British leader meets with key advisers on airport plan

Even if a new runway were to be approved now, it is at least a decade away from being delivered, and today’s announcement means it is now even further away from becoming a reality.

But he added: “We are disappointed that it has accepted the case in principle for a new runway without looking at alternatives, including a frequent flyer levy that would avoid the need for expansion at all”.

Activist group Plane Stupid caused chaos at Heathrow Airport on November 26.

Downing Street said a decision on how to proceed on airport expansion will be made, which will go before the Cabinet.

The government hopes to conclude its work by the summer.

The Airports Commission published a large amount of very detailed analysis on air quality and greenhouse gas emissions for their three shortlisted schemes.

John Stewart, chair of the Heathrow Association for the Control of Aircraft Noise (HACAN), said, “This delay shows once again just how hard it will be to build a third runway at Heathrow”.

“Gatwick stands ready to deliver it sooner, at a lower public expense and without the damaging impact of Heathrow expansion”, he said.

Business groups said a decision was long overdue and questioned why the government had bothered with Sir Howard’s investigation, if it did not follow his recommendation.

At the same time, the government says that it has not ruled out the option of expanding Gatwick.

As expected, the announcement of a six-month delay sparked controversy.

A cynic might point out it helps them out of a political hole. But he’ll be tied up with the London mayoral election, which is to be held on 5 May 2016.

Ministers will also work towards developing the “best possible package” of measures to mitigate the impact on people living nearby and the environment, the statement added. “Failure to act will only lead to further significant damage to the United Kingdom economy”.

In July, the Davies Commission recommended that a third runway at Heathrow was the best option – if work was undertaken to deal with noise and pollution – but also left open the option of expanding Gatwick instead. Simon Walker, director-general of the Institute of Directors, claimed business leaders will be “tearing their hair out”.

London mayor Boris Johnson has not been invited to the meeting and no MPs from the capital will be represented.

Citing concerns over the environmental impact of the development, the department for transport said more work was needed to fully understand the risks. Cameron’s judges additionally prompt he desired to delay the fiercely unpopular decision to spice up the probabilities of the Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith in London’s mayoral race in May.

To say that rising tensions between Zac Goldsmith and David Cameron could result in a “bust-up” is to exaggerate – I can hardly imagine the London mayoral candidate channeling Eric Joyce and head-butting the Prime Minister – but it’s certainly giving both parties a headache. “It must be Gatwick – and we need to get on with it”. An entirely new airport would meet the complaints about noise and air pollution, could have enough runways to rival any European hub and would be the sort of major infrastructure project at which this country once excelled.