Windsor MP Welcomes Parliamentary Report on Airport Expansion

Today, the Windsor MP has welcomed the findings of a key parliamentary committee on airport expansion.

The report raised serious concerns about the ability of Heathrow to stick to legally binding emissions and air quality targets.

The report concluded that the third runway should not go ahead at Heathrow unless the Government could demonstrate how it could fit into the UK’s environmental targets and obligations.

Adam Afriyie, Windsor’s MP, commented:             

“This report is yet another nail in the coffin for the case for Heathrow expansion.

“A third runway at Heathrow is a sticking plaster that goes against the growing body of scientific evidence that Gatwick is the more environmentally-friendly and cost-effective option for a new runway.

“I’m delighted that the report recommends a ban on night flights if a third runway is built, but this just further proves that Heathrow is in the wrong place. To get the most out of a new runway we should be building it where it can be operational for as many hours a day as possible. This is simply not possible at Heathrow, which already inflicts substantial noise on sixty eight times more people than Gatwick.

 “The Government has a clear obligation to answer the serious concerns about Heathrow’s case for expansion. I will continue to raise this regularly with Ministers.

“With threats of legal action, it would be unwise for the government to give Heathrow the green light without a proper strategy.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heathrow is the wrong solution to the problem of airport undercapacity. It is already Europe’s noisiest and worst polluting airport. The idea that expansion would alleviate this is ludicrous.