Another London Airport Proposal

[buns]

Amazing how some of those ideas keep coming back[:w][:w]

Boris still tries to make his mark[n]

buns

Is it right that our mayor spends money on a private whim I wonder? I hope someone stops him soon.

I also think people's anticipation of cost will be wildly underestimated ... so we taxpayers would end up footing another massive bill and those in London even more.

Is LHR 'jampacked?' Is a third runway unconscionable? Is Boris Island inspired or insane? What are the facts?

GJ

[buns]

quote:Originally posted by GrinningJackanapes
Is LHR 'jampacked?' Is a third runway unconscionable? Is Boris Island inspired or insane? What are the facts?

GJ


To hijack a famous phrase:

'Never let the facts get in the way of a good political promotion'

buns

[Scrooge]

So let's look at the facts.

The conservative party have said if they are elected next year they will block the 3rd runway at LHR.

The idea of building an island in the middle of the Thames estuary will never get past the environmental problems.

The governments keep raising taxes on airline passengers.

More airlines are buying planes that can over fly the UK rather than making a stop there.

So pretty much the government now and in the future just wants to kill the UK airports and the airlines with it.

There is a train of thought though that if and when it is proven by the studies that it is not realtistic it adds weight to the option of a 3rd runway at Heathrow! It can be said all other options have been looked at and there just are not any!

I am not against the Conservative idea of more high speed railway, but the problem with this country is that even if it does happen chances are it will not link up the country in any positive way! At the moment there is already great high speed link between London and Heathrow, the issue is the rest of the country! Manchester may only be 2 hours, Birmingham even less by train, but once you arrive you spend at least another hour maybe 2 getting to Heathrow!

Would seem in an ideal world a new functioning, well connected hub airport would be the best solution, problem is it is not practical and a third runway will no doubt arrive at Heathrow eventually, but the Tories want to be seen to be doing everything they can to manage without it! If by the time they do realise it is needed will we have missed the boat, sorry plane!

I saw recently that they estimated the costs of the airport (to be privatly funded) at 9 billion. There is no eartly chance it would come in costing that. Even the BBC article mentions 40 billion !

BUT there was no estimate of the costs of the road / rail links needed to get pax and airport and airline workers to get and from the airport. Would the private sector be willing to fund those?

I can imagine the protests in Kent and Essex over the building of the new roads and rail links etc. Indeed the (Conservative) leader of Kent County Council is totally against an estuary airport.

The problem with LHR is that it operates at almost 100% capacity whereas AMS, CDG and FRA operate at less capacity and so suffer less delayes if there is some sort of problem because they have the 'spare' runways.

In my opinion LHR needs a 3rd runway but only with a very small increase of flight movements. This would give the capacity on the runways to sort out all sorts of delays etc.

Me thinks this is more about Boris trying to divert publicity from his bus and tube rises that he announced this week.

quote:Originally posted by tontybear

Me thinks this is more about Boris trying to divert publicity from his bus and tube rises that he announced this week.


AND congestion charge increase [:(!]

quote:Originally posted by Scrooge
So pretty much the government now and in the future just wants to kill the UK airports and the airlines with it.


On your evidence, that'll be the Conservatives then not the Government, it's Cameron pushing for no LHR expansion and Boris toying with the estuary ... as Buns says ...