Declan Collier v Boris Johnson

London City Airport (LCY) CEO Declan Collier spoke eloquently at Runways UK challenging London Mayor Boris Johnson who seems to have personally tried to stop the improvements to the downtown airport, not just to the chagrin of Mr Collier, but the business community in general.

An expansion of LCY movements was approved by a planning inspector, the infrastructure work passed by the local authority.  While not involved Mr Johnson used his power as Mayor to call it in, citing Heathrow. 

No public funding is required, the existing transport infrastructure meets the needs of increased passengers numbers, no new runway nor extension of the existing.  The plan includes seven new stands, a parallel taxiway and extra terminal infrastructure.  Mayor Johnson's interference is seen just as a delay.

Mr Collier noted that the next generation of aircraft would bring many long destinations within non-stop range of LCY including Boston, Moscow and the Gulf.

He also turned his attention to the lack of an LCY Crossrail station, the old Silvertown stop just 150 metres away.  Daniel Moylan, another speaker, Boris Johnson’s Air Transport Advisor and Crossrail Board Member, flatly refused to contemplate the introduction of the station, a very simple and cheap proposition.   www.runwaysuk.com

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Paul Le Blond, UK/London

While Mowlem were one of the original developers of City Airport, the Deputy Mayor's name is Daniel Moylan!