Aviation

London Councils’ Transport & Environment Committee (TEC) has an established position regarding airport expansion in the South East, agreed in June 2003 and endorsed by TEC Executive members in September 2007.  The position regarding expansion at Heathrow Airport was reviewed again in March 2008 when London Councils stated that it opposed any further development at Heathrow. 

However, in light of recent developments outlined below, London Councils is currently reviewing the extent to which the position on airport expansion agreed previously by TEC is still supported. 

• In May 2010, the Coalition Government cancelled plans for a third runway at Heathrow airport and confirmed that it would refuse permission for additional runways at Gatwick and Stansted airports.  It also ruled out mixed mode operations at Heathrow airport. 

• In March 2011 the Department for Transport (DfT) published a scoping document Opens in a new windowon aviation – ‘Developing a sustainable framework for UK aviation’, which replaces the previous Government’s ‘Future of Air Transport’ White Paper (2003).  Read the London Councils' response to the DfT scoping paper Opens in a new window.

• In August 2011, the DfT published its response Opens in a new window to the Committee on Climate Change report on reducing CO2 emissions from UK aviation to 2050.  It also released updated forecasts Opens in a new windowof the UK air passengers and UK aviation CO2 emissions to 2050.

• In July 2011, the South East Airports Taskforce published a report Opens in a new window, which recommended that the scope for establishing a set of operational freedoms at Heathrow Airport should be trialled.

• In November 2008, the Mayor of London commissioned a study on the feasibility of building and operating an international hub airport within the Thames estuary. In January 2011 the GLA published a report by Daniel Moylan, Deputy Chairman of TfL - ‘A new airport for London Opens in a new window’ - which put forward the case for building a new hub.  A further report is expected shortly.

• The government will launch a consultation on night flights at Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick in spring 2012.