Don't turn clock back: Expanding Gatwick is in everyone's interest.
This
summer, the Airports Commission will recommend where Britain's next
runway should be built. In simple terms, it comes down to a choice about
the sort of country we want Britain to be in the twenty-first century.
We all want Britain to grow and to prosper. The question is whether we
pursue economic growth at any cost. Or do we recognise that any economic
benefit must be considered alongside the environment and local people?
This is the big strategic choice that sits above any narrower
consideration of aviation trends and route analysis. There is growing
momentum behind expansion
at Gatwick because people are increasingly
coming to realise it is the best answer.
Aviation is changing. Who could have predicted 20
years ago that easyJet would become the country's largest airline? In
2003, the government's aviation White Paper hardly made mention of
Dubai, but it is now the largest airport in the world - with demand
driven by its location between continents.
None of us has a crystal
ball, so we must ensure London's airports have the flexibility to adapt
to whatever the future might hold. As the airport serving
the most destinations and the only one able to cater for all airline
models,
expanding Gatwick can future proof the capital's
airport system,
creating a resilient network of airports that give the country the
growth and connectivity we need.
And it surely makes no sense to turn
the clock back and reinstate a monopoly when passengers are feeling the
benefits of competition. Airport liberalisation has been one of the most
successful market reforms of recent years. We are all seeing the
benefit with lower fares and higher service standards -
expanding
Gatwick is the only way for competition to conünue to thrive among the
URS
airports. Aircraft are noisy. There is no way of sugar-coating this
fact. More planes will never mean less noise. They may become
quieter but they will obviously never be silent. So the impact of noise
on communities is at the heart of this debate. Expansion
at Heathrow
will newly impact 320,000 additional people - more than the population
of Coventry.
At Gatwick, around 18,000 people will be affected.
I am
acutely aware that this is still a very large number. We believe that
business in the twenty-first century has a responsibility to minimise
impacts but also to compensate those most affected by them. So we have
pledged to pay the Council Tax of group if
Gatwick expands an
industry-leading initiative.
Heathrow and Gatwick are both fighting
strong campaigns. There is business support for both. But all business can
unite around one thing. After years of delay — with
Heathrow being
considered and then ruled out as too difficult — the UK needs something
to happen. Choose
Gatwick and we can have spades in the ground by 2020
and the runway operational by 2025. No tunnelling the M25. No £6bn
taxpayer subsidy at a tough time for public finances. Simply Britain
getting on with it.
There are many things that can change in this
debate. The one thing that can't is the location of each airport. So that
is why, if we want the solution that is best for the economy and the
environment - and crucially if we want something to actually happen --
the answer must be
Gatwick by Stewan Wingate is chief executive of
Gatwick Airport.
