Charles Buchanan has disappeared from London City Airport. Why should you be interested you ask? Well for those of you who went to the shambles of the Planning Meeting at LB Newham will remember him as the smug toad who sat crossed armed laughing and smiling at protesters and residents. Such was the anger he instilled that people actually shouted at the speaker to ask him to stop his smug, smarmy little smirks.
Richard Gooding of course wouldn't have the bottle to stand up and face real people so Charlie was the canary they sent down the mine. Now that the face of expansion at the council and airport disappears it still leaves us with the disastrous consequences. We have seen communications from Charlie only weeks ago still trying to persuade people about the benefits of expansion. Well according to his Linkedin profile he's still there. Maybe his one connection will actually believe that. http://www.linkedin.com/pub/4/820/990
Charlie over his tenure seemed more adept at collecting titles rather than actually doing anything productive - Director of Business Development , Strategy Director and Strategy and Communications Director. His handling of objections to the airport were disasterous. The masterplan (nothing master about it at all) looks like it's to be consigned to history with everyone from Boris Johnson to the Green Party saying that it would be hard to justify anymore expansion or calling for the airport to be closed. Every single candidate in the recent Royal Docks by-election were against expansion.
Year to date the airport business is down 9.6% while Charlies little baby - The Jet Centre - is down a spectacular 35%!
One has to wonder what has happened - has Charles Buchanon been sacked? No press release from the airport and as they only announce good news - this obviously isn't! Perhaps Charlie had more of those open conversations on the DLR about the plans of London City Airport, and their cosy relationship with LB Newham?
But here at FTF we have to salute Buchanan - such was peoples ire after watching his actions at the planning meeting, here at FTF we were inundated by upset people offering help and assistance helping us go from strength to strength. Over the weekend make sure you raise a glass "to A Right Charlie!" or was that "a 'smarmy Charlie?!"
