More Products


Important Information


Company Information



Regional airports grow thanks to budget airlines

Last week Ruth Kelly made the final ruling on the proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport. The runway proposal had been opposed by members of various environmental groups as well as by local residents and fiercely supported by British Airways, the British Airports Authority (BAA) and several other members of the business community.

After considering all the arguments presented, Kelly said that she could see no reason for limited air travel. According to Rod Eddington, her sometime transport advisor, to seek to artificially constrain the natural growth of air travel, once carbon pricing is fully in place, would pose a significant cost to the UK economy.

Not everyone is supportive of Kelly's decision to allow the third runway to go ahead and many were quick to point out her transportation advisor's former post as head of BA.

In 2003, Kelly made a commitment to limit any third runway at Heathrow to a length of just 2,000 meters, a runway capable only of hosting short-haul domestic flights. The recent decision to allow the construction of a new, full-length runway, capable of landing jumbo jets, has come as a shock to many.

Environmentalists believe that the new runway will lead to an increase in carbon emissions at the airport by about 40 per cent and there seems to be no plan in the works on how that figure can be decreased.

The third runway at Heathrow will go ahead, with capacity almost doubling in the near future and the noise and pollution increasing along with it.


Follow these links to find out more or to get a quote on Travel insurance, UK airport parking, UK airport hotels or UK airport lounges.



Jennifer Jones Editorial

25/11/2007




Related Travel News:

 
 



Read more Travel Environment news