The benefit to LGW is that their proposal says the new runway would cost £5-9bn (quite why that margin is so wide I'm not sure...but still!) whereas LHR north west option is £17bn, so double the cost.
Therefore, although the business case is nowhere near as good as LHR's (especially if LHR gets a third runway) I agree with davidjohnson6 that there must still be a very good case for extended capacity by 2025, even with a third runway at LHR?
IMHO LGW would be better focussing on distancing itself further from competitors such as LTN/STN, rather than trying to catch up to LHR.
But I suppose it's all moot anyway, as we have already said that the Davis Commission will only propose one option, not two...
anothertyke; I thought similar; LHR has needed a third runway for at least a decade now, and even if it were agreed tomorrow it would be another decade before it was operational, so in reality if LGW were to be allowed a second runway but not before 2030 then surely the traffic will be there by then, even accounting for some of their current operators moving services back to LHR as discussed above?
Last edited by Libertine Winno; 21st Feb 2014 at 14:22.
Reason: Edited for anothertyke...