London airport expansion: CBI president says UK can’t “pass the buck” to the next generation
Britons can’t “pass the buck” to the next generation when it comes to building another runway, the president of Britain’s biggest business group has said.
Speaking at the Airport Operators’ Association Conference earlier today, Confederation of British Industry (CBI) president Paul Drechsler said the “window of opportunity is closing fast” for more airport capacity.
“Every day, month and year we delay building a new runway has a price in lost trade,” Drechsler said, adding a new runway would not “just help businessmen and women close deals in faraway lands” but also promote growth in the UK.
“We welcomed the Prime Minister’s commitment to a decision by Christmas, so want to see a clear decision and timetable set by government,” he added. “Anything less would be a continuation of the ‘not in my generation’ approach which got us into this mess in the first place.”
The Airports Commission said in July that it backed building a third runway at Heathrow airport. At the time, Cameron said the government would respond to the Commission’s report by the end of the year.