UK to Explore Alternative Thames Hub

It’s been announced that the government will examine the option of building a £50 billion Thames Estuary hub. This comes as they look for alternatives to expanding the crowded London Heathrow Airport in order to meet demand. Prime Minister David Cameron’s office said on Wednesday that options for boosting capacity include the new Kent coast base, as a third runway at Heathrow is still out of the question. A spokeswoman also noted that a document detailing the framework for UK aviation policy will be published in the spring.

Heathrow is the busiest hub in Europe, and it’s operating at the limits of its runways. London Mayor Boris Johnson is at the head of a campaign for a new airport to be built at the mouth of the Thames, which would see flights approach over the sea. Plans for the coastal site have been drawn up by architect Norman Foster, who designed the airport in Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Johnson said that sovereign wealth funds will be glad to invest in such a project, which he thinks is key to London keeping its global city status. Britain can’t go on expecting to compete with Germany, France and other European nations when it can’t supply the flights to the growing destinations, as well as Latin America and China. The country is being left behind, as Heathrow is in the wrong location fundamentally. The government is totally right to explore a more imaginative solution, he added.

British Airways, the largest UK airline, says more flights are needed, but a new airport will damage existing links and may not be feasible. A Thames Estuary hub will be a very complex project with several technical, financial, operational and environmental challenges. This will require the closure of Heathrow, which will profoundly effect business locations and jobs in west London, the Thames Valley and the M4 motorways corridor.

Also opposing the project is Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, according to a spokesman. His Liberal Democrats oppose all airport expansion in the England’s southeast in their last general election manifesto. Additionally, Unite, the largest union in Britain, has called the new airport plan a “vanity project” that threatens 100,000 jobs at Heathrow.

Meanwhile, Heathrow Airport owner BAA says that its hub will need to be expanded even if the new airport is built. Aviation capacity restrictions are damaging the nation’s economy, and a new Thames Estuary airport will cost as much as £50 billion and take years to build. During the building period, the country will be handing over its historic trade advantages on a plate. “Growth can’t wait,” they added. Also, pushing for immediate capacity growth is Virgin Atlantic owner and president Richard Branson, who says a quicker fix than the new construction is needed.