Plans to expand London's other airports are already further along than Heathrow's and have in the past been viewed as an alternative to a third Heathrow runway. Work is set to start this year to expand capacity at Stansted's terminal. The government is due to make a decision on Gatwick airport by 27 February.

British finance minister Rachel Reeves is expected to back the expansion of Heathrow Airport on Wednesday, turning to the country's most controversial infrastructure project in her hunt for economic growth.

To justify air travel emissions ballooning in the meantime, the aviation sector has promised a mix of “supply-side” measures, like replacing kerosene with so-called “sustainable aviation fuel” (SAF), which Reeves described as “a game changer”, and making planes lighter and more fuel-efficient.

In the historic west London village of Harmondsworth, Justine Bayley pointed to where Heathrow Airport’s new boundary would likely

"Three-quarters of the village would be demolished. It wouldn't be a viable community. Pubs, the shops will go because there aren't enough customers. "The bus won't come up on the main road because there's a runway in the way.

In a major speech, the country’s top finance official pushed for faster economic growth, and supported a long-debated expansion at the London airport.

Britain's Labour government will back the construction of a third runway at London's Heathrow Airport to boost trade and economic growth, finance minister Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday. Successive governments have dithered over whether to expand the site to the west of London,

U.K. Treasury chief Rachel Reeves says that the new Labour government is backing the construction of third runway at London’s Heathrow Airport

Rachel Reeves has told London Mayor Sadiq Khan she is certain to defeat his bid to sabotage her Heathrow expansion scheme. Asked if Mr Khan was able to stop to her third runway plan, the Chancellor replied: ‘No.’ The capital’s Labour mayor could mount a legal challenge, she said, but he would not prevail in the end.

What could a third runway at Heathrow mean for tourism and the climate? Whatever the outcome, it’s still a long way away from happening.

Heathrow is the UK's busiest airport with more than 80 million travellers a year using its four passenger terminals and two runways. The west London hub wants to build a third runway to the north ...