希思羅機(jī)場(chǎng)何以淪為人間地獄?
????但是,英國(guó)政府援引環(huán)境保護(hù)方面的考量,依然不改反對(duì)該計(jì)劃的態(tài)度。政客們表示,倫敦已經(jīng)有六個(gè)商業(yè)機(jī)場(chǎng)了,難道還需要更多航班,以及隨之而來的更多二氧化碳排放量嗎?上周,倫敦市長(zhǎng)鮑里斯?約翰遜——新建跑道計(jì)劃的最大反對(duì)者之一——就此發(fā)表了戲劇化的演講,使相關(guān)辯論進(jìn)一步白熱化,他說道:“這現(xiàn)在做不到,將來也做不到,該計(jì)劃已死,沒戲了,考慮別的辦法吧?!?/p> ????針對(duì)入境關(guān)口長(zhǎng)隊(duì)的最新一輪抨擊,正值雙方都在就支持或反對(duì)新建跑道而發(fā)布報(bào)告之際。政府方面聲稱必須要平衡經(jīng)濟(jì)與環(huán)保需求,而不能像英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)那樣只考慮商業(yè)需要。英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)則表示,如果希思羅機(jī)場(chǎng)不新建更多跑道,以支持英國(guó)與新興市場(chǎng)之間的航班數(shù)量增長(zhǎng),那英國(guó)今后十年中將會(huì)損失140億英鎊(約220億美元)的貿(mào)易收入。政府則回應(yīng)稱,這或許可以靠建設(shè)一個(gè)新機(jī)場(chǎng)解決。 ????數(shù)月以來,英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)一直威脅說,如果政府繼續(xù)拒絕其擴(kuò)建希思羅機(jī)場(chǎng)的計(jì)劃,則將采取法律行動(dòng)。上周,政府表示將就如何減少噪音對(duì)居民(換句話說,選民)的影響,以及第三條跑道的重要性,再次聽取英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)的陳述??墒牵治鰩焸冎赋鲎罱K決定可能要到2015年才會(huì)作出,也就是下一屆大選的時(shí)候。 ????就算英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)獲得批準(zhǔn),據(jù)該公司自己的估計(jì),新跑道要6-10年才能投入運(yùn)營(yíng)。與此同時(shí)呢?首先,奧運(yùn)會(huì)期間來到希思羅機(jī)場(chǎng)的旅客們?nèi)孕璧却喈?dāng)長(zhǎng)時(shí)間——盡管政府已承諾屆時(shí)將投入475名工作人員,并為運(yùn)動(dòng)員開設(shè)機(jī)場(chǎng)特別跑道。但更重大的問題或許是,奧運(yùn)會(huì)結(jié)束之后怎么辦? ????過去十年來,旅客們發(fā)現(xiàn)航空旅行的體驗(yàn)一落千丈,歐美民航公司的空運(yùn)成本飆升,而對(duì)英國(guó)機(jī)場(chǎng)集團(tuán)來說,則要面臨與政府之間敵意重重的政治性談判。盡管如此,在民航領(lǐng)域,政府需求——比如說安檢——仍然凌駕于商業(yè)效率之上,因此現(xiàn)在這些問題恐怕將持續(xù)下去,除非建設(shè)更多機(jī)場(chǎng)、擴(kuò)建希思羅,或者有人開發(fā)出某種簡(jiǎn)單便捷的生物識(shí)別技術(shù),能使安檢效率驟升。 ????很多專家認(rèn)為,希思羅機(jī)場(chǎng)建設(shè)第三條跑道的愿望將會(huì)得到滿足——特別是因?yàn)樯探珙I(lǐng)袖們正日益熱情高漲地為此請(qǐng)?jiān)???稍诓贿h(yuǎn)的將來,入境關(guān)口的長(zhǎng)隊(duì)仍不大可能變短,考慮到英國(guó)政府仍在就此事進(jìn)行試探性調(diào)查,而且財(cái)政預(yù)算頗為緊張,我們最好不抱太高期望。 ????譯者:小宇 |
????The British government, however, cites environmental concerns and has not backed down in its opposition to the plan. London is already served by six commercial airports, policymakers argue, so why does the city need more airplane traffic, and subsequently more carbon emissions? This week London mayor Boris Johnson, who is one of the biggest critics of the plan, continued to ignite the debate with a dramatic speech that concluded, "It is not deliverable now or in the future. It is dead, it is over, move on." ????The latest round of recriminations about the immigration queues come as both sides are publishing reports for or against the proposed runway. The government claims it needs to balance the needs of the economy and the environment against BAA's commercial needs. BAA claims that Britain will lose 14 billion pounds (about $22 billion) worth of trade over the next ten years if Heathrow doesn't build more runways to support growth in air travel routes to emerging markets. The government says that it might build a new airport instead. ????For months, BAA has been threatening to take legal action if the government continues to reject the idea of expanding Heathrow. Last week, the government acknowledged that it would listen to another round of presentations by BAA about noise reduction to residents (one could call them voters) and the importance of the third runway. Analysts, however, are saying that a definitive answer could be pushed off as late as 2015, when the next general election takes place. ????Even if BAA gets approval, the company itself estimates that a new runway will take six to 10 years to open. And in the meantime? First, travelers coming to Heathrow during the Olympics might still experience significant waiting times, even despite the 475 extra staff, and special lanes for athletes, that the government has promised. But the greater question, perhaps, is what will happen after the Games. ????Over the past decade, air travel has turned into a fraught experience for the passenger, a costly affair for struggling European and American airlines and, in the case of BAA, a hostile political negotiation with the government. Given that, in aviation, the needs of governments -- e.g., for security—trump commercial efficiency, the current problem looks here to stay, either until more airports are built, Heathrow expands, or someone develops foolproof biometric technology to make security dramatically more efficient. ????Many experts believe that Heathrow will get its third runway -- particularly as the pleas from business leaders grow more intense. But the queues at immigration seem unlikely to ease in the immediate future. Judging by the government's probing inquiries into the matter -- and its stretched purse strings -- best to expect nothing less. |