We need more runways, aviation regulator warns
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An aerial image of the
Thames Hub airport, designed by Lord Foster.
by Martin Jefferies
Kent passengers will pay more to fly unless new airport runways
are built in the south east, the aviation regulator has warned.
In a report published today, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA)
says additional capacity would offer "significant benefits" for
consumers and the economy.
It said improving facilities at existing
airports, such as Manston, would be a "short-term" fix, but claimed
new runways are needed to maintain the UK's direct access to global
markets.
The CAA's comments will put more pressure on the government to
explore building a new airport in Kent - possibly in the
Thames Estuary or on the Isle of Grain.
Andrew Haines, chief executive of the CAA, said: "As we haven't
built a single runway in the south east capable of handling Boeing
747s and Airbus A380s for over 70 years, the difficulty of
increasing capacity is obvious.
"The challenge facing the government is to create an aviation
policy that stands the test of time - not a policy for five
years but one that lasts 30 years.
"If the private sector is to have sufficient confidence to
deliver additional capacity then it needs to be convinced that
government policy is based on robust evidence and is likely to last
for at least a generation."
Two options for an airport in Kent have already been put
forward.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson favours an airport constructed
on artificial islands - a scheme dubbed 'Boris Island'.
World-renowned architect Lord Foster's plans for an airport on
the Isle of Grain are more advanced.
He has
already released artists' impressions of how the £50bn
airport - capable of carrying up to 150m passengers a
year - could look.
In November, Chancellor George Osborne said a new airport in the
south east could form part of a series of major infrastructure
projects that would galvanise the economy.
However, he stopped short of announcing Kent as the government's
preferred location.
Tuesday, January 10 2012
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