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The Unite union has threatened to “shut down” Heathrow, Britain’s biggest airport, this summer after calling a series of strikes over pay. Disruption could also occur across other London airports in separate disputes over pay and conditions, while British Airways pilots have been balloted for a strike. Unite said that over 4,000 employees including security guards, engineers and passenger service staff were set to walk out for six days, including two of the summer’s busiest weekends, in a move that could potentially shut down the airport. Heathrow said it would implement contingency plans to ensure the airport remained open and that disruption for passengers was minimised. More than 80 million passengers travel through Heathrow each year and the strikes would start on what could be its busiest ever weekend, from Friday 26 July. The same period in July 2018, at the start of school holidays, saw a record 262,000 passengers in a day. The other planned strike dates are 27 July, 5, 6, 23 and 24 August. Unite said the dispute had escalated after Heathrow made an 18-month pay offer that would give the lowest paid an extra GBP3.75 a day. The union said there was deepening anger over pay disparities between workers, as well as over the pay of the airport’s CE, John Holland-Kaye, which doubled last year to GBP4.2m, while shareholders also took billions in dividends. Heathrow said it was offering an above-inflation rise designed to help the lower paid.<br/>

Heathrow airport is planning to triple the amount it spends on its controversial third runway to GBP2.9b ahead of final approval, sparking fears that passengers will pay extra even if the project is eventually cancelled. The industry regulator said it wanted to seek the public’s views on the airport’s proposal to accelerate spending because of the risk that the costs would be passed on to consumers through passenger service charges. The Civil Aviation Authority said in a consultation document that management at the UK’s busiest airport was speeding up certain spending on the GBP14b project to meet the 2026 completion target date for the runway. However, it is still uncertain whether the expansion will go ahead, following opposition from politicians, local residents and environmentalists. Heathrow is expected to submit its application for a development consent order, the permit required by all nationally significant infrastructure projects, next year. The airport hopes the transport secretary will approve it in 2021. “In light of these increases, we have asked [Heathrow] to consider different options for this spending and the implications of this spending for the overall programme timetable and the interests of consumers,” the CAA said. “The more Heathrow’s operator spends before it gets planning approval, the greater the risk that consumers will end up paying for extra costs in the event that expansion does not go ahead.”<br/>

Vienna International Airport (VIE) has launched a E500m investment program for a large-scale terminal modernization. The project includes the renovation of Terminal 2 (T2), the Pier East and construction of a large 70,000 sq m building, the “T3 Southern Enlargement.” Construction will take four years and work should be completed by 2023. To ensure the construction project is implemented on time and on budget, the company has massively expanded its construction management team. “Reliability and comfort are essential to ensure passenger satisfaction, above all when passenger development is booming as much as it is at Vienna Airport at present. Quality and security are the top priorities for us,” explained Julian Jäger and Günther Ofner, members of the management board of Flughafen Wien AG. T2, constructed in the 1960s, is one of the oldest buildings at the airport site. Located between T1 and T3, T2 will play an important role in future airport operations, featuring central security checkpoint and additional baggage carousels. From today’s perspective, the new T2 is scheduled to come on stream by the end of 2020.<br/>

A contract to build two sections of Cambodia’s new Siem Reap Angkor International Airport was awarded to China’s Shanxi Mechanization Construction Group. The CNY290m deal includes construction of terminals, aprons, a runway, earthworks and drainage. In December 2016 the Cambodian government appointed China’s Yunnan Investment Holdings to develop the new airport, located 50 km from Siem Reap city. YIHL was given the right to operate the airport under a 55-year concession, and the government will compensate French airport operator Vinci Airports for prematurely ending its concession on the current Siem Reap airport. The current airport, which is reaching capacity, is 5 km from Angkor Wat, and the government said ground vibrations from aircraft movements could harm the UNESCO World Heritage site. To be built in three phases over 10 years, the new airport will initially handle 7m passengers annually, rising to 10m upon completion of the final phase. The 700-hectare (1,730-acre) airport will be the country’s largest. <br/>

Low-cost carrier AirAsia is set to operate from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport’s Terminal F2 low-cost carrier terminal in Tangerang, Banten. It has called on the government to establish more LCCTs across the country to improve efficiency. “It is good that there is an LCCT at Soekarno-Hatta,” said Air Asia Group CEO deputy Bo Lingam over the weekend as quoted by kontan.co.id. He said LCCTs had helped airlines operate more efficiently, enabling them to offer lower airfares. He explained that with LCCTs, airports could eliminate certain cost components, such as aerobridges, which were usually were available in full service terminals. He said it cost airports US$250,000 to procure one aerobridge, while an airline spent $75 to rent one for each use. “Imagine how many times we use an aerobridge. Without such expenditures, we can lower airfares,” Lingam said as quoted by kontan.co.id. He said the airline would relocate its operational office to the terminal in late July.<br/>