London mayor proposed to close Heathrow
23 Sep 2008
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, is proposing to shut down Heathrow and replace it with a 24-hour airport in the Thames estuary, according to a report in the Sunday Times.
The 24-hour airport, the report said, would most likely be located on an artificial island off Sheppey in Kent. It would have four runways, and capacity for two more if required. It would also be connected to the Channel tunnel rail link.
Heathrow employs 70,000 people, and if Johnson's plans succeed, would be turned into Britain's equivalent of Silicon Valley, with technology parks and affordable homes.
The plan of the new airport is said to be modelled on the Hong Kong international airport, with sources predicting that it would take around six years to construct. Once up and running, it could lease to the phased closure of Heathrow, and possibly Gatwick.
