Expanding Heathrow will put London at greater risk of plane crashes, says Lord Bamford
The JCB chairman warned that building a third runway at Heathrow posed a potential threat to millions of people beneath the flightpath because it would allow more flights over central London.
Lord Bamford said he had become concerned about the risk of an accident in the capital after a passenger jet was hit by a military helicopter over Washington last week, closely followed by a crash in Philadelphia involving a medical flight. A total of 74 people were killed.
In a letter to The Telegraph, he said: 'It's time for a rethink. If it happened in Washington DC, albeit over the Potomac River, and two days later in a residential area in Philadelphia, couldn't it happen in London?'
The Tory peer said he was less worried about the noise impact of expanding Heathrow, but more concerned about the 'risk to life' from planes following the Thames through the heart of London for several miles when coming into land.
He said: 'I know of very few, if any, capital cities in the world where commercial airliners fly directly over the city centre or city suburbs on their approach to or take off from international airports.'
It comes after Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, urged Heathrow to revive expansion plans that were shelved during the pandemic, adding the Government would support an application for a third runway as a vital contribution to economic growth.
Lord Bamford proposed a redevelopment of Stansted, a low-cost base for carriers including Ryanair owned by Manchester Airports Group, as an alternative to expanding Heathrow.
While transforming Stansted into a hub would require infrastructure enhancements, including a second runway and improved public transport links, such a solution would take flights over urban areas largely out of the equation, he argued.
Lord Bamford added: 'Maybe it's time to make Stansted airport the principal international gateway airport serving London, instead of Heathrow, taking commercial airliners away from the densely populated city centre and London suburbs.'
On Tuesday, Stansted launched a consultation on plans to lift annual passenger numbers to 51m, from a current cap of 43m, without adding more flights. It attracted almost 30m passengers in 2024.
With the development of an alternative hub, Heathrow could cease operations, Lord Bamford said, creating a 3,000-acre site that could accommodate much-needed housing.
Heathrow said it is focused on moving ahead with its plans and declined to comment further.
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