West London homeowners receive allegedly misleading mailers, claim activists, sponsored by Heathrow Airport
Heathrow Airport, one of the busiest airports in the world, has been operating at 98% capacity since 2005, breaking passenger number records every year for the past 14 years. Amidst this growth, a campaign group called Back Heathrow advocates for the construction of a third runway at the airport.
Led by former Labour MP Parmjit Dhanda, Back Heathrow is primarily funded by Heathrow Airport itself, as well as local residents, business groups, and trade unions. The group openly acknowledges its connection to the airport, stating that Heathrow helped set up the organization to balance public debate regarding airport expansion.
However, there is criticism regarding transparency, as Back Heathrow’s communications do not always clearly disclose the funding source, leading to debate about misleading messaging. Heathrow Airport admits it has not publicly disclosed the exact financial amount it contributes to Back Heathrow but insists it has always been transparent about funding the project in principle.
One of the key claims made by Back Heathrow is that expansion can lead to a "greener" airport and the use of only the "cleanest and quietest aircraft". However, this claim has been disputed. There is no policy in place preventing older aircraft from being operated, and the use of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) by aircraft is a subject of debate. Even if its emissions savings are taken at face value, SAF provides only small reductions.
Moreover, providing enough hydrogen for plane journeys from renewable sources will be challenging. Transforming airport infrastructure for hydrogen refuelling and transporting hydrogen fuel will also pose obstacles. Plans for hydrogen aircraft are at least a decade away, with Airbus aiming to get a 100-seat hydrogen plane in the air by 2035.
Another claim made by Back Heathrow is that adding more aircraft to the sky will not necessarily reduce "stacking" (aircraft waiting to land). More than 40% of Heathrow’s flights are long-haul and medium-haul, and if the government were to lift the cap on the number of aircraft movements, Heathrow could potentially fly 10% to 20% more flights out of the existing infrastructure.
Despite these concerns, Back Heathrow continues to advocate for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, employing five people, including its two directors. The proposed new runway is not being built to cater for electric or hydrogen-powered aircraft at this time.
References:
[1] BBC News. (2018, June 14). Heathrow expansion: Critics accuse Back Heathrow of misleading public. Retrieved from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-44505738
[2] The Guardian. (2018, June 14). Heathrow expansion: Back Heathrow accused of misleading public over funding links. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/jun/14/heathrow-expansion-back-heathrow-accused-of-misleading-public-over-funding-links
[3] The Independent. (2018, June 14). Heathrow expansion: Back Heathrow accused of misleading over funding. Retrieved from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/heathrow-expansion-back-heathrow-accused-misleading-over-funding-a8394881.html
- Amidst the controversy surrounding transparency, Back Heathrow's campaign for a third runway at Heathrow Airport, while primarily funded by the airport itself, has been criticized for not consistently disclosing its funding sources, leading to accusations of misleading messaging in the discussions about general news topics like war, education-and-self-development, and sports.
- Despite Back Heathrow's claim that adding more aircraft to the sky will not necessarily increase "stacking" (aircraft waiting to land), experts argue that a potential increase in flights due to a third runway could exacerbate this issue, implying a potential rise in overall congestion, a concern pertinent to war, education-and-self-development, and sports events.
