Campaigners 'relieved' after Stansted left off Airport Commission's shortlist

PROPOSALS for Stansted to replace Heathrow as the UK's main airport hub have not made it to the shortlist of options collated by the Airports Commission. 

The Commission, which published its interim report this morning, has selected a third runway at Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow, and a new runway at Gatwick as the three final options to which it will now look at in further detail, leaving off plans for a four-runway expansion at Stansted. 

"We are obviously greatly relieved that Stansted is not on the shortlist. The environmental consequences of even one extra runway would have been catastrophic and the fact is that there has never been a viable business case for any extra runways at Stansted.  The airport currently operates at less than half of its potential capacity," said Brian Ross, economics adviser for Stop Stansted Expansion. 

"We must now show solidarity with the communities around Heathrow and Gatwick and support their efforts in resisting the threat that they now face."

Leader of the county council David Finch has also welcomed the news. "The report today echoes exactly what we said in our "Flights of Fancy" submission to Sir Howard Davies this year," he said. "We said that a four runway super airport at Stansted was unviable and unwanted. Davies has listened to us. "We said that the Boris Island options should not be on the shortlist. Davies has listened to us and we maintain that a mega hub in the Thames is vastly expensive and is not viable. "We said that a second runway at Stansted may be inevitable but not for decades. Davies has listened to us. "Stansted airport is an important part of not just the Essex economy but the East of England too. We are lucky enough to have in both Stansted and Southend two well-run airports that provide jobs and skills to the county. "I want to see that continue and I share Stansted's ambitions to increase passenger and freight numbers."