London mayor Boris Johnson has presented evidence to the Airports Commission to back his call for a new four-runway hub airport.
Johnson, who is one of the most vocal opponents of any expansion at Heathrow, has submitted his arguments to the commission, chaired by Sir Howard Davies, which is looking at how to increase airport capacity in the UK.
The mayor has worked with consultant York Aviation to analyse individual air routes and come to the conclusion that a “four-runway hub airport is the best option for connectivity, providing a much wider range and greater frequency of flights than if the same number of runways were spread across the south east”.
Johnson has long been a proponent of building a new airport in the Thames estuary which has been dubbed “Boris Island”.
“We are looking here at definitive proof that London and the UK will benefit hugely from significant expansion of our hub airport capacity,” said Johnson.
“To get the flights we need, it has to be four runways operating efficiently in one place rather than spread haphazardly across the south east.
“A four-runway airport will secure us the direct connections to the emerging markets around the world that will allow us to compete with our international rivals, who are busy building and growing their mega airports even as we speak.”
Johnson’s position is opposed by the House of Commons’ transport committee which has come out in favour of an expanded Heathrow. Committee chairman Louise Ellman explains the reasons for this view in a column for BBT – click here to read.
But the mayor’s aviation adviser Daniel Moylan argued: “This new data further illuminates the need for that airport to have at least four runways and room to grow, because it is spare airport capacity that allows airlines to innovate and experiment with new routes to emerging markets.
“This is a description of a national asset that Heathrow, with its severe size constraints and dire noise impacts, can never become.”
The deadline for submissions to the Airports Commission is on July 19. The commission is due to publish a report on short-term options by the end of this year, although its full recommendations will not be revealed until after the next general election in the summer of 2015.