Air quality

Target 2006/07: To deliver Section 106 commitments for air quality monitoring and modelling.
Performance against target: Some progress made

The issue

Aircraft and road vehicles at airports produce a number of pollutants that affect local air quality, particularly nitrogen oxide (NOx) and fine particles (PM10), which are the by-products of burning fossil fuels to power aircraft and road vehicles.

Whilst many of these sources of pollution are beyond our direct control, we recognise our responsibility to closely manage all impacts of the airport operation on local air quality.

Our approach

Our objective is to continue monitoring and improving the management of air quality at Stansted Airport, in order to support local area compliance with current European Commission Directive limits (96/62/EC) and the UK Government national air quality strategy.

Stansted’s air quality management strategy is based on the following principles:

• Taking action to control emissions from activities for which BAA is directly responsible;
• Influencing other airport users to reduce their impact on local air quality;
• Supporting implementation of the Stansted Surface Access Strategy to help reduce impacts from road traffic;
• Monitoring and modelling impacts from airport activity on the surrounding area;
• Keeping up to date with new technology developments and best practice operational solutions and implementing where appropriate; and
• To listen to and understand stakeholder concerns in order to share information which will help them better understand air quality levels at the airport.

Our performance

Our target for 2006/07 was to carry out continuous monitoring of pollutants NOx (nitrogen oxide) and PM10, at the High House Farm monitoring station, an off-airport site. The data results shown in the data summary, when compared against the National Air Quality Standard, BAA’s monitoring shows results are within the thresholds set by UK Government.

In addition, we intended to draw up an inventory of NOx and PM10 emission sources found at the airport in 2006, and to produce a model of air quality levels predicted for 2010. This work incorporates research from the Project for Sustainable Development Heathrow, which was based on a study conducted at Heathrow from 2004 to 2006. The results from this study were only made available in summer 2006 and therefore we have not had sufficient time to complete the inventory and modelling work within our planned timeframe. Work on this complex data project is continuing and the results will be published when complete.

Despite the good levels of air quality around Stansted Airport we continue to try and mitigate our impacts. This year a great focus has been given to increasing the use of Fixed Electrical Ground Power (FEGP), an alternative source of power for parked aircraft to the running of engines, which reduces emissions. We have worked closely with airline operators and ground handling agents at Stansted to encourage use of this system.

Additionally, a team from Stansted pro-actively identified a problem with the Boeing 737 aircraft connection point where the FEGP unit is attached and became the first airport representatives to be invited by aircraft manufacturers Boeing to attend a technical design workshop. They presented their ideas to Boeing and played a key role in identifying solutions. Completion of this work will improve the efficiency of FEGP on Boeing 737 aircraft across the world.

Currently we are undertaking a review of the BAA vehicle fleet at Stansted Airport to try and increase the number of alternatively fuelled vehicles on site.

In addition, we have introduced a facility for other companies operating at the airport to purchase both diesel (that contains 5% bio fuel) and/or fuel additives (mainly for diesel) which reduce emissions from vehicle exhausts. We continue to work closely with the local authorities on air quality related issues, and we share our findings on a quarterly basis and attend the Essex Air Quality Consortium.

Studies are also being conducted at Eastend Wood, Hatfield Forest and Hales Wood looking specifically at total nitrogen level deposition in order to examine the impact of changes in local air quality on vegetation. More details about this study can be found in Biodiversity and archaeology.

Our plans

We will continue to identify and implement opportunities to reduce our emission sources at Stansted Airport. A strong focus will be placed on working with business partners on projects such as FEGP and implementing a cleaner vehicles initiative.

We intend to publish our air quality strategy during 2007 which will enable us to communicate more widely on the progress made with local area compliance. All of these findings will be made available to our local planning authority, Uttlesford District Council.

Target 2007:
To develop and publish a Local Air Quality Strategy for Stansted by 31 December 2007.

Data summary