Freight companies support third Heathrow runway

The British International Freight Association has stepped into a row over a third runway at Heathrow airport by giving “qualified support” to the UK government’s decision to permit the expansion of the airport. With Heathrow currently operating at 99% of capacity, the British Government on January 15 gave the go-ahead. Announcing the decision in parliament, Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon said “doing nothing at Heathrow would allow extra capacity at other hub airports like Frankfurt, Schiphol (Amsterdam) and Charles de Gaulle (Paris)” . Construction of the runway – which won’t open until 2019 at the earliest – will see areas around the airport, including the entire village of Sipson and parts of two other towns, razed to make room. “The stringent environmental conditions attached to the go-ahead, the possibility that a future administration could reverse the decision, and the likelihood of a lengthy planning process means that this is far from a ‘done-deal’,” says BIFA director general Peter Quantrill. “The lack of runway capacity at Heathrow has been a major contributory factor to the increased congestion and delays faced by our members who move airfreight through Heathrow. “At present, the airport ranks fourth in Europe for airfreight throughput and the new runway will help Heathrow to maintain its status as a key global airfreight hub.” Those opposed to the new runway include villagers, Greenpeace and more than 40 parliamentarians in the ruling Labour Party, government opposition parties, and London Mayor Boris Johnson, who has also pledged to go to court over the issue. Backers, which include the Unite and GMB unions, argue the airport’s expansion could create 65 000 jobs.