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23-04-2004, 10:11 PM
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#1
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New budget airline told to shut its sole airport
source www.telegraph.co.uk
By Nick Britten
(Filed: 22/04/2004)
Britain's newest budget airline has been ordered to close its only terminal less
than three weeks after flights began, raising the prospect of chaos for
thousands of passengers this summer.
Coventry airport has been served an enforcement notice and is facing High Court
action after Warwick district council accused it of breaching planning rules by
erecting a temporary terminal.
The temporary terminal errected by TUI at Coventry airport
The legal move could force Thomsonfly, an offshoot of Thomson Holidays which
began low-cost flights to 11 destinations on March 31, to ground its planes
while a solution is sought. The company admitted yesterday that it had no
contingency plans in place despite already selling 200,000 seats.
The row is the latest chapter of an increasingly acrimonious relationship
between TUI, which owns the airport, and Warwick council.
Impatient to begin flights for this year's summer holidays, TUI built a
temporary terminal while awaiting planning permission on a larger, permanent
one. That application has been in for a year with little sign of a conclusion.
Warwick's planning department ruled that TUI had built the temporary terminal
without its knowledge, was more than the permitted 500 sq m, and would have to
be knocked down.
Enforcement notices are due to come into operation on May 17. The airport then
has seven days to close the terminal and 28 days to demolish it. If it refuses,
the council has said it will apply for a High Court injunction.
Bertie Mackay, a member of the planning committee and councillor for Stoneleigh,
a village affected by the airport, said: "TUI and Thomsonfly were taking
something of a risk by doing this sort of pre-emptive move before sorting out
proper planning permission. All they had to do was take their time and make sure
the right procedures were in place, but they haven't."
Gary Stevens, of the council's planning department, said: 'We asked TUI to stop
work on the temporary terminal until they had planning consent. They ignored us
and are operating flights from that development, so we have taken enforcement
action.
"Because the airport has made it pretty clear it will operate regardless, the
council resolved to seek an injunction in the High Court which will force them
to stop using the development immediately."
With the expansion of nearby Birmingham airport and the success of Nottingham
East Midlands airport, eyebrows were raised last year when Thomsonfly announced
it was to join the budget market and fly out of Coventry.
The terminal has been described as a glorified shed. There is no rail link and
road links in the immediate area are poor.
The company aims to sell 250,000 seats this year and hopes to expand to two
million passengers per year. The introduction of passenger flights has caused
uproar in the community, with concerns about noise pollution, traffic jams and
the impact on wildlife.
Lia Border, a spokesman for the Campaign Against the Expansion of Coventry
Airport, said: "Residents are very concerned about Thomsonfly; already the noise
is horrendous and it will only get worse as the airport expands."
TUI said it was confident of winning any legal challenge and said that the
facilities at the airport had been built after "full legal advice".
A spokesman said: "Coventry airport will be appealing against the notices.
Meanwhile, Coventry airport customers and their passengers should rest assured
that they have every intention of continuing to provide airport services as
normal."
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23-04-2004, 10:11 PM
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#2
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Re: New budget airline told to shut its sole airport
"airnews" <airnews@bigfoot.com> wrote in message
news:kfdf80989v79g73opq02qnklov4tpmv0cs@4ax.com...
> source www.telegraph.co.uk
> By Nick Britten
> (Filed: 22/04/2004)
>
>
> Britain's newest budget airline has been ordered to close its only
terminal less
> than three weeks after flights began, raising the prospect of chaos for
> thousands of passengers this summer.
wtf did they expect. Did Thomson think that planning rules
applied to everybody but them. This is a very big hole entirely
of their own making, and I see no reason to have any sympathy
for the company.
Pity the poor customers though.
tim
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