“We now call upon the Prime Minister to swiftly accept the Commission’s recommendation, to end any further uncertainty, and to get on providing the airport capacity Britain needs to compete for trade and investment and to remain an important aviation hub in the twenty-first century”.
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Businesses and airlines had largely supported the expansion of Heathrow, which is operating at 98 percent capacity, over Gatwick, south of London.
“The government will need to review our analysis carefully”, while at the same time moving “as quickly as it can to a decision”, the commission’s chairman Howard Davies said.
“Sir Howard Davies and his Commission were appointed to take the politics out of the decision and make a recommendation in the national interest”.
Mr Cameron is faced with furious opposition from his own Tory benches with London mayor Boris Johnson, who had wanted a new airport built on the Thames estuary east of London, saying the expansion will “never happen”. Such concerns in the past had become matters of protest and also political split.
Heathrow has been named as the preferred site for London’s new runway. To make the expansion more acceptable for local community, Heathrow should be subject to stricter noise limits and ban night flights between 11.30pm and 6am.
The committee chose the latter option, the most expensive one (17.6 billion pounds, against £ 7 billion for Gatwick) and also the most controversial. It is only five years since the most recent previous decision to expand at Heathrow was rescinded, ‘No ifs, no buts, ‘ by David Cameron, and the issue remains politically incandescent especially within the Tory government.
FRONTRUNNER: Heathrow Airport Northwest Runway The Commission has concluded that the proposal for a new Northwest Runway at Heathrow Airport, in combination with a significant package of measures to address its environmental and community impacts, presents the strongest case.
Heathrow has estimated that building could start in 2020 and the new runway would be ready in 2025, but that could be held up by the government’s decision and tough planning laws.
“The extension advocated will be financed by private capital and would open the United Kingdom to 40 new destinations”, he added. Expanding Heathrow will keep Liverpool and the whole North West at the heart of the global economy.
Local residents campaigning against a new runway at Gatwick say expansion there will cause increased noise, pollution, new flightpaths and traffic congestion, hitting the area’s heritage and natural landscapes.
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In a holding statement, the transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “”My department has received the final report from the Airports Commission and will now consider that advice in detail””.
