Civil Aviation Bill

Debate between Priti Patel and Chris Heaton-Harris

Monday 30th January 2012 Commons Chamber

[Priti Patel (Witham) (Con)]

I start as others have done by paying tribute to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Seema Malhotra) for her maiden speech. All Members who visited her constituency during the by-election campaign recognised and appreciated the economic significance of Heathrow airport to her constituents. For me, it was a complete reality check to recognise how closely her constituents experience the airport through the flight paths and the low-flying aeroplanes that travel down in proximity to the runway. That was a real eye-opener for many of us, but we recognised at the same time that many of her constituents were employed by the airport. I for one maintain that Heathrow is a massive economic hub, not just for London and the south-east but for our country. I have been a frequent traveller through Heathrow.

[Chris Heaton-Harris (Daventry) (Con)]

I am listening to my hon. Friend’s comments. I had assumed that when people were coming in to land, they normally wanted to be in close proximity to a runway.