It’s Vital Heathrow Expands

BEFORE he dismisses the need for a third runway at Heathrow (12 November), Zac Goldsmith ought to talk to his own party leadership, who do recognise Heathrow’s importance to business, the CBI and the trade unions. This is not just about airlines’ self-interest. There is an acute concern that Heathrow, once number one in Europe, now number five after Munich in terms of number of destinations served, will continue to decline, and become no longer attractive as our gateway to the global economy.

Heathrow is 98.5 per cent full. Passengers experience long delays after any kind of incident because the airport cannot bring on extra runway space as is possible at the airport’s Continental rivals, which all have multiple runways.

The delays also require the stacking of aircraft over London, causing further environmental degradation.

It is not true that most people around Heathrow are opposed to expansion. A recent Populus poll showed at least 50 per cent strongly or partly support the expansion of the airport, while only 35 per cent strongly or partly oppose it.

Londoners know that Heathrow, with 70,000 employees, means prosperity and jobs, and that putting this at risk is just not sensible. Lord Soley, campaign director, Future Heathrow.

AS GREEN candidate for London Mayor, I welcome the hardening of Zac Goldsmith’s personal line on Heathrow expansion. He is now not simply proposing a temporary halt to the plans, as outlined in his Quality of Life paper earlier this year.

However, the rest of his party are singing a different tune. Just a month ago, they rejected Goldsmith’s proposals for taxes on flights when faced with the prospect of an autumn general election.

Many Tories still support airport expansion. Conservatives have played a critical role in weakening Green MEP Caroline Lucas’s proposals which would have guaranteed annual reductions in aviation emissions. And in a crucial European Parliament vote today, Goldsmith’s party colleagues will try to water down and delay proposals to include aviation in the European Emissions Trading Scheme.

Sian Berry, Green candidate for London Mayor.

IN YOUR leader (9 November) you write that Heathrow rather than Stansted airport should be expanded because the demand is greater at Heathrow and the environmental damage would be greater in north- east Essex.

But demand can change from one year to the next, as it did in Washington, where I lived from 1977 to 1993, where Dulles Airport was fairly quiet for years until it suddenly became popular.

As for environmental damage, it would be greater in human terms at Heathrow because it is in an urban setting. If airlines had to pay a few pounds per plane to each person they disturbed, they would all use airports like Stansted or Gatwick, and that’s a good indication of where expansion should be.

Mikael Grut, SW1…

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