The UK Government is to investigate the current state of UK aviation – including controversial plans to build an inner-city airport on reclaimed land on the Thames.
Following Prime Minister David Cameron ruling out an expansion of Heathrow Airport – where a debate over a third runway which has raged for many years – the idea for a separate airport entirely, built partly on land reclaimed from the capital city’s river, emerged. London Mayor Boris Johnson’s support of the scheme has caused it to be dubbed “Boris Island” by the media.
Altogether, the cost of the new airport could run as high as £50 billion, but Mr Johnson told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that logistics, rather than funding, would be the biggest issue to address should the proposed project be given the go ahead. He said “The difficulty would not be financing the airport per se… the difficulty obviously would be in the infrastructure, connectivity between the airport and central London, and that’s why the consultation [to be undertaken by the government this spring] is essential.
“We can’t go on expecting Britain to compete with France, Germany and other European countries when we simply can’t supply the flights to these growth destinations – China, Latin America.
“We are being badly left behind.”
However, the mayor appears to be a lone supporter of the cause, despite rumours that David Cameron would back the project should the consultation prove it would be financially viable. Chief Executive of airport operator BAA, Colin Matthews, which runs Heathrow, said that the recognition that more airport capacity is required was a good sign; however, he added that London cannot have “two hubs” and voiced his concern that a new airport would inevitably mean Heathrow would have to downsize.
He said “The consequences of closing Heathrow wouldn’t just be big for my company. It would be big for 100,000 jobs in this part of London.
“It’s a huge issue economically, a huge issue politically.”
His concerns were echoed by opposition mayoral candidates. Ken Livingstone of Labour said it “threatens a huge increase in noise, congestion and pollution for millions.”
However, arguably the biggest argument against the build came from Green Party MP Jenny Jones, who opposes the project mainly on the grounds of the negative effect it could have on the surrounding environment. Already, environmental groups are preparing to launch demonstrations against the proposals, as they claim the new airport would be a huge threat to millions of migratory birds that have nested on the Thames for generations.
Executive Director of Friends of the Earth Andy Atkins said: “A new airport in the Thames estuary would have a devastating impact on local communities and the environment – and all for pie-in-the-sky economics that simply don’t add up.
“London doesn’t need another hub airport – the capital already has more flights to the world’s main business destinations than our European neighbours.
“David Cameron’s pledge to lead the greenest Government ever will ring hollow if he gives the green light to a huge expansion in air travel.”
However, with passenger demand for London’s airports forecast to more than double in the next forty years, the government must find a solution to overcrowded aviation before Britain becomes obsolete as a country known for business opportunity. A report by the Greater London Authority predicted the number of passengers passing through the capital’s airports to rise from 140 million in 2010 to over 400 million by 2050.
One of Britain’s largest trade unions, GMB, have dismissed the idea as “plain daft”, and its civil aviation industry national officer Mick Rix added: “GMB consider that this is profoundly wrong and calls on all political parties to reopen the issue of the third runway at Heathrow.”
It seems, then, that London’s Mayor may well have an uphill battle on his hands to convince both his peers and the British public that yet another airport within London’s city limits will benefit the country, despite the environmental concessions.
