"Todays Questions that don’t get asked.
Industry / Business are the key drivers for a new Runway in the South East.
The argument is the need for more Long Haul routes (especially into the likes of China) as Globailsation continues apace…"
OK Phil, this is the message coming from organs like the CBI and BCC etc etc.
How much freight really comes via air transport (excluding fresh produce)? Most of it come by sea to ports like Southampton.
How many flights to say, China, are chock-a-block with business men doing deals for the benefit of the UK?
We need numbers, not sound bites made in the press as some sort of justification.
Personally I now do more video conferencing that overseas business meetings. More efficient and frees up time to concentrate on business. I agree there will always be a need for business travel, but I think interested parties are making too big a deal about expansion. Perhaps making better use of existing resources would make more sense, but then that goes against what the interested parties want in terms of their profit motive?
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As a south Londoner born and bred I can concur about the transport south of the river. The tube mostly runs north of the river and despite the odd extension south London has been the poor relation. Croydon has a tram system (trams FFS) but that doesnt run to London and does little to aleviate the local traffic problems in that part of south London. Phil, I feel your pain. The rail links are piss poor. Was reading about Beeching the other day. What a lack of foresight! The infrastructure in this country needs proper joined up thinking and a massive injection of cash. Cant see it happening in my lifetime. The Heathrow decision is another head in the sand moment. It is hard to see it being built and yet more money will be wasted on a wrong decision.
There are plans to build a massive new development nearby and what was green belt land. 12000 houses! This will put further pressure on the beleaguered William Harvey Hospital and on the lower section of the M20 which is already stuffed full of lorries. Ashford does not have the infrastructure for even more development (arrable land is being concreted over at a rate of knots already). The less food we grow ourselves the more we will have to import creating even more road use. Once the land is developed we will never get it back for farming again. The destruction of the green belt is a crime.
Cobham
1% of UK Trade comes by Air
Main produce shipped by Air.
Mobile Phones/Tablets Inkjet Printers Flowers
But most importantly Pharmaceuticals
Fruit & Veg also made up a major part of air freight BUT thanks to GM foods they can be “adopted” to withstand shipping via Sea.
One point that was erronously made on Sky the other days was about the tonnages of Air Freight that LHR handles and the nimby said “Stop Cargo Planes” - Which IS a good idea (they should go to a Midlands airport tbh. BUT she missed the fact that on a standard configuration A380 (BA Qantas Qatar Singapore and others) carries 8,000kgs of Cargo as well as passengers.
In order to reduce Product shipped by Air and the need to go to China then All British Citizens should be BANNED from changing their Smartphones more than once every 3 years.
Would save far more carbon emissions,
