§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the first new runway to be available to serve the south-east of England. [166543]
§ Mr. Darling"The Future Development of Air Transport" White Paper explains that the Government support the development as soon as possible (we expect around 2011–12) of a wide-spaced second runway at Stansted, as the first new runway in the south-east. It will be for airport operators to decide how to take forward plans for airport expansion in the light of the framework set out in the White Paper.
§ Mrs. DunwoodyTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether comprehensive simulation of the airspace management implications of possible runway development options for the south-east of England was undertaken prior to the publication of the Aviation White Paper on 16 December 2003; and what plans(a) National Air Traffic Services and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to undertake such a simulation. [166544]
§ Mr. DarlingYes. CAA/DAP and NATS undertook as part of the SERAS Study preliminary high-level airspace modelling, simulating potential airport development packages. The broad conclusion reached from the modelling work was that for all scenarios considered the additional ATMs could be accommodated with changes envisaged to the structure and management of airspace within the London Terminal Control Area (LTMA).