News Desk Kulver Ranger the "transport tsar" at City Hall has confirmed in an interview to LBC that the Thames Estuary airport was a credible proposal and is being looked at seriously by the mayor's office. A report in the Sunday Times showed support for this proposal from the president of Emirates airlines Tim Clark who said Heathrow is now "severely compromised" and cannot compete with the European and Middle Eastern hubs that are growing aggressively at present. Ranger speaking to Andrew Pierce of LBC made the case for a new airport in the Thames estuary given the length of time needed to obtain planning for a new extensions at Heathrow. In comparison the Thames estuary is not such a sensitive geographical area and a new airport may be approved and built within 5-7 years which will help with the traffic coming in from the continent and the US.With the 2012 games arriving in less than four year all airports in the capital will be at full capacity adding further strain to the already heavy traffic coming into London. City Hall is anxious that any new airport is integrated into the cross-rail projects being planned at present so that high speed rail links can be used to transport passengers from these airports into the heart of London. The Sunday Times report also highlighted the threat Dubai poses to London: "While other airlines are retrenching, Emirates plans to take delivery of 245 new aircraft in the next decade. The billions being ploughed by Dubai into its infrastructure constitute one of the greatest threats to Heathrow’s current leadership in international air travel." Already Virgin has been approached by City Hall to look at the proposal for the new airport who is also looking at buying Gatwickfrom BAA.
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