UK Aviation strategy lagging behind?
 

Saw this on BBC Business, thought it shows quite well the problem with lack of vision we have here in the UK:

Airport expansion: It's build, build, build in much of the world - BBC News

Are we drifting into obscurity?

You mean - Britain HAS an aviation strategy for it to fall behind ????? :*

How long have we been talking about a new runway?? and how long more will we be waiting??

Not disagreeing with the premise of the article, but according to the graphic there are only 6 runways in the UK, and poor old Peru only has 1. Am I missing something???

Paxboy .................beat me to it.

The countries that are 'build build building' new capacity are those in which the economy and business is undergoing huge expansion.

The UK economy is semi-stagnant, costs of doing business in most areas of the country are so high that adding more capacity won't magically make companies move here.

Of all the regions of the UK it's actually Northern Ireland that's attracting big US corporate investment ( Citi, Chicago Mercantile, NYSE, Allstate etc ) because we're cheap but well-educated. So what about a third runway for Aldergrove...? :}

The BBC Editor obviously works in London, lives in London and is interested only in London otherwise with a simple bit of research would have found the 1 billion pound terminal investment plan announced at Manchester recently

Bristol is spend spend at the moment, £9 million eastern extension to the terminal last winter opening next month and the builders haven't even cleared up all their gear yet and at the western end even more builders (Balfour Beaty) setting up for a £24 million extension to the western end of the terminal 2 1/2 times that of the unopened eastern extension and the construction of Bristols first on site hotel and transport bus and coach station together with south Bristol M4-M5 link road just starting as well.

So some money being spent there.

Yes, but it pales into insignificance when you see what the likes of China are doing. How many new airports have they built while we've been dithering over a third runway for Heathrow or a second for Gatwick?

Its called the British disease. We always ending talking about it avoiding it and eventually making the decision far too late. There are many different examples including Thameslink 2000 that will be completed in 2018! Then there is HS2 we needed it 20 years ago but its still at least at the moment 10 years away.

Xtype

Bear in mind that geographically and population wise they're a much bigger country, and they started from a lower base. Also - crucially - the authorities are not accountable to the electorate or to pressure groups to quite the extent that our government is.....

I don't think we have any problems with aviation capacity in this country. If anything, we have too much. The problem is that it's in the wrong place.....

sounds like a great idea :-p

To lag behind don't you have to have been in front in the first place?

Nothing will change. The airports commission will recommend a third runway at LHR and the self serving government will either ignore it or come up with some fudge to try to boost slots at LHR/LGW and make more use of STN and LTN. They will claim environmental issues make it impossible.
Meanwhile we will be putting more money into the pockets of AMS CDG and FRA via the regions and London will just price people out of air travel.

Maybe .... when they start using more than 20% of 1 runway :}