Should Heathrow or Gatwick be Allowed to Build a Third Runway - Essay Example

of the Journalism, Mass Media and Communication of the Concerned 2 August Should Heathrow or Gatwick be allowed to Build a Third Runway? Many important and well informed business leaders in the UK have been pressing the fact that the nation needs to expand the capacity of its air transportation hubs. The idea of adding a third runway to the Heathrow has indeed been an important part of this agenda. The addition of a third runway to Heathrow was an important issue since the year 2010. It is believed that the then Labour government was really willing to go ahead with a planned expansion of the Heathrow airport. However, these plans were made to rest as the elections approached. The Conservatives had earlier registered their opposition to the addition of a third runway to Heathrow (Carmichael 2009, p. 6). They had added such sentiments regarding the expansion of the Heathrow and Gatwick airport to their election manifesto. However, in the current context, many public opinion makers and political pressure groups have started pressing again for the expansion of the Heathrow and Gatwick airport (Murphy 2012, p. 2). The fact is that the best and the easiest way to increase the capacity of Heathrow airport will be to add a third runway to it. It is a fact that in the coming times the arrivals of the passengers to the overly burdened UK airports is destined to increase. Going by the current trends, a large portion of these arrivals will certainly enter the UK through the airports placed in the South East like Heathrow and Gatwick. Hence, it is but obvious that the nation does need to expand the capacity of its airports. The other thing is that this capacity needs to be increased in a cost effective and economic manner. Thereby, on easy and economic way to increase the capacity of the airports will be to add a third runway to the busy airports like Heathrow or Gatwick. Taking into consideration the importance of important air transport hubs like Heathrow or Gatwick to the British air travel industry, the economy of expanding the capacity of these airports and their contribution to the British economy, a third runway should be added to Heathrow or Gatwick. Any plan or proposal aimed at adding a third runway to Heathrow does need to take into consideration the great importance of Heathrow as a national and international transport hub. Heathrow is a highly overburdened transport that operates to more than 99 percent of its total capacity (Heathrow Airport 2014). There are very few transportation hubs in the world that operate at that level. In the year 2013, almost 73.3 million passengers arrived at or departed from this airport (Heathrow Airport 2014). On a daily basis, nearly 191,200 passengers arrive at or depart from Heathrow (Heathrow Airport 2014). The amazing thing is that on some busy days the arrival and departure population may go up to 240,000 (Heathrow Airport 2014). The importance of Heathrow as an international transportation Hub is further enhanced by the tonnage of cargo that this airport handles on annual basis. In the year 2013, the cargo tonnage handled by Heathrow stood at 1.42 million metric tons (Heathrow Airport 2014). The other thing is that the already overexploited capacity of Heathrow needs to be seen in the light of the expected rise in the air traffic in the nation. The expected rise in the air traffic in the South East of England is a huge issue. As per the most conservative of estimates, it is expected that by the year 2030, almost sixty percent of the arrivals in England will enter through the overly burdened South East airports (Heathrow Airport 2014). Thereby the important airports like Heathrow and Gatwick are in an urgent need to increase their handling capacity. If the capacity of the important hubs like Heathrow and Gatwick are not increased in a systematic manner, the system may become complex and jammed in the times to come. A significant number of arrivals at Heathrow and Gatwick happen to be international tourists and business people. Thereby, these airports are always under a big pressure to provide the best of services. Overtime, the resources at the hand of these transportation hubs are expected to be insufficient. Thereby, adding a third runway to Heathrow and Gatwick is indeed a practical idea. It is a fact that Heathrow happens to be one of the busiest airports in the world (BBC News 2013). If one considers the current and projected passenger footfall, Heathrow does urgently require the addition of an extra runway. The other thing is that the density of traffic at Heathrow does indicate that this hub is of great economic importance to the nation (BBC News 2013). If the nation does not go about the projected needs and requirements of these hubs in a planned and systematic manner, it may have a bad impact on the economy in the future. Many airports all across the UK are already striving hard to catch some of the business being handled by Heathrow and Gatwick. To do so they are planning the design and expansion of their transport hubs in a planned and organized manner. This information is something that needs to be taken seriously by the UK government, if it cares about the national economy. The thing is that if Heathrow and Gatwick do not expand by adding a third runway in the near future, they may lose business to their European competitors. Any loss in business registered by Heathrow and Gatwick will strengthen the prospects of other old and emerging European air transport hubs like Amsterdam, Frankfurt and Paris (BBC News 2013). Hence, considering this fact, Heathrow and Gatwick do need to retain their competitive edge. These important UK airports do need to urgently design a policy to match their capacity to the expected demand in the times to come. Adding a third runway to these airports will certainly constitute an important part of such a policy. Heathrow and Gatwick are a very important part of the British air travel industry. In fact they are indeed feathers in the cap of the strong British air travel industry. Thereby, any loss of business experienced by these air transport hubs is sure to affect the competitiveness of the overall British air travel industry. Hence, adding a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick is important for assuring a good health of the British air travel, tourism and transpiration industry. Certainly, there is no doubt about this fact. Addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick does make sense because it will be very costly to build new airports right from the scratch. It is a fact that the air traffic infrastructure is something that takes much time and capital to be built. Thereby, going by the high cost of the air traffic infrastructure construction, adding a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will be more practical and economical (Parker 2013). Building new airports is something that is bound to take much time and money. Hence, it is but wise to consider that adding a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will perhaps be the easiest and cheapest method of adding extra hub capacity to the British air travel industry (Parker 2013). This will also save much time lost in the construction of new air transportation hubs. The thing that needs to be considered is that Heathrow and Gatwick not only have well established and time tested transportation links, but they also have the required, trained and experienced human assets. Hence, the addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will be really suitable as these airports will be able to handle the extra traffic generated by this third runway (Parker 2013). Heathrow and Gatwick are the air traffic hubs that have already built the required technical and human assets since years and thereby they do have the required expertise and experience required to handle any additional demands created by a third runway. In contrast, it will take years for a new airport to develop the required infrastructure, transportation links and human capital required to meet the demands placed on it. So, plainly speaking, going by the high cost of creating new air transportation infrastructure, adding a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick is the best bet. The other thing is that going by the linkage between the ability to manage air traffic and the national economies, the addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will benefit the UK economy (Doganis 2008, p. 81). As per the airport managing company BAA, the addition of a third runway to Heathrow alone will add £7 billion to the UK economy on an annual basis (BBC News 2009). Considering the sagging economy and the ongoing economic recession, addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will no doubt boost the overall economy. Besides, in the current times the unemployment rates in the country are really high. The nation needs to engage in big infrastructure projects that create jobs. In that context the addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will be a capital intensive infrastructure project that will surely create thousands of construction related jobs in the short run (BBC News 2009). This will give a flip to the sagging economy of the neighbouring areas. The other thing is that the management of a third runway at Heathrow or Gatwick will require immense human capital in the long run. Hence, this will create many types of job opportunities in the UK in the times to come. The other thing is that the addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will also create many jobs in indirect manner (BBC News 2009). Addition to the air transport hub capacity in the nation will boost business activities and tourism, which will create jobs in the transportation, tourism and hospitality sector. A failure to add a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick will challenge the status of the UK as a centre of trade and commerce in Europe. So considering the economic benefits that will follow from the expansion of these airports, a third runway should be added to Heathrow or Gatwick at the earliest possible. The thing is that the air transport hub capacity in any nation in the current times is not merely about airline industry only. The air transport hub capacity in any nation has also multiple linkages with the economy and job opportunities in a nation. Hence, to retain the strategic position of Heathrow or Gatwick as the major air transport hubs in Europe, a third terminal need to be added to these airports. This will consolidate the status of the UK as a centre of trade, commerce and tourism in Europe. Besides it is much economical to expand the existing airports, rather than constructing new airports. The addition of a third runway to Heathrow or Gatwick is bound to add job opportunities and additional income to the national economy. Reference List BBC News 2009, Heathrow Expansion: For and Against, BBC News, 14 January, Viewed 2 August 2014, . BBC News 2013, Airport Expansion: Which Options will be cleared for Take-Off, BBC News UK, 17 December, Viewed 2 August 2014, . Carmichael, S 2009, ‘We’ll Scrap Third Runway at Heathrow, Pledge Tories’, The Evening Standard, 6 October, p. 6. Doganis, R 2008, The Airline Business in the 21st Century, Routledge, London. Heathrow Airport 2014, About Heathrow Airport, Heathrow Airport Website, viewed 2 August 2014, . Murphy, J 2012, ‘Half of MPs Back Third Runway at Heathrow’, The Evening Standard. 12 November, p. 2. Parker, A 2013, ‘Heathrow Makes its Case for Expansion’, Financial Times, 17 July, Viewed 2 August 2014, . Read More