Simple solution to Gatwick puzzle
READERS could be forgiven for wondering why Gatwick’s chief executive Stewart Wingate has launched a charm offensive upon communities in Hillingdon (News, 15 April) but here lies a simple solution to this puzzle.
There is virtually zero support for Gatwick expansion in the communities surrounding that airport.
Every council bar one and every single MP within miles of Gatwick is vehemently opposed to its plans to become bigger than Heathrow.
This sorry state of affairs must be why Gatwick’s bosses – from their remote Sussex HQ – ordered a mailing to far-flung Hillingdon residents in a desperate last-ditch attempt to drum up some support.
Their propaganda is nothing but a shocking attack on Heathrow, the borough’s biggest employer and economic engine for west London and the Thames Valley.
Many residents living near the UK’s hub airport acknowledge that if Heathrow is allowed to grow, there would be significant benefits, including the creation of thousands of jobs and apprenticeships – even if some object to expansion.
Yet Gatwick spends so much time attacking Heathrow and so little time promoting its own case, one can only assume that it has no case to make. them wrong. Heathrow have regrouped, vastly increased their PR budget and have got Unite and once again, prominent Labour politicians on board with their fake ‘growth’ propaganda.
The Davies Commission is involved because Westminster politicians are scared of the public backlash. Davies represents the Airports Commission which is heavily biased towards the aviation industry.
Politicians such as Mr Summers can then say “Not me guv, it was Davies”. In fact Chris, you’re doing it already.
The only people that believe we need an extra runway in the South East are the greedy off shore airport owners, selfish business and union leaders that are running our country in to the ground and gullible politicians.
The rest of us understand that London has more runways than all it’s European competitors and all of those, even Heathrow, are not
running at full passenger capacity.
I support Hillingdon Council protecting it’s residents by insisting that if Heathrow continues to illegally pollute and riding roughshod over local communities it should close. It’s how you deal with awful neighbours.
As an airport worker I don’t want Heathrow to close but at the same time, they have to understand that we were here first and deserve to live our lives free from the constant threat of demolition.
Heathrow’s foreign owners have the freedom to sell their investment if they cannot get the profit they need.
Finally Chris, if you want to criticise Alexander Boris de Pfeffer Johnson why not use his ridiculous support of HS2 and calling Hillingdon residents NIMBYs? Please don’t use Heathrow expansion to settle your political scores.