Birmingham Airport - General Thread

[Elmdon80slad]

Just found this on the net, It gives a good Idea of probable Intended airports/airfields planned to be used during the olympics, either for drop off, vip flights or shed/non sheduled arrival flights.

Sorry...I was adding a pdf I found but It was'nt allowed to be downloaded.



I have read of Half a Million visitors/teams/support and vip-vvip coming, Including an expected 3000 biz jet movements expected, and a LHR 500 extra BA flights......

 

[Ray Finkle]

Airport and business leaders welcome delay to government's aviation strategy


Birmingham Airport boss Paul Kehoe has welcomed delays to a crucial Government blueprint for the skies – as it aims to double its nine million passengers.

With the Government consultation on aviation capacity now set to be delayed until the autumn, chief executive Mr Kehoe said: “Birmingham Airport called for a proper debate on aviation and the delay shows that the Government has listened.

“For too long aviation strategy has been determined by narrow self-interest, and the very important needs of London and the South-east have been conflated with the wider national interest. Now we all have the time to come up with a strategy which will benefit the whole of the UK.

“This issue is far larger than the aviation lobby and assorted membership organisations centred on London. The future economic landscape of the UK will be affected by the outcome for many years to come; that is why the whole of the UK should have a say in the solution.

“In recent days we have seen the closure of the M4 motorway and the long suspension of Heathrow Express train services. It is clear that when it comes to the UK’s aviation strategy we can’t put all of our eggs into one basket.”

Mr Kehoe’s plea follows a new Birmingham Airport campaign, including posters across London’s Tube network, calling for policymakers to back Brum’s bid to double its passenger figures to eighteen million, and potentially up to 36 million with the completion of the runway extension in 2014.

But the new delays to the Government consultation process came under fire from airlines and businesses.

Adam Marshall, director of policy at the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Businesses are tired of indecision on aviation. Ministers can’t tell businesses to look for opportunities in Brazil and China, and then not provide infrastructure.”

Wouter Schuitemaker, Investment Director at inward investment programme Business Birmingham, added: “By delaying its aviation strategy, the Government has the opportunity to listen to all parts of the UK about this important issue – and must take full consideration of the alternatives to building a third runway at Heathrow, such as utilising the spare capacity at regional airports.”

He added: “Foreign investors tell us that direct routes are key in deciding whether to locate in the Birmingham area – particularly large manufacturers that want to become part of our local industry, but rely on flights to their other bases, and businesses from long-distance markets such as the USA, China and India.

"The economic climate has tightened levels of inward investment, making the competition between locations even stronger. Factors that may seem small, such as commuting to London to catch a flight, still cost a business time and money – and can be the tipping point in whether they decide to locate here.

“Long-term, the Government must continue to recognise the importance of regional airports in attracting investment and trade.

"The UK’s Enterprise Zones, and planned infrastructure projects such as HS2, are already instrumental in demonstrating the regions’ offer to investors; a fully debated, coherent aviation strategy – enabling businesses in the North and the Midlands to enjoy the same advantages as those located in the South East – will do the same.”

Whatever you think of what Mr Kehoe is saying it's refreshing to see such enthusiasm. It's something BHX has missed at the top for too long.

http://www.birminghampost.net/news/west ... -31382801/

 

[Ray Finkle]

You've got to admire their persistence.

Backing for Birmingham 'national' airport push


Birmingham Airport's campaign to be named a national facility is to receive a major boost when Liberal Democrats urge the Government to block new runways at Heathrow - and expand regional hubs instead.

Delegates at the party conference in Brighton next month are likely to endorse a motion backed by Lib Dem MPs which highlights the potential for growth at Birmingham.

But the plea will put them at odds with some of their coalition partners, after a number of Conservative backbenchers backed new runways at Heathrow.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening, a Conservative, is working on an aviation strategy which has been repeatedly delayed. She has praised Birmingham Airport in recent months, but she is under pressure from some Tory colleagues and from London's business community to allow new runways to go ahead at Heathrow, even though this was explicitly ruled out in the Conservative general election manifesto. Birmingham Airport argues that a planned runway extension will allow it to serve 27 million passengers a year, up from nine million at the moment, and to provide long-distance flights to locations such as India and China. High speed rail will also make Birmingham as convenient as Heathrow, the airport says.

But it insists it needs formal government backing to allow it to expand, and is lobbying the Government to reject calls for a new runway at Heathrow.

The campaign is set for a boost when Lib Dems debate a motion proposed by MP Julian Huppert, Co-Chair of the party's Parliamentary Committee on Transport, and backed by colleagues including Solihull MP Lorely Burt (Lib Dem Solihull).

The motion states: "Aviation policy has to date focused on London and the South-East; it is clear that that is where the greatest demand lies, but airports and foreign travel for business or leisure must be easily accessible for citizens living across the UK.

"With Birmingham looking to expand, Stansted only half full and Gatwick expanding into emerging markets, regional airports and other airports within London can meet demand for years to come."

And it calls on the Government to reject calls for new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, as well as London Mayor Boris Johnson's proposal for a new Thames Estuary airport.

As well as highlighting Birmingham, the motion calls specifically for better use of existing capacity at Gatwick Airport. It also states that the UK will need a single hub airport in the long term, although this should not be Heathrow.

It calls on the Government to set up "an independent, evidencebased study to find a suitable location for a hub airport, or a suitable airport to expand into a hub."

Ms Burt said: "It is really important that, before we start spending billions on Boris' new airport or clogging up the area around Heathrow even more, we look at the capacity that already exists in our regional airports, and in particular at Birmingham.

"Birmingham could double its current passenger numbers without any need for a new runway.

"If we focus entirely on the south east, then other parts of the country are never going to reach their potential."

Mr Huppert said: "Aviation policy has focused on London and the South East and it is clear that is where the greatest demand lies; but airports and foreign travel for business or leisure must be easily accessible for citizens living across the UK. " A report by Tory backbenchers including Harriet Baldwin (Con, West Worcestershire) and Jesse Norman (Con, Herefordshire) called in July for not one but two new runways at Heathrow.

Published by the Free Enterprise Group, which includes a number of younger Conservative MPs, the study was called Seven Shots in the Arm of Britain.

It said: "The Government should grant planning permission for both a third and fourth runway at Heathrow.

"Britain's hub airport Heathrow is currently at 99 per cent capacity, and London's other airports are nearly as full. Demand is predicted to double over the next few decades.

"If new aviation capacity is not found, London's position as a world business hub will be damaged. Heathrow is almost unique among major world airports in only having two runways, with no plans or further construction."

Business leaders in the West Midlands including Jerry Blackett, chief executive of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group, criticised the report at the time.

http://www.aviationpros.com/news/107643 ... ush?page=2

 

[Aviador]

I'm all in favour of Birmingham airport expansion and I'd like to see more flights on offer from the airport. I think it is important the airport achieves this without any government interference. Improving rail connections to the capital will help Birmingham airport attract new inter-continental routes but the airport will find it difficult to achieve. Even London Gatwick and London Stansted airports have struggled to increase scheduled long haul traffic. Airlines have threatened to up sticks from Heathrow but not to move to Birmingham or other London airports but large hub airports in mainland Europe that are large enough to offer a hub and spoke operations. So it remains to be seen whether airlines will use Birmingham instead of Heathrow as opposed to pulling from the UK altogether in favour of European hub airports.

 

[Ray Finkle]

I agree, I don't see a mass exodus from London to Birmingham anytime soon, but it's nice that Mr Kehoe is getting out there and promoting the airport, something lacking for many years under previous administrations.

"Less than 40% of the local catchment that originates within one-hour of the Airport is actually served by the airlines presently serving Birmingham."

That's a pretty large market waiting to be tapped into right there but it's the chicken and egg scenario, if the services aren't there people can't use them and if the people aren't there the services won't begin. Whilst it has got better recently there are still some pretty large gaps in the European network notably Madrid, Oslo, Warsaw, Lyon and no takers as yet for Lisbon and Prague when baby ends.

http://www.therouteshop.com/birmingham-airport/

Long haul has Emirates going East and United going West which covers most destinations but there's probably room for one more each way and Long haul IT charters must be another area for potential growth once the runway is done, the amount of people I come across who travel up to MAN to holiday in Florida is unreal.

In other news BHX have just taken delivery of their first tug capable of towing an A380 (it borrowed one from LHR when it visited).

 

[Aviador]

My local airport suffers the same problem with passenger leakage to neighbouring airports. One of our top unserved destinations is Orlando. So I know how frustrating it is to have to travel from other airports to catch a flight when you know it is possible to operate it from your local airport.

I must say Mr Kehoe is keen. I'm impressed with the way he is pushing Birmingham. It's good Birmingham has somebody who is keen who will shout loud to promote the airport.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Orlando is majorly underserved from BHX too. One measley flight per week is not enough for such a popular destination.

 

[Ray Finkle]

''Give Birmingham airport second runway''

30 August 2012

Expanding Birmingham airport and giving it a second runway would be much better for the economy and make more sense than expanding Heathrow, several MPs and key industry figures have said.

In a letter to the Daily Telegraph, the signatories – who include 21 Conservative MPs and 14 from Labour – have said that Birmingham is the most easily accessible airport in the UK, will be at the centre of the new high-speed train network HS2, and expanding the airport will create around 50,000 new jobs.

The letter said: "A 'hub airport' in the south east favours a small, congested and already economically strong part of the country. We need gateways close to the manufacturing, research and development centres of the Midlands and the north, linking these regions directly to emerging markets.

"Overseas investors are discouraged from investing where there are no global links. For Britain, over-reliance on one large, full airport leads the rest of the world to think there is just one gateway to this country.

"Airports in our great industrial cities have huge spare capacity. Birmingham airport's current spare runway capacity is 27m passengers per annum. Birmingham is at the heart of the rail and motorway networks, and its airport is the most accessible in Britain. The airport and NEC station will be the hub of the HS2 network. With its proposed second runway, Birmingham's spare capacity could rise to over 50m and create 50,000 jobs."

The letter concluded: "As local politicians and business leaders, we call on the government to encourage and assist airports to work with local enterprise partnerships and stakeholders. Infrastructure planning needs to provide confidence for airports to be able to plan well into the future. The government must support expansion of Birmingham's airport to maximise regional growth."

Yesterday, Transport Secretary Justine Greening said that a "so-called third runway is actually not a full-length runway", adding: "It won't be able to take the big, new planes that we're seeing entering the market today, and that's precisely why I think it's time to build on the consensus we've got that a third runway isn't right."

http://www.publicservice.co.uk/news_story.asp?id=20736

 

[lysander]

Interesting comments from Justine Greening about runway length.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Good to see Mr Kehoe still working hard :good:

Sister Act! Chicago O'Hare and UK's Birmingham Airport sign trade agreement


Chicago O'Hare International Airport and the UK’s Birmingham Airport have become “sister airports”.

The pair have formalised their relationship and will work to develop new opportunities.

The priority is to reinstate direct flights between the two cities.

Members of the executive management teams from the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) and Birmingham Airport signed a memorandum of understanding this week, agreeing to work together to strengthen trade, tourism and cultural links.

Birmingham Airport is the third largest airport in the UK outside of London and handles nine million passengers annually.

O'Hare is the largest airport in the Midwest region, and one of the busiest airports in the world, handling nearly 67 million passengers in 2011.

CDA commissioner, Rosemarie Andolino said: “Through promotion, we will enhance business, commerce, trade, tourism and cultural relations between the two cities, and share information and best practices relating to operations, construction, planning, customer service and cost management.”

Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, added: “Birmingham enjoys a special relationship with Chicago as the two cities have been twinned since 1993. Over 350 North American companies, including Microsoft, Motorola and Kraft Foods – which is headquartered in Chicago – provide employment for 60,000 people in the area.

“This formal partnership will show industry that we're committed to strengthening links further and pushing for the reinstatement of direct flights between the two cities, which ceased to operate 11 years ago in the wake of 9/11.”

http://www.airport-world.com/news-artic ... -agreement

 

[Ray Finkle]

Same topic as above just with a little bit more added.

Birmingham and Chicago O'Hare Become Sister Airports to Strengthen Links

31 August 2012

Birmingham Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport have become Sister Airports to formalise a working relationship and commit to the development of new opportunities; particularly the reinstatement of direct flights between the two cities.

At a meeting in Chicago yestersday (Thursday 30th August), members of the executive management teams from Birmingham Airport and the Chicago Department of Aviation – operator of Chicago O’Hare International – signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreeing to work collaboratively in order to strengthen trade, tourism and cultural links between the two cities.

Located in the centre of the UK, Birmingham Airport is the third largest airport outside of London, has a core catchment of ten million people and handles nine million passengers a year. Chicago O’Hare International Airport is the largest airport in the State of Illinois and the Midwest region, and one of the busiest airports in the world, handling nearly 67 million passengers in 2011.

Speaking at O’Hare International during the MOU signing, Paul Kehoe, Birmingham Airport’s CEO, said: “Birmingham enjoys a special relationship with Chicago as the two cities have been twinned since 1993. Over 350 North American companies, including Microsoft, Motorola and Kraft Foods – which is headquartered in Chicago – provide employment for 60,000 people in the area. This formal partnership will show industry that we’re committed to strengthening links further and pushing for the reinstatement of direct flights between the two cities, which ceased to operate 11 years ago in the wake of 9/11.”

Chicago Department of Aviation Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino, added: “On behalf of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Department of Aviation, we are very pleased to establish this new partnership with Birmingham Airport. This signing reflects our genuine intent to work together, maintain an effective working relationship and develop mutually advantageous opportunities to benefit both airports as well as the cities of Birmingham and Chicago. Through promotion, we will enhance business, commerce, trade, tourism and cultural relations between the two cities, and share information and best practices relating to operations, construction, planning, customer service and cost management.”

Both airports have capital improvement programmes underway, including a 400m runway extension scheme at Birmingham Airport to allow aircraft to carry more fuel and fly further, and a multi-billion dollar modernisation programme at O’Hare International to reconfigure its intersecting runways into a modern parallel layout.

Birmingham Airport currently handles nine million passengers annually, recent infrastructure development means that it can accommodate up to 18m passengers year. With the runway extension, this potential increases to 36m by 2030. Its spare capacity and location just an hour from central London, means that Birmingham is set to become an increasingly important resource in the UK to help ease congestion at London Airports.

O’Hare International and Chicago Midway International Airport - also operated by the Chicago Department of Aviation – handles more than 85 million passengers a year and provides non-stop service to approximately 200 cities worldwide. O’Hare International is also ranked second among all U.S. airports in total cargo value, with more than 1.5 million metric tons of cargo handled annually.

http://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/meta ... links.aspx

 

[Ray Finkle]

We must expand Birmingham - not Heathrow, says Welsh MP

A Welsh MP has called for Birmingham airport to be expanded to take the pressure off London’s Heathrow – and benefit all of the UK.

Glyn Davies has backed growing calls on the Westminster Government to look outside of London for an alternative to building a controversial third runway at Britain’s busiest airport.

He said that expanding Birmingham would be a much better option for all of Wales than the other alternative, building a new airport in the Thames Estuary west of London.

He said: “I can’t understand why people would favour seeing another airport being built in London.” said Mr. Davies.

“The cost would be massive – in the billions of pounds – and there would be sheer, utter disruption.

“Why rush into developing the South East, which is already highly developed, when Birmingham is more than capable of being expanded?

“It would spread prosperity beyond the South East, as well as being of huge benefit to local businesses, especially those based in Mid Wales”.

Birmingham International Airport is much more easily accessible from Mid and North Wales than Heathrow, with journey times as short as two hours from Wrexham which is more than an hour and a half quicker than the trip to Heathrow.

If the £32bn High Speed 2 rail link is built between Birmingham and London, the airport would also be just 40 minutes from the centre of London.

Mr Davies, who ousted Lib Dem Lembit Opik to win the Montgomeryshire seat for the Tories at the last election, spoke out after a cross party group of politicians wrote an open letter calling for the merits of Birmingham’s expansion to be considered.

They wrote: “We need gateways close to the manufacturing, research and development centres of the Midlands and the North, linking these regions directly to emerging markets.”

In his column in the Sun, Jeremy Clarkson rebuffed the call but admitted that building a new airport in the Thames Estuary would be useless for most of the UK.

He wrote: “Of course, if you live in Essex it would be very handy. But if you live in Dorset or Manchester, or Scotland or Wales or Yorkshire or, in fact, anywhere that isn’t Essex, it would be a nightmare.

“Because getting to the east side of London is harder than getting to the dark side of the moon.”

All three main political parties ruled out the possibility of a third runway at Heathrow in their respective manifestos at the last election but there is growing pressure from business groups and from within the Conservative party to go back on this.

They argue that London is losing out to financial centres in Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris because of its lack of international links.

Mr Davies said Birmingham could solve the problem, saying: “"This issue has nothing to do with party politics. I've seen that fellow Conservative and Labour MPs have backed the idea.”

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales ... -31744282/

 

[TheLocalYokel]

I can't think that this idea will go down well with many in Wales who believe that he should be more concerned with pushing Welsh aviation interests than those of an English airport.

It may be though that such parochial thinking would be counter-productive to Welsh interests as a whole and that a 'mini Heathrow' at BHX, much closer to Wales than is LHR, would in fact benefit the Principality and its economy.

I live in Bristol and I would be happy with the idea. BHX is as easy to reach as LHR for me, as it is for the whole of the Bristol region, and would make an agreeable alternative for many people.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Swiss timetable for the winter is now showing an OLT Express (who are taking over Contactair) F100 for the evening service with Helvetic operating the morning service and the lunchtime flight canx.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Birmingham Airport expansion: We are ready to go now says Chief Executive


Written by Gary Howes
Thursday, 06 September 2012

Forget Heathrow, Birmingham can get a second runway built.

The Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport has today welcomed Nick Clegg's recognition of the role Birmingham Airport could play in UK aviation policy.

This morning, on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, the Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg MP reiterated that the Liberal Democrats would not rethink their support for a third runway at Heathrow.

Clegg reaffirmed that there are many more viable options, including a "hub airport in Birmingham".

Paul Kehoe, Chief Executive of Birmingham Airport, welcomed the comment, saying:

"In the midst of the furore over whether or not to revisit the third runway at Heathrow, more viable solutions to creating additional aviation capacity in the South East have often been overlooked. While people obsess over Heathrow, they fail to recognise that it would take years to build and even then would only present a short-term solution.

"I welcome Nick Clegg's comments this morning reminding politicians that Birmingham Airport could play an important role in the UK's national aviation policy. Unlike Heathrow, Birmingham is an immediate solution to a lack of aviation capacity. We could double our capacity to 18 million immediately, and increase to over 36 million once our second runway is complete in 2014.

It is also worth noting that Kehoe considers Bimingham to be situated in the South East of England:

"Unlike other airports in the South East, we have already got permissions necessary to make this expansion a reality and local residents are crying out for the jobs that it would bring.

"A bigger role for Birmingham Airport will help relieve pressure on the South East. I call on the newly established Airport Commission to seriously consider Birmingham Airport's role in the wider aviation debate, and to recognise the contribution that a network of national airports could bring to the UK."

and increase to over 36 million once our second runway is complete in 2014.

ardon:

http://www.dofonline.co.uk/content/view/6486/152/

 

[Ray Finkle]

David Cameron: I won't forget Birmingham in airports shake-up

DAVID Cameron has promised that plans to expand Birmingham Airport and create up to 10,000 jobs will be included in a controversial review of the nation’s airports.

The Prime Minister made the pledge in an exclusive interview with the Birmingham Mail as he visited our offices in the city at Fort Dunlop.

Ministers are to appoint an independent committee to consider the future of aviation – a move which has led to speculation that the Government plans to expand Heathrow, in London, and leave Birmingham in the cold.

But Mr Cameron insisted Birmingham Airport would not be ignored and highlighted the planned high speed rail line, known as HS2, which will cut journey times between the city’s airport and central London to just 38 minutes.

He said: “We shouldn’t ignore what regional airports can provide and also Birmingham Airport post HS2 will be an interesting proposition.

“It certainly is included in the review, and we’ll be publishing the details in the next couple of days.”

His visit coincided with the launch of a campaign by charity Save the Children which highlights child poverty in the UK – including a study which found 34 per cent of Birmingham children live in poverty.

Asked what he would do to help the poorest in the city, Mr Cameron said: “Of course we will continue to look after the poorest in our country through the welfare system, and if you look at the tax credit system we have made sure we have increased tax credits for the poorest families.

“But actually the long-term route out of poverty is work, and what we need to see is more people in work.’’

He insisted: “All is not doom and gloom. If you take the West Midlands as a whole there are 30,000 more people in work than there were a year ago. You’ve got very important manufacturing success stories, like Jaguar Land Rover.”

Mr Cameron also waded into the row over the franchise to run inter-city services on the West Coast Main Line after Virgin Trains launched a legal challenge over the decision to strip it of the franchise after 15 years. He said: “A proper competition was held in the proper way and you have to respect the outcome of that.”

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top- ... -31783658/

 

[Ray Finkle]

Geneva with Easyjet isnow bookable up to April taking in the two weeks Easter holidays. Belfast is bookable up to June.

Brussels Airlines are showing a night stop RJ100 with the same type doing another three flights with the fourth being a Tyrolean Q-400. It's been said that the original morning Q400 departure had been fully booked for much of the week.

Air France are showing the evening CRJ upgraded to an A319

SAS to Stockholm a/c type keeps changing. Originally a 736 but a 73W, 738 and MD81 have also been listed at various times. Copenhagen is a mix of CRJ's and MD81's with an Airbus currently showing for morning next summer. The Sat morning CPH is canx for winter.

Some (hopefully) good news for next year. Thomas Cook were originally dropping a based unit for next summer, down to two 757's, but word is it's now back to three 757's based.

 

[Ray Finkle]

It'll be interesting to see how far the new minister goes with this...

NO ‘REGIONAL’ AIRPORTS


THE new Transport Secretary has banned his civil servants from describing Britain’s large non-London airports as “regional” amid a shift in attitude on aviation policy.

Patrick McLoughlin said policy makers needed to become less London-centric in their outlook and to start treating large airports outside the capital with more respect.

In particular, the Derbyshire Dales MP has been rattled that Manchester and Birmingham seem to have been regarded as outside the top rank of UK airports.

He pointed out they are large international airports in their own right.

He revealed his frustration during his first appearance at the Transport Select Committee last Wednesday.

Welcoming him into his new position—he was previously Chief Whip and served as a junior transport minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major between 1989 and 1992—committee chair Louise Ellman asked what his background would bring to the department.

They are not regional airports, they are very important international airports

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin

He said: “I remember when first appointed minister by Baroness Thatcher back in 1989 being told she thought it was very important that we have a spread of ministers across the country in the department because it was a department that had importance to all areas of the country.

“And that is very much in my mind. Obviously, London does take up a huge amount of resources and that is natural because it is the capital city and there’s a huge amount of public transport but I don’t underplay the importance of the other major cities in our country as well.”

Ms Ellman then asked whether enough was being done “to support regional airports” and to expand their capacity.

He said: “I’m trying to set the department a task and I very much hope the committee can help me with this, but I do not regard Manchester Airport as a regional airport.

“I do not regard Birmingham as a regional airport.

“These are very big international airports. They’re not regional. Regional almost makes them sound [less important].

“Manchester has more passengers than either Stansted or Luton, so this term regional puts them into some different category.”

Banging the desk, he added: “They are not regional airports, they are very important international airports and I’m going to try during my tenure to stop calling them regional airports and perhaps we can have a concerted effort on that because they are part of the overall infrastructure.

“They are vital infrastructure and they provide very important services to our constituents.”
However, he conceded that most of the extra capacity needed for Britain would still fall within the southeast.

Last year, Birmingham handled 8.6million passengers, and Manchester 18.9million.

By comparison, 18million people travelled through London Stansted and 9.5million through Luton.

Heathrow handled 69.4 million and Gatwick 33.7million.

A Department for Transport spokeswoman refused to say whether any airports at all, such as Liverpool John Lennon or Southampton, were now regarded as “regional”.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I think the Bard of Avon wrote more sense than most of our politicians spout.

In the 1978 White Paper Airports Policy there was a scheme for designating airports into four categories:

Category A - Gateway international airports which provide a wide range of international (including inter-continental) and domestic services;

Category B - Regional airports which provide a network of short-haul scheduled international services, a significant range of charter services and domestic services including links with gateway airports;

Category C - Local airports which provide facilities for some domestic feeder services, charter flights and general aviation;

Category D - General aviation aerodromes concerned primarily with the provision of general aviation facilities.

By identifying the role of individual airports within these broad classifications, the White Paper provided the framework for a national airports strategy.

In the South East, Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted and Luton Airports were regarded as forming "a single category A gateway international airports system". Outside the South East of England, Manchester was designated a category A international gateway airport.

Birmingham, Cardiff, East Midlands, Newcastle and Leeds/ Bradford (subject to an extension of its runway) were classified as category B regional airports.

The main local airports were identified as Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, Southampton and Tees-side.

The below is regarded as a bogus historical quote but it can properly be applied to government lack of aviation policy by substituting rename or create a committee of enquiry for reorganise.

...............................but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising; and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency, and demoralisation.

 

[Aviador]

These kind of classifications could still apply to airports today. Most airports would still be in the same category as in the list above except for Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool, Southampton which would now be classified as category B Regional airports. Birmingham, Glasgow and Edinburgh would probably notch up to category A.