B/CA Show News - NBAA 2007 Day 1 - (Page 78) N BA A 2007 Farnborough Hoisted By Its Own Success O’Reilly, TAG Farnborough’s new chief executive. He explained too that some of his clients are in the entertainment industry and need to be flexible. Farnborough achieved 21,365 movements in 2006 and is growing at 26% annually. “By the end of this year we will be well above 25,000 movements. Even if we have half that growth in 2008, we will reach our agreed 28,000 cap,” O’Reilly said. All UK airports with over 20,000 movements have to produce a 25-year master plan detailing growth forecast, environmental improvements and service access initiatives. This is then fed into local councils’ action plans. “Once that is published and adopted, we can apply against it to increase our movements. It does of course have to be done in tandem with the local council and the local people,” O’Reilly said. While TAG is restrained by its total movement cap, which could last a considerable time, the company is working on improving ancillary lines of revenue. It is reviewing its pricing structure and encouraging larger business aircraft movements. New tenants must be on the cards, but all TAG Farnborough is already facing serious capacity issues. O’Reilly would say was, “Everything that we do on the airfield has to be related to aviation. Future develop- ments will be published in our master plan in the first quarter of next year.” —Mike Vines TAG Farnborough Causes Hotel Boom Two new hotels, as well as the 169room Dakota due to open next June, are to be built within close reach of TAG Farnborough airport. Work has begun on the $48 million, 154-room De Vere Hotel at the Farnborough Business Park, opening in late 2008, and a 77-bed Travel Inn will be part of Farnborough’s $106 million town center face-lift, which will include an eight-screen cinema and a better shopping mall. Completion is set for July 2009. TAG Farnborough’s proximity and Flight Safety International’s rise in students (3,000 next year) account for this hotel upsurge. FSI plans to book 30,000 room nights in advance. —MV Brandon O’Reilly of TAG Farnborough. TAG’s Farnborough Airport has been so successful that it’s fast approaching its annual total ceiling of movements approved by the local Borough Council. The company has unsuccessfully tried to get the cap lifted and is now exploring an option to reorganize its aircraft movements. TAG would like to increase allowable weekend movements from 2,500 to 5,000 within the total cap. Weekend movements are very popular, and of course in some areas of the world, Saturday and Sunday are working days. “We turn away between 1,500-2,000 weekend movements every year,” said Brandon Farnborough Goes Quiet as TAG Courts the Locals In moves to woo the local community, Farnborough Airport owners TAG, together with a core of local people, have designed and initiated the Farnborough Quiet Flying Program, introduced in May. Air Traffic Control allows rolling takeoffs, then aircraft are required to fly straight ahead for two miles to avoid noise-sensitive areas. Aircraft on approach must be established at a minimum of three miles (on Farnborough’s ‘good neighbor’ 3.5-degree approach), but the airport prefers them to be even farther out so they don’t stray. Aircraft captains are also asked to not use reverse thrust after landing if possible. —Mike Vines 78 September 25, 2007 www.aviationweek.com/shownews http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews
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