In NZ Airports’ view, there are real and substantial benefits to the flying public from promoting greater competition in the trans-Tasman air passenger services market.  Where there is real competition on a trans-Tasman route, passengers have benefited from lower fares and more convenient services.  That competitive dynamic should continue.

It is the experience of our international airport members that increased competition in the trans-Tasman market leads to increased passenger numbers, lower fares and improved services.  In particular, the existence of an independent operator can be critical to the provision of competitively-priced trans-Tasman services.

The proposed alliance will inevitably reduce or eliminate that hard-won competition on the trans-Tasman services flying into and out of New Zealand’s airports.  Market power will enable price to be increased, demand will therefore decrease and capacity will reduce.  Without competitive choice, incumbents can route passengers through other ports, reducing the service levels offered to passengers.

The NZ Airports submission contains clear examples of the risks to passengers and the NZ economy.

Speech by NZ Airports’ Chair, Steve Fitzgerald

Burt Rutan is an aeronautical engineer whose name may be familiar to aviation people. In the document at this link http://rps3.com/Pages/Burt_Rutan_on_Climate_Change.htm he provides his own analysis.

For background to the recent fuss about climate science and data, Speigel Online magazine examines the various threads here http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,686697,00.html 

Studies and conferences on aviation and climate change continue – some of the current European work is described here http://www.greenaironline.com/news.php?viewStory=804

• Mitigation – reducing, eliminating and off-setting greenhouse gas emissions
• Adaptation – planning for the continued operation of airports with changed climate and business conditions
• Expected climate impacts – what changes are expected, and the impacts on aviation and airports
• Airport issues and response planning, and
• Action planning

The ACI presentation is available here.

Because CCTV captures images of people which can be used, stored and disseminated, those who operate the systems need to be aware of how to manage privacy issues.

The Privacy Commissioner’s new guidelines will assist organisations to manage CCTV systems in line with their legal obligations and good personal information handling practices.

The Guide is available below and from the Privacy Commission web site at

http://www.privacy.org.nz/privacy-and-cctv-a-guide-to-the-privacy-act-for-businesses-agencies-and-organisations/

The report provides the first overall assessment of the role of the aviation sector in the UK economy since the Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF) report of 2006.

There is a lively debate in the UK as the General Election approaches on aviation issues such as aviation emissions and the recently increased air passenger duty (APD). The report contributes to that debate by assessing the industry’s economic role, both directly and as a catalyst for the wider economy, and examining the downstream impacts, on wealth creation and employment, of possible changes to the policy framework.

The report, prepared by independent economic consultants Oxera, says that as the economy begins to recover, the role of aviation in supporting businesses through international connectivity, the movement of goods and people, and attracting inward investment, will be important in underpinning and accelerating recovery. To do this, it says aviation should be harnessed, not penalised.

“The Contribution of Aviation to the Global Economy” report points out the damage that could be caused to the sector by UK-only alternatives to an international emissions cap, such as the UK Government’s recently increased Air Passenger Duty. The document calls for a global deal on aviation emissions to be agreed instead at the United Nations Climate Change talks in Copenhagen next month.

Commenting on the report, Colin Matthews, CEO of UK airport company BAA, said: “This report highlights the social and economic benefits that aviation brings to the UK, and the importance of a global deal at Copenhagen. Aviation must be part of society’s solution to climate change, so BAA is working with our partners throughout the industry to realise a global deal on carbon emissions. We are also investing huge sums at our airports to improve services for our customers. The resulting reduction in environmental impact will be a critical measure of our success.”

The 102 page report is available from the web site of the UK Airport Operators Association at http://www.aoa.org.uk/feature/index.asp?ID=25