 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS |
Where? Why? What? How? Who? When? True or False? Abbreviations Search
WHERE?
Where and when would any additional runway be built?
Click here
Where can I see maps of the impacts of the proposals?
Click here
Where can I find copies of documents from the 2007 Public Inquiry?
Click here
Where can I buy SSE's Calendar, Christmas Cards and Notelets?
Click here for information and order form
Where is the Stop Stansted Expansion wood?
At Broxted Hill - Ordnance Survey grid reference 587248. This is precisely where BAA planned to position the north-east end of a second runway. This wood was planted by SSE volunteers in 2004.
Where can I find out more about the 2003 Air Transport White Paper?
Click here
Where can I find out about SSE presentations to Schools?
Click here
Where can I see photos of listed buildings that were threatened by expansion (many are now owned by BAA)?
Click here and also see SSE press release 419
Where can I obtain copies of posters, car window stickers, etc?
Click here or email or telephone (01279 870558) the Campaign Office
Where can I see the latest campaign news?
Click here to go to a summary of recent news items
Where can I see copies of old news items?
Click here to go to the news archive
Where can I find a copy of all SSE's Press Releases?
Click here
Where can I find out more about the White Paper Judicial Review in 2004/2005?
Click here
Where can I see photos of campaign events, etc?
Click here to go to SSE's photo gallery
Where can I see campaign cartoons, etc?
Click here to go to SSE's cartoon gallery
Where can I see the websites of other campaign groups?
Click here for links to other airport campaign groups and also to local community websites
WHY?
Why waste all this effort to oppose something that is inevitable at some stage?
There are many hurdles for BAA to overcome before expansion could ever take place. Most of the reasoned arguments are against expansion, and SSE will continue to press them for the good of the community around the airport and for the sake of future generations all over the world if the threat re-emerges.
There is a conflict between the general thrusts of on the one hand promoting aviation and on the other tackling climate change. SSE believes the latter is far more important and will eventually prevail.
The last airport policy enshrined in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper makes it clear that Governments do not build runways, nor pay for additional infrastructure (roads, rail, etc) that is needed because of airport expansion. The onus would lie with BAA, the current owner of Stansted Airport, and its Spanish parent company, Ferrovial, to raise the necessary substantial funds, to obtain planning permission and to ensure no UK or European environmental legislation will be breached. They would once again face massive opposition.
The Civil Aviation Authority has declared that BAA may not subsidise operations at one airport from income at another. The major airlines do not want to use Stansted, and the no frills airlines do not want to pay increased landing fees which BAA's plans would incur. The financial risks associated with such a large scale investment for a questionable return, especially for a company already heavily burdened with debt, would deter banks and shareholders from pouring more money into an airport that has never made a decent return on capital employed.
Following a recommendation by the Office of Fair Trading in December 2006, the Competition Commission has ruled on BAA's airport monopoly, especially its dominent market position in south east England, requiring Stansted's sell off. A new owner is unlikely to press ahead with a second runway given the lack of a commercial case - and the falling demand experienced since 2007.
Stansted was first proposed as a major airport in 1965, but the local community, led by SSE's parent body NWEEHPA, fought off second runway plans then and in the following decades at two public inquiries and through a Royal Commission. The fight to prevent the threat recurring continues today.
NWEEHPA and SSE, often working together with local authorities and other campaign groups, have a history of putting spanners in the expansion proposals process and overcoming what at first seemed impossible hurdles. A second runway is not a done deal. Nor is any increase beyond the present limit of 35 million passengers per annum.
Why is Stop Stansted Expansion putting jobs at risk?
No existing jobs are at risk. The local area has relatively low unemployment and in recent years the airport has had trouble recruiting staff from within the local area. SSE accepts that the airport is here to stay, but wants to stop any growth beyond 35mppa and to ensure that damage done by its operations to the local community is kept to a minimum.
WHAT?
What is all the fuss about?
Click here for a brief overview
What can I do?
Click here to see what anyone can do
What is SSE?
Click here for an overview
What is NWEEHPA?
Click here to read about the origins of NWEEHPA and SSE
What organisations support SSE?
Click here to view a list
What impact does aviation have on health?
Click here for the Health Matters page
What is "Demand Management"?
SSE, and other organizations opposed to the unconstrained growth of air travel, argue that the Government should act to slow the growth in demand to a level that can be sustained by the environment and by the UK economy. Options available to Government include raising taxes on flying and limiting the number of runways. The White Paper sets out a policy to accommodate forecast demand in full, with no commitment to exercise constraint.
What is meant by an offshore airport?
During the period leading up to the publication of the 2003 White Paper, a number of suggestions for "offshore airports" were made for various locations in the Thames Estuary, connected by rail and/or road to car parks and other facilities onshore. All were dismissed in the White Paper as being too costly. The main advantage would have been that take-off and landing would be over the sea, thus disturbing fewer people. However, these sites were generally close to major bird nesting sites so had potential danger for both birds and aircraft safety. Furthermore, climate change impacts from aviation emissions would still be created, wherever the site. In recent months similar offshore airport proposals have been mooted by the aviation industry, and these continue to ignore both birds and climate change.
What level of airport noise is permitted at night?
Night time operational limits, based on numbers of flights and types of aircraft, are prescribed by the Department for Transport (DfT) on a five yearly basis. Papers relating to the most recent DfT consultation can be accessed here.
What is the passenger throughput at Stansted Airport?
The most commonly quoted measurement is millions of passengers per annum ("mppa"). In 2007, Stansted handled 24 million passenger movements. While this was more than four times the 1997 throughput, growth has reversed since October 2007 and the numbers have been in steady decline ever since. BAA's case for a second runway was built on its theory of rapidly rising demand for air travel, but the reality has been quite the reverse. In 2011 18 million passengers used Stansted. BAA has planning approval for the airport to handle up to 35 million passengers in any 12 month period.
What is the passenger throughput of other major UK airports?
In 2010, Heathrow handled 65.7 million passengers, Gatwick 31.3m and Manchester 17.7m.
What is the level of freight movement at Stansted compared to other freight hubs?
Heathrow is by far the UK's busiest airport for freight, handling 1,473,000 tonnes in 2010, 94.9% of which was 'bellyhold' freight on scheduled passenger aircraft. Stansted is the UK's third busiest freight airport, handling 202,000 tonnes in 2010, less than 1% of which was bellyhold. (East Midlands is the UK's second busiest freight airport, handling 274,000 tonnes in 2010 and, similar to Stansted, virtually all of this on specialised cargo aircraft rather than bellyhold.)
What are the comparative numbers of total Air Transport Movements (ATMs)?
In 2010 Heathrow handled 449,300 ATMs, Gatwick 233,600 and Stansted 143,000 (93% of which were passenger aircraft and 7% cargo aircraft). Planning permission granted in 2008 permits Stansted to handle 264,000 ATMs in any 12 month period.
Why does SSE still need money?
While the majority of the input on the campaign has always been provided by unpaid volunteers, SSE maintains a campaign office and a limited number of paid staff as needed. A tight rein is kept on expenditure. Funds are also needed to pay for regular campaign activities and member communications. External consultants are engaged from time to time where relevant expertise - such as specific technical, legal and planning advice - is not available from our volunteer base. Click here for a summary of SSE's income and expenditure.
HOW?
How big would a two runway airport be?
BAA's proposals would have increased the airport by 50% to around 14 square kilometers or 5.5 square miles. This area is similar to that enclosed by London's Circle Line.
How real is climate change?
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ("IPCC") was established in 1988 by the United Nations to increase understanding of climate change and assess its likely impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC's reports are generally regarded as authoritative. Its February 2007 report concluded that global warming is definitely occurring, with a 90% probability that the prime cause is human emissions of greenhouse gases. This report forecasts that world temperatures, sea levels and the frequency of heat waves and heavy rainfall will rise. IPCC plans to issue a further report in April 2007, dealing with impacts, adaptation and vulnerability, and another in May 2007 addressing mitigation.
How does aviation contribute to climate change?
It is widely accepted by climate scientists that climate change is accelerated by man's increased emission of greenhouse gases, primarily carbon dioxide (CO2), due mainly to the burning of fossil fuels in power stations, boilers and engines. The rapid increase in the world's population over the last 50 years has combined with an increasing use of energy such that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere has increased to levels far above what the Earth has previously experienced. This is causing the planet to warm noticeably. Aviation is the fastest growing cause of CO2 emissions, in the UK accounting for 6% of all emissions. Aviation is particularly damaging as emissions at altitude have a much greater impact than emissions at ground level. Most of the world's developed countries have signed up to the Kyoto Protocol, agreeing to reduce their emissions from levels in 1990. The UK target is a reduction of 20% by 2010 and 60% by 2050. However, emissions from aviation have been excluded from the targets, so there is a real danger that savings by householders, motorists, power stations and businesses, etc will be negated by increased emissions from jet aircraft.
SSE has estimated that Stansted Airport emitted the equivalent of 5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2007. Today (2011), in the context of falling passenger figures and associated flights, this figure has fallen to 3.3 million tonnes per annum. This figure would rise to around 12 million tonnes if full use of the runway were allowed and to 23 million tonnes if a second runway were built. 23 million tonnes would be more than the CO2 emissions from 4 million homes. You can see SSE's calculations here.
How can I join Stop Stansted Expansion?
Click here to print a Membership Application form
How can I help Stop Stansted Expansion?
Click here to see what anyone can do
How can I complain about aircraft or airport noise?
If you are disturbed by a particularly noisy flight, complain either on the 24 hour Freephone complaints line (0800 243 788) or via the form on this site. Please treat this service responsibly - do not give BAA the opportunity to discredit the number of complaints received from the general public.
You should receive a detailed reply if your complaint refers to an incident involving an outgoing flight that was also detected as exceeding the noise limits when passing over one of the 4 noise sensors at each end of the runway, 6.5 km from the start of take off roll. There are, in practice, NO effective noise limits on arriving aircraft.
If you do not receive a reply, your complaint will still be logged and added to the quarterly statistics which are presented to Stansted Airport Consultative Committee (STACC), a body that monitors the airport.
How can I find out more about Stansted Airport's Noise Complaints procedures?
Ring the Freephone complaints line (0800 243 788) during office hours and ask for the leaflet describing the work of the Flight Evaluation Unit.
How can I report the smell of aviation fuel?
Click here to open up an online air quality form
How can I receive SSE's latest enews?
Click here to receive regular email news updates
How should I write to the Press?
Click here for guidance on how to write to the Press
How can I contact the SSE office or webmaster?
Email here
How can I print my own copies of posters?
Click here to download a poster ready for printing on A4 paper or card
WHEN?
When did events take place?
Click here to see the Timeline
TRUE or FALSE?
Do aircraft dump fuel as they approach to land?
We have been advised that they don't, but some people under the flightpath believe they do - we have heard them say they can see the aviation fuel on their fishponds and cars and see it coming out of the back of the plane. Perhaps someone could come up with a suitable explanation.
Is it true that there is already a second runway at Stansted?
No. During the war, the airport had three runways, in a triangular formation. One is the present runway, but the others have been built on and have no possible use as runways.
ABBREVIATIONS
AEF - Aviation Environment Federation
ATM - Air Transport Movements - number of plane take-offs or landings
ATWP - Air Transport White Paper ("The Future of Air Transport", Dft, 2003)
BAA - formerly British Airports Authority. Since 2006 it is owned by a consortium headed by Ferrovial, a Spanish infrastructure company. BAA owns and operates most large airports in the UK, including Heathrow and Stansted
CAA - Civil Aviation Authority - the UK's independent aviation regulator
DfT - Department for Transport - the Government department responsible for aviation
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organisation - founded in 1944 by the Chicago Convention, an international agreement that also outlawed tax on aviation fuel
IPCC - The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was established in 1988 by the United Nations to assess the risk of human-induced climate change. The IPCC's reports are generally regarded as authoritative.
IPPR - Institute for Public Policy Research
LAQ - Local Air Quality
mppa - Millions of passenger-movements per annum - a return trip counts as 2 passenger movements
NATS - National Air Traffic Services Ltd - provides air traffic control services to aircraft flying in UK airspace
NFC - No Frills Carrier
NWEEHPA - North West Essex and East Hertfordshire Preservation Association - SSE's parent body
OFT - Office of Fair Trading
PATM - Passenger Air Transport Movement
RSS - Regional Spatial Strategy
SDC - Sustainable Development Commission
SSE - Stop Stansted Expansion is a working group of NWEEHPA - see here for further details
STACC - Stansted Airport Consultative Committee - a consultative body set up under government legislation to inform and consult on airport operational matters. The committee meets four times a year and includes representatives from the airport, local authorities and businesses, travel and passenger organisations and NWEEHPA.
STAL - Stansted Airport Ltd - the owner and operator of Stansted Airport, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BAA
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