1st November, 2012
Since the Government announced its policy of opposition to new runways at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, the aviation industry has been working hard to put out the message that there is a crisis in airport capacity in the South East. In particular it is has been arguing for an increase in hub capacity, either by expanding Heathrow or by building a new airport in the Thames estuary, linking this with the desire to ensure good connectivity with rapidly growing economies, most notably China.
In fact, the need for more hub capacity is far from clear. See AEF briefing.