Thames Estuary Airport
Date: Mon 23rd January 2012
Last week the Government announced that a consultation will take place on the issue of a building of a new Thames Estuary airport. This is in response to concerns that London Heathrow and Gatwick are now reaching their maximum capacity for flights. Air travel is clearly on the increase and it is right for the Government to respond to this demand. However I do not believe that a new Thames Estuary airport is the right response to this demand, particularly for those living in North Kent who will be adversely affected.
I have a number of concerns regarding this proposal, including the flight path, which could be over Dartford, and the environmental impact which would be huge. Whilst we would all welcome more jobs and investment in to the area, we would not welcome Jumbo Jets circling above our heads at all times of the day. In addition to this, there are a large number of birds in the estuary which can be a hazard for planes if sucked into the engines. Three years ago this month, a US Airways flight was forced to land in the Hudson River in New York after flying in to a flock of birds that caused the failure of its engines.
I strongly believe that we must first consider the other alternatives available to us, such as extending other airports including Manston which have the space available to do so. The cost of an entirely new airport would be huge. The money is unlikely to come from the airline industry and Government will struggle to find the estimated 50-70 Billion Pounds that the airport would cost.
Whilst we must not get complacent, I believe that building this airport would be immensely difficult. The cost of the project and engineering difficulties mean that these plans may not become a reality in the near future. However I will be taking a close interest as these proposals develop and will be making representations against them to the Government.
Back to News
