Is aircraft noise really that significant in London? I found road traffic noise a greater inconvenience.

Perhaps I've become immune, having spent roughly 40 years either living/working in London and/or the traffic patterns of LHR.

Have you been there??

Also BHX is only 1 hour away. Its sort of set up as an airport, which helps in the first place. They even have a runway, working!!

So just becquse I'm curious, what is your solution if we don't have Boris Island because as you and Mr Deakins (If you have four runways in the Thames Estuary, the approach and departure pattern would be right over the middle of London) head of NATS say it will increase flights over London. You've ruled out LHR3 so what is the solution?

Oh also another thing that makes me laugh over this issue is the hypocrisy of Zac Goldsmith. If he was really passionate about ending flights and the environment he would not jet off to Barbados on holiday would he?

BA fly there from LGW, so it wouldnt affect LHR! :D

i cant read that article, but to be completed after May 2015 i assume? :rolleyes:

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/...w-8100772.html

Estuary International is out because of the massive amount of infrastructure that would be needed to support it - imagine what the east side of London would be like with normal rush hour traffic AND Heathrow traffic converging on it.

As for a solution - tricky as all proposals to date have massive negatives, even a new airport somewhere where people wanted it would have problems as the existing airport owners would go to court and tie the whole project up in knots.

The only option to expand is BHX. Yo can get flights into the airport with out upsetting the LON airports. I heard in the past few months that LTN wanted to expand more, but couldnt because of the flight path and LHR.

My view exactly. Dumping 4/6 runways in the middle of nowhere solves nothing. Extensive [really extensive] road/rail connections would be needed.

And … where do all the airport employees live? Where's the local housing? Or do they all have to commute daily into the wilderness?

You also have to take into account major companies - Microsoft, Oracle, etc - that are based to the west of London because of the presence of Heathrow. Do you really think they'd want to relocate to the other side of London or spend two hours more getting to Estuary Airport.

In residential areas specially outside of central London traffic noise isn't that much of a problem. Just look at the housing you pass over as you fly into Heathrow

Well it appears some Chinese backed businessmen want to build 'Heathrow West' with four runways. They have already contracted some American firm to find large flat lowly populated areas of Berkshire and Oxfordshire for its location.

Why not just add 3 large new runways to Luton????

You do notice it!! I would just like to point out. Okay some days more than others.