Letter: Liverpool has airport solution

Christian Wolmar is right to highlight the obsession of airport planners. They want still more runways in South East England and they want another runway at Manchester too.

Certainly air traffic is set to increase and certainly there is need to plan ahead, but Government and planners need to recognise that journeys do not always start and finish at Heathrow.

There is a solution that is cheap, practical and environmentally sound. At Liverpool there is a splendid airport with a 7, 500 ft runway and space for one or two more. Communication by road and rail is excellent and the locality is fog free. Take off is

from sea level, so aircraft can take off fully laden and flight paths over the Mersey estuary minimise the problem of noise.

Congestion and environmental disturbance will continue in South East England even with a whole new range of runways and terminals. Planned development on the Liverpool - Manchester axis would be sensible, cost-effective and environmentally acceptable.

Dr Emlyn Williams Liverpool