A selection of photographs from our community meeting at the Mehfil Restaurant in Southall on March 31st. It was great to see the support for Back Heathrow continues to be strong in the heart of West London!

A selection of photographs from our community meeting at the Indian Gymkhana Club on March 8. It was great to see so many friends and familiar faces at the first meeting we have been able to organise for two years.

In the run up to COP26, there has been a massive media focus on Britain’s domestic airline routes. The Campaign for Better Transport staged a fascinating race last month between the train and plane on a journey from London to Glasgow. For the record, the plane won by just two minutes.

On top of this, controversy was generated around Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak’s budget. Which saw a cut in air passenger duty for domestic flights, leaving environmentalists reeling in the run-up to COP26 and arguing for reductions in train fares instead. However, Heathrow does not need to compete with Britain's railways for passengers, because they both serve different purposes.

The long-awaited lifting of the US travel ban was finally announced in September.

18 months into travel restrictions, the US government has said it will lift its travel ban on UK and EU citizens that had been in place since the start of the pandemic.

Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs), created from household and industrial waste instead of fossil fuels, can offer up to 80% fewer carbon emissions over their lifecycle than traditional jet fuel, but their mass-rollout is hindered by lack of supply, resulting in high prices and subsequently, low demand.

It’s not surprising that within the aviation industry it is new, innovative fuels like hydrogen, battery or sustainable aviation fuels that receive the most attention from commentators. After all, it’s kerosene that causes the emissions.

For a major international airport, Heathrow, unlike its European rivals, is poorly served by rail access. Currently, Heathrow is only directly linked by eastward-facing rail lines towards central London that neglect the huge number of passenger flows to the south and west of the airport.

As part of the effort to decarbonise aviation, it’s often Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAFs) that receive the attention. They are of course important, and immediately available - which helps. But whilst SAFs can cut carbon today, it has been said that hydrogen could eliminate carbon from aviation in the future. Let's explore this for a moment.

Over the last few weeks, the UK has quietly set out its credentials for it to lead the way in research on the use of hydrogen for powering aircraft.

I want to pay tribute to Iqbal Singh Vaid today, on behalf of Back Heathrow, but also personally. Sadly, Iqbal passed away on Wednesday 23^rd March, at the age of 78 after battling long-term illness.

But battling is something Iqbal Singh was renowned for in west London, where he was a pillar of our local community.

He was a retired BA employee, a General Secretary of the Indian Workers Association (IWA) and received many accolades from Unite the union. Many of us will remember him as a passionate trade unionist and a powerful orator. His oratory was as strong and clear in English as it was in his native Punjabi.

Influential people wanted to hear what he had to say, not just because he was clear in his beliefs on issues like workplace rights, equality, job creation and the expansion of Heathrow, but because they knew he was embedded in the community he loved – he spoke for many people. Iqbal took his passion for grassroots organisation from the union movement to the Indian Workers Association.

Personally, I enjoyed his counsel. He was knowledgeable, articulate and wise. To have all those qualities in such abundance is a rare thing.

He will be missed by many people, particularly his family and the Southall community in which he served with distinction.

Our thoughts are with his family and his many friends.

Parmjit Dhanda and all at Back Heathrow