Boris Johnson to press for Thames Estuary airport

Campaign: City Airport. Protesters have fought against another site in the Thames Estuary
12 April 2012

Boris Johnson will formally take his case for a new hub airport in the South-East to Transport Secretary Philip Hammond, it emerged today.

His deputy at Transport for London, Daniel Moylan, said he would argue for the option to be included in the Government's first aviation review.

Environmental groups and residents have launched a fierce campaign against plans for a Thames Estuary airport. Ministers have repeatedly poured cold water on the proposal on cost grounds and David Cameron has ruled out more runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.

But business groups believe airport expansion is essential for the growth of London's economy.

In a speech to aviation chiefs, Mr Moylan said London needed a world-class hub airport if it was to compete and prosper internationally. He said that adding runways "here and there", or high-speed rail links, were not the answers to a growing UK market of 230 million passengers a year.

"London's prosperity depends on its excellent connections with other world cities, but that will be at risk if we don't develop a hub airport to meet the growing demand for air travel," he said.

"The Mayor will be making the case to the Secretary of State to include the need for a new hub airport in the Department for Transport's review. There is a broad consensus in the business community that new airport capacity for the capital is essential."

Mr Moylan is working on a report for the Mayor which will consider all options for expanding airport capacity in London. The favourite so far is a hub airport, replacing Heathrow, on an island in the Thames Estuary.

Stephen Joseph, of the Campaign for Better Transport, said: "It is about time that we focused on making our existing airports better, rather than building new ones."

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