Gatwick second runway 'more feasible' than Heathrow expansion

[dipsydoodle]

Gatwick is urging the government-backed Airports Commission to break Heathrow's dominance of the London aviation market by supporting its proposal for a second runway, alongside a doubling of capacity at Stansted.

The chief executive of Gatwick, Stewart Wingate, said adding an extra landing strip at the Sussex airport is the most reliable solution compared with the expense of a new hub airport in the Thames estuary or the noise and pollution caused by a third runway at Heathrow.

Gatwick believes the south-east will be best served by three two-runway airports around London, including an eventual second runway at Stansted. This will benefit passengers through competition, rather than "recreating the Heathrow monopoly", said Wingate.

Wingate said an estuary hub would not happen, and said of another Heathrow runway: "We just don't think it's deliverable." He added that the noise and pollution from Heathrow already affected more people than the rest of western Europe's hub airports put together.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jun/25/gatwick-second-runway-heathrow-expansion

[JustAnotherGen]

1. You live in the UK

What are your thoughts?

[dipsydoodle]

3. To some degree Gatwick is in open countryside

whereas Heathrow is hardly so being immediately west of central London.

To my my mind Gatwick would make more sense. I'm saying that despite the fact Heathrow is only about 20 minutes drive from my house whereas Gatwick is over an hour away and much more subject to bad traffic conditions extending that considerably.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. Thanks for your insight

I travel abroad a great deal and from Newark there are often better prices if you fly through the UK. So my reasons are a bit selfish. I'd like more competition through the hub country to Europe - just as I'd like more competition through the hub city of Houston (more airlines) to Central/South America.

[truebrit71]

6. I'm almost the exact opposite...

...Gatport Airwick is 20-30 minutes from my folks house, whereas Heathrow is the other side of the end of the world..

[dipsydoodle]

7. I'd forgotten you were down there.

In actual fact given freedom of choice I'd only fly from Luton which is only 15 minutes drive. Unfortunately you can't fly to lot of places from there.

[idwiyo]

2. Sounds like a good idea to me.

[vdogg]

5. I like this idea

I flew into Gatwick when I went to London last year. 30 minutes on the Gatwick express took me right into Central London with access to the tube. It was all very convenient.