Any argument as to what the decisive factor in the determination of the appeal can only be speculation as none of us know what was ultimately significient to the inspector. However I would back up my case that Birmingham's intervention may have been decisive with the fact that the white paper was also in place for the first inquiry that went in Coventry's favour. Indeed the only difference in opposition between the first and second inquiry was that Warwick District Council switched from opposition to support after negotiating a mitigation package that was acceptable to it and Birmingham Airport switched from a neutral position to outright and aggressive opposition including giving evidence beyond the airspace issue.
It is always posible to be cynical about the public pronouncements of MP's but Bob Ainsworth in a letter to today's edition of the Coventry Telegraph writes " what really ought to anger people is the part played by Birmingham Airport and other regional bodies which objected to Coventry's proposals in order to stifle competition and protect their own vested interests.'
I am aware that Birmingham has limited dedicated freight operations and would not be unduly perturbed by any cap Coventry sought to put on such operations, however I suspect that a similar move on dedicated executive operations might prove more contentious.