easyJet welcome Luton Airport expansion plans; MP says they must pass noise and infrastructure tests
27.01.12
easyJet has welcomed plans to expand the passenger capacity at Luton Airport, saying that the initiative will help secure the long-term future of the base. However, local MP Peter Lilley has said that the expansion plans must pass noise and infrastructure tests.
The airport has launched a six week consultation on plans to almost double the number of passengers it could handle, from 11.5 million to 18 million a year. Welcoming the news, an easyJet spokesman praised the local council, who own the airport, for its 'strategic focus' on future development. He said: 'The plan is an important step for the airport's long-term future which will enable us to continue making travel easier.'
However Peter Lilley, MP for Hitchin and Harpenden, said the airport must listen to issues raised during public consultations and the expansion of the airport's capacity should be subject to two tests - can the noise of additional flights be offset by quieter planes and can the planned or existing infrastructure cope with the burden of additional passengers?
He said: ‘This does not mean we should oppose all expansion outright if environmental and infrastructure problems can be overcome. We need the jobs, business and travel opportunities that Luton Airport can generate. But I am surprised Luton Borough Council and the airport operator are proposing plans on this scale before they have tackled the massive congestion at the entrance to the airport.’
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