3rd Runway and 6th Terminal This Week?

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 22nd Jul 2002

On Tuesday 23rd July, the government is expected to announce the creation of a new runway between the A4 and M4 at Heathrow and a new 6th terminal to service it.

The new project will involve the demolition of thousands of homes and follows closely on the T5 enquiry when BAA, the airport authority, argued that the runway was unnecessary.

Vincent Cable said that "the whole approach to massive airport expansion rests on simple economic fallacy. The cost to the airlines is hugely understated because they pay artificially low landing charges, nothing for landing at night and no fuel tax. Because prices are artificially low projections of demand are artificially high. the vast expansion proposed is probably unnecessary and certainly premature; the long term needs of aviation would probably be better met by a new airport in the Thames Estuary in any event".