The long-term solution

Readers letters

East Midlands airport is strategically located in the centre of the country with good road and rail services

The London Mayor's of London has recently stated that we need to consider a new airport in the Thames estuary rather than increase the capacity at Heathrow.

I believe this proposal is too London centric. It is much more important to have a new international airport to serve the whole country, not just London, and that this means locating the main international airport convenient for all the major conurbations, North and South.

We are told the High Speed 2 rail project is to bring the North and South together. However, the access from the North to Heathrow, is difficult at present and a new international airport in the Thames estuary would not make things any easier. Germany's major international airport is near Frankfurt which is well served by the ICE and the TGV. England is not analogeous to an ex-british colony like Hong Kong where land is at a premium.

I believe a new international airport located near the centre of England with a High Speed rail connections would offer a better long term solution for a small country like ours. The existing East Midlands airport is strategically located in the centre of the country with good road and rail services. It has the potential for expansion and could be easily linked with very fast train services serving all the major conurbations.