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London mayor planning to close Heathrow?
It seems that the fiasco of Heathrow's Terminal 5 opening earlier this year was really just the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back.Heathrow, a "national disgrace," according to some of its officials, finds itself in the crosshairs of London's Lord Mayor Boris Johnson, who has a team at city hall preparing plans to build a new major airport closer to the city that would close Heathrow for good.
You're thinking: He must be joking.
He's not.
Heathrow has been something of a punch line for years now, especially in the UK, where it's known for its abysmal lines, delays and general dreariness. Now a task force is drawing up a proposal to build a new hub in nearby Kent, directly on the high speed line that links London with continental Europe. Four to six runways could be built on a tidal estuary in the Thames River, Johnson says. Passengers could get to central London in as little as 35 minutes and not much longer than that if they're heading to France.
Will this really happen? Hard to tell. We'll certainly be hearing more about this. Officials figure a new airport could be built in six years. But so far they're studying island airports such as Hong Kong's to see if it can be done. No price has been pinned to this idea yet, and one of the question marks is just how much officials are going to have to pay Heathrow owner BAA.
A few deadlines, though, seem like they'll keep this idea from simply languishing on the shelf. At the end of the year the British government is to decide whether to permit a third runway to be built at Heathrow. And, of course, you have the 2012 Olympics.
Look for short haul airlines to object to the plan: If passengers have easy ground connections to continental Europe, they're not going to need many puddle hoppers.
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Filed under: Airports
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
=The Dexter Sep 26th 2008 4:40AM
All I know is that a simple breakfast during layover at Heathrow set me back $41.00 . I enjoyed the mini spa/shower services though.
In this economy I don't think they have anything to worry about me, I won' be flying in soon.
Elaine Sep 26th 2008 4:53AM
It seems we could all use a dose of humility. If the responders are trying to create a community of readers/writers, one would suggest there could be less carping about style and more response to message. I honor good spelling, punctuation and capitalization as they improve the clarity of the message.
Mike, you probably will want to capitalize the word "english" next time, and you are an emigrant from the country you left and an immigrant to your current country of residence. I am reminded, too, that e. e. cummings, a pretty fair poet, never used capital letters. He, however, earned the right to use literary license. Now it's someone else's turn to criticize me if he or she wishes.
WES Sep 26th 2008 5:25AM
WOW, I THOUGHT MY SPELLING WAS BAD ,IM PROUD OF MYSELF.....................!
Dr. Pamela Diiulio Sep 26th 2008 5:55AM
HEATHROW is an international disgrace! Walking almost two miles from an arrival gate (with no service available at the gate) with hand luggage and a large purse is enough to cause cardiac arrest. But you would be left to die because there is absolutely NO SERVICE upon arrival. No airline representative to call a cart - no one to explain directions - nothing! I can't understand how the authorities have never closed this pathetic airport before now. Let Americans show the Brits how to build an airport!