In the most trailed and hence unsurprising decision, the UK Government finally announced that Heathrow is to be given permission to build an extra runway. More years in the making than I care to remember, the move is going to cause some issues for the incumbent Conservative administration.
Notable Tory MP’s have variously threatened to lie in front of the bulldozers (Boris Johnson, Foreign Secretary) or resign and force a by-election (unsuccessful Mayoral candidate, Zac Goldsmith). British Airways doesn’t like the idea either.
So when is this likely to appear – well that is unclear, construction is unlikely to start until 2020 or 2021 so perhaps in 2027? Between now and then you can expect protesters, a long enquiry and lots of hot air from the usual suspects. The Prime Minister has strictly limited what Government Ministers can say against the scheme, having learned the hard way from her predecessor who allowed a free hand in opinions on the EU referendum and look what happened there!
So watch this space! The fun is yet to start.
If you are interested you can read all about the proposals at the Heathrow Airport micro site which contains their plans for expansion.
Fortunately I’ll be resting in my grave, or scattered to the winds, by the time this is a fait accompli. Another entrance to Hell, which is what I consider LHR, one of the worst airports in the world: too crowded, too far for connections either within terminals or between terminals, wickedly anal transit security staff (I always rate them with a severe frown), endless immigration processing lines (including the priority ones) and last but not least, the most expensive airport through which to enter any country (including an additional charge for signing up for the pre-approved immigration service)!
Never understood why Gatwick has been restricted to one runway when it would have been so logical to add another (at least) rather than even building Luton or Stanstead. At least the bonkers idea of building yet another London airport in the middle of the Thames estuary has been dumped into the river where it belongs.