In other news it's now surfaced via some somewhat secretive briefings that extra capacity at Heathrow will lead to a reduction in movements at every other single airport in the South East.
As a strong advocate of further expansion down there for a more realistic 4 runway megahub rather than tinkering with a lukewarm 3, i'm incredulous, I did raise this very same point .....er 2 years ago!
Quite right, a 4-rwy megahub at LHR (not in the estuary) is the obvious way to proceed.
Perish the thought that the Davies Commission were not going to disclose this !
A fundamental point pushed into a draw in Whitehall ?
I doubt Manchester will benefit but it would be nice for Mr Davies to disclose as much information as he was given possible so MPs can make decisions based on facts !
Unfortunately the article is behind a paywall.
At least LCY, MSE, SEN and possibly STN wouldn't have to completely
close for NATS purposes as would be the case to accomodate a 4-rwy estuary airport.
It may not matter if business and traffic drifts towards a 4-rwy LHR. Also, reductions at other airports would prevent them from becoming full up as is projected for LCY, LGW and LTN.
It would actually bring LHR into line with its peer group airports (AMS, CDG, FRA, MAD) which also have the no-frills, general aviation, charter and holiday company business that is absent at LHR.
The main reason LGW and LTN developed in the 1970s was lack of capacity at LHR (yes, even back then!). It's the only reason that there are so many airports in London.
Take Paris, for example, as the only realistic comparison with London, it has 6 rwys accross 2 airports (4 at CDG, 2 at ORY). London
should have been the same (4 at LHR and 2 at LGW). Instead we have a "constellation of airports" (to use the language of Gatwick airport management), with some of the smaller London airports being considerably busier than their Paris equivelants (BVA, LBG, POX, etc.).
Doubt if any of this would adversely affect MAN, it has already doubled its rwy count.
Missed "Mind The Gap", will watch the repeat tomorrow.