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BREAKING NEWS: Has Heathrow won?

Posted: 25 October 2016 | International Airport Review | No comments yet

According to BBC Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, “Heathrow did get the nod in the committee this morning”…

Prime Minister Theresa May is due to make an announcement to parliament at 11.30 GMT today to reveal which airport – Gatwick or Heathrow – it has decided to back in the long-awaited south east airport expansion debate.

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According to BBC Political Editor, Laura Kuenssberg, “Heathrow did get the nod in the committee this morning”.

The announcement, made via Twitter and citing a source, puts to end decades of indecision as to which airport will get the go-ahead for expansion, although Kuenssberg did not specify which of the two Heathrow options the government had backed – building a new runway or expanding one of its existing ones. May’s office has not made an immediate comment on this report. 

A three-year study by the independent Airports Commission states a new runway at Heathrow would create 70,000 new jobs and increase GDP by 0.65-0.75% by 2050, representing a £147 billion boost to the economy over 60 years. The project is, however, likely to face legal challenges and a final vote by lawmakers will not be made until winter 2017-18, meaning that any new runway could not be operational before 2025 at the earliest. 

International Airport Review will continue to bring up up-to-date coverage about the long-awaited decision.

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