3rd HTR Runway? Its Potentially Six Miles Away

                                                                       Northolt 1950

HEATHROW THIRD RUNWAY?  THERE IS ONE ALREADY (SORT OF)

26 March 2012 - John Barrington Carver  writes:  It’s gratifying when a suggestion one has gone public with actually may have been seen by those that count and that may now be being taken seriously.  I have been blogging on the subject of lack of capacity at Heathrow for years as a travel expert on the news.cheapflights.co.uk site.  My suggestion was made on 6^th February in my news.cheapflights.co.uk Travel Expert comment:  http://news.cheapflights.co.uk/wintry-weather-heathrow-in-the-headlines-again/ .  

Heathrow had come in for a huge amount of stick because they cancelled a number of flights in advance of expected snow storms because, at 99% operating capacity, they had no surplus capacity to deal with weather related delays.   To save you linking to what I wrote was:   “The Boris Island airport as an alternative to Heathrow?  –   I don’t believe so….Even if it gets past the considerable environmental hurdles that the location presents there is still the matter of funding the estimated £40 billion cost.  Also by the time it got to be built, the opportunities for the national economy and for job creation will have passed by the UK.   Anyway if a Thames Estuary site were eventually to built, Willie Walsh says BA/IAG would not move there. 

Here’s a thought– Surely Northolt makes a common sense alternative opportunity to rapidly address the runway capacity problem around London?  In the post war years until 1952 it was London’s main airport whilst Heathrow was being built – with its road rail and tube access to central London and proximity to Heathrow it would be a natural location for a third runway.  It’s 1,687x46 metre runway is large enough to operate Airbus320s and Boeing 737s and might take Heathrow’s domestic and short haul flights . Perhaps the R.A.F. could be persuaded to share Northolt?  Even better, the MOD, ever seeking savings, has in fact just announced it is currently considering the sale of Northolt.”

It was good therefore good to see in e-tid’ s ‘Monday Update) that ‘George Osborne is secretly pushing for a third runway at Heathrow in a dramatic move that threatens to break apart the coalition and overturn a Conservative manifesto promise. Secret plans being drawn up in Whitehall include the possibility of transforming the runway at RAF Northolt, a tiny airport six miles from Heathrow, into an effective third runway (Independent). Prime Minister David Cameron and Osborne have been convinced of the need to act after being lobbied by overseas leaders and business figures who warn that trade will move elsewhere unless the airport is expanded. The Thames Estuary option is considered too expensive, and in the wrong place, but another alternative could be a second runway at Gatwick (Observer).’

I understand that there is no firm industry consensus on Northolt as opinion is divided as to whether it is viable or not technically.  However as the Bard said “Where’s there’s a will there’s a way” and the urgency of solving the capacity problem at Heathrow may just make Northolt a possible stop-gap solution.   Gatwick does have land set-aside for a second runway but legally they are unable to develop it until 2019.  Northolt may therefore provide an opportunity to allow a U-turn given it’s already in existence and because of the broad support a third runway has from all business sectors and the Unions.  Today news broke that a cross-party group of MPs and peers have launched an inquiry into UK aviation as it looks like the Government may re-think Heathrow.
If the inquiry supports expansion either actually at Heathrow and/or at Northolt an all party report, together with industry, union and even overseas business groups pushing for more capacity, then the Government may be able to claim it had to abandon its anti position on expansion and save political face - tho' the Right Hon Member for Putney, Justine Greening might not be too happy about that!!!!