Advertisement

Britain aims to give go-ahead to new Heathrow runway by next year

FILE PHOTO - Passengers walk through Heathrow Terminal Three in London, Britain May 5, 2017. REUTERS/Neil Hall

MANCHESTER, England (Reuters) - Britain is aiming to give the formal go-ahead to a third runway at Heathrow Airport in the first half of next year, transport minister Chris Grayling said on Monday. Prime Minister Theresa May backed a $22 billion (16.57 billion pounds) expansion of the London hub last October after decades of government indecision, but it is still consulting on the impact on air quality and overall aviation demand. "Subject to the necessary consultation work and securing the backing of parliament, we are aiming to give it the formal go ahead in the first half of next year," Grayling told the ruling Conservative Party's annual conference. (Reporting by William James and Kate Holton, editing by Elizabeth Piper)