Today we asked BAA bosses at Stansted for answers to 20 questions about their attitude to the airport and its expansion plans.

Questions we are asking BAA bosses at Stansted:

1, Why has Stansted developed as a budget-carrier airport when we were told that it would become an international hub offering flights around the world when the new terminal was built in the early 1990s?

2, What responsibility does BAA have for the disruption caused to people living under the flightpaths?

3, Why should people believe today's claims that an expansion of the airport would lead to more inter-continental flights when the promises of the past were not fulfilled?

4, What provision has BAA made for the likely fall-off in demand for cheap flights when new carbon taxes are introduced over the next few years?

5, Does BAA Stansted have any discussions with NATS, CAA, or the airlines themselves about the routes aircraft follow after they have left the 43 Sq Km "footprint"?

6, What is the motivation for BAA Stansted's desire for expansion? Is it simply a case of maximising profits?

7, Has BAA made any representations to NATS or CAA to get air corridors moved?

8, How would an expansion in the number of flights lead to less disruption on the ground in Suffolk?

9, How can an airport expansion be approved when it relies so heavily on one operator, RyanAir, which operates 66 per cent of the flights?

10, Stansted is already a successful airport. Why can that success not be sustained if it remains at its present size?

11, Why is BAA so concerned about public opinion?

12, Why did a BAA spokesman warn The Evening Star that running a campaign against expansion could damage our relationship?

13, Why does BAA not understand the concern and anger felt by people living outside the 43 sq km footprint who have seen the number of flights over their homes increasing substantially?

14, If BAA is given permission to extend, would it put any pressure on NATS/CAA to ensure a more even spread of flights over the region?

15, Does BAA make any representations to NATS/CAA and airlines to try to ensure planes do not fly over sensitive areas of East Anglia - thereby ruining their attractiveness as destinations?

16, Does BAA have any proposals of its own to ease the noise pollution problem over greater East Anglia, or is it merely in the business of doing what it is told by NATS/CAA?

17, Why is it necessary for the economy of East Anglia to have so many flights to so many medium-sized cities in Europe?

18, What is BAA's estimate of the value of Stansted to the East Anglian economy - ie how much money does it bring into the economy set against the money taken out of the economy by tourist spending outside the UK after flying out of Stansted?

19, How long does BAA see its expansion plans being sufficient for?

20, Will a second runway and 68 million passengers be Stansted's final ambition - or would BAA want to get even larger in the future?