The boss of Gatwick Airport has said he expects ministers to re-examine forecasts for passenger growth that were “nearly 10 years out”, as they conduct further investigation into proposals to expand the UK’s aviation capacity.
Chief executive Stewart Wingate urged them to “look beyond the executive summary” of last July’s Davies Commission report, which recommends building a third runway at Heathrow.
He told the Press Association: “It’s absolutely fascinating, because when you look at the conclusions that were drawn, they don’t seem to be consistent with the information that was in the report.”
Mr Wingate claims the economic impact analysis, which favoured expansion at Heathrow over Gatwick, was based on “spurious, biased forecasts” that did not appear elsewhere in the study.
In December, ministers postponed a final decision on which project to back, and it is not expected before the summer, as Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said fresh analysis of the environmental effects was required.
Mr Wingate said the impact on air quality of a third runway at Heathrow means that the project would be “very open to legal challenge” if it is selected, but he also expressed his hope that estimated passenger figures would be looked at again.
“We expect they’ll want to look again at the traffic forecasts. The Davies Commission work was based on forecasts that saw Gatwick get to 40 million passengers in 2024. We repeatedly said to the Commission: ‘We’re there already; your forecasts are nearly 10 years out’.”
Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye claimed in a recent speech that backing expansion at his airport is the only way ministers can deliver sustainable economic growth and cut the deficit.
He also hit out at Gatwick’s plan, saying it did nothing for the economy or job creation and lacked political support.