Emirates boss questions PM on aviation strategy

David Cameron told business leaders he knows the situation is improving at Heathrow – because his wife Samantha said so.

According to The Daily Mail, Cameron was challenged by Emirates Airline’s president, Tim Clark, at the Global Investment Conference yesterday.

The Mail said: ‘The Prime Minister risked angering business leaders by firmly ruling out a third runway at Heathrow until 2015.

‘David Cameron claimed Britain could maintain its status as one of the world’s busiest aviation destinations simply by providing more officials at passport control.

‘And he said he knew the situation at airports was improving because his wife Samantha had told him so when she returned from a recent business trip to Italy.’

The Mail said Clark attacked the Government at event, saying: ‘We are just a little bit curious about the aviation policy of the coalition government in the UK.

‘I know there are a number of options that have been presented to you, whether it is the third runway at Heathrow or the expansion of the regional airports and of course there is the [Thames] estuary project.

‘Recently you decided to postpone the results of the review.

‘As a foreign carrier, and Emirates is quite a big one into Heathrow and other points in the UK, it is interesting to see where the government is going on this.’

The PM said: ‘If you really tool up and put the effort in running a good service at Heathrow you can reduce the border queues right down.

‘My wife said when she came in from a business trip from Italy she didn’t even have time to put her hand into her bag to get the passport out before it was being checked.’

To see the Mail story, click here.