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The Heathrow battle isn't over. Planning permission up next. It definitely shouldn't get it, principally due to its devastating climate impact. But also because it makes no economic sense. It's the anti-Robin Hood. Take from the poor, give to the rich. /1 https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/dec/16/top-uk-court-overturns-block-on-heathrows-third-runway
We @NEF have done various bits of analysis on this. First we showed the expansion has a terrible benefit-cost ratio, when using the Government's own assessment and value for money principles. The public would suffer the costs and few of the benefits. /2 https://neweconomics.org/2018/03/flying-low
Next we showed that Heathrow expansion does the opposite of levelling up. It sucks jobs and economic activity out of the UK's poorer regions and into London. It couldn't be more at odds with the Government's current agenda. /3 https://neweconomics.org/2020/02/baggage-claim
Then we broke apart claims that airport expansion creates significant business, jobs, and tourism benefits. They're either vastly overstated or non-existent. Since the Covid crisis the prospects of new business and jobs through aviation got even worse. /4 https://neweconomics.org/2020/09/the-dodgy-economics-behind-expanding-our-airports
But we @NEF aren't just sniping. We have alternatives. In coalition with unions we've proposed solutions to protecting aviation workers' jobs through the crisis, and helping them retrain and upskill for jobs in new green industries we desperately need. /5 https://neweconomics.org/2020/06/crisis-support-to-aviation-and-the-right-to-retrain
We've also looked at the tax system, and how we can manage air travel in a climate crisis so that its benefits are distributed across society fairly, instead of being reaped by a tiny minority of hyper-frequent flyers. /6 https://neweconomics.org/2015/06/a-fairer-way-to-fly
And finally we've talked about ownership. Because when the Government bails out airlines and airports (who've profited off planetary damage) as we have done with Hundreds of millions £££ in discounted loans, we should expect something in return. /ends https://www.independent.co.uk/independentpremium/voices/airlines-coronavirus-bailout-government-majority-stake-british-airways-a9520131.html
