Inner Thames Estuary Airport: Summary and Decision Paper
This report sets out the Airports Commission’s decision on whether to add an inner Thames estuary proposal to its shortlist of options for further, detailed appraisal. It also outlines the reasons for the decision and the work done to reach this point.
The report concludes that the proposal for an Airport in the Inner Thames Estuary has “substantial disadvantages that collectively outweigh its potential benefits”. The Commission believes that “there are serious doubts about the delivery and operation of a very large hub airport in the estuary. The economic disruption would be huge and there are environmental hurdles which it may prove impossible, or very time-consuming to surmount. Even the least ambitious version of the scheme would cost £70 to £90 billion with much greater public expenditure involved than in other options – probably some £30 to £60 billion in total”.