Unite Urges MPs to Support Heathrow Expansion

November 11, 2008

LONDON, November 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, Britain's biggest trade union, has today (Tuesday) called upon Labour MPs to support the expansion of Heathrow and safeguard its position as the world's leading airport.

In a letter to all Labour MPs, Unite expresses its deep concerns abandoning the development of the third runway would jeopardise jobs and the environment while putting the viability of the UK's leading international airport at serious risk.

Brian Boyd, Unite national officer, said: "Unite fully supports the commitment from the Government to expand Heathrow to include the third runway. It is time for decisions to be made that may not be popular ones but are the right ones for jobs and our economy. The re- establishing of Heathrow as the number one international hub airport and the security of thousands of jobs at Heathrow is extremely important.

"A third runway is absolutely crucial if we are to maintain the UK's leading edge as an international transport hub."

Unite national officer for civil aviation, Steve Turner, urged MPs to stand behind the third runway plans: "The Government's decision to expand Heathrow remains the right one for jobs, passengers and the environment. If this key strategic decision is over-ruled now then jobs and passengers will simply move overseas. That is not just a disaster for the UK economy, but will seriously harm the environment as more and more passengers take to the air to use a competitor hub airport in Paris or Amsterdam. We urge MPs to stay focussed on addressing the challenge ahead. Act to improve Heathrow so that the UK can retain its only genuine international hub airport."

The letter will tell MPs that the "UK needs a new runway if we are to stop jobs going abroad and to keep the British economy competitive." Unite supports the ongoing update of Heathrow's facilities and systems but argues that unless its capacity issues are also addressed, its position as the world's busiest airport will be lost. Unite argue that the runway expansion addresses three pivotal issues:

1. Jobs and prosperity: A third runway at Heathrow is vital to the UK - Heathrow is 99.7% full. Britain needs reliable global connections, particularly with the emerging economies of China and India. The business case for expansion is strong and the project will be funded by the private sector.

2. Integrated transport: Britain needs both a new runway and high-speed rail as part of an integrated transport system. This means a three-runway Heathrow in the next decade linked to the whole country by high-speed rail in the following decade. Claims that the rail network can meet passenger needs are, according to Unite, highly misleading with high speed rail links only able to free up 3 percent of Heathrow landing slots.

3. Environmental responsibility: The new runway at Heathrow must meet strict rules on noise, air quality and emissions. It cannot and will not be built unless noise is no higher than 2002 levels and it meets tough EU air quality standards. Aviation will become part of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012.

For decades, Heathrow's importance as a global hub and the strategic benefit this brings to the UK has been taken for granted. The UK's position on the western edge of Europe and London's economic success helped turn Heathrow into the world's busiest international airport. Unite argues that this position can no longer be taken for granted and that the UK is losing ground to international competitors. Charles de Gaulle (4 runways), Schiphol (6 runways) and Frankfurt (3 runways) are overtaking Heathrow in terms of the onward destinations they offer, and are better-placed to take advantage of future developments within the aviation industry.

Heathrow is the UK's only "hub" airport i.e. an airport that is a focal point for incoming and outgoing long-distance flights. Essentially, hub airports run flights to key business cities which would not be viable if it were not for transfer passengers. At Heathrow many domestic and European passengers transfer onto intercontinental flights. Without seat purchases from transfer passengers, many long-haul routes from Heathrow would be unviable. Flights to key business destinations such as Guangzhou and Shenzhen in China and Mumbai in India would not be connected to the UK and business passengers would have to travel via another hub airport e.g. Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, Schiphol airport in Amsterdam or Frankfurt.