In my view, expansion at Heathrow is more concerned with the business plans of BAA and BA, rather than being essential to the UK economy.
BA makes most of its money on the premium transatlantic routes. They need transfer passengers to keep shorthaul viable, and to add a further boost to longhaul.

Derek, Uxbridge, UK

I have sent a feasibility report to the British, French and Belgium Governments to build a European airport hub near Calais where the Eurostar would reach the three capitals in an hour.
There is available land, labour, the English Channel to reduce nuisance to residents and less need to drive.

peter fieldman, paris, France

Heathrow has headed my 'don't use unless I have to' airport list for years now.

Unless you live with easy access to the London public transport system, the regionals have hugely better access, and much pleasanter to use.

Beats me why HMGov (in particular) obsesses about it.

David Jefferis, Brill, UK

An airliner can collide with any other airliner in its region, so the individual risk rises with the volume of traffic. But there are as many such risks as there are airliners, so the danger increases as the SQUARE of the number of flights. A third Heathrow runway would more than double this.

Noel Falconer, Couiza, France

Boeing countered the Airbus380 by saying that passengers will prefer to go point to point. Having gone through two of the latest and largest airports I think that it is the inconvenience of mega-airports which might bring this about. They are solely monuments to national and architectural vanity.

Bob T, London, UK

All these things may be true - but they don't detract form the hard truth that Ayling speaks. What is worrying is why on earth those in positions of influence don't speak up and start to turn things around. Maybe, like Ayling before, they are all too concerned about keeping their jobs than to speak.

paul wenman, Abingdon, UK

Britain has many regional airports and these should be used to greater effect.

I, for example, fly from Edinburgh to Hong Kong 8 - 10 times a year, BA operate 21 flights a week to Hong Kong, if 1 or 2 of these operated from Edinburgh I would schedule my trips based on these days.

Simon Fraser, Auchterarder, UK

sounds like sour grapes to me...

Simon, London, UK

As CEO of BA Ayling supported the construction of T5, but now we see that it has not solved any of Heathrows problems he tries to disown his responsibility.
Some of Ayling's other disasters include the $800M Dome and the London Eye which was late.
The best thing Tony Blair did was to sack him !

Peter Hooper, Windsor., UK