Government supports Heathrow third runway, Healey says

Transport Secretary John Healey has said the government supports a third runway at Heathrow, its first formal endorsement of the £49bn project since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. The backing signals a return to the previous government’s growth-focused approach, after Burnham had left the decision to London and Londoners.

Healey said airport expansion can drive wider economic growth but acknowledged that infrastructure projects still take too long to approve. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the government had accelerated work on the planning framework for Heathrow, which is expected to be published early next year before a parliamentary vote. She also criticised air traffic control failures that caused passenger disruption, saying an inquiry’s findings would be published soon.