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Minutes of the External Advisory Group, 6 July 2006

Minutes of the External Advisory Group, Aviation White Paper, held on 6 July 2006 in Great Minster House

Attendees: Jonathan Moor Chair - DfT, Jim Bailey - SASIG, Jonathan Sharrock - DfT, Ken Crawford - SE, Martin Capstick - DfT, Stuart Condie - BAA, Sam Whatling - DfT, Roger Wiltshire - BATA, Dipak Valand - DfT, Keith Jowett - AOA, Emily Robertson - DfT, Simon Evans - AUC, Lucy Gordon - DfT, Owen Simon - CBI, Paul Ellis- BA, Peter Lockley - AEF, Alison Pridmore - SDC, Sian Foster - Virgin, Andrew Draycott - DHL, Eddie Redfern - Charter Airline Group

Apologies: Nic Ferriday - FoE, Rowena Burns - MAG

Introduction

Jonathan Moor (DfT Director of Airports Policy) welcomed all the members to the sixth meeting of the External Advisory Group (EAG). He thanked Alison Pridmore (Transport Policy Advisor of the Sustainable Development Commission) and Peter Lockley (Aviation Environment Federation) for having agreed to present at the meeting, and he invited all the members to make suggestions for presentations at future EAG meetings.

Update on progress made since last meeting and expected progress by autumn 2006

Jonathan Sharrock (DfT Head of Airports Policy) updated the group on progress made since the last meeting. Work on implementing the Air Transport White Paper (ATWP) was broadly on track. He described some of the key issues for ATWP delivery over the next four months. These included the Heathrow air quality report, EU slots reform, the consultation on Public Safety Zones and its impact on some of the smaller airports, the completion of outstanding master plans, and the change of use of Newquay airport from military to civilian airport.

Martin Capstick (DfT Head of Aviation Environment) provided a short update on the progress made on environmental work, including plans for scenario evaluation for Heathrow development (for the planned mixed mode consultation). He also provided a summary of the key issues covered at the recent Committee on Aviation Environmental Protection (CAEP) meeting.

Jonathan Sharrock took the opportunity to update the group on progress made on preparations for the Surface Access Forum which was being organised jointly by the DfT and Airport Operators Association, following an action at the last EAG meeting.

Action: Martin Capstick to present Heathrow evaluation scenarios at the next EAG meeting.

Sustainable Development and the Air Transport White Paper

Alison Pridmore and Peter Lockley, presented "Sustainable Development and the Air Transport White Paper". This looked at the Government's Sustainable Development Strategy, published in 2005. She covered the aims of the strategy, considering the changes made since the last Sustainable Development Strategy was published in 1999. She highlighted the following points:

  • A multilateral approach is needed to Sustainable Development.
  • The UK Government has a key role in leading on Sustainable Development with other developed countries.
  • The new strategy is based on 2 goals and 3 underlying principles. These 5 strands must be pursued at the same time.
  • Since 1999, there has been an increase in awareness of aviation's contribution to climate change, which makes it even more important for the Government's air transport strategy to take into account the principles of sustainable development.

Peter Lockley presented possible methodologies for measuring progress on environmental issues for the ATWP Progress Report. He gave examples relating to air quality, noise and climate change, explaining how the Progress Report could assess progress made in these specific areas.

The Chair informed the Group that the Progress Report would take into account the five Sustainable Development principles, and he confirmed that it was a report on progress and not a review of policy. The Group broadly agreed that reporting on progress was more appropriate at this time, as it provided a more stable framework for development and longer term planning.

The Group discussed a number of issues both in favour of air transport growth and against. This included: the wider benefits of aviation to the global economy and freedom of choice; and the potential draw backs of being overly proactive when embracing technology without fully understanding the problems and benefits of a particular approach. The Group agreed on the importance of good governance based on engagement with all key stakeholders, including local communities, in addressing problems such as noise generated by aircraft.

The Chair suggested that at the next EAG meeting the airline groups and the airport operators present what they are doing to address environmental challenges. He also invited bilaterals with members of the Group representing the tourism and travel industry to understand better the links between aviation and these sectors.

Action: DfT to contact Airlines/Airport Groups to identify appropriate presentations for the next meeting of the External Advisory Group.

The date of the next meeting scheduled for October has now been rescheduled to 18 September 2006. Group members will be advised once a date has been confirmed.

Programme Management Office

Airports Policy Division

17 July 2006