Says More Airport Capacity Is Necessary For City, Nation To Thrive

The Mayor of London says the government's delays in making decisions about runway capacity are leading the city down a path to "economic catastrophe."

Speaking to a group of business leaders in London, Mayor Boris Johnson said that the government's plan to release an independent study on airport capacity by 2015 is "far too slow," and that he expects that European countries will use the delay to gain an economic advantage over the U.K.

But Johnson is not a proponent of a third runway at Heathrow, according to a report from the U.K. Press Association. He favors the four-runway airport plan proposed for the Thames Estuary, or possibly at Stanstead airport in Essex.

In his speech, Johnson said that the third runway at Heathrow would be an interim solution at best. But he said that the "inertia" of the U.K. government was being "fully exploited by our European rivals who already possess mega-hub airports."

Johnson said he plans to continue to work with the Davies Commission which is studying the issue, but says that waiting until 2015 for a report does not reflect the urgency of the situation. He said that the land required for a four-runway hub ruled out such locations as Heathrow, Gatwick Birmingham, and Luton.

Mayor Johnson said that building the facility would likely cost between $121 and $129 billion, but added that in the right circumstances, it could be privately financed and run as a "commercially viable business."

(Artist's rendering of proposed Thames Estuary airport)

FMI: www.london.gov.uk/who-runs-london/mayor