Government to consult on new London airport

By Michael Millar

Date: Wednesday 18 Jan 2012

The UK Government is to hold a consultation into building a new airport in the Thames Estuary, dubbed 'Boris Island' after its leading proponent, London Mayor Boris Johnson.

The consultation is expected to begin in March, with Downing Street today stressing no decisions had been made.

A spokesman said the Government wanted to examine all the options for ensuring the UK's status as a global aviation hub.

Passenger demand for London's airports is forecast to increase from 140m passengers a year in 2010 to 400 million passengers a year by 2050, according to the Greater London Authority.

In May 2011 the Government scrapped plans to expand Heathrow with a third runway and a sixth terminal, instead backing the building of high speed rail links.

In a document released this morning, the London Mayor said he agreed with the Government that expanding Heathrow was not the answer.

"Its confined and unsuitable location means it cannot grow to a size comparable to the expanded airports
at Frankfurt, Madrid, Amsterdam and Dubai," he said.

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