Tory donor says Heathrow growth restrictions damage economy

News at Gatwick 31/10/2011

Fatal shark attacks prompt hunt in Western Australia : October 2011 : Court finds Thomas Cook guilty of unnecessary harm

A lack of airport expansion in the south east will have 'huge' economic consequences, Lord Glendonbrook has said.

The former BMI head, Sir Michael Bishop, said on the BBC Politics Show at the weekend that Stansted, Gatwick and especially the grossly overcrowded Heathrow airport are in dire need of new runways. He said that there was a sound case for the expansion, both from an economic and environmental point of view.

His words follow the Coalition’s ruling to block the addition of a new runway at Europe’s busiest air hub, citing major environmental concerns in addition to protests from residents living under the airport’s flight path with safety and noise pollution concerns.

Meanwhile, Theresa Villiers, the transport minister, said on the programme that improving efficiency with available space at UK airports was the best way to solve the problem. Her words are likely to be echoed in a report set to be tabled by ministers in 2012, which is to focus on ‘sustainable growth’ for the UK’s airports and aviation industry. Villiers said that the review would be a ‘major exercise’ in the search for effective long-term growth strategies.

Lord Glendonbrook is a major donor for the Conservative party and is a former chairman of Channel 4, the ex-owner of BMI.

Fatal shark attacks prompt hunt in Western Australia : October 2011 : Court finds Thomas Cook guilty of unnecessary harm

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