Concorde revived in Heathrow runway row

Government officials are turning to Concorde in a bid to gain approval to build a new runway and introduce 500 extra flights a day from Heathrow Airport, it has been reported.

Campaigners are battling against the plans which they say will add to the noise pollution already suffered by those who live within the flight-path.

But the Department for Transport is arguing that the noise levels will not exceed those of when the Concorde fleet was in operation before being withdrawn in 2003, the Times newspaper says.

It claims that the noise produced by the supersonic fleet was equal to that of 120 Boeing 757s - justifying the introduction of the extra runway and flights.

Those opposing the plans, however, claim that this argument holds little ground as Concorde would only take off and land twice a day but the new planes will be flying out more regularly.

John Stewart, chairman of the Heathrow Association for the Control of
Aircraft Noise, told the newspaper: "It is absurd to use an ear-splittingly noisy aircraft now lying in museums in the standard used to determine whether Heathrow can be expanded.

"The government should, at the very least, be pledging that there will be no more disturbance than there is now. Instead, they are trying to dupe us with a worthless benchmark relating to the situation five years ago."