Senior figures from across the UK's airline industry, as well as a raft of environmental campaigners, are waiting anxiously for the publication by UK Transport Secretary Alistair Darling of the government's long-range plan for air transport.
Within the seven consultation papers will be various options for extra runway capacity in the southeast of England, as well as addressing capacity at regional airports like Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham. Air traffic in the UK is expected to double over the next 15-20 years.
Problems
The options for runways in the UK are to build new a third runway at London Heathrow, second strips at Gatwick, Luton or Stansted or an entirely new airport near Cliffe on the Thames Estuary.
Whichever solution is chosen it will generate massive protests from environmental and resident groups. In a letter to the Times newspaper on Saturday, seven environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, protested at plans to boost traffic levels.
From these consultations, the government is aiming to draw up a policy that will define what it intends to do next year.
Source: Flight Daily News
