Northern Ireland’s crucial air links with London will be secured and strengthened after a long-awaited report backed plans for a third runway at Heathrow, the airport has said. “We would call on the United Kingdom Government to act swiftly and implement the findings of the Airports Commission”.
Advertisement
Captain Paul Imhoff, in charge of the flight to Hanover, said: “I was inspired to become a pilot by family trips down to Heathrow Terminal 1, so it is a really nice honour and symmetry that I can lead the team on the last ever flight to depart from the terminal”.
Meanwhile, the government has told journalists that it is not encouraging its ministers or others to discuss the issue until it has had time to prepare a considered response to the Airports Commission report.
It said: “The Crossrail scheme will present new opportunities for the airport, as it will connect its current terminal at Liverpool Street station to a wider London catchment”.
“We are confident that when the government makes that decision they will choose Gatwick as the only deliverable option”, Gatwick CEO Stewart Wingate said.
Friends of the Earth’s head of campaigns Andrew Pendleton said: “It’s simply not credible for the Government to build a new runway in the South East and still claim to be serious about tackling climate change”. The Davies Commission did not even include the proposition in its short list.
A number of Scotland’s major airports have commented on the decision.
Regional business leaders have been keen to emphasise the importance of increased domestic access to Heathrow, with the likes of Durham Tees Airport, Glasgow Airport and the Leeds Chamber having stressed the need for increased connectivity. Whilst it does have capacity for long haul there is often a reliance on connecting hubs which means business travel is more of a challenge.
“As a nation we must be ambitious and forward looking”. The commission urges it not to prolong this process, and to move as quickly as it can to a decision. But it stressed that Europe’s largest airport needs to address air quality, noise and community concerns.
Stobart Group, which bought the airport in 2008, was also praised by the report, as well as its growing connections with European businesses and holiday destinations, which recently saw the addition of routes to Menorca and Lyon.
He was very complimentary about the proposal for a new runway at Gatwick, which he ended up rejecting.
“Further delay will be increasingly costly and will be seen, nationally and internationally, as a sign that the United Kingdom is unwilling or unable to take the steps needed to maintain its position as a well-connected, open trading economy in the 21st century”.
“The good thing about this report is that it takes out the emotional and local arguments and is now about economic measure and return”.
Advertisement
Following three years of investigations, the Airports Commission said Heathrow was best placed to provide “urgently required” capacity.
