The CAA is yet again highlighting the risks posed to aircraft from dangerous goods being taken on to aircraft.

The warning comes after an electric wheelchair caught fire at Manchester airport on 7 September. Baggage staff spotted blue sparks from the wheelchair when unloading the plane. The chair was removed from the aircraft and burst into flames.

Geoff Leach, Manager of the Dangerous Goods Office at the CAA, said: “Thankfully no-one was injured as a result of the Manchester incident. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation, but it does highlight the need for passengers to be extremely vigilant when taking items on board aircraft. Passengers need to be aware that some items, which are relatively innocuous in everyday use, are capable of posing a serious risk to the occupants of an aircraft, no matter where they are carried onboard and therefore need to be carefully checked.”

Battery powered wheelchairs may be carried by passengers subject to certain safety conditions, including:

• ensuring the battery is securely attached to the wheelchair;
• protecting the battery and chair from short circuiting; and
• ensuring that the wheelchair cannot become switched on during transport.

Spillable batteries are subject to additional requirements. In all cases, passengers should contact their airline in advance to check what special conditions apply.

Geoff Leach added: “Passengers frequently travel with electronic gadgets or other battery powered items and, although the batteries in these rarely pose a safety problem, if they are loose or the equipment is inadvertently activated there is a danger of fire.”

For more information on the carriage of batteries check out at www.caa.co.uk/docs/1219/srg_dgo_CarriageOfBatteries_20080501.pdf

The deadline is fast approaching for all airside pass-holders in the restricted zone (RZ) to receive General Security Awareness Training (GSAT).

The Department for Transport (DfT), in January 2008, stated that it was a legal requirement for all airside pass-holders to receive GSAT training, a requirement of EC Regulation 2320. In the UK, GSAT applies to all applicants for, and holders of a full pass granting unescorted access to the RZ except where the applicant or pass holder is already in receipt of equivalent or better training (known as equivalence). From January 2009 any pass-holder in the RZ who is not GSAT trained will have their pass suspended.

In answer to this, ThirdForce, the UK’s leading compliance training and e-learning provider launches its pioneering e-learning solution.

Elaine Kauder, Senior Product Manager of ThirdForce explained: “ThirdForce has developed an e-learning course for GSAT that is fully compliant and accredited by the DfT. Most importantly the solution provides Management with an audit trail and the ability to monitor employee progress through the training, via its Learning Management System, AIMS Perform.” The course has also been jointly developed with a UK airport security DfT accredited expert, Andrew Hudson.

The course can be accessed anytime anywhere, aiding the airside employees to juggle their work and training successfully.

From tomorrow, Saturday 26 July, new rules will be introduced at all EU airports to give disabled and elderly passengers the same access rights as all other passengers with no discrimination or additional cost.

European airports will be responsible for providing a specific set of services to people with reduced mobility from the moment they enter the airport, and priority will be given at boarding.

The new regulations will also prohibit airlines and tour operators from refusing bookings from passengers, or to carry them, because of a disability or reduced mobility.

Strike action planned for 4 July at Highlands and Islands airports (HIAL) has been suspended to allow further talks to take place between union officials and HIAL.

Members of the Unite union, which includes fire-fighters and engineers at HIAL, last took strike action over the 2% pay offer on 23 June.

BAA has confirmed that it has completed the sale of World Duty Free Europe Limited to Augtogrill SpA for $546.6m plus £15.75m in accrued interest.

BAA, which owns and operates seven UK airports including Heathrow and Gatwick, sold World Duty Free as part of its ongoing non-core asset disposal program.

Calling all victims of airline lost luggage, baggage handlers and ex-baggage handlers.

Channel 4 is highlighting the problems of lost luggage with a documentary investigating why millions of pieces of luggage get lost every year. The production company is calling for stories from people who have lost luggage in the past – however big or small the story.

They are also looking for baggage handlers, or ex-baggage handlers who might be interested in getting involved with the programme.

Lost luggage is an ongoing problem for travelers – it’s not just confined to Heathrow’s Terminal 5! Last year, globally, 42.4 million bags were mishandled – that’s either lost or delayed - and with increasing air travel this number is set to rise.

If you have a lost luggage story, either as a passenger or a baggage handler, get in touch with Samantha De Alwis at Samantha.De.Alwis@diverse.tv

bmi has welcomed the Competition Commission’s ‘emerging thinking’ report into BAA’s ownership of seven of the UK major airports.

Nigel Turner, bmi chief executive officer, said: “We welcome the findings of the commission’s report and look forward to remedial action being taken at the earliest opportunity.

“We identified last year that BAA’s high market share for air passengers appears to prevent, restrict or distort airport competition within the UK and strongly believe that to ensure future real intra-airport competition in the UK, the only option facing the regulators is the dismantling of BAA’s monopolistic grip over the UK’s busiest airports in the South-East (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) and in Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow). Only with separate airport ownership can the UK guarantee a healthy and competitive aviation industry to serve the wider consumer interest.”

Following the publication of the Competition Commission’s ‘emerging thinking’ report on Tuesday, Flybe has repeated its call for the break up of BAA and said the airport operator should dispose of a least 3 airports.

Responding to the report, Mike Rutter, Flybe’s Chief Commercial Officer said: “We have been saying for years that the BAA monopoly of airports in South East England and the Scottish lowlands is bad for the consumer and at last, the Competition Commission has come to the same conclusion. Rather than wait for the inevitable forced sell-off, we are today calling for Ferrovial to read the writing on the wall and start to divest itself of at least three airports in order to improve customer focus, allow for investment and bring real competition to aviation in the UK.”

Rutter continued: “Over the last year, Flybe have flown more than 75,000 flights from BAA/Ferrovial owned airports, so we are in a very good position to be able to comment on their lack of performance. It’s high time the sell-off began and in a spirit of cooperation, can we suggest they begin by disposing of Southampton, London Gatwick and Glasgow”

The Competition Commission (CC) has published its interim report into the investigation in to BAA’s ownership of seven of the UK’s airports.

In the Commission’s ‘emerging thinking’ document the CC sets out its current views and sees the potential for competition at all BAA airports both in England and Scotland, finding that: ‘BAA’s common ownership of seven airports in the UK may not be serving well the interests of either airlines or passengers’.

The CC has called for further evidence, and hearings are expected during June and July 2008 with provisional findings to be published in August. The final report into its findings is due by 28 March 2008.

Christopher Clarke, Chairman of the BAA Airports inquiry, said: “BAA dominates the airports markets in the South-East of England and in lowland Scotland, both areas of high economic activity and importance. Currently, there is no competition between BAA’s three London airports (Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted) and only very limited competition from non-BAA airports (including London City and Luton). Similarly, there is no competition between their two airports in lowland Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow) although Glasgow does face competition from one non-BAA airport (Prestwick).

Particular features which we have identified as potentially limiting competition include the common ownership by BAA of each of its seven airports and the way it conducts its business. We are particularly concerned by its apparent lack of responsiveness to the differing needs of its airline customers, and hence passengers, and the consequences for the levels, quality, scope, location and timing of investment and levels and quality of service.

We are also concerned about other aspects of BAA’s conduct such as its approach to the system of planning airport development which may, in part at least, be related to ownership of several neighbouring airports. Over many years, BAA seems to have taken a sequential approach to development, notably at its London airports, and been prepared to limit development at one airport to concentrate on development elsewhere. While it has successfully undertaken a significant number of smaller projects simultaneously, it seems largely to have limited itself to one major project at a time, for example Terminal 5.”

After nearly a year on the market, BAA has announced it is to sell World Duty Free Europe Limited to Autogrill for £546.6 million.

BAA, which owns and operates Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Southampton airport, Edinburgh airport, Glasgow airport and Aberdeen airport, will use the proceeds of the sale to repay some of its debt.