Government deals further blow to Stansted runway plans
for Transport (DfT) forecasts for UK air travel demand – show that the gloomier
outlook for the UK economy means that a new Stansted runway would not be needed
before 2030 at the very earliest.
growth outlook for the UK economy to 2030 which Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE)
calculates reduces the demand forecasts for Stansted to about 42.7 million passengers
by 2030, well within the capacity of the existing runway.
of 68 million passengers by 2030 was underpinned by the DfT demand forecasts at
that time. However, the DfT has since reduced its demand forecasts for Stansted
because of the deteriorating economic outlook. Initially the DfT trimmed its
2030 demand forecasts to 55 million passengers and then, in January 2009, announced
a further reduction to 46.5million, based on applying the Government’s projections
for UK economic growth contained in the November 2008 Pre-Budget Report. This
further reduction to 42.7 million passengers reflects the difference between the
economic projections in the Pre-Budget Report and those published in the actual
Budget Report last week.
as over-optimistic. If the latest IMF projections were to be applied, the 2030
demand forecast for Stansted would be much less than 42.7m passengers.
totally pull the rug from under BAA feet and show that it would be a complete
waste of time and money for BAA to insist on proceeding with a Public Inquiry
when there is no prospect of its project being approved."
sell the airport; we have both the main opposition parties pledged to cancel the
second runway project; we have Stansted passenger numbers down by more than 20
percent since 2007; and now we have these new forecasts showing that the existing
runway can cope with predicted demand for at least the next 20 years. How much
more evidence does BAA need before it will accept that its dream of a second runway
is dead in the water?"
step in and cancel it for them. In these austere times, this Spanish-owned company
should not be allowed to force UK taxpayers and local council taxpayers into incurring
totally pointless and wasteful expenditure."