[canucklad]

Sky News reporting government sources, leaking 3rd runway at LHR is the choice.
Official statement at lunchtime to confirm leak !

Let the fun begin !!

[JohnHarper]

It seems like Zac Goldsmith has resigned his parliamentary seat:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/25/zac-goldsmith-quits-as-tory-mp-for-richmond-park-over-heathrow-a/

Bring it on is what I say!

[Edski777]

Don’t worry. It’ll take at least to somewhere between 2021 and 2025 before this runway becomes operational.
My guess is that this thread will not be finished until then.

If this runway will ever be built, that is.

[MrMichael]

I don’t agree with Zac Goldsmith on this, but must find him honourable on resigning his seat on the matter. As my constituency MP I have to decide what I will do in the election that is coming up. Given Zac (a Tory) will not have a conservative candidate up against him I am figuring this is rather an empty gesture. His re-election is all but certain.

I was discussing with MrsM last night as to whether we would see the new runway in our lives. MrsM (who’s 40th Birthday it was yesterday) is not convinced she will see it, I in my mid fifties have very little confidence I will ever get to take off on Heathrows Northern runway. Yesterday was the first of many hurdles.

Willie Walsh put a brave face on it yesterday on the news. It is not good news for BA, as has been said before part of BA’s model is its dominance at LHR.

[LuganoPirate]

Congratulations to MrsM MrMichael. I was also 40 once and happy to say it’s not the beginning of the end but the end of the beginning????? I do hope this great occasion was not too expensive for you?

Back to topic, I don’t think it will ever be built. Too many objections and the cost will make it in unfeasible. LGW would be the better option with a new fast link between the two airports and improvements on the Southern railway route.

[PhilipHart]

The Spectator agrees with @JohnHarper that The LibDems will make the Richmond Park by-election into a referendum on Brexit, and indeed indicate that William Hill have made the Lib Dems odds-on favourites at 4/6, with Zac at 11/10. But they also offer the caveat that the Lib Dems have most to lose here. If they can’t win back their old seat in such circumstances, it is hard to see how they will ever be a significant force in UK politics again.

[canucklad]

I had Radio 5 live on in the background yesterday.During Nicky Campbell’s phone in, the majority of callers bemoaned the building of the runway. Having said that,most were green idealists or where directly affected. And indeed,a couple of ,what I assumed were blue rinsed Tory matriarch’s should consider joining the Taliban,as they seemed to have lost the fact that we live in a 2016 Global village,and no longer live in the middle ages.
And I wish those same callers listened to the Dutch aviation analyst who was interviewed later in the morning.
His take on it all……The one decision that the Schipol management team didn’t want…. The decision that has finally been made!!

As for Willie Walsh……What a dope!
The Dutchman also included KLM as an organization that wouldn’t be happy at the decision. Because rather than making BA weaker, a third runway should have the opposite effect.

[transtraxman]

canucklad @ 26th October 2016 at 08:54
#770623

I go along with what you say that KLM will be affected negatively, as will others.
However, it must be understood and accepted that the need at Heathrow is for connections. this must be doubly so with a third runway.
Domestic connections should not be ousted for the benefit of long-legged services to Asia, Africa, Sth.America and the Pacific.

The third runway should be open to all players who wish to establish British Isles connections to any destination not already or always served.
Inverness Dundee
Prestwick Carlisle
Teeside Blackpool
Sheffield/Doncaster Humberside
Norwich Cardiff
Newquay Exeter
Isle of Man Jersey
Guernsey Alderney
Derry Knock plus
Faroes Iceland
Malta Cyprus

The capacity of the third runway is not fully used even with every airline who wished to fly those routes were included.So the routes to near Europe (where the Eurostar can compete) might well be a beneficial addition, opening up the possibility of many more to the Benelux countries, Rotterdam, Gronigen,Eindhoven, Antwerp, Charleroi and others.
If the Brexit proposal is taken through to a conclusion then GB would have a similar satus to Switzerland, so the routes to the Helvetic country might well be included.
One other which comes to mind is a problematic route, such as Tel Aviv (or Israel in general).
All these destinations would give additional capacity to domestic, European island, and near Europe routes which would free up the present runways for mid/long-distance routes.

As a result of this the meaning of a national hub airport would begin to take form and the loss of connecting passengers to Frankfurt, Schipol, Charles de Gaulle, Orly, München, Istambul, Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi, would be greatly reduced, or at least curbed.

[Swissdiver]

Not a good year for Zac Goldsmith 🙂 But indeed this is a great news for all of us! Let’s hope to see this third runway soon.

[MrMichael]

THank you LP. Will be expensive, currently in Gran Canaria, raining, and MrsM does not like rain much!!!!

I too am not sure the Northetn Runway will be built. Something I have not seen in all the blurb on impact is what if any impact it will have on the flightpath in and out of Northolt.

[PhilipHart]

@MrMichael, it’s covered on page 31 of the NATS submission to the Airports Commission Appraisal Module 14: Operational Efficiency: Airspace Efficiency Report. Annex 2: The Impact of Northolt on Future Heathrow Operations.

[AnthonyDunn]

Aisle seat traveller 8th December 2015 at 01:57

Any further political predictions to offer?

[transtraxman]

The traffic figures for the London airports for 2016 have been published which show an increase across the board – even at Heathrow despite its considerable constraints has shown an increase in passenger traffic of 1%.

The possiblity of Brexit does not have appeared to have put a damper on the increases in passenger movements, as yet.

Heathrow : 75.676million +1%
http://mediacentre.heathrow.com/pressrelease/details/81/Corporate-operational-24/8137

Gatwick : 43.137m +7.1%
http://mediacentre.gatwickairport.com/press-releases/2017/17-01-06-gatwick-achieves-global-record-43-million-annual-passengers.aspx

Stansted : 24.3m +8.5%
http://www.stanstedairport.com/about-us/media-centre/press-releases/record-breaking-christmas-getaway-at-london-stansted/

Luton : 14.5m +18.5%
http://www.mynewsdesk.com/uk/ldnlutonairport/news/2016-record-breaking-year-for-london-luton-airport-212134

City : 4.526m +5%
https://www.londoncityairport.com/news/readpressrelease/london-city-airport-welcomes-record-breaking-45-million-passengers-in-2016-ahead-of-344m-development

As the trend is still upwards and in ever increasing figures it can be clearly seen that the need for a third runway at Heathrow is quite obvious. Thus I would urge the UK government to stop dithering and get the House of Commons to vote positively on this issue as soon as possible.

Having said that I cannot but be concerned that the solution will take up nearly the next ten years to bring to fruit. Therefore, I would urge them to simplify the planning process as this is an obviously essential piece of infrastructure. To that I would add that the second runway at Gatwick will also be needed long before the third at Heathrow is ready.To solve the main problems of runway capacity for some time to come the second runway at Gatwick should be permitted immediately. Cannot we get ahead of demand for once?

[Edski777]

It would be nice for once to have a government that has a vision that goes beyond the next elections and their wish to hold on to their seat in parliament. An integral vision on aviation within the UK is really needed, along with a long term plan. Something businesses, local governments and voters can adapt their own plans to.

Oh, and Transtaxman, your list excluded “LHR’s present third runway”: Amsterdam Schiphol 63.6m +9.1%
They must be doing something right as a major hub. Well, at least they have a long term vision and a plan.

[transtraxman]

To look at the Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Paris airports and see their growth in comparison to the previous year is another story.
Perhaps somebody else can do the honours.

[Author]

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