Extra runways at London airports

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Viewing 15 posts - 46 through 60 (of 546 total)

  • canucklad
    Participant

    Well there we have it!! As predictable as spotting a scanyily clad Geordie lass on a sub zero Saturday night on the Quayside!
    And just as predictable “ By 2030” LHR can’t cope just now, never mind in 17 years !!


    SimonS1
    Participant

    Exactly. Totally predictable and a complete waste of time. A GCSE student could have come up with those ideas.

    Apply a healthy coat of whitewash and everyone can await a final report after the next election.


    BigDog.
    Participant

    The Interim report has now whittled it down to 3 options

    …These options include adding a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow, and introducing a new runway at Gatwick….

    Though an estuary option has not been ruled out altogether.

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25412907

    …Mr Davies also refuted the claims of London Mayor Boris Johnson that there should be a hub airport in London, which would rule out Gatwick.

    “The question is not whether you have a hub airport, it’s how big your hub can be,” he said….

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25402007

    The clip in the above link by Sir Howard Davis – he is of the view that new technologies will reduce noise so overall impact at LHR will not be much greater than current levels.

    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/transport/10521226/Airports-Commission-Gatwick-and-two-Heathrow-options-make-short-list.html

    …The commission has concluded that at this stage only one additional runway will be needed in the South East to meet demand…

    http://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2013/dec/17/heathrow-expansion-airports-commission-publishes-interim-report-politics-live-blog

    Interestingly Sir Howard has also looked at varying APD between UK airports to help congestion.


    bwvilla
    Participant

    All three options need to be built, not just one of them.


    Bath_VIP
    Participant

    I haven’t contributed to this debate before but I would like to hear comments on these thoughts.

    In many ways, the Howard commission is right that we don’t need many more runways. If you stop to ask how many runways there are within an hours travel of the centre of London, then by my count London already has 10 runways as follow.

    for Airlines: LHRx2, LGW, STN, LCY, LTN, SEN
    for priv Jets: Farnborough, Biggin Hill, Northolt(?)

    With improved rail connections, London could easily bring the following airports within an hour of the centre of London.

    for Airlines: BHX, SOU, Lydd, Manston, Cambridge
    for priv Jets: Oxford.

    So that brings the count to 16 runways.

    Now BHX, LGW & STN all have space for an additional runway so then the count would be 19 runways and I am sure I may have missed another option somewhere so let’s say London has potentially 20 runways.

    How many other cities have this number of runways? Probably very few so the issue to me isn’t the lack of runways, it is the fact that the runways are dispersed and not concentrated in one or two locations.

    Does this matter?

    If you are travelling point to point then runway dispersal is brilliant for the traveller as they can pick the runway most convenient for them and use the likes of Ryanair & EasyJet to fly there.

    Obviously, this only really benefits the short haul traveller as long haul point to point has not yet been a viable option. having said that, if you have travelled 12 hours on long haul I doubt you are going to complain too much about the location of runway provided it is still reasonably accessible.

    If you are making a connection with a hub & spoke airline, do you actually care where the hub airport is? With the growth of the airline alliances, I would have thought most connections these days are between airlines within the same alliance. There is no need for all alliances to be at the same hub then, indeed I would have thought the alliances would want to distinguish themselves by having their own hubs. So one solution is to have OW at LHR, Skyteam at LGW and Star at STN. Now the 3 airports have different owners, there is nothing to stop them trying to tempt a whole alliance to use their airport.

    The only advantage I can see of mega-hub to facilitate transfers between non-aligned airlines and between alliances. How often does that happen and does it justify a completely new Thames Estuary airport or expansion at Heathrow with all the issues?

    Indeed let’s not forget that many people in the UK don’t live in the London/South East area so this issue doesn’t really touch especially if they can fly point to point or make a connection with another hub airline? I am in favour of devolving APD to local parliaments so that they can encourage people to use their local airport. There are enough airlines these days that either fly point to point or can take you to their hubs for connections that we don’t need to travel to London.


    FormerlyDoS
    Participant

    And the fast train from Waterloo takes just 6 mins over the hour to SOU.


    BigDog.
    Participant

    Still interested in the debate or bored with it? If interested….

    Several business groups and Chambers of Commerce from across Surrey and Sussex have organised “The Great Aviation Debate” at Epsom Racecourse, 12th March 7.30am – 12pm

    Speekers: Stewart Wingate CEO Gatwick; Guy Lavis – Mayor of London’s Aviation Programme Lead.

    £15 members £30 non-members

    (will post link once it works)


    transtraxman
    Participant

    Epsom seems to be the appropriate spacial venue for the speekers(or is it speakers?) to blow off steam –
    – and you have to pay to listen to it? is that not a bit steep?


    BigDog.
    Participant

    Colin Matthews CEO Heathrow has been added to the speAkers

    The link is now live for info and booking if interested

    http://shop.surrey-chambers.co.uk/all-events/breakfast-briefing/the-future-of-aviation.html

    (Thanks Transtraxman)


    Edski777
    Participant

    Talk, talk, talk……..and remarkably little action.

    Its very much like the current floods. Don’t do a thing and 25 years later you pay the, rather hefty, price. Politicians please look at the continent. They get as much rain and bad weather, but have their house in order. Try not to let that happen to the UK airport infrastructure.


    transtraxman
    Participant

    @BigDog

    Please keep us informed after the meeting.


    canucklad
    Participant

    Edski777

    Agree with you, excepting for the word “remarkably”
    Sadly, I would substitute that word for “predictably”
    Your flood comparison is most apt, 5 years from now, same houses, same predicament!

    And yes BigDog, please update us !
    By the way,are you allowed to ask questions ?


    DutchinSwitzerland
    Participant

    very interesting observation from BATH-VIP, never looked at this way but certainly a true view of things. Coming from The Netherlands (now living in Switzerland) I can’t seem to get my head around how slow decision process seems to be, although we are starting to see a similar issue with airport capacity in the Netherlands where the government was rather quick to allow expension of Lelystad airport in order to free up capacity at Schiphol. They want LLC’s and holiday airlines to move but these seem to be quite reluctant…….no idea why since the Lelystad airport will have ample parking space (at a lower cost), less congestion at baggage carousels and some decent shops.

    Same seems to be true trying to move airlines or alliances away from LHR, why do airlines want to stick to a congested airport is beyond my reach….


    BigDog.
    Participant

    No idea Canucklad – though was going to ask what, if any, breakfast is included in advance 🙂

    Unfortunately at large/contentious meetings I have often found questions are pre-screened either to allow a speaker to look well prepared/good or avoid embarrassment – I hope it is not the case here.

    What would be yours?


    transtraxman
    Participant

    Published today 28th April 2014 in Travel Weekly.
    “Heathrow to ‘refine’ expansion proposals”

    http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2014/04/28/47802/heathrow-to-refine-expansion-proposals.html

    “Refinements to Heathrow’s proposal for a third runway will be submitted to the Airports Commission on May 14, reflecting input from public consultation in February and March.”

    “..(the)proposal would raise the capacity at the London hub to 740,000 flights a year, from the current limit of 480,000. It would cater for up to 130 million passengers a year against up to 80 million.”

    “The Airports Commission is due to report its final findings in summer 2015.”

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