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London Mayor, Boris Johnson, has long been an outspoken critic of both Gatwick and Heathrow, saying that the potential success of the 2012 Olympics could well be jeopardised by the inefficiencies of the capital’s airports.

He has now come up with the idea of a phased closing down of Heathrow (and possibly Gatwick too) if his plans come to fruition for a replacement airport in the Thames estuary, probably on a man-made island two miles north of the Isle of Sheppey. The water is only ten to thirteen feet deep there and the island for the airport could be constructed using landfill. With no neighbours to consider, the airport could operate 24 hours a day and expansion to six runways from the four initially planned would not be a problem either.

High speed rail links would whisk passengers to and from central London in around 35 minutes and a rail connection to the Channel Tunnel would mean that the Continent was also easily accessible, with an estimated journey time to Brussels of just an hour and a half.

Boris Johnson takes his inspiration in part from Chek Lap Kok airport in Hong Kong, which was built on reclaimed land and opened in 1998 after a $20 billion building programme. It operates 24 hours a day and has won various awards for being the best airport.

Johnson thinks that his plan could be the answer to the heavy congestion at Heathrow, which was recently described by one former airline chief as a “third world airport... a national disgrace”. Heathrow would in turn become a British Silicone Valley with high-tech business parks and affordable housing.