Engineering news
Future decisions about the expansion of Heathrow airport must take into account the need for better local transport infrastructure and provide a framework for the introduction of unmanned aircraft flight, engineering institutions have said.
Both the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) support the construction of a third runway at Heathrow, but have urged the government to ensure that the expansion comes as part of a wider integrated transport policy that considers other issues.
Philippa Oldham, head of transport and manufacturing at IMechE, said the Airports Commission's report backing the expansion of Heathrow airport offered welcome guidance for government on how to deal with the flight capacity crunch in South East England. But she said that the third runway would only meet airport capacity demand in the short to medium-term. “In order to future-proof the country’s transport infrastructure and further boost the economy government should consider the possibility of adding an extra runway at Gatwick in addition to the expansion of Heathrow.”
Also, she added: “The report does not offer a rounded view of what the Heathrow expansion will do to the transport network. In order to reap the full benefits we need to significantly boost rail access to help meet the demands of greater passenger numbers and to accommodate an increase need for freight distribution access via the airport.”
Meanwhile, the IET warned that any airport expansion must consider the use of unmanned aircraft. The introduction of autonomous flight could drive a significant increase in aircraft movements and change passenger travel and transport of goods by air, it said.
The Airport Commission’s consultation for a new runway made no mention of unmanned aircraft. However, once the regulatory hurdles have been cleared, currently scheduled for 2018, the freight transport industry is likely to be an early adopter.
Lambert Dopping-Hepenstal from the IET said: “Unmanned aircraft have huge potential to transform air travel for passengers and goods.
“Over the next 20 years we are likely to see the widespread use of unmanned aircraft, particularly by the freight industry so it is vitally important that this is taken into account when decisions are being made about airport expansion.
“Companies like Amazon have already made public their intention to rely heavily on unmanned aircraft in the future. And the widespread use of unmanned aircraft in the freight industry could well drive a significant rise in aircraft movements at our main airports, as well as regional airfields.”
The IET also stressed the need for airport expansion to be considered as part of an integrated transport strategy. Dopping-Hepenstal added: “When considering the best expansion option we must look at all modes of transport including public road vehicles, rail and freight. The way in which people and goods travel to the airports is also particularly important, so we must see provision for appropriate road and rail links to any expanded airport.”