| Apr 1, 04 - 4:29 AM Airport 24 hour opening
Have they carried out environmental impact assessments covering the increased noise and atmospheric pollution caused by 24 hour flying?
I'm not looking forward to sleepless nights caused by jets screaming over my roof.
I note the airport are using the same argument as when they got their last (apparently ineffective extension)and I suspect that any 'economic benefit' will be limited to charter holiday flights increasing the Airports income but of no real benefit to the area.
Gwen Johnston
Apr 2nd, 2004 - 6:22 AM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
it's about time this so called 'international' Airport was open 7 day a week 24hours.
Bob
Apr 3rd, 2004 - 4:44 PM Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
Yes, for a "metropolis" city it's pretty shocking.
RE the post complaining about the noise levels caused, what about those who work nightshift in the city and area "treated" to the noise during the day? There won't be HALF as much traffic in night. In fact, I believe this move will only really serve one purpose : to allow delayed flights to land at Aberdeen Airport rather than being diverted and causing huge inconvenience to passengers.
Shouldn't be TOO bad
Andrew
Apr 12th, 2004 - 3:45 AM Re: Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
I hope you are right
Andrew
Apr 12th, 2004 - 3:41 AM Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
An airport does't have to open 24 hours to be international !
Ubi Denmark
Apr 4th, 2004 - 2:20 PM Worth a try ?
I have to express some sympathy with Andrew's view. The prospect of noisy jets continually interrupting sleep would be quite unappealing. But looking into the issue a little further the real impact may actually be somewhat less than the first impression gained.
Whilst airlines and airports would doubtless be happy to operate revenue earning services at all hours of the day and night, the reality is that there is very little demand in the UK for services scheduled to arrive or depart after 11pm. Even at London Heathrow - one of the world's busiest airports - there are rarely scheduled departures after 10.30pm and the poor sufferers at Hounslow can get a few blissfully undisturbed hours of sleep because the first of the long haul arrivals is not until around 5am.
At Aberdeen there is little or none of these hub operations which create demand for round the clock flying. With helicopter operations being specifically prohibited, night time aircraft operations are likely to be confined to three categories: Charter; Delays; Emergencies.
The last of these can be discounted from the argument - presumably no-one would deny genuine life or death access to the runway ? That facility already exists under the airport's operating rules and mercifully is rarely required.
Delayed scheduled flights are likely to account for an increase in aircraft movements after 10.30pm. Even allowing for an inevitable degree of fiddling by airlines to meet their own commercial interests this in itself is not going to create an unacceptable level of continuous noise, on two grounds: Number of flights and noise levels of those flights. Aberdeen has very few flights scheduled to arrive near the current curfew. Modern passenger jets approach the landing runway on minimum power settings and it is common at those European airports which do permit 24 hour operations for reverse thrust to be prohibited during night time operations except, once again, in emergency. (Availability of reverse thrust is not a factor in calculating aircraft braking distances.) Scheduled operations are therefore likely to lead to a small number of unintrusive flights.
Charter flights might present a greater threat to slumber if allowed to operate unfettered. Operating on slender margins, and often with older, noisier jets, there is greater pressure on charter operators to get aircraft turned round and operating as near to 24 hours per day as possible. If Aberdeen airport is serious about wishing to remain a good neighbour it can neutralise this threat by prohibiting charters from scheduling arrival or departure between, say, 11pm and 7am. Delays and emergencies apart, on the basis of Aberdeen's limited number of direct holiday charter destinations how many controversial aircraft movements could this generate in practical terms ? One a week during the summer ? Two in a continual worst case scenario ?
So, whilst the initial fear is that night time operations could constantly threaten the sleep of many around the airport and under the flight path (including this correspondent), the practical effect is likely, by definition of its own limited passenger appeal, to be confined to a few flights which are not noisy enough to be worth arguing about and one or two which might briefly be intrusive during the summer season.
The arguments for are increased passenger convenience and heightened marketability for the city. On balance, with appropriate controls, it may be worth trying on an experimental basis.
A vital issue is how well, or badly, Aberdeen City Council handles the application. If ACC is to add value for the benefit of the citizens of Aberdeen it will ensure that strict operating conditions which protect human rights are attached to any approval given. ACC should ensure that any permission is offered on the basis of a licence which can be revoked at any time if it is abused by the airport or operators. And it will monitor operations in an honest and meaningful way. If it does all of those things it will have plotted a course which offers something for everyone.
If it displays a slovenly attitude to the application - either by petulantly refusing it or by granting it with insufficient attention to the question of licence - then it will have done nothing at all for the city and will have performed to the standards expected of it. Email: unlikely@lycos.co.uk
Stephen
Apr 5th, 2004 - 3:21 AM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
I'm totally in favour of Aberdeen Airport being open 24hrs. Personally I don't feel I have any real right to argue otherwise - When I moved to Kingswells over 3 years ago I was well aware of the chance of this happening and also of the fact that Kingswells is under the flight path of the airport.
At the end of the day I think that most people would expect a city the size of Aberdeen to have a 24hr Airport and if the extended opening times brings economic benefits to the area then that's even better.
Who knows, perhaps this will also be the catalyst to extending the check-in and concourse facilities in the terminal building and hopefully doing away with the congestion now found on a regular basis within the terminal
William McDonald
Apr 5th, 2004 - 4:23 AM Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
My brother left Aberdeen in the 70's.
The Airport was closer to the rail network then, than it is now.
Suppose that's what you call progress.
Andrew
Apr 12th, 2004 - 3:43 AM Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
I moved to Kingswells 7 years ago, the airport closed at 10.30 then.
Bob
Apr 20th, 2004 - 9:54 PM Re: Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
You're on the ball aren't you!
Is there a point to your comments. When our family moved to our present location, Supermarkets shut at 6pm on Sundays..
Andrew
May 7th, 2004 - 4:37 AM Re: Re: Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
Yes
The point is had 24 hour airport opening been on the cards 7 years ago we wouldn't have considered moving to Kingswells
Claire
May 10th, 2004 - 5:01 AM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
Taken from the Aberdeen City Council Web Site:
News Item
Airport opening hours planning application update
10 May 2004 09:13
A decision as to whether or not to hold a development plan departure hearing into the recent planning application by Aberdeen Airport to vary its planning permission is now likely to be made during the summer/autumn, rather than on May 20 as originally anticipated.
Supporting documents from the Airport on noise impact, public transport links and the economic development impact of the proposal are still in preparation.
The Council in its role as planning authority wishes to take a decision on the basis of the fullest information available. A further opportunity to make representations will be given once these documents have been received.
Background Note:
The Council's press release dated April 1 anticipated that a decision whether to hold a development plan departure hearing would be made on May 20 and that a decision on the application itself would be made on June 17 (if no hearing), July 22 or September 2. These dates will not now be achieved.
To date over 30 letters of objection and three of support have been received. Website: http://www.kingswells.com
Space Man
Jan 17th, 2005 - 5:36 AM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
Heathrow prepares for superjumbo & Dyce closes at 10:30pm
Sleepy
Jan 19th, 2005 - 1:36 PM Re: Re: Airport 24 hour opening
It should close at 9pm.
Aberdeen is not London
Joe Kidde
Jan 23rd, 2005 - 11:35 PM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
But it could be !!!!
Richard Pickle
Feb 18th, 2005 - 8:05 AM Re: Airport 24 hour opening
Councillors today backed plans to allow Aberdeen Airport to open 24 hours.
:msn_toung |