Plans to almost double the number of flights at Farnborough Airport should be resisted, a councillor has warned.

TAG’s draft master plan outlines how the company would like to develop the aerodrome over the next decade.

The 66-page document also gives an indication of where the company would like to be by 2030.

Hart district councillor James Radley said the headline feature of the document is TAG’s disclosure that it will soon be submitting a planning application to raise its movement limit to “approximately” 50,000 flights a year — an average of 137 a day.

He says TAG should be discouraged from going for a growth in flying numbers, and the environment is the reason. Such growth would take up air space slots that are badly needed for mass air travel, he argues.

“It is important that we make air travel as efficient as possible in terms of the burning of fossil fuels,” said Cllr Radley, who represents Church Crookham East and is a member of the Farnbo-rough Aerodrome Consultative Committee.

“Although there are those in the oil industry who dispute that there is a proven link between the burning of fossil fuels and global warming, it would be unwise to ignore the possibility and we should be attempting to reduce the global carbon footprint as a precautionary measure.

“Even if there was no link to global warming, fossil fuels are a finite resource and we should be proactive in ensuring they are used to the most effect.”

Cllr Radley said smaller jets, such as those used for business aviation, are considerably less fuel efficient than the larger commercial airliners when measured in fuel burnt per passenger mile.

A number of physical factors have a part in determining how efficient an aircraft is, he said.

“Aviation fuel is burnt to generate thrust,” said Cllr Radley, who lives under the Farnborough Airport flightpath in Sandy Lane, Church Crookham.

“A powered aircraft requires thrust to provide lift and to overcome drag.

“The lift generated by a wing is disproportionately greater the larger the dimensions of the wing, and the drag of an aircraft is disproportionately lower the larger it is when measured against seating capacity.

“Consequently, larger commercial jets seating 250 or more passengers are more fuel-efficient per passenger mile than the smaller ones.

“Additional factors, such as the better fuel efficiency that can be achieved with larger jet engines and the higher passenger density of a commercial airliner, make commercial flights considerably more fuel-efficient than those in the business aviation sector.”

Cllr Radley said that as a result the carbon footprint of a passenger in a business jet would be many times greater than that of a passenger travelling on a commercial airliner.

“TAG justifies its desire to expand by pointing out that business people flying in and out of the UK contribute greatly to the UK economy,” he said.

“This is undoubtedly true, but I would argue that a far greater contribution to the UK economy is made by those arriving in the UK or flying out to do business across the world on commercial scheduled flights than is made by the far fewer business people who use Farnborough.”

Cllr Radley said a constraining factor to the growth of aviation as a whole is the congestion of the airways in and out of the UK.

He added: “Accepting TAG’s argument that having people flying in and out of the UK is good for the economic success of the UK, then surely it is critical that this important resource is made available to as many business people as possible?

“This means that what spare capacity the UK air lanes have left should be used for large, high capacity jet airliners, so making the best use of a limited re-source.”
The master plan is currently open to public consultation.

Cllr Radley said: “It is important that local people, those most affected by an intensification of use at Farnborough, respond to this consultation in the way that they feel appropriate.”

There will be a public exhibition at St Mark’s Church Hall in Guildford Road East, North Camp, from 3pm until 6.30pm on Saturday.

Other exhibitions will be held at Crondall Village Hall (January 22), Farnham Maltings (January 23), the Ash Centre (January 28),   Deepcut Village Centre (January 29), the Harlington Centre in Fleet (January 31 and February 4) and Crookham War Memorial Hall in Sandy Lane, Church Crookham (February 7).