The Airport Consultative Committee met to discuss the Managing Director's report, feedback from the Accessibility Forum, and to appoint a chair for the next two years. Councillors were reminded of the committee's constitution and code of conduct. Organisations whose interests were not formally represented by a committee member were given the opportunity to speak.

Appointment of Chair

The meeting included the appointment of a chair for 2025-2027. Statements from the candidates, Councillor James Duguid, Cabinet Member for Transport and Economy, and Councillor John Savage, were provided in the reports pack.

Councillor James Duguid stated that he had done his best to be inclusive as chair, and had encouraged the airport management to give a full report in advance of meetings, and to make the noise forums more focused. He also stated:

I have considerable relevant experience and am motivated to ensure a high preforming committee achieves the optimum outcomes for both our community and for the Airport Operations. This within the framework of good practise and the Section 106 agreement, entered as part of the planning approval.

Councillor John Savage stated that the ACC to date had not provided sufficient challenge, and that it was very important that the committee's role in holding the airport to account by monitoring the implementation of post-extension commitments is monitored and challenged when necessary. He also suggested setting up an annual work plan for the committee to identify priorities, draw together a wide range of views and obtain meaningful feedback on the work of the committee.

Managing Director's Report

The Managing Director's Business Update included a people update, routes update, community engagement update, and updates on the Spitfire Wellbeing Fund¹ and the SIAL Annual Air Transport Forum.

The people update included information on the new structure at Southampton International Airport (SOU) and engagement sessions with blocwork (Eastleigh) LLP² & SIAL to introduce their values.

The routes update included information on KLM celebrating five years of continuous service for the Amsterdam route, easyJet starting a Barcelona route, and Loganair starting a daily Manchester route.

The community engagement update included information on the airport's donation of a raffle prize to the Swaythling Community Centre Summer Fair, a donation of a raffle prize to Mansbridge Primary School Summer Fair, and the Airport Fire Service's participation in the Ringwood 999 Emergency Show.

The update on the Spitfire Wellbeing Fund noted that the board had decided to reduce meetings to twice a year to allow the fund greater longevity, and that information on October award winners would be provided at the next ACC meeting in February.

The update on the SIAL Annual Air Transport Forum noted that the meeting was to be held on Wednesday 29th October.

Noise and Airspace Update

The Noise and Airspace Update included statistics on noise complaints received between 1 January 2025 and 31 August 2025. 120 complaints were received during this period, with runway 20 departures continuing to attract the most complaints. A number of complaints were received regarding a small number of later flights in August, but all flights operated within allowable times.

For the period January to August 2025, 120 complaints were received, compared to 287 complaints for the same period in 2024. This represents a 58.19% decrease.

Accessibility Performance Report

The Accessibility Performance Report noted that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had released its rating for 2025, and Southampton Airport achieved GOOD . This was due to the CAA believing that the airport needed more membership in its Accessibility Forum, which has been addressed with an additional four charities now on board, including Avenues Group, Andy Wright Travel, Rainbow Centre and Solent Mind.

The report also noted that the number of passengers with reduced mobility (PRMs) is increasing at a significantly higher rate year on year compared to overall passenger numbers.

The report provided examples of criteria measurement for departing and arriving passengers, including:

• Notified Passengers: 99% assisted within 30 minutes of arrival at designated point
• Notified Passengers: 98% assisted within 20 minutes of 'on chocks'³

The report also highlighted PRM consultation and events, including visits from young people with autistic traits, Down's Syndrome, and vision impairment. One of the Airport Duty Managers was invited to Treloars college for an 'Employer's Day', and student interns gave a presentation on their work at the airport over the last year.

Constitution and Membership

The committee was reminded of its constitution, which states that the purpose of the committee is to act as a means of consultation in relation to Southampton International Airport Limited in accordance with the provisions of Section 35 of the Civil Aviation Act 1982⁴.

The constitution states that the membership of the committee, including the airport operator, should not exceed 36 members, drawn from airport users, local authorities and other organisations representing the interests of persons concerned with the locality of the airport.

The constitution also outlines the roles of the chair, vice-chair and secretary, and the frequency of meetings.

Code of Conduct

The committee was reminded of its code of conduct, which sets out principles for members to abide by, including respect, commitment, conflicts of interest, participation, openness and accountability, and confidentiality. The code of conduct also addresses discussion during meetings, voting, and minutes and actions.