Major threat to popular cruising area
Boris Johnson‘s dream, but yachtsmen’s nightmare, the Thames Estuary airport has taken its first step towards reality.
According to the Guardian, David Cameron will announce a consultation on the airport – previously suggested by the London Mayor – in March.
It would give the capital an international hub to compete with European rivals with Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted all hamstrung by a lack of surrounding space, but it will destroy the second-most popular cruising ground in the UK that is also enjoyed by walkers, anglers and cyclists.
Johnson has told the BBC that Britain would be unable to compete with France and Germany ‘when we simply can’t supply the flights to growth destinations’ and his support for Heathrow-on-Sea has been so vociferous that it has been dubbed ‘Boris Island’.
It is now common for new airports to be build on floating platforms, such as in Hong Kong and Doha, Qatar, as it means flights can arrive and depart throughout the night in the absence of nearby homeowners affected by noise.