Decision On UK Airport Expansion On Track For Summer

February 8, 2016

Britain should make a decision on where to build an additional runway this summer, its transport minister said, dismissing concerns it could be further delayed by a referendum on EU membership.

Prime Minister David Cameron could reach a deal over Britain's ties with the European Union at a summit later this month, paving the way for a public vote on membership of the bloc possibly in June.

Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin said he did not think a June referendum would derail the current timetable for deciding on expanding either Heathrow, Britain's busiest airport, or Gatwick, the second-busiest.

The decision has been delayed repeatedly.

"If the referendum is June 23, the date that has been talked about, then I think we still could be on target to make it (the decision) before the end of July," McLoughlin told a panel of MPs, adding that he did not know when the vote would be.

"I very much hope that by the summer of this year we will have a location decision," he said.

Heathrow's campaign to build an additional runway received a blow in December when the government delayed the politically charged decision to summer 2016, saying it needed to do more work on the environmental impact of expansion.

Few disagree that south-east England needs additional runway capacity to remain economically competitive, but its location has been disputed for over 25 years and no new runway has been built in south east England since World War Two.

Heathrow, to the west of London, is operating at full capacity. It was recommended over Gatwick last year as the site for expansion by an independent commission.

In his first speech since the postponement, Heathrow chief executive John Holland-Kaye said he was confident that the government would back Heathrow.

"After the EU referendum, the biggest issue for the Prime Minister is delivering the sustainable growth that will tackle the deficit and create that prosperity," he said.

"Only saying 'yes' to Heathrow expansion will help him deliver that vision."

He said that should the government make a decision to back Heathrow by this summer, a new runway could be built by 2025.

(Reuters)