Having read the report in full I have to say it is a solid piece of work and the commission should be congratulated on it.
There is no doubt that building an extra runway at LHR would result in a number of current services moving from LGW to LHR, having said that I still think that building an extra runway at LGW would be prudent if it can find the funding to do so, the report points out that extra capacity at LHR will only create a temporary ease in LGW demand.
Yes, there will be relief at LGW for a while and building another rwy there will become neccessary at some point. It is likely, however, that LGW management would not take on the expense of a second rwy till long after a third LHR rwy is up and running.
easyJet will not depart en mass from LGW & Norwegian would not be able to move its long haul operation to LHR because even an expanded LHR would not be able to handle its LGW to Europe flights many of which offer long haul connections.
No it won't, LGW is U2's biggest base. However its expansion plans would include LHR as a base (for 30 aircraft) if it has three rwys and the conditions for LHR operations therefore change.
The choices open to the Government are fairly limited to 1) do nothing....2) go against the recommendations and approve LGW 3) approve LHR R3. The politics favour option 2, I think all now recognise that doing nothing is not an option and hasn't been for the past decade.
Diagree, it is already looking like (1) will prevail.
They've already kicked Davis into the long grass: a decision by the end of the year when it should be made very early in the Parliament (as all "difficult" decisions should be).
Labour have already said they will support the Government on LHR R3, they would love to see Boris, Zac & Greening resign, but these are all safe Conservative seats, Zac will have to stand down anyway if he wins the London Mayoral roll, Greening is getting very used to jetting around the world anyway and Boris will damage his own standing should he spit his dummy out on this one.
Boris won't resign his seat, he's just got it!
Zac might, but will he stand again as a Conservative on the single issue like David Davis did a few years ago.
Or he may resign and stand again as a Independent anti-Heathrow expansion candidate (but that means no prospect of the mayoralty).
Or he may resign if adopted as Tory candidate for mayor and time it accordingly.
Or he may do nothing.
Greening won't resign for the reasons you mention and the fact that it would be the end of her time in politics, as her profile is much lower than the other two.
George Osbourne and the business secretary are very pro R3, there maybe some hints in todays budget
There was sort of:
"
The RAF’s Group Fighter Command Centre in West London was the place where the Battle of Britain was directed from – and it badly needs repair.
I want to thank the new Member, my Honourable Friend for Uxbridge, for bringing to my attention the dilapidated state of his campaign bunker.
Let its renovation stand as a monument to the heroes of the Battle of Britain and the days when aeroplanes flew freely over the skies of west London."