Lord Skelmersdale
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(9 years, 5 months ago)
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Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The previous Government and indeed this Government have said repeatedly that it is important that we look at the capacity of airports around the south-east. It is a major part of UK plc’s offering on the global stage. As the noble Lord pointed out, this report looks at the key considerations in terms of the environment and community engagement, and due weight will be given to them in our assessment of the report.
Lord Skelmersdale (Con)
My Lords, how long will the extra runway last us before we have to consider yet another expansion of airport capacity?
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
The commission report, which I recommend to my noble friend, considers all these areas. We are running near to capacity at Heathrow and at Gatwick as well, so the immediate task for the commission was to look at addressing those needs. The report also looks at further needs beyond 2050.