????但是，英國政府援引環(huán)境保護(hù)方面的考量,，依然不改反對該計劃的態(tài)度,。政客們表示，倫敦已經(jīng)有六個商業(yè)機(jī)場了,，難道還需要更多航班,，以及隨之而來的更多二氧化碳排放量嗎？上周,，倫敦市長鮑里斯?約翰遜——新建跑道計劃的最大反對者之一——就此發(fā)表了戲劇化的演講,，使相關(guān)辯論進(jìn)一步白熱化，他說道：“這現(xiàn)在做不到,，將來也做不到,，該計劃已死，沒戲了,，考慮別的辦法吧,。”

????針對入境關(guān)口長隊的最新一輪抨擊,，正值雙方都在就支持或反對新建跑道而發(fā)布報告之際,。政府方面聲稱必須要平衡經(jīng)濟(jì)與環(huán)保需求，而不能像英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)那樣只考慮商業(yè)需要,。英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)則表示,，如果希思羅機(jī)場不新建更多跑道，以支持英國與新興市場之間的航班數(shù)量增長，那英國今后十年中將會損失140億英鎊（約220億美元）的貿(mào)易收入,。政府則回應(yīng)稱,，這或許可以靠建設(shè)一個新機(jī)場解決。

????數(shù)月以來,，英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)一直威脅說,，如果政府繼續(xù)拒絕其擴(kuò)建希思羅機(jī)場的計劃，則將采取法律行動,。上周,，政府表示將就如何減少噪音對居民（換句話說，選民）的影響,，以及第三條跑道的重要性,，再次聽取英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)的陳述?？墒?，分析師們指出最終決定可能要到2015年才會作出，也就是下一屆大選的時候,。

????就算英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)獲得批準(zhǔn),，據(jù)該公司自己的估計，新跑道要6-10年才能投入運營,。與此同時呢,？首先，奧運會期間來到希思羅機(jī)場的旅客們?nèi)孕璧却喈?dāng)長時間——盡管政府已承諾屆時將投入475名工作人員,，并為運動員開設(shè)機(jī)場特別跑道。但更重大的問題或許是,，奧運會結(jié)束之后怎么辦,？

????過去十年來，旅客們發(fā)現(xiàn)航空旅行的體驗一落千丈,，歐美民航公司的空運成本飆升,，而對英國機(jī)場集團(tuán)來說，則要面臨與政府之間敵意重重的政治性談判,。盡管如此,，在民航領(lǐng)域，政府需求——比如說安檢——仍然凌駕于商業(yè)效率之上,，因此現(xiàn)在這些問題恐怕將持續(xù)下去,，除非建設(shè)更多機(jī)場、擴(kuò)建希思羅,，或者有人開發(fā)出某種簡單便捷的生物識別技術(shù),，能使安檢效率驟升。

????很多專家認(rèn)為，希思羅機(jī)場建設(shè)第三條跑道的愿望將會得到滿足——特別是因為商界領(lǐng)袖們正日益熱情高漲地為此請愿,?？稍诓贿h(yuǎn)的將來，入境關(guān)口的長隊仍不大可能變短,，考慮到英國政府仍在就此事進(jìn)行試探性調(diào)查,，而且財政預(yù)算頗為緊張，我們最好不抱太高期望,。

????譯者：小宇

????The British government, however, cites environmental concerns and has not backed down in its opposition to the plan. London is already served by six commercial airports, policymakers argue, so why does the city need more airplane traffic, and subsequently more carbon emissions? This week London mayor Boris Johnson, who is one of the biggest critics of the plan, continued to ignite the debate with a dramatic speech that concluded, "It is not deliverable now or in the future. It is dead, it is over, move on."

????The latest round of recriminations about the immigration queues come as both sides are publishing reports for or against the proposed runway. The government claims it needs to balance the needs of the economy and the environment against BAA's commercial needs. BAA claims that Britain will lose 14 billion pounds (about $22 billion) worth of trade over the next ten years if Heathrow doesn't build more runways to support growth in air travel routes to emerging markets. The government says that it might build a new airport instead.

????For months, BAA has been threatening to take legal action if the government continues to reject the idea of expanding Heathrow. Last week, the government acknowledged that it would listen to another round of presentations by BAA about noise reduction to residents (one could call them voters) and the importance of the third runway. Analysts, however, are saying that a definitive answer could be pushed off as late as 2015, when the next general election takes place.

????Even if BAA gets approval, the company itself estimates that a new runway will take six to 10 years to open. And in the meantime? First, travelers coming to Heathrow during the Olympics might still experience significant waiting times, even despite the 475 extra staff, and special lanes for athletes, that the government has promised. But the greater question, perhaps, is what will happen after the Games.

????Over the past decade, air travel has turned into a fraught experience for the passenger, a costly affair for struggling European and American airlines and, in the case of BAA, a hostile political negotiation with the government. Given that, in aviation, the needs of governments -- e.g., for security—trump commercial efficiency, the current problem looks here to stay, either until more airports are built, Heathrow expands, or someone develops foolproof biometric technology to make security dramatically more efficient.

????Many experts believe that Heathrow will get its third runway -- particularly as the pleas from business leaders grow more intense. But the queues at immigration seem unlikely to ease in the immediate future. Judging by the government's probing inquiries into the matter -- and its stretched purse strings -- best to expect nothing less.