UK lawmakers back Heathrow airport expansion

A parliamentary committee on Monday backed plans to build a third runway at Heathrow irport in London.

But the House of Commons Transport Committee said it was unconvinced by proposals to expand Stansted to the north of the capital. Both Heathrow and Stansted are operated by BAA Airports Ltd, which is majority owned by Spain's Grupo Ferrovial.

The committee's conclusions are only advisory and are not binding on the government.

It said it supported the £8 billion ($13 billion) expansion of London's Heathrow on economic grounds.

However, it said the case for a second runway at Stansted had been damaged by projected slower growth in passenger numbers following Britain's economic recession.

The government has given its support to both airport expansions, which will have to undergo lengthy planning procedures in the face of local and environmental opposition before they can go ahead.

BAA said last month it would not submit its planning application for the Heathrow expansion until after the next British general election, due by June.

It said the planning process for the project could take up to four years.

The opposition Conservatives, forecast by opinion polls to win the election, oppose a third runway for Heathrow on environmental grounds.

A public inquiry into the expansion of Stansted remains on hold while BAA challenges a British competition watchdog ruling that it should sell the airport.

The committee said there was a better case for adding an extra runway to Gatwick airport, to the south of London.

BAA sold Gatwick to private equity fund Global Infrastructure Partners, controlled by Credit Suisse and General Electric, for £1.5bn in October.

The committee said Heathrow was unlikely to operate as a hub for regional UK airports, even with a third runway, and called on the government to link it to a proposed high speed rail route to the north of Britain to maximise its benefit to the economy.