Britain's busiest airport, Heathrow, is "jam-packed" and needs a third runway to remain competitive globally, the head of its operator, BAA, will say.

Colin Matthews will also refute a call to cut the number of transfer passengers to lessen the load on the airport, in a speech on Wednesday.

Last week, Conservative leader David Cameron suggested Heathrow should be better before it Winehouse held over drug offences ...
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But BAA's new chief executive will say that is "a false choice".

"We need the new capacity at Heathrow today in order to maintain its role, the way London and the country connects to the rest of the world.

"If we don't have transfer traffic, we can't fulfil that role," Mr Matthews told BBC News ahead of his speech to a transport conference.

'Fundamental error'

More than a third of Heathrow's passengers are transfer passengers. Of the major European airports, only Frankfurt carries more transit passengers than Heathrow.

And that number has been increasing. Last year, 23 million people landed at Heathrow before taking off for another destination. This was up from 19 million in 2000, 30% of the total.

Reducing the number of transfer passengers would be a "fundamental error", Mr Matthews will tell an audience on Wednesday.

"Does anybody seriously think that if people living and working not just in London, but in the rest of the country, were forced to go to Charles de Gaulle airport or Schipol airport to fly to the rest of the world, our economy will not suffer?" Mr Matthews will ask.

In contrast, the business lobby group London First said the priority should be improving the existing airport before a decision to expand was taken.

In a report also to be published on Wednesday it suggests this could involve reducing the number of flights or using operational changes at Heathrow to release the pressure on the airport.

A government decision on whether to go ahead with a third runway is expected later this year.

Break-up?

BAA is also facing a ruling from the Competition Commission relating to BAA's ownership of London's three biggest London airports.

There is speculation that it will be forced to sell off one of its airports to improve competition between airport operators and improve choice for travellers in the south-east of England.

However, Mr Matthews told the BBC that the inquiry was "focusing on the wrong issue".

"The right issue is the provision of the right capacity at the right time," he said.

"Changing the ownership structure could delay this country facing up to those difficult questions of putting in the right capacity at the right time," Mr Matthews said.

(BBC)

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