please empty your brain below

Southend, now its got its own station.
Did not know that Cliffe was first proposed during WWII. Then I got distracted into reading about the SS Richard Montgomery.

A new and/or extended runway at Heathrow is going to be a heck of a slog thru the courts. I'd guess 2035 at the earliest. See you all back here then.
In the late 1930s, a new airport was planned for Lullingstone (Kent) and a railway station was built. However, WWII and Green Belt legislation meant that the project did not proceed.
Manston in Kent had one of the longest runways in the country, and a decade ago was briefly known as London Manston Airport.
Isn't it tenuously called London Oxford airport as well?
...there's also London Biggin Hill Airport and London Ashford Airport, but I had to draw the line somewhere.
Article by Ian Sinclair
http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-a206-Heathrow,-the-Guardian-and-the-propaganda-model (HT @ianvisits)
Just the other day over here in SE London I saw someone had been putting notices on the lampposts saying that if anyone was bothered that there were now more planes passing overhead it was because City Airport had redesigned their approach and departure corridors.
It was, obviously, a call for people to make complaints about it, as if it was something to be seriously bothered about.
Hmmm. Ten planes an hour, twelve planes an hour... I couldn't honestly say I think about them enough to notice a difference.
The Government has stated that MPs will vote in the 'winter of 2017-18', so I think we can take that to mean March 2018 at the earliest (if it's not all forgotten amidst the Brexit)
And if you've not seen these Jay Foreman videos - they're worth a look :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbAal7jIWQ4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXmpdJO9UOc
Heathrow it is:-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-37760187
dg says he had to draw a line somewhere, but let us not forget Northolt Airport, (6 miles from heathrow) which from 1946 until 1954 was used for commercial flights, BEA among others having a base there.
Most commercial flights moved from Northolt to Heathrow in 1954.
Although an RAF airfield Northholt still handles civilian private and company jets to earn some money.
With regard to airport expansion in the south east of England I wish they would get on with it. I would like Heathrow and Gatwick to be enlarged, and a high speed rail link to Heathrow connecting to Eurostar, plus a high speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick. Being the UK they will probably talk about it for a few more decades.
DLR in Croydon? Am I going mad, 'cos I've never seen it out there.
...might help if I could read tables properly...
If we're talking about 'where to draw the line', both Southampton and Birmingham airports have frequent trains to London Waterloo and Euston, respectively (travel time < 1h20), which can be more convenient than some of the 'London' airports, depending on where you're starting from.
I'm not one for conspiracy theories but there has been no sane or economic case made for an additional runway at Heathrow. Flattening at least 2 villages is reason enough for this to have died 6 years ago. For ministers or officials or civil servants to roundly endorse a critically flawed plan speaks loudly of unquantifiable and hitherto unacknowledged influence. If we accept that more air travel capacity is needed it cannot be at the expense of reason or legality. Taking on thousands of homeowners adds a massive pile of uncertainty, the very factor most effective in derailing projects. A quart can't be fitted in to a pint pot. There are numerous airports within a couple of hours travel, by existing connections, of the capital. With HS2 we can add Birmingham. Stansted has experienced a 20 fold increase in usage since development. Making good use of all the available locations in a cohesive and holistic plan would benefit all and impinge on the fewest possible. This is a small overpopulated country with a densely crowded capital. Thousands of people can not be bulldozed out of the way at taxpayers' expense to suit the whim and fancy of faceless bureaucrats who know full well they won't be in post if/when the project becomes reality.
@john
" plus a high speed rail link between Heathrow and Gatwick"

Surely there can't be enough people who turn up at the wrong airport to justify such a link?

And if it's just for transfer passengers - well, I'm not sure we want them. Flying over our heads twice, and never even leaving the duty free zone: what benefit are they to the UK economy? - as distinct from LHR's (90% foreign) owners

(Spain 25%, Qatar 20%, Canada 13%, Singapore 11%, USA 11%, China 10% -

compare Gatwick's owners: USA 55%, Australia 17%, Abu Dhabi 16%, Korea 12%)

Similar considerations probably apply to a Eurostar link to Heathrow. Cui bono?
To add to Scurius - airlines now fly only for profit. If they're not serving markets it's because there's no money or too little to do so.

The third runway will produce more of the same, plus new noise, pollution and nuisance. Heathrow will not pay for the transport infrastructure upgrade so you and I will.

And LHR isn't 'full' - I spent 13 years in the airlines and know what they're doing. Bigger airlines buy up 'slots' (landing and take-off pairs of timings), using them for more flights to proven profitable destinations to stop others coming in. Do we really need / use 14+ flights a day to New York, and multiples to Chicago, Miami etc?

BritAir recently stopped serving a Russian destination so not much hope of them opening up new routes there.
This is lie upon lie upon lie upon political expediency.

But how do I balance this against the still-enduring elegant sight of a common-sense defying A380, all 400 fully laden tonnes of it, taking off? It still makes my heart race a bit to see these polluting noisy metal monsters lift skyward...
In the 2020's row dg has out "tbc", is that To be confirmed, To be considered or To be constructed?!
To Be Cancelled !
It's probably the continued existence of humans to list the years in the 2020s which is yet to be confirmed. The earth will probably still be orbiting the sun though. A similar interpretation of "(quite possibly nothing)" is possible, or maybe even probable.

Tangentially, I'm waiting for the owners of Manchester airport to dare to rename it "London Manchester" - but they may not seriously consider it until HS2 opens.
@timbo: There's an economic benefit to people making connecting flights without leaving the duty free zone. It's that, if enough people do it, then maybe you can justify one plane a day to Timbucktoo airport (or whereever) even though only one or two British people are on the plane (which otherwise wouldn't be enough). You end up with a British airport with planes to all sorts of odd destinations, which makes Britain much more attractive to businesses that already international, and makes existing British businesses more likely to open up internationally.
Great diagram. Don't forget Lydd (aka London Romney Marsh).
Just get on with it and bulldozer Sipson.

West London'd prosperity is built upon Heathrow, it's best that we don't kill the golden goose.
Has anyone yet explained how a further substantial increase in air travel is consistent with meeting carbon emissions targets?

The easiest way for individuals to cut their carbon footprint is to reduce air travel. It is all going to get very difficult in the next 50 to 100 years. No point making it worse.
And take care not to confuse London Ashford Airport (Lydd) with Ashford Airport (Lympne).
FLIGHT International, 19 June 1969
LYMPNE BECOMES ASHFORD
On June 10, Lympne Airport, Kent, was officially renamed Ashford Airport, and a plaque to mark the occasion was unveiled by Mr Edward Heath, Leader of the Opposition.
Lydd has been variously labelled as Lydd, as Ashford international Airport, London Ashford Airport etc etc. It used, many many years ago, to have a cross channel "Ferry service", with those lovely bulbous planes that you drove your car into through a front opening. Nowadays, local light aircraft is about its limit. It has no real transport links to anywhere much ( other than by air, of course) except for country roads across the marsh. It's a LONG way from Ashford and the "International " rail station.
Lympne is currently an industrial estate. No aircraft at all.










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