As the debate over the need to expand Heathrow Airport drags on, Gatwick Airport has resurrected proposals for a second runway and its Chief Executive, Stewart Wingate, has blasted Heathrow for giving foreign airlines a false impression that London was ‘closed for business’. Chancellor George Osborne, meanwhile, has been championing plans to increase drastically the number of flights at Heathrow, without building a third runway, the main bone of contention between lobbyists. Travel industry sources claim ‘mixed mode’ proposals could see more than 1,000 extra flights a week and as many as 20m more passengers each year.
