KPMG: UK airport capacity expansion is urgent

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One of the largest professional services companies in the world, KPMG, has been reacting to the news that the ‘Boris Island’ airport proposal has been turned down.

London Mayor Boris Johnson's plan to build a new London airport in the Thames Estuary has been killed off by the Airport Commission looking into where, when and how to expand capacity in the southeast of England.

Led by Sir Howard Davies, it rejected the plan for a new four-runway airport on the Isle of Grain. The Commission is now considering whether it is better to build a third runway at Heathrow, extend existing runways or build a second runway at Gatwick.

Commenting on the Airports Commission’s decision to reject the plan for a Thames estuary airport, Richard Threlfall, KPMG's UK Head of Infrastructure, building and construction, said:

“The Thames estuary option, for all concerns raised, is a radical and visionary solution to the real capacity and connectivity problem.

“We’ve been talking about the capacity issues since the 1960s and we could still be talking about this in 2060. From a business and economic perspective, the conversation has gone on long enough and a decision on the solution needs to be made.”

James Stamp, Head of Aviation at KPMG, added: “For UK PLC, the decision not to proceed with the Thames estuary project must not kick a decision on the overall solution into the long grass.

The need for additional capacity and connectivity is a real and present danger to the UK's global competitiveness. What we want to see is cross-party political commitment to action.”

KPMG LLP, operates from 22 offices across the UK with approximately 11,500 partners and staff.  The UK firm recorded a turnover of £1.8 billion in the year ended September 2013. KPMG is a global network of professional firms providing Audit, Tax, and Advisory services. It operates in 155 countries and has 155,000 professionals working in member firms around the world.

For further information, visit: http://www.kpmg.com/uk/en/issuesandinsights/articlespublications/newsreleases/pages/londons-and-the-uks-airport-capacity-expansion-is-urgent-says-kpmg.aspx