It would probably be easier to buy slots off airlines like e.g. Bulgaria Air or KM Malta Airlines, who would probably appreciate the lower costs associated with Stansted-based operations.
Yes, I have been lucky with Edinburgh but it has been busy in the mornings at security. Glasgow is only really busy at peak holiday times now and quiet in the evenings.
They aren't badly off , well unionised to
If we would become protectionist/xenophobic move to stop this the UK financial sector would get banned back in retaliation and we would stop taking all the money we generate from similar British investments abroad
Yes they are - they are earning a living, paying taxes and NI and are not dependent on state hand outs - that’s growing the economy.
On the engineering side that boat sailed long ago. There’s a reason why British Airways flies A380s to Manila empty, and A320 family aircraft to Eastern Europe. The UK workforce priced itself out of the market.
Yes they do - more jobs created (see above).
And I bet you there are plenty that do. But its not just about cheapo ex-EU fares - business class passengers connect too, and in some cases it can be very lucrative (e.g. KLM’s long haul business class is a bit poor in comparison to some others, and it doesn’t offer first at all).
Stansted isn’t a hub - its a point-to-point airport. There’s a reason why Heathrow is slot constrained but Stansted slots are much easier to come by. Its because the network (proper) airlines want Heathrow, because that’s where the connections are and they contribute valuable revenue. Emirates only makes Stansted work for the same reason it makes [say] Newcastle work - its at one end of a spoke and the passengers hub through Dubai to all manner of destinations. Stansted will remain primarily a low-cost / charter ghetto while ever its airline customers don’t offer proper network connectivity.
Haven’t you got over that claptrap yet? Net zero is an unachievable pipe-dream that just costs everyone more, will make undertaking many normal activities more challenging, and inhibits economic growth. We simply cannot afford to restrict aviation growth in the name of net zero - if we do, plenty of countries will ignore it and carry on, and the UK will become even more of a low-wage, low-output backwater.
Anyone in London on a wage that low will almost certainly be on Universal Credit.
The business class tickets are sold at even more of a steep discount. There’s a reason why ex-EU tickets were so popular with tier point runners.
That doesn't grow the economy, it keeps the economy firmly in the no growth rut that it has been stuck in for 15 years.
What about the prospects of ZeroAvia's hydrogen planes? Don't you think that they will be initially introduced into service in the next decade or so?
I don't need to get over it but the UK government has a legal commitment to deliver it?
Do you not think Loganair will consider ordering some with a ZeroAvia powertrain?
You are right, but it is the people doing the high productivity jobs in the shiny offices and science parks who are delivering the economic growth, and paying the taxes that fund public services, not the people on the minimum wage making the coffee, cleaning the toilets and keeping the building secure.
The above discussion gives me the impression that there are not many of those. The foreign airlines making use of the enhanced capacity will be keeping most of their high paid jobs at home, not bringing them here. And even if there is a decent number of high paid jobs from airport expansion, the impact on GDP is only marginal compared to clusters of high tech start-ups that go from nothing to making millions.
An announcement can be to postpone a decision. This has already happened twice with a sewage works near Cambridge:
www.bbc.co.uk
I think you raise a good point, but the economic impact of an airport like Heathrow isn’t rooted in the direct job creating effect. Of course it does provide jobs for a wide range of skill levels, from cleaners and security through to engineers, pilots and other high paid service sector careers. However the justification is access to global markets. Now I don’t have the stats to hand, and I’m not sure exactly how much business travel has dropped off with the advent of remote working and Teams (which is excellent by the way, I’m a big proponent of the WFH revolution!), but LHR is the largest air cargo hub in the U.K.
mediacentre.britishairways.com
Correct about aircraft engineering. Just for awareness, often the case that airlines disperse their aircraft all over the globe when requiring deep maintenance (such as C-Check) and this is a capacity issue as opposed to a cost saving. There simply aren’t the number of MRO facilities in the U.K. to cope with the demand.There are still a large number of airplane engineering jobs in the UK.
They are pretty well-paid and are relatively skilled jobs.
Just a few weeks ago, BA announced a multi-million pound investment in their widebody maintenance facility in Cardiff.
It currently just services 777 and 787 aircraft, but will be upgraded to also deal with A350s.
British Airways makes multi-million pound aviation investment in Cardiff base
British Airways has announced a multi-million pound investment in its engineering maintenance facility at Cardiff Airport.
BA actually has a lot of workers in South Wales
You're right that they send their A380s to the Philippines, but the UK is obviously cost-effective enough for BA to continue to invest and expand its own maintenance facilities.
Battery powered aircraft exist and are operational, but I would question their usefulness given the very short range and the fact they can't leave the vicinity of the airport.
Commercial electric aircraft - even those with just 9 seats - are very far off. Several decades if ever.
While better for the environment (dependent on the electricity source and dependent on the impact of battery production), they are going to be just as loud as current aircraft as the propellers are the prime producer of noise.
I’m sure there will be an army of people biting your hand off to sit on a bus for an hour instead of in the Lounge.
Think that’s more to do with Cardiff being full than anything else.
Neither is Luton, yet Luton is also set to expand should this go ahead.
