was presumably endorsed by airport management before it went off to the ‘Belfast Telegraph’.

She added: “If you were a forensic scientist, you’d see the fingerprints of the City Airport all over this pretty feeble yet very revealing article.

“You wouldn’t require the team from NCIS, or Inspector Poirot, for that matter, to figure out that the airport is clutching at straws.

Belfast City Airport has lost the argument about growing the market and increasing tourism.

Flights to Malaga by Ryanair – the airline which is cutting check-in jobs and possibly baggage handling jobs as well – are highly unlikely to create more jobs or to bring in tourists.

Despite what Mr Bevan says, consumers already have plenty of choice – Belfast International and Derry Airport both have international length runways and can provide Northern Ireland passengers with a choice of destinations and tourists with two gateways to Northern Ireland.

The limited population/passenger base in NI cannot support three international airports.

So does anyone in Northern Ireland really need another international airport?  No is the obvious answer, given that this ‘city airport’ is sited in such a heavily populated area. With all of the well-documented environmental and health impacts and public safety concerns that are associated with airports, planners normally insist that they are sited well away from areas of high population.

Any arguments which the City Airport have been putting forward for extending the runway have now been exposed as spurious.

All ‘spin’ without substance or foundation.

All designed to impress the politicians who, thankfully, aren’t that easily taken in.

The one good thing about Mr Bevan’s piece of inspired prose is that it tears away the camouflage that surrounds the airport’s real intentions.

They want to get bigger and busier, they want to get into long-haul and air-freight, they want to get to over 4 million passengers a year and that means shredding the Planning Agreement; long-haul and freight means even later flights; permitting noisier and larger aircraft.

We already know that the runway extension would mean 6,000 more flights a year (that’s about 115 more a-week)

This is end to the City Airport as we know it and the start of an irreversible nightmare – the complete blight of schools, parks and thousands of people’s homes and lives in East and South Belfast and North Down.

Belfast City Airport Watch campaigner Fiona McKinley said “It is quite clear now that it intends to expand into a major international airport, even though it is sitting in east Belfast, and nearly 50% of its flights now take off and land over densely populated areas in the east and south of this city.

“Belfast City Airport’s impact on people’s homes was recognised by the European Parliament back in 2002. It is listed in European Directive 2002/30/EC as one of three city airports in the EU where… (15) The particular noise problems of airports which are located in the centre of large conurbations ("city airports") should be recognised by allowing for the introduction of more stringent rules.


“Despite this ruling, Belfast City Airport CEO, Mr Brian Ambrose claims that this EU Designated City Airport is “just like any other airport” and needs the runway extended to compete head-to-head with the International Airport – which is, as is the case for most other airports – surrounded by fields – and not city streets, schools, homes, a public park and RSPB Bird Reserve, both part of an internationally important Area of Special Scientific Interest, and several large industrial fuel storage depots.

“Mr Bevan has done us all a big favour. Now residents, politicians, Belfast City Council, Planning Service and the Environment Minister know the real reasons for the runway extension. We await more spin from Mr Ambrose as he grapples with trying to put this very big cat back into the bag”.

‘Airport must insulate 700 homes’

Noise consultants employed by the Government have advised Belfast City Airport that it must embark on a multi-million pound noise insulation scheme covering 700 homes.

Belfast City Airport Watch say that this vindicates what they’ve been saying all along about noise pollution and the need for proper protection.

In the detailed report commissioned by the Department of the Environment, specialists, Bureau Veritas, recommend a sound insulation scheme covering all residential properties that fall within the 60 decibel level.

That means 700 properties in all, covering a total of 1,442 people.

The report authors say the airport should come up with a programme and a timetable for the work. Under the heading “Future Contour Limit”, the noise experts go one step further by suggesting “further mitigation” – reducing the noise insulation contour trigger point from 60 decibels to 57 which is the level used by London City Airport.

The London based firm doesn’t estimate the number of additional homes that would qualify for noise insulation if the lower level of 57 decibels was introduced. But residents groups who’ve exposed aircraft noise as a major issue in their campaign against a runway extension at Belfast City Airport say the 57 decibel figure is a more realistic and fairer one and, taking evidence from the Airport's own 2008 Noise Report, would mean nearly 8,000 people’s homes, and several schools and nursing homes would be entitled to noise insulation under the airport-funded scheme.

Campaigners say the report by Bureau Veritas is a devastating blow for the airport and its owners.

Said Fiona McKinley: “The new owners paid well over the odds for this airport and they now need to face up to the fact that they could be facing a bill of many millions of Pounds to put things right for thousands of families.

“There should be no foot-dragging, no ducking out of what has now been proven to be a very real problem. The Department now has the expert opinion it needs to go to management at Belfast City Airport and tell them to immediately start work on a noise insulation scheme.

“People whose homes shake when overhead aircraft skim their rooftops deserve proper protection. Parents of children who are woken up by aircraft noise deserve help. Double or triple-glazing is the least the airport can do.

“Brian Ambrose, the airport Chief Executive, boasts about being a good neighbour, yet this airport does absolutely nothing to lessen the impact of its activities on families who live nearby. Instead it carries on as if there isn’t a problem. It continues to expand operations by bringing in large Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 jets, which incidentally aren’t allowed in by either of the two other EU Designated City Airports.

“And the runway extension can only make the problem a lot worse. Ryanair are on record as stating that if they got a runway extension they will expand operations at the City Airport, and that means increasing operations by around 6,000 more flights (within the limit set in the latest Planning Agreement) using large 737s, every one of them adding more noise to what is already a noise problem.

“Here’s a chance for Mr Ambrose to show his sincerity and concern for his neighbours. He should now convince us that he understands the true meaning of Corporate Social Responsibility by announcing a meaningful scheme that gives those whose lives and homes most affected some relief from the unrelenting noise pollution they are now being forced to endure.

“People before profits should be his new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) slogan. But on the basis of past performance, we won’t hold our breath!”

Consumer Council Backs Public Inquiry

The Consumer Council has thrown its weight behind calls for a Public Inquiry into the planning application to extend the runway at the City Airport.

In a detailed and damning critique, the Consumer watchdog body rejected the arguments made by the airport, saying it hadn’t seen “any convincing evidence” to back up what it said about an expansion of the route network.

The letter, signed by the Consumer Council Interim Chief Executive, Donna Magee, was sent to the Divisional Planning Manager of the Strategic Projects Team, John Cummins.

Ms Magee didn’t pull her punches.

She described as “disappointing” the failure of the Planning Service to consult the Consumer Council, but that shortcoming didn’t prevent the Council from tearing the airport’s case to shreds.

Ms Magee said: “The Consumer Council is keen to ensure development at any of our local airports is conducted with the long-term sustainability of the Northern Ireland aviation sector in mind.

“GGBCA has asserted that an extension of its runway would enable airlines operating from the airport to offer new European routes to customers.

“The Consumer Council is fully supportive of route development which enhances choice and affordability for the consumer, provided that new routes prove economically sustainable in the long-term.

“It is not in the interest of the consumer, or the aviation sector as a whole, for new routes to be opened only to be discontinued due to insufficient customer uptake.

“To date, we have not seen any convincing evidence produced by GBBCA which supports the assertion that an expansion in the number of routes operating from the airport would prove economically sustainable in the long-term.

“In addition to the above concerns, the Consumer Council is mindful of the many environmental, economic and social issues associated with the GBBCA planning application.

“Given the scope and complexity of the issues involved, the Consumer Council believes it would be difficult for all matters to be given full consideration in an open and transparent manner without the planning application being made subject to a Public Inquiry……..

“The Consumer Council believes the case for conducting a Public Inquiry is strengthened by the fact there is currently no aviation strategy to provide a framework for airport development in Northern Ireland.

“The Consumer Council will continue to call for a Northern Ireland aviation strategy to provide a strategic policy context within which similar decisions will be assessed in the future”.

Belfast City Airport, an EU-designated 'city airport', is meant to enforce a strict curfew on night-time flights because of its location close to a heavily populated conurbation. It is supposed to pull down the shutters at 9.30pm, with extensions allowed for ‘exceptional circumstances’ – but breaches of the planning regulations are commonplace.

Residents’ groups have been monitoring the airport’s behaviour and have given it a resounding “2 out of ten” for effort.

The airport has consistently, and without apology, broken the 9.30pm curfew, and May was a typical month  – on 14 nights out of 31, this airport allowed flights after 9.30pm.

The new Lord Mayor of Belfast, Naomi Long, is backing a Public Inquiry into plans to extend the runway at the City Airport.

The City Councillor and MLA supported the demand for an inquiry during the recent debate on the issue in the Assembly, in addition, Cllr Long has been vocal in her support of constituents’ rights in her East Belfast constituency.

The Chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Regional Development Committee, Fred Cobain, has come out and given his backing to calls for a Public Inquiry into the City Airport’s planned runway extension.

Better still, the senior MLA made known his views during a visit to the Airport.

Members of his Committee were given a presentation and guided tour of the Airport before Mr Cobain delivered the devastating blow to Belfast City Airport bosses.

Residents’ groups in East and South Belfast and North Down have taken great heart from the decision of the United Nations to intervene in the Belfast City Airport expansion controversy.

Leading the charge is the Cultra Residents’ Association who are appealing to an international environmental justice treaty known as the Aarhus Convention.

The Aarhus Convention goes to the heart of the relationship between people and governments. The Convention is not only an environmental agreement, it is also a Convention about government accountability, transparency and responsiveness.

The Aarhus Convention grants the public rights and imposes on Parties and public authorities obligations regarding access to information and public participation and access to justice.

Its central principle is that access to environmental justice should be fair, equitable and not “prohibitively expensive”.

The Belfast Telegraph broke the story in early May and, in its page one lead, explained that Residents’ associations from Kinnegar, Ormeau and Cultra were granted leave to take a Judicial Review case against the Department of the Environment in 2007. This was to ask the court to review the DoE’s decision-making process on establishing a new Planning Agreement with the City Airport, one which would alter some of its main operating restrictions, i.e. those designed to limit its environmental impact.

Campaigners opposed to the runway extension at City Airport have accused bosses of “spinning out of control”.

They cited a report on UTV as an example of how executives at the controversial airport are attempting to manipulate the message.

In a news piece which featured senior politician, Fred Cobain, calling for a Public Inquiry into the runway planning application, UTV Reporter Niall Donnelly quoted the airport as saying that the extension would mean no change in the number of flights, no changes to the curfew, and no larger planes than are currently using the Airport.

The 80,000 seats which shouldn’t have been sold

George Best Belfast City Airport has confirmed to local residents that it’s broken the terms of its new Planning Agreement with the Department of the Environment which was intended to minimise noise and environmental damage.

At a meeting on 4 March of the airport’s consultative forum, its Chief Executive, Brian Ambrose, admitted the airport had breached a vital ‘seats for sale’ clause in the Agreement and that 80,000 more seats were sold than permitted under the Planning Agreement during 2008.

The figures were in a document of statistical information which formed part of the report to the Forum, and Mr Ambrose confirmed at the meeting that although the table was headed 'Available Seats', that these were the Seats for Sale figures, as per the restriction in the Planning Agreement.

The number of Seats for Sale  which the Airport allowed to be made available in the year 2008 was 2,080,191 – 80,191 over the 2,000,000 per year Planning Agreement limit.

This is equal to well over 600 flights – not a trivial breach for those who live with these flights taking off over their homes day in day out. This is a major Planning Agreement which has been broken by Belfast City Airport – and by a significant amount.

Local residents say they’re furious that the airport is disregarding the new Agreement which raised the ‘seats for sale’ limit from 1.5 million to 2 million and which was signed just five months ago.

“These revelations just confirm that the new Planning Agreement isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” commented Fiona McKinley, spokesperson for Belfast City Airport Watch, the umbrella group of residents’ groups which is fighting the airport’s plans for a runway extension.

“If the City Airport is already breaking limits on passenger numbers set in the Agreement, just think what it would do if it was given the go-ahead for the runway extension.

“We’re bitterly disappointed that the Department of the Environment is failing to take any action against the airport for breaching the Agreement.

“Sammy Wilson, the Environment Minister, must tell his officials to enforce the Agreement properly.”

The ‘seats for sale’ restriction was included in the Planning Agreement as an environmental impact control, to help restrict the number of large, noisier jet aircraft using the airport.

Let’s have a Public Inquiry!

That is the clear message delivered by one of Northern Ireland’s three MEP’s, Jim Allister of Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV). In a statement, the MEP said he believed that local residents had the right to have their concerns about a 590-metre extension to the runway at Belfast City Airport adequately heard.

Mr Allister is the latest in a ever-lengthening list of senior politicians who’ve given their backing for a Public Inquiry.

Last week, 81 MLAs in the Northern Ireland Assembly threw their collective weight behind the call for an Inquiry – adding further pressure on the Planning Service as it ponders what to do next.