Airspace Change - Flight Path Trial Birmingham Airport will be implementing a trial of two alternative flight paths from April 2014, as part of its Airspace Change Proposal. Since summer 2012, the Airport has been developing an Airspace Change Proposal required for a change to departure flight paths to the south of the Airport, as a result of the runway extension development and after considering two viable options in detail, the Airport submitted its preferred route - known locally as Option 5 - to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in August this year. The difference in the overall environmental and operational attributes of both routes considered (Option 5 and Option 6) were very marginal. However, following the submission of the preferred route (Option 5) to the CAA, the Airport team has continued to receive high levels of feedback from the local community. They have also been advised that other UK airports have been undertaking trials of flight paths, which help to understand the actual impact rather than theoretical modeling. Recognising the importance of this issue to local people, the Airport has consulted with the CAA and will carry out a trial of Option 5 and Option 6 in a live environment for seven months from April. The CAA supports this step which will provide supplementary information to help them to make a robust and balanced decision on the proposal. In line with the CAA s future Airspace Strategy, the Airport s proposal to the CAA included the introduction of precise navigation methods called RNAV1, allowing aircraft to fly more precisely. Birmingham is an early adopter of RNAV1 and therefore a trial is the most appropriate next step for the Airspace Change Proposal. The Airport has made a commitment to reduce its noise preferential routes from 3km to 2km as it is assumed that aircraft will fly more precisely using RNAV1 technology. This trial will allow the Airport to validate this. The trial is part of the current Airspace Change application to the CAA and will allow RNAV procedures to be tested objectively to assess the impact and give greater insight to help make a more informed decision on the most appropriate option. The Trial is not a further consultation. Further information and maps of the two routes, (Options 5 and 6) can be found on our website and more details of the trial will be posted on the website closer to the start date in April.
Airport helps pilot employability skills scheme Birmingham Airport is one of ten Birmingham businesses helping to pilot a scheme to make seven hundred Birmingham schoolchildren more employable. Skills Minister Matthew Hancock MP with pupils at Small Heath Pupils at 11 schools across the city are taking part in the trial run of the Birmingham Baccalaureate, which aims to equip school leavers with the skills needed for jobs in the city. The new award was created by not-for-profit organisation Skills for Birmingham after it won a city council tender that identified a need to tackle the city s skills shortage. Matthew Hancock MP, Minister for Skills, visited the Airport s partner school, Small Heath, to see the new award in action, dropping in on a lesson where students were trying their hand at launching a new airline. Mr Hancock said: I think the Birmingham Baccalaureate is immensely impressive, bringing schools and employers together. Employers are saying that as activity picks up they are looking to hire but they have got to make sure that we have the skills match available and that s why we re getting behind the Birmingham Baccalaureate. Turning around schools and focusing on making sure young people have what it takes is the work of a generation. Small Heath School is in the first rank of schools turning this around. My message to employers would be to get involved in the Birmingham Baccalaureate, it s good for you and good for Birmingham. Getting behind the Birmingham Baccalaureate is part of the Airport s wider education support programme, which sees it working closely with local schools to enhance skills and develop aspirations while welcoming hundreds more from across the region into Flight School, its dedicated education facility opened by Business Secretary Vince Cable in January 2012.
New Arrivals at BHX Monarch Aircraft Engineering has begun engineering operations at Birmingham Airport. A brand new, 110,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art maintenance facility incorporates industry-leading design and has the capacity for Boeing 787 Dreamliner maintenance, with sufficient capacity for other wide body aircraft, such as Boeing 777 and Airbus A350. The facility is large enough to accommodate two Boeing 777-300ER aircraft or 10 narrow-body aircraft, has been completed on time and on budget, and will support up to 300 jobs, many of them in highly skilled engineering roles. Monarch Engineering is not the only new arrival at Birmingham. Back in August, Air India returned to Birmingham after an absence of five years, with the launch of a new four times weekly service linking the region to Delhi and Amritsar, operated by a new Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft. The 256 seat aircraft has a split cabin, consisting of 18 business class and 238 economy seats and makes Birmingham only the second UK airport to operate dedicated Boeing 787 scheduled services. Since operations began, the service has been very successful, with the aircraft departing around 80% full. Continuing the South Asian theme, Birmingham will welcome the arrival of Biman Bangladesh Airlines once the runway extension is open in the spring of next year. A new service will fly from the Bangladeshi capital Dacca into Birmingham before carrying on to New York s JFK airport, making Birmingham only the third UK airport to offer a direct service to the New York hub.
Runway Extension Latest With the diverted A45 now fully open, work on the runway extension itself is now progressing rapidly. This involves the construction of the additional 400 metres of runway that will enable aircraft to fly direct to China and the Far East, or to the west coast of the US, followed by the resurfacing of the full length of the runway. The extended runway is expected to become fully operational in April next year and during this phase those living in communities close to the Airport may notice a number of changes to the usual pattern of operations. Most noticeable will be the fact that the runway will be closed to all arriving and departing traffic during the night period. These night closures began on Tuesday 5 th November and will continue until 5 th April 2013. They cover Monday to Friday nights only and are effective from 23:00 through to 06:00. Operations on Saturday and Sunday evenings will continue throughout the period. These closures have been planned for some time and airlines have already organised their schedules to accommodate them. With the night time runway closures, there is likely to be an increase in plant and vehicle movements on the airfield at night. Although some noise from work of this nature is inevitable, we will endeavour to keep any disturbance to an absolute minimum. Finally, during the coming months, communities to the north of the airport may notice changes in the final approach path of some aircraft landing at Birmingham. This is due to the replacement of the Runway 15 Instrument Landing System, or ILS, which is a radio system that guides aircraft accurately on the the runway using a defined extended centreline and glideslope. When the ILS is out of service, some aircraft are able to continue to fly along the usual centreline using an APV/Baro apporach (which we reported on back in our April edition). However, other aircraft will be required to undertake alternative approach methods, such as the Non-Directional Beacon, or NDB, approach. Although it is safe and reliable, an NDB apporach is less precise. The beacon is offset from the ILS approach by approximately five degrees and gives guidance to the pilot until such time as visual contact with the runway is established. The point at which this happens will vary according to weather conditions at the time. As a result, some aircraft on approach may be seen by residents who do not usually observe them, particularly in areas to the east of the normal centreline. This is a temporary arrangement while the ILS is replaced, but we do apologise for any disturbance caused. Anyone wishing to find out more can visit our website or contact the
Environment Team. You can find details of how to contact us in the Get in Touch section of this newsletter. St Swithin s House receives Trust Fund award A church conference centre in Barston which offers overnight accommodation for guests has been given a major facelift, thanks to funding from the Airport s Community Trust Fund. Brand new shower room facilities have recently been installed in the living quarters at St. Swithin s House, following a 2,000 grant. Set within the grounds of St. Swithin s Church, the rural retreat can accommodate groups of up to 24 people at a time and regularly receives bookings from various youth organisations and church groups. Out-of-town visitors to the House will now benefit from these much improved bathroom facilities, replacing the previous shower rooms which were in need of a major revamp. Airport Community Affairs Manager Andy Holding with the Trustees of St Swithin s House Charles Jukes, a Trustee at St. Swithin s House, said: Birmingham Airport s generous contribution to this project has made an enormous difference. Thanks to these modern facilities, our guests will now get a much better experience when they stay with us. These improvements mark a very special year in the history of St. Swithin s, as we have recently celebrated the House s 25th anniversary, he added. Andy Holding, Community Affairs Manager at Birmingham Airport, added: The renovation work at St. Swithin s House is a great example of what the Community Trust Fund is for. It s all about helping the local community to help themselves. Thanks to these improvements, made possible by the fund, the House can continue to host meetings and provide accommodation for visitors for many years to come. The Airport Community Trust Fund was established in 1998 and provides financial support to organisations in areas most affected by Airport operations. Since its inception, the Trust Fund has helped over 600 organisations and donated over one million pounds in total. At their most recent meeting in October, the Trustees awarded a further 38,000 to 17 local projects. Find out if your project could be eligible for support at: http://www.birminghamairport.co.uk/meta/about-us/community-environment/communityschemes.aspx
Staying in Touch Here s a shot taken at the annual Fun in the Park event in Solihull back in September, where we had a stall for local people to find out what s new, ask any questions they may have about the Airport or to enter our competition to guess the height of the new Air Traffic Control Tower. There are many other ways to get in touch if you have a question or a concern about any aspect of the Airport s operations. Community Outreach Our regular Community Outreach sessions are designed to provide residents with information about any aspect of the Airport s activities in an informal, face to face situation. Why not drop in for a chat about any issues or concerns you may have? Sessions take place in Balsall Common, Hampton in Arden, Marston Green, Elmdon, Shard End and Castle Bromwich and some now take place on Saturday mornings to make them even more accessible to everyone. Here are the details for the next two sessions: Date: Monday 9 th December 2013 Monday 13th January 2014 Time: 12:00 14:00 12:00 14:00 Venue: Fentham Hall, Marsh Lane, Valley Church Centre, Gaydon Road Hampton in Arden, Solihull B92 0AH Elmdon, Solihull, B92 92B Or you can visit www.birminghamairport.co.uk. We ve refreshed our web site, bringing the Community and Environment pages together to make them easier to navigate and find the information you need. Our dedicated Community Twitter account can get information to you quickly and easily. Why not follow us? @bhx_community Or, you can get in touch with us at any time.. Telephone: 0121 767 7433 E-Mail: community@birminghamairport.co.uk Write to us at: Community Team, Diamond House, Birmingham Airport, Birmingham, B26 3QJ