Walsh: Economy will suffer without third runway

The head of British Airways has warned Britain’s economy will suffer if proposals for a third runway at Heathrow Airport are rejected.

Failure to build a third runway would leave the UK without a comparable European hub, potentially jeopardising traffic flows, BA chief Willie Walsh said.

“No region of the world is economically immune from developments in other regions,” Mr Walsh told an aviation conference in London.

The government is due to decide whether to approve the project next month. However, it is bitterly opposed by environmentalists and residents groups.

In contrast, the Labour has previously expressed firm support, but the aviation industry has become anxious about the growing political opposition.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson has recently launched an investigation into the feasibility of building an entirely new airport in the Thames estuary, with as many as six runways.

The wider Conservative party has adopted a position of outright opposition.