Air industry 'may be next Railtrack'

THE AVIATION industry will become the 'next Railtrack' unless the Government learns from its mismanagement of the railways, an influential coalition of business leaders will warn today.

Transport Secretary Stephen Byers will come under pressure to approve a major expansion of airport capacity in the long-awaited White Paper on aviation this year.

The CBI, British Tourist Authority, unions and airlines say it is essential to the economy that the Government avoids the mistakes of the rail system and commits itself to an effective long-term plan.

With air passenger numbers expected to double by 2015 to 330m, the Freedom to Fly campaign launched today will warn that the lack of growth at Heathrow and Gatwick, in particular, is jeopardising London's status as a leading financial and tourism centre. A spokesman said: 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to get it right. If we don't, the disruption we see on the railways will be seen in airports in 20 years.'

The campaign will be interpreted as putting more pressure on the Government to approve new runways, particularly in the South East. The coalition fears flying will return to being a 'preserve of the elite'. It says that more passengers than seats will result in a rise in fares.