Transport leaders are warning that if approval for a third runway at Heathrow is not granted fresh produce imports by air freight will suffer.
Christopher Snelling, head of global supply chain policy at the Freigh Transport Association said: “Without a third runway we would expect to see constrained capacity, and depending on how the economy goes, there could be a reduction in reliability in terms of time taken to get in and out of the airport. Airfreight could therefore be diverted to the Continent and trucked across, adding to the cost and complication.” This will also have an impact on shelf life of highly perishable products.”
Snelling also warned that the pattern of flights could change if a third runway is not granted and so flights on the most commercially viable routes may be prioritised, within Europe and to North America as opposed to Africa, for example.”
The Freight Transport Association maintains that Heathrow accounts for more air freight than all other UK airports combined and contributes substantially to the UK’s place as a centre of international business. “Without a third runway, Heathrow will become far less relevant to global air freight and put our domestic economy at a huge disadvantage in the face of better-equipped Continental rivals,” said Snelling.
The transport lobby recognises that aviation pollution needs addressing, but argues that global, not unilateral action, is the way forward. Snelling said: “The only thing that happens if you go it alone is that air-freight will be pushed to another airport. It is a very inefficient ay of looking at the problem. The way to do it is through the EU emissions trading scheme.”
Mike Parr of Perishable Movements Ltd told freshinfo: “A lot of the trade has already gone to Europe - to Charles de Gaulle and Schipol - we have got to make sure it stops. It is all very well talking about pollution, but aircraft these days are much cleaner and the UK has some of the most stringent regulations on the type of aircraft that can land. People should wake up and think how many jobs it will create.”
The UK government had been due to make an announcement on the third runway at the end of last year, but postponed a decision until this month to consider the debate more fully. Campaigners against the runway upped the ante this week with the purchase of a plot of land along the runway route, ahead of an expected decision at the end of this week.
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