Gatwick Airport’s chief commercial officer Guy Stephenson has dismissed the plans for an airport hub in the Thames estuary.
Stephenson was speaking at the Business Travel Show in London yesterday about Gatwick’s plans to expand airport capacity in the south east.
He said the Thames estuary airport plan is not a threat to Gatwick’s proposal and “simply not a credible option”.
In 2012, chairman of the Airports Commission, Howard Davies, was asked to investigate the options for increasing aviation capacity in the UK.
In December he unveiled the short-listed options – new runways at Heathrow and Gatwick, and an extension of Heathrow’s existing northern runway.
The Commission said the proposed plan for an airport hub in the inner Thames estuary, dubbed “Boris Island” due to the London mayor’s backing, would be “considered” later this year.
“There’s a reason why I chose to talk about Heathrow and not mention the Thames Estuary proposal because it would be a complete waste of taxpayers’ money,” Stephenson said.
“The idea is simply not a credible option and I do not see it as a threat to Gatwick’s plans.”
During his speech Stephenson spoke about the strength of Gatwick’s proposal for a second runway, to be built by 2025, and why it’s a better option than Heathrow.
He said Gatwick could deliver a second runway at least five years earlier than Heathrow and more than £10 billion cheaper.
Stephenson claimed Gatwick’s plans would affect up to 13,800 households but Heathrow could affect more than 250,000.
He also pointed to the fact Gatwick currently complies with legal air quality standards and also has the backing of the local community.
“[Gatwick] is a better solution to meeting the collective needs of the UK than building a costly mega hub at Heathrow,” Stephenson added.
Last month Boris Johnson’s aviation adviser Daniel Moylan accused the Commission of handing Heathrow an “unfair advantage” in the process.
He said a new runway at Heathrow would be the “worst possible option” for the UK.
“This is not only about aviation, it’s about the economic impact of significant changes in London’s airport system,” said Moylan.
“East London has a huge deprivation. A new airport would be transformative for jobs and growth in that area, and a new runway at Heathrow would be the worst possible option.
“Serious countries have hub airports, they provide the best solution, not a collection of airports randomly scattered across the south east.”