24th May 2008

Cllr Philip Booth muses on whether he has wasted time campaigning on Airport expansion plans

Last week British Airways' chief executive Willie Walsh declared that the era of cheap flights was over. Have I, and others, campaigning against the expansion of Gloucestershire's Airport been wasting our time?

At least three carriers have already gone bust this year and now American Airlines are cutting their routes, increasing charges and laying off staff. Even Ryanair look set to go into the red, saying the oil price is "really hurting".  But rising oil prices are not the only problem.

Last week a Government report confirms that the economic benefits claimed for airport expansion are not based on solid evidence and do not justify the damage to the climate from aviation emissions. Airport growth means more money spent abroad than spent here by foreign visitors. This growing tourist deficit is sucking wealth out of the country. Meanwhile another report last week shows that 85% of FTSE-350 companies aim to cut staff flights in the next decade to save time, money and emissions (ii).

As the Government report shows, "the risks of decisions in favour of expansion outweigh the possible benefits". Indeed the evidence from these reports is so overwhelming that I hopefully can retire from trying to highlight the absurdity of Staverton's plans. Cheltenham and Gloucester councils should not even be considering expanding the Airport.

Philip Booth, Gloucestershire Airport Action Group

Notes:
(i) Sustainable Development Commission published the report with the Institute for Public Policy Research. See:
http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/pages/aviation.html
(ii) WWF report. See:
http://www.wwf.org.uk/oneplanet/opt_0000004981.asp