easyJet ask for Belfast City Airport runway inquiry
14.12.09
Budget airline easyJet has called for a public inquiry into controversial proposals to extend the runway at Belfast City Airport. Amid growing press speculation that planners are set to give the green light to the 600-metre extension before the end of the year, the budget airline urged the Government not to make a decision until the pubic had their say.
The runway extension would allow planes with heavier fuel loads to take off, opening up destinations further-afield in Europe and the Mediterranean. The proposals are being backed by one of easyJet’s main competitors Ryanair, which hopes to fly its larger aircraft out of the airport, but it has been met with opposition from a number of local residents, who claim it would see noise levels rise to unbearable levels, and from fellow airline Flybe.
easyJet's UK General Manager Paul Simmons said airlines and local residents had the right to clear answers on the proposals and a chance to make their voice heard as part of a public inquiry before any decision is taken. He said: ‘There can simply be no credence to any decision to back the runway extension until a regional Aviation Strategy has been agreed and what Northern Ireland needs right now is a strategic review on optimal runway capacity overall for the Belfast market.'
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