BAA'S TWO REMAINING LONDON AIRPORTS - Heathrow and Stansted - have formally abandoned plans for new runways.
In the face of unwavering opposition from the coalition government, Stansted has officially withdrawn its application for a second runway, while Heathrow bosses have announced they will stop work on their application for a third. BAA chief executive officer Colin Matthews nevertheless insisted: "We continue to believe that new capacity [at Heathrow] would strengthen the UK's trading links with the global markets on which our economy and our competitiveness depend."
David Johnston, managing director at Stansted, was equally adamant. "We believe that new airport capacity is needed in the southeast of England to strengthen the UK's international trading links," he said. "Stansted Airport is a key driver of economic growth in this part of England, and we will continue to work hard to bring new business here and to work with our neighbours, and the wider community, to provide jobs and strong business and travel opportunities."
John Morris, head of government and industry affairs at Birmingham International, took a rather different position. "We welcome the government's new thinking," he said. "In these difficult times it makes sense to use and sensibly improve the assets that you have got, rather than building whole new runways. Birmingham airport is a vital yet underused piece of national strategic infrastructure."