We need a quick decision on airports

THE apparent delay of a Government response to the need for airport expansion simply does not stack up. Before the election the political parties vied with each other to assure us that they would respond swiftly “in the summer” to the Airports Commission’s final report. Our politicians have been well aware of the timeline — after all, they set it.

Business expected a government with a majority to govern, not dither and delay. This is, after all, about political leadership. What hope in this parliament is there for other decisions on strategic infrastructure? What message does that send to potential investors?

This delay, yet another in public policy, is bad news for London and terrible news for UK plc. Sean McKee, director of policy and public affairs, London Chamber of Commerce and Industry ISN’T it time for the political procrastination on airport expansion to stop (“Delaying runway decision”, June 10)? Heathrow has been at full capacity for 10 years, Gatwick will be full by 2020 and the rest of London’s airports by the end of the next decade. So it’s pretty obvious we urgently need extra capacity.

We haven’t built a new full-length runway in London and the SouthEast since the Second World War. Surely after the best part of three years looking at the issue the time has come for the Government to make an actual decision and just get on with it.

Gavin Hayes, director, Let Britain Fly THE debate over airport expansion is masking the early-morning noise pollution problems caused by Heathrow to millions of residents in west London. An extra runway would increase the noise footprint to an intolerable extent.

The noise problems from Heathrow could be eliminated by reducing the airport’s hours of operation and making it a point-to-point airport, while Gatwick could become London’s 24-hour connecting airport. A rail link to Heathrow from the south to connect to Crossrail 2 at Clapham Junction during the day may still be justified to reduce road congestion and pollution.

Gatwick’s expansion would also give the opportunity to build suitable and genuinely affordable housing nearby for its staff, along with an end to stacked aircraft wasting time and fuel waiting to land by having reasonable intervals between landings.

Ian Smith IT ISN’T just the rail system that the UK is shortsighted about (Letters, June 8) — we are also about to make the wrong decision over airport expansion. The UK needs a hub airport with four runways with the option to expand to six. Both Heathrow and Gatwick are unsuitable and anything less than a new purpose-built airport in the Thames Estuary would be a failure.

Rod Enderby

Business expected a government with a majority to govern, not dither and delay

Sean McKee