Stansted is one of two UK airports that must be sold by operator BAA, competition chiefs have ruled.

The Competition Commission’s (CC) final ruling states BAA must sell Stansted Airport followed by either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The airport operator, which owns six sites including Heathrow, will start the sale process in three months.

But the CC added that this could take place “sooner if undertakings are accepted from BAA in the meantime”.

The latest announcement follows a provisional ruling on the sales of Stansted and other airports in March.

It will also bring to an end a two-year long saga over BAA’s airport ownership, which began in March 2009.

In the 2009 ruling BAA was told to sell Stansted Airport, either Glasgow or Edinburgh, and Gatwick, which has since been sold.

But the CC findings were disregarded by BAA after the firm set out a string a legal challenges to the ruling.

The commission then had to look into whether any material changes in circumstances may have taken place since 2009.

The CC found that the airport sales were justified after considering the latest ruling and the provisional findings in March.

It said that passengers visiting Stansted, Gatwick, Edinburgh or any other airport would benefit from added competition under the separate ownership.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

The Government has signalled that security in airports will become more “passenger-friendly”.

As part of the plans, there will be wider flexibility in the way that passengers travelling through airports across the country, including Heathrow and Stansted, are screened.

Transport secretary Philip Hammond said he wanted to move in a different direction ”from the current highly-prescriptive one-size-fits-all approach” that is currently being applied in airports.

Instead, he said he wanted a new system which “maintains and improves security standards but in a more efficient and passenger-friendly way”.

Mr Hammond, who announced the consultation on aviation security, said: “I therefore propose that the Government should move from prescribing security processes to setting security outcomes.

“This will give airports and airlines greater flexibility to deliver high standards of security in ways that are better integrated with their day-to-day business and designed around the needs of the passenger.”

The introduction of a new security regime could see certain practices, such as making passengers take off their shoes, become a more selective process.

Mr Hammond said it was still ”of paramount importance” to the Government that passengers are safe and secure, and plans were being proposed to make all airport industry operators create and implement a security management system.

This move would highlight that there is a strong commitment to provide an overall high level of security, and demonstrate how UK and EU-specified security outcomes would be met, he added.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Noise reducing measures at Stansted Airport, including the gradual phase-out of ageing, overly loud planes, have been given the go ahead by the Government.

The five-year blueprint, which comprises almost 60 stringent measures to tackle the issue of noise in the surrounding areas of London Stansted Airport, has been green-lighted by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Department for Transport (DfT).

The Noise Action Plan was developed following a consultation period that lasted 16 weeks, canvassing the opinions of residents from local towns and villages.

Key areas of the strategy include prioritising the use of the world’s most modern, clean and efficient planes while phasing out use of older, noisier aircraft by 2015, increasing penalties for off track flying and noisy aircraft and protecting no-fly zones over the towns nearest the airport.

Other measures include the implementation of new landing techniques to cut down on noise from arriving planes and forging closer relationships with the aerospace industry in order to pioneer new technologies that will improve aircraft efficiency.

Head of health and safety and environment at Stansted Airport, Dr Andy Jefferson, said: “The publication of this plan is all about building upon our solid foundations and renewing our commitment to drive for even higher standards of operations as we work to protect our community from the impacts of noise.”

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Millions more package holidaymakers flying out of airports around the UK, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, could soon get financial protection if their operator collapses.

The Government said that while the chances of a holiday company going bust are very small, new plans will mean that the impact of such an event will be reduced even further.

Aviation minister Theresa Villiers said the Government is consulting on proposals that would mean up to six million extra holidays would be covered by the Air Travel Operators’ Licence (Atol) scheme.

Although many holidays involving flights are currently covered against airline or tour operator collapses under the Atol scheme, which is run by the Civil Aviation Authority, a number of air travel trips are not protected and it is these travellers that the plans would help.

The problem has been highlighted in recent years after a number of firms collapsed amid the credit crunch, leaving tourists stranded. Mrs Villiers said the frustration and disappointment it caused holidaymakers had shown that the Atol scheme was in urgent need of reform.

She added: “We have always been clear about our commitment to modernising the Atol scheme, and these proposals are an important step towards achieving just that. As well as ensuring up to six million additional holidays are protected, these proposals will help steer the scheme’s finances on to a more sustainable path for the future

“We are also making an important step forward on the debate on delivering a wider reform of Atol in the future.”

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Travellers flying to and from UK airports experienced fewer delays during the first three months of 2011, it has been revealed.

New figures from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) show that 82% of services arrived or departed within 15 minutes of their scheduled time between January and March 2011.

This marks an increase of 8% compared with the first quarter of last year. 

The performance at Gatwick, Luton and Stansted airports was even better, with the proportion of flights on time rising by 11% year-on-year. 

During the first three months of 2011, the average flight delay time was just 10 minutes – the lowest figure recorded for the first quarter of a year since 1995.

Iain Osborne, CAA group director for regulatory policy, welcomed the figures but said the group still believed progress could be made. 

He said: “The CAA believes that future improvements in performance through enhanced airport resilience and airspace efficiency are possible. 

“Together with the UK aviation industry, we are currently engaged in work programmes such as the South East Airports Task Force and the Future Airspace Strategy which, in time, should bring better outcomes to consumers.” 

Alongside its improved on-time performance, Gatwick Airport has also announced a new direct route to its itinerary this week. 

Vietnam Airlines has announced plans to begin a direct service to Gatwick on December 8, with two flights departing each week from both HCM City and Hanoi airports. 

The airline said in a press release that the route would be available daily by 2014.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Major UK airports enjoyed a bumper May as the royal wedding and late Easter helped boost passenger numbers, airport operator BAA said.

Some 9.34 million people used BAA’s six UK airports last month, a 9.2% increase on the same month last year, which was hit by the first Icelandic ash cloud crisis and industrial action.

More than 5.8 million passengers passed through Heathrow during the month, a May record for the airport and a rise of 11.6% on the same month in 2010. Edinburgh Airport also enjoyed a record May, with passenger numbers up 13.7%  to almost 826,000.

Stansted handled 0.7% more passengers last month, but Southampton Airport numbers fell 1.1%. Aberdeen Airport numbers rose 11.8% in May 2011, while Glasgow was up 7.0%.

BAA said the late Easter and the royal wedding at the end of April had led to an increase in passengers at the beginning of May 2011 while the second Iceland ash cloud problem had had only a marginal effect.

The company added that the “rolling year” figure, for the 12 months ending May 2011, showed that Heathrow passenger numbers had passed the 68 million mark for the first time.

BAA’s six airports handled almost 41.32 million passengers in the first five months of this year – an 8.6% rise on the January-May 2010 figure.

BAA chief executive Colin Matthews said: “Demand is particularly strong on the long-haul routes that connect UK businesses to fast-growing economies around the world.”

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Planemaker Airbus has offered a glimpse into the future with a concept transparent cabin which allows people to see the sky above them. 

The cabin for 2050 would be designed to measure up to the efficiency of bird bone with the temperature able to be controlled via a cabin wall membrane. 

The design could enable passengers flying out of the likes of London Stansted or Gatwick Airport to get a decent view of the sky above and around them with the transparent cabin wall. 

The cabin would have seats that fit passengers’ body shapes and travellers might be able to read bedtime stories to their children back home, Airbus said. 

Showing off its concept cabin, the company also said that mid-century passengers might be able to enjoy a game of virtual golf or take part in interactive conferences, while the cabin “identifies and responds” to travellers’ needs. 

The cabin of the future follows last year’s unveiling of the Airbus concept plane, packed with technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise. 

In the cabin concept, new personalised zones replace the traditional cabin classes. 

The “vitalising zone” helps passengers relax, with vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments. 

The “smart tech zone” is tailored towards the more functional-orientated passenger with what Airbus describes as “a chameleon-style offering, to meet individual needs ranging from a simple to a complete luxury service, but all allowing you to continue life as if on the ground”. 

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Travellers planning trips abroad over the bank holiday period are unlikely to experience any disruption as the ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland clears.

Passengers at airports such as Stansted, Heathrow and Gatwick enjoyed minimal disruption on Thursday as the cloud from the Grimsvotn volcano blew away from British skies to northern Europe.

Experts at the Met Office said the amount of ash over the UK and Europe would be “minimal” at the start of the bank holiday weekend.

Activity from the volcano has dropped off in recent days, with the latest information from the Icelandic Meteorological Office suggesting it is no longer emitting any ash.

Transport secretary Phillip Hammond held talks with representatives from air traffic control company Nats, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), the Met Office, British Airways and easyJet aimed at planning how airlines could work around such problems in the future.

He asked Nats and the CAA to draw up protocols which would allow planes to fly underneath the ash cloud to and from the UK. They could then gain altitude once they were clear of the “red zone” of high-level ash.

Mr Hammond added that test planes have been flying in the affected areas gathering additional data for the Met Office.

“We are constantly refining our ash forecasting methods and are keen to collect as much data as possible to help with this,” said Mr Hammond.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Parts of London’s Gatwick and Heathrow airports will be given a facelift thanks to new building projects planned at the capital’s two biggest air travel hubs.

Around £1 billion will be spent on cladding one of Gatwick Airport’s two old terminals in glass and steel. Gatwick’s South Terminal will be newly equipped with a hi-tech security system that will include Britain’s first automated ticket check. Longer airport baggage handling conveyors will also be included in the terminal in order to improve the inspection of carry-on bags.

Work on Gatwick’s North Terminal is set to come to an end later this month.

Meanwhile, Heathrow is set for a new Terminal 2 building after the old one was closed down to be demolished in late 2009. Energy trading company HETco is reported to have secured an £800 million contract to build the new Terminal 2.

The building will have wider spaces for passengers to walk through, systems that make baggage collections simpler and quicker, a new bathroom, advanced lighting systems and larger and brighter forecourts.

The £2.6 million terminal at Heathrow is set to be completed by 2013. Following this, the 42-year-old Terminal 1 at Heathrow will be removed and combined with Terminal 2 to create one single complex with a capacity of 30 million passengers.

Copyright © Press Association 2011

Liberal Democrat peer Floella Benjamin has called for changes to be made to air passenger duty so that it doesn’t discriminate against people visiting the Caribbean.

Currently, people travelling from a UK airport to the Caribbean pay more tax than those travelling to California, for example. This is despite the distance to the Caribbean being significantly shorter.

The Treasury is consulting on proposals that would see countries placed in tax bands according to the distance of their capital from the UK.

Speaking in the House of Lords, Baroness Benjamin, who was born in Thailand, said: “Any negative impact on tourism in the Caribbean will have far-reaching consequences. If jobs are lost and alternative employment is not available, we all know this will have a cost – to governments in supplying welfare as well as the potential increase in crime.

“The UK is home to around 800,000 members of the Caribbean diaspora and they view APD with a huge sense of injustice. Many of these citizens were encouraged to come to the UK in the 50s and 60s and have spent their lives working in public service.

“Now in retirement, the money they have saved to pay for visits, often for funerals, weddings or to see sick relatives, suddenly does not go as far because many of them have been low-income earners.”

Copyright © Press Association 2011