BAA Aims for 2013 Deadline For New Stansted Runway

10th May 2006 British airport operator BAA has said it still hoped to complete a second runway at London Stansted Airport (STN) by 2013 although it was budgeting for a two year delay in the project.

However, a BAA spokesman said it was still hopeful of a 2013 opening date for the runway and the targets had not changed.

"We just took a more cautious view of the possible opening times," the spokesman said.

BAA warned a year ago the runway's earliest completion date was 2013, and that was a "challenging target". The government had previously said it expected the runway to open in 2011-2012.

The government has backed plans for the second runway at Stansted as part of a 30 year strategy to cope with soaring demand for air travel, particularly in England's crowded south-east.

The new runway is strongly opposed by airlines, local residents and environmental groups.