Duff calls for more comprehensive strategy for Stansted

5.53.49pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 21st May 2004

Liberal Democrat Euro MP Andrew Duff is calling for the future of Stansted Airport to be considered jointly by all relevant public authorities, including the European Commission. Following a visit to Stansted Airport today, Andrew Duff said:

"We are now facing the prospect of two separate planning applications from BAA affecting the future development of the airport. The first will seek to increase passenger numbers to 35 million per year from the existing ceiling of 25 million. The second concerns the proposed second runway.

"How the region deals with short and medium term increase in passenger volumes depends to a large extent on whether or not the second runway is ever to be built. What would be ridiculous is for Uttlesford District Council to have to determine the first application in ignorance of the longer-term scenarios affecting transport, houses, jobs and pollution.

"It is also vital that all the public authorities concerned, including the European Commission, join forces to consider the matter. The government's recent white paper ignores the contribution mainland European airports can make to meeting demand for international transit travel. Liberal Democrats are far from persuaded that the South East of England needs to meet endlessly increasing demand for air travel. What happens at Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt and Paris will certainly affect London.

"There are many things that at this stage we don't know about the future of the aviation industry. Flying will be directly affected by the incidence of terrorism, the possibility of an EU endorsed tax on aviation fuel, oil prices, air traffic control reforms and the reaching an EU-US agreement on 'open skies'. Lib Dems do not agree with the government of with BAA that this is the right time to take irreversible decisions about the future of Stansted.

"The East of England would be wrong to rush into agreeing an inflexible strategic plan on the basis of the evidence we now have before us."