London’s Heathrow and Gatwick airports commence the next phase of Davies Commission runway battle

In Dec-2013 the UK's Airports (Davies) Commission identified in an Interim Report three possible options for enhanced airport capacity in the UK; all of them in the southeast of England. Two were at London's Heathrow and one at Gatwick.

At the same time, and seemingly under some political pressure, the Commission agreed to allot extra time to a more detailed analysis of several proposals for a new airport on the banks of, or in, the River Thames Estuary.

After a period of reflection on everyone's part the gloves are back on as the main protagonists square up once again with a series of revised proposals. But in the end, politics, not logic is likely to be the deciding factor.