Planes coming in to Heathrow are to change the way they land to cut noise for west London residents.

Pilots have been told to delay the point when they lower the wheels beneath the planes – which causes wind noise which can be heard by residents – until they are nearer the runway.

The changes will not alter the safety of the landings, an airport spokesman said. Heathrow has told airlines the wheels could be lowered 4.6 miles from the runway, rather than the current average of eight miles, without any risk.

The change is part of a plan to appease residents living near to the airport and reduce opposition to a third runway, The Times reported.

According to Heathrow’s most recent league table of the noisiest airlines, El Al is the worst followed by Kuwait Airways. British Airways’ short-haul planes were the quietest.

It is expected a new runway for either Heathrow or Gatwick will be approved within weeks by Prime Minister Theresa May.

Other measures in the ten-point plan to cut noise include encouraging more modern planes by introducing cuts in landing charges for newer aircraft, and bringing in 50 monitors to measure the noise.

Matt Gorman, the airport’s director of sustainability and environment, said there was “no single solution” but small changes can make a big difference.

source : http://tinyurl.com/hyp2uxw

With all of the political change post ‘Brexit’ it would be easy to forget that some major strategic infrastructure decisions are long overdue, including the crucial issue of airport expansion, which may now be more fundamental than previously believed.

The outgoing Secretary of State for Transport Patrick Mcloughlin received the Airports Commission final report last July, and was set the task of contemplating how to balance local interests against the wider, longer term benefits for the UK. Despite a promise to come back to Parliament in Autumn 2015 with a clear direction to everyone on the government’s plans, in mid-December he announced that the Government thought the schemes at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted were all still viable. In particular, the scheme at Gatwick has recently been heralded as a potential gem for job creation.

Further work was promised so expansion can take place within the legal limits for air quality. More engagement with the promoters was also promised to make sure that the best package of noise mitigation measures is in place. In addition, Mcloughlin said he’d look at all measures to mitigate carbon impacts and address sustainability concerns, particularly during construction, and develop detailed community mitigation measures for each of the shortlisted options.

With Chris Grayling taking over as Secretary of State the decision regarding airport expansion capacity will inevitably be re-assessed; even so the outcome of this assessment is anticipated once Parliament returns from summer recess, according to the Government response to the Transport Select Committee’s Report on the matter. The Commission recommended an additional runway by 2030, it is believed that he still intends to deliver this. However, if he is to get the environmental response right, a number of challenges face the Government, whichever path is chosen.

·         On air quality, the key thing is to get the surface access right. The poor air quality around Heathrow is as much about what’s happening on the M4 and M25 as it is due to the airport. Catering for more air travel while helping people breathe more easily has to be about making the first and last legs of journeys less polluting than now. That means making sure that people can get to and from the airport by modern, clean, quick and cheap public transport. Also, where travel by road is unavoidable, it has to be cleaner. Banning all but low and ultra-low emission vehicles, and promoting the use of electric vehicles on site, has to be at the heart of this.

·         To mitigate the additional noise due to expansion, a combination of utilising the best technology available, the right operational regime, careful planning of both the geometry of new runways and surrounding development, and the right sort of noise reduction for existing communities needs to be combined with sensitive and responsive monitoring.

·         The effect of carbon impacts and sustainability, particularly during construction, while important seems a bit of a red herring. As a global issue, where the runway is built will have little impact on the overall level of emissions and embedded carbon, if one accepts the expansion is needed.

·         The key to community engagement is to properly understand the needs of the people living around the expanded airport and responding to these. On Terminal 5, the BAA proved skilled at mobilising the wider community whose livelihoods depend on a thriving Heathrow. However, it needs to be recognised that this isn’t everyone. There has to be something in the plans for those who feel excluded from the benefits of expansion, or only experience the downsides. Innovative and effective outreach is an important factor in this.

In this new political landscape, including a new relationship with Europe, a new Prime Minister and a new Secretary of State for Transport, it is not possible to predict the outcome of this decision, however, whichever option is chosen will need to confidently deal with these, sometimes knotty, challenges.

Saved More than $310,000 in Cooling Water Operational Costs

• GE’s Advanced Chemical Treatment Technology and Real-Time Monitoring and Data Analysis Significantly Reduced Water Usage and Increased Efficiency
• Heathrow Airport Honored with a GE Ecomagination Award

The largest airport in the United Kingdom saved more than 130 million liters of water annually using GE’s advanced water treatment solutions. Thirty-nine cooling towers across four terminals at London’s Heathrow Airport were treated with GE’s corrosion inhibitor, cooling and chemical treatment technologies. After 12 months, the airport saved the equivalent of 5 percent of total site water usage and $310,000 in costs.

In recognition of its noteworthy reductions in water usage, GE honored Heathrow Airport with an Ecomaginaton award, which recognizes the achievements of industrial users for striking a positive balance between today’s environmental, industrial and sustainability challenges. It is given to the top GE customers in environmental and economic performance.

“With more than 75 million passengers per year, 80 airlines, over 76,000 employees and an average of approximately 1,300 flights per day, Heathrow Airport is one of the busiest airports in Europe, and we consume a significant volume of water,” said Chris Allen, Heathrow Airport Limited. “It is crucial we work with partners to reduce our environmental impact and are pleased that the GE technology has allowed us to exceed our environmental and industrial goals while meeting our high operational demands. We have been able to reduce our water usage and costs and improve efficiency. We are honored that GE has recognized Heathrow Airport with this award.”

The airport’s cooling towers were monitored in real time, and the data was analyzed with GE’s InSight knowledge management system and TrueSense for Cooling remote monitoring and diagnostics platforms. Using the power of the Industrial Internet, GE’s InSight and TrueSense technologies enabled the precise dosing of chemicals in the right quantity and allowed for continuous monitoring to ensure system performance, cost optimization and improved efficiency.

read more : http://tinyurl.com/z3sjqxl

Comment concilier le développement d’un aéroport et la protection de l’environnement ? Montréal-Trudeau a trouvé la solution.

Les nombreuses initiatives mises en avant ont permis d’économiser près de 44 000 tonnes de CO2 au cours de la période 2004-2012 et de mettre des crédits carbone sur le marché volontaire, ce qui fait de Montréal-Trudeau le premier aéroport en Amérique du Nord à émettre des crédits carbone.

« Les investissements que nous avons faits depuis 2001 nous ont permis de réduire notre consommation énergétique tout en doublant la superficie de l’aéroport », explique James C. Cherry. Le président-directeur général d’Aéroports de Montréal (ADM) cite, entre autres exemples, la centrale thermique de l’aéroport de Montréal-Trudeau, qui est un modèle d’efficacité énergétique. De plus, des stores automatisés réduisent considérablement la consommation d’énergie.

En plus d’avoir la certification ISO 14001 et BOMA BESt, l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau est le premier aéroport canadien à avoir obtenu la certification Airport Carbon Accreditation. Par ailleurs, le prolongement de la jetée internationale, inauguré en mai 2016, vise la certification LEED. « Nos décisions contribuent à protéger l’environnement tout en étant extrêmement rentables, souligne M. Cherry, puisque nous récupérons une partie de nos investissements en gains d’efficacité. »

Leader mondial en matière de recyclage de l’éthylène glycol

Afin d’assurer la sécurité des appareils avant leur décollage en hiver, il est essentiel d’éliminer la neige et le givre accumulés sur les ailes et le fuselage. Le dégivrage des avions est donc un élément crucial des activités de l’aéroport Montréal-Trudeau. Cette procédure implique la vaporisation d’éthylène glycol dilué avec de l’eau dans des proportions qui varient selon les conditions météorologiques.

Conscients qu’une telle activité peut entraîner des impacts environnementaux importants, ADM et son partenaire AéroMag se sont attaqués au problème. En octobre 2014, ils inauguraient des installations à la fine pointe de la technologie pour la récupération, la recertification et la réutilisation du glycol. Ces installations, qui ont exigé un investissement de dix millions de dollars, visaient à améliorer le bilan environnemental de l’aéroport tout en réduisant de quelque 30 % les frais de dégivrage pour les transporteurs aériens.

Le liquide de dégivrage récupéré est ramené à une concentration de 99,5 % grâce à une tour de distillation de haute technologie. Le glycol est ensuite recertifié et ré-utilisé comme liquide de dégivrage. Le procédé de recyclage permet également de réduire de deux millions de litres sa consommation annuelle en eau potable. « Ces installations font de nous un chef de file mondial en matière de recyclage du glycol », soutient fièrement M. Cherry.

Lire la suite : http://tinyurl.com/hlkd3hg