BAA has warned that the planned opening date for its second runway at London Stansted Airport is now six years behind schedule.
The Ferrovial subsidiary, which also owns six other airports in the UK, has issued a letter detailing that the development of a second runway at the regional aviation hub will now be completed in 2017, which has been pushed back from its original target of 2011.
When the extension of Stansted is completed, the number of passengers travelling through the airport is expected to increase from 25 million to 35 million annually, while the quantity of flights will grow from 241,000 to 264,000.
This decision has been criticised by the Stop Stansted Expansion (SSE) campaign group, which has suggested that this delay will add to the uncertainty for the local community.
Brian Ross, SSE economics advisor, said: “It is wholly unacceptable for BAA to try to keep its options open by continuing to postpone the threat of a second runway. It should remove the threat once and for all.”
Stansted Airport is located in Essex outside Harlow and is a major centre for a number of Europe’s budget airlines.
