Iata calls for a rethink of third Heathrow runway

The refusal by the UK government to sanction a third runway at London Heathrow has come in for strong criticism from the International Air Transport Association which has called on the government to address severe capacity constraints. “The government’s refusal will create an enormous problem for an airport operating at 99% of its capacity,” said Iata director general and CEO Tony Tyler. “New capacity is urgently needed to support the needs of London,” he said recently. He also said a proposed train link between Heathrow and Gatwick would not bring much to the party, and described plans for a new airport in the Thames estuary as unnecessary. Quoted in the latest Iata magazine, he said: “We could get all the additional capacity needed to ensure that Heathrow continues as a great aviation hub for only a fraction of the cost and without the economic dislocation of moving 220 000 jobs.”