Comedian Mark Thomas and the novelist Will Self joined 1,000 protesters to sign a petition opposing a proposed 400-metre extension of Birmingham International Airport"s main runway on environmental grounds. The total estimate of the project is £120 million.
The protestors dubbed it Flyagra, meaning "the miracle treatment that really keeps you upâ. Two Liberal Democrat councillors accepted the petition. It is said that on 15th December, Borough planners would decide whether the extended runway should be approved. At present, the proposal has a strong backing by the political leadership of all seven West Midlands metropolitan councils, which includes Solihull. If approved, the runway could be in place by 2012.
Local authority leaders state that a longer runway is desperately needed to operate non-stop flights from Birmingham to India, China and the west coast of America. They claim that the extension would boost the region"s economy besides creating thousands of jobs and attracting inward investment.
A BIA spokesman remarked, "Forecasts show that BIA will handle 27 million passengers a year by 2030 and an extension would account for four million of these. These four million would be very important, bringing wealth and prosperity to the region through overseas investment and supporting regional business, commerce, industry and tourism.â
On the other hand, anti-airport noise group Birmingham Airport Anti Noise Group (BANG) and Friends of the Earth have been opposing the extension on environmental grounds. James Botham, secretary of BANG, stated, "A decision to approve the runway extension would usher in a damaging new era of aggressive expansion at Birmingham International Airport.â
