Well, well - LCA are still up to their old tricks of not telling the whole truth about their bid to get 120,000 flights out of LCA each year. It's difficult for them to have good PR when they just don't have any evidence to actually back up their claims. We can tear most of their claims apart in a matter of hours.
In The Docklands paper LCA have said "there will be no extra runway or extension of the current flight times". No extra runway - that IS accurate. But extra aprons come in the future (check out the masterplan), and there IS an extension of current flight times in the application: they are sneakily trying to change the flight free time over the weekend from 24 to 23 hours.
They also say:"the change will bring more prosperity and jobs to the area". Hmmm.... London City Airport is 20 years old this year and we've not seen too much of this 'prosperity' so far - the LB of Newham is ranked as the third most socially deprived in the COUNTRY. If they've not managed to pour this 'prosperity' into Newham in 20 years of operating, it isn't going to change now! So that's another of their claims dead and buried.
What about their statement that " 38 per cent of the workforce already live in Newham". LCA claims to employ 1,600 workers (that includes part time posts). So just 38% of workers come from Newham which has a population of 248,400. After 20 years we think that is an appalling figure. Clearly there are not enough car owning, job hunters in Newham for LCA.
LCA have not paid a penny towards any transport infrastructure in East London, and do not intend to. Don't forget that little matter of £7million a year we all pay for their security costs. London taxpayers have paid for ALL infrastructure improvements in Newham and the surrounding boroughs NOT LCA. LCA have been too busy lining their own nests, and dishing out SPIN.
Docklands and Newham's future is NOT based on LCA - but LCA's future IS based on London taxpayers and LCA is just waiting to reel in more of YOUR hard earned taxes.
More prosperity to Newham? It's as likely as pigs might fly, or LCA getting out all their planes on a foggy morning like today's.
