A 3rd runway for the London Heathrow Airport, which has been one of the more controversial expansions in history, has gained the support of the government. Plans for the runway have received a go ahead; however, there are restrictions for the plans that are designed for protecting the environment by controlling pollution and noise, as well as to make the green protesters happy.
The government’s decision has been welcomed with legal challenges, coming from environmentalists like Greenpeace, of whom have said that the new runway can’t and won’t be built. If Brown gives the plans a green light, then [...]

Concerns that the current economic crisis would mean that holidaymakers would stay at home during the Christmas season were confirmed when the British Airports Authority, the largest airport operator in Britain, reported that their passenger numbers dropped by 6.9% during the month of December in comparison to last year.
The Gatwick Airport saw the biggest fall in traffic, where it fell by 13.8%, which is partly due to the move of some of the airport’s transatlantic flights to the London Heathrow Airport, along with the collapse of Zoom Airlines, which dealt specifically with North American services. The Stansted Airport witnessed [...]

The London Heathrow Airport is thinking about new changes to flight paths, which is a move that one official says will disturb millions. In a report from National Air Traffic Services, officials said that the London Heathrow Airport may change their flight paths in order to allow another 60,000 planes to use of the airport every year. These altered paths may be introduced as soon as 2010, affecting the lives of millions who live within 30 miles of the airport.
The changes may also include moving the points of approach for aircrafts landing at the London Heathrow Airport to [...]

The Competition Commission said yesterday that the British Airports Authority should be made to sell two more of their airports in the United Kingdom, one in London along with Gatwick Airport and another in Scotland. Pending a final decision to occur in March, they believe that they should have to sell Gatwick Airport and Stansted Airport in London, as well as Edinburgh Airport in Scotland. They didn’t set a timetable for the sale of the properties as of yet.
Colin Matthews, the Chief Executive of the British Airports Authority, said that they will continue to fight the forced sale. [...]

A decision to add a 3rd runway to the London Heathrow Airport, which is the main airport of the city, has been delayed by the British government again until January, according to Geoff Hoon, the Transport Secretary, who was just appointed in October. A decision was previously promised to be given by the government by the end of the year from former Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly.
Hoon said that, in light of his new role, he wants proper consideration given to the 70,000 responses for a consultation on the airport expansion. He wrote in a statement to parliament [...]

Ministers are going to say that a third runway is a necessity at the London Heathrow Airport in a Commons debate. Geoff Hoon, Transport Secretary, is probably going to approve the project before the year ends. This will be the first time that he faces the anger of the Labour and Conservative opponents of the proposed third runway.
Mr. Hoon is anticipated to say that the Conservatives are being too anti-business and argue that the long-term growth of demand in the aviation industry means that the government needs to press on with a third runway. He is also [...]

The British Airports Authority, the operator of the London Heathrow Airport, has admitted that only part of the new Heathrow East Terminal, which is replacing the first two terminals, is going to be ready for business when delegates and competitors arrive to the Olympics in 2012.  Following a grand Olympics in Beijing this year, the news of these most recent delays will be damaging to the reputation of Britain, as well as the reputation of the British Airports Authority and Ferrovial, their Spanish parent company.
Theresa Villiers, the transport spokesman for Tories, said that this is just more embarrassment for the [...]