Commons Transport Select Committee Offers Support for Heathrow Airport Construction

It now seems that the construction that will be taking place to build a third runway at Heathrow is expected to get the full support of the Commons Transport Select Committee. This news comes out as the committee has just recently published its report on the future of UK aviation. The committee has also stated that it thinks that Gatwick airport could be a better location for expansion in the future than Stansted.

The Future of Aviation is set to argue that British airports, particularly Heathrow, must be better connected to maintain the UK as a key European travel hub. This is a title that the UK is set to lose due to the rise in the air passenger duty tax. After all, the best way for people to avoid this tax is just to avoid flying into the UK in the first place.

The report goes on to talk about the states that are economic benefits to a third runway at Heathrow, as long as there is better access to the airport and it is subject to tough environmental restrictions. Of course, the report does reject the proposed second runway at Stansted. They state that the economic advantages are still very unclear. Instead, the committee recommends that Gatwick would be a better airport to expand.

The chairman of the committee, Louise Ellman, said that aviation is a very important part of the UK economy. He points out that Heathrow is a major European hub, but only six UK cities have flights into it. This is something that needs to be improved. For example, the direct access to Heathrow from the National Rail network would help to maximize economic benefits and reduce environmental impacts.