Plans to relieve congestion at Heathrow by building a sister airport in the Thames estuary have moved a step closer. The four-runway travel hub, nicknamed "Heathrow-on-Sea", would be connected to the existing airport by a 200mph rail line that would enable passengers to transfer between flights in 45 minutes. The project has been declared technically feasible in a report commissioned by Boris Johnson, the London mayor. He has now appointed Sir David King, the former government chief scientist, to conduct a more detailed study.

The estuary idea has gained extra impetus because plans to cope with expanding air traffic by building a third runway and new terminal at Heathrow could be mothballed, despite being approved by the government. The Conservatives oppose it and earlier this month BAA, the airports operator, said it would not submit a planning application before the general election.

The blueprint for the estuary airport has been drawn up by Douglas Oakervee, the engineer who helped plan Hong Kong's island airport.

Oakervee said: "We've got to stop this short-termist mentality in planning. If you do nothing to our airports by 2030, the shortfall will be massive. Even if you build runways at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick you'll be two runways short of what is needed. Forget arguments about a third runway, by 2030 we'll need a new airport."

Read the full article in The Sunday Times.


That's an interesting observation by Douglas Oakervee. If BAA got their third Heathrow runway, does anybody seriously believe Heathrow expansion would end there? No.

That's why the third runway must never be built.