Heathrow Expansion - News and Debates

[Aviador]

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?

Hi Tyler,

Not necessarily as it he's only said no new runway at Heathrow so that leaves Gatwick and Stansted as options? Then again, only yesterday the government made a U-turn on the type of aircraft for the new aircraft carrier so perhaps we'll be seeing a government U-turn again? :blush:

 

[Aviador]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Heathrow growth is finished, insists minister

Heathrow's growth is finished - and the airport faces as a future only as a base for upmarket holiday flights. That was the damning verdict on Europe’s busiest airport at a travel conference in London today.

The Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, conclusively ruled out any prospect of increasing flights at Heathrow: “We don’t think the third runway is the right thing.”

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 34525.html

What on Earth do they intend to do to solve the problem? Other reports suggest Boris Island cannot be considered because of the massively increased risk of bird ingestion into the engines of aircraft. This leaves Stansted and Gatwick unless the government just continues to bury it's head in the sand.

 

[Jordan-34092]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Heathrow growth is finished, insists minister

Heathrow's growth is finished - and the airport faces as a future only as a base for upmarket holiday flights. That was the damning verdict on Europe’s busiest airport at a travel conference in London today.

The Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, conclusively ruled out any prospect of increasing flights at Heathrow: “We don’t think the third runway is the right thing.”

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 34525.html

What on Earth do they intend to do to solve the problem? Other reports suggest Boris Island cannot be considered because of the massively increased risk of bird ingestion into the engines of aircraft. This leaves Stansted and Gatwick unless the government just continues to bury it's head in the sand.

Knowing the governemnt they probably will do!!!

 

[Tyler]

Re: Heathrow Airport - General Thread

Then again, only yesterday the government made a U-turn on the type of aircraft for the new aircraft carrier so perhaps we'll be seeing a government U-turn again? :blush:

I heard about this! Crazy. When people get into power that plow on regardless. Now it's even more expensive! Terrible :s_omg

Yes, indeed, you are right about the language used by the transport secretary - a little slippery. I think a new runway at either Gatwick or Stansted is the way forward. There's a lot more space their, that's for sure.

 

[Tyler]

Re: Heathrow Airport - General Thread

I need to sort out my Jimbo avatar - he's trying to get in on my posts!

 

[Aviador]

Re: Heathrow Airport - General Thread

On top of saying they wont allow a third runway I think it was also mentioned the government didn't favour 'mixed mode' either which would help to increase the number of aircraft movements the airport can take each hour. I do believe 'mixed mode' trails have taken place at Heathrow but I'm not sure if the method is still being used.

Like the Jimbo Avatar, you just need to make it slightly smaller. :good:

Heathrow crisis: Reconsider third runway, say over half of Londoners

Londoners want the Government to review its opposition to third Heathrow runway.

More than half of Londoners think the Government should review its opposition to a third runway at Heathrow after the next election, an exclusive poll reveals today.

A quarter think Britain’s biggest airport should be allowed to expand after 2015, while a third say the Government should keep its options open, according the YouGov survey for the Evening Standard.

Read more: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/tran ... 78119.html

 

[Aviador]

Re: Does Heathrow Needs Expanding?

Heathrow growth is finished, insists minister

Heathrow's growth is finished - and the airport faces as a future only as a base for upmarket holiday flights. That was the damning verdict on Europe’s busiest airport at a travel conference in London today.

The Transport Secretary, Justine Greening, conclusively ruled out any prospect of increasing flights at Heathrow: “We don’t think the third runway is the right thing.”

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/ho ... 34525.html

What on Earth do they intend to do to solve the problem? Other reports suggest Boris Island cannot be considered because of the massively increased risk of bird ingestion into the engines of aircraft. This leaves Stansted and Gatwick unless the government just continues to bury it's head in the sand.

I'm not the only one saying it!

Local Heathrow MP Kwasi Kwarteng, the report’s author recently told the Standard newspaper in London: “We can’t stick our head in the sand. In the future the richest countries are going to be flying more."

London airports 'need extra runways', say MPs

The aviation crisis in the south east of England is so bad that all three London airports will need extending, according to a report by Conservative MPs.

“Creating new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted could probably meet aviation demand for the next few decades,” the study says.

Read more: http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/ ... y+mps.html

 

[Galaxy]

Johnson: Government tip-toeing back to third runway: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-18242602

 

[Galaxy]

In response to the above new link, I've been looking on Google Maps. I think the idea of RAF Northolt becoming a third Heathrow Runway is absurd, BUT - why not use RAF Northolt for dual military / civilian use and in effect create a new airport 'London Northolt'? Dual use works at Köln, Dusseldorf and Pisa, so why not here too? It's right next to South Ruislip tube station, so would provide excellent transport links into central London. I think it would be better than Boris island anyway! What does everyone else think?

 

[TheLocalYokel]

In response to the above new link, I've been looking on Google Maps. I think the idea of RAF Northolt becoming a third Heathrow Runway is absurd, BUT - why not use RAF Northolt for dual military / civilian use and in effect create a new airport 'London Northolt'? Dual use works at Köln, Dusseldorf and Pisa, so why not here too? It's right next to South Ruislip tube station, so would provide excellent transport links into central London. I think it would be better than Boris island anyway! What does everyone else think?

I believe the future of Northolt is under review by the MoD as part of defence spending reductions.

The other problem, whether it becomes an additional LHR runway or a separate airport (with or without a military option), would be the runway length which is less than 1700 metres.

That would surely have to be addressed before Northolt could become a realistic part of the London aviation scene unless a second city airport is envisaged.

 

[Aviador]

I can't help but think the only realistic option is a third runway at Heathrow. British Airways have even gone as far as saying airlines will not move to a new Themes Estuary airport unless they are forced to and even then, thousands of jobs in the West London area would be at stake which would be unacceptable.

 

[Aviador]

You will be forgiven for thinking it's April the first but a government adviser is suggesting Heathrow airport is turned into a "garden city"

Heathrow’s runways and terminals should be bulldozed to make way for a “garden city”, says a new report to be published tomorrow.

Former government adviser Graeme Bell said it was time to “reinvent” the site that is increasingly ill-suited to the needs of a modern hub airport.

Airline bosses prefer a third runway at Heathrow to solve London’s capacity crisis rather than a disruptive shift.

But Mr Bell is in favour of a new airport elsewhere, possibly the Thames Estuary. Many experts believe that would only be viable if Heathrow, which supports 250,000 jobs, was closed down.

Read more: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/tran ... 93397.html

 

[whoshotjimmi]

It is a thoroughly ridiculous saga. Far too much money has been poured into the current Heathrow site to close it down. For the sake of British growth, a sacrifice has to be made to expand Heathrow. But a contingency plan needs to be made for another 10 years after any expansion as it is more than likely that a thrid runway would be full within that period of time.

To add further to the argument, a site in the Thames estuary would, in my opinion, be too far away from London, cost the taxpayer a ridiculous amount of money and render all the infrastructure in place for Heathrow useless. It would become a massive white elephant and, if the garden city plan for Heathrow implemented, be a huge embarrasment to this country.

 

[Aviador]

I can't believe the government has ruled out expansion at Heathrow. How ridiculous because there really isn't another option. They should listen to the airlines, even British Airways has said the idea of moving to Boris Island would be too costly and would ruin the economy of West London.

 

[Aviador]

Tory MPs could stand as independents at the next Election if David Cameron breaks his vow not to build a third Heathrow runway, Zac Goldsmith has warned.

The Tory MP and green campaigner, whose Richmond constituency in Surrey is beneath the airport’s flight path, claimed the party would face a ‘political catastrophe’, losing up to seven parliamentary seats, if any expansion is approved.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... z1xPN3pRpK

It's all becoming clear now. Zac is in the 'not in my back yard brigade'. It's fine coming out with these kind of statements about building a third runway at Heathrow but Zac makes not effort to come up with a viable alternative.

For someone who appears to be such an environmentalist he seems to be well travelled considering his dislike for airports. I would love to know which airport he flew from on his travels around the globe. :nea:

Goldsmith travelled with the International Honors Program, affiliated with his uncle, Edward Goldsmith, through New Zealand, Mexico, Hungary, Italy and Thailand. Goldsmith lived in California for two years, working first for an organisation called Redefining Progress from 1995 to 1996 and later as a researcher for Norberg-Hodge's International Society for Ecology and Culture (ISEC) during 1996–98.[15] While working with ISEC, Goldsmith travelled to India. He spent a short time on an ashram in Rajasthan and lived in Ladakh for six months, studying traditional cultures and helping run a tourist education programme.[16][17] After his father's death in 1997, Zac reportedly inherited between £200 and £300 million from his father's reported £1.2 billion fortune

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zac_Goldsmith

 

[Jordan-34092]

I think it could work as a temporary measure

 

[News Guru]

Tories set for a U-turn over opposition to third runway at Heathrow

A consultation on airport capacity has been delayed, allowing a decision after the election

The Conservatives are preparing for a controversial U-turn over their opposition to building a third runway at Heathrow.

The party strongly opposed the expansion of Britain's busiest airport at the last election and the Coalition Agreement ruled out the construction of extra runways at Heathrow, Gatwick or Stansted.

But senior Tories expect to leave open the option of a new runway at Heathrow in response to fears that lack of airport capacity in the South-east of England is undermining Britain's economic competitiveness.

Read more: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/po ... 39671.html

 

[Aviador]

Is U-turn is inevitable? Heathrow is full, the airline industry is insisting more capacity needs to be made a available. The aviation industry claims billions on pounds worth of business being turned away from the UK to Europe because of the capacity problem. Whatever the outcome is, things are going to have to change.

So what are the options? A completely new airport with sufficient capacity to meet all foreseeable demands sounds good but the cost is phenomenal and it would come with significant cost to the environment. During times of austerity would the UK public accept spending multiple billions of pounds on a new airport when NHS, schools and other public services are facing a squeeze. A third runway at Heathrow with capacity to meet demand up until around 2025/30. It would only be seen as a short term measure and it too would face a huge backlash from people living around Heathrow, the environmentalists and even some of the governments own back-bench MPs.

Another option is to spread capacity by expanding surrounding airports such as Gatwick, Stansted and Luton might sound like a good option but the airline industry is opposed to this. The major airlines operate as part of alliances (Skyteam, Oneworld Alliance & Star Alliance) which all want to use Heathrow which is seen as the jewel of the crown. Using other airports such as Stansted, Gatwick or Luton would be totally unfavourable and the airlines would be unlikely to opt to use an alternative airport without political intervention.

 

[News Guru]

Western rail link fuels Heathrow speculation

Confirmation of a £500 million rail link giving direct services to Heathrow from the west country, the Thames Valley and Wales is raising speculation that a third runway could be built at the airport.

Analysts said it would be strange for the government to approve a western rail link to Heathrow if ministers were subsequently going to support a Thames estuary airport, the Financial Times reports.

Full Story: http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/ ... ation.html

 

[lysander]

I was reading the other day[in a railway periodical] a proposal that with some additional rail investment all of the London airports and Birmingham could be linked by rail.This would mean that additional flights could be easily handled in particular by Stansted and Birmingham and still be less than an hour away from central London.