Airports commission - options for a new runway in the south east
For the last 30 years there has been discussion about increasing airport capacity in the south east. The Airports Commission are currently considering 3 options; Heathrow Airport north west runway, Heathrow Airport extended northern runway & Gatwick Airport second runway. Their final report and recommendation is due to be published this summer.
This is arguably more important than HS2.
While there is plenty of spare capacity at airports such as Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh & Birmingham Heathrow & Gatwick are absolutely choc-a-block.
Each of the 3 proposals would greatly boost airport capacity in the south east but we would still be lagging behind Schiphol, PCG & Frankfurt.
Of course given the amount of time these things take to decide the government could take the brave decision and grant approval for expansion at both Heathrow & Gatwick.
To stop the moaning from the rest of the UK the government could always give Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester & Birmingham permission to build second runways.
This is arguably more important than HS2.
While there is plenty of spare capacity at airports such as Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh & Birmingham Heathrow & Gatwick are absolutely choc-a-block.
Each of the 3 proposals would greatly boost airport capacity in the south east but we would still be lagging behind Schiphol, PCG & Frankfurt.
Of course given the amount of time these things take to decide the government could take the brave decision and grant approval for expansion at both Heathrow & Gatwick.
To stop the moaning from the rest of the UK the government could always give Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Manchester & Birmingham permission to build second runways.
Which airports should get extra runway capacity? 135 votes
Heathrow
40%
55 votes
Gatwick
28%
38 votes
Any where but the south east
31%
42 votes
0
Comments
Or more realistically an island airport to allow a 6 / 8 runway airport with much less disruption
I suspect they will simply go for a 2nd at Gatwick is its the least politically damaging.
Gatwick is in rural Sussex so even a second runway is going to cause a massive increase in road traffic congestion.
The island airport option really is a non starter. So you build a 5 runway monster somewhere out in the thames estuary. Where are all the workers going to live?
On the mainland, near the locations of the mainland end of any roads or public transport running to the island
Its a better long term option as you can grow it to 8/10 as you need it. Heathrow can manage 5 runways if they go with the end of end option for both runways plus a 5th where the other 3rd runway plan has it placedd. Beyond that you're stuffed. And
This London mayor Borris Johnson preferred choice & would be the best option in my view as the other two just papers over the cracks.
Have you been to Heathrow? Over 75,000 people work within the airport and there must be many times that work in closely related businesses both in west London and along the M4 corridor.
Heathrow has the huge benefit of millions of people living within an hour of it and all the infrastructure of west London, the M4 & M25 to support it.
You would not only have to build an island airport you would have to build a sizable city somewhere in Kent or Essex and it would probably be the biggest city in Kent or Essex. That would not go down too well with the locals.
Heathrow is fantastic airport, but its designed, and located for the 20th century, not 21st or 22nd.
There would be protest for an island but I have heard support for it. The high speed train could link the island not to mention a motorway off the M2. Other than that it is Third world ideas.
It is not just runways which determine capacity in the south east.
A lot of aircraft approaching Boris Island would have to start their decent in French airspace. The French are not going to give the UK any rights to control aircraft over France. This may sound a minor point but it is politically impossible.
Any decision is going to be controversial with the local residents and so whichever option is chosen might some cause upset for the current ruling party and Heathrow expansion would be by far the most controversial option there.
The most logical option is for a second runway at Gatwick because of the existing connections and, even more importantly, the space to expand to the south is there where administrative and commercial buildings will be the main casualties. There could then follow a re-apportionment of flights between Gatwick and Heathrow with the former concentrating on European flights and the latter on intercontinental flights.
If further capacity in the south east is required after that then it would be perhaps worth looking at the development of the Manston Airport site in Kent.
I liked the Boris Island concept and from a communications point of view it would have made sense but, like HS2, it would have been hideously expensive and not cost efficient unlike Gatwick expansion.
Why build a second runway at Gatwick. It's running under capacity as it is.
Boris island. Where are you going to find the 75000 people to work there, and what are you going to do with the 75000 people who don't work at Heathrow any more
They are all sortable if the will is there, running out of space in West London is a much harder one eventually
Gatwick has capacity now, but it wont in the long term, and to avoid the current debacle caused by short termism from governments of all colours, they need to think ahead and plan on capacity in 30 years
On the jobs, people will move, and 75k is 3 months of migration, or about 3% of UK unemployment. Not all employees of Heathrow live next door, they commute. I dont think workers is realistic issues
Thanks for that.
Average salary for an LHR employee non management is around £30,000 per annum and yes that includes the much hated Security who are on considerably more than £30k BEFORE overtime. Good luck replacing those jobs.
Heathrow is the option most business want, its the option the airlines want, its the option virtually all of the UK's regional airports want because Heathrow is the airport of business and Gatwick is the airport of package holidays and budget airlines. Always been the case and always will be.
I think he will -he seems pretty genuine on this issue and is fabulously independently wealthy so doesn't need to stick around holding onto his seat for financial motives.
But not as badly as a new runway would go down with the thousands of people in west London subject to aircraft noise where they had none before.
I have always wondered why they have never thought of building a airport to the East of the capital in Essex or Kent.
At the moment people that live in this area have to travel from one end of the Capital to the other to get to Heathrow which can be longer in time than their actual plane journey.
Yes, its true. But Heathrow in particular is a hub airport, so it needs more capacity than other airports that are used for passengers flying into or out of the UK as the end destination.