13 January 2003
Plans for a £2billion international airport in the Severn Estuary have been formally submitted.
Severnside airport would be built near Newport, south Wales, with runways on a man-made island if the scheme was approved by the Government.
The developers claim it could be operational by 2012 and handle 30 million passengers a year by 2030. The proposal is, however, likely to face a tough fight; Transport Minister Alistair Darling has called it “unlikely” and said it will only go ahead if Cardiff or Bristol airports closed down. Environmentalists have also pointed out that the proposed site and its surroundings are covered by a Special Protection Area for birds.
A final decision on which airport schemes nationwide get the go-ahead will be made in an aviation White Paper expected later this year.
