Leeds Chamber backs Heathrow expansion – Business Quarter

They were protesting at yesterday’s decision by the Davies Commission in favour of expansion at the airport, to go ahead with building a third runway at the site instead of Gatwick. Re:locate gets the response from the regions beyond London.

“Howard Davies and his Commission have done a thorough job in assessing capacity requirements in the southeast, but it is important that while considering the recommendations the government doesn’t lose sight of the role airports outside London can play during what is likely to be a long, drawn out process”.

Ferrovial, Heathrow’s biggest shareholder, owns a 25 per cent stake, having sold down its interest in recent years. Now there are only seven.

Mr Johnson has proposed in the past a new airport in the Thames estuary.

Chris Welsh, FTA’s director of global and European policy, said he was reassured by the commission’s recommendations, adding that it would ensure United Kingdom remains competitive in the global air freight market.

“Since the major cost of funding the expansion will be ultimately borne by the passengers, it is essential that the final scheme is viable and cost-effective and doesn’t burden today’s passengers with excessive airport charges”, the airlines’ body said. It is for this reason we support the expansion of Heathrow, however, an expanded Heathrow must deliver further access for Glasgow and Scotland.

Belfast City Airport chief executive Brian Ambrose welcomed the findings and said “development at Heathrow could be a decade away, until then, our priority is to maintain our Heathrow capacity until that expansion is realised”.

The importance of regional airports in meeting growing demand for air travel is being stressed as debate rages over Heathrow being backed for a third runway by the Airports Commission. “I don’t think this is going to happen”, he told the BBC.

Similarly, Ramsbotham commented: “The Commission has done what the Government has asked of it in that their recommendation represents the needs of the United Kingdom as a whole”.

Environmentalists warned that building a new runway at Heathrow will make it harder to solve the problems of air pollution and climate change emissions which the United Kingdom already faces.

The report says that “increasing capacity at Heathrow would drive significant connectivity benefits… and would enhance access to this network from the rest of the United Kingdom by providing new slots for flights from domestic destinations such as Scotland and Northern Ireland”. We’ve been clear in our argument that expansion at Heathrow is not deliverable and as a result there can be no increased capacity in the south east. Long-haul flights cannot fly from a runway that won’t be built. “Similarly, we endorse the Commission’s view that the Heathrow owners should offer reduced charges and start-up funding for regional services”.

Will the Heathrow Airport three-runway dream become reality?

He also touched on the government’s developing plans to strengthen the regions economically.