Terminal 5 has been operational since 2008.
The new Terminal Two is almost finished.
The two runways are operating at 90+%.
AIRLINES WANT HEATHROW.
I have lived in the Borough of Richmond and Twickenham, all my life.
I can imagine Mick Jagger saying when he moved to Richmond Hill -
"Oi, move that airport, I'm Mick Jagger !"
Lots of influential people live in Richmond. Yet, they never complain about Heathrow when they want to fly somewhere. Double standards.
It was never really properly thought out. This is UK.
When LAP was first built, it was in the countryside, literally. There were no jets, Just piston engined aeroplanes that made a lovely noise.
There was also another runway in the original plans, just about where they want the Third one now.
Unless one is thinking Milton Keynes. You are stuck with it. Forget about 'Boris Island'. Maplin was rejected in the 1960's.
Boris is a Cambridge academic who rides a push bike. He understands little about transport, except pedaling his bike and cracking pretty good one-liners.
If a solution is not soon found, jobs will be lost and so will the economy.
Mind you, when has anybody taken notice of the public, right or wrong.
My guess is that there WILL be a third runway, and possibly a fourth !
Terminals 6 & 7 are already planned. The steel and concrete was ordered years ago.