Capacity problems at London airports should be addressed in order to avoid economic stagnation, insisted London Mayor Boris Johnson as he urged government officials to construct a new international hub on the Thames Estuary.

A case was presented by the mayor to leaders of the aviation industry for the £50 billion project which has been dubbed ‘Boris Island’. The coalition has axed proposals to expand the existing airports already in London, even though full capacity has almost been reached.

Passenger traffic at airports in London is expected to increase to 400 million by the year 2050; in 2010, it stood at 140 million. Without capacity being increased, airlines might have to start redirecting flights to other locations – something that could spell negative consequences for London’s economy.

The mayor said that with such issues of crowding, the Thames Estuary airport should be a pillar of the Government’s growth plans to get the UK’s economy moving again. Johnson added that there is absolutely no doubt that doing nothing will lead to extended economic stagnation. He went on to say that the government should grasp the nettle and start making serious plans that will keep London and the UK at the top of the global economy’s premier league.

Johnson pointed out that by 2025, 75 million Chinese families will enter the emerging middle classes – a phenomenal market that means British engineers need to be safe in the knowledge that they can simply hop aboard a plane and help China improve its infrastructure.