After five reports in seven decades, how much more convincing does Government need to build a new runway, asks ACE’s Peter Campbell?

The release this week of the long-awaited final report from the Davies Commission on aviation is a welcome step forward in the debate on where new hub capacity should be situated. That report recommended construction of a new runway at Heathrow, noting that the “Northwest Runway at Heathrow delivers more substantial economic and strategic benefits…strengthening connectivity for passengers and freight users and boosting the productivity of the UK economy”.

"The UK is already estimated to be losing £14bn per annum in economic benefits through trade and inward investments, a situation that will only worsen as airport capacity in the South East becomes even more constrained over time"

The UK is already estimated to be losing £14bn per annum in economic benefits through trade and inward investments, a situation that will only worsen as airport capacity in the South East becomes even more constrained over time. Meanwhile, our European (and global) competitors are not standing still: Charles de Gaulle is now the best connected airport in Europe, while Madrid and Frankfurt now have four runways and Schiphol has six!

To mitigate against the negative aspects of building a third runway at Heathrow, the commission has recommended a number of measures including:

• a ban on all flights between 11.30pm and 6.00am;
• a legally-binding ‘noise envelope’;
• an independent aviation noise authority; and
• considerable compensation measures for those who will lose their homes and those who live under the airport’s flight paths.

The commission further noted that an extra runway in this location was compatible with the UK’s commitment to reduce carbon emissions through improvements in aircraft technology. The same factor will also see reductions in noise and, in addition to new traffic management procedures, will mean “an expanded Heathrow would be a better neighbour for local communities than the airport is today”.

What is needed now is a quick decision by the government so that the delivery of the new runway can begin. As ACE chief executive Nelson Ogunshakin said: "We now urge the Prime Minister and his cabinet to come to a speedy decision and allow the engineering and construction sector to do what it does best: deliver.

“If the UK is to remain at the forefront of the global economy, it must enjoy excellent connections with developed markets and be able to move effortlessly into emerging ones.

“Jobs, prosperity, even the prestige of the UK all rely on this and if we are to encourage businesses to establish and locate themselves here, to drive the economy on, to trade across the world, and provide employment for our population, a new runway is vital.”

Of course government must now take some time to consider the commission’s report. However this is now the seventh report over the past five decades to recommend more capacity in the South East. How much more convincing of the need to build a new runway does government need?

Peter Campbell is ACE’s senior policy manager.