25 June 2008

Third runway for Heathrow to stay competitive


Heathrow Airport is working at capacity and a third runway is necessary for it to keep its role as a competitive airport. Calls for Heathrow to cut the number of transfer passengers have been rejected as it would affect the economy of London and the UK as a whole. More than a third of people flying from Heathrow are transfer passengers, with Frankfurt airport being the only other airport in Europe carrying more transit passengers. Forcing people to use other European airports to reach the rest of the world would heavily affect the economy, according to the BAA, Heathrow's operator.

The decision on the third runway is expected later this year and it is facing opposition and criticism from environmentalist groups, local residents, who already have dozens of airplanes taking off and landing over their heads every day, and even the leader of the opposition, David Cameron.

Business lobby groups have recommended that before any decisions are made for further extensions to the airport, there should perhaps first be cuts in the number of flights in and out of the airport and operation changes, actions that could relieve some of the pressure from the incredible traffic the airport is functioning under.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Heathrow badly needs a third runway. Not just to cope with the volume of air traffic but to also to stay competitive with other airports in Europe. I understand the concerns people living near Heathrow have about noise, pollution etc..but lets not forget that most people living in the area work at Heathrow. The income generated from Heathrow contributes to a lot of the costs the local councils need to pay.

Anonymous said...

Heathrow badly needs a third runway. Not just to cope with the volume of air traffic but to also to stay competitive with other airports in Europe. I understand the concerns people living near Heathrow have about noise, pollution etc..but lets not forget that most people living in the area work at Heathrow. The income generated helps to pay towards the costs of the local council.

Anonymous said...

A third runway is essential for the UK if Heathrow is to survive as the main hub of Europe. If Heathrow does not grow the UK could lose out to other European airports. Gatwick, Luton and Stansted are just too far from London. I appreciate local residents are concerned about noise and pollution, but most people living near Heathrow work at the airport. The only option is to rebuild a new airport somewhere else with fast connections to London, but what are the long term costs and environmental impact on doing this?

Business Online said...

I understand that it is necessary to stay competitive, but surely there will negative repercussions on the local economy (house prices, property value) and as a person living near Heathrow I have to say that it is really really loud at times. Perhaps another airport? Or a better link to existing ones?