Heathrow Expansion - News and Debates

[Aviador]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

The Con Dem government are reported to have cancelled the proposed third runway at Heathrow.

 

[News Guru]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

New runways needed at Heathrow

A lobby group has suggested that the Government's decision to halt plans to build new runways in the south east, especially at Heathrow Airport, will affect the UK's ability to compete internationally, Reuters reports. It also suggests fares should be increased to reduce the demand for flights and more should be done to encourage passengers to switch from cars to public transport for travel to and from airports.

The Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE) says in its 'Rethinking Aviation' report that Britain is being left unconnected and unable to address the growth in demand for air travel because of the new Governments policy of blocking airport growth in the south east. Simon Godfrey-Arnold, aviation expert with ICE, said: ‘Air transport and airport infrastructure are vital for the UK's international connectivity and prosperity. As a trading island nation and popular tourist destination we depend on our ability to connect with the rest of the world.’

ICE acknowledged the need to address the environmental impact of unrestrained growth in demand for air travel but said the Government must consider long-term airport infrastructure needs. The report suggests high-speed rail alone will not be enough to reduce demand for domestic flights as it will not always compete with air travel on price, flexibility and connectivity.

The report recommends introducing a carbon price floor to curb demand for air travel by making flying more expensive. It also suggests reducing emissions by encouraging more use of public transport to airports rather than private cars.

Source

 

[News Guru]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Heathrow expects bigger planes, not more flights

Heathrow campaigners have welcomed the ‘win-win’ situation of more passengers travelling on fewer planes after reports it will form future policy at the airport, the Richmond Times reports. The issue was discussed last Friday by a panel assessing the London Mayor plans for the capital for the next 20 years, as part of a session on aviation. Roger Pelman from Heathrow, owner BAA told the panel future plans would see bigger, rather than more, planes at the airport.

Mr Pelman told the inquiry BAA does not expect the current cap on the number of flights permitted at Heathrow - 480,000 a year ad set by the Government in 2001 - to be exceeded for at least 10 years, if at all. He added that 480,000 was the ‘practical limit’ for flight numbers.

Anti-noise group HACAN's chairman and founder, John Stewart, said: ‘We have long argued that 480,000 should be the absolute upper limit. If more passengers can be brought in on fewer planes, that is good for BAA’s business and good for residents under the flight paths. It could be a win-win situation.’

Source

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

It's only the practical limit for flight numbers because there is not to be an additional runway.

 

[iopy123]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

It is clearly obvious that heathrow airport needs to expand to meet demand on air travel in the South East of England. There are a number of alternatives to the new runway and 6th terminal which will cover vasts amount of land and destroy many communities.
1) Stop 3rd runway but introduce "mix-mode" operations at the airport to make better use of the existing facilities.
2) Build the high speed rail link into Heathrow Airport.
3) And my personal favourite, build a 3rd runway - but no 6th terminal - just to the north of runway 09L/27R so there is a double runway.
This is more fesible because Heathrow already has terminal capacity for 90 million passengers but not runway capacity and it will not cause as much community destruction, and will also cost a lot less.
(example of double runway - Paris Charles de Gaulle)

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Welcome iopy123 to forums4airports.

Thank you for your post - certainly something to chew over.

Although the new government has said that it wants to see more domestic traffic using rail rather than air in the UK and has hinted that provincial airports such as Birmingham could take some of the business that would have gone to Heathrow in the natural progression of things had an additional runway been permitted (which they say they won't allow of course), in reality much of the intercontinental traffic that either uses London (mainly LHR) for access into the UK and western Europe, or as a 'cross-roads' for onward intercontinental travel, will gradually go to such airports as CDG and FRA.

There is a balance to be made between the environment and the economy and I think the former is being given too much weight by our government.

Nose, face and spite come to mind.

 

[flying angel]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

It's a really difficult one this. My heart says - more planes (with, of course, an eye on the environment as you say Yokel), but my head thinks - are we actually able to sustain that? If/when the oil runs out - are we just going to be left with white elephants in the form of runways and terminal buildings?

 

[lemonhead]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

There will always be a need for flying and when oil runs out something else is bound to take it's place. Bio fuel - cow dung or something...

 

[Rob]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Does anyone know of a site that is giving regular updates on the work at T2?

 

[News Guru]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Labour ‘drops support for Heathrow runway’

The Labour party will abandon its previous support for building a third runway at Heathrow Airport, the Independent reports. Labour leader Ed Miliband had opposed its construction when he was in Government, but failed to persuade Gordon Brown to drop the party's commitment to expand Britain's largest airport.

The newspaper reports that Maria Eagle, the shadow Transport Secretary, will confirm the move today in a speech to the Airport Operators Association, saying that ‘the local environmental impact means this is off the agenda’. She will also challenge ministers to take the politics out of aviation by working on a cross-party consensus on the issue.

In another major policy shift, she will call for an alternative line for the proposed High Speed 2 (HS2) rail link between London and the Midlands. The Government is supporting the previous Labour Government's recommended route through the Chilterns – a proposal that has sparked widespread anger in the Home Counties. Labour is now arguing it should run from Heathrow, rather than central London, and skirt the M40.

Transport minister Theresa Villiers accused Labour of an ‘opportunistic and last-minute announcement’ and of playing politics with HS2. She said: ‘The people who strongly support the project around the country will not thank them for this irresponsible attitude.’

Source

 

[flypark]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

I don't understand why the Government is so stubborn about additional runways at the airports. Now Labour who had given Heathrow the green light when they were in power are withdrawing their support.

Heathrow and Gatwick will be left standing unless the shackles are removed and allowed to expand.

 

[Aviador]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

It's a really difficult one this. My heart says - more planes (with, of course, an eye on the environment as you say Yokel), but my head thinks - are we actually able to sustain that? If/when the oil runs out - are we just going to be left with white elephants in the form of runways and terminal buildings?

I agree to an extent but surely another sort of fuel will eventually take its place and as Flypark says, whilst the government and the opposition party argue it out, airports are being built and expanded throughout Europe. I guess nobody really knows what the long term solution is but right now the UK economy must be suffering because of these indecisive actions.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Union makes fresh call for Heathrow third runway


The GMB union has called on the Government to re-look at building a third runway at Heathrow Airport. The call comes after the Government approved the High Speed 2 (HS2) train line, which will link London to Birmingham in 49 minutes, but will not be ready until 2026 at the earliest and will not have a link to Heathrow until at least 2032.

The union claims building an additional runway at Heathrow will be much less time consuming and expensive building an airport hub in north Kent or the Thames estuary. Mick Rix, GMB national officer for the civil aviation industry, said ‘We are calling on all political parties to reopen the issue of the third runway at Heathrow. The site for a third runway at Heathrow is adjacent to the existing runways at the airport. Those with expertise to operate an international hub already live in West London. The transport links are mostly there already.'

‘Heathrow’s worldwide destinations are already decreasing, due to capacity constraints, which have not been addressed by successive governments. New runways at many European hub airports are already taking Heathrow business.’

Source

 

[News Guru]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Poll reveals third Heathrow runway more popular than Thames airport

Building a third runway at Heathrow Airport is a more popular option to deal with the UK’s airport capacity crunch than a new airport in the Thames Estuary, according to an ICM poll commissioned by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The poll of 1001 people showed that a third runway was supported by 25% of respondents, with 21% backing the new airport. When asked if they believed the Government was right to block Heathrow’s third runway, 35% agreed while 32% thought it was the wrong decision.

Philippa Oldham, Head of Transport at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: ‘Heathrow, Britain’s only hub airport, is heading for a capacity crunch that could cause lasting damage to the economy and cost the UK thousands of jobs. The Thames Estuary airport is not the solution; it would be an expensive, impractical and – as this poll reveals – an unpopular white elephant.'

'The Government needs to urgently rethink its decision to rule out any potential expansion at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted, which all offer more sensible and cost-effective alternatives. We need a clear vision on what UK air capacity should be in ten years’ time. This needs to be backed up by a stringent cost-benefit analysis that takes into account provincial airports as well as those in the South-East.’

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.imeche.org/news/archives/12- ... _poll.aspx

 

[News Guru]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

IAG boss questions Government’s courage to expand Heathrow

The Government lacks the political will to allow a third runway at Heathrow Airport Willie Walsh, the head of BA parent International Airlines Group, said in an interview in the FT. He told the newspaper that expanding Heathrow, Britain's only hub airport, offered the quickest solution to the UK's airport capacity crunch.

He said: ‘I'll bet you that in 2050, British Airways will be flying from a two-runway airport at Heathrow. It is not that I lack ambition. It is that the people who we need to address these issues lack ambition, and lack the balls to take tough decisions in the interests of the long-term economic development of the UK.’

Mr Walsh called on the government to reconsider their opposition to the expansion of Heathrow, which is falling further behind rival European airports in the battle for lucrative routes to emerging markets, according to a recent study. He also said Britain needed a four-runway airport in the long-term, but acknowledged Heathrow was unlikely to be the location.

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary also labelled proposals to build a new airport in the Thames Estuary as ‘complete and utter bloody lunacy’, in an interview with the Irish Times. A third runway should be built at Heathrow and a second at Gatwick, he said.

For more information on this airport news story visit: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/4b07cb12-62f3 ... z1nqv2MvvQ

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

I have given up trying to fathom what makes the Conservative part of the government tick.

I could understand Lib Dems being against airport expansion as they would probably regard the rights and lifestyles of those affected by airports as paramount and would also be concerned about the environment, whilst a left-wing Labour government (not that we've had one of those for a long time) would be suspicious about anything that might reward big business.

However, in my lifetime (and I was born towards the end of the Second World War) Conservative administrations have invariably been pragmatic and keen to advance the economy and often their friends in business as they have seen this as a way to improve the country's fortunes.

It's not a case that their Lib Dem coalition partners have been putting pressure on them either. Well before the last General Election, and at a time when they had no reason to think they'd be sharing a government bed with the Lib Dems, the Conservatives were adamant that they saw no need for an additional runway at LHR.

I'm not a party political figure - I have a low opinion of party politicians of all political colours - so that doesn't influence my views on this.

There seems no doubt that the UK will fall behind the likes of France and Germany in the inter-continental aviation markets if the policy of allowing the London airports to stagnate continues; and that particularly applies to LHR.

 

[TheLocalYokel]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Nearly 70 business leaders, chamber of commerce representatives and trades union leaders signed an open letter to the The Telegraph today in support of the development of Heathrow, something the government is against.

Heathrow in crisis: letter in full

Dear Sir,

As an island nation, aviation is essential to our ability to develop new global trading opportunities that can deliver growth and jobs back home. UK businesses trade 20 times as much with emerging market countries that have a direct daily flight to the UK as they do with those countries that do not.

There is a huge opportunity for the UK to lead in connectivity to growth markets but we need a hub solution that has the capacity to compete if we are to seize it. Constraints at the UK’s only international hub airport at Heathrow will see it fall behind France and Germany in the next ten years unless something is done. £14 billion of trade and many potential jobs would be lost to our economy as a result.

Paris and Frankfurt already boast 1,000 more annual flights to the three largest cities in China than Heathrow does. There are 21 emerging market destinations with daily flights from other European hubs that are not served from Heathrow.

So we call on the Chancellor and Transport Secretary to ensure that as it develops its aviation strategy, it considers all options, both in terms of regional airports and the UK’s hub airport, that could support British businesses in seeking new sources of growth now. Growth won’t wait - while there are more ambitious long-term projects for aviation that can be examined, in the near term Heathrow must continue to be part of the solution if the UK is not to miss out on vital trading opportunities. With economic recovery so fragile we cannot afford to cut our country off from growth and jobs.

This link leads to the full report and the complete list of signatories to the letter.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/news ... -full.html

 

[JamesHarris]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

New news on this topic today suggests this needs to be resolved quickly!

It seems Britain could lose out to other countries.

http://www.airport-int.com/news/airlines-to-abandon-congested-heathrow-airport.html

 

[Jordan-34092]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

IATA call for Heathrow third runway


The head of airline association IATA called on the Government to 'find a way out of their political cul-de-sac’ and allow a third runway at Heathrow. The comments were echoed by Lord 'Digby' Jones, the former trade minister and ex-head of the CBI, who urged political leaders to ‘put the country first, rather than their own popularity’.

Tony Tyler, director-general of IATA, said the alternatives to Heathrow’s expansion were either too costly or practically impossible. Lord Jones, who was appointed a non-executive director at Flybe this week, said the government should support a third runway at Heathrow alongside development of regional airports and reform of air passenger duty.

Source

 

[Tyler]

Re: Heathrow Airport - General Thread

It's been announced by the Transport Secretary, Justine Greening:

"we are very clear as a government that there will be no third runway at Heathrow"

Announced at today's ABTA Travel Convention.

Right... Well that changes everything! Now what? Boris Island is back on the cards? 😀