Unite's reaction to the expansion of Heathrow consultation

23 November 2007

Unite national officer, Brian Boyd says, "Unite welcomes the DfT's consultation on the future of Heathrow. Standing still is not an option. The expansion of Heathrow is absolutely essential for the creation of quality jobs in the civil aviation industry and maintaining Heathrow's position as an international hub. Heathrow is a major economic driver of London's economy and the UK as a whole. Unless Heathrow expands this prime position is under threat."

"London is in grave danger of losing out to Frankfurt, Paris and Amsterdam unless we push ahead with a third runway. We recognise that there are environmental challenges which need to be addressed but we need to have a balanced debate on this issue. As the UK's main civil aviation union we intend to participate fully in this consultation and we will bring the views and opinions of our broad membership to this debate."

Unite is the largest civil transport union in the UK with over 70,000 members. The union's membership includes; cabin crew, check-in staff, engineers, security, baggage handlers, fire-fighters, administrative and back office staff.