Plane Stupid questions whether businesses want airport expansion

Campaigning group Plane Stupid has called into question this week whether or not UK businesses really want the second runway planned for Stansted Airport.

The organisation, which takes action against airport expansion and the aviation industry's climate impact, claims that businesses' position on this matter is "very unclear", although they undoubtedly want good provision in terms of flights.

Patrick Gillett, a spokesperson for Plane Stupid, said: "Most of the flights out of London airports are not business orientated flights.

"Most of them are leisure and most of them are short haul leisure. Most of these can be traveled by other means, such as train and coach."

He added that raising airfares to ensure that the aviation industry pays the environmental cost for its emissions would not work as the costs "are not measurable in financial terms".

Earlier this week, the British Airports Authority (BAA) filed an application to build its first full-length runway in the south-east of England since the Second World War.

The new runway at Stansted Airport is part of BAA's £6 billion project to transform each of its airports over the next five years.

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