Heathrow must expand to compete with international rivals, says airport boss

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Heathrow must be expanded to prevent Britain falling behind its international rivals, its chief executive has warned.

Following the London airport's busiest ever year, John Holland-Kaye said cross-party support was needed for Sir Howard Davies' Airports Commission, which is expected to publish its final report after the General Election.

Both Heathrow and Gatwick hope to be given the green light to build a new runway and Holland-Kaye believes there should only be one winner; claiming an enlarged Heathrow would boost the UK economy by £211 billion and create 180,000 jobs across the UK.

"We have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from business and politicians — and now more than half of local residents support us," he said.

The airport slipped to a £119 million loss last year after re-opening Terminal 2. Some 73.4 million passengers passed through Heathrow in 2014.

A trade union representing Aer Lingus workers has backed a takeover approach from BA-owner IAG, after the company outlined its growth plans for Ireland’s national carrier.

"The danger of this going away is that the company could eventually go into a downward spin and who knows going forward what would happen if that was the case," CRC Secretary Myles Worth said yesterday.