Richard's blog

Could it be that despite the Government's determination to expand Heathrow - regardless of the cost to communities and the climate - that beleagured BAA can't actually afford to build an new tea-shop, let alone a third runway?

International finance analysts Bloomberg noted in response to the 'consultation' that BAA's credit rating was recently down-graded to 'junk' status - i.e. you wouldn't want to lend them a fifty pence for a cup of coffee. Put simply, BAA is broke.

Last week we posted a letter from a climate activist, who pointed out that since we drew up our policies on aviation and airport expansion, the science had moved on. The latest science is far less optimistic than we'd hoped.

I commented that we often get illiterate rants from supporters of airport expansion. Strangely, most of the pro-flying letters tend to be typed in green ink, and this little gem is no exception. This week's letter of the week comes from a London cabby, who thinks we should all have a wash, get a job and, presumably, vote Boris.

At a packed meeting yesterday afternoon the combined forces of the anti-Heathrow expansion movement heard something they'd always suspected. The consultation, due out today, will be a sham. The Government has made its mind up; like it or not, Heathow expansion is going ahead.

We had gathered to meet with Aviation Minister Jim Fitzpatrick, in a final face-to-face before the launch of the latest consultation on the third runway. Plane Stupid, of course, was not invited, but I snuck in to hear just what Fitzpatrick (coincidentally also Environment Minister for the Department for Transport) had to say.

It had to happen. After months of pleading to be included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), major international carriers have declared that they will fight any European plan to make them take account of their spiralling emissions.

Just days after the EU fought tooth and claw to undermine the ETS, the International Air Travel Association (IATA) has laid down the gauntlet, promising to throw its toys out of the pram if MEPs don't stop trying to avert climate change.

Pity the bright spark who thought this one up. Manchester Airport has caught the greenwash bug, and announced grand plans to be carbon neutral by 2015. The catch? It's expanding flights by 50% and, quelle surprise, not including emissions from flights in in magic calculations.

Its "ambitious plans" involve using renewable energy to power the terminal, swapping some lightbulbs about and, most excitingly, "All toilets in the terminals will be fitted with movement sensors so the lights go out when not in use"!

Yesterday Ruth Kelly appeared at an aviation conference, attended by the great and good of the aviation industry. She regaled them all with a speech which called for... well, business as usual really, with a dash of greenwash.

Kelly has totally bought the premise that economic growth and environmental salvation are intrinsically linked. Sadly this is utter tosh: our society is only able to produce goods and services at the rate it does because of our wanton disregard for the environment. As far as aviation is concerned, you have to ask who you trust more: the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change research (prognosis: aviation expansion cannot co-exist with climate change targets) or Rod Eddington, former head of British Airways (motto: keep on flyin').

Hot on the heels of the Advertising Standards Agency's ruling on Ryanair, the European Commission has found that at least 200 airlines' websites are "misleading" the public.

According to the Commission, common issues include prices on the home page that did not include taxes and charges, 'free' flights that were not free and compulsory purchase of insurance attached to an offer.

"British Airways is committed to improving its environmental performance, and reducing the adverse impacts of its activities on the global and local environment." So says their website, which lauds the company's environmental record in "improving fuel efficiency and developing engagement with customers".

Pity that no one told their transatlantic division; it seems they've been caught flying empty planes between North America and the UK, in order to keep their landing slots at Heathrow open. Neither is it the first time this has happened - back in March British Mediteranean Airways (a franchise of BA) was sending jets between Heathrow and Cardiff to keep slots open.

Frankly, it's no wonder that this sort of madness occurs, when fuel is untaxed and planes so cheap to run. It just goes to show that for the aviation industry, when it comes to choosing between the environment and profit margins, those pound signs are always going to come out on top.