Overview
- Senior ministers publicly said on Wednesday they have sped up work on the planning blueprint for a third runway and described the project as a driver of jobs and investment.
- The Department for Transport has finished a public consultation and expects to publish a final National Policy Statement early next year ahead of a crucial Commons vote.
- The Prime Minister has declined to give full backing and called the decision a matter for London and Londoners, creating a visible split with cabinet supporters.
- Heathrow has intensified regional lobbying, signed a memorandum with the Regional and Business Airports Group and a supply deal with Welsh Steel while warning investors need government reassurance by December.
- The scheme would raise Heathrow’s movement cap from 480,000 to about 720,000 flights and carries disputed cost estimates commonly cited at £33 billion and sometimes reported as high as £49 billion, leaving planning, regulatory and finance risks that could delay construction and affect jobs and regional routes.