[UPDATED]: The UK Airports Commission short list for expanding airport capacity has rejected the ‘Boris Island’ Thames estuary option in favour of Heathrow or Gatwick.

 

The Commission said the option would involve unacceptable ‘high costs and uncertain benefits’. The Airports Commission head, Sir Howard Davies said today: “We are not persuaded that a very large airport in the Thames estuary is the right answer to London’s and the UK’s connectivity needs.

 

“While we recognise the need for a hub airport, we believe this should be a part of an effective system of competing airports to meet the needs of a widely spread and diverse market like London’s.

 

“There are serious doubts about the delivery and operation of a very large hub airport in the estuary,” he said.

 

 

London Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate claims that a second runway (as envisaged above) can be delivered with ‘more certainty’ than either of the Heathrow options.

 

 

THE GATWICK ARGUMENT

Responding to the Commission’s decision to effectively leave it to Heathrow and Gatwick to fight it out, London Gatwick Airport CEO Stewart Wingate said: “We believe Gatwick has the strongest case. It is the only option left on the table that can be delivered with more certainty than either of the Heathrow options, and it can be delivered without the significant environmental impacts expansion at Heathrow would inflict on London.

 

“It can be delivered faster than any other option, and at low cost and low risk.”

 

The Mayor of London Boris Johnson – and chief supporter of the now rejected Thames Estuary option – was ‘not amused’ in his response however. He said: “Gatwick is not a long term solution and Howard Davies must explain to the people of London how he can possibly envisage that an expansion of Heathrow, which would create unbelievable levels of noise, blight and pollution, is a better idea than a new airport to the east of London that he himself admits is visionary, and which would create the jobs and growth this country needs to remain competitive.”

 

While Johnson is clearly disappointed with the decision, Heathrow Airport CEO, John Holland-Kaye, wasted no time in extending his hand to Johnson: “We have always agreed with the Mayor that Britain needs a successful hub airport to compete in the global race for jobs and growth. Heathrow is now the only hub left in the race. We would like to work with the Mayor to deliver Heathrow expansion in a way that benefits the whole country, while reducing noise impacts for local people compared to today.”

The call for expansion of UK airports capacity has been a strong one that the government has not been able to ignore, despite its manifesto promise that there would be no further expansion of Heathrow Airport during its term of office. [The ultimate decision on this issue will now not be taken until after the UK Summer 2015 General Election].

 

 

London Heathrow CEO John Holland-Kaye is now asking for London Mayor Boris Johnson’s support.

 

 

EXTRA CAPACITY IS VITAL…

This present ‘option for action’ also neatly sidestep any pesky election promises, since the inability to address the airport capacity problem in the present stalemate means that any solution to the present situation is unlikely to be in place before 2020 anyway.

 

This is frustrating enough for business, which has been repeatedly telling the government that it is losing out to other European countries such as France, The Netherlands and Germany, whose airports are becoming much better connected to emerging markets than the UK is today.

 

In essence, the Commission now has to decide between a new additional third runway altogether at London Heathrow, a lengthened runway, or a second new runway at London Gatwick, which is already the world’s busiest single runway international airport.

 

[Note: Both the BBC and the Financial Times separately reported yesterday that their understanding was that the Boris Island airport option would be rejected by the Airports Commission-Ed].

 

TOP IMAGE: Foster & Partners original plan for ‘Boris Island’ which has now been rejected.