§ Mr. Kenneth BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport at what date it is forecast that Stansted airport will be operating at full capacity as indicated by the new air traffic forecasts recently published by his Department; and what assessment he has made of the effect on this of doubling the air passenger duty in real terms.
§ Mr. NorrisThe air traffic forecasts published by the Department of Transport provide aggregate forecasts for the London airports, and regional airports. They do not provide forecasts for individual airports. The forecasts of the working group on runway capacity to serve the south-east—RUCATSE—indicated that Stansted would reach capacity around 2015; this would require an increase in the air traffic movement limit from its present level of 78,000 movements. No assessment has been made of the effect of doubling the air passenger duty.