Cutting flights 'will help Heathrow'
Related Articles |
| Morocco is popular with expatriates An increasing number of expatriates are looking to move to Morocco and take advantage of the booming economy, claims a holiday homes company. 19th August 2008 |
| No problems for Brits to buy in Brazil Expatriates who want to move to Brazil will face no restrictions when trying to buy property in the South American country, claims a property magazine. 19th August 2008 |
| Expatriates should try Spain People will enjoy moving to Spain as the country offers a better quality of life, according to a property company. 18th August 2008 |
| Expat campaigns for road safety A British expatriate living in Malta has launched a crusade to improve road safety in the country, the Times of Malta has reported. 18th August 2008 |
| Holiday home insurance would benefit from further cover Expatriates with holiday homes may want to take out extended contents insurance in case of an emergency, the AA has suggested. 18th August 2008 |
| News archive |
Business group London First has put forward a controversial solution to Heathrow's problems by suggesting the number of flights are reduced, making delays less likely.
The organisation argues another runway will make a good long-term solution, but if London is to remain competitive in the global market, tough decisions will need to be made now.
Heathrow is operating at 99 per cent capacity, London First said in its report, meaning one delayed flight has a domino effect, leading to severe delays across many flights.
If flights were reduced so the airport was running at 94 per cent capacity, delays would be cut by 15 per cent, the group claims.
Baroness Jo Valentine, chief executive of London First, said: "Heathrow has been turned from a silk purse to a sow's ear. Once an asset in attracting business to the capital, it is at risk of becoming a liability.
"While proposals for Runway 3 will undeniably address capacity issues in the long term, we need a better Heathrow now."
However, slashing the number of flights at the UK's busiest airport is not the solution, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) warned.
Director of the CBI's London region, Nigel Bourne, said: "We agree that London needs a world class airport to ensure that the UK remains competitive but the options discussed in this report do not offer a long-term solution to Heathrow's capacity problem.
"Removing transfer passengers and flights could actually undermine Heathrow's ability to act as a hub airport. This type of traffic often helps support services that would not otherwise be commercially viable.
"The only real solution to the problem at Heathrow is the provision of much needed additional capacity, subject to meeting the environmental criteria."
The report also suggests cutting waiting times by giving the responsibility to one organisation and greater investment to improve "shabby" facilities.
2008-06-25 00:00:00
