Heathrow unveils runway plans

Mayor Boris Johnson said:

"There are absolutely no circumstances in which the expansion of Heathrow will be acceptable to London or of long term benefit to the country.

"Three-quarters of a million people are already seriously affected by aircraft noise in their homes, and we cannot allow private profit to dictate a worsening of that situation.

"There will be more pigs flying than aircraft if we are to believe the claim that three runways at Heathrow will make less noise than two.

"Their proposal would be a disastrous outcome for Londoners, nor would it solve our aviation capacity crisis as a fourth runway would need to be in the planning process before a third was even open.

"Any proposal for expansion of Heathrow is politically, environmentally and socially unacceptable."

Heathrow airport bosses said a third runway is essential for Britain and have claimed the project could provide the UK with benefits worth £100 billion.

• Each of the three options would allow Heathrow to move from 480,000 flights a year to 740,000.
• There would need to be a sixth terminal at the airport and a new runway would be able to handle 130 million passengers a year, up from 70 million.

• Heathrow bosses do no think there would be a need for a fourth runway until 2040.
• A third runway would provide benefits to the UK worth £100 billion, according to the airport's bosses.
• It would also safeguard 114,000 existing jobs and create 70,000 to 150,000 new ones.

Read: The three options Heathrow bosses have presented for a third runway

The case for expansion at Heathrow will be presented today by bosses of the west London airport.

In pressing for a third runway at Heathrow, the airport's chiefs will explain why they think additional capacity at the UK's biggest airport is vital for Britain's economic success.

It is thought the Heathrow executives could suggest the third runway be sited to the south-west of the airport rather than to the north as was originally envisaged.

The Heathrow runway proposals will be presented to the Whitehall-appointed Airports Commission, headed by former Financial Services Authority chairman Sir Howard Davies.