Heathrow boss says MPs signal green light to runway expansion ahead of vote

Heathrow’s chief executive John Holland-Kaye said today that the international flight hub is on track to gain permission from MPs for its third runway expansion, with a parliamentary vote expected in the summer.

“We've got the green light to go ahead from a cross-party committee of MPs that expansion should go ahead and parliament is in favour,” Holland-Kaye said on BBC Today.

“This is giving clarification on the things parliamentarians would like to see tightened up in the policy statement. In any consultation, you're going to have a number of issues that people want to see built in at any stage."

Read more: MPs say government's Heathrow expansion proposals need a rejig before vote

The cross-party transport select committee released a report today that said Heathrow’s expansion needed to come with appropriate protection measures for the community and passengers, such as for air quality, noise pollution, regional connectivity and landing fees.

“Thousands of people across London could be exposed to worse levels of noise, air quality and traffic congestion — there must be sufficient measures to protect or compensate them," Lilian Greenwood, the Transport Committee chair said. “The draft does not guarantee that passengers will be protected from the cost risks associated with the scheme.”

The report additionally proposed that the airport should make the night flight ban for seven hours — up from the current six and a half.

Heathrow wants to begin construction in 2021 and complete the new runway in 2025/26, but MPs must back the project through a parliamentary vote first.

They are expected to vote on the airport’s national policy statement — which signifies planning consent — prior to the summer recess, and Heathrow has continued hosting public consultation events for its expansion plan to gain local communities' input ahead of finalising details.

Read more: Costs of Heathrow's third runway could outweigh benefits by £2.2bn

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