Future Heathrow News

David Wilshire MP: Heathrow needs a third runway (17.10.08)

David Wilshire MP: Heathrow needs a third runway

On last night's Channel 4 News MPs Ian Taylor and John Redwood questioned Tory opposition to a third runway for Heathrow. On ConservativeHome next week Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers will defend the policy and her plan for a £20bn high speed rail alternative. David Wilshire MP kicks off the debate today by arguing that anti-aviation policies will damage the economy, reduce choices and cost political support.

If I understand recent policy announcements correctly, we are now officially opposed to building any new airports or runways in the South East. The unelected few campaigning to stop us flying will be thrilled whilst the unconsulted many will suffer.

If we implement this policy and the threat to reverse any expansion decisions made before we become the government, we will do enormous damage to the British economy and destroy jobs. We will also make it ever more difficult for British people to travel conveniently and comfortably and ultimately cost ourselves electoral support.

As one of the airport’s MPs, I worry every time I hear someone say “Heathrow is a national disgrace” and I shake my head in disbelief when those who should know better say “we need to improve it not enlarge it”. The inescapable truth is that Heathrow is in trouble which cannot be cured without another runway.

The most frequent complaints about Heathrow involve cancellations, missed connections, delays and lost baggage – all caused at least in part by the fact that the two runways are 98% full.

Whilst the weather causes some cancellations, the knock-on effect of subsequent cancellations happens because there are no spare take-off slots when the weather improves. Our main competitor airports across the channel have 25% spare runway capacity.

Connections are often missed because inbound aircraft circle round and round waiting for a runway slot on the congested runways. This also causes the long queues of aircraft waiting to take off. The annual amount of fuel wasted and pollution generated by these frustration-causing problems is vast.

Many of Heathrow’s baggage losses are caused by delayed landings leaving too little time for a bag to transfer from one terminal to another. Cure the delays and fewer bags will go missing.

There are lots of other reasons why Heathrow needs another runway. The most important are the growing demand and the on-going reduction in routes served. These issues cannot be addressed by telling the travelling public to catch a train or use a different UK airport.

A large number of Heathrow’s inter-continental routes are only profitable because of passengers flying in from elsewhere in the UK or Western Europe to transfer to a long-haul flight. Divert the transfer passengers and you wreck the route structure that is Heathrow’s national and international appeal.

Without a new runway it will become harder and harder for passengers from the rest of the UK and nearby countries to get to Heathrow. Next time someone needs to go to Japan they may well do what all too many have already decided to do – fly to Amsterdam, Frankfurt or Paris and transfer there. Not only does this result in the same or more greenhouse gases being produced but it also destroys British jobs and undermines British businesses.

My elders and betters like to dismiss my views as the ramblings of someone with a vested interest in airport expansion who doesn’t understand public opinion. The results of the tens of thousands of questionnaires I have distributed over the years give the lie to this. They prove that 75% of those I represent support the building of Terminal 5 and over half support a new runway.

If seeking to protect UK plc, the City of London, the South East and my constituents is a crime, I plead guilty. I make no apologies for speaking out against the nonsenses propounded by the anti-aviation lobby.

Nor do I apologise for pointing out the blindingly obvious - Heathrow either goes forward or backwards. It cannot continue to prosper if it is forced to stand still. Boris proves this point. He accepts that the UK needs to provide for the growth in demand and have a better international hub airport. His preferred solution is a new bigger airport in the Thames Estuary which would require the closure of Heathrow for it to succeed.

However, I would have to apogise if someone came up with an alternative solution that offered another way to meet the growing demand for international travel and a better Heathrow. To date nobody has. Opening a new railway from London to Leeds (for which a business plan does not yet exist) in nineteen years time certainly isn’t a realistic alternative.

Given the vast increase in government borrowing over the past few days, spending a further £20 billion of tax-payers’ money to knock just 28 minutes off a train journey from Leeds to London makes little sense and solves nothing. Building a new runway would cost less than half that sum and solve the problem (using money from the private sector rather than the tax-payer).

I rest my case.

October 17, 2008 at 07:09 in David Wilshire MP

See: http://conservativehome.blogs.com/platform/2008/10/david-wilshire.html

100 leading businesses and organisations say yes to a third runway (14.09.08)

100 Leading Businesses and Organisations Say:
"Heathrow needs a third runway built within
strict environmental standards”

In a statement appearing in national newspapers today (15 September 2008), 100 companies and organisations have given their backing for a third runway to be built at Heathrow Airport, within strict environmental standards.

Of the 100 organisations involved, the public companies alone have a combined market capitalisation of more than half a trillion pounds. The total revenue of the public and private companies amounts to more than £480 billion per annum. Together, the organisations directly employ over 825,000 people in the United Kingdom.

In the statement, they say: -
"Heathrow Airport is vital for business. It offers the direct connections which make our companies globally successful, and which will be all the more important as India and China grow. That’s been recognised by our European competitors – Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt airports will each have at least four runways by 2012. And that's why Heathrow needs a third runway built within strict environmental standards. Britain is at the heart of the global economy. Let's make the right decisions to keep us successful."

Richard Lambert, Director-General of the CBI said:

“This statement from a wide cross-section of British business demonstrates just how important good international transport links are to the long-term competitiveness of the UK. Businesses today operate in an increasingly global environment and if the UK is to remain an attractive place for them to locate, we need good, direct access to the global economic powerhouses such as China and India.

"Today, Heathrow provides direct flights to a wide variety of destinations including Amritsar, Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Beijing, Delhi and Shanghai. But the airport is full. And routes such as these are vulnerable if Heathrow cannot maintain its hub status. A third runway, built and operated within the strict environmental limits set by Government, will ensure that Heathrow is able to provide the quality services that business and other travellers need."

SUPPORTING QUOTES FROM SIGNATORIES:

Paul Walsh, CEO, Diageo plc, said: "A third runway at Heathrow is essential for UK competitiveness, particularly as we strive to meet the challenge and opportunity of the emerging economies of Africa, Asia and Latin America."

Chris Gibson-Smith, Chairman, London Stock Exchange, said: “The success of the City of London depends on its infrastructure. A bigger and better Heathrow is an absolute priority if we are to sustain London’s competitiveness.”

Sir Gulam Noon MBE, Chairman, Noon Products, said: “As a successful British business, good transport links that are fit for purpose are vital to our continued growth. Heathrow is vital if our business is to expand and grow overseas. That is why Noon Foods supports a third runway. We are sensitive to local residents concerns of course. But on balance we believe that the benefits for the nation as a whole, and business in particular, outweigh these concerns.”

Mervyn Davies, Chairman, Standard Chartered, said: "Standard Chartered is headquartered in London but derives over 90 per cent of its profits from the emerging trade corridors of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. A third runway at Heathrow is a prerequisite if the UK is to continue to benefit from the emergence of the new economies."

Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said: “This is a crucial infrastructure project that will help safeguard employment and create quality new jobs, not just at Heathrow but in the wider economy in which it is such a vital link.. As long as it can be built in a sensitive manner, and meet the EU’s emission and air quality targets, the third runway at Heathrow, along with Crossrail, will keep Britain connected to the rest of the world.”

Shaun Whittaker, CEO, Thames Valley Economic Partnership, said: "Many businesses in the Thames Valley depend on Heathrow. The airport provides vital direct links to overseas markets and employs thousands of local people. A third runway will bring a boost to the local economy and will also ease congestion considerably, so we welcome it. However the road and rail links to Heathrow from the Thames Valley and the West are inadequate. The rail links that now exist between Heathrow and London have greatly improved access from the east - there now need to be similar links from the West."

Steve Turner and Brian Boyd, Unite the Union, said: “The construction of a third runway at Heathrow as part of the Government’s Airport Expansion proposals, is crucial for continued job security and new employment within not just the local community, but the broader associated industries where links to aviation is essential.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
Since 1990, Heathrow’s list of destinations has declined from 227 to 183, which means that the UK’s only hub airport now offers 50 less destinations than Amsterdam, 60 less than Paris and 100 less than Frankfurt.

A third runway at Heathrow will bring much needed resilience to the airport. Heathrow is currently full. Its two runways operate at over 99% capacity which means the slightest problem - heavy rain, fog or head-winds - can result in serious delays. BAA is heavily investing in upgrading the existing terminal facilities but it is now widely accepted that Britain is short of runway capacity.

In comparison Paris has four runways, Madrid four, Amsterdam five, Frankfurt three, with a fourth already approved and due to open in 2011. All operate at approximately 75 % capacity and so are better able to cope with problems. They have fewer delays and are able to offer more destinations as a result.

Future Heathrow is a broad based coalition of business, trades unions and the aviation community. (AMICUS, Air Transport Action Group, BAA, BALPA, Board of Airline Representatives in the UK, British Air Transport Association, bmi, British Airways, CBI, GMB, International Air Transport Association, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, London First, London Heathrow Airline Operators Committee, Thames Valley Economic Partnership, TUC, TGWU, Virgin Atlantic Airways, West London Business)

MEDIA CONTACTS:
BAA – Damon Hunt – 0208 745 7224 or 07880 781587

British Airways – Paul Marston – 0208 738 5100 or 07789 610340

LIST OF SIGNATORIES:

Addleshaw Goddard

Alliance Boots

Amec

Amey

Arora

Asian Business Association

AstraZeneca

Avanta

Babcock

BAE Systems

Balfour Beatty

Barclays

Boeing

British American Tobacco

BBA Aviation

British Chambers of Commerce

British Hospitality Association

British Land

Carillion

Carlton Partners

CBI

Clifford Chance

Cinven

Citi

Clayton, Dubilier & Rice

Construction Products Association

Compass Group

Corus

Costain

Counselage

Deloitte

Deutsche Bank

Diageo

Dial Consultants

DLA Piper

DWC Tang

EC Harris

Ernst and Young

EDS

Enterprise Inns

Freshfields Bruckhaus

Deringer

Friends Provident

First Group

Future Heathrow

GMB

Greenhill

Guoman Hotels

Hilton Hotels

Imperial Tobacco

IoD

JCA Group

JCB

JC Decaux

JER Partners

JP Morgan Cazenove

Laing O'Rourke

London Chamber of Commerce and Industry

London Stock Exchange

Mace

Marshalls

MCM

Merrill Lynch

MMC

Nomura

Noon

NSG Group

Omnicom Group

Pendragon

Pirelli

QinetiQ

RioTinto

Rothschild

RWE npower

SAB Miller

The Sage Group plc

Stuart Aviation

Standard Chartered

Scottish Chambers of Commerce

Scottish Council for Development and Industry

Serco

Severn Trent

Siemens

Sodexo

Spencer Stuart

Tate & Lyle

The Blackstone Group

Thistle

Thomson Reuters

Tube Lines

TUC

Turner and Townsend

Thames Valley Economic Partnership

Ulster Bank Group

Unite

United Utilities

Whitbread

Whitehead Mann

West London Business

WPP Group

Wragge & Co LLP

Lord Soley Offers Talks (09.06.08)

In a major speech today, Tuesday 10 June, Future Heathrow Campaign Director Lord Soley will offer talks with local authorities and campaign groups opposed to Heathrow’s expansion.

Lord Soley Speech at Airport Development Conference (09.06.08)

The proposal to expand Heathrow opens up a wide and deep agenda that affects global issues like climate change as well as local issues such as noise and local transport. I want to address these issues in a way that enables us to start a dialogue with local communities and identify the areas of agreement and the areas of disagreement in a manner that allows progress to be made that does not put at risk prosperity and employment in the west London and Thames Valley region.

Future Heathrow response to 'Make a NOise' protest (29.05.08)

Responding to the Make a NOise protest march, Lord Soley, Campaign Director of Future Heathrow, said:

“There is no doubting the strong views that some people hold against Heathrow’s expansion. However, opinion polls continue to show that most local people support a third runway at Heathrow. Local people know that the airport is vital to the local economy and supports jobs and business.

“A third runway will only go ahead within environmental limits on noise and air quality. Airlines will only be able to fly more planes from Heathrow if they buy cleaner and quieter aircraft.”

An opinion poll conducted by the independent polling company Populus asked more than one thousand people who live in the 12 local authorities around Heathrow their views on expanding Heathrow by adding a third runway or ending runway alternation. 50% of those polled supported the building of a third runway, compared to just 30% who were opposed. Support was even stronger for the introduction of ‘mixed mode’ which would increase the capacity of the existing runways, with 56% of residents in support, and just 23% opposed. By more than 2 to 1 people said that for their family, their community and the country the advantages of Heathrow outweigh the disadvantages.

Notes to editors:

1. Lord Clive Soley is available for interview. Call 07785 250456 or 020 8745 7224.

2. Full polling information is attached. Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,203 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 7th and 17th September 2007. Interviews were conducted across the 12 local authority areas that comprise the 2M Group. These local authority areas were: Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Richmond, Slough, South Bucks, Spelthorne, Wandsworth, Windsor and Maidenhead. Quotas were set to ensure that the sample was representative of the 12 local authority areas, age, gender, and socio-economic group. The results have been weighted to be representative of all adults across the 2M Group area. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For more details go to www.populuslimited.com

3. Mixed mode involves using both runways for arriving and departing aircraft simultaneously in the same way as at single runway airports like Gatwick and Stansted. Heathrow currently uses one runway for arrivals and the other for departures. Mixed mode could potentially deliver an extra 15% runway capacity at Heathrow by around 2015, allowing up to 540,000 flights per year, compared with today's limit of 480,000.

4. Members of Future Heathrow include Amicus, ATAG, BAA, BALPA, BAR UK, BATA, bmi, British Airways, Boeing UK, CBI, Destination Heathrow, GMB, IATA, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Airline Operators Committee (Heathrow), London First, Thames Valley Economic Partnership, TUC, TGWU, Virgin Atlantic Airways, and West London Business.

POPULUS/FUTURE HEATHROW POLL - EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Populus interviewed a random sample of 1,203 adults aged 18+ by telephone between 7^th and 17^th September 2007. Interviews were conducted across the 12 local authority areas that comprise the 2M Group. These local authority areas were: Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea, Merton, Richmond, Slough, South Bucks, Spelthorne, Wandsworth, Windsor and Maidenhead. Quotas were set to ensure that the sample was representative of the 12 local authority areas, age, gender, and SEG. The results have been weighted to be representative of all adults across the 2M Group area. Populus is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. For more details go to www.populuslimited.com

1. Local population who work at Heathrow.

I am going to read a number of statements relating to Heathrow. For each, please say whether the statement applies or does not apply to you:

	Applies
I work at Heathrow	5%
A member of my family works at Heathrow	11%
I have friends who work at Heathrow	28%

(30% either work at the airport or have friends or family who work at Heathrow)

2. Local population who take flights from Heathrow.

How often do you use Heathrow to fly to, or arrive from, another destination?

More then ten times a year	5%
Between 6 and 10 times a year	6%
Between 3 or 5 times a year	15%
Once or twice a year	37%
Less often than that	20%
Never	16%

3. Priorities for local people.

I am going to read out a number of issues affecting the area that you live in that you may be concerned about. Please say which of the issues concerns you most:

Crime and anti-social behaviour	36%
Road traffic congestion	19%
Council tax levels	16%
Aircraft noise	12%
Litter	8%
Other	1%

4. Benefits v disadvantages of Heathrow

How far do you agree with the following statements about Heathrow?

(a) For me and my family, the benefits of Heathrow generally outweigh the disadvantages

Strongly agree or somewhat agree	53%
Strongly agree	25%
Somewhat agree	29%
Neither agree nor disagree	19%
Somewhat disagree	13%
Strongly disagree	12%
Strongly disagree or somewhat disagree	25%

(b) For my local community, the benefits of Heathrow generally outweigh the disadvantages

Strongly agree or somewhat agree	54%
Strongly agree	22%
Somewhat agree	31%
Neither agree nor disagree	18%
Somewhat disagree	13%
Strongly disagree	11%
Strongly disagree or somewhat disagree	24%

Strongly agree or somewhat agree	63%
Strongly agree	28%
Somewhat agree	35%
Neither agree nor disagree	13%
Somewhat disagree	11%
Strongly disagree	11%
Strongly disagree or somewhat disagree	22%

5. Support for a third runway.

There are currently two runways at Heathrow. The Government has agreed to support the building of a shorter, third runway at some point between 2015 and 2020, provided that this can be done within stringent environmental limits on noise pollution, air quality, and provided that public transport connections to the airport are improved. Would you strongly support, somewhat support, neither support nor oppose, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the building of a third runway at Heathrow?

Strongly support or somewhat support	50%
Strongly support	21%
Somewhat support	29%
Neither support nor oppose	17%
Somewhat oppose	9%
Strongly oppose	21%
Strongly oppose or somewhat oppose	30%

6. Support for mixed mode.

Heathrow generally uses one of its two existing runways for departures and the other runway for arrivals in order to minimise noise for local communities. The Government has suggested that Heathrow should consider using its two, existing runways more efficiently by allowing them to handle both arriving and departing aircraft so that more flights can take off and land on them, provided this can be done within environmental limits on noise pollution, air quality, and provided that public transport connections to the airport are improved. Would you strongly support, somewhat support, neither support nor oppose, somewhat oppose, or strongly oppose the more efficient use of Heathrow’s existing runways so that more flights could take off from, and land at the airport?

Strongly support or somewhat support	56%
Strongly support	26%
Somewhat support	30%
Neither support nor oppose	18%
Somewhat oppose	8%
Strongly oppose	16%
Strongly oppose or somewhat oppose	23%